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No parent read the terrible news from Shelby County, Tennessee on Wednesday without shivering.
A five-month-old baby boy and his two-year-old sister are killed by dogs in their own home.
Hollace Dean Bennard and Lilly Jane Bennard were pronounced dead at the scene. The mother of the children, 30-year-old Kristie Jane Bennard, was seriously injured in an attack that reportedly lasted more than 10 minutes.
She was hospitalized in “critical condition” and is still recovering with a “countless number of stings and bite marks all over her body, including her face,” according to a family member’s social media update on Thursday.
Perhaps most nauseating of all, the animals were undoubtedly beloved members of the family.
They were the Bennard’s pets and they were pit bulls.
I understand that what I’m about to say will provoke a strong – dare I say, outraged – reaction, but it has to be said, how many times do we have to see these horror stories before we wake up to the dangers of this breed of dog?
The modern pit bull, like all breeds, has certain defining characteristics that have been selected over time. Sheepdogs were bred to herd sheep. Golden retrievers were bred to retrieve. And pit bulls were bred to bite.
Hollace Dean Bennard and Lilly Jane Bennard were pronounced dead at the scene. The mother of the children, 30-year-old Kristie Jane Bennard, was seriously injured in an attack that reportedly lasted more than 10 minutes.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals notes about her website that today’s pit bulls “are a descendant of the original English bull-baiting dog – a dog that was bred to bite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head.” Later, pit bulls were repurposed for the despicable practice of dog fighting.
I ask: why would a family with small children keep pit bulls in the house?
Losing a child, let alone two, is indeed an unimaginable loss.
The deep sadness and grief I feel for the Bennards is real. I pray that they can recover physically and emotionally from this tragedy, but I know that some wounds will never heal.
Their loss is incomprehensible and they are loving and caring parents in every way, who had no intention of endangering their children in any way. But the death of their children should be a teaching moment for other parents.
I’m not a dog expert and I don’t claim to be. But I am a parent and a person who is able to face the facts and make a decision about the welfare of children.
Of course, there is behavioral variation between dogs. There may be gentle pit bulls and aggressive Golden Retrievers, but in my opinion the average pit bull poses a greater risk than the average Labradoodle.
Does anyone really disagree?
But for some reason, when reasonable people question whether dogs bred to fight should be in children’s homes, others shut their ears.
The modern pit bull, like all breeds, has certain defining characteristics that have been selected over time. Sheepdogs were bred to herd sheep. Golden retrievers were bred to retrieve. And pit bulls were bred to bite. (Above) The Bennards shared this photo in 2016, but it’s unclear if the dogs involved in the attack are pictured
A five-month-old baby boy and his two-year-old sister are killed by dogs in their own home. (Above) The attack took place around 3:30 p.m. at the family’s home in Millington, Tennessee
A friend of the Bennard family criticized the apparent media coverage the attack had generated. ‘Why is something so traumatic and unimaginable being published like this? for what? Just to stir the pot in the war against pit bulls?’ she posted on social media.
Why shouldn’t this be made public?
Dog abuse by pets are almost completely preventable events. In fact, I’m shocked that more parents aren’t speaking out. This is not a manufactured, fake AstroTurf ‘war on pit bulls’.
Pit bulls account for just six percent of dogs in the United States, but are responsible for the vast majority of dog and human deaths, according to the Dog Attack Victims Group dogbite.org.
According to the organization, founded by dog attack survivor Collen Lynn, dogs killed 568 Americans in a 16-year period from 2005 to 2020, and pit bulls were responsible for 67% of these deaths.
The reason pit bulls are so dangerous is a combination of their volatile temperament and their incredibly strong jaws.
A much quoted 2011 study of 15 years of dog attack victims at a hospital in San Antonio concluded that, “[a]Pit bull attacks are associated with higher morbidity rates, higher hospital costs and a higher risk of death than attacks by other dog breeds.’
Shelters all over America are filled with pit bull and pit bull mixes. Often shelters call them mutts, because they know the stigma that a pit and pit bull mix can carry. But no pit bull owner can feign ignorance. Their signature boxy face is a dead giveaway.
Pit bull owners and lovers want to portray the data and anecdotes like this as a crusade against their beloved pets, but their beloved pet was bred to be able to tear their throats out.
The Bennards started posting photos of their pet eight years ago, years before the birth of their first child.
But even if your family dog, your “first baby,” has always been gentle and kind, be it a pit bull or a pit bull mix, you should consider long and hard whether you want to take the risk that comes with keeping the dog as part of the family.
The Bernards learned this the hard way. No other family should learn the same painful lesson.
It’s not that these parents don’t love their children or that they are knowingly putting them in danger. Except for parents who are actively negligent, no one would voluntarily subject their child to such a scenario.
They are more likely to be in denial, and this is especially true for some pit bull owners, who never want to believe their dog is capable of violence. Reality claims otherwise.
To be blunt, parents have to choose between their pet and the safety of their children. By keeping this dog breed in your home, you make a choice and choose your pet over your child.
So are other potentially dangerous breeds and animals. Human life is more important than animal life – it is anti-human to say otherwise.
There are no second chances when it comes to pit bulls. Their jaws are weapons of mass destruction as evidenced by the damage and death toll attributed to the breed.
The Bernards learned this the hard way. No other family should learn the same painful lesson.