Woman mauled to death by pit bulls in New Mexico

mods, feel free to move if this is not the right place.
it's days old so 'breaking' just didn't seem to be the right spot.

New Mexico State Police officials were conferring with the local District Attorney's Office to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

does the above quote seem to be very wrong to anyone else?
this has been the big story around here lately. the owners have not been charged with a thing yet.
people are quite pissed, word has it many are calling for some sort of 'vigilante' justice.

Woman mauled to death by pit bulls in New Mexico Mon, Apr 25 2011 SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - A woman has been mauled to death by a pack of four pit bulls in the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, authorities said on Monday. Margaret Salcedo, 48, was walking alone when the dogs, which had escaped from a fenced yard at a private home, attacked her at an intersection on Sunday afternoon, Truth or Consequences Police Chief Patrick Gallagher said. A passerby in a car opened his door to intervene, but he stayed in the vehicle when a dog charged him, police said. "The officer arrived on the scene in less than three minutes, but it must have felt like an eternity to the poor woman being attacked," Gallagher told Reuters. One of the dogs charged the officer, who shot and injured the animal, police said. All four dogs ran off, and the officer administered first aid to the wounded woman. Salcedo was bitten on all her extremities and lost a lot of blood, Gallagher said. She was taken to a hospital, where she died within hours, he said. The dogs were later located, and the animal that had been shot was dead from its injuries. The other three dogs were taken to an animal shelter, but authorities said they will not make a determination on whether to destroy them until the conclusion of their investigation. The dogs belonged to a couple named John and Maria Hardiman, who were not present during the attack, police said. New Mexico State Police officials were conferring with the local District Attorney's Office to determine if criminal charges are warranted. Truth or Consequences is about 150 miles south of Albuquerque, and the town named after a television game show in 1950 is popular for its hot springs. (Reporting by Zelie Polon; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Jerry Norton)

edit to add link.
reuters

Where is the
S O U R C E?

My husband breeds these dogs. These dogs and their bad reps, in all truth they are scary looking. But, when you get 4 dogs any dogs traveling in a pack they tend to go to their pack instincts. It is like unleashing 4 3 year olds in a candy store, they go crazy. Now imagine 4 dogs on the loose that know each other and see a perfect target, a lone walker. She freaks and the dogs instincts kick in.

reply to post by balon0


ooopss, my apologies.
reuters

Since there is no source link provided, I'll assume that this unfortunate individual was not carrying a firearm. Something tells me this story would have ended differently had she been carrying one.

I have a good friend whose nickname is "Crutch" due to an encounter he had with dogs. He has determined that such an occurrence will not happen again.

I hate to hear of stories like this when they could have been avoided.

Originally posted by greenfox83
My husband breeds these dogs. These dogs and their bad reps, in all truth they are scary looking. But, when you get 4 dogs any dogs traveling in a pack they tend to go to their pack instincts. It is like unleashing 4 3 year olds in a candy store, they go crazy. Now imagine 4 dogs on the loose that know each other and see a perfect target, a lone walker. She freaks and the dogs instincts kick in.

huh, i may be mistaken, but it seems as though you are blaming the woman.
wrong time, wrong place or is it more like she just should not have been walking in her own neighborhood?

reply to post by bozzchem


i just added the link, it was a reuters article, as posted in the o.p.

Originally posted by greenfox83
My husband breeds these dogs. These dogs and their bad reps, in all truth they are scary looking. But, when you get 4 dogs any dogs traveling in a pack they tend to go to their pack instincts. It is like unleashing 4 3 year olds in a candy store, they go crazy. Now imagine 4 dogs on the loose that know each other and see a perfect target, a lone walker. She freaks and the dogs instincts kick in.

Well said.
When my dogs, who are not even close in breed to APBTs, get into pack form, they can do damage, even though it's a smaller amount unless they go after a non human.

Originally posted by greenfox83
My husband breeds these dogs. These dogs and their bad reps, in all truth they are scary looking. But, when you get 4 dogs any dogs traveling in a pack they tend to go to their pack instincts. It is like unleashing 4 3 year olds in a candy store, they go crazy. Now imagine 4 dogs on the loose that know each other and see a perfect target, a lone walker. She freaks and the dogs instincts kick in.

Are you saying it was the Woman's fault? That she did something wrong? With all due respect that is how it comes across to me. If that is not what you meant, I do apologize. But I wanted to point that out.

Now,if you do think it is the woman's fault, then I must say, she was walking down the street in her own neighborhood.... A pack of Pitbulls charged her with the intent of doing harm... I would have"freaked" to.... Any normal person would have.

A passerby tried to get out to help but had to take shelter in their own car as they were getting charged as well.... Yep, they had to hide for their life because they were also about to get attacked... Did this passer by do something that deserved a potential attack?I don't think so...

These animals, regardless of breed were out of control and killed a woman.... Simple as that....

Originally posted by dreamingawake

Originally posted by greenfox83
My husband breeds these dogs. These dogs and their bad reps, in all truth they are scary looking. But, when you get 4 dogs any dogs traveling in a pack they tend to go to their pack instincts. It is like unleashing 4 3 year olds in a candy store, they go crazy. Now imagine 4 dogs on the loose that know each other and see a perfect target, a lone walker. She freaks and the dogs instincts kick in.

Well said.
When my dogs, who are not even close in breed to APBTs, get into pack form, they can do damage, even though it's a smaller amount unless they go after a non human.

some examples would be appreciated.
i do understand how when pits attack the damage is severe, which makes news, but i can not remember a story about a pack of dogs killing anyone.
seriously, give me an example.
all i need to do is search something like 'dog mauling' or 'dog attack' to come up with an overwhelming number of stories about pits.
i didn't need to search for this one, it's been local news.
completely different scenario, kid was invited into the home.

Boy recovering after pit bull attack

A Westside Albuquerque child is recovering from a Saturday pit bull attack, and the city says it's not the first time the dog has attacked a child. The caretakers gave up the dog to animal welfare officials following the attack. They will not face charges. The 9-year-old boy is expected to fully recover, but he may need reconstructive grafts on his leg. KOB Eyewitness News 4 crews were at the scene near 98th and Blake when the family turned the dog over to the city. Police say the attack happened early Saturday afternoon when the boy went to visit a nearby friend. The animal shelter says the dog bit a young girl several months ago. Neighbors say they're relieved to hear the dog is gone. Neighbor Melissa Weber said Saturday, "It's sad that the dog has to be euthanized but when a dog is out attacking children it's something that has to happen. If the owners were responsible and raised the dog in a way that the dog was going to be friendly to other people, then this would not have happened." The dog's caretaker says her son, the dog's owner, is stationed in Kosovo. She said the dog is good natured and has even provided security for the neighborhood by scaring off burglars in the past. The city has 10 days to decide whether to euthanize the animal.

link

Originally posted by rubbertramp
mods, feel free to move if this is not the right place.
it's days old so 'breaking' just didn't seem to be the right spot.

New Mexico State Police officials were conferring with the local District Attorney's Office to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

does the above quote seem to be very wrong to anyone else?

Diane Whipple was killed by a dog attack, and that dogs owners were prosecuted...

In March 2001, a grand jury indicted Knoller and Noel. Knoller was indicted for second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, Noel was indicted for involuntary manslaughter, and "both also face[d] felony charges of keeping a mischievous dog."[7]

en.wikipedia.org...

I can't believe people are defending the dogs. However you spin it the dogs owners are ultimately responsible. There are no excuses.

Been to Truth or Consequences New Mexico. Right off interstate 25...used to have some friends that lived there....not sure how it is now, when I visited it was about 17 years or so ago....and if it still is the quiet hot springs town it used to be...it would be the perfect place for loose pit bulls or even a pack of coyote's to go after people out walking or jogging. It is after all wild country out there.

Sorry the woman was attacked so savagely and didn't make it...I do hope that the remaining pit bulls do get their due, and the owners are charged for the damage that their dogs caused by either fine or time. That is how it is done in all other cities when dogs attack...so it should be done here as well.

The owners should be charged with severe animal negligence, in not securing their property adequately in order to contain the dogs, and not training them correctly. For all those who say that dogs can "go a bit crazy" when in pack mode, yes, but not THAT crazy. Some dogs, particularly pit bull terriers, require firm and thorough training to ensure they remain well behaved at all times. No dog, either in pack mode or not, will attack a human unless it's due to lack of training, provocation, or if it's been specifically ordered to.

Pit bull dogs are not for beginners. They have been designed through breeding to become fighting dogs, and while their characteristic savagery is usually targeted towards other dogs, and their loving nature towards humans, they do require a lot of socialisation at a young age to ensure that they don't revert to their original purpose as a breed.

I just hope this doesn't mean bad news for the breed, as pit bulls truly are wonderful dogs when reared properly. I used to own one actually, she was a wonderful dog. Along with my current dog, a dobermann, she did require a lot of socialisation with other dogs especially before she could be walked without the muzzle on. (I got her as a 6 month old and while ridiculously friendly towards everything with two legs, she wouldn't hesitate to maul another dog).

I used to work with dogs, as well. I'm familiar with a wide range of breeds. Therefore I say, the owners are definitely at fault in this case.

reply to post by ANOK


thank you for the link. i do remember that.
my intention was not to just attack pits, but i have no doubt they are the most common 'attackers' making the news.
that was such a tragic event.

Originally posted by DeepThoughtCriminal
The owners should be charged with severe animal negligence, in not securing their property adequately in order to contain the dogs, and not training them correctly. For all those who say that dogs can "go a bit crazy" when in pack mode, yes, but not THAT crazy. Some dogs, particularly pit bull terriers, require firm and thorough training to ensure they remain well behaved at all times. No dog, either in pack mode or not, will attack a human unless it's due to lack of training, provocation, or if it's been specifically ordered to.

Pit bull dogs are not for beginners. They have been designed through breeding to become fighting dogs, and while their characteristic savagery is usually targeted towards other dogs, and their loving nature towards humans, they do require a lot of socialisation at a young age to ensure that they don't revert to their original purpose as a breed.

I just hope this doesn't mean bad news for the breed, as pit bulls truly are wonderful dogs when reared properly. I used to own one actually, she was a wonderful dog. Along with my current dog, a dobermann, she did require a lot of socialisation with other dogs especially before she could be walked without the muzzle on. (I got her as a 6 month old and while ridiculously friendly towards everything with two legs, she wouldn't hesitate to maul another dog).

I used to work with dogs, as well. I'm familiar with a wide range of breeds. Therefore I say, the owners are definitely at fault in this case.

One pit bull is "OK", but beyond that they are dangerous monsters. If anyone wants to own this blood thirsty breed they should be made to sign paper work stating they will be held 110% responsible for anything the dog does(Dog murders someone = owner charged as if the owner murdered the person in cold blood).

The owners should be charged, and why have more than one, if that's how they act when in packs. They should have been secured better, so they couldn't all get out at once to do their pack attack.
These dogs are vicious and don't belong in residential neighbourhoods, they belong on death row.

I had pitbulls. They were very cute.

I dont like the breed.

I have met pit bulls, and I know there are many who are good pets, but I think the breed itself should be banned or deliberately bred to lower aggression by expert breeders before being allowed as pets.

I like the two across the street personally, but they have gotten out of their yard and killed several other dogs. And once I had to intervene and stop them when they were trying to attack some guys little dog when he was walking it on a leash.

I would not be sad, no matter how nice the dogs are to me, to see them go.

The owner has become much more proactive about keeping them contained, but, most of us live in dread of the day they get out, and get someone elses pet minding its own business in its own yard.

there is always the loving dog owner who ' swears ' the dogs are cute little babies .. and how the breed is a myth. but then tragedies occur.

one thing i'd like to point out that i do not think i've ever seen mentioned in articles like this is,
whether or not they have been spayed or neutered.
anyone who has actually dealt with dogs knows that this can make a huge difference in aggression,
especially with other dogs.
it's the idiots walking around with these dogs on leashes in public places laughing as they lunge at each other
who are the real cause of most problems.
a percentage of these owners think it's funny in some sick way. i've seen it far to many times at flea markets and elsewhere.
at times the females can be as bad, but it's these uncut males who are most likely to get into it.
2 or more uncut males can actually live together if raised that way, but are usually the ones who get together and tear apart the little male nextdoor if they get loose.
this is not only pits, a buddy raises mastiffs, his dogs are in 3 fenced acres, a 6 foot high fence.
he's never had a problem, but knows if they ever do get out, every dog in the neighborhood will be shredded alive.