2008 Woodie Awards
Violent dog behavior needs better control
Aaron Swenson
Issue date: 9/10/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 2 next >
After spending the summer here at SCSU taking classes, I had more time than I knew what to do with.
This led to me paying more attention to all forms of mass media, and of course the summer was filled with scandal after scandal being played out for months on end with little or no new news to report on.
Then one of the biggest stories of the summer and possibly the biggest story in sports since the baseball steroid scandals surfaced after the book, "Game of Shadows" came out a couple years ago.
Michael Vick being connected to dog fighting became a media frenzy, which later on led him to plead guilty to dog fighting conspiracy charges as well as being present during a number of dog executions.
The Vick drama was entertaining, but dog fighting and being involved in the execution of dogs is obviously wrong, and people involved in these activities should be punished for their actions.
Enough about Vick.
There is one story this summer dealing with dogs that did not draw the news coverage the Vick investigation drew.
The story I will speak about, to me, seems more relevant.
On Aug.. 16, Zachary King Jr. was attacked by his father's pit bull, which was tied up in the basement when he attempted to grab one of the pit bull's puppies.
The dog attempted to bite the boy's throat, but instead got a hold of the boy's arm.
His sister came into the house, and seeing her brother laying on the floor, got her dad in the house.
The dog attempted to attack him, causing Zachary King Sr. to grab a gun and end the dog's life.
The dog, Face, was not the only one to lose his life that day.
Zachary was brought to North Memorial Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
His father was charged Wednesday with second-degree manslaughter, which could lead to a possible 10 year prison sentence.
I am not here to argue whether Zachary's father's charges are too tough or too lenient, I am writing this column wondering why anyone would ever want to put their children or family in such danger.
This led to me paying more attention to all forms of mass media, and of course the summer was filled with scandal after scandal being played out for months on end with little or no new news to report on.
Then one of the biggest stories of the summer and possibly the biggest story in sports since the baseball steroid scandals surfaced after the book, "Game of Shadows" came out a couple years ago.
Michael Vick being connected to dog fighting became a media frenzy, which later on led him to plead guilty to dog fighting conspiracy charges as well as being present during a number of dog executions.
The Vick drama was entertaining, but dog fighting and being involved in the execution of dogs is obviously wrong, and people involved in these activities should be punished for their actions.
Enough about Vick.
There is one story this summer dealing with dogs that did not draw the news coverage the Vick investigation drew.
The story I will speak about, to me, seems more relevant.
On Aug.. 16, Zachary King Jr. was attacked by his father's pit bull, which was tied up in the basement when he attempted to grab one of the pit bull's puppies.
The dog attempted to bite the boy's throat, but instead got a hold of the boy's arm.
His sister came into the house, and seeing her brother laying on the floor, got her dad in the house.
The dog attempted to attack him, causing Zachary King Sr. to grab a gun and end the dog's life.
The dog, Face, was not the only one to lose his life that day.
Zachary was brought to North Memorial Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
His father was charged Wednesday with second-degree manslaughter, which could lead to a possible 10 year prison sentence.
I am not here to argue whether Zachary's father's charges are too tough or too lenient, I am writing this column wondering why anyone would ever want to put their children or family in such danger.