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12-year-old boy killed by family pit bull
Mother had shut son in basement to protect him from dog

The Associated Press
Updated: 2:40 p.m. ET June 13, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO - The mother of a 12-year-old boy killed in his own home by one of the family’s two pit bulls said she had been so concerned about one of the dogs that she shut her son in the basement to protect him.

Maureen Faibish said she ordered Nicholas to stay in the basement while she did errands on June 3, the day he was attacked by one or both of the dogs. She said she was worried about the male dog, Rex, who was acting possessive because the female, Ella, was in heat.

“I put him down there, with a shovel on the door,” Faibish told the San Francisco Chronicle. “And I told him: ‘Stay down there until I come back.’ Typical Nicky, he wouldn’t listen to me.”

Nicholas apparently found a way to open the basement door.

Faibish said she felt compelled to call the Chronicle Saturday to defend herself against widespread public outrage directed at families with children who own pit bulls.

“My kids got along great with (the dogs),” she told the newspaper. “We were never seeing any kind of violent tendencies.”

Some neighbors said the dogs were friendly and well-behaved, while others said the animals could also be mean, according to the newspaper.

Faibish found her son’s body in a bedroom. He was covered in blood from several wounds, including a major head injury. No charges have been filed.

“It’s Nicky’s time to go,” she said in the interview. “When you’re born you’re destined to go and this was his time.”

Ella was shot to death by a police officer the day of the attack. Rex was taken to a shelter, but Faibish said she wanted him put down.

“I think of Rex as someone who ... murdered my child,” she said.

(Emphasis mine)

Who the hell leaves their 12 year old alone with a dog they're worried is going to hurt him? And who locks their kid in the basement for hours? And blames the kid for his own death? Talk about stupid, negligent parenting. This woman is 100% responsible for the kid's death. She should have shut the DOGS in the basement, not the kid. Or taken him with her. Hello? What was she doing, visiting a whore house? If you have reason to believe that your child's safety is compromised by your pet, you need to get rid of the pet. Period.