Unnamed boy - 8 months/ Accused: unnamed mother - Chula Vista, CA

Baby dies after dog bite in Lemon Grove
By Debbi Baker and Kristina Davis9:28 p.m.June 14, 2012Updated6:45 p.m.June 15, 2012
LEMON GROVE — Authorities impounded three dogs believed to be pit bulls after an 8-month-old boy died Thursday from a dog bite at the Lemon Grove apartment where he lived with his mother and her female roommate.

The dogs, all males, are being quarantined at the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility while the Sheriff’s Department investigates the incident, Anne Steinberger, a spokeswoman for the city of Chula Vista, said Friday.

The attack occurred inside a small Lemon Grove apartment on West Street north of Broadway, officials said. Steinberger said it was her understanding that the dogs belonged to the baby’s mother.

Sheriff’s deputies and Lemon Grove paramedics arrived at the apartment within four minutes of receiving the 911 call at 4:52 p.m., sheriff’s homicide Lt. Larry Nesbit said.

They found the mother cradling her injured son in her arms, Nesbit said. He said the boy was taken to Rady Children’s Hospital, where he died shortly after 6 p.m.

Authorities have not released the names of the boy and his mother.

Joseph Foppiano, who has lived for about a year in an apartment complex next to the mother’s apartment building, said the woman’s son was a beautiful little boy. Foppiano also said he had met the dogs, and he described them as “friendly as can be.”

Another neighbor told 10News that two of the dogs had previously killed two cats in the neighborhood.

Two of the animals are believed to be 2 to 3 years old, and the third is 5 to 6 years old, Steinberger said.

As in any bite case, the dogs are being tested for rabies and will be quarantined for 10 days. If they are deemed to be dangerous, which Steinberger said will most likely be the case, they will be euthanized. That determination will be based on the findings of the sheriff’s investigation, she said.

“We do not know what happened in that room,” Steinberger said.
It has not been decided which dog or how many of the animals bit the boy.

Steinberger said the Chula Vista animal shelter has not had any previous calls about the animals involved in the fatal incident. Lemon Grove contracts with Chula Vista for animal services, as does National City and Imperial Beach.

So far this year, the facility has handled 26 dogs bite cases, Steinberger said. Of the 133 dogs that are currently in the shelter, 20 are pit bulls.



One of three pit bulls impounded at the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility after an 8-month-old boy died Thursday from a dog bite at the Lemon Grove apartment where he lived with his mother and her roommate. — John Gastaldo

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jun/14/baby-dies-after-reported-dog-attack/

There are usually 4-6 deaths a year due to Pit Bulls and Rotweillers. This year we've had at least five deaths since Jan 1 due to Pit Bulls alone. These are child killers and the owners need to be held accountable. Another little angel gone that was preventable. William