Afterward Katin worried that on the same morning "there would have been school kids outside because the bus stop is right by my house." He said owners of aggressive-breed dogs should be required to register their animals and notify authorities if the animals get loose.
"Why wait for a first incident?" he asked. "What if that first incident is a child?"
That gruesome scenario came to pass here in Cobb 10 days ago.
A 7-year-old girl walking home after getting off the school bus was attacked by a 115-pound pit bull on the loose in a mobile home park near Dobbins. The child suffered severe leg injuries and was saved from probable death when a visitor to the park clubbed the pit bull with a piece of wood, then drove the victim to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.
The worst happened in Rockdale County last week when a family pit bull bit a 5-day-old baby in its bassinet and the infant died a few days later at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - where no less than four other children were under treatment for pit bull bites.
The latest attack in Cobb - that we know about - occurred last Tuesday when a pair of pit bulls assaulted a 67-year-old woman and her terrier. She was walking near her apartment off Austell Road when the dogs chased her into the complex and attacked her little Jack Russell terrier, then bit her when she tried to save her pet. Fortunately, neither was hurt seriously.
Pit bulls and other vicious breeds are attacking people with alarming frequency in Cobb and across the country.
* In Hoboken, N.J., early this month two pit bulls turned on their owners and two other persons in an upscale residential area.
* In Apple Valley, Calif., last month a 3-year-old boy died after he was attacked by his family's pit bull.
* In Philadelphia last Sunday, two pit bulls mauled a 10-year-old boy, severely injuring his right arm and puncturing his neck, left arm and back - the third vicious attack by pit bulls in the city within three days. In the second incident, a woman was killed by dogs.
All the Philadelphia attacks involved animals known to the victims - proving that no one is safe when pit bulls and other vicious breeds are on the premises.
After Bill Katin's three dogs were killed by pit bulls last October, the Cobb Board of Commissioners asked for a review of animal control ordinances, prelude to possibly increasing penalties or requiring registration.
In the end, however, Chairman Sam Olens said in an e-mail yesterday: "Unfortunately, we have not found any municipal ordinances that solve the problem."
The problem is not ordinances. It's the vicious breeds. Too many of them cannot co-exist with humans indefinitely without turning on them. They should be banned from civilized society.
dmckee9613@aol.com
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwI_qlq5vHs
We are always worried that it will by the kids next time - we thought they would be safe inside our 7 foot tall wooden fence.
Pets are a luxury to their owners and should not be allowed to be a hazard to anyone else.
Here are the breeds we forbid:
Pit Bull, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Chow, Doberman Pinscher, Rottweiler, Perro de Presa Canarios , any Wolf Hybrid, or any mix of these breeds.
Life is too short and way too many safer breeds are available for families and individuals to own and enjoy as a safer pet.
The real problem is irresponsible pet owners, not just the breed of dog. Any dog can bite when it is not properly controlled. Instead of trying to ban a particular breed why not campaign to make pet owners financially and criminally liable for their animal's actions? This way the problem can be addressed regardless of the breed or type of animal involved. Plus when dealing with mutts you won't have people claiming a dog is or is not mostly a "banned" breed.
For the record I do not own a pit bull, but I do own three rescue dogs.