MA Pit Bull Attack on Owner’s Daughter Highlights Dangers of “Safe Storage Laws”

1. Where do all home invasions occur? Home carry. Even if you live in a ‘safe community’.

   Because there is no such thing as a safe community. Period.

   • Totally agree. Most common quote on the nightly news: “this kind of thing never happens here”; until it does.

2. I honestly feel bad for everyone involved. It’s a shitty day when you have to kill your dog to protect your child. But the old “there are no bad dogs, only bad dog owners” truism comes to mind.

   • You are 99% correct on that. Some dogs can have genetic disorders that, with age, can cause an otherwise well-loved and loving dog to turn hyper aggressive. Often associated with the hypothalamus, but known as “brain-swell,” some breeds are more prone to it than others.

     • In this case, I doubt it. Even sick dogs don’t “just snap” like that. There are generally indicators for months before it gets serious. To me, this screams of horrible puppy training.

       I tell my friends that getting a new puppy is just as stressful and time consuming as getting a newborn. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you’re going to be spending hours with it every day for the first 6-12 months of life teaching it how to behave. Training my old english bulldog puppy to be as calm and friendly as he is took a lot of work. With bully breeds, their natural assertiveness takes a lot of training and socialization to properly control.

       • Maybe they should look into rabies as a cause and is this really a pit or one of the many dogs that look like one?

       • The trainer I worked with to train my service dog explained how a dog can see a baby as a challenge to its place of affection, and attempt to drive it away just as might happen with a new puppy — in the dog’s eyes, a baby is a puppy. She said that except for a few breeds actually bred for being gentle and companionable, any dog poses a risk to infants unless the baby and puppy started out together so the dog sees the infant as a littermate — and ever that isn’t a guarantee.

   • Nah, pit bulls are inherently dangerous. Mindless automatons like you are why morons keep getting pitbulls because it’s always the “owner’s fault.”

     • Stop bullying my breed our rescued pit is the sweetest dog who loves everyone our great Dane wanted to eat everyone she met so it’s not the breed sucks the kid got hurt but the whole story is probably not being told if the kid provoked or was teasing the poor dog you know since kids are such angels in today’s world.

       • The kid you sarcastically questioned her innocence, was a one year old baby. Classy.

         “Police said the family had the dog for five years and it had no known history of aggression.”

         Sweet dog, just like yours, until it wasn’t. Then it wouldn’t let go of their baby’s face until the father cut it to death with a knife. Sweet….

         Owners of vicious dogs should go to prison when their stupid assumptions go wrong, and they rip the face off a baby, or worse.

       • Wow your saying that the dog is above the baby in your “poor dog” speech, looks like another person that’s so caught up in animal loving u forgot that we are humans and they are PETS

     • Stop bullying my breed our rescued pit is the sweetest dog who loves everyone our great Dane wanted met so it’s not the breed sucks the kid got hurt but the whole story is probably not being told if the kid provoked or was teasing the poor dog you know since kids are such angels in today’s world.

3. “If I look under your kitchen sink, will I find a fire extinguisher?”
   “Yes, of course.”
   I point at the guns in the display case, “These are fire extinguishers… in a way. They are the most effective tool to use for a specific kind of emergency; and like the actual fire extinguisher, you do not want to have to search for it or stop to read the instructions AS the flames are climbing the kitchen walls.”
   🤠

   • “If I look under your kitchen sink, will I find a fire extinguisher?”
     “Yes, of course.”

     Under the sink? Mounted on the doorframe leading into (and out of) the kitchen is the place to mount one.

     Of course, it doesn’t do a whole lot of good when the fire breaks out when you’re not home…

     • (Don’t ask how I found that out…)

     • In EVERY room of the house and every shed outside; no exceptions.

   • Crime extinguishers

4. You can both home carry and follow safe storage requirements, they are not mutually exclusive. Parents that need to be told pit bulls don’t reliably mix with infants also probably need to be told to not leave loaded firearms within reach of toddlers. Stupid acts by stupid people invite over-reaching laws.

   • Yup – Little persons (babies and toddlers) can annoy and anger dogs of all sizes, and their interactions need to be properly supervised. As a toddler, my elder son was quite capable of pissing off my generally good-natured and patient retriever. Which is why they weren’t left together unsupervised.

     But with dogs like Pit Bulls, there is very little margin for error.

     • A tiny chihuahua with sharp teeth can shred a youngster’s face in seconds. Any dog can be a menace, not just pits. Even lovable old black labs can have their moments, especially if a food bowl is nearby. Always be alert around dog-child interactions.

       • When he was a puppy, my basset hound used to wake me up at 4 am every day by biting me on the nose. He doesn’t bite me anymore but he still wakes me up at 4 am.

5. All my weapons are loaded and chambered with the exception of a revolver that is of the style that you always have an empty chamber under the hammer and my AK which I don’t keep chambered. That is maintained with with a 40 round Circle 10 magazine inserted but the hammer is down and nothing chambered.
   But then like many of you, I live alone. I don’t have prohibited people, pissed off significant others or children in my house coming and going. It’s nice. I can put something down and it stays right there until I move it.

   • “I can put something down and it stays right there until I move it.”

     I cannot even imagine what that’s like! Sigh.

     • It’s kinda creepy. After years of kids and grandkids they finally moved out. My wife is to young to retire so here I am, alone in this dark, lifeless house.

       I need a girlfriend.

       • Then ‘Fakebook’is the answer to your needs and a creator of a whole new set of “issues” in your life…. On the other hand a dog or a hobby would be a better way to fill the void.

       • LOL….. Get more hobbies or spend more time at the range, reloading, etc. Or as suggested get a cat or dog. A girlfriend will cost you far more than you can afford and then later you will be less than broke. My silly cousin found that out the hard way, just saying. Now he has no wife, no girlfriend (she left when his money left), no nice firearms and related stuff (sold as part of the settlement), no house, and a crappy car. He is lucky, I still like him enough to take him to the range with me.

     • @ Anon in Ct
       It’s nice…really really nice. It hasn’t always been that way and it drove me bananas. I HATE, absolutely HATE looking for things because someone moved it, or putting something in the frig for later and it’s gone.
       One of my newer dogs, a beautiful Pitsky had a habit when she was puppy of walking off with things. I’d be at my shop working on something, drop a socket on the floor and I know it’s down there but I can’t let go of something yet and get it, and in the mean time she’d nonchalantly walk up, grab it and take it outside.
       I’d be walking around looking for my socket, just blowing my mind because they don’t just grow legs and walk away!!! Where the F—- is my socket??? Soon enough I learned her little game, but she walked off with all kinds of stuff before I figured out her game. She took off with nuts and bolts I’d drop and I’d have to get in my nut and bolt supply and get more, because I had no idea where shit was going, the sneaky puppy.
       But being retired and home with four girl doggies here, I love being alone. LOVE IT!

   • I like your expression “pissed off, significant other”. Reminds me of someone living in my household!

6. I guess a knife will work too. I don’t home carry, but the other evening I was sitting in my chair and thot,” yah kno, if somebody kicked in my door I wouldn’t have time to get to my firearms”, I’m old an slow, now Ive got a pistol on the coffee table , no kids around, better safe then sorry I hope people don’t start in on Pit Bulls. They’re a good breed.

   • Don’t start in on pit bulls.
     Ok.

     I’ll just point out that it wasn’t a black lab that tried to kill the toddler.

     • Pure bred pits aren’t the problem it’s all the crossbreeds and inbred pits out there that bring out the crazy. It gives the rest a bad name.

       • Most times I read about pit bulls maiming and/or killing people there’s a quote from the the owner to the effect of “it was such a gentle and friendly dog.” Until it one day killed that kid. And when I read about dog attacks a pit bull is usually involved. Also, “pit bull” isn’t a breed is it?

         https://www.dogsbite.org/

       • 31 deaths per year? Seems to me like a non-issue. You’re statistically more likely to be killed by lighting. Heck, cows kill as many people per year as pits.

       • Some people like a part-pit dog because of the loyalty — around here pit-lab seems to be popular. But cross a pit with any breed that’s bred for hunting and you’re asking for trouble.

         But even so, training is the make-or-break item. There’s a pit bull down the street which might as well be a stuffed toy, it’s so gentle, but it was raised with intense supervision and lots of cuddling and affection by an elderly couple who never even raise their voices around the house. I think they put more effort into training their dog to be sweet and gentle than goes into most service dogs.

     • “Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 900 U.S. cities, pit bulls contributed to 71% (22) of these deaths. Pit bulls make up about 6% of the total U.S. dog population.”

7. While there are points to be made. I would like to point out that for average Joe, this was probably not the best time to have a loaded gun, I can easily see this being reported as baby and dog shot.
   There are a lot of variables to consider, keep in mind people vary greatly in both ability and cognitive function.
   Had that been my 1 yo, I’d of torn the dog in two. But we’re not all power houses, nor are we all expert marksmen under extreme pressure.
   Just something to keep in mind, the knife was probably the best choice IMHO.

   Oh, as for safe storage laws, shove that crap back up ur poop hole, Gov over reach goes so far and should stop at particular areas.

   • I thot the same thing, chance of shooting the child.

8. They didn’t know after 5 years the dog could be a problem? I knew after reading the 3rd word of the headline.

   • Well, you know, dogs can “just snap” the same way that guns can “just go off”. But of course, they don’t.

9. There is probably much left out in this report. For instance, did playing involve tormenting the dog in any way? Where we’re her parents when the attack occurred?

   I won’t judge until we hear the entire story.

10. Though I cannot speak to the breed involved here…
    A Pit Bull is something you train.
    An American Bull Terrier is a wonderful species and generally good around the young.

    • If someone just HAS to own a bad-a$$, “hey look at MY tough-as-nails dog” so they can walk it through the neighborhood on a tow chain to signal how much street cred they have – and they also have children…
      Get a Rottweiler.
      Has all the look of a bad-a$$, but I’ve yet to meet or even hear of one yet that wouldn’t charge headlong into the maw of hell to protect their young human. Absolutely fantastic “children’s breed”.
      🤠

      • Big fan of Rottweilers. A bit too big a dog for me, but definitely one of the friendlier “big dog” breeds. I settled on an Old English Bulldog because they have all the character of a Victorian Bulldog with none of the health risks. (and tend to be a lot more athletic as a bonus.)

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olde_English_Bulldogge

        In any case, any dog can be a “children’s” breed so long as you do your part raising it and your kids aren’t pants on head retarded sociopaths.

      • I walked into a guys house , he had a Rottweiler, damn dog grabbed me buy the nuts, guy says” you got a gun on you?” Me say ” yup” he said the dog smelled it. That was scary. …. German Shepherds are good around kids too, we had them in the Army also, whole different dog, they were terrors, training is the difference.

      • It depends on the dog. I used to know a couple who owned a Rottweiler. As long as they were around and you behaved yourself, the dog was friendly. They had a well fenced back yard with a doggy door so the Rottweiler could go in and out. They also had a neighbor who would open a gate so the dog could get out into the street. It nipped another neighbor who was kind enough not to report the incident to animal control. A padlock solved the open gate problem.

    • We have always had Chessies. Man’s best friend. And he loves guns.

11. The awful liberals in Massachusetts are perfectly content to tolerate cases of children being horrifically mauled in exchange for the terrific feelings they experience knowing they have “done something” about “gun violence”.

12. BS. Pit Bulls are also called the Mommy Dog, because they will protect a baby from harm. Remember, that in “Our Gang Comedies”, Petey was a pit bull and everyone’s playmate.
    This is an example of a dog gone rogue.
    I was attacked by a Vietnam Guard dog, back before the military stopped bringing the dogs back. War dogs may not belong in our society, I am against dogs with that type of training coming back to the states. I was shy of dogs until I was over 40. The best thing the parents can do is to get a small dog so the baby isn’t scared of dogs for life. A viscous attack like this can have life long effects, I just wish that my parents had gotten a dog to help me in recovery – i missed out of 30 years of loving dogs.

    • It’s sad about those military attack dogs, wish they could just stay with their handlers. Your lucky to be alive, I’m not going into stories, but I’ve seen them do what they were trained to do.

    • I was afraid of dogs until I started taking care of this puppy for a friend who was gone off and on. I didn’t even remember why until I commented on how I wasn’t afraid of this dog, and my mom told me about the dog that tried to rip my face off — it was the family dog and what no one knew was it had cancer, and when I hugged it I apparently squeezed the tumor. That was one of the points when I realized how good this present dog was for me: he could tell I was reliving that attack and just curled up against me.

      I now wonder how different my life might have been if I’d had a loyal dog as a kid instead of fearing them.

13. If I lived in Massachusetts and was inclined to observe their dangerous “safe storage” law, I would keep a katana (Japanese sword) and a wicked bludgeon up on the walls for easy and instant access.

    Think about it: one swift and HARD blow to the dog’s back, close to their neck, would at the very least cause instant paralysis of the hind legs and quite likely the front legs as well. I can only hope that most dogs would stop biting whatever they were biting when a sword or a bludgeon destroys their back and spinal cord.

    • One possible wicked bludgeon:
      — 5/8 inch diameter steel rod, 3 feet long, with a nice handle

      The nice handle could be several layers of 3/16 inch rope coated with something that makes it sticky for a fantastic grip.

    • I have an ice axe and other items hanging on my walls for this very reason.

    • Curious, just how to the authorities in MA go about enforcing this safe storage law? No one knows what condition I keep my firearms stored in my safe/house areas. The only one I discussed those options with is my long time friend/brother in CO.

      • The author was incorrect. I sent them an email and they corrected it. MA does not dictate what condition your guns are stored in.

        In summary, they must be locked with a trigger/action lock, in a locked container, or on your person.

14. Poor dog.
    Home carry.

15. speaking as someone who survived a home invasion and beat the snot out of the intruder, I home carry. I also have a half dozen within reach throughout the house, artfully concealed. all day erra day.

    where you feel safest is where you are most vulnerable.

16. Pit Bulls are stupid pets. Just as stupid as being required to have your gun unloaded in the home. I’d break the law.

17. That pitbull was just about to turn its life around.

    • It was going to start obedience school next semester.

      • All I got to say is that per-capita, pitbulls are a lot less dangerous than urban yuuths.

18. Pit bulls are absolutely suitable for home pets. But don’t leave young children unattended with them or any breed, for some reason dogs don’t like fingers jabbing in their eye or butt.

    But yes, home carry people. And as much as I love my pets I’ve thought of the possibility of needing a gun to stop them from the rare chance of attacking a family member.

    • I find it hard to believe that “any breed” of dog would maul a kid until the owner has to stab it to death, because the kid poked it in the eye or butt.

      • Would? No. Could? Absolutely. Statistically speaking, dog attack deaths and injuries are a statistical rounding error. Cows kill almost as many people per year as pitbulls.

19. had pit bulls as pets that would never touch a child.
    have seen family dogs bite kids and not one of them was a pit bull.

    you’d think GUN OWNERS would dislike negative generalizations…

20. I Personally believe this is a case of the nonexistent breeding standards and laws. (See German breeding standards) and poor socialization by the owner. Pit Bulls if properly socialized and maintained are no more prone to kill some one than any other breed. In any situation involving any dog and an infant proper supervision is a must!

    • Bullshit. How many times have I heard this.

    • I’m sure little Remmy would be soothed to know that.

21. I seem to recall that pit bulls have a higher rate of attacking people than other breeds. And I don’t mean a nip. Once a pit decides they don’t like you, it’s you or them. The reason they exist and where they get their name from is because they were bred to fight in a pit against other dogs and animals! If you aren’t willing and able to put your pet pit bull down at a moments notice you probably shouldn’t own one. I personally wouldn’t have one anywhere near children unless I was there and armed. They make great hog dogs though!

    • https://www.dogsbite.org/

      According to this they make up 6% of the dog population and commit 65% of the fatal dog attacks against humans.

    • I watch a lot of the court shows on TV. These are actual case being tried in a small claims court. Many are about dog problems, usually bigger dogs biting smaller dogs, or attacking people. I would guess that over 75% of the time it’s a Pit doing the damage.

22. c’mon people, Its possible the minuscule odds of a child finding an unsecured weapon exceed the also minuscule odds of a home invasion and or dog attack and OBVIOUSLY these are the sort of low-probability situations government needs to legislate for so us commoners don’t need to make our own decisions should they arise

    • this is why i never favor top down government decision making. in their book, killing 1 person to save 2 is the same as saving 1 person. All well and good until your the 1 guy…

23. I do not usually conceal carry – I always conceal carry everywhere…exactly for this type of situation when you least expect it.

    • Good choice. I have a small 22 magnum that I carry 24/7 in my pocket. I carry something a lot bigger when I go to town.

24. On the flip side, safe storage laws effectively don’t exist. Realistically, you’ll probably never get caught ignoring them if you’re a responsible gun owner.

    You can home carry without violating the laws.
    There are no random inspections or anything.
    If you use it, it’s assumed you were home carrying- the alternative can’t be proven.
    If it’s stolen, you just say they broke into your safe storage location.

    It’s just something to tack on to an instance of negligence, since that’s the only time it can be proven.

25. This article is incorrect.

    MA safe storage require firearms to
    1) have some kind of trigger or action lock on them
    2) or be in a locked container.

    They do NOT require them to be unloaded. In fact safe storage laws in MA make no reference to the gun being loaded or unloaded.

    The victim could have stored his gun loaded, but he chose not to. PERIOD. This is not debatable.

    The other option, keeping your gun on your person, was something the victim could also have done.

    While MA safe storage laws suck simply because they often trip up good people, they don’t mandate anything that a responsible gun owner should be doing anyway.

    My guns are all either on my person, or locked in some kind of a safe. So should yours.

    • But dont’ take my word for it. Unlike the author, I provide citations when I describe a law.

      Read the law for yourself.

      https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section131L

      • Thanks for the correction.

        • You are very welcome. We’re all seeking the truth.

          Cheers.

26. Anyone who has a damn Pitbull is asking for this. He should be arrested. This happens every week. No compassion for this asshole.

27. This might be the most disappointing/ignorant TTAG comments discussion I’ve ever seen. For all the talk about freedom and individual rights that usually goes on here, its shocking to see it go out the window when a pitbull comes up in the news.

    First, a dog’s breed is only one factor in determining its behavior. I am know that a dog’s breed can influence the dogs behavior, personality, energy level, etc, but there is a LOT more to it than just that. I had a Jack Russell Terrier that was a total couch potato, and he only ever barked a handful of times in his life (JRTs have a well earned rep of being very high energy/crazy little dogs). The scariest, most dangerous dog I ever met was a former neighbor’s golden retriever. Breed is only one piece of the puzzle and doesnt ever tell the whole story about any dog.

    Second, there isnt any universal agreement on what a “pitbull” really actually is. A wide variety of other breeds and/or mutts can have the physical appearance of a pitty, but they may be something else entirely. Should we put all of them down and arrest all their owners too then?!

    I am one of these awful, horrible, basket-of-deplorable, ought-to-be-arrested people who has a 50lb pitty mix mutt and a small child. My daughter is almost 3, and she was born a couple years AFTER I got my dog. And…even worse…my daughter spends all kinds of time with my dog when I am not looking…Gasp!

    My dog is part pitty with other “crazy” things mixed in….GASP!

    My dog even…get this…CAME FROM A SHELTER! Oh sweet humanity can you imagine the bloodbaths we have had at my house?!!!

    Hardly.

    My dog has a ton of personality and a good bit of energy, but he has never once been anything except calm, relaxed, and submissive around my daughter. Worst thing he ever did was lick a friends child in the face.

    Also I didnt get my dog for “street cred”, or to “look tough”….I got him cuz I thought his personality was a good fit for my wife and I (and also cuz he’s super handsome and intelligent).

    If you folks are really gonna believe that all pitty’s are bad/risky/evil, then we should probably stick to a ton of other idiotic negative generalizations too, like:

    -Guns are bad! They shoot people!

    -Gun owners are all paranoid nutcases who must be stopped!!!!

    -Glocks are evil- the bad guys use em in all the movies!

    -Anyone who owns a kitchen knife and a Halloween mask is a murderer and should be arrested immediately!

    Just though I’d point out that uninformed, annoyingly ignorant generalizations are indeed terrible, whether they apply to guns or dogs or anything else. Views like these are ruining this country IMO.

    For those that say Pitty’s are more likely to attack, you are very poorly informed. Your data is wrong. There is a lot of bias in the media about pitt’s vs other breeds and even beyond that, none of the stats matter if you are a good dog owner.

    If you know your dog, and do your best to be a responsible owner you’ll never have a problem.

    Obviously the situation in the article is tragic and awful, but I agree with others that said dogs dont “just snap out of nowhere”. Problem dogs are not hard to spot, my guess is that these people willfully ignored some of the signs that the dog has issues.

    • And if your dog attacks your child, or mine, or the owner in the story above, do you intend to plea not guilty and spend 10 years in prison? Because that’s what should happen if you miscalculate.

      Didn’t think you would.

      • Maybe I’m slow on the uptake today, but I have read your comment several times and just can’t seem to get my head around what you mean.

        My dog doesn’t attack people, of any size, ever. There’s no “miscalculation” there. There’s a chance he’d be protective of me/my family if an intruder broke into my house or something, but I doubt it. He’s a lover, not a fighter.

        I admit that while it is extremely rare, there are some very scary, terrible dogs in the world. I just haven’t ever seen any solid data to suggest one particular breed is inherently more evil/dangerous/etc than any other. Dogs can only really be made into terrifying evil death machines via the hands of stupid/lazy/evil/bad people.

        That being said, if you’d prefer to live your life being terribly fearful of my dog (or anyone else’s), go for it. Hopefully someday you can get over your unreasonable fear and enjoy life a little more.

        • The point is, would you freely accept jail time if your nice doggie surprised you and maimed or killed your child, or mine? Should the dog owner in the article serve time for allowing a highly capable animal to nearly kill his child?

          Because after each of these attacks, disproportionately the work of a Pit, the owners seem dumbfounded that their nice little dog would do such a thing…. Invariably, these owners, who paired a dog known to be responsible for over 2/3 of fatal attacks (desptite being ~5% of the dog population), are fined or sued for what little they have, but don’t serve time.

          I doubt you would take this responsibility.

28. Do not leave children alone with dogs or cats either. Do not leave your guns unsecured with children living in or visiting the premises ever.

29. I carry a loaded gun at least 16 hours a day. Outside my home and inside. Dog owners need to be careful with their children and all dogs. My prayers to the family.

30. Liberal gun laws are completely asinine and all they do is prevent people from protecting themselves and their family. I am happy I live in a state that doesn’t try to dictate what I do in my own home. Consequently, our guns are loaded, ready to shoot and close at hand. No, we have no children, so that is a factor, but even when I had kids at home my guns were always ready and my kids knew what they were and how to safely use them.

    Of course, the other issue here is why anyone would be stupid or irresponsible enough to own pit bull. The breed should be eradicated. Now, of ahead, pit bull fan boys, flame me. But facts are facts,. The breed is a menace.

31. Unless I missed something, a 1 year old kid and a pit bull were in the kitchen, when the dog attacked the kid.

    1. Why is a 1 year old unsupervised?
    2. Why is a 1 year old occupying the same space as a pit bull? Was it alone in a high chair? or in a walker, or swing? Unsupervised?

    I’m not sure why this is even on a gun site. This story is almost about a guy in a panic while the kid he ignored got maimed by his loving dog, managed to shoot himself, his dog and his daughter. Fortunately, this story isn’t that tragic, but only slightly less.

    To me, this is a parenthood FAIL! This isn’t the dogs fault, a dog is an animal, and we can’t control them. This isn’t a chihuahua either, it’s a dog so powerful, large and uncontrollable that the owner couldn’t drag the dog off the kid TO SAVE THE KIDS LIFE. An old lab could sit on an unsupervised 1 year old and suffocate the baby in a few minutes. The ultimate responsibility for the kid’s well being is with the parents, who were slackin, and the kid ( and dog ) paid dearly for it.

32. 1 Year old? Pit? UN-loaded gun?
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    etc etc
    God speed to the child.

33. Rob says:
    January 9, 2018 at 15:31

    “Pure bred pits aren’t the problem it’s all the crossbreeds and inbred pits out there that bring out the crazy. It gives the rest a bad name.”

    Just like people, Huh?

    • Really now ya sure cuz u kno the “purebreds” that your talking about must be the so called rich folks cuz u kno they are awesome and never do anything like how many rich kids have ķilled their parents or well off folks r straight up fukn pedophiles or get jealous and kill someone like the Dupont guy that killed the Olympic wrestler need I keep going lol and just cuz your ghetto dog has “papers” don’t really mean it’s truly a purebred either the papered ones snap on children just as easily as the others

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