Cat attacks a dog biting a young boy:

[Are_grits_groceries]

BAKERSFIELD - A cat came to her best friend's rescue Tuesday when the young boy was attacked in his driveway in Southwest Bakersfield.

The surveillance video shows the boy playing on his bicycle when a dog sneaks up behind him and grabs his leg. The family's cat, named Tara, rushes the attacking dog and chased it away.

The boy's mother told 23ABC the boy needed a few stitches, but he is doing fine this morning. She also said the dog belonged to a neighbor and is now under observation.

23ABC will be hearing from the boy, the mother and the cat later in the day.
http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/amazing-video-cat-saves-boy-from-dog-attack-in-southwest-bakersfield-051414

Mighty Cat!

[TDale313]

1. Good kitty!

[targetpractice]

2. Wow... You have my respect, cat.

I wonder what's up with that dog?

[stage left]

3. Take that, dog!

Reminds me of my cat, Prince, who used to jump on dogs' backs and ride them out of the yard.

[seveneyes]

4. That cat deserves a Silver Star!

Sadly, that dog needs to be put down mercifully.

[notadmblnd]

84. Funny, cause I thought the same thing about the dog's humans.

No responsible pet owner should allow their pets to run loose.

[LordGlenconner]

144. And that would include the cat owners

Cats allowed to roam outside have a significantly reduced life expectancy compared to indoor cats.

[notadmblnd]

149. I agree

[Aerows]

185. People have a reduced life expectancy

Last edited Wed May 14, 2014, 10:18 PM - Edit history (1)

when there are a bunch of rats, mice and vermin. Who do you think controls that?

Bubonic Plague. It happened because the Church ordered all of the cats to be exterminated, allowing rats and the fleas that lived on them to flourish.

I'm pretty sure that cats and their ability to control vermin has been a major boon to mankind.

[yawnmaster]

255. good post eom

[LordGlenconner]

284. That's fine

But it's still a fact that they have shorter life expectancies when they are allowed to roam freely.

Your point is completely irrelevant to the discussion about life expectancy of domestic cats.

[cui bono]

218. People have a significantly reduced life expectancy when they do things they enjoy too.

Doesn't mean they shouldn't do anything.

What's the point of living if you don't enjoy it?

[LordGlenconner]

285. Of course

However the discussion was about cats, not people.

I guess I missed the part where it's suddenly cool to let a pet roam freely in urban and suburban areas.

Maybe you should go down to your local shelter and watch them euthanize some kittens and puppies and come back and tell everyone how great it is to let dogs and cats roam free so they can produce unwanted dogs and cats that end up dead, or abused.

[cui bono]

292. Where did I say pets should not be spayed/neutered and should breed uncontrollably?

And where did I say all pets should roam freely?

If you can't find where I said it feel free to retract your post or apologize.

Sheesh.

[Bill USA]

293. this boy, thanks to his parents letting their cat out, just got a big boost to his life expectancy.

Watching the video you see the cat just didn't deliver a body blow tothe dog but then chased him back into his yard!




[font size="4"]"How fast can you get yo' ass back in your yard - dog."[/font]

[NCTraveler]

5. Thanks for posting this.

Images at the end of the video might be a little rough for some. That cat is a loyal friend.

[Aerows]

6. A big dog approached my porch

and my cat, who weighs maybe 10 lbs. jumped all over him, hissing, spitting and flailing with her claws. That dog ran away like the demons from hell were chasing after him (and truthfully, in that moment my little cat LOOKED like one).

I was extremely impressed.

[pokerfan]

71. Our cat once did the same thing

I opened the door to shoo a strange black lab away and our cat launched himself onto the dog's face like that facehugger creature from the film Alien. The dog took off running with the cat still attached to his face. After twenty feet or so, the cat dropped off, landed gracefully on all fours and strutted back to the house with his tail proudly erect while the dog's howls faded into the distance.

[Aerows]

82. LOL, that's exactly how mine reacted

She puts up with no shit.

[arcane1]

177. Homer the Blind Wonder Cat did that to a home intruder

I would've loved to see it!

My kitty got a little bad-ass to a peregrine falcon that was getting too curious, but that's the closest I've come to seeing the powers kitties hide from us

[Aerows]

179. I'm torn by this because

Peregrine Falcons are endangered, and you never should have brought that up, but I am delighted that your cat cares about you.

Mixed feelings, all the way around, but at least kitty just fought off one of the most deadly falcons in existence and lived.

Seriously, peregrine falcons are deadly, and the cat got the best of one? By her a tuna dinner on me!

[arcane1]

183. Good news: it was never in danger, it just freaked out the cat from up on the rail. He still visits.

I call him Big Bird I can always tell when he's around because of the hell-raising I hear from other birds (I'm 11 stories up, nice bird-height). He perches nearby all the time, and on a few rare occasions he perches briefly on my balcony rail.

San Francisco is actually a very peregrine-friendly city. There are nesting areas/boxes set up all over town for them, and I suspect there is one across the street from me. I think there are two in my immediate vicinity, where there are trees and pigeons to prey upon. So Big Bird might be more than one entity.

So it's not a sad story at all. Indeed, I never noticed Big Bird on my rail until the kitty noticed it first

[Aerows]

184. That's awesome!

I love when even in cities we can merge with the wildlife. It sounds like you and kitty are right there .

[arcane1]

189. It's been an oddly pleasant way to stay tuned to nature.

I haven't had a kitty for two years, but that's made me more aware of and attuned to the birds. I not only watch them from up here 11 stories up, but I've begun paying attention to them from the ground, too. Seeing Big Bird flying up above, and knowing it's the same creature whose first visit pissed off the cat

I don't know if it's a recent occurrence or I just recently noticed, but every night right before sunset, I have one to four pairs of freakin' PARROTS fly past on their way home, squauking nonstop at each other like old married couples. That has become a highlight of my evenings

[Aerows]

190. I had an Owl that hung around

and I hooted at it, and it hooted back, so I'm probably a nut, too. It was neat to see it sitting there, and they have a LOUD hoot that can scare the crap out of you when you aren't expecting it, but it's kind of fun to hoot at them and they will hoot right back.

[arcane1]

193. Dammit, I would still be telliing that to strangers on the street I experienced that.

I have only a half-glimpse of what I think was an owl, once

[Aerows]

194. This was a Great Horned Owl

better known as ... yep, a hoot owl. It would get close and hoot to scare the crap out of a ghost. But it was awfully bold and hooted it's heart out when you hooted at it (which I did, like a nut).

[arcane1]

195. Cool!!

I guess I'm glad birds aren't scaring me, but I would also kinda love it

[Aerows]

196. I love birds

I live in an area that is also a bird sanctuary so I am treated to Cardinals, Blue Jays, Wrens, Owls, Woodpeckers, Hawks and yes, Owls . It's rather awesome. The world would be horrible without the calls of birds (my father's favorite saying).

[arcane1]

204. I have grown to love them more and more, even the Rock Doves :)

[Aerows]

205. I've learned their calls and can mimic some of them

(That's why I was the idiot mimicing the GHOwl )

It's extremely entertaining to go outside for a second when I have a break, and hear them. If you can mimic them, they will call right back and it is strangely calming for me. I probably look like an idiot, but it centers me.

[Sunlei]

237. I love the way birds know each others bird species 'calls' and use them all the time.

But I don't like this one old blue jay who still remembers the times I have run out and chased off a red tailed hawk pair (who were taking a hen a day, during the Texas drought nesting season)

. 2 years ago and that one blue jay still!! makes a 'hawk sound' in his voice when he sees me go outside by the back path.

[Aerows]

243. Mockingbirds are rather the most unfriendly birds on the planet

but they are also hilarious about picking up calls. I have one that makes a little whistle I make to get the cat to come home. The poor cat gets confused when she thinks I'm calling her, but it's that darn bird LOL!

[shanti]

241. SF used to have a huge flock of parrots

on Telegraph Hill. There was even a movie made about them. I heard that they left for the suburbs after their favorite nesting tree was cut down. There are undoubtedly some still around though.

[arcane1]

248. They're still here too! I have at least one pair fly past my apartment every evening :)

Their numbers have grown so much that they are now spreading into the suburbs, but many of the urban ones have remained. It's neat!

Here's some cool info on them:


San Francisco's famed flock of cherry-headed conures, immortalized in an award-winning movie and book, has become so populous that about 100 or so birds have fled San Francisco for the verdant slopes of San Bruno Mountain, where they're feasting on juniper and hawthorn berries and delighting the locals with their acrobatics.

Another 100 or so are still flapping around the northern edge of San Francisco, but the flock appears to have branched beyond the foggy confines of the waterfront, probably in search of food, said Mark Bittner, author of the best-selling "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill."

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-s-parrots-join-flight-to-the-suburbs-3365154.php

[shanti]

253. Now, isn't that a cool pic!

I didn't know they were conures, those are some noisy birds. I love watching parrots flying free.

[arcane1]

262. They are CONSTANTLY chattering at each other! I think of them as old arguing couples :)

[DinahMoeHum]

7. Stupid dog. . .why wasn't it on a leash?

Probably because of stupid owner.

[Daemonaquila]

67. It wasn't on a leash because the whole thing was a blatant setup.

Watch the different camera angles, the perfectly friendly dog trotting up to the SIDE of the kid without any hint of aggression before suddenly pulling him down, the perfect hit, chase, and retreat by the cat right in the perfectly framed shot...

What a load of crap.

[IronGate]

72. Bull shit.

You're saying that this whole thing was a setup?
The mother allowed the dog to attack the child resulting in injuries that required stitches?
What a load of crap.

[Aerows]

85. I have to agree with you

That has to be the most off the wall comment I've seen in a while. Cats will defend their territory and love their owners. Mine ran off a dog that was about 10x bigger than she was because she found it threatening. Cats can be just as devoted to their people as dogs are.

[spooky3]

114. A mama kitty I adopted tried to attack a vacuum cleaner.

I should have realized she wasn't used to them, having been outside most of her life. When I vacuumed too close to her kittens she spat, hissed and tried to defend against the big old upright. What a good kitty she was, and I never put her in that position again.

[Aerows]

129. When cats get protective, they mean business

I couldn't believe my eyes when she took on the dog. It ran away HOWLING.

[spooky3]

136. It would have been great to see.

Good kitteh!

[malaise]

99. +1,000

Wow!

[frylock]

96. oh look, we have a "truther" here..

are you fucking shitting me?!

[Faygo Kid]

143. +1

Some people.

[OwnedByCats]

264. LOL!

My sentiments exactly.

What the hell purpose would there be in putting a child at risk like that?

Besides, getting it all perfectly timed ... make dog attack child, then make kitty attack dog, not an easy feat I'm sure! I could see that going wrong 7 ways to Sunday.

Good grief

[Roy Rolling]

106. security camera footage

The different camera angles are from different security cameras on the house. This is no setup.

Do the honorable thing...self-delete your post.

[passiveporcupine]

112. It was not a setup

there were several security cameras that caught it on tape, and they were edited to show the whole picture.

[catbyte]

118. That dog is going to die, so I don't think it was a "setup." The dog is scheduled to be euthanized.

Thanks to his dumbfuck owner for allowing him to roam free. That bit of irresponsibility has cost that dog his life.

[Aerows]

132. And that, besides the poor little boy getting harmed

is another part of this whole tragedy.

[catbyte]

161. Absolutely.

[Warpy]

251. One thing bothers me

Mom is shown running for the house, leaving the crying kid behind.

That just looks weird. Why didn't she take the kid with her?

However, I've seen cats attack dogs and that part is legitimate. Few dogs are brave enough to go up against an angry cat on attack.

[OwnedByCats]

265. Where in this video do you see her

running for the house? You can't even see the house. She explained in interviews that she went to make sure the dog was not coming back for another try and to head him off if necessary, which I believe that's what she did and did get bit in the process. As a mother, she probably would rather risk an attack on her than risk an attack on BOTH as she's carrying him off.

No second attack happened as a result of her actions. At least she was there quickly instead of sitting in the house on her cell phone, not paying attention, completely unaware it was all happening.

I fail to see how she did anything wrong since this could have been a whole lot worse. It all worked out extremely well under the circumstances. The injuries to the boy weren't too bad (10 stitches, but could have been so much worse), the cat was not attacked by the dog and the mother was able to prevent a second attack on her son and a more serious attack on herself.

[Warpy]

276. At the very end she left the kid and started to run away from the street, presumably

toward her house, leaving the crying kid tangled up in his tricycle. I just found it odd.

[OwnedByCats]

279. Yeah but she didn't go to her house

She went to head off the dog

[Warpy]

286. That dog was long gone, probably still shrieking

Face it, her behavior was very odd.

[LisaL]

290. That dog was not long gone.

It's her neighbor's dog.

[OwnedByCats]

291. Listening to her tell it

it did not seem odd to me. She kept that dog from coming back to him, that's all that matters.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

297. I noticed that

especially when there was a mad dog there

[Ikonoklast]

135. The legal authorities involved say you are wrong.

The dog also bit the woman.

How's that foot taste?

[cui bono]

219. "The dog also bit the woman."

Is that why she left her son in the driveway when she went out of frame? I thought that was weird that she did that.

[IronGate]

266. Yes, the dog had circled around the car and was coming back to attack again,

Mom and cat headed off the second attack and in the process, the mother was also bitten.

[pnwmom]

272. She said the dog was coming back and she went to chase it away

and got bitten in the process.

[Duppers]

137. did you even watch all of this video??!!

Welcome to my ignore list.

[LordGlenconner]

148. Wrong

Those are surveillance cameras the homeowner has installed for security. My house has the same setup. The entire perimeter of the house is covered and I'm no Steven Spielberg.

[pnwmom]

162. No one made the dog attack the child. The fact that they had more than one camera

to capture this means nothing.

[bunnies]

167. This is officially the most insane thing Ive ever read on DU.

Congratulations.

[proReality]

181. Watch the interview with the father...

He has security "cameras"...plural.

[Sunlei]

236. no it was not 'friendly'It noticed the kid/bike from under the car and went to the kid to bite him.

It was not friendly at any point just focused. Plenty of people have more than one security cam running constantly.

Probably a dog that usually lives in its yard like a rosebush...in its yard or at the window in the house who barks at every passerby, kid on the streets playing, bike riders.

One day the yard gate is left open, the fence breaks, it digs out, or the owners let it get out the front door..and off it goes to make the contact, the bite it has been waiting, barking for years at.

Or perhaps the dog and the cat have met before, which is very likely as the cat reacted very fast and the dog seemed to fear that cat.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. Wow. My first reaction to the headline was "ho hum more hype lets see this alleged defense"

But that kitty really did save that kid.

Not only that, but the cat came back to check on the kid and then joined the posse with the kids mom when mom went after the dog.

Great kitty!

That dog meant business.

[LLD]

150. The cat moved so fast on the attack I was in awe.

It looked like instinct that the cat was protecting the boy.

[joeybee12]

9. That dog needs to be taken away from its owner...

Running loose, no collar...might be a nice dog if you got handle properly...fucking assholes.

KNR for the kitteh.

[tblue37]

16. +1. nt

[whopis01]

198. According to the article it already was taken away. And will be euthanized. n/t

[joeybee12]

222. That sucks...the dog has to pay for the shitty owner...nt

[get the red out]

226. Yes

The dog probably wasn't socialized at all, or trained in any way. It is so sad when people get dogs and put no effort into helping them to learn good behavior.

[OwnedByCats]

267. I read somewhere that

the dog was used as a guard dog, so you're probably right.

[pnwmom]

273. The boy's mother doesn't blame the owner. She says the dog managed to slip out

of the fenced back yard when another car was being parked.

She knows the circumstances better than we do.

[joeybee12]

294. Well, seems to me that dog was not socialized properly or it would not

have attacked the child...the owner is to blame...especially if the owner was keeping/training it as a guard dog in a residential area.

[pnwmom]

295. For all we know, the dog was adopted from the pound -- so its behavior might not be the fault

of the current owners. It was only 9 months old, by the way.

I also didn't see anything about the dog being kept or trained as a guard dog. Did you?

[joeybee12]

296. I didn't see anything about it not being trained that way...

It was in the backyard apparently, untended, you don't leave a dog like that if you have any sense. And why would the dog be put down if this is a one-time thing? you seem to think this fuckwad of an owner knows shit about animals, when he/she doesn't. As for the woman whose kid was bitten, why was her cat running loose...seems to me no one in this whole mess knows how to treat animals.

And on edit, see post 267...yup a guard dog...fucking worthless owner.

[pnwmom]

298. #267 doesn't prove anything. n/t

[savalez]

10. Awesome.

Nice security system too.

[itsrobert]

88. that's what I was thinking

Great video, better than the grainy images form some recent security video the news has aired.

[lpbk2713]

11. Mom was right there in a flash too.

The dog came around the car and struck before there was anything anyone could have done. The dog hauled ass rather than tangle with an angry cat, might not have been such a dumb dog. Those were nasty looking wounds. I'd imagine Animal Control will impound the dog for at least the required observation period and then decide what further action should be taken.

[Ilsa]

223. I was surprised she did not pick up the child and

Take him to safety, though. I guess she was making sure the dog was gone, but I think I would have picked him up.

[Louisiana1976]

12. Give the cat a medal.

[freshwest]

13. Great cat, poor kid. Glad to see the rescue. The way the dog shook the kid was killing behavior. n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

14. That dog would have been a DEAD dog

had he come into my yard and did something like that. I love all animals but, because I'm confronted with horribly vicious dogs all the time in my work, I've come to distrust all of them.

Having said that, I've seen my cats do that. One of my catlets (not yet full-grown cat but out of kitten stage), who was a quarter bobcat, rode a German Shepherd's face halfway down the street because he came into my front yard (no collar, no leash) and thought he was going to scare the cat. Rigggghhhhhhht. Never saw that dog again.

That dog AND it's owner needs to be put down. That kid will, most likely, be terrified of dogs for the rest of his life. I hope they sue the fuck out of those people.

[awoke_in_2003]

24. +1000. nt

[dionysus]

33. when i was little, i got bit by my friends dog. his teeth didn't pierce my jeans but i had the

nastiest bruise that lasted over a month. I was afraid of dogs for a long time after that.

[harun]

231. +1

[Logical]

258. How would you have killed the dog? Chase it down? Poison it later? nt

[Blue Owl]

15. Superkitteh!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. Good kitty!

I once saw my mom's cat chase a Labrador retriever out of the yard. Labs aren't especially vicious but they're big - the cat seemed undaunted, though, and scared the bejeebers out of the dog.

Cats are not to be underestimated.

[packman]

18. I had an attack cat like that

He was half feral, half domesticated and all hell whenever he saw a dog-no matter what the size. We had a porch he'd sit on, surveying the street and woe to any dog that roamed by. He'd bound down the steps, race across the street ignoring traffic and chase the dog later coming back resetting himself on the steps waiting for his next victim.

[Roy Rolling]

109. same here

We sheltered a "volunteer" and he guards the front yard, playing with friendly dogs that regularly pass and chasing off anything that doesn't behave.

The danger is, he chased off a possum one night and suffered bites that became so severely infected he was hospitalized for four days. All in a day's work...

[Aerows]

128. Mine brought a dying possum HOME a couple of days ago.

and she was completely fine. It looked nearly as big as she is. It's throat was ripped out by my loving sweet pea that wouldn't even pounce on my toes when she sleeps in the bed at night.

[shenmue]

19. Kitteh Fire and Rescue

Squee!

[Ikonoklast]

138. More like Kitteh Seal Team 6.

[ellie]

20. What a nice kitty!

[MoonRiver]

21. CNN has this story on right now.

[Fix The Stupid]

22. I swear...I"ve seen some stuff in my time...

but.that.was...awesome!!

Good kitty.

[TRoN33]

23. As a dog lover but this time I'm rooting for that cat!

I'm terribly allergic to cats but I can appreciate how cat recognize the danger to his buddy and protect him fiercely. Kudos to this cat!!!

[Ash_F]

25. I don't think I've ever seen a stray dog get that aggressive, that quickly.

Way to go cat!

[dionysus]

28. not even a stray.. neighbor's dog...

[Voice for Peace]

37. I was chased and bitten once, by a full-grown puppy.

He didn't mean to attack, he was just trying to play.
Can't guess about this one.. hope it's not the end of him.

[Ash_F]

42. The way it shook the kid around didn't look like play

That is a predatory hunting technique to maximize injury and disable the limb. I think that dog meant to kill that boy.

It didn't even bark or bare teeth first. I have seen plenty of aggressive dogs, but that was more like a coyote hunting. This is really uncommon behavior for a domesticated dog.

[DirkGently]

65. Yep. That was pure prey drive.

Not even territorial aggression. The dog stalked and ambushed the boy. Scary.

I don't say this much, but ... nice going, cat!

[roguevalley]

79. could have been the toy he was riding that provoked it.

[Tsiyu]

124. I thought that too

some of the ride-on toys have a motor sound that a dog could mistake for a growl, or the sound of the plastic wheels on pavement was growly-sounding.

No matter, no aggressive dog like that should just run free, but it happens even with the best owners. The dog gets out for just a second. If they let this dog run around knowingly, that was pure negligence on the owners' parts.

Glad the dog will be put down - next kid may not be so lucky to have a Cat Guard, but sad it had to happen at all.

[Aerows]

90. It truly is uncommon behavior

And I have to agree that he completely intended to kill that boy. Horrible. Thank heaven's for the cat. The mom rushed out, too, so it wasn't neglect. That was just an aggressive awful attack on that child.

[Ash_F]

160. The cat also behaved in an really uncommon way.

Usually they don't just jump into a fight like that. They almost always prefer aggressive posturing, which includes arching their backs to look bigger and hissing. They do this to see if they can scare the threat away without getting into a fight. That way they can minimize injury to themselves and perhaps avoid a fight they can not win with a larger animal. Only then, if it does not work, do they decide if they want to fight or run.

But you can see this cat had no time for any of that and just jumped right in, probably because she understood that the boy was being hurt and time was of the essence. I have not seen that behavior before either, and it is truly courageous when you compare it to how cats normally react to a threat.

It is interesting how different animals have different personalities, even within their own species. Instinct plays a big role but they still have individual psychology.


You can see the spray from a water hose, as the mom drops it, so she must have been watering plants nearby.

[Aerows]

188. Mine does

I'm pretty sure you don't have a semi-outdoor female cat. She will fuck anything up, then come inside and sleep on my feet.

Cats aren't as obvious as they seem to be. When they find a family and love them, they are as boundless in their love and protection as any dog ever was/

[Ash_F]

201. I did but the more feral/outdoor, the more often I would think that they would posture

Since it is an instinctive or wild behavior. I never saw our cat get in a fight but he was outside all the time. That was long ago.

[Aerows]

202. Female cats are very different

they are the hunters and providers. Any female cat that has been outside is ... different than a male cat, whether he is fixed or not, and whether she is fixed or not. Mine IS of course fixed, chipped, has every shot known but she is kind and sweet to her people.

Then she brings home huge dead things. She is getting older and stays inside more, but uh, bringing home huge dead things, well, that hasn't really stopped.

[jtuck004]

171. I wonder how many times that kid has thrown something or hit that dog?

That wasn't fear biting - that was going after a target. He was smelling it out, found it, and went after it.

I would bet money there is some history there. It would be tough for a dog to get that old and be that people aggressive, even for a golden mix or whatever that was.

Still, good kitty.

It's too bad the neighbors aren't the ones under observation.

[Ash_F]

174. Maybe it never saw a small human child before?

And once it did, its predatory drive took over in the absence of its master. Dogs are descendant from wild predators, so that instinct is still in them.

If it was let out without a leash, then it is possible the owner was negligent in other ways. Such as not feeding it so that it was hungry or physically abusing it. It could have been having a stressful day and just wanted to get its aggression out on something.

[pnwmom]

271. "that old"? The Chow-mix was only 9 months old, and he was supposed to be in his fenced back yard.

Yes, it wasn't fear biting -- it was a vicious dog, which is no doubt why the owners have given it up to the county to be put down. As you may know, Chows are among the dogs who are considered most aggressive.

The owners never indicated there was any history and they would know. And since the boy is small and the dog was kept in a fenced yard, how would there have been.

[jtuck004]

275. "a fenced yard" - The first and a necessary ingredient in barrier or fence aggression.

Easily could have been that. The kid didn't really have to do anything other than be a kid, but the adults, having thumbs and all, should have recognized the signs. Easily observed, and there is a plan for dogs which exhibit that behavior. Google it if you care to learn. Hundreds of reports out there.

The worst incident I have had with my dogs was with the 7 and 8 year old kids and their asshole mom next door, when they decided that creating spears and trying to stab my dogs through the fence was a good idea. Course, they also set their own house on fire. A few other things.

It's called living in a neighborhood.

She didn't seem to sight him - more like she might have heard, and then scented him. I've watched and have a number of training videos from shelters and other sources, not to mention having worked with a behaviorist and a few owners and dogs, and there is almost always a lot more preening, and yelling, and all sorts of other behavior that rarely results in anything like that. It was nearer hunting, and that's just not what most dogs do.

There's an older trainer, Ian Dunbar, specialized in knowing and helping consult in this area, and he might have classed that as a 5 based on the wounds, (6 being dead). The reason it's important is because you hardly ever see an attack that bad. Which would indicate that this had gone on a while, that she was socialized, and I would bet pulled really early from her group. And then thrown in a yard and ignored, and maybe teased. Happens way too much.

Chows are aggressive, but Golden retrievers bite more than any other dog, and I-don't-really-have-a-a-clue-so-it-must-be-a-putbull are always the first suspects.

But the problem isn't the dog, it's the people. It's always the people. Supposed to be smarter. You can train them and reduce bites, (they do in Calgary) but our investments aren't really into people these days as much as they are into rentiers.

Keeps happening, and it's always a tragedy.

[DirkGently]

287. Looked like straight-up prey drive to me.

A dog doesn't need to be inherently vicious or aggressive to react to a small child as a prey animal. And sitting on the trike, the boy looked smaller and less human-shaped.

That would explain the silent, brutal attack from behind and killing shakes. It's the way a dog would go after a rat or a possum. Scary, but maybe not indicative of an inherently vicious animal.

[jtuck004]

288. But usually they are socialized to people. Aggression toward animals and people are two very

different things. That is what makes dog fighting possible, and makes dogs able to kill bear, wolves, and other animals, yet not turn on humans.

According to the research that people have been doing for perhaps 20 years now, the bites in his picture are in fact indicative of a uniquely angry attack. The vast majority of bites fall into far less threatening categories, by a magnitude of hundreds to one. CDC figures along with most every health department underscore that.

[DirkGently]

289. Dogs don't always recognize children as people.

I didn't see any anger in that attack at all. No snarling, no bristling. The dog silently stalked and ambushed the child. I've seen a dog act exactly this way with a rat. Stalk, ambush, kill.

I don't disagree it's a socialization problem, but this is why people talk about carefully socializing dogs with small children.

[Helen Borg]

26. That cat is an American Feline Hero! :)

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. Dog attack was unprovoked. Sorry, but it needs to be put down before it kills.

There may not be a cat for the next child.

[mindwalker_i]

29. And whoever left the dog unleashed

Needs to be charged.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

41. +1

[SunSeeker]

117. +1

[Aerows]

131. Amen to that! n/t

[Arugula Latte]

30. Cats rule!

[Omaha Steve]

31. That kitty deserves some treats!

K&R!

[JJChambers]

32. It's too bad there wasn't a police officer around

This dog needs to be put down before it mauls anyone else.

[lpbk2713]

36. The way things are going lately with trigger happy law enforcement ...

they would have shot the cat too for being vicious or overly aggressive.

[Major Nikon]

34. Back off or the dog gets it

[Voice for Peace]

35. wow!

I bet the dog was trying to play.. I was bitten like that once,
by a young dog who was just trying to have fun, at my
leg's expense. But the bite on this boy's leg, yikes, way
worse.

But that wonderful CAT!! wow. very cat. such brave.

[Tsiyu]

125. No, the dog had its hackles up and was

viciously shaking this boy. Watch the video.

It went from sniff to rabid in seconds.

Tara reacted like Superwoman though, because Cat







Disclaimer: I prefer dogs to cats; cats and I have a love/hate thing going. I refuse to submit to their wiles....but I have seen cats do very caring things

[pnwmom]

38. In case anyone else wondered why the mother left the boy at the end,

this report adds another detail:

http://iacknowledge.net/incredible-video-shows-family-cat-saving-boy-from-viscious-dog-attack/

The boy’s mother, Erica, says the dog was still hanging around after the attack, and when she attempted to chase it away, it bit her as well.

The boy is reportedly fine, but had to receive 10 stitches at the hospital.

[Hekate]

246. Thanks for clearing that part up, pnwmom. I wondered why she didn't pick him up and run

Now I know.

What a scary ordeal.

[Eleanors38]

254. Makes sense. Mothers of many species draw off an attacker

and thereby relieve the immediate threat on their young; staying with the young may render both vulnerable. She did right.

[pnwmom]

257. And did you notice how the cat stuck by the boy while she went after the dog?

All of a sudden I need a cat.

[Eleanors38]

261. Everything went according to plan. I'm betting the

mother told the boy to run for the house. He looked like he quickly got back into the groove.

[OwnedByCats]

268. I saw someone on Facebook

say if she was a real mother lioness, she would not have left him there. What load of crap! Apparently this person knows nothing of how wild animals protect their young!

[Eleanors38]

283. Even a prey animal like a doe deer feeds separately from its fawn...

Because to be together risks both lives if a predator finds them (fawns instinctively make no noise, no movement, and hardly any odor within the first few days of life; they just lay down & shut up). Bird mothers are famous for drawing off predators by hopping about with a "broken" wing.

[central scrutinizer]

39. three different camera angles?

Quite a coincidence that three different cameras were filming this at the same time.

[Ash_F]

46. Security cameras.

Looks like an upscale neighborhood.

[Auggie]

47. Staged? Right ... the bites are make-up, the kid is a stunt double,

and the dog and cat are from central casting.

[Arugula Latte]

52. They're not even real animals -- They're animatronics!

Disney made 'em! Yeeeah, that's the ticket...

[johnp3907]

75. Animatronics are old hat.

It's all CGI these days!

[Jim Lane]

176. Or maybe the "dog" is actually a cat wearing a dog suit.

The two cats set the whole thing up to make cats look good.

[arcane1]

178. A shameless ploy for tuna, obviously.

[central scrutinizer]

53. No certainly not

the one showing the attack is certainly real, I had never considered security cameras - they are nonexistent in my neighborhood

[roguevalley]

80. someone took the whole film and put the pertinent parts together

[ronnie624]

64. Three different security cameras with editing to show the dog's actions.

There's nothing suspicious here, at all.

[SalviaBlue]

94. I have a fairly inexpensive security camera setup

that we got from Costco that gives us the same kind of views. Ours has 4 cameras. I can pull video from it. No big deal.

Ironically, we got it after my dog was attacked by a dog and we pressed charges. On the day the dog owner was notified, our house was vandalized. We were pretty sure it was the dog owner's teenage son.

[WCLinolVir]

107. I was going to say Costco, as we are considering one.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

130. Probably a false flag.

[Codeine]

168. I heard a group of Israeli dog owners

were dancing in the street after their successful false flag operation.

Seriously, your tinfoil hat needs tightening.

[Go Vols]

40. Cool Cat

[Blue Diadem]

43. Good Kitty!

Oh wow, that video was shocking, the damage done to that little boy's leg and the way the dog behaved while biting, dragging and shaking "the prey". I'm all for giving some dogs another chance but I don't think that dog is safe for anyone to be around. Thankfully Tara was there! Good Kitty, I hope she gets a reward!

[kmlisle]

73. They are probably holding that dog to check for rabies

People who take so little care of their animals may have skipped the shots as well. Very sad forthe dog but what a terrific cat!

[AnneD]

44. While I am happy that

the child is ok and it is great that the cat was there, I find the film interesting that the POV changes so smoothly. It almost looks edited to me. If an animal's life is at stake, I would hope it was on the up and up. The wounds are pretty damning as it is. I think the dog was just protecting his perceived territory.

[lpbk2713]

48. Motion activated.

I have four just like that.

[Arugula Latte]

49. Looks like security cameras capturing different views. Maybe they were spliced together.

The dog was outside his own territory, though. He stalked the kid, who was in his own front yard, and ran at him. It's not like the kid wandered into the dog's yard and poked at him or anything.

[Yavin4]

50. It looks like two security cameras videos spliced together

And the dog looks like a stray.

[Ash_F]

51. It was certainly edited

Probably by the news crew and not the family. Judging from the low quality, those were wall mounted security cameras.

[AnneD]

59. That was my thinking.....

with so much photo shopping etc these days, I am a bit wary of these things.

[Bonx]

54. The dog was in the wrong yard and unprovoked

The dog needs to be put down.

[Mosby]

55. The video was released by a TV station

So they probably took the security camera video and edited it into the short clip.

Dogs know where their territory is, this dog attacked that boy while he was in his own driveway not the dogs "property". Everything the dog did was extremely aggressive and without any hesitation.

[LisaL]

214. It wasn't the dog's territory.

This child was in his own driveway.

[AnneD]

239. I have since found out that the tapes are real...

the the back story is even better. They adopted the cat 5 years ago when it followed them home from a nearby park. The cat would sleep in the little 4 yo boy's crib.

The sad news is that the dog also bit his owner and is in quarantine and will be put down in 10 days.

[FiveGoodMen]

242. Did anyone know the history of the dog?

I had the most trouble believing the video because the attack was so immediate, vicious, and pointless.

[Jenoch]

244. The dog is 8 months old.

It is a lab - chow mix. Chiws can be quite aggressive. The dog was in a fenced in yard but darted out a gate when the owner was leaving.

The parents of the boy are not blaming the owners of the dog. The dog's iwners are not being charged with a crime and are not fighting the authorities who are going to put the dog down after ten days of observation.

[TeeYiYi]

45. That's my new FAVORITE cat video...

That cat is a hero. She deserves a reward, a medal, a key to the city, a ride on a firetruck and a fireman's hat!

TYY

[3catwoman3]

56. A nice big can of tuna for the kitty.

Cats are not to be trifled with.

And, a helmet for the little boy boy, please.

(Peds nurse practitioner here - can't help it. I regularly advise parents on bike safety, and am often surprised by how many parents say their kids do not wear a helmets because they "only ride on the drive way." I don't know many people with rubber driveways.)

[matt819]

57. Way to go kitty cat

Fantastic story. I would like to think my cats would do the same, though I fear that they would just stand by and then approach when it's safe and then show tremendous concern.

[Jenoch]

58. I do not believe that dogs that attack people, especially little kids, unprovoked

should get a second chance. They need to test that dog for rabies, distemper, etc. and then put it down.

I have never before seen a cat do something like this. Cats are the target of jokes about their seemingly narcissistic behavior, but this cat is amazing.

I'm no doctor, but those stitches looked pretty rough. I think they could have been done better to leave smaller scars.

[kmlisle]

74. I was out walking my dog this spring and she decide to venture into the wrong yard and

two Himalayan s came after her screeching like banshees with their long fur all fluffed and she ran for her life!
She was on one of those expandable leashes and I looked the other way for a few seconds. She is friendly but not under chasing a cat if she gets a chance. No contact but one scared dog!

[MADem]

77. I have seen something like this, only not nearly so dramatic.

When I was a youngster, a dog was bullying a group of kids. I was part of the group as were a couple of my siblings, and the dog was preventing us from crossing a yard (that didn't belong to the dog, either). This was well before the days of "leashed" pets--everyone let their animals run free. Our cat kept running past the dog, trying to get the dog's attention away from the group of children. Eventually the dog chased the cat, and the cat went up a tree. While the dog was barking at the cat up the tree, the cat leapt from the tree onto the dog's back, rode the dog (yelping like mad) around the block twice, then jumped off at our house and sauntered up to the porch.

As children, we knew our parents would never believe the story (we scarcely believed it ourselves), but fortunately one of the parents of a child in the group of kids was outdoors and saw the entire thing.

It became a bit of a neighborhood legend.

As for the cat, she was a female cat and she was very well socialized--she went everywhere with us children, and even wanted to get on the school bus with us, and was very irritated when she'd not be allowed on. Sometimes, she'd get in front of the bus, and one of us would have to run home with the cat and lock her in the house so the bus could take us to school. This was so long ago that a bus driver would actually wait on a kid taking a cat back home...very much the dark ages!

[hamsterjill]

98. But that doesn't solve the REAL issue in this situation.

I stipulate and agree heartily that dogs don't need to be biting children. No argument there. And I, pretty much like you, don't take dog bites casually.

But the real problem here is the dog's owner. The dog is out, without identification or a leash. If you put this dog down, then something needs to be done so that the stupid owner doesn't just go out and get another dog.

I see this all the time. The owners like this one don't care about the animal. If they did, they would make sure their dog isn't running loose somewhere that it can be struck by a car, etc., much less cause harm to a child living near it. They will, simply, look on Craigslist and get another dog that they don't take proper care of, and the cycle repeats.

[Jenoch]

103. Apparently the owner did not put up a challenge when the authorities came for it.

I hope they have an umbrella liability policy. The family of the child should be compensated for any medical expenses and I also think they should get some sort of cash settlement. Those scars are going to be with that boy for the rest of his life. And, as I indicated earlier, I do not think the stitches certainly could have been done much better.

[hamsterjill]

108. Of course the owner did not put up a challenge.

They don't care if this dog is euthanized. If they cared about the dog, they'd have been taking care of the dog instead of letting it run loose.

And well they should be forced to pay for the damages that the child suffered, etc.

Then they will just get another dog, and here we go again. There needs to be some sort of means of keeping idiots like this from being ABLE to just get another dog.

[Eleanors38]

256. Sympathy for the devil...

I have grown to respect many dog owners who have taken in the responsibility of caring for poorly socialized dogs, many slated for euthanasia. Some times the efforts work; sometimes they fail. I don't know the BG of this dog owner, but many really do care about trying to help these mistreated and neglected animals.

[hamsterjill]

263. Absolutely.

But no responsible dog owner lets their dog run loose, especially near a street.

[penultimate]

277. To be fair, sometimes animals get loose on their own.

My dog managed to sneak out once after the wind blew my gate latch off. He was probably wandering around the neighborhood for 30 minutes before I went to call him inside. He is a well behaved and friendly dog though, so there were not any issues. That being said, I wonder if there was any sort of abuse with this dog,because I find that well adjusted family dogs don't usually attack children.

[hamsterjill]

280. I admit to having had the same thought.

The dog did not look aggressive to me in the frames before he had a visual on the boy. I wondered if the boy had perhaps taunted the dog or something in a prior occurrence because the dog's demeanor changed when he realized the boy was nearby.

Even still, it is not acceptable for a dog to attack a child. I think we can all stipulate to that.

Yes, dogs do get out. I realize that. But it is still the fault and responsibility of the owner when that happens. It's not the dog's fault for doing what a dog is going to do.

[MynameisBlarney]

140. Some dogs, like people, are just assholes.

And in order to test for rabies, they'd have to kill it.

[Jenoch]

141. "And in order to test for rabies, they'd have to kill it."

Not a bad idea.

The story said the dog is under "observation". I suppose that, combined with veterinary records, should give them the information they need.

Some dogs are more aggressive than others. I wonder how this dog behaves with children in its own family, if there are any.

[MynameisBlarney]

142. Unless they've changed the way they test for rabies

they have to get to the animals brain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies_testing

[Curmudgeoness]

151. For domestic animals,

they hold the animal for 10 days or 2 weeks. If the animal has rabies, the symptoms will show up in that length of time.

That is not so with wild animals. Some will not show signs of rabies in a reasonable length of time and some animals are just not known how long it takes to have symptoms. Wild animals that bite someone have to be put down and have the brain analyzed to determine whether they have rabies.

[MynameisBlarney]

209. I did not know that

Thanks!
I had no idea there was that much difference between domestic and wild animals when it came to rabies.

[Ruby the Liberal]

250. There is no test for rabies

other than a brain dissection on autopsy. Thats why they are holding the dog - to see if s/he (didn't catch that detail) becomes symptomatic.

[Arugula Latte]

60. I'm not surprised the kitty is a female.

I've had many precious kitties over the years, and the ones who were most upset by strange animals coming into the yard were always the females. I had one tiny calico who would aggressively charge any neighborhood cats or dogs that came into the yard. I think it's the maternal instinct to protect -- we had adopted her when she was a pregnant stray so she had had kittens in the past before we got her spayed. That was back when we let our kitties go outside, but all my cats are indoors now.

[oldandhappy]

61. Go Cat!!

Zowie! What a pal.



We so need some kitty smilies.

[Daemonaquila]

62. I call horsesh*t. BLATANT horsesh*t. Did any of you even WATCH the video?

When you're going to set up some faked video hoping it'll go viral, make sure you don't start doing selective shots from different angles to better tell the story. First he's just filming his son in the driveway, then he cuts away to filming the dog from over a back fence that's on the OTHER side of the car, then he takes a shot from yet another angle of the dog going behind the car, and then back again to the front yard where, OH NOES!!!! the peacefully trotting dog suddenly walks up to the SIDE of the kid before grabbing onto him (possibly the shorts versus the leg, hard to tell). Whee! Both SuperCat and a woman are right there to rescue the kid on cue. So, dude - which film company were you trying to impress with your animal training prowess?

Of course HE doesn't go rescue the kid, chase the dog, etc. If that's not enough, right afterward he switches back to filming over the back fence on the OTHER side of the car as the dog makes his escape. Then he cuts back to the front of the house. Hey, man - I want that transporter beam so I can film live from 3 different angles across my whole yard, too.

[lpbk2713]

68. Cool story Bro.

OMFG

[geardaddy]

87. Win!

[MADem]

69. It is video from a home security system. No one is "filming"--it's from permanently mounted

cameras that are on all the time. No one is "cutting."

[DirkGently]

70. Unlikely. Security cameras.

The wide angles and low resolution are consistent with security cams. Notice the cameras are stationary as well. If a "he" was running all those cameras, wouldn't "he" have panned or zoomed at least once?

Also, this all came from a local news station, which 1) could edit the shots together from the three cameras, and 2) would have to have either been in on a hoax, or fooled by it. Given they followed up as to the injuries, with more pictures that again would have had to been faked or substituted, a hoax seems pretty unlikely here.

That would also be some pretty advanced animal training and child stunt work. All in a suburban driveway, with no one noticing the mulitple takes and other fakery?

[Egnever]

76. um it was several surveillance cameras...

Not sure where the wild conspiracy theory is coming from

[IronGate]

81. Ummmmmmm, you might want to take this crap to this group.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1135

where it belongs.

[frylock]

97. i don't know what it's like in your third-world hell hole..

but over here, we have these things commonly referred to as "home security systems," many of which include multiple cameras.

[Arugula Latte]

102. Okay, sorry, but that was moronic.

You don't understand the concept of multiple security cameras?

[11cents]

104. Really can't tell if this is a parody of "wised-up" conspiracist dimwittery or not.

At any rate: security cameras.

[Tsiyu]

126. And who is nine feet tall?

Dumb lummox has gotta be as tall as bigfoot to get an angle that high!

Running back and forth in four places. Meh.



Um, Dude or Dudette, did you never hear of security cameras? Guess not.

[pnwmom]

164. LOL!!!

[ForgoTheConsequence]

134. I'm embarrassed for you.

...

[Faygo Kid]

146. Give it up.

"Sgt. Joe Grubbs, Bakersfield Police spokesman, said the dog will be quarantined for 10 days then euthanized."

[pnwmom]

163. "He" doesn't exist. There are merely at least 3 "things" -- i.e. security cameras fixed

at different locations.

[Codeine]

169. Idiotic post of the day.

Congratulations, dude.

[neverforget]

186. Darrell Issa is that you?

[noiretextatique]

221. clearly you never met my cat

she stared down any dog who crossed her path. she always won.

[Rex]

247. This was all caught on surveillance cameras, how totally embarrassing for you!

Did you not even read the OP? OMG! I bet you feel like a total tool now for bleating before reading!

[Eleanors38]

259. That Soviet space fly-by picture of the moon in the late 50s!

You could see the paint strokes in the film!

[MicaelS]

63. Some dog attacked my kid, that is going to be one dead dog, very quickly.

Not going to wait for the police or animal control to show up. A very good cat. It deserves a big reward.

[Uncle Joe]

66. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, grits.

[johnp3907]

78. Local news clip:

[Hoyt]

83. Attack Cat. When I first started watching, thought it was a fake/staged video.

[Aerows]

86. Female cats can be EXTREMELY territorial

and they love their people. Mine ran off a dog 10x bigger than she is through sheer fury, hissing and a fuckton of claws and teeth. She is sweet as pie, normally. It was rather astonishing to see her get that mad.

[Rob H.]

225. ^^This

My cat is an indoor-only kitty, and she's gets SUPER pissed off--hissing, growling, hitting the window--when another cat so much as walks across my yard. Not quite sure what she thinks is going to happen, since the other cat can't hear her, but she doesn't know that.

She's super-sweet with me, though, thank goodness. I think she thinks I'm just an overgrown, mostly-hairless cat who walks around on two legs.

[aikoaiko]

91. I have new respect for cats.

If its real.

[Liberalynn]

92. what a good kitty

Bad doggy owner.

[zach.magee]

93. Cats

Sometimes I love kitty cats.

[frylock]

95. cats rule, dogs drool

[geek tragedy]

100. That's nothing.

[johnp3907]

197. The laughter is disturbing.

[Maynar]

211. The bear cub got his goodie bag.

The cat risked its life for something completely preventable {bear-proof your garbage, idiot).

And judging from the soundtrack, the child watching through the window learned that wild animals will "perform" for her amusement.

EPIC FAIL.

[Diclotican]

101. Are_grits_groceries

Are_grits_groceries

I remember an experience I had with one cat I had - who had kittens - 7 or 8 weeks old - they was able to do a lot on their own - but they had a mother who was rather carefully about her kittens - protective as few I would say...

And then we had a nabour, who's son had a german sheppard - nice as all day - in fact a very gentle dog - not much anger in that dog - even if it had been used as a guard dog in his professional life - as a retired dog he was rather gentle - a whole difference from his former himself I guess

But for some reason he wanted to play with "my" kittens - at a time when my cat - was there - the poor dog got in in the house - but also got out faster than he got in - mostly because he had a BIG fur ball right there - I saw just teets - and some legs and a big furry ball attaching the poor dog - and he was out the door as fast as he was able to walk out - the cat in tow - It was over before everyone had a chance to do anything...

And the funny about it al - is because even after I had to give away all my cats - mostly because I have allergy - the poor dog wisted me maybe 1/2 year later - and he was very, very concerned about the possibility of a cat in the house.... The big german Sheppard afraid of a car who was much smaller than he was..

Diclotican

[arikara]

210. A guy came over to our place with his big german shepherd

riding in the back of his pickup truck. As soon as he stopped the truck, the dog spotted our herd of horses, jumped out of the truck and took off after them. The horses all turned and thundered after the dog and chased him back into the yard. I guess he felt as embarrassed as a dog could be. So when he spotted our farm cat strolling across the yard he thought he'd redeem himself and made the mistake of taking after her. She screamed and lit into him and the stupid dog kiyi'ed back to his truck with his tail between his legs.

I bet that dog never chased after horses or cats again.

[Stingray steve]

105. Amazing

[WCLinolVir]

110. I am scared when my cat wants to confront pit bulls in our yard.

I am blown away by her complete lack of fear. I put her in the house instead.

[reformist2]

111. Lightning fast kitty to the rescue!

I didn't know cats were capable of this.

[Arugula Latte]

133. There are videos online of cats chasing bears and such in backyards.

Don't mess with the kitties.

[Brigid]

113. I have heard more than one story about a cat chasing burglars away.

And I recently read a story about a woman who woke up at 4:00 am to find a man standing at the foot of her bed and her rather puny male cat standing there on the bed, arching his back and growling like crazy. The woman reached for her phone to call 911; the man said, "Don't do that," and the cat attacked. He chased the man out of the apartment and down the hall.

Here's the kicker: the cat was blind; a really bad eye infection in early kittenhood had forced veterinarians to remove his eyes. When the intruder spoke, that enabled the cat to pinpoint his location.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

121. The cat's name is Homer. There's a book about him,

"Homer's Odyssey." Quite an amazing cat.

[Brigid]

123. Yep, that's the one.

He was a good kitteh.

[3catwoman3]

233. The staory of Homer will bring...

...tears to your eyes and bring up a lump in your throat. A must read for cat lovers.

[Maynar]

212. +1!

[spooky3]

115. What a great kitteh. Temptations for you!

Thanks for posting.

[spooky3]

116. Notice how, once the cat has run off the dog,

She comes right back to the child to try to help again? Amazing cat, amazing video.

[Liberal_in_LA]

166. yes, amazing cat

[Le Taz Hot]

119. OK, I gotta do it:

May I remind everyone that that was an OUTSIDE KITTEH!

[angel823]

127. okay

you got us on that one.

Angel in Texas

[Hassin Bin Sober]

173. No. He threw a chair through the window when he smelled trouble.

[Le Taz Hot]

175. Nah,

only outside kittehs have cojones like that.

[Aerows]

182. She kicked major ass

I have an indoor/outdoor goddess, too, and that's all I have to say.

[Tsiyu]

120. Awesome Lioness!

What a good kitty!

I hope she gets lots of treats and love. I bet her little boy loves her even more now.

[silverweb]

122. Awesome kitteh!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I wonder if one of mine would do the same for me...?

Nah. They all run under the sofa when the door buzzer goes off. lol

Many years ago, I had a very sweet tortie. When my then boyfriend, who I was expecting for dinner, walked in the front door unannounced, she launched herself with three bounds across the living room to the back of the sofa to his chest -- and clung there with claws embedded until I pulled her off.

He never again walked in without knocking first and waiting for me to open the door.

[MynameisBlarney]

139. That dog needs to be put down.

It is going to attack someone again.

[Faygo Kid]

145. It will be. Update.

"Sgt. Joe Grubbs, Bakersfield Police spokesman, said the dog will be quarantined for 10 days then euthanized."

No choice here.

[perdita9]

147. Good girl, Tara!

You should get an award for that.

And the dog's owner should get a citation for letting a dangerous animal run around loose.

[JBoy]

152. Good thing that cat knew physics

Cat knew it lacked mass, so decided to maximize velocity. Good decision, kitty!

[philly_bob]

153. Great video. Confused by skeptics. One point on cat's technique:

it looks as if it didn't use teeth or claws, it simply gave a full-speed head-butt that all but knocked over the dog.

Also, note how fast the cat reacted!

[Duppers]

159. I think those skeptics hate cats & have never known a good one.

They think all of us are gullible and I think they are idiots who don't understand cats nor multi-security cameras.

I much prefer large, smart, sweet dogs but I've always loved and appreciated my great cats. I don't have much tolerance for anyone who hates either species.

[devils chaplain]

240. +1 ... Cats AND dogs are awesome if you treat them properly. n/t

[Enthusiast]

154. Yay, Kitteh!

[Demo_Chris]

155. I had no IDEA a cat would ever do something like that...

I always assumed a cat would sit back and smirk. The dog, in any case, needs to be destroyed.

[Arugula Latte]

230. They can be very protective, especially the females.

We had a small calico girl who would not take any crap from anyone or anything and would charge any critter that dared come into her yard. They've even been known to tree bears!

Look at the small ginger speck at the base of the tree -

[OnionPatch]

156. I'm not surprised. Cats can be very protective.

A cat I had for many years attacked two different dogs that she thought were attacking me. They were separate occasions. One of the dogs, a neighbor's, was HUGE and really only trying to be friendly, but he jumped on me. She exploded in his face, didn't back down, and ended up riding that dog's back as he ran for his life down the road. A couple of witnesses were blown away that my little cat did that. Not me.

That kid was really, really lucky that his cat was keeping watch. How scary!!

[HomerRamone]

157. They teased with this all through ABC Nightly News (roommate watching in next room)

Meanwhile, people don't know which party is in charge of the House or the Senate...

[Enrique]

158. where did he learn to body check like that?

[JBoy]

192. Yup, would have been called for "charging"

took more than 3 strides before contact, and also left her feet, but the ref let it go.

[Maynar]

213. +100!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

165. Oh puhleeze! This was so staged. Clearly

the cat wanted his 15 minutes of fame. It wouldn't surprise me if it leaked a set tape and ended up with its own reality show.

[rocktivity]

170. From another Youtube page

Last edited Wed May 14, 2014, 10:36 PM - Edit history (5)

Question: Why did the mom run away?

Answer: After checking his wounds she made sure the dog did not return for a second attempt. The owners were there also and she was bit by the dog as she tried to pin him in his yard. The owners did get control of the dog and secured him in which she immediately returned to attending to our son. I did not include that video because it was not so much about the dog but about the cats actions. 
(link)

I wondered why she didn't grab the kid and make a beeline to the house. But it looks like she (and the cat) saw the dog coming back from around the front of the car and went to head him off.

So there was a second attack in which the mother was bitten? And the first attack was totally unprovoked? Upon a child the dog saw every day? And the dog had no leash or collar? I hope the owners pay any outstanding medical bills -- and accept their dog's euthanasia -- without complaint.

UPDATE:

The surveillance video shows the boy, 4-year-old Jeremy, playing on his bicycle...Jeremy has mild autism...

The neighbor's dog, an 8-month-old labrador/chow mix, sneaks up behind him and bites his leg...Jeremy's mother, was nearby watering a tree when she heard his screams...

She also said the dog belonged to a neighbor and is now under voluntary observation...

Sgt. Joe Grubbs, Bakersfield Police spokesman, said the dog will be quarantined for 10 days then euthanized...

The neighbor was pulling their vehicle out of their gated driveway when the dog escaped. The neighbor called 911 on behalf of the boy and his mother...

You call that a "bite"? More like the dog grabbed him by leg by his teeth!


rocktivity

[malaise]

172. A good friend called me from Barbados

just to talk about this story.

[Aerows]

191. I think everyone that has ever loved a cat

loves this story, because we have seen our best friends do something similar.

Mine ran a dog off that could have probably eaten her for dinner ... if he wasn't howling because she was trying to claw his face off for trying to approach her (and mine) porch.

[awoke_in_2003]

180. I had a buddy...

who had a 90 lb lab that liked to chase cats. He just liked chasing, he never did anything to them. So one day a big old tom was walking across the street like he owned it. The dog took off, and the cat stopped and turned toward the dog as if to say "bring it on". The dog made a big circle around the cat and came running back with his tail between his legs. A pissed off cat can do a lot of damage.

[barbtries]

187. that was harrowing.

yay on the cat.
years ago my siamese cat had kittens, and if she thought you were messing with one of them she got fierce. one day one of the kittens got stuck between the door and the screen and yelped. Lola was about to take me out when her husband Luke, a tonkinese, jumped in front of me and took her wrath himself. after a lifetime of having cats that was when i really learned that they do love their people.

[johnp3907]

199. Local news clip about Tara.

[Eleanors38]

260. Incorrigible old fluff-butt, worst kind, 'cept those that

crawl into your underwear while you're sitting on the crapper.

[OwnedByCats]

278. OMG!

I thought only my cat did that!

[blkmusclmachine]

200. Go, kitty, go!

[SummerSnow]

203. Fear El Gato

[Rex]

206. That cat was about to lay down a can of whip ass on that dog.

Don't mess with a cat's property.

[Iliyah]

207. Tara bodyslammed the dog and chased the dog away from the boy

apparently the dog tried to come around the front of the vehicle and that's why the mother ran in that direction and so did the cat.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

208. Yep. The cat rounded up a posse and went after the dog.

[Live and Learn]

215. My mother's 8 lb cat attacked my 100 lb Golden Retriever

for going near the cat's best friends. my mother's pet rabbits, even though the rabbits were protected by a cage and the dog had no interest in them. The cat launched herself and glued itself to the poor dogs side. She did this twice (on different days). Now, my poor dog won't even go in her house if she sees that cat. He is scared to death of her.

[NYC_SKP]

216. OK I think we need to calm down and accept that a cat protected a kid from a dog attack.

Done.

[nikto]

217. Lassie has got nothing on that cat

[noiretextatique]

220. hooray for badass kittehs!

my dearly departed Chewie would have done the same. kitteh badass, that one. she would take on a dog, if necessary

[KansDem]

224. It's...!

TOP CAT!!!

[LittleBlue]

227. Wow, that cat doesn't take any sh**

Heroic kitty.

[spooky3]

228. BBC video with family here--very sweet:

http://m.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27428819

[TeeYiYi]

229. Man, I love that cat!

I've watched that video dozens of times. That cat is truly a boy's best friend. She's fearless. Then she shrugs it off as all in a day's work. Best cat ever.

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

232. Our cat came to rescue of our dog.

This was about 53 years ago, I was a child. We lived in NOLA at the time, in a house built up about 3' above ground on piers. Fenced backyard for dog, with chicken wire from house to ground to keep dog in. Dog tried to squeeze under the chicken wire to get out, got stuck and a bit of wire pierced his eyelid. Dad was out there trying to cut the wire with snips to free dog, before removing wire from eyelid. Dog was yelping with fear and pain. Cat thought Dad was deliberately hurting dog, and jumped on Dad's back and clawed the shit out of him.

[3catwoman3]

234. Our 5 cats are indoor cats.

(I tell them they are trading their freedom for their longevity, and a damn good deal it is.)

One of our 2 females, a beautiful little 8 pound tuxedo named Chessie, has a true hissy fit if cats from the neighborhood show up on our deck. She puffs up, throws herself against the sliding glass doors, and emits ear piercing yowls and growls. She only does this for other cats. She pays attention to squirrels, possums or raccoons, but not the full on freak out.

A couple of days ago, one of our other cats, Winston, managed to push aside the gate we have blocking the screen door to the deck, and squeeze out thru a hole in the screen (that my husband has not fixed yet - grrrrrr), courtesy of a squirrel. My husband was looking for the escapee when he heard Chessie go into her intruder alert mode. Winston was on the deck, and she didn't seem to know it was him.

My husband quickly repatriated Winston, who came to no harm during his few minutes of freedom, but it interesting that Chessie has been growling and hissing at him, and taking swipes, ever since.

This all occurred while I have been out of town. I get back tonight and will be eager to see how everyone is responding to one another.

[Sunlei]

235. what a Good Cat!! Cats can be very fierce protectors of their loved people and territory.

[47of74]

238. Cats rule.

[Hekate]

245. Why...didn't Mama pick her boy up when she ran back to the house? WTH was that about?

I am totally impressed by the cat, however. Just in awe.

NPR says the dog was put down. Good idea. I assume they're testing it for rabies, because that was just not normal behavior.

I was about that age when I was jumped (but thankfully not bitten) by a German Shepherd. I was just crossing the street to show my friend my new toy, but in the dog's opinion the street was his, I think. When you are little a dog like that is very big: I still remember him being as big as a lion with a lion's roar and teeth. My parents and various neighbors came running at the aggressive barking punctuated by my screams. It took me years to stop being afraid of all but the smallest dogs.

Best wishes to the little guy and his guardian attack cat!

Edited: My question about Mama was answered above by pnwmom.

[OnionPatch]

249. I thought the same thing but then looking closely

I get the impression that's another child, a little girl, maybe a few years older.

On edit: Oops, I guess I was wrong. The article says it was the mom.

[pnwmom]

274. The mom said the dog was coming back so she ran off to chase him back into his yard.

(And got bitten herself.)

I loved the way the cat circled back and stayed with the boy.

[Calista241]

252. My cat

Used to ride around on my Roomba. Was funny to see.

[OwnedByCats]

281. All I can say is ..

While I love all animals ...

Cats can do awesome things too! Take that cat haters!

[ArnoldLayne]

282. kick

[PoliticAverse]

299. Followup: Dog Euthanized

From: http://www.tmz.com/2014/05/25/hero-cat-dog-euthanized-attack/

Sources at the Bakersfield animal shelter tell TMZ ... Scrappy was euthanized at the end of a 10-day hold following the attack. We're told the dog was aggressive during his stay at the shelter, even trying to bite a couple of employees.