Boy dies after pit bull attack in Wisconsin

TOWN OF WALWORTH, Wis. Authorities say a young boy has died after he was attacked by a couple of pit bulls in southeastern Wisconsin.

According to the Walworth County sheriff's office, the county coroner's office confirmed that the boy died of his injuries at a Milwaukee area hospital about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The sheriff's office got a 911 call from a 30-year-old woman Wednesday saying she and a 14-month-old boy were being attacked by pit bulls.

The caller said she and the boy were being attacked by two pit bulls she owns in the Town of Walworth. The animals were removed and euthanized.

The woman said both she and the boy suffered multiple injuries. The boy was flown to a Milwaukee area hospital with critical injuries. His name was not released.

An investigation continues.

[judyj1954]

Im sick of people saying pit bulls are bad dogs their are no bad dogs just bad owners who either inbreed dogs, or who train dogs to be agressive, or who dont train them at all so they turn agressive. All breeds of dogs can be agressive and are known to bite and attack and cause serious injuries. I have had and raised two pit bulls and they were both sweet loving dogs who died at old age and never hurt another animal or ever showed any signs of agressive behavior both these dogs were obtained by very reputable breeders whose dogs were trained in all aspects of obediance.

[samanthar08]

dogs are agressive, they are an animal and to say that oh it's the owner is rediculous. I don't care if the dog is a little yorkie or a stout pit bull. They will do anything if they feel threatened in any way. No one should say oh my dog wouldn't hurt a fly, because you never know. My son was attacked by a neighbors 6month old family pitbull who wasn't taught to be mean and was around other types of dogs as well.

[jnfrand]

Let me guess...Pit bulls are good dogs and this is un-common.
Maybe it is the way that they are raised and they need a good handler, so maybe it's time to realize that they're aren't many "good handelers" who fit that necessary mold.

[funsummerday]

I second all of that!! These dog owners always claim that bs! It's a unitversal auto-canned response. There must be a book titled "Guide for Pitbull Owners - How to Handle Objections" Chapter 1: Blame someone else for a pitbull's behavior.
Chapter 2: Quickly disassociate yourself with an owner whose Pit attacked.
Chapter 3: Know number of Pitbull attacks vs other breeds.
Chapter 4: Avoid discussion of number of deaths related to Pitbull attacks.

I could go on but I'm done...I get real angry about the denial that exists among the owners!!

[alaprime13]

As a pit bull owner & advocate against BSL, this is NOT common pit bull behavior. For some unknown reason, these dogs decided to attack. This is truely tragic & I do not disagree with the decision to euthanize these dogs. However this attack could be for a number of reasons but almost always it is the fault of poor treatment & discipline by the owner. Also as an educated person on the pit bull breed, many times dogs are too quick to be labeled as a "pit bull" by their looks & are not properly identified. As there are no photos of the dogs, this could very well be the case. ALL dogs have the potential to attack or bite! We should not ban or label a specific breed for the actions of a very small few. To do so is the same as labeling a person due to their skin color, sex or etc.

[jnfrand]

How many of these stories have to come out before you would say that it IS common pit bull behavior? I am only curious.

[grannigg2]

You sir are full of crap. Instead of getting rid of guns this country should get rid of all pit bulls, there have been too many attacks by these animals. Please tell me what a 14 month old toddler could have done to warrant an attack like this. Some breeds are just more prone to attacking people than others.

[hasalottosay]

So just a quick comment on this topic. I have a Pit bull but am in no way shape of form defending THIS pit for what it did, and agree that it should have been put down for its attack. But not ALL pits are bad, if you know how to handle the breed and you bring them up right this kind of thing may never happen. It has a lot to do with the breeder and how the do was breed, and then also how the dog was handled and trained so not every Pit is bad. Also there are a hell of a lot more labrador attacks then Pitbul attacks, but the media almost always will have the headline say "dog attacks...." in those cases but as soon as a pit bull does it its says "Aggresive Pit bull Kills Child" So really the media is creating a bigger fear of the animal than anyone else. Also it is never okay to leave ANY child alone with ANY dog so whomever had their little rant about leaving babies alone with a pit was just dumb. However, Pit bulls back in the day were used for Nanny dogs that watched over children becasue they are very protective and loyal.

[grannigg2]

All pits are bad, period!

[AlaskaCubdriver]

We need to register and do a background check on the owners of these animals. Also, the owners MUST have liability insurance! You tell me or the victims why they souldn't have libility insurance. Thee children are just as dead as if they were hit by a person driving a car while drunk or by a gun shot.

[BludApfel]

As if liability insurance replaces the dead child?

It's time to remove all pit bulls from this earth and burn them.

[MoriahsTwoSenseToo]

Wow it is no wonder the US no matter its wealth has such an antisocial element, so much litter and crime etc. given attitudes about people expressed here such as "White Trash" and "Black banger" Scary to think any of us would end up in the 'care' of NURSEDEB49....who clearly should have chosen a career as a mortgage banker instead of patient care.
What chance do children and dogs stand with 'grown ups' with such immature and unkind attitudes?
More children are killed by guns, cars and fast food than by any dogs. Treat your fellow citizen like crap and you'll get fellow citizens who don't give a damn about you or others either and those are the folks most likely to breed scary dogs. I don't know if Pitt Bulls are more aggressive..I've seen stats that indicate many other breeds do more harm, such as the dachsund NURSEDEB49 noted.

[dylan_89]

MRLITERALLY replies: linkiconreporticonemailiconA kid climbs into a neighbors backyard:

Scenario 1) Two poodles. Lots of yapping.
Scenario 2: Two golden retrievers. Lots of cuddling and protecting.
Scenario 3: Two miniature pinschers. Lots of angry yapping.
Scenario 4: Two pitbulls. Almost certain death by mauling.

well the answer to scenario four is to teach your children to stay out of where they dont belong. Its not the neighbors fault if the kid tresspasses

[nursedeb49]

I doubt a 14 month old child is trespassing in someone else's yard

[felosi]

A prime example of the type of people who advocate or own pit bulls are the ones who jump on these articles in defense of these animals that kill babies nearly weekly. These people are callous, indifferent and sociopathic. Anyone who thinks everyone should live in danger so they can satisfy their need for a dangerous dog is repugnant. There IS a pit bull problem in america. since this fad took off in the last decade the body count and disfigured/scarred victims is on the rise. They say punish the deed but there is no punishing the deed, usually just a fine. Why not prevent the deed? Having a pit bull is no different then having a tiger, lion or hyena and should be heavily restricted as so. Are there lots of normal pit bulls living happily with families? Sure but the risk far outweighs any benefit of these dogs.

[nursedeb49]

I am not a pit bull owner, nor do I want or trust them. Not because there is inherently anything wrong with the breed, except that backyard breeders will breed aggressive ones, and very often antisocial folks who are criminals and drug dealers seek that kind of animal out. No baby is safe left alone with ANY dog, in Indianna a baby was killed by a dachsund and it ate the baby's legs!!. A dog is only as good as his breeding and handling makes him, and that goes for any breed. A pit Bull is NOT more likely to attack than another dog bred irresponsibly or with an irresponsible owner, it's just that when they do, the results can be far worse.

[Filmguy870]

Will this NEVER end....? (Hint: probably not.)

[DogLoverPitBullFearer]

I love dogs and have lived with some very sweet pit bulls. Then one day I was mauled by one and the only thing that got the dog off of me was the owner beating it with a piece of steel rebar. If not for that,I was done for. I knew this dog and her owner and while I wouldn't say he was a terrific owner, I know that he did not abuse the dog or train it to be vicious. She just snapped and when a dog with that much power and tenacity snaps, there is very little anyone can do to protect herself. Aggressive dogs have no place in our society.

I am wary of laws that take away someones right to own this type of dog or that, but people with these and other powerful dogs probably should undergo a background check and training on how handle them. That won't stop all of these tragedies, but it would stop many of them.

[aintfakin]

I'm pretty sure its against the law in several places to own lions etc. or other large predators that could present a hazard to their neighborhood. Speaking of lions, someone just got killed by one of them.
Maybe someone can dredge up on google the last person to get killed by a Labrador. 100 bucks says for everyone of those there are ten times as many pit bull attacks. The other problem is most other dogs will bite once and retreat when a pit bull goes after you it is until you or it dies or becomes debilitated.
I have no problem making them illegal and letting them go extinct. Just like the poster said below, most of the people who own them I see are white trash and they certainly dont present a picture of responsibility.