Boy Killed By Pit Bull; PETA Urges Tethering Ban
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October 5, 2005, SUFFOLK, VIRGINIA -- A day after a mixed-breed pit bull mauled a 21/2-year-old boy, a national animal rights group asked the Suffolk city manager and City Council members to limit or ban the chaining of dogs citywide. "We have received a number of calls regarding the tragic Oct. 3 incident," said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in a letter sent by fax and e-mailed Tuesday to Suffolk City Manager Steve Herbert and all council members.
Jonathan Martin was killed Monday morning by his family's pit bull. The family, which also has a 1-year-old son, brought the usually chained dog inside the home on Whaleyville Boulevard on Sunday night. Suffolk officials confirmed Tuesday that the boy died because of a loss of blood due to dog bites.
Ox, the dog thought to be involved in the attack, weighs about 30 pounds. The animal has not been euthanized yet, Lt. Debbie George, spokeswoman for the Suffolk Police Department said Tuesday, because police are attempting to determine "with certainty" which dog attacked the boy. The family had two pit bull mixes, which are now at the Suffolk Animal Shelter.
George also said "there were past calls for service" to the Whaleyville home but would not say whether the calls involved complaints about dogs roaming around loose or attacking others.
Also Tuesday, the city condemned the family's house because of code violations, which included a failing septic system, George said.
PETA views the tragic case as an opportunity to advance its platform. For years, the animal rights group and other organizations have lobbied to keep animals off chains. Tuesday, PETA asked the city to consider an ordinance - "perhaps called Jonathan's Law" - that would severely restrict or altogether ban the tethering of dogs.
Chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to bite, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
"When they are left, they often become lonely, bored, aggressive and territorial," said Adam Goldfarb with the Humane Society of the United States in Washington. Just a handful of cities and counties in the state - including Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Northampton County - have tethering laws on the books. Smithfield on Tuesday became the fourth locality in the state to limit chaining dogs to eight hours in a 24-hour period and banned chaining animals from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Suffolk Mayor Bobby Ralph, who had not yet seen the letter from PETA, said the council would be open to discussing such an ordinance. "We'll certainly take a look at the letter and do some research and do what's in the best interest of the public," Ralph said. "That was very tragic. It made me sick in the stomach."
Monday's attack also sparked discussions on whether certain breeds are more likely to bite than others.
In the past 20 years, 25 breeds of dogs were involved in 238 dog bite related fatalities nationwide. Of those, pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of these deaths, according to a 2000 report from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and others.
Other animal experts say dogs of any breed should just not be left alone with a small child.
"It's just one of these things," Goldfarb said. "It's just a bad idea."
