# My Husband's Brother Was Attacked And Killed By 2 Pitbulls



## skippershe

We were on our way home tonight from taking our son and his friend to Medieval Times when we got a phone call from Pat's oldest brother telling us that their brother Gerald was attacked by his wife's sons pitbulls in the back yard. They live in Riverside, Ca. We don't have many details yet, but we were told that he bled to death from his wounds. He was in his late 50's and had been suffering from MS for many years. He never stood a chance against such an attack.

The minute I got home, I did a search on Channel 5 news and found this very indescript story about what happened:

Local Man Attacked and Killed by Family Pit Bulls
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December 19, 2008

RUBIDOUX - A Rubidoux man was attacked and killed today by his family's two pit bulls, a sheriff's sergeant said.

The attack was reported at 5787 Kenwood Place at 12:10 p.m., according to sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez.

"It appears at this time it is a very tragic accident," Gutierrez said.

"Of course this family is very distraught, right before the holidays," the sergeant added.

Gutierrez said it was not immediately clear what prompted the attack by the dogs, which were owned by someone in the family but may not have been specifically owned by the victim.

"I don't think he owns the dogs," he said.

The dogs were captured and will be euthanized, Gutierrez said.


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## MaeJae

... I don't even know what to say. That is insane...









Our prayers to you and your family.

MaeJae and family


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## skippershe

Thanks MaeJae...Yeah, insane is exactly it...

I just found a link to a video on Channel 7 news. Strangely, they mention that he was a 57 year old hispanic male, which he is not....His wife Lucy and her son (and owner of the dogs) are of hispanic origin...Guess reporters just like to fill in the blanks even if they don't have the right information.

News Video


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## jozway

What a horrible thing to have happen right now. Just shows that pitbulls can not be trusted. Never have liked them.


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## Oregon_Camper

Dawn....I'm in shocked and a loss for words.

I can only offer you and your husband my deepest condolences.


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## ember

Dawn I am at a loss for words!! I am so sorry to hear of this tragedy, and send our deepest condolences and prayers!!
Ember


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## H2oSprayer

WOW, what a tragic thing to have happen, not only this time of the year, but ever. We are very sorry for your loss. Thoughts and prayers are on their way from Illinois.


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too

I am so sorry Dawn. I have seen and been around Pit Bulls that were lifelong sweeties but never ever took them for granted. Please give your husband a hug from Kennewick.







How is your little boy doing with the news?


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## Joonbee

I also have no words for this tragedy. Thoughts and prayers for your family.

Jim, Kristen and Baby James


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## 3LEES

I also can't express my sorrow over this loss. We will keep your family in our prayers.

This is not the first time I have heard of this happening. An aquaintance of mine was watching his neighbors dogs while they were out of town. He had been around these dogs for years and they had NEVER shown signs of agression.

He was feeding them, and the dogs started to bicker with each other. He did not get between them, but did yell at them to stop. Suddenly the dogs turned on him. They managed to tear every shread of clothing off him. His wife heard the commotion, ran to the fence and was able to distract the dogs until the police arrived. They shot the dogs to allow rescue to get to him.

He survived and made pretty much a full recovery. But it took hundreds of stitches to close his wounds and he still has many scars over his entire body.

There are those who are firmly convinced that pit bulls get a bad rap. They feel that these dogs are just like people, they are products of their environment.

I say owning a pit bull is like leaving a loaded gun laying around. This breed was bred SOLELY for the purpose of fighting other pit bulls in a "pit" arena...thus the name. I don't think you can ever fully trust a pit bull.

A pit bull's jaw strength is amazing. Their bite is near 2000 lbs/sq inch jaw pressure. That compares to a Rottweiler's jaw pressure of 800 lbs/sq inch jaw pressure. So when this loaded gun goes off, the damage is horrific.

Responsible dog ownership beings with the choice of dog. Pit Bulls are a bad choice for a family dog.

Again Dawn, we are sorry for your family's loss.

Dan


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## Camping Fan

I am so sorry for your family's loss Dawn. I had just read the story about this attack on MSNBC.com and thought "how awful for the family", then I opened up Outbackers, saw your post and felt even worse. FWIW, know your Outbacker family is thinking of and praying for you.


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## anne72

Dawn,

We'll be thinking of you and your family and will keep you all close in prayer. Our deepest sympathy is with you in this terrible time.


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## PDX_Doug

Dawn,

Our most heartfelt condolences. As others have said, I am at a loss of words to express the shock of this senseless and tragic event. 
Take care Dawn, and give Pat a big hug for us.

Doug and Shannon

_On Edit: In this post originally, I made a number of comments regarding the breed of dog involved, and my personal feelings towards that breed. This thread is not the appropriate time or place for such a discussion. Dawn, Pat and their family have suffered a tragic loss, and at this time our thoughts should be with them. As such, I have edited out my original comments that went beyond offering our heartfelt condolences, and would encourage others to do the same. Thank you._


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## outback loft

My condolences go out, but with that I also have to say that I don't care what people say or believe. It doesn't matter if the dogs are raised in a house where they are loved and get lots of attention or if they are in a house where they are left outside 24/7. I have had experience with both. The town I used to live in, I had a few neighbors with pitbulls, and sometimes they were let out to run loose in the neighborhood, so I for my own safety felt the need to buy a gun, well needless to say, I regret that I had to make the choice of get attacked or shoot to kill. I made the choice of shoot to kill. After all of this the neighbor had the guts to take me to court over this, They lost because I had video proof of the dog was showing aggression and the dog should not have been running loose.


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## rdvholtwood

Dawn,

Our deepest condolences go out to you and your family. Please know that we are at a loss for words and will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.

Rick and Donna


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## Carey

How sad. I agree with everyone else on the problem of Pit Bulls. There have been several attacks around here too with Pit Bulls out on the loose.

Makes it even worse around xmas. I'm at a loss of words.. Sad.

Carey


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## SmkSignals

Dawn, our condolences for your family's loss. Our thoughts are with all of you during this difficult time.

I was just wondering a couple of days ago why I haven't seen any posts from ya. This isnt what I wanted to see ...


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## garyb1st

Dawn,

Our heartfelt condolences to you and your family.

Gary


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## California Jim

Wow Dawn. I'm so very sorry about this tragedy. It's unthinkable. I'm speechless. Please let us know if there is any way we can help.

Jim


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## camping479

I'm so sorry to hear about this, our condolences to you and your family...........

blessings,

Mike


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## N7OQ

Dawn I feel so bad for you and your whole family, I will keep you all in my prayers. I just don't know what else to say, I''m in shock.


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## wolfwood

Dawn - I'm sorry. I don't know what more to say. There_ IS_ nothing more to say. The shock is overwhelming here and I can't begin to imagine what your family is experiencing. Know that you and your entire family are in our prayers.


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## Paul and Amy

I hope you receive this post....

Please know that you and your family are in my prayers. I am so sorry for this horrible traumatic situation around the Holidays and cannot even imagine how you are all feeling. I am at a loss for words.


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## 4fun_timers

Dawn,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this tragic time. I cant even imagine but tomorrow will be a better day.

Michael & Family


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## Reverie

That is just horrible. It is very, very hard for dogs to go against their nature. I do believe that for most dogs there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. My experiences with Pit Bulls has been very negative and I'm just not sure about them. Our neighbors at the house we lived in before had a Pit and they would leave it in the backyard while they went to work. I personally witnessed the dog leap the fence and demolish a Squirrel. I don't know, maybe he was frightened by the squirrel. Maybe he was hungry. Or maybe, maybe it was for sport.

Our condolences to you and your family. I can only imagine what you are going through.

Reverie


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## Rubrhammer

Dawn, My condolences go out to your family. This is truely a tragedy.
Bob


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## bentpixel

Dear Dawn,

I am sorry for your loss. I hope you and yours can find the love and support to see you though.

Sincerely,
Scott


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## z-family




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## Northern Wind

Dawn, Out thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family, what a tragic thing to happen at anytime of the year but even seems more tragic at this time of the year.

Steve and Ruth


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## bradnjess

Dawn, we are very sorry for your family's loss. Please know that you're all in our thoughts and prayers.

Brad and Jessica


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## cabullydogs

Dawn,

I'm terribly sorry for your loss, we are thinking of you and your family at this time.


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## mountainlady56

Dawn,
Please know your family is in my thoughts and prayers during this tragic occurence. Things like this are never really understood, and no one but the deceased will ever know what actually happened.
May God Bless you and your family and comfort you during your time of need.
Love in Christ,
Darlene


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## 4ME

Dawn,
I am so sorry to hear that. What a crazy horrible thing.
Please let us know if we can do anything to help.

Ed


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## Nathan

We're very saddened to hear of your loss. We'll be keeping you and your family in our Prayer's


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## clarkely

My thoughts and prayers go to you and your entire family as it is truly a Tragedy!!

God Bless, and may your family find some peace and solitude through this tragedy.


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## Thor

Dawn

A most heart felt sorrow. You and your family will be apart of our prayers tonight.

Thor


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## skippershe

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers









I spoke with Gerald's niece this morning to see if there were anymore details to the story. Both pitbulls and all 9 puppies were taken in and destroyed by authorities. I was told that one of the dogs had bitten Gerald's son on Thanksgiving. I do not know if this incident was reported, but hopefully it was so it will prove that the owner (Gerald's wife's son) was negligent and responsible for Gerald's death.

I still cannot understand in my wildest dreams why people continue keep these dogs as pets. They all have the potential to kill and mame no matter how "sweet" they appear to be before they snap.

Gerald was a Vietnam Vet and will receive full honors when he is buried. We still do not have a set date for his service due to the Christmas holiday and having to arrange travel for his brother and sister that will coming in from Iowa.

I know I haven't been around here much recently...Before this happened, it was just the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but now we have this to deal with. It's so nice to know that I have my Outbacker family when I need you.


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## wolfwood

Yes, you sure do have us!!! _Whenever_ you need us!!!

Dawn, remember that you can call a-n-y-t-i-m-e you may need or want to, I'm here. I don't care what time it is!!! And remember that I am home during the day. I _KNOW_ you have my number


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## Yianni

Dawn,
I'm really saddened by the news of Pat's brother.
As Doug said in his post, this is not the place to gripe about Pit Bulls so I won't share my opinion of them here but I'm sure you can guess.
My condolences to all of you and please let me know if I can help.

Louie


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## CampingTeachers

Dawn-
Just wanted to add our heartfelt condolences to the many others that you have received. We will be praying for you & your family as you cope with this tragedy. I am so very, very sorry.

Shelley


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## Sayonara

Dawn,
This is just horrible news! Our thoughts and prayers are being sent your way.

God Bless your family !!


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## 'Ohana

Our most heartfelt condolences. Know that we are concerned and praying for all involved.

Ed & Hope


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## OregonCampin

Dawn,

Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers right now.

Shannon & Mike


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## Airboss

Traci and I will keep you and your family in our prayers. So sorry to hear of this tragic incident, Dawn, and wish that there was something that we could do.


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## ftroop

Hi Dawn,

Just to let you know that your family is in our prayers also. Our deepest condolences go out to all of you.

Jonathan, Ruth, and our Ftroop.


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## RizFam

OMG Dawn,

How awful! I am so sorry to hear this.

You are all in my thoughts & prayers.

Love,
Tami


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## Morgueman

Dawn,

Laurie and I are sincerely saddened by this senseless and avoidable event. I'm sure that no words can express the extent of your family's feelings. Please know that you and Pat are truly in our hearts and minds...

Eric


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