Dog owner to serve 11 years - His dogs attacked 73 year old woman

[RamboLiberal]

A SeaTac dog owner has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison after his pets attacked an elderly woman.

Travis Dean Cunningham, 36, had pleaded guilty to a dangerous-dog charge and a firearms violation filed in a separate case. He received the lengthy sentence in part because of a prior felony conviction for which he was on parole.

According to police, a 71-year-old woman was standing in the yard of her SeaTac home on Sept. 8 when two pit bull-type dogs owned by Cunningham attacked her. The dogs tore into her face and extremities, ripping her left ear from her head before King County sheriff's deputies -- alerted by neighbors -- arrived and shot the dogs.

"If it had not been for the policemen, I know the dogs would have killed me," the woman told police. "They kept coming at me."

Investigators later found that Cunningham had confined the dogs in a kennel with an unlocked gate and missing boards.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/403612_dog14.html

Good - idiot dog owners like this clown need to serve some serious time.

[Lost in CT]

1. Pit bull owners need to be held liable for their dogs actions. nt

[Maru Kitteh]

3. Any animal caretaker, regardless of species or breed, should be accountable.

I understand that the physiology of pit bulls is remarkably specialized, but I also understand that the remarkable capacity for human abuse and stupidity is more often the determining factor in any animal attack.

[Bolo Boffin]

44. Amen. n/t

[Inchworm]

4. dumbasses should be held liable for their actions

The dog was just a dog.

[exboyfil]

6. All dog (and chimp etc) owners need to be held liable for their

pets actions. I still remember the case with the two lawyers in San Franscisco whose dog killed a neighbor. Only recently has the 2nd degree murder conviction been upheld.

[LeftyMom]

8. Anybody who takes on responsibility for a dog is responsible for damage done by the dog.

The issue isn't one of the dog's breed, it's one of human behavior and responsibility.

[TahitiNut]

25. Ahh, yes .... the pit bulls. They're the "assault rifles" of the canine kind.

:eyes:

[Quantess]

2. No wonder it was a pitbull who attacked her.

A disproportionate number of pitbulls are kept by total shitheads, apparently like Mr. Cunningham.

I have met several nice, friendly pitbulls. They were nice and friendly because they were raised well and had good owners. A dog is a dog. They all need love and care and training.

Unfortunately, this breed disproportionately attracts insecure losers who think pitbulls are macho and will reflect their strong tough-dog vibes onto their pathetic need to be a gangsta. Flame away!

[Maru Kitteh]

7. you just described my worthless nephew's total loser son to a tee. no argument here.

[Quantess]

11. Pitbulls are born with the deck stacked against them, because of the people they attract.

Last year, I overheard an animal control worker in Kent, WA (just barely east of SeaTac, WA) explain why there were so many pitbulls in the shelter. She said it was because pitbull owners tended to be "very unstable and not good pet owners".

I had a rottweiler mix when I lived in San Francisco, and I can't tell you how many dumbasses I encountered on the street, who offered to arrange a fight with their pitbull. I witnessed a stupid machismo undercurrent that I wanted no part of. I raised my rottweiler mix to be a sweet, loving, well trained pet, not an extension of my insecurity.
I really loved having my dog with me when I went running at night in the city, so in that regard, I loved having a "tough" dog, but my dog loved me too, and he never had to know violence.

[Maru Kitteh]

12. It makes me sad that dogs have to suffer the slings and arrows of human idiocy.

:-(

[MattBaggins]

33. Rotwieler and Dobermans used to be the step headed red children

for the same reason. Idiot "bad" boy owners who think they are a dog for macho guys.

I used to love going to the local dog park and letting my border collie play with the Rots. He would run circles around them till he wore them down then duck in under them and stand up flipping them on their backs. Rot owners would stand there with their jaws just about hitting the ground.

[Quantess]

48. My 3/4 rottweiler mix, whom I raised from a puppy, was lovable, gentle, and well trained.

My boyfriend and I gave Milhouse better care and more attention than some parents give their own children. Of course, he lived the longest of all 9 puppies in his litter. One had to be put down because it bit someone. A cute one got nearly run over and lost half his tail, and he lived until about age 5. Another one got fatally run over. Some more siblings died of natural causes, about 6 to 9 years. Milhouse lived the longest life, until age 11. I attribute his long life and his sweet disposition to his excellent upbringing.

Edit: Border Collies are so smart and so fast. My current dog is 1/2 border collie, 1/2 australian shepherd, and he runs circles around all the other dogs! :D
He is very emotionally needy, as well. :)

[tonysam]

20. Young Men and Pit Bulls Really Don't Mix.

I know that's not a nice thing to say, but I don't know how many times I have seen these young guys in my neighborhood (where are a LOT pit bulls and pit bull mixes) walk their dogs and treat the dogs like utter crap, yelling at them, even kicking them.

No wonder the dogs turn out crazy.

[Quantess]

47. Absolutely. Some of those dumbass owners think that abuse will make their dogs "tough" and "mean".

I'm sure those fuckwits are correct, in that, abuse usually makes their dog meaner. Assholes like that should never own a pet.

San Francisco County Animal Control does not offer pit bulls for adoption. Instead, they are euthanized. I recall their explanation was that, any pit bull puppies allowed to survive would just be adopted by people who would make them fight for money, or who would breed them to produce more puppies who grow up to fight in enclosed pits to make money for the owners.

[LisaL]

36. Oh baloney.

Ever heard of genetics?

[benEzra]

42. Meaning....?

All dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are genetically a subspecies of Canis lupus, the gray wolf. All dogs with the muscle mass, bite strength, and quickness to be dangerous to a human will be dangerous if conditioned from birth to be vicious.

If bull terriers were banned, it would be rottweilers. If rottweilers were banned, it would be dobermans. If dobermans were banned, it would be shepherds. If shepherds were banned, it would be bull mastiffs and Fila Brasileiros. And if those were banned, it would be any other dog with enough muscle mass, bite strength, and quickness to be dangerous.

[vaberella]

5. I wonder how many years they're going to give to the lady with the Monkey. n/t

[Inchworm]

9. focus

:D

[vaberella]

35. Sorry. Agreed what's up with crazy mutts and these owners just letting them run willy-nilly. n/t

[EFerrari]

10. Stupid dog owners are wrecking my neighborhood walks.

Two or three times a week, there is some off leash doggie and too often, one that is defending its territory. I've started carrying a big stick in the hopes of sticking it crosswise in an open mouth if we're charged. I don't know what else to do. People are so stupid sometimes. Argh.

[Tab]

14. Although, to be fair

- and I'm not saying you're one of them -

there are a lot of people out walking that aren't familiar with dogs. I had this problem when I moved to this development (previously lived in a rural area, so not a problem). Well, here, people are walking, jogging, etc. by all the time.

I have invested a lot of money into confining my dogs. I ultimately got a back yard fence, which we use now, but originally had a "radio fence". There's only one dog in particular - the other are chilled - but he liked to "race" people back and forth. He never left the yard, although I'm sure that if he could he would be a car chaser. Nevertheless, we kept getting calls from Animal Control who, actually, had met the dog, and thought he was nice, and had to admit that no one that called had ever actually had him come out and confront them (not that he would "confront" them - he'd probably just lick them), but some of the people walking by don't know anything about dogs. Lions, tigers, or bears I could understand, but it's not like dogs should be any mystery, but some are just freaked out and can't read even the simple "dog signs". There's a big difference between a dog that is going to rip your head off and one that's just running around being friendly.

But ultimately, we dumped $1500 into a fence just to keep the peace with the neighbors. This, on top of the original $900 for the radio installation we thought was a nice thing.

[petronius]

39. But people are under absolutely no obligation to be familiar with dogs

If a dog is out in public, it's 100% the dog owner's responsibility to keep it under control, regardless of other people's behavior (excluding inciteful behavior directed at the dog, of course).

[Quantess]

17. You mean the dogs are defending their own territory?

Or are the dogs unfenced and running loose in the street?
Or, are you encountering dogs off-leash walking with their owners?

In any case, this problem is so much easier for people who have been around dogs, or who have successfully raised dogs before, especially large ones. Dogs respect people who, in no other words describable, demand respect. You just won't put up with their marginal behavior.

Don't be scared of dogs. Dogs love you when you are not afraid of them.

Edit: Unless you have a baby, toddler, or young child, then go ahead and be completely fearless of dogs. :)

[Tab]

19. No, one dog is a "dog's dog" - he defends his territory

but he gives off all the dog signals - growls first, let's you know this is "his house", and escalates from there. Nevertheless, you'd be surprised how many people don't get the clues.

The problem dog isn't him. It's a lovable, yet frustrating, hound/boxer mix who wants nothing to do with anyone other than love them, and he didn't go out in the street (and can't, now that he's fenced to the back) and yet a small handful of neighbors - who have dogs themselves, for chrissake - were thinking he was going to attack them or something. If you watch all his dog signals, from the wagging tail to the relaxed mood, you'd know that wasn't the case, but apparently they don't (or didn't get it).

Whatever, $1500 later we finally have peace.

[EFerrari]

29. I understand what you're saying but if a person wanted to be that familiar

with a dog, they'd get one. I only walk with mine and can't tell you how many times we've had to handle off leash, nervous dogs whose owners don't have them under voice control or are not even visible.

A dog can bark his head off and turn somersaults behind his fence for all I care. He's just saying, "this is my pad" or maybe saying hello or having a game, like your dog. But, occasionally you get a dog who goes insane and tries to attack you. There's one down the block who has been learning how to crawl under his gate. He's going to hurt someone and it better not be my dog or me.

[Tab]

32. Well, that's a problem

but that's not my dog. I go out of my way to keep them confined and, at worst, if he did get out, he'd just lick you. But some people don't understand dogs. I don't know why, it's not rocket science. I would understand if they don't have them, but what I can't figure out are the dog owners who can't tell a dangerous dog from a safe one.

Maybe I've had more than most people (I know I have) and am ascribing more intuition to them then they deserve.

Whatever. I have a fence now.

But there are some dumbasses out there. Granted, though, there are some dumbass owners of dangerous dogs too.

[EFerrari]

38. My big Lab would growl and even bark if she saw you approaching me

without permission but as soon as she saw me greet you, she was a big knee licker. She never put her teeth on anything but food and chews after she left puppyhood.

There are a dumbasses like those kids that thought it was a good idea to taunt a tiger here at the zoo. More often than not, the animals pay for it and that ticks me off no end. There are, though, people who don't know what it really means to have a dog in their care. Those people deserve to be confined to a backyard and a diet of canned spinach for all the trouble they cause.

[byeya]

26. A close neighbor, an old guy & a ffriend, was killed by dogs

owned by another neighbor.
I had to have rabies shots when a pack of 4 dogs attacked me and my dog which was on a leash.
Both attacks were unprovoked and the offending dogs were not on leashes.
Don't give me that shit that "dogs love you when you are not afraid of them"...you're fucked up...these dogs were engaging in aggresive pack behavoir and there was not enough time for the dogs to assess my state of mind or that of my very unfortunate neighbor.

[Quantess]

49. Okay, that was fair criticism of me.

The dogs were engaged in pack behavior.
I'm really sorry for what the dogs did.

[EFerrari]

30. I don't want to be loved by strange dogs, lol.

I want their owners to own them and not leave them wandering through the neighborhood because that's dangerous for everybody.

[Irishonly]

34. I Despise Irresponsible Dog Owners

People around here think it's funny for ankle biters to charge big dogs. The problem isn't the big dogs, it's the small dog owners. They let the dogs run loose. They are a menace.

[EFerrari]

37. And it's usually the dogs that pay for it.

My son was attacked by two dogs that got loose when he was only 8. He had stitches to both of his little thighs. Both dogs were eventually put down and Arlo was terribly traumatized and later, self-conscious about his stitches. Well, it turned out the dog owners were going through a divorce and hadn't kept up their fence OR their dogwalking, so their dogs were going nuts. So needless. :grr:

[Irishonly]

46. My daughter was attacked when she was nine

The German Shepherd that attacked her almost took off her left ear. She also has faint scars left on her face. Bless the ER doctor-he called in a plastic surgeon to stitch her up so the facial scars are almost invisible.

It's amazing kid's capacity to forgive. We now have two German Shepherd mixes at her request and both are over 100 pounds. The biggest one came from a rescue and was a mess when we first got him. My daughter loves him dearly. Our biggest problem is the fools that let the ankle biters run loose and think it's funny when they charge the big dogs. Funds have been slashed at the Humane Society so there are no patrols.

I am glad your son is ok. It's too bad the owners weren't charged.

[Tab]

13. There has to be something more to this story

I've had dogs all my life - was a breeder and trainer - and I certainly never owned any that would attack a 73-year-old woman. There have only been two animals I had that were randomly aggressive, and I put them down before they killed someone (and I didn't do that lightly).

Yet, I'd like to think that if something awful did happen, I wouldn't be spending the next 11 years of my life in jail. That's why I think there's something more here that we're not hearing.

If the guy is a violent asshole, yeah sure, but it's got to be more than just a dog problem. I suspect the guy is trouble in general.

[demwing]

15. Maybe you missed this part: of the OP

"He received the lengthy sentence in part because of a prior felony conviction for which he was on parole."

[RamboLiberal]

16. There are a lot of horror stories like this

Give me a break - sounds like you are blaming the victims.

I've read numerous stories of pit bull attacks on elderly & children. Many of them neighbors out in their yards or walking down the street. A month or 2 ago I was reading one of an elderly woman attacked taking out her garbage.

A few months prior it was an elderly vet in NYC who was mauled so badly he lost his limbs before he died.

There's a lot of bad owners out there who own these animals only for their macho image.

[greenkal]

18. Exactly!

These dangerous animals are predators. They attack the weak. That is what they do. Putting this animal owner in prison is a good start. The rest need to follow. There is no reason someone should own one of those things.

[tonysam]

22. They Don't Just Attack People.

My dog, who is such a mellow little Lhasa Apso (except when it comes to toys and food), was once attacked by a female pit bull when I took him for a walk. The pit got out of the yard and proceeded to go after my dog and got on top of him. I was very lucky the owner's roommate was there and managed to pull the dog off, for my dog would have certainly been killed. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt, just badly shaken.

I have mixed feelings at best regarding pit bulls.

[Doremus]

27. You don't know what you're talking about.

Did you even read any of the posts? :eyes:

[MadHound]

43. No reason?

How about the fact that pits and pit mixes are wonderful, loving, caring dogs? Any dog can be a dangerous animal, and they are all predators. The difference between pits and other dog breeds is that pits are, for now, the "bad boy" breed, the one that all the idiots and macho owners want. Before pits became that breed, it was dobermans and German shepards.

Oh, and back thirty years ago when pits weren't the bad boy breed, the AKC actually had them down as the best family dog breed out there, an they topped this list for years and decades.

You take any dog and abuse it, and that dog will turn mean. You treat pits with love and kindness, and you will have a devoted, intelligent and gentle friend for life.

You try to come and get my pit, it won't be the dog you'll have to worry about, it will be me.

[MadHound]

45. No reason?

How about the fact that pits and pit mixes are wonderful, loving, caring dogs? Any dog can be a dangerous animal, and they are all predators. The difference between pits and other dog breeds is that pits are, for now, the "bad boy" breed, the one that all the idiots and macho owners want. Before pits became that breed, it was dobermans and German shepards.

Oh, and back thirty years ago when pits weren't the bad boy breed, the AKC actually had them down as the best family dog breed out there, an they topped this list for years and decades.

You take any dog and abuse it, and that dog will turn mean. You treat pits with love and kindness, and you will have a devoted, intelligent and gentle friend for life.

You try to come and get my pit, it won't be the dog you'll have to worry about, it will be me.

[tonysam]

21. The Bottom Line Is This: You Own a Vicious Dog, Be Prepared to Pay the

price.

There is no excuse for it.

[L0oniX]

23. Another reason for a CWP.

[cbc5g]

24. When I saw post headline, I knew it was a pitbull

Sad to say that in many communities, especially poor communities, people raise pitbulls to be attackers.

[undeterred]

28. I'm glad there is punishment at least once in a while

for people who do not take responsibility for their aggressive, dangerous dogs. Maybe some of the idiots will wake up.

[octocat lady]

31. It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant and careless some dog owners are

And hate to say this, but people who gratitate towards owning pit bulls seem to really fit this profile.

Keep your dogs in their yard! And when you are walking your dogs, don't just let them run without leashes! Helloooo!

[flvegan]

40. "Neighbors said the dogs had escaped several times previously."

Stupid dog owner. Sorry for that woman as well as the dogs that are now dead.

[quiller4]

41. Not only had the escaped before, they had attacked before n/t