There is a lot of blame to go around in this story. We have to educate the public and Ohio needs to change their laws. And uneducated cops that fire their weapons at the drop of the hat need to be stopped.
— Kenn
Vicki Hagler said Sunday evening that police acted inappropriately when they dubbed her dog a pit bull and fatally shot it after the dog bit a 4-year-old boy’s face on Saturday evening.
“I do feel bad about the child. I have been crying all day, but I have a side, too. My kids heard the gun shots,” said Hagler, the mother of four children ranging from 8 to 18. “She was not a pit bull and she was not vicious.”
State law defines pit bulls as vicious, but includes other breeds in that category only if there is a documented history of an individual animal killing or injuring a person or killing another dog.
Hagler’s family said the dog was a mixed breed with strong German Shepherd and hound features.
Chad Young, Hagler’s 15-year-old son, said his family’s 3-year-old dog Hailey was sweet. Before biting the child, Young said Hailey’s worse offense was eating pizza boxes left on the kitchen table overnight.
“She was one of the best dogs you could ever have,” said Young, who was to celebrate his 16th birthday Saturday.
Police said the 4-year-old was being cared for by one of his mother’s friends — a neighbor of Hagler’s family. The child was bit by the dog around 4 pm as he reached for a candy dish inside Hagler’s home at 76 Dover St., according to police. He required 85 to 100 stitches on Saturday evening to close two wounds on his face.
Hagler’s fiance, Bobby West, said the 4-year-old had never been to his house. West said he thought the child must have been “in the dog’s face,” when he was bit.
West wasn’t at home during the incident. He had gone to the store and left Young to watch two of Hagler’s younger children. The family believes the 4-year-old was playing with the younger children in the Hagler’s house.
Young, who was playing basketball outside with friends, heard screaming and saw the 4-year-old on the sidewalk covered in blood. He carried the child to 68 Dover for care and returned to his house. He put the dog in the garage.
After about 15 minutes, West said he returned home and was in the garage holding the dog when police arrived.
Police said the dog was shot after it charged the officers. Young said the dog was calm until the officers fired.
Young said police drew their guns before reaching the backyard.
“It was like they were on a mission,” he said.
Police said a vicious dog complaint would be referred to prosecutors.
“Any time an officer discharges a firearm an internal affairs investigation is conducted,” said Dayton police Lt. Wendy Stiver. “We can not comment until after the investigation is conducted.”
Hagler said she’s always been be leery of pit bulls and would never allow a vicious dog around her kids.
She said she now wonders how many dogs are mislabeled pit bull.
“We trained this dog,” she said. “I’ve got friends jealous of how good my dog is.”
We want to change dogs but we never want to change our self, 1 day we will only humans left because we dont want to change our self & we will kill any other spices ,we cut jungels so wild life will end soon & we lkill animals around then there will be only us to kill each other………….. sad very very sad.
Yep I agree. Cesar Millan said so many breeds have been blamed & targeted. When will the human be blamed ?f Our ignorance, down right stupidity & arrogance is destroying life on this planet. It is sad.
Yep I agree. Cesar Millan said so many breeds have been blamed & targeted. When will the human be blamed ?f Our ignorance, down right stupidity & arrogance is destroying life on this planet. It is sad.
So, if they hadn’t thought it was a pit they wouldn’t have killed her? Doesn’t sound that way, actually. According to this story they were ready to kill as soon as they came into the yard. Any animal can react badly to something unknown to them. Sad for the child and his family, also for the dog and her family. This killing could have been prevented.
I’m puzzled what set off the PD to shoot the dog? From the story, it didn’t say the dog was putting the PD in danger. This dog is clearly not a Pitt. It appears to be a German Shephard mix with Lab or Boxer. It was a family pet and appears to be used to being around children. True, a 4 yr old could pull a tail or pet the dog too roughly and the dog jumped up perhaps in an attempt to stop the your girl and got her face. Allot of dogs will show their teeth, not to bite, but to warn a behavior they do not like. The story also mentioned the child was reaching for candy, perhaps the dog tried to take it from her and got her face. Even though Pitts have a sign on their heads saying “I am vicious”, other breeds like, Akitas, Mastiffs and Pitts are labeled as “prey animals”. I had a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix for 13 yrs. She was a 125 lb gentle giant and was in that same ‘prey’ catagory but known as a Lion Killer. Not true, the RR yrs ago would hold a Lion at bay, hunter shoots and RR drags back the 350+ lb Lion. I send my sincere condolences to the family and May God Bless Hailey as he is now enjoying the beautiful world beyond called the Rainbow Bridge. I am so saddened by all these trigger happy cops. They should be required to take a dog psycology training course. As a volunteer shelter trainer and with 3+ yrs of dog psycology training, it is obvious to me that cops havn’t a clue to the body language of family pet versus a vicious charging dog! My heart is breaking, I am so sorry for the family and the children.
This is so sad…..the cops didn’t have any proof that Hailey (the dog) had a history of attacking or biting anyone and yet, they just charged to the family’s garage and shot the dog….their excuse, they thought it was a Pit Bull. The person at fault here is the babysitter for not watching the little guy when there was a dog in the house that didn’t know the child. Pit Bulls are a beautiful breed of dog and they love kids so the cops really didn’t even have a reason to draw their revolvers – they were there for one purpose only and that was to kill the dog. I really hope these cops are disciplied and all the officers on the force are taught to investigate and find out the facts before they go aroud shooting animals for absolutely no reason.
I am very sorry for the little guy, his family and the family of Hailey….they lost a beautiful well trained dog for no reason.
I own a pit and should any one, officer or not open fire on mine. Well, lets just say…………..Back at em!!
those cops should be fired from their job. they acted inappropriately in this situation and shot a nonviolent animal. my prayers go out for both families.
The family says it was a “well trained dog,” however we do not know the whole story. I’m confused: One thing I read the kid was reaching for candy from a dish, the other says an older child found the tot bleeding on the sidewalk? So now which was it? Was the child bit outside, as it sounds from the other child’s story it was, or bit inside reaching for candy?
Something smells fishy to me.
As far as law enforcement shooting the dog because “they thought it was a pit bull?” Shame on you!!!
I own a pitbull. The only question I have is this. Why so much breed hatred? The dogs aren’t born evil, humans make any dog that way. I know of a few min-pins and Chihuahuas that I swear were spawned by Satan himself. Doesn’t mean I’d shoot first though.
I have a yorkie, a chihuahua, a lab/pit mix and a pit bull. The dog that would bite first out of mine? The yorkie!
The reason there is so much hatred toward pit bull type dogs is the media bias which portrays them as vicious people killers. There are many dog attacks by other breeds, but they don’t make the news.
It really upsets me. People who have never even been exposed to pit bulls “hate them because “so and so” knows “so and so” who knows this other person who heard about a pit bull biting a kid, so pit bulls are dangerous. I think it’s crap!!!
The people I know personally and seen around my pit and others, have had positive experiences.
Exactly. Don’t blame the dogs. They just do what the owners train them to do. I worked for a vet years ago & we had several dogs there that will take a hand off at the drop of the hat. I get all bent out of shape when someone puts all pitts in the same category.
Exactly. Don’t blame the dogs. They just do what the owners train them to do. I worked for a vet years ago & we had several dogs there that will take a hand off at the drop of the hat. I get all bent out of shape when someone puts all pitts in the same category.
Like I said, should any one open fire on my pits……………………..Luckily I live in a state that one doesn’t even need a license to either carry or conceal…………..
What a tragedy for all involved. Better education is needed. A child that has not been introduced to the dog and at only 4 years of age, no matter how great the dog has been with other children, should NEVER have been left alone with other young children. Reading/hearing the police say “it was charging me and I felt threatened” no longer carries any weight with me. It’s been used far too many times. We all know it means that the officers involved will not be reprimanded in any way. I’m sorry but having guns out, charging around and being aggressive only causes the dog involved to act the way it does by its nature. It’s an animal. We humans are supposed to have the higher intellect.
There are approx 77 million dogs in the US. 77 MILLION. They aren’t going anywhere and it’s obvious to me at least that people need a lot more education starting at a young age; doesn’t matter if you have a dog or not! Tragedy like this can and should be avoided. I cannot even imagine what the family of the child is going through. None of this should have happened.
Dogs are animals. They have animal instinct and humans need to not only know that but respect it for the thing it is.
I have a Great Dane, a Border Collie, an Aussie and a French Bull Dog. The Frenchie would be more likely to snap off at someone than any of them. Knowing this I am always watchful. Last summer a good friend of mine an adult stuck her face in his…he was startled and bit her. So help me if someone, anyone approached any of my dogs with a gun they would have to shoot me first. My heart goes out to this family and cops who are afraid of dogs should not respond to these sort of calls.
Can anyone understand from the write up how the four year old, who was bit inside reaching for candy, wound up on the sidewalk where he was picked up and carried to another home? I can not believe that a four year old, bit that badly, would walk from inside to out?
this is so sad, the public and police must be educated!
Did you know more small dog bite (nasty bites) then pits do? And when the cops receive a call for an aggressive animal…why the f*&K do they not bring tranq? THey go right for their guns? They don’t know what happened! They have no right; not by law; not by anything to shoot first! And who gives a crap if it was a pit bull, gives you no right to shoot! I believe that they need to in force tranq guns on calls like this! I believe that the cops need to go on probation, go under investigation…be forced to attend animal pschy classes, and I believe the family should have all right to pursue a case against either the individuals, or the precinct itself! I hope this family gets justice out of this!
I am truly saddened that a child was bit. It is a BIG lesson for ALL dog owners to learn. NEVER leave your dog unattended with a non-member of your family. I once tried to break up a fight between my German Shepherd and a Malamute (the Malamute started it…). I got HIT, not bit by the Malamute’s teeth. I know there was no malice but it ripped open my skin anyway. Dogs react with their mouths. The dog did not deserve a death sentence by the police and using an excuse the it “looked like a Pit Bull” is Bull Pit!