Boy recovers from pit bull attack


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Updated: 10/28/2009 6:14 pm | Published: 10/28/2009 4:17 pm
Reported by: Marcos Ortiz
Andrew Vanderwerff after pit bull attack (ABC 4 News)
Andrew Vanderwerff after pit bull attack (ABC 4 News)
WEST VALLEY CITY Utah (ABC 4 News) – A five-year old boy attacked by a pit bull is back home recovering.

On Friday, Andrew Vanderweff was bitten several times by the dog which got out of his kennel.

His mother said Andrew is having a hard time.

“He's waking up all night long crying and screaming in his sleep and I wake him up make sure he's doing okay,” said DeLayna Moffitt.

The boy was riding his bike on the street near his home when the dog attacked him.

"The dog jumped him while he was on his bike and knocked him off his bike and started to attack him," she said. "The dog got his face first that's where most of the damage is to his face and took off his whole cheek.”

Moffitt was inside her home and heard the screams and ran towards her son.

"I just grabbed and when I grabbed him (dog) he dropped to the ground and just looked at me like he knew he had done something wrong,” Moffitt said.

She said Andrew's cheek was nearly ripped off. And there were other bites all around his face and body.

"It’s horrible,” she said. “I mean you buy a pet or get a pet and neglect it and this is what happens.”

Investigators learned its owner was a guest at the home.

The pit bull was staying in a kennel in the driveway.

“I have told him not to come to this property unless we're home,” said the homeowner who identified himself only as Sione.

The homeowner who doesn't own the dog accused the boy of coming into the yard and unleashing the pit bull.

"He was on that leash all day when I left he was on that leash he couldn't have left unless somebody let him out,” he said. “He could not have gotten out.”

But Andrew's mom said after the attack she showed Sione's wife where the dog got out on his own.

"I went back and was showing the lady that lives over there the hole in the fence and the rope and the harness was actually stuck in the hole,” Moffitt said.

The owner of the dog was given several citations by West Valley’s animal services. The owner failed to vaccinate, register and license the dog.

The pit bull was euthanized on Monday and his remains were sent to the state laboratory for analysis.

Meanwhile Andrew’s mom said her son will have to go through several skin grafts and other surgeries related to his recovery. The family has no medical insurance.

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pitpackcom - 10/28/2009 11:51 PM
0 Votes
I've read three stories this week about children who were attacked by dogs that were chained or otherwise tethered. I cannot express strongly enough how these situations could be avoided by simply selecting a different method to contain a dog. It has been demonstrated time and time again that chaining dogs increases territorial aggression, which can lead to violent attacks. When will people understand that tethering the dog is on acceptable. Dogs must be properly trained, socialized and contain if we are to see a decrease in attacks. catwrangler, we own three pit bull terriers ranging in ages from 10 months to six years. I can tell you from experience that all of our dogs require a level of training and exercise that you will not see in many other breeds. They are all well-trained and very well socialized. The two-year-old female absolutely loves cats, while the six-year old male is very aggressive toward cats. This is partly due to the fact that we socialized the female very early in her life with cats. The male was a shelter rescue and I believe that he has had very limited exposure to cats. I have owned and trained pit bulls for over 24 years and I would not recommend "rough play" between any pit bull and a 12-year-old boy. I say this not because pit bulls are in the more dangerous than any other large breed dog, I say this because the natural tendency for any dog is to use its mouth during play. This is how dogs learn the "inhibited bite". The problem comes in when canine teeth come in contact with human skin. Human skin is much easier to damage than is canine skin. I believe that many "attacks" on children may not be attacks at all, that merely a dog playing with a child that results in serious injury. I found that the best way to exercise a pit bull is to train them on a leash to run alongside a bicycle. I do this with our dogs regularly and I can tell you that the change in behavior is amazing. They're much more calm and easier to train after

pitpackcom - 10/28/2009 11:51 PM
0 Votes
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catwrangler - 10/28/2009 10:33 PM
0 Votes
Ownership of pit bulls should be limited to people who have a brain. Pit bulls can dig under, climb over and chew their way through anything. I'm speaking as someone who has owned pit bulls in the past. I love the breed, but they have to be babied to make them people friendly. Socialized. I own a bunch of cats, so I can't own another pit bull. They will kill cats. Not because they don't like cats...but because of their powerful jaws, and they will kill, even when they don't mean to. It's kind of like a Werewolf changing at the full moon. They may not want to but it happens anyway. I'm wondering if there is a group of breeders who would be interested in developing a breed with all the wonderful qualities of the traditional American bull terrier, with a snout that cannot clamp down like vice. The way they are now, a family with older children could own a bull terrier without incident, because the kids love to play with the dog, and that's what this dog craves. Good hard rough play like a twelve year old boy can give him. These dogs should be kept in the house with the family. I never had much luck walking my dogs. They had so much energy, I'd take them to an empty vacant field. A 5 acre lot...and I would just let them run, and run, and run, and run. And they would come back with that little happy grin that only the bull terrier has. The grin that tells us they are happy. The grin that is telling us thank you for letting me get that energy out. People who fight these precious animals should be put in prison and made to serve at least 5 yeasrs. This little slap on the wrist with a year in jail is a joke. Parents of small children should know their neighbors and keep their kids from going into the yards where a pit bull might mistake them for a toy because many owners use large pull toys that could resemble a small child in the dog's eyes. A lot of dogs have squeak toys, so if a kid screams or cries, it could sound like a squeak toy to the dog.
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