To PhDog
We don't know which parent might harm a child but we do know that there is something unique about pit bulls. For the safety of a toddler I believe it is irresponsible to have an infant or toddler in the same household as a pit bull. Human life comes first.

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Ground Control to Major Tom.....

every year more children are killed by thier parents than dogs. nevermind just pit bulls.

maybe we should ban parents.

I wouldnt mind kicking the owner in the teeth for owning such wild animals.
Yea the owner didnt let the dogs out the house but they did happen to get out & cause this much damage.

I was in Montreal in 2004 and 2005. One of the few English radio station was discussing a Canadian town outlawing pitbulls after a young child was killed. One of the comments I remember is the number of young children that are mauled and killed by pit bulls. While there was discussion that it is the "human fault", if you have young children, I mean toddlers perhaps you shouldn't have a pit bull.

+1

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It's kind of like the self called "pro-lifer's" who support the death penalty, or the bombing of medical centers.

Putting a dog down is not violent; its actually a lot more humane than what that poor woman had to go through. However, I agree the tactics of PETA, etc. are way over the top.

All in all - a sad story - had the woman put some time into training her dogs, this wouldn't have happened. And now more people are going to bitch and moan about pitbulls.

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Gotta love that mentality. ?We oppose violence against animals, so we?re going to be violent against you.? Make so much sense.

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No, she is afraid of getting photographed and then physically attacked by "animal rights activists" for putting the dogs down.

Victim lives with pain

Victim disfigured, in pain Disfigured, walks in pain Lots of pain, hard to walk

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Maria Zaldana, the Jersey City 70-year-old mauled by the pit bulls that are to be put to death today, said yesterday she remains "sad and traumatized" and afraid to leave her home.

Speaking out for the first time since the Dec. 4 attack in which her scalp was torn off and she suffered severe leg injuries, Zaldana responded to questions yesterday e-mailed to her employer at Say It With Flowers in Bayonne, Donna Marki.

Patches of scalp remaining on her head are attached with metal staples, she wrote. She remains in a lot of pain and is barely able to walk.

"I worry about something like this happening again," Zaldana wrote.

"Even though I am in a lot of pain I am grateful that these dogs didn't attack a child before they attacked me - at least I was able to hold myself up. If it were a child instead of me, the child would have been killed," she added.

"I know I will always have big scars on my face and may never have my hair back as it was, but if I can't get back the ability to walk again without pain, I will be devastated," Zaldana stated in the e-mail.

She will be spending Christmas with her family in Jersey City, she wrote, and is thankful for the support of friends.

"It has been a very emotional time for me and it has made me feel very blessed to know there are so many wonderful people who have been willing to help me even though they don't even know me," she wrote.

Donna Marki has set up a fund to help Maria Zaldana pay her medical bills. To donate, mail checks made out to the "Zaldana Fund" to: Say It with Flowers, 744 Broadway, Bayonne, NJ 07002. For more information, call (201) 858-1188.

CHARLES HACK

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You can be sued for putting your dog down?

Owner of the pit bulls that attacked a Jersey City woman granted permission to have them put down

By The Jersey Journal
December 23, 2009, 8:18AM

Jessica Manno, owner of the two pit bulls, cries in court yesterday morning. At left is her lawyer, Peter Varsalona.

Jessica Manno, the 23-year-old owner of two pit bulls that disfigured a 70-year-old Jersey City woman during a vicious attack Dec. 4 in Bayonne, signed a court order yesterday to allow the dogs to be put down.

Manno cried when asked to describe four pictures taken on Dec. 4, 15 minutes after the attack.

The pictures showed a pool of blood 8 inches in diameter and two pieces of scalp the dogs had torn from 70-year-old Maria Zaldana's head.

Shine, the pit bull accused of not only attacking Maria Zaldana, but a kennel worker at the Newark shelter he was being kept in.

Maria Zaldana, the Jersey City 70-year-old mauled by the pit bulls that are being put down today, spoke out for the first time to her employer at Say It With Flowers in Bayonne, Donna Marki, by email.

"I worry about something like this happening again," Zaldana wrote.

"Even though I am in a lot of pain I am grateful that these dogs didn't attack a child before they attacked me - at least I was able to hold myself up. If it were a child instead of me, the child would have been killed," she added.

"I know I will always have big scars on my face and may never have my hair back as it was, but if I can't get back the ability to walk again without pain, I will be devastated," Zaldana stated in the e-mail.

She remains in a lot of pain and is barely able to walk.
After giving permission to put her dogs down, Manno requested that she not be fully photographed in fear that animal rights activists would take action against her for her decision - a request that was granted by Bayonne Municipal Court Judge Frank Carpenter.

==============

Fears her decision may trigger hatred

Fears her decision might invite attack Fears decision puts her in cross-hairs Fears for her safety as a consequence

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Bayonne Municipal Court Judge Frank Carpenter granted the request of Jessica Manno yesterday not to be fully photographed after the 23-year-old owner of the pit bulls that are to be put down today said through her attorney she feared for her safety.

Peter Varsalona, Manno's attorney, didn't cite any specific threats, but alluded to Internet postings and said animal rights activists might be angry with his client for agreeing to have her dogs euthanized.

One comment posted Tuesday on Hudson County Now, the Web site of The Jersey Journal, read: "Destroy this mutt and people who own this type of dog too!"

However, Manno's concerns about her safety may predate the Dec. 4 dog attack.

Varsalona said that a couple of months ago, someone set a pleasure boat stored in her back yard on fire.

Fire Department records confirm the small fire in the cockpit of a 20-foot boat on Oct. 3 at 10:26 p.m. Police Chief Bob Kubert said an investigation determined the fire was arson and no arrests have been made.

these people better NEVER be allowed to own another dog.

Sad but I guess appropriate ending to a horrible story.

I hope all persecuted pit bulls get to come back as big silly fluffy golden retrievers or other non-offensive pups in their next lives.

Bayonne judge orders the two pit bulls that attacked woman be put down today

By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal
December 22, 2009, 12:42PM

The two pit bulls that attacked a Jersey City woman in Bayonne on Dec. 4.

A Bayonne judge this morning ordered that two pit bulls accused of attacking a 70-year-old woman be put down this afternoon.

Municipal Court Judge Frank Carpenter made the ruling at a hearing this morning after the city prosecutor, the judge and the attorney for the owner of the dogs -- a male, Shyne, and a female, Gia -- met in the judge's chambers.

The owner of the dogs, Jessica Manno, 23, cried this morning when shown pictures from Dec. 4, 15 minutes after the West 34th Street attack on Maria Zaldana, a Jersey City senior who works at a flower shop nearby. The pictures showed an 18-inch pool of blood and two pieces of Zaldana's scalp that the dogs tore from her head.

Carpenter said that the pictures were sufficient evidence for him to accept Manno's guilty plea, which will lead to the dogs being euthanized today. Manno was also fined $250 for each dog being vicious and ordered to pay the costs of humanely destroying the dogs.

She was also ordered to pay for the dogs' transportation and boarding at the Associated Humane Society in Newark, where they have been held since the incident.

Just yesterday Shyne attacked a worker at the animal shelter in Newark.

The hearing was delayed briefly when the judge met with the lawyers on The Jersey Journal's request to photograph the hearing. Carpenter restricted photographs of Manno to images that did not show her face, because she claims she has been harassed since the incident took place.

Manno refused to comment on the judge's ruling.

Second Bayonne pit bull may face death for attack on woman

By The Jersey Journal
December 17, 2009, 10:53PM

Bayonne first sought death for this male pit bull in mauling of woman, 70, and now wants to end the life of the owners second pit bull, a female.

A court order is being sought by Bayonne Health Department officials to put down a second pit bull they now say participated in the mauling of a 70-year-old Jersey City woman on Dec. 4.

Read why health officials decided both dogs will face the ultimate penalty, how the owner of the pit bulls is reacting, and how the victim is recovering in Bayonne Now.

Male pit bull that attacked a Jersey City woman in Bayonne is under quarantine at the Associated Humane Society in Newark.

Bayonne Health Department officials yesterday filed charges against the owner of the male pit bull that mauled a 70-year-old woman on Monday and are seeking a court order to put down the animal. The fate of the female pit bull that was also involved in the attack is less certain.

jcnight - its clear thatwe argee in regards to responsible ownership being the #1 factor. my issue is with generalized statements that have a much more adverse effect on jonh q public than they do on dog people. people involved with these dogs can look at a behavioral issue subjectively. the average person walking down the street is less likely. there are defective dogs in every breed but it seems only pit bulls are identified by those poor examples.

i honestly have no ego when it comes to this subject and try to soak up as much knowledge as i can from any credible source i can find. my only agenda is to promote the breed in a positive manner and shine some light on the true nature of these dogs. i dont always need to be right but i keep my mouth closed and my thoughts to myself unless i know something to be a fact.

Loving dog owner...placid dog...history of being friendly with kids...walked everyday and only on a leash...dog blessed by the local priest....

Dog must of been provoked by the 70 year old !

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I am lucky enough to have had nothing but positive experiences with bully breeds.

on the other hand i have been both bitten and scared by a chihuahua that weighed aprox. 4 pounds. But that has never been my point through out my posts here.

phdog, I think we need to agree to disagree. Yes i have had hands on exp. with bully breeds and have in fact lived with and grown up with a bully breed during my youth. I have not a single thing against them. My problems are with the people that they are adopted out to or that they are acquired by. Go back and re-read my posts. If an owner is indeed trained and educated in the proper handling of a pit bull terrier than he/she would never put their dog in a situation that the dog could potentialy become dangerous in. Once again set up for failure. Just beacuse you ( not you per say) own a bully breed does not make one an expert. It just means you know your dog SOMEWHAT. I think we are both on the same page just have alittle different views on certain things. I respect your opinion immensely, but I also feel that as human beings there is always room for more knowledge on any subject.

jcnight i commend you for being involved with those things. i find it to be a very noble pursuit.honestly. however i find it strange that you make statements about 'pit bull attacks' but quite obviously have little to no hands on experience with the breed. my research and learning comes from having had the opportunity to handle/interact with literally hundreds of these dogs as well as live, train and compete with them. i consider myself to be pretty involved with the breed and serious student. I have never met and breed expert that would agree with you statements about 'pit bull attacks'. i have seen and broken up accidental dog fights and still have all 10 fingers and toes.

furthermore, its ridiculous to say that any pit bull will not back down when confronted with serious pressure from one or more people. if this were the case, they would be the breed of choice for police/military/personal protection work but they are not. even the most successful breeds in this arena (Malinois, Dutch Shepherd, GSD) have a relatively high wash out rate because almost any dog walking the planet will back down and run when a bad guy applies serious pressure.

again, i'd encourage you to have some positive experiences with bully breeds, which you should have already if you are involved with rescue/shelters etc.

there is a weight pull event on Jan 16 at the tractor supply on rt 23 in Sussex. you'll be able to see lots of bullies compete and interact with the people there. its a very responsible and animal friendly crowd that really puts a positive image forward.

It appears that they want to put down the male dog and possibly the female for "instigating..."

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... alth_department_will.html

Lets do away with the irresponsible owners too while we're at it....

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Not only am I involved in my community, I am also involved in rescue and shelters. I speak from both knowledge, opinion and fact. Do YOUR research. When a pit bull attacks it is almost impossible to stop the attack. You have to either kill the dog, badly injure it or your life could be in danger. The breed requires a solid foundation. Irresponsible owners make for a dangerous animal. Like i said in my earlier post, an irresponsible owner sets the breed up for failure.
Just beacuse you disagree with me, it does not make me wrong. I do not "claim to be a dog lover" I am a dog / animal lover and advocate. I also am able to seperate my feelings and thoughts from facts about certain situations.
Yes Aurrora i think your dog is cool, and I also think the beagle is cool too.

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if you say so.

this dog is way cooler than any freakin' Beagle!

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again, I am not talking temperament, I'm talking strength. and with it, the potential (slim, sure, but still there) for disaster.

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Just illustrating the slippery slope.

"what I don't understand - and will never understand - is how, with the countless number of dogs languishing in shelters, anyone would want to have a potentially lethal dog in their home."

You'd be surprised what dogs fall into that category.

and i do think my dog is that much cooler than the beagle next door.