O.C. mother shoots dog after it attacks her 6-year-old daughter
May 19, 2010 | 3:18 pm

Home in Lake Forest where dog attack occurred.A Lake Forest woman shot a dog after it attacked her children outside their home Wednesday, authorities said.

Two of the woman’s daughters, ages 3 and 6, were walking to a neighbor’s house on a quiet cul de sac late Wednesday morning when a dog, thought to be a boxer or a pit bull mix, sprang at the 6-year-old, according to Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

The woman, holding her 1-year-old daughter and accompanied by her 14-year-old son, was drawn from the house by the children’s screams. Outside, they found the dog on top of the girl, furiously biting her.

A neighbor tried to get the dog off the girl by spraying it with Windex, Amormino said. When that didn’t work, the 14-year-old leaped at the dog, punching it until it let the child free.

The woman scooped up her daughters and ran to her house, Amormino said, but the dog chased them, at one point snapping at the 1-year-old's pant legs. The family made it safely inside, but the dog stayed on the porch outside, growling.

The woman tried to scare it away by yelling and stomping. When it wouldn’t leave, she got a 9-millimeter Glock from inside the house and shot it once in the neck, Amormino said.

Bleeding, the dog staggered over to the sidewalk and eventually lay down between two homes, where deputies later cornered it, Amormino said. The dog was taken to a local veterinarian's office and survived, Amormino said. Sheriff’s deputies were looking for the owner.

Neighbors said that they recognized the dog and that it had exhibited violent behavior in the past.

The 6-year-old was treated by paramedics for six or seven bites to her face, leg, arm and shoulder, Amormino said. Her parents planned to take her to their family physician for further treatment, he said.

Slarg232 wrote:The fact that someone raised a dog to be violent enough to attack a kid makes me a sad panda.

Emperors Faithful wrote:I fail to see how killing the creature with a single shot is a sign of weakness.

The dog was taken to a local veterinarian's office and survived

garret wrote:She shot a dog while it present no danger at her at the moment? she didnt think of calling the police. Damnit. were is peta when there is a real animal right violation. animals deserve the same dignity as us human.

Slarg232 wrote:

garret wrote:She shot a dog while it present no danger at her at the moment? she didnt think of calling the police. Damnit. were is peta when there is a real animal right violation. animals deserve the same dignity as us human.

I don't know about you, but if it where my kid, I would have done the same thing. I would have hated it afterward, but I woulda dunnit.

JohnHwangDD wrote:@garrett: If I have a gun, and some punk hurt my little kid, that punk's parents better have the coroner on speed dial...

garret wrote:Boxers i have dealt with. very nice dog breed when breed and raised correctly. pitbulls i cant really say.
I think if a dog is activly attacking you you do have the right to defend yourself. But this women got to the house were she was most likely safe from the dog and decided to try to kill it instead of calling the police or animal control whos job it is to deal with this stuff.

garret wrote:I dont believe she did. She could haave lokced all the doors and windows and call the police and they would get there.
But she decided to try to kill it.
But then again im probaly not ging to get through to you. You dont care for animal rights obviosly.

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (KABC) -- A mother in Lake Forest shot and wounded a dog Wednesday that had attacked her 6-year-old daughter in front of their home. The girl was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The 6-year-old girl was playing with her 3-year-old sister in the driveway of their home in the 22000 block of Marylhurst Court when the dog attacked her, according to Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino. The girls' mother heard both her daughters screaming just before 11 a.m. and rushed outside.

"We came around the corner to see this dog on top of my 6-year-old daughter& mauling her, biting her. She was screaming," said Jennifer Cooper, the girls' mother.

Cooper's 14-year-old son then ran over and started punching the dog, believed to be a boxer. A neighbor also rushed over to try to scare the dog away, spraying the animal with Windex.

"It was horrifying. I sprayed it in its eyes, it kept at me, kept at me and I got a shovel and it was chasing off the kids," said neighbor Lisa Horner.

The dog eventually released the girl, and Cooper rushed the children back into the house. The dog continued to approach the mother and lunged at her 1-year-old child.

"[It] grabbed his pant leg, knocked him down and then got on top of the baby. It scared me to death. The baby has no chance against a dog that size," said Cooper.

She said the dog won't go away and it took up a menacing position on the porch, so she got her 9-mm Glock and shot the canine.

"My adrenaline was pounding so much I don't know if he was growling but he just wasn't leaving," said Cooper. "I looked behind the dog, there was no one else out in the street and I shot him once in chest."

The wounded dog fled across the street and was captured by authorities. It was then taken to a veterinarian for its wounds. Initial reports were that the dog was a pit bull, but animal control officials said the dog may be a boxer or a mix.

The 6-year-old girl was the only one injured in the incident. The girl suffered six or seven bites to the face, legs, shoulder and arm. She was treated at the scene by paramedics.

Cooper, an animal lover, said she had no choice but to shot the dog.

"That dog was a threat to my family and threat to the other children in my neighborhood, and I was just worried about what it might do once it left here," said Cooper.

Neighbors told investigators the dog has been seen around the neighborhood acting aggressively, but they don't know the identity of the owner.

"My honest opinion is the mother had every right to shoot the dog," said neighbor Tom Knie.

When that didn’t work, the 14-year-old leaped at the dog, punching it until it let the child free.

mattyrm wrote:Guns are for girls, id have jammed a stick under its collar, twisted it till its neck broke, then mounted its head on a pike on my porch outside to deter other dogs from attacking in the future. I like dogs though, so id get the UN to write a strongly worded letter to all the other dogs in the area warning them against future acts of aggression and promising future dog food/toy sanctions.