Another Pit Bull attack..

[Steff]

Poor child.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/12/fataldog....g.ap/index.html

 

 

Mother of mauling victim feared family dog

Shut boy in basement while she ran errands

Monday, June 13, 2005 Posted: 2:43 AM EDT (0643 GMT)

 

 

Nicholas Scott Faibish, 12, was mauled to death by his family's two pit bulls on June 3.

 

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- The mother of a 12-year-old boy killed in his own home by one of the family's two pit bulls says she had been so concerned about one of the dogs that she shut her son in the basement to protect him.

 

Maureen Faibish said she ordered Nicholas to stay in the basement while she did errands on June 3, the day he was attacked by one or both of the dogs.

 

She said she was worried about the male dog, Rex, who was acting possessive because the female, Ella, was in heat.

 

"I put him down there, with a shovel on the door," Faibish said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. "And I told him: 'Stay down there until I come back.' Typical Nicky, he wouldn't listen to me."

 

Nicholas apparently found a way to open the basement door.

 

Despite her concerns about Rex that day, Faibish told the newspaper: "My kids got along great with (the dogs). We were never seeing any kind of violent tendencies."

 

Faibish found her son's body in a bedroom. He was covered in blood from several wounds, including a major head injury.

 

No charges have been filed.

 

"It's Nicky's time to go," she said in the interview. "When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

 

Ella was shot to death by a police officer the day of the attack.

 

Rex was taken to a shelter, but Faibish said she wanted him put down.

 

 

 

And, IMO, that mother needs to be investigated by child services.

[Soxy]

"It's Nicky's time to go," she said in the interview. "When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

 

 

Uh, no, he was mauled to death in a preventable accident. Preventable is not a synonym for destiny....

[Queen Prawn]

That comment kinda makes me wonder if he was dead when she put him down there...

[FlaSoxxJim]

Uuhmm, what about, I dunno... maybe Putting the DOG in the basement?!?

 

Having lost one family cat (literally ripped open, end to end) and almost another (a real fighter) to the same white trash asshole family's pack of roaming pit bulls on two separate occassions, all of these stories really hit really close to home. Invariably, an idiot human being is also a big part of the problem.

 

Peace to the poor kid who had to pay for the mother's idiocy with his life.

[Steff]

That comment kinda makes me wonder if he was dead when she put him down there...

 

 

 

But then the dogs would have to have pulled him upstairs.. they haven't said much about the scene. Interesting thought though. The article claims he had a severe wound to the head.. like he hit it against something.. or was hit with something

[Soxy]

But then the dogs would have to have pulled him upstairs.. they haven't said much about the scene. Interesting thought though. The article claims he had a severe wound to the head.. like he hit it against something.. or was hit with something 

Maybe the dog knocked him down and he hit his head.

 

I've fallen down from our border collie jumping--and she's not even that big.

[LosMediasBlancas]

Uh, no, he was mauled to death in a preventable accident. Preventable is not a synonym for destiny....

 

That is one sad outlook that woman has.

[southsider2k5]

But then the dogs would have to have pulled him upstairs.. they haven't said much about the scene. Interesting thought though. The article claims he had a severe wound to the head.. like he hit it against something.. or was hit with something 

 

After watching my in-laws dogs play, they shake toys back and forth quickly, I could see how a head trauma could occur.

[Steff]

Maybe the dog knocked him down and he hit his head. 

 

I've fallen down from our border collie jumping--and she's not even that big.

 

Agree, which is why I stated that as a possibility..

 

"The article claims he had a severe wound to the head.. like he hit it against something.. or was hit with something "

 

 

Ginger in playing with me has enough strength to knock me over so I can only imagine what a dog that strong in heat could do.

 

I can't keep from wondering why she didn't take him with her...

[Soxy]

I can't keep from wondering why she didn't take him with her...

Sounds to me like her "real" kids were the dogs and her number one priority.

[LosMediasBlancas]

Isn't a 12 year old kinda big to have all of that happen to him??

[Steff]

Another article with some more weird quotes from her..

 

Mother shut boy in basement to protect him from pit bull

12-year-old was killed by family dog; owner sees loss as tragic accident but defends breed as making good pets

C.W. Nevius and Cecilia M. Vega, Chronicle Staff Writers

 

Sunday, June 12, 2005

 

Fatal S.F. Mauling

Mother: It was a 'freak accident'

 

 

Hours before being mauled to death by the family pit bull, 12-year-old Nicholas Faibish had been told to stay in the basement separated from the dogs, said his distraught mother, Maureen Faibish, who called The Chronicle on Saturday, trying to make sense of what she called a "freak accident.''

 

"I put him down there, with a shovel on the door,'' said Faibish, who had left the boy alone with the dogs on June 3 to run some errands. "He had a bunch of food. And I told him, 'Stay down there until I come back.' Typical Nicky, he wouldn't listen to me.''

 

Faibish said she was concerned that the male pit bull, Rex, was acting possessive because the female, Ella, was in heat. Apparently, Nicholas found a way to get the door open and come upstairs. At that point Faibish believes he walked in while the dogs were mating and was attacked by Rex.

 

"It was Rex, I know it in my heart,'' Faibish said. "My younger dog (Ella) was in heat and anyone who came near her, Rex saw as a threat. He may have been trying to mate. It was a freak accident. It was just the heat of the moment.''

 

Faibish felt compelled to call The Chronicle, she said, because she was upset by comments in a Saturday column that disparaged family members who own pit bulls.

 

In the column an Oakland surgeon who often treats bites by pit bulls said, "when you have an animal like that in your house you are recklessly endangering your family.''

 

"They made it sound like we put our kids in a war zone,'' Faibish said in a phone conversation. "That's not true. My kids got along great with (the dogs). We were never seeing any kind of violent tendencies.''

 

Authorities on Saturday said they had no indication that the dogs had bitten Nicholas prior to the attack, but may have menaced him previously.

 

On the day of the attack, Maureen Faibish arrived at the family home at 711 Lincoln Way about 3:15 p.m. to discover her son's lifeless body in a front bedroom. His face had been mauled, and he was covered with bite wounds and had a hole in his scalp from the attack.

 

She hasn't been allowed back into the home because of the police investigation, she said. She has been staying with her father, who lives a few blocks away.

 

She talked to The Chronicle by telephone and later at her father's home where, sitting on a couch and wrapped in a blanket, Faibish held back tears as she spoke about her son and the day he died.

 

"It's Nicky's time to go," she said. "When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

 

After police were called to the family's home the day of the attack, an officer shot and killed Ella when the dog prevented him from entering the apartment. Rex was captured in the backyard and taken to the animal shelter.

 

The family had been packing for a move, and her husband, Steve Faibish, was out of town. Their two other children were also not home.

 

Maureen Faibish said she put Nicholas rather than the dogs in the basement because the room, which also served as a playroom for the children, was filled with plastic bags in preparation of their move. She figured the dogs would have destroyed the bags filled with clothes.

 

Before she left the house, Faibish sent her 9-year-old son to the store to buy Nicholas a soda, bagel and chips. He also had video games to keep him busy.

 

"Nicky was happy down there," she said.

 

Faibish declined to say what triggered such concern that she insisted her son stay in the basement, away from the dogs.

 

"I don't want to go into any of that detail," she said. "That's between me and the detectives." Clearly struggling with her emotions, Faibish said the death of her son had become "a media frenzy.'' On one hand, she continued to defend pit bulls and her dogs.

 

"Even after the whole thing,'' she said, "I'm not mad at my dogs. I just love them to death.''

 

Nicky had not known life without pit bulls, she said. When he was a baby, the family had Rex 1.

 

Ella and Rex II were "family dogs," Faibish said. They spent most of their time inside the house, slept in bed with the children every night and woke Maureen Faibish up every morning by licking her face. Ella was trained to lick her makeup off and kiss her ear.

 

"The police killed the wrong dog if you ask me," Faibish said.

 

She would never want Rex back in their house.

 

"Absolutely not,'' Faibish said. "I told them I wanted him put down. I think of Rex as someone who molested my child, murdered my child.''

Faibish's comments captured the confusion and mixed feelings pit bulls can bring out in their owners. She spoke of Rex waking Nicholas and her up in the morning by licking their faces.

 

"He's the most loving and giving dog in the world,'' she insisted. "There were no violent tendencies in him at all.''

Nor, she said, would she caution families who have pit bulls as pets. In the wake of this tragedy, some parents are wondering if they should keep their pit bulls.

 

"Oh, they should keep their pit bulls,'' Faibish said. "Even though my son has been killed in a tragic accident, I don't think they should be banned. You've just got to worry about them when they are in heat. I didn't know Rex was going to be so possessive.''

 

Faibish said she and her husband decided not to spay or neuter their dogs because they wanted their puppies. She said Rex had been eager to mate with Ella, but the female dog was resisting his advances.

 

"I used to say to Ella, just go ahead and let him do it," Faibish said. "Get it over with.''

 

Deeply remorseful, Faibish says she continues to think of what she might have done differently. For one, she wishes she'd persuaded Nicholas to go to a picnic with his younger sister, Ashley.

 

But she insists, "I have no regrets about that day," Faibish said.

 

She's also fed up with the second-guessing from public figures who, she feels, do not understand the situation. She says San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who made strong comments about restricting pit bulls, got an earful when he called.

 

"Just for the record, I yelled at Gavin Newsom,'' she said. "I told him off. How dare him say anything about my family?"

 

Newsom spokesman Peter Ragone said Saturday the mayor is deeply remorseful over her loss.

 

"Certainly, she's going through a very difficult time, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her for her loss," said Ragone.

 

Ragone said the mayor must also consider what policies should be taken regarding the wider issue of public safety.

 

"There's no question about the fact that the mayor, like most in the city, believe actions must be taken to prevent tragedies like this from occurring in the future," Ragone said.

 

While the public debate about pit bulls rages on, Faibish is left with the memories of her son, a popular and good-natured sixth-grader at Roosevelt Middle School.

 

"This isn't about a dog,'' she said. "This is about my boy. My precious little boy.''

 

 

 

The dog was never violent.. but she was concerned enough to lock her kid in the basement..??

[Steff]

Isn't a 12 year old kinda big to have all of that happen to him??

 

 

Adults get attacked, mauled, and killed by dogs..

[Soxy]

Isn't a 12 year old kinda big to have all of that happen to him??

I don't think so. I'm 5'8" and have been knocked over by our 50 lb border collie (she was just playing). Our husky-german shephard mix (who's close to 100lbs) has knocked over my 6' stocky uncle while playing. Dogs are more powerful than they look, especially "sturdy" dogs like pit bulls. And when they're mad I bet the can do a lot of damage. Once you're on the floor with a dog I think your human advantage is significantly reduced.

[tonyho7476]

Uh, no, he was mauled to death in a preventable accident. Preventable is not a synonym for destiny....

 

I can't even believe this woman would say this...personally, there are several types of dogs I would never own...pitbulls, dobermans, g. sheperds and rottweilers...not for me.

[Soxy]

I can't even believe this woman would say this...personally, there are several types of dogs I would never own...pitbulls, dobermans, g. sheperds and rottweilers...not for me.

I think a lot of it is how you treat a dog too. Raise a dog and be mean and that won't be a nice dog--even if it looks like Lassie. My grandparents always owned german shephards--and they were always so sweet around me and my cousins. And protective of my grandfather after his stroke.

 

Didn't Ontario outlaw pitbulls or some breed like that recently?

[Steff]

I can't even believe this woman would say this...personally, there are several types of dogs I would never own...pitbulls, dobermans, g. sheperds and rottweilers...not for me.

 

 

 

I wouldn't either.. personal preferance.. but I have to say I have known some very sweet and mild tempered PB's, Sheps, and Rotts. My uncle had a rott that saved a litter if kittens from freezing by moving them with his mouth from outside to inside his garage.

 

Sadly there are a lot of irresponsible pet owners out there.

[Steff]

I think a lot of it is how you treat a dog too. Raise a dog and be mean and that won't be a nice dog--even if it looks like Lassie. My grandparents always owned german shephards--and they were always so sweet around me and my cousins. And protective of my grandfather after his stroke.

 

Didn't Ontario outlaw pitbulls or some breed like that recently?

 

Agree with that 100%.

 

I know several counties in Florida have a ban on Pitts.

[tonyho7476]

I think a lot of it is how you treat a dog too. Raise a dog and be mean and that won't be a nice dog--even if it looks like Lassie. My grandparents always owned german shephards--and they were always so sweet around me and my cousins. And protective of my grandfather after his stroke.

 

Didn't Ontario outlaw pitbulls or some breed like that recently?

 

Oh no doubt...but I just prefer having dogs that are less likely to rip me to shreds.

 

My mother and sister got pit bulls and I refuse to go to their house. My sister also has an infant and my dad and I have begged them to get rid of the dogs...but they won't listen. I just hope nothing bad ever happens.

 

I feel pits should be banned, period. That will mean idiots won't own them.

[LosMediasBlancas]

I think you guys are right, something just doesn't add up about the whole thing. I assume the basement had an exit, otherwise how would the kid get out in an emergency?

Aren't there laws to make owners accountable for these attacks?

[Steff]

Aren't there laws to make owners accountable for these attacks?

 

 

 

Police are still investigating charges against the mother.

[Iwritecode]

The only thing I can say is didn't they own a collar and a leash or chain?

 

If she was that worried about the kid being around the dogs and didn't want them in the basement, why not chain them up to a tree or something outside???

[Steff]

The only thing I can say is didn't they own a collar and a leash or chain?

 

If she was that worried about the kid being around the dogs and didn't want them in the basement, why not chain them up to a tree or something outside???

 

 

 

That action would indicate she had some common sense.. from her quotes.. I think she's a few cards short of a full deck.

[Milkman delivers]

I can't even believe this woman would say this...personally, there are several types of dogs I would never own...pitbulls, dobermans, g. sheperds and rottweilers...not for me.

 

Don't forget Dalmatians. They attack more people than any other dog.

[Steff]

Update.. the mother claims the boy was bitten hours before his death...

 

This woman deserves to be charged with his death...

 

 

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...BABADIGEST3.DTL

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO

Dead boy bit before mauling, police say

Jaxon Van Derbeken

 

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

 

 

 

Authorities say they have collected evidence supporting an account by Nicholas Faibish's mother that one of the pit bulls that mauled the 12-year- old boy to death had bitten him earlier that day.

 

Maureen Faibish has told investigators that the family's male dog, Rex, bit the boy hours before he was killed in the family's Sunset District home June 3. She told The Chronicle on Saturday that later that day, she had left on some errands and shut Nicholas in the basement with snacks and propped a shovel against the door.

 

She returned two hours later to find her son dead in a front bedroom.

 

While authorities say they have unspecified evidence to support the story of the earlier bite, prosecutors have asked police to try to learn more. Prosecutors are considering whether to file child endangerment or other felony charges in connection with the attack.

 

Maureen Faibish declined to comment Tuesday.