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thats great
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-14-16-55-17
Oct 14, 4:55 PM EDT
Texas couple gets 7 years after dogs kill child
GRAHAM, Texas (AP) -- A couple whose pit bulls fatally mauled their 7-year-old neighbor were sentenced to seven years in prison, the first conviction under a new Texas law that holds owners responsible if their dogs injure or kill someone.
Crystal Mic e Watson, 28, and Jack Wayne Smith, 45, were convicted Thursday of a dog attack resulting in death. The law says owners are guilty if their unsecured dogs injure or kill a person in an unprovoked attack off their property; those convicted can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
"I compared it to someone leaving a gun out in front of children," Stephens County District Attorney Stephen Bristow told The Associated Press, recalling what he told jurors during the trial last week.
After the couple were sentenced Friday, state District Judge Stephen Crawford said both defendants would be eligible for release on $150,000 bond pending appeal, which is allowed for certain crimes with sentences of less than 10 years. Watson and Smith had not posted bail and remained in custody Monday.
Attorneys for the couple did not immediately return calls to the AP seeking comment.
Witnesses testified that on May 18, Tanner Joshua Monk walked toward Smith and Watson's house to play with some children, Bristow said. That afternoon, his body was found in a ditch surrounded by four pit bulls, about 100 yards from his home and about 70 yards from the defendants' property, authorities have said.
Deputies called to the scene had to kill two dogs that tried to attack them. Witnesses testified that when authorities went to pick up the other two, Smith turned over one but only reluctantly handed over the other. She said it was an indoor dog, although Tanner's blood was still on its coat, Bristow said.
The law enacted last year is called Lillian's Law after Lillian Stiles, 76, who was killed by a pack of dogs as she tended to flowers in her yard on Thanksgiving weekend in 2005.
thats great
Great law. If you want to own a stupid and agressive dog, you should be held responsible for its actions. To bad a child had to die AGAIN though.
GOOD.
I friggin hate irresponsible pet owners. Especially after I hit that dog with my car a few weeks back and the passrby made me like an ass for killing it.
sucks for the kid to have such stupid parents
Were these dogs properly identified yet or is this just ANOTHER case of misidentification? I see no dog breed experts cited in the article.
what's funny is that the people who post these articles think they are actually changing pitbull owners minds.
+1
They can go themselves. An indoor dog my ass. How much you wanna bet those dogs were chained up in the yard 24/7. Do that to any big dog and it's going to a dangerous.
Nope, a dog killed someone so it MUST be a Pit Bull.
I think if it went to trial..............the dogs had to be properly identified
But, on the other hand......it could have been two dash hounds?!
As a huge advocate for Pit Bulls I agree with this ruling. You have to keep your dog secure on your property its the owners responsibility to maintain control of their pets. Now had the kid wandered into this guys backyard we wouldn't be seeing this same ruling.
I can't imagine the poor parents when they found out their child was killed by dogs.
Then why not identify a pit bull as a lethal weapon, and require training and/or certification to own one?
I don't get some of the reactions in here. PB advocates always blame the owners, not the breed but now that they are punishing the owners, they are upset? If it's the owners' fault, why shouldn't they be punished?
And how are the kids' parents stupid? He was going to play with other kids, and the dogs were loose? I guess all the parents of the kids he was about to play with are stupid, too? , all parents are stupid for daring to let their kids play outside!!! I guess from now on, kids can only play indoors in case there are dogs lose, so that poor pet owners don't have to worry about prosecution from "stupid parents" who dare to let their kids play outside and get some fresh air and exercise.
because its not a lethal weapon and not any more harmful than most other breeds. People love the stigma of Pits so you end up with thousands of ty owners that have no idea how to care for an animal or pet once the thrill of owning a branded breed wears off. They chain these dogs up in tight quarters, exercise them very little, smack them around because its cool to get a Pit worked up and some even put leg weights on these dogs to build up their lower body.
There should be required training or certification for all breeds or mutts.
I'm completely content with them punishing the owners. If they did this more often Pit or not then we'd hopefully see a lot more responsible pet owners.
I don't know...I think the data's out there that supports the theory that Pit Bulls are exceedingly more aggressive than even the next most aggressive dog.
Chain up a Pit in tight quarters, don't exercise them, smack them around, and put leg weights on them and you have a potentially lethal animal. Chain up a er spaniel, don't exercise them, smack them around, and put leg weights on them and you have a mean little er spaniel, not a deadly animal.
Its been posted here a million times the data doesn't support the theory that Pits are exceedingly more agressive.
You chain anything up and neglect it you'll likely find an agressive animal. Pits are easily the most abused dog out there.
The AKC list Pit Bulls as a family and child friendly dog. They need space and a tremendeous amount of exercise which they almost never get. Pits are often used for leading the blind and human animal rehabilitation programs.
They're labeled and the media feeds off it. Just like they feed off of anything that could remotely stir the pot.
Any knowledgable dog breeder or pet expert will tell you its not the dog.
The AKC actually doesn't recognize the Pit Bull. The UKC does, and states "Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog."
Meh. I wonder about the data that says pit bulls aren't more dangerous than other dogs.
The problem with such dogs is that idiots like them. Not that all pit bull owners are idiots mind you, just that there is a macho cache about the dogs.
A lot of people seem to be attracted to the dogs simply because they look tough or whatever, and those are the kinds of people who I would imagine are least able or least motivated to make sure that their animals are socialized, and most likely to neglect them in such a way as to make them dangerous.
Excuse me I meant the Bull Terrier aka Pit Bull
They should make laser cats illegal
This is a great ruling. In my heart of hearts I believe that the pit owners are truly responsible for the problems associated with this breed of dog, not the dogs themselves. As much as I have harrassed the pit owners/supporters in here, it's ultimately the dog owner, not necessarily the animal itself that is responsible when someone gets hurt. No matter what breed of dog you have, you need to be concerned about the welfare of those around you in how you choose to care for your pet.
I owned a somewhat aggressive male great dane several years ago, and, as a result, he didn't get to go out in public as much as my other danes did. That was just the nature of this particular animal, and I was always aware that he could potentially hurt someone. He was the only dane I ever owned that was aggressive at all with people. Even he was a big baby most of the time, he was just very protective of his 'pack' and that was his weakness from a socialization standpoint.
The problem is, a lot of folks don't care enough about other people, or are too damn dumb, to properly control their animals. And for some reason, the tough-guy, insecure types seem drawn to pitbulls like moths to a flame. These people aren't usually the type to be too concerned about the welfare of others. Even if their dogs kill someone they'll likely play the 'victim' card as they're being dragged off to jail. Oh well, perhaps this prison time threat will thin the herd of stupid dog owners out there.
Perhaps they need to develop some sort of intelligence test that one must pass before they're allowed to purchase a pitbull.
But I'm sure the dumbasses who sell pit pups out of their trunk in Little Mexico (SW Military Drive) won't issue that test.
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