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vipjohnson

Active Member
babykilled.jpg

A photo of newborn Justin in his father's arms, along with the family's 4-year-old boy, an unidentified family member and the pit bull.

Dad: Dog That Killed Baby 'Very Loving'

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Investigators are trying to figure out why a family's pit bull described as a "very loving dog" attacked a 3-day-old baby in Arlington Sunday night.

Police said they when they arrived at the home on Dickson Road in Arlington at 10:40 p.m., the baby was being transported to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, where the boy died.

The baby's father told Channel 4 that he and his family are devastated by the loss of their new son, Justin Valentin. He said the dog attacked the baby on the bed while the mother took a shower.

"I don't know what happened," the father, Mark Valentin, said. "My wife went to the restroom and the dog got to the baby. We're not neglectful parents."

The father said he and his family are grieving over the loss of their child. Valentin said that the dog never showed any signs of aggression toward anyone in their family, adding that his 4-year-old son "has never had any problems with this dog."

The father said he had raised the dog since the day it was born, and he said it was a very nice and loving dog who was never beaten.

Valentin said the pit bull had gotten loose before in the past, but it was returned by neighbors with his tail still wagging. Officers with animal care who picked the dog up after the attack painted a much different picture, saying that the pit bull was extremely aggressive with them."I want parents to know ... don't think you'll be quick enough," Valentin said. "It can happen in the blink of an eye."

The young, red pit bull was turned over to Jacksonville Animal Control and Protective Services, then euthanized at the request of the family. Police, animal control officials and the Department of Children and Families are all investigating.
[...]
"I would never recommend leaving an animal alone with an infant, period," Animal Control Officer Robert Currey said. "Even if it's a family pet, you never know how they're going to react to a new, basically, living being in the residence with them -- which is basically the animal's territory."
[...]
http://www.news4jax.com/news/25516673/detail.html
 
I feel horrible for this family. Poor baby being ripped apart by a dog, a 3 day old baby.
 
I can't even imagine being that baby's mother, stepping out of the bathroom to find... dear god.
But... it's a fucking pit bull. I didn't even leave my baby alone with our two geriatric cats, both of whom were so terrified of her they wouldn't even stay in the same room. Our older cat actually pissed herself in fear the first time she saw my daughter walking. And still, I showered with an audience for the first six months.
Why the hell would you get a pit bull puppy when you've got a small child and a baby on the way?
 
I feel horrible for the parents, I doubt they were the classic neglectful parents. I do however think they made a stupid and careless decision. You don't leave a baby on the bed alone....even if there aren't dogs around.
 
I heard somewhere that ferrets will do the same thing to babies...something along the lines that the baby smells like a bunny rabbit.
 
I can't imagine what the parents are feeling now, I just can't. I know I'd still be screaming and under 5 point restraint. I know they are killing themselves with "if only" and "I should have". My heart goes out to them.

My dogs are terrified of Charlie and hide from him; my cats however try to nurse him and bathe him. My Siamese, Raj, tries to cuddle with him when he sleeps and meows frantically when he cries.
 
I love animals...hell I would have a zoo if it weren't for the huge amounts of shit, the money, and well authorities. But I know nature is just that, nature...you can't go against nature. Like my hubby keeps telling me that our dog is a lap dog...ummm bullshit, he is no lap dog, he is a dog, plain and simple. Hell this "lap dog" doesn't see my hubby licking his balls, so whay is he still doing it??? Because it's a fucking dog....enough of my rant, I am going to eat something before I pass out from hunger.
 
My sister just called me and told me about this story! Of all the stories people hear about dogs attacking kids when are they going to learn?!?!?! My dog is a mixed mutt dog who lets my son JUMP all over him and doesn't say a word but that doesn't change the fact that I don't leave the dog alone in the room with my kids.

My sister and I speculate that they probably just arrived home from the hospital. I cannot even begin to imagine the horror that ensued upon finding this child. And I cant even being to fathom what this poor child went through. May you rest in peace sweet Justin and I pray you didn't suffer much :(
 
I think people become too comfortable in their own homes. The least a new set of parents could do is keep a very watchful eye over a newborn-they are the most vulnerable because of poor muscle control and not to mention, smell like milk due to their need to feed often (which could attract a pet to investigate the source of food).

I don't know the specifics but the baby could have been chewed to pieces or just simply knocked off the bed and onto a hard surface, either of which which could have killed him. If you choose to bring a baby into this world, keep them close-especially when they are only three days old.
 
The young, red pit bull was turned over to Jacksonville Animal Control and Protective Services, then euthanized at the request of the family

:sad: i had a red nose pit/yellow lab mix when my son was born(looked so much like the dog in the pic)...i excersized extreme caution with my newborn and my Tino...turned out Tino was a big baby and adored my son and let him do whatever to him without a second look, he just rolled over and let my son be...not all dogs, any breed, can be trusted with a baby/child at all times though

i feel so very bad for the family, i can't imagine their horror that their beloved pet could do something like this
 
How very sad. I had 4 labs when Hope was born. We had gates that separated them from us. I didn't let the dogs in to that living room at all (we had two living rooms in that house). When I took my shower, she came with me in her little car seat. We also brought 4 different blankets home with hopes scent on it for each of them to lay with. I know labs are not pit bulls... but not all pit bulls are out for blood. Some yes, but not all.

Perhaps the baby cried while mommy was in the bathroom. Maybe the dog was trying to pick baby up like a dog would their own young. Or maybe the dog thought it was a chew (how sad) toy.... who knows.

It is such a tragic preventable situation. Dogs are dogs are dogs. ALL of them are unpredictable. They are animals. And you can't depend on animals to always do the right thing. I have very strong feelings on the behavior of animals and their predictability.

My grandfather was a huge animal person. He trained circus dogs, hunting dogs, agility dogs and also did a lot of show dogs. Maybe I take after him, but no dog can be 100% predictable and for that reason alone you do not ever trust them with a baby or small child. Hope is going on five and I am still vigilant when the two of them are interacting.

Our dog, Remi, has never done anything to hurt anyone. However, if he chose to, and if he wanted to, he could kill someone. Sure, he is cute and sweet... a beautiful full blooded lab. But he is also very strong. I am not saying he would ever do anything to anyone, I am just saying he has the strength and power if he wanted. Of course I never let him know that I know this. ;)

Rest in Peace sweet baby.
 
I cannot express fully how much I hate these cases. I'm terrified of big O dogs, as I was bit twice as a child.
This case remind of too many I'v read on, like this one. 3 day old seems to be one that comes up a lot.

Leaving a baby unattended with animals around just asking for tragedy. The horror for those parents as they found baby Justin.
My heart goes out to them as it is a nightmare they will never fully awake from.

Wee baby Justin Valentin, you were just getting to know the sound of your mother's voice...the warmth of her embrace....rest in peace baby boy.
 
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Any dog can be a killer. Be careful what you turn your back to, no matter what the breed.

I completely agree. And yet... have we ever seen a story about a small child mauled to death by a basset hound?

Pit bulls get a bad rap, I know, and I'm sure a large part of that is down to their sheer strength, but there are a lot of stories out there like this one, and they all have something in common:

and he said it was a very nice and loving dog ... Officers with animal care who picked the dog up after the attack painted a much different picture, saying that the pit bull was extremely aggressive with them."

Nice, friendly dog just snaps. The 'pitbull type' that killed John-Paul Massey had to be killed by a police marksman because it was so deranged. Yes, I feel awful for the parents, but... is there anyone out there who doesn't know about pit bulls' reputations? Why would you even risk having one in the house? If it happens, there's a very good chance you won't be able to stop it in time (Ellie Lawrenson - killed in seconds in front of a group of adults).

Having said that, my best friend has two Rottweilers. Beautiful dogs, lovely and friendly and great with the kids... and if they're in the room I'm never more than six feet away from my daughter.
 
I think that where people go wrong is forgetting that these are animals, and not really a a "family member". Like I said in my prior post, nature is just that nature. Yes, love the animal, spoil it if you like, I do with mine, just don't forget it's an animal and it has it's instincts too
 
Oh, another pit bull story. Yet their supporters vehemently deny a correlation between the breed and the violence it commits.

Laughable, really.
 
There was a story from here around the time I had my son (He is 2) and the parents were giving the older child a bath while the baby was in the crib. The family dogs, a pit bull and a jack russell terrier, wandered into the babys room. The jack russell jumped into the babies crib and killed it while the pit bull was in the room. I've tried looking for the story but just cant seem to find it.

So no, not all pit bulls are bad - but I must reiterate my sentence from above - children, no matter what age, should NEVER be left alone in a room with a dog!!
 
I completely agree. And yet... have we ever seen a story about a small child mauled to death by a basset hound?

Pit bulls get a bad rap, I know, and I'm sure a large part of that is down to their sheer strength, but there are a lot of stories out there like this one, and they all have something in common:

and he said it was a very nice and loving dog ... Officers with animal care who picked the dog up after the attack painted a much different picture, saying that the pit bull was extremely aggressive with them."

Nice, friendly dog just snaps. The 'pitbull type' that killed John-Paul Massey had to be killed by a police marksman because it was so deranged. Yes, I feel awful for the parents, but... is there anyone out there who doesn't know about pit bulls' reputations? Why would you even risk having one in the house? If it happens, there's a very good chance you won't be able to stop it in time (Ellie Lawrenson - killed in seconds in front of a group of adults).

Having said that, my best friend has two Rottweilers. Beautiful dogs, lovely and friendly and great with the kids... and if they're in the room I'm never more than six feet away from my daughter.
I agree with this, and I don't mind saying I do not like pit bulls or rotts, never have never would own one. That said, tho the media has a part in giving the pitt a bad rap, statistics would say they are both on the list of top breeds that kill.
In recent years, the dogs responsible for the bulk of the homicides are pit bulls and Rottweilers:

"Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996....[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.)
I wouldn't even consider leaving a pet alone with a child, especially one known time and again to attack for whatever reasons.
Still there are those breed's that are not known for being aggressive and when they attack and kill, we are left with the reminder that ALL animals should never be left alone with a child, especially a baby one so defenseless.
"A nice and loving dog..."
Any individual dog may be a good, loving pet, even though its breed is considered to be potentially dangerous. A responsible owner can win the love and respect of a dog, no matter its breed. One cannot look at an individual dog, recognize its breed, and then state whether or not it is going to attack.
 
"I would never recommend leaving an animal alone with an infant, period," Animal Control Officer Robert Currey said. "Even if it's a family pet, you never know how they're going to react to a new, basically, living being in the residence with them -- which is basically the animal's territory."
i so agree with this...



poor lil baby, i do feel bad for the family!!!
 
I hope that this story serves a reminder not to leave your children alone with an animal. Especially an infant.
 
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