Saginaw City Council is still considering a “dangerous dogs” ordinance
David Krease says his heart broke when he learned a pit bull mauled a ten-day old baby to death at a Kalamazoo home.
“It makes me sick,” says Krease.
It happened Saturday as the child slept in a bassinet. Kalamazoo police say the dog pushed open the door to the baby’s bedroom and attacked. The boy’s mother woke up to the horrific scene. Police say she was not neglecting the baby and she had no reason to expect this.
Krease knows his family could have experienced a similar loss three years ago. Every time he looks at his grandson’s scarred face he remembers the pain a pit bull attack can inflict on a family.
It happened when his babysitter’s boyfriend brought over a pit bull. Then 3-year-old Matthew was eating a Happy Meal. He offered the dog some of his food.
“The dog must have thought he was keeping the food away.”
Krease says the dog jumped at the boy, knocked him over, bit his face, and then shook him like a rag doll. The boy was fortunate to survive with his sight.
“The dog bit him right below the eye. He could have lost that eye.”
Krease hopes Saginaw City Council passes the much talked about rule restricting “dangerous dogs”.The ordinance would restrict pets on the CDC's list of the ten most statistically dangerous dogs. They include Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Chow Chows, Presa Canarios, St. Bernard’s, and Great Danes.
“We need to raise awareness about just how dangerous some breeds can be,” said City councilman Dan Fitzpatrick after learning about the attack in Kalamazoo.
The ordinance is still in the works, but the council has talked about requiring that owners of dangerous dogs pay a $50 registration fee. It called on residents to place a city-provided sign on their property to warn the community that a “dangerous dog” lives there. Restricted dogs would have to wear muzzles during walks.
“It isn’t fair,” said Gregory Clark.
Clark owns two pit bulls and says he is raising them to be friendly pets.
“I don’t think they should single them out.”
Clark says the city should just crack down on people with dogs that run loose or bite people, not target certain breeds of pets.
“I’ve seen little Chihuahuas get out and attack people.”
David Krease says seeing his grandson’s face after the mauling convinced him certain breeds are dangerous.
He plans to talk before Saginaw City Council and urge them to pass the ordinance.
“Its just dangerous not to have these breeds restricted,” said David Krease while holding pictures of his grandson’s injuries. “I show these pictures to everyone I can to let them know what the potential is out there for dangerous dogs.”
NBC25 wants to know what you think about this.
Does the death of the 10-day-old baby in Kalamazoo change how you feel about pit bulls or breeds of dogs deemed dangerous?
Should Saginaw restrict certain breeds of dogs, or is it unfair to dog owners who work to train their dogs to be safe?
NBC25 is working to connect you with information to help you protect your baby. For advice on how to safely introduce your dog to a new baby, click here.
