Mostly, what is occupying the news here in Pacifica is this pit bull attack. The Pacifica Tribune ran a more detailed article in print today stating the “San Mateo Coroner as well as two forensic odontologists (bite experts) conducted tests, including teeth impressions, and blood samples and determined that the male pit bull was the sole dog in the attack.” The paper went on to say, “Darla Napora [the victim] had extensive bite wounds to the upper body and face and multiple defensive wounds on her arms.”
First and foremost, I feel very sorry for Darla, who was pregnant at the time of her death. She was attacked and killed by a trusted and well loved member of her family. I think her last moments on this earth were horrendous. Having said that, I have no intention of getting into the pit bull debate whether these animals are dangerous killers or loving pets.
As for my own experience, my cat was attacked, mauled, and killed by a pitbull when I lived in another city. There is a lot of speculation as to the events leading up to these type attacks. I can testify first hand, my cat was enclosed behind a 6 foot wooden fence. The pit bull stood on a car behind my house and leapt over the fence into our tiny backyard. He was unprovoked. Though I grew up on a farm, and have interacted with a multitude of animals, I have never seen another animal do what this pit bull did. My ex-husband and I shot it 3 times, the last at point blank range before he dropped our tiny black cat, and still, the pit bull was not dead, possibly because we were using safety slugs to prevent wall penetration. The pit bull attempted to follow us into our home. The police ultimately had to kill the dog. My cat did not survive.
So, how do I feel about pit bulls? I am very undecided about exactly what goes on with them. You would think I would condemn them all and their very nature, but I love dogs. All dogs. Not just small dogs or cute dogs, but the massive ones too.
There are a lot of opinions on the internet floating around for and against pit bulls, and in particular the pit bull, Tazi, who Darla’s husband is bringing home from the shelter. I can’t help but wonder if I was a neighbor if I would be leery of the dog too. Something drastically went wrong there. Some people want to know the circumstances, leading up to Darla’s death, but I’m not sure there were any circumstances. Some people are convinced pit bulls only go bad if they are not neutered or raised poorly. I’m not sure I believe that either. I’m not sure what I believe.
I do know one of the worst dog bites I ever received was from a poodle as I jogged by his house. He was loose in the front yard, and as I jogged by he mustered all his curly haired force up, chased me down the street and chomped my ankle. I jogged off bleeding, but then had to go back because the poodle had run so far from home, he was lost. I had to take the ankle biter back to his house. And I don’t know what to think about that either.
Vista de Nada 
Germany has tought controlls over the types of dogs one can have. I hate to see something like this happen, it’s a shame. I’m sure they never expected it to happen.
It’s a mess, and people have a lot of feelings about these dogs. I’m not going to step in the fray. I’ve seen first hand the kind of crazy behavior they can display, but then I’ve also seen a cow go crazy too and try to kill people.
Makes me wonder… I read that dogs that live in packs have a hierarchy, and only the alpha female is allowed to have puppies, I wonder if the family dog realized the owner was pregnant, and he didn’t consider her the alpha female.
I do think her pregnancy played a significant role in the attack. Some people think the male detected hormones but I think it was more along the lines what you have mentioned. Also, she was letting the dogs sleep on the bed with her, which is a way of acknowledging she was part of their pack. A lot of folks let their dogs sleep with them. I’m one of them. I also know my dog thinks it’s the leader of the pack here. It’s different though when the dog is 18 years old, no teeth, and 11 pounds. If she gets too out of line, I pick her up, and look her in the face.
I suspect Darla was trying to correct the male dog the day she was attacked and he did not consider her alpha. He considered himself the alpha dog, and the female dog next.
I think everyone who owns large dogs should take a class in pack hierarchy; if the people knew exactly where they stood in the pack they would be more careful around their dogs. I, for one, prefer female dogs they are less territorial and once you are accepted as a member of the pack, they pretty much let your dumb people moves slide. I’m sure my dogs have thought more than once “let the human be, she’s slow, but she’s the only one who know how to operate the can opener.”
Too funny about the can opener.
I have only had one little male dog, all these years. He was a walk up in TN. I neutered him immediately. He only weighed about 20 pounds and he was a kind old soul. He also was not the dominant member of that pack. There was another smaller female that ruled the roost. I totally agree with you about the males. When given a choice, I always had females dogs, and it seems like mostly male cats. I don’t know why that was. All the cats I took in were strays.
I think people forget animals are animals. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but what I mean is that sometimes the behavior can be unpredictable because their brains are not wired up like ours.
I do think you are right about the attack. The pregnancy and the pack behavior had something to do with it.