Boy bitten by pit bull gets infection; owners still won't give dog up
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LONGVIEW, Wash. – The owners of a vicious pit bull that took a huge chunk out of a little boy's leg are still hiding the dog, and now the 5-year-old victim is suffering even more simply because of the owners' ongoing refusals to turn the animal over.
Police cannot legally arrest the owner, Kimberly Vasquez, because she won't turn over the dog, but the investigating officer said he's going to the Cowlitz County prosecutor Wednesday morning asking that felony charges, including forgery, be filed against her.
Meanwhile, the little boy's mother is more frustrated by her neighbor's refusal to give up the dog.
"It seems like they don't care," said "Susan" who didn't want to be identified.
Her family is still shaken by the attack and the huge chunk taken out of her 5-year-old boy's leg. And Vasquez, who animal control officers say is the dog's owner, still refuses to tell Susan or anyone else where the dog is.
"I put it at her as, 'How would you feel if it was your son who got bit?' You would want somebody to put the dog down."
Susan said Vasquez responded to her plea by saying the dog is her baby, which she bottle fed. Vasquez also told Susan the dog is pregnant.
"So she ain't giving it up," Susan said was what Vasquez told her.
On Tuesday, Vasquez's roommate said she didn't know where the pit bull or its owners were even as the little boy suffered more because of the wound that looks a lot like a shark bite.
Susan said her son went through a second surgery Tuesday and more of his leg was removed because of infection. In addition, skin had to be grafted from another part of his body.
He's now also going through two weeks of daily rabies shots because the Humane Society said the dog's veterinary records are forgeries.
Last Friday Vasquez denied she forged the records saying, "I know nothing about that."
Susan said through it all her son has been a trooper.
"He has had a really good attitude about everything," she said. "This morning when he went in for surgery he was a little upset about it, but he fell asleep really quick."
Susan said she hopes someone will tell animal control where the pit bull is so her children aren't living in fear of the neighbor's dog.
One saving grace is that the dog's owners likely won't be living in the neighborhood much longer. There's a 72-hour eviction notice posted on their apartment.
The landlord said Tuesday night the Vasquezes are not even on the lease, but they will be out Friday along with their roommate after she gets a court order and the sheriff's help to physically evict them.
The Cowlitz County Humane Society wants to hear from anyone who knows where that dog is before someone else gets hurt.
I have had a terrible experience with a pit bull about a year ago. A huge chunk of my arm was ripped off (over 200 sutures in arm and had to have a plastic surgeon work me after i healed) in addition i also had a bad bite on my leg that was apparently the first bite that i didnt know about until i got to the hospital. In total i had to get 380 sutures and a year later have scars that i dont mind much but had it been 10 years earlier, in my "self absorbant" stage of life in my 20's, i would have been less understanding. In anycase, I am on this page telling my story because i was watching TV, a court TV show, where a woman was bit as well, however, by a poodle. This woman had to get 200 sutures as well, by a poodle breed. As i sit here typing this, my dogs Daisy and Levi sit sleeping by my side. My man and I love them so very much and spend much of our time training, playing and having them around both people and other animals resulting in good behavior and great reps of their breed. I have never encountered a proplem with them. Daisy and Levi are both PIT BULLS. In closing, any dog can do alot of damage. I know "toy" or "lap" breeds are certainly an exception, to an extent, being an RN, i have seen the damage they can do as well, and it is damage that most people wouldnt expect. My point is that just as humans are looked upon as individules, dogs should be too. I am far from a pit bull activist. In fact, up until 5 years ago, i was a cat person. However, once my 2 dogs did enter my life, i saw the discrimination first hand and have been working to change it. I have turned many peole i know to not only become aware of this, but go out and rescue the breed of pitbull that have been over crowding the shelters. All of which have become amazing house pets/family members living with an array of family memebers including, cats, other dogs and children. If you have a dog, any dog, it should be a member of the family. Not tied to a tree somewhere and neglected. This will have a bad outcome. Maybe laws should be changed about WHO can own a dog. And if you do own a dog, you cant have a history of animal abuse in any manner, and you should take a class on proper treatment and care. This is where the problem is. Its not the breed. The breed has been around for decades, however, the last 10 years is all of a sudden bringing on these issues? it cant be the breed. They havent changed. People, humans have. It was rotties before this, and how about the way German shepards were looked upon years ago? People need to change.
You should tell your mom that instead of begging for money on her face book page to save a dog that should be put down for the safety of the public, she should start a fund to help with the health care cost of the child that was injured. I am a pit bull owner and i am appalled at the lack of responsibility you have show. In addition, no one who "loves" their dog, chains it up. Had any of you done any research on this you would have learned chaining a dog enforces aggressive behavior. Pit bulls have a bad reputation because irresponsible people with no knowledge of the breed choose to own them. This is all your fault and could have been avoided. I feel sorry for the dog.
This story burns me up. I'm finding myself wondering if anyone has an aggressive pit bull or three that they would take over to see Ms. Vasquez. That way, after she had a few pounds ripped out of her worthless hide and the owner refused to turn over the dog(s), she could sit next to this 5-yr-old boy in the hospital after undergoing surgery while she received her very painful and expensive rabies shots. Maybe she would be more compassionate then.
OK Everyone, clam down and use your brains.
First of all, Haniel, any dog that bites a human IS aggressive and should be dealt with accordingly
Second of all, Barb, anyone who subscribes to broad range stereotypes and makes sweeping statements is a dimwit.
The twelve year Pit Bull who has lived with my family since she was a puppy is a wonderful dog and companion- she was raised to be so. She is a family member and we love her.
But make no bones about it, if she bit a HUMAN, let a lone a CHILD, she woulds be put down (albeit with much sadness).
This Vasques lady is the embodiment of a BAD DOG OWNER- the kind that gives the Pit Bull breed (and their owners) a negative image. While the media loves to perpetuate the negative,  "bottle fed" aside, your dog bit a kid. NOT ACCEPTABLE.
Shame on you, shame on your dog- please stop making the rest of us look bad.
Perspective people, perspective
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@BeckyG - i posted this already but wanted to paste my story to you cause we seem to be on the same page ......
I have had a terrible experience with a pit bull about a year ago. A huge chunk of my arm was ripped off (over 200 sutures in arm and had to have a plastic surgeon work me after i healed) in addition i also had a bad bite on my leg that was apparently the first bite that i didnt know about until i got to the hospital. In total i had to get 380 sutures and a year later have scars that i dont mind much but had it been 10 years earlier, in my "self absorbant" stage of life in my 20's, i would have been less understanding. In anycase, I am on this page telling my story because i was watching TV, a court TV show, where a woman was bit as well, however, by a poodle. This woman had to get 200 sutures as well, by a poodle breed. As i sit here typing this, my dogs Daisy and Levi sit sleeping by my side. My man and I love them so very much and spend much of our time training, playing and having them around both people and other animals resulting in good behavior and great reps of their breed. I have never encountered a proplem with them. Daisy and Levi are both PIT BULLS. In closing, any dog can do alot of damage. I know "toy" or "lap" breeds are certainly an exception, to an extent, being an RN, i have seen the damage they can do as well, and it is damage that most people wouldnt expect. My point is that just as humans are looked upon as individules, dogs should be too. I am far from a pit bull activist. In fact, up until 5 years ago, i was a cat person. However, once my 2 dogs did enter my life, i saw the discrimination first hand and have been working to change it. I have turned many peole i know to not only become aware of this, but go out and rescue the breed of pitbull that have been over crowding the shelters. All of which have become amazing house pets/family members living with an array of family memebers including, cats, other dogs and children. If you have a dog, any dog, it should be a member of the family. Not tied to a tree somewhere and neglected. This will have a bad outcome. Maybe laws should be changed about WHO can own a dog. And if you do own a dog, you cant have a history of animal abuse in any manner, and you should take a class on proper treatment and care. This is where the problem is. Its not the breed. The breed has been around for decades, however, the last 10 years is all of a sudden bringing on these issues? it cant be the breed. They havent changed. People, humans have. It was rotties before this, and how about the way German shepards were looked upon years ago? People need to change.
"...and the huge chunk taken out of her 5-year-old boy's leg..."  "...more of his leg was removed because of infection...""... because the Humane Society said the dog's veterinary records are forgeries."
WHAT crap "reporting".  What kind of credible news organization uses the kind of inflammatory language that's in this article?  That's right!  NO credible news organization uses that kind of purposeful inflammatory language! As a pit bull owner for 12 years and a dog owner for over 40, I can confidently say that children get bit by ANY dog when THEY are not being properly supervised by their parents.  I don't know these people, I couldn't care less about them, ANY of them, they  sound like a bunch of hillbillies.And...where are all of the other dog bite stories? This story isn't in the least bit "news worthy", is it?  No more "news worthy" than any other dog bite that happened today in the Portland Metro area.  But it was a "pit bull", even though surveys have shown that most media reported "pit bull attacks" are in fact NOT pit bulls at all.  But sloppy, unethical reporting couldn't care less, could it?  It sure brings in the attention to our "news" site!Pfffffffffffft.I think KATU would be WELL ADVISED to tone down the "National Enquirer" approach to their news reporting.Â
You display such compassion and deft logic that one can hardly argue. Yes. Doing your best to trivialize the suffering of a 5-year-old little boy is such a laudable past time and you do it so well. I'm sure that Ms. Vasquez is proud of you ...
Their words speak for them: Â notice how while Vasquez family says they love their dog and that it is like a baby and a best friend to them, neither mother or son ever use a gender-specific pronoun for the animal when they reference to it. Â The dog is not a "she" to them (indicating any real bonding); the dog is always a "it" to them.
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Bottom line: Â these lowlife scums are in it for the money they expect to earn from the sale of the litter of pit bull puppies (or are anticipating the drugs they can get in exchange). Â Understand, of course, that the value of these puppies have risen, now that the dog has savaged a little boy. Â They are now from a proven line of "killers", making them that much more valuable to the dog-fighting community.
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This family isn't protecting their beloved pet. Â They're protecting their commodity.
Vuelva a México, y tome su perro con usted.
@hankhandsome  Sounds good to me!
I pretty much agree with everything here. I am a pit bull owner...always have been, always will be. There is no doubt that it takes a certain personality to own them. They are very smart, funny, playful, clowns that without proper training can become a really distructive handful. This dog should have been given the proper training, love, and attention from birth. This dog should have been on a leash at all times outside of its house and yard, and at the very least, from the first time it showed any type of aggrestion IF she wanted to continue to keep it.Â
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I have to admit that I had a puppy one time that showed aggression from 8 weeks old.  We never allowed her to be in a situation where she could bite anyone or any other dog, but by the time she was a year old and would growl and raise her hackles at children simply walking by, we had to make the difficult decison to have her put down. Turns out that the rest of the litter was like that as well and they all had to eventually be put down. There was just something wrong with their brains. Be aware of your dog's personality. It has to be done. Â
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On the other hand, other than that one dog, none of my dogs (and I've had about six) have EVER shown any aggression toward humans or other animals (except maybe cats and squirrels).  And the only time any of them was aggresive to another dog was when the other dog was the aggressor. Also, I had a halloween party where everyone was dressed up and the dogs were completely comfortable. Even after one man in particular came in with a scary mask and showed aggression to my dog, she simply growled and barked as she was retreating. Once he took the mask off, she was all lovey and kissy with him.Â
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Pits do have a bad rap. And all the bad pits I've seen are owned by people just like this ugly woman. She has no clue and only has them to be bad ass. Not an appropriate owner. With a proper owner, these dogs are super stable and great family pets. BTW, I have two girls that have been around my dogs since birth.
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Sorry for the long, drawn-out comment. I just want people to know that not all of us owners are bad. Unfortunately, this one is, and this dog needs to be put down. Just like the owner, there is something wrong with its brain.
Certain breeds need to be more controlled than others. I have two Servals and have to submit tons and tons of paperwork proving their vet records and any police reports pertaining to the animals as well as spontaneous visits from the USDA -- Ironically my domestic cats play rougher than the bigger cats.Â
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Pit bulls (pretty much specifically) and their owners should be under intense scrutiny because of their long history of attacking people, kids, etc. Â
@Servalowner - you know nothing about the breed. Youu couldnt be more wrong. typical. Here is MY story, Â
i dont know how this site works so wanted to paste my story in reply to yours so you can read it. Seems you and I are on the same page and am happy to have supporters like you. Here is my story .... Â
I have had a terrible experience with a pit bull about a year ago. A huge chunk of my arm was ripped off (over 200 sutures in arm and had to have a plastic surgeon work me after i healed) in addition i also had a bad bite on my leg that was apparently the first bite that i didnt know about until i got to the hospital. In total i had to get 380 sutures and a year later have scars that i dont mind much but had it been 10 years earlier, in my "self absorbant" stage of life in my 20's, i would have been less understanding. In anycase, I am on this page telling my story because i was watching TV, a court TV show, where a woman was bit as well, however, by a poodle. This woman had to get 200 sutures as well, by a poodle breed. As i sit here typing this, my dogs Daisy and Levi sit sleeping by my side. My man and I love them so very much and spend much of our time training, playing and having them around both people and other animals resulting in good behavior and great reps of their breed. I have never encountered a proplem with them. Daisy and Levi are both PIT BULLS. In closing, any dog can do alot of damage. I know "toy" or "lap" breeds are certainly an exception, to an extent, being an RN, i have seen the damage they can do as well, and it is damage that most people wouldnt expect. My point is that just as humans are looked upon as individules, dogs should be too. I am far from a pit bull activist. In fact, up until 5 years ago, i was a cat person. However, once my 2 dogs did enter my life, i saw the discrimination first hand and have been working to change it. I have turned many peole i know to not only become aware of this, but go out and rescue the breed of pitbull that have been over crowding the shelters. All of which have become amazing house pets/family members living with an array of family memebers including, cats, other dogs and children. If you have a dog, any dog, it should be a member of the family. Not tied to a tree somewhere and neglected. This will have a bad outcome. Maybe laws should be changed about WHO can own a dog. And if you do own a dog, you cant have a history of animal abuse in any manner, and you should take a class on proper treatment and care. This is where the problem is. Its not the breed. The breed has been around for decades, however, the last 10 years is all of a sudden bringing on these issues? it cant be the breed. They havent changed. People, humans have. It was rotties before this, and how about the way German shepards were looked upon years ago? People need to change.
It would help if there was a description of this dog.
Well, the landlord needs to check the law. The 72-hour notice, under the law, is a notice to pay past-due rent, or quit the premises. IF the tenants pay whatever is past-due, they get to stay, Even if they don't she has to file copy of the notice in court with a complaint - which can't be done until Monday - and then have the tenants served by the sheriff (Tuesday); they would normally have to appear in court in approximately 4-5 days (the following Monday). Even then, the landlord can't get an eviction order, unless the tenants fail to show up, or agree to leave. If they demand a trial however, that will delay the process by another 2-3 weeks, and even then, if they lose at trial, it will take another 3-5 days for the actual sheriff's eviction to happen. If the reporter had been doing his job, he would have followed up on this, instead of just repeating what he was told - like Gomer listening to a snakeoil salesman.
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As to the actual point of the story, I can certainly understand getting attached to your pets - mine are part of the family, BUT if you choose to have a dog, which - earned or not - has a reputation for being aggressive, you have an obligation to take extra care and be extra responsive to any perceived threatening behavior, which this owner is clearly not doing. She's probably, to some extent, motivated by the three to five thousand dollars she could end up making by selling the puppies - assuming that the animal is a purebred and is bred with a papered male. It would seem that she'll probably need those extra funds, when the family and the authorities get done with her!
 @Mick Wagner According to the landlord, she isn't even on the lease, so I'm pretty sure they can evict on the basis of that.... doesn't matter if they pay rent or not!
 @Mick Wagner Wow, you really have no clue what you're talking about do you?
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Isn't it a crime to forget vet records?Â
 @molotovmouse yes. that is why the authorities are charging her with forgery as the article states.
This goes to show that owners DO resemble their dogs.Â
If it was my kid I would have already gone next door and taken the dog owner's leg.
I know pit bulls have a bad rep and I am one who has never, ever trusted a pit bull or would even own one. I'm not against people owning pit bulls as I have friends and family members who do own them. But this dog owner is obviously in the wrong and needs to be accounted for what her dog did to an innocent 5 year old. And the dog is pregnant? The dog needs to be destroyed and the owners must be arrested. They are not mature enough to even own a dog, especially when they are going to lie about the dogs shot records, and hide the dog. This makes me so angry!
How is turning over the dog going to solve the boys problems?
 @molotovmouse I never will understand this mentality.Should we just go ahead and empty all our jails? Should Law Enforcement stop looking for criminals?After all, arresting and incarcerating them won't solve their victims "problems". It's called "JUSTICE", I don't care if it IS only a dog, and I defy anyone to say they wouldn't try to get this for their own family member, especially for their child.Â
 @molotovmouse - It does nothing to "solve" the boy's problems. Tragically he is missing a large chunk of his leg, the wound is infected and it sounds like surgery is needed to remove more of it, he must endure weeks of painful rabies shots, and deal with the severe pain and emotional turmoil inflicted upon him by this dog and the animal that owns it. No, putting the dog down doesn't help this little boy at all. But it does keep the next 5-year-old little boy or girl safe from going through the same thing. In fact, if the dog had been put down (as it should have) during the previous incident then this little boy would not be the victim of a vicious dog attack.Â
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If you don't think this dog is a dangerous animal that needs to be destroyed then perhaps you would like to put your 5-year-old son/daughter/neice/nephew in a pin with it to see what happens.
 @molotovmouse If they could test the dog to see if it had rabies shots, the little 5 year old wouldn't have to go through that ordeal. Rabies shots are extremely painful and have to be done through a process that takes weeks. If the dog has rabies its a danger to anyone who comes into contact with it.Â
 @KKStJohn Rabies is very rare. If the dog had it there would have been a lot of signs before now.
molotovmouse you have not been in the NW for long have you? Rabbies is carried by Coon,Possume and Bats for starters. There have been an increase of rabbies that have been gong around.. Where did you come up with Rabbies being Rare?
 @Solipsist01   You clearly don't have a bloody clue what you're talking about. What's the difference if the dog has rabies or not? They parents & hospital are going to give the kid the shots anyways under the guise of 'let's be sure.'Â
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I do agree with you on the baseball bat though..Â
 @KKStJohn  @molotovmouse Actually it IS rare. Look up the statistics before spouting off about things you clearly know nothing about.Â
 @KKStJohn So all of those bats tested positive? Please spare me the paranoid delusions.
 @molotovmouse Rabies isn't rare.  There have been numerous reports of rabid bats  around this area and in southern WA.Â
Euthanize the freakin dog. Then, euthanize the freakin owners. They don't give a damn about others....why should we make provisions for these pigs!
Perhaps I am not a compassionate man, but forcing her to watch as her precious dog is put down sounds like an fairly appropriate punishment to me.
I really wish the title of this story was "Boy bitten by pit bull gets infection; owners arrested"
This woman appears to have no compassion for others. She's a sociopath only interested in herself. I hope law officials find something to throw her arzz in jail until she turns that dog over. Utterly amazing how unhuman some people can be.
I simply do not understand this owner who professes to "Love" her dog. If my dog, which I love, had bitten once he would never go outside without a muzzle on. I put one on him if I walk him, anyway, even though he so far does not show human aggression, but he does not like other dogs. He is not Pitbull. His potty trips outside are with me and on a chain that does not reach the sidewalk. For HIS protection. Obviously there has been NO training for this dog. These types of dogs MUST have more than basic training.
Longview.Â
All that really needs to be said, huh?
"I put it at her as, 'How would you feel if it was your son who got bit?' You would want somebody to put the dog down."
I'm thinking that wouldn't cure the infection.
This comment has been deleted
 @Solipsist01 . . . as well as the enormous stature of her shining ego!
Me thinks that Ms. Vasquez has a little pit bull in her. Ok, ok, get your minds out of the gutter and back up on the curb...
 The dog needs to be put down and the owner fined and thrown in jail. End of story. If the "justice system" can't do that then I would reluctantly agree with some of the posters here that are calling for the citizenry to take care of it on their own. After what this "woman" is putting this boy through (in the name of compassion, no less) she will not understand anything that does not at least cause her complete financial ruin and deprives her of her freedom. Unfortunately, she may not even understand that. It's a dangerous game that she is playing and she needs to swallow her pride, stop lying about her motives, and do the right thing (apologize, accept responsibilty for the situation, give up the dog and compensate the boy's family).
Odd how someone can love their dear little doggy so much and have so little regard for her fellow humans. The kid has to undergo two weeks of, from what I've heard, very painful rabies injections because she values her violent dog over a human life. Sad she can't be arrested and jailed for something; reckless endangerment (?), terminal meanness, excessive ugliness, something. Her total lack of regard for the boy is sickening.
My dog is my furry child. I love him and would help him in any way that I could. However, with that being said, if my little furry boy bit the heck out of some poor child's leg, I would do the right thing and turn him over. I feel like some animals are victims of circumstance. Clearly this owner didnt love her dog enough to take him to formal training or socialized the dog enough. Owning a pet takes a great deal of love, time, energy, money and patience. This owner wasnt fit to have a pet.
@lped I agree. I love my dog and have had her for over 10 years. She is protective (not aggressive) and I fully believe she would give her life to protect me and my family but if she were to hurt someone who was not threatening me or my family, I would feel compelled to make sure that never happened again.
Maybe she plans to nurse the pups herself   What an ugly curr. Â
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  Is she even legal? Surely someone in her curr pack/friends are illegals. Turn up the heat.
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 I am glad to see the police and the States Atty's office is finally taking action. Lock this ugly curr up until she talks.
This is a good argument for water boarding!!!!.
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The parents of this child can go ahead with a law suit against her for everthing she has. This includes her dog
and all the puppies.Â
 @Leinenkugle'sÂ
"The parents of this child can go ahead with a law suit against her for everthing she has. This includes her dog and all the puppies."
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What will that amount to.... $20? She's not even on the lease in the apartment she lives in. 99.9% she doesn't have Insurance.
If it were up to me I'd make her get the shots along side the boy.
 @JLO That was my thoughts in the other article exactly! She should have to suffer and so should that son of hers since both refuse to co-operate. Hopefully the DA will arrest her for the forged docs on the dog.