Mom blames ferret for chewing off baby's toes (Not 6 Week Old Puppy)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/12/20/pitbull.baby.ap/index.html

A woman jailed after four of her infant daughter's toes were gnawed off says the family's pet ferret did it, not their pit bull pup as police had said.

But her husband blames the dog, a city official said.

"The way the bite marks were on her foot, the ferret being out of its cage, I knew it wasn't the dog," Mary Hansche told KTBS-TV on Tuesday.

The month-old girl was injured December 10 as Hansche, 22, and her husband, Christopher Hansche, 26, slept; they woke up when they heard her crying.

The parents were jailed on $50,000 bond each, charged with child desertion and criminal negligence.

[flvegan]

1. Better headline: DUer blames stupid fucking parents for gnawed toes

Regardless of the species, the kid's toes were gnawed the hell off. Ferret, dog...who cares? Dumbass mom, dumbass dad. Fight over that.

Idiots.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

24. Exactly.

I don't blame the ferret or the puppy. In any case, there's extreme parental negligence going on. The animals are not to blame. How the hell can a parent not hear the baby crying during this and check on it?

[Wonk]

26. The timeline could have gone something like this:

Chomp, toes gone. (that quick)

Whaaa!

Parents hear child crying, go check.




re: How the hell can a parent not hear the baby crying during this and check on it?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

27. It's a SIX WEEK OLD PUPPY or a ferret.

It would not be that quick. There would be serious gnawing going on. Have you ever been around a tiny pit puppy or a ferret? It could not have physically happened that fast.

[Wonk]

30. Puppy teeth start coming in around 4 weeks old, and they're razor sharp.

I'm not so sure about ferrets, but I imagine their teeth can be pretty sharp as well, since they're carnivores too.

I think we agree that neither creature should have had unsupervised access to the baby.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

31. It'd still take them awhile to get through the bone.

The parents have no excuse. I've been bitten by ferrets and far bigger dogs than a 6-week-old puppy, there is no way they'd take off a digit that fast.

[Rockholm]

55. That kid would have been screaming after the first bite!

Hello, FOUR TOES? Where were the effing parents? In some drug coma or something?
Even with a pups razor sharp baby teeth, you are right, it would take a while to get that many toes chewed up.
Dumb ass parents.

[Ladyhawk]

35. It was the ferret.

I've heard of ferrets harming children before. A six-week-old puppy isn't very likely to engage in such behavior.

Regardless, it should have been evident on toe #1 that something was wrong.

[Goblinmonger]

63. I don't think a ferret

could do 4 toes in one bite. A puppy, maybe, but not a ferret.

[RoyGBiv]

28. No shit ...

It's cases like this that make me waver on enforced sterilization.

I cannot believe anyone is buying any level of the argument that the parents themselves are not to blame, completely, for this.

[SoyCat]

2. When are people going to learn that children shouldn't be around unsupervised animals?

[LoZoccolo]

3. Dogs should not be pets. n/t

[SoyCat]

5. You're free to hold that belief. Others disagree. No one will make you own one.

[LoZoccolo]

10. No, but someone else's dog might attack an innocent person. n/t

[shanti]

20. come now

most dogs don't "attack" people. this is coming from someone who has been bitten and had a child bitten by a dog. it depends on the dog.

[uppityperson]

75. did you forget your sarcasm smiley?

so might a cat, or a bird, or a snake, or a gerbil, and hamsters bite too, as do some types of fish, and horses might also and they might kick someone or step on their toes and no one should have a potbellied pig or goat because those can be dangerous too and don't even get me started on chickens or rabbits that have really long front teeth and have to always be chewing or else their teeth can get too long and they can't eat so they have to keep chewing and chewing and you just never know

[ruiner4u]

7. yeah people are better off with cats..

nasty animals that will give CBA <cat bite abscesses> and will leave your ass if you dont feed them.. Unlike a dog who has that whole pack mentality thing going and will stay with you when starving...



god cat people just piss me off

[LoZoccolo]

9. "Oh never mind him, he just wants to hump your leg."

Dog people like leg-humping animals better than their guests.

[ruiner4u]

13. yeah never mind kitty, he just likes to kill birds and chipmunks..

what is your problem?

[Name removed]

14. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[me b zola]

22. I'm guessing that you have been traumatized by a dog...

:shrug:

[Clark2008]

52. I've never had a dog that did that - or a dog that would harm

my child.

There are methods you can use to get your dogs used to an impending child or get the family used to the future purchase of a dog. Just call your local Humane Society and get the packet. It's free.

I don't hate cats, mind you, but dogs are infinitely more trainable than cats, so, between the two, I'd rather have a dog around my children than a cat.

[smirkymonkey]

53. Well, generally, that's true.

We do like leg-humping animals better than most people. And a lot better than cats. }(

[TahitiNut]

70. What's wrong with "make love, not war"?

:eyes:

[kestrel91316]

19. Guess I'd REALLY piss you off, being a CAT VET, lol.

I have some clients who used to not like cats, that is until they actually owned one and got into the responsible pet ownership thing.

Cats are WONDERFUL buddies if you treat them right. They are also very good judges of character, which explains why they don't take to certain people. They know when they aren't wanted. Dogs, OTOH, are happy to beg and grovel and hope you will pleasepleaseplease give them a little crumb of attention.

A cat has a LITTLE more self-respect.

:evilgrin:

[Robeson]

29. Nicely said kestrel91316, and may I add, ....

...with class.

[BuelahWitch]

34. All my cats were just as affectionate as dogs are supposed to be

Wouldn't have given any of them up for anything.

Of course, I love the pups too, but they're alot harder to take care of...

[northofdenali]

21. Sorry but -

More people are owned by cats than dogs. Cats are basically clean, much more intelligent, and generally don't bite unless seriously provoked. Unlike dogs.

and given that many, many more liberals are owned by cats than that "other" political party, maybe you should give your bias a little more thought?

ps - dog people suck :evilgrin:

[REP]

49. Are Those Your Vicious, Germ-Carrying Beasts??

They're gorgeous! Are those Coon babies? I'd be green(er) with envy if I didn't have five horrid, biting, rampaging Coons and one vicious Siamese myself.


Some of the dangerous animals as kittens

[nonconformist]

66. So adorable!! My vicious beasts....

[REP]

74. You Must Be COVERED In Abcesses!

What an adorable Siamese baby! They're all cute, but Siamese kittens usually aren't, well, cute. My Siamese can't read, so I can type this safely....


Tessa as a beautiful adult

[RoyGBiv]

25. I know what you mean ...

I'd much rather have a living creature spend time with me that I could scream at, starve, beat senseless, and still know it'll come begging for love and attention rather than one that would recognize me for the waste of oxygen I am. I like my human relationships to work the same way.

:sarcasm: in case it isn't obvious.

Have you ever asked yourself why you allow those who enjoy the company of independent-minded living beings to invoke a such a negative emotional reaction as "hate"? Seriously. You might want to work on that. Not good for the digestion.

And just so you know (as though you'd care) the only true pain ever caused me by an animal was the series of rabies shots (long needle, in my stomach) I had to take as a child after a dog flew out of nowhere and launched at me as I was riding my bike past some space this animal was inhabiting at the time without me seeing it before the attack and latched on to my leg. BTW, there's a good reason that utility techs and postal workers fear dogs and not cats.

I don't hate dogs though. I do have problem with people who harbor animals in conditions so bad that the fleas move like waves across an ocean and pretty much ensure those animals are going to be stricken with every disease a flea can carry ... these being the conditions discovered at a residence near where I was bitten and where somewhere near two dozen dogs were being imprisoned in cages barely large enough for them to stand up and so starved they'd bite at anything that even suggested the hint of a smell of food. Never found that particular dog that bit me, though, thus the need for the shots that will forever be imprinted in my memory as one of the worst pains of my life. I suspect the owner shot it and buried it to avoid the fine he'd have received.

That's my general impression of "dog people," although I know not all "dog people" are like that. Hard to completely rid my brain of the image, though, given the circumstances.

[REP]

32. Damn, These Are Defective Cats Here

Goddamn it, I must gave the only fucking cats in the universe whosit on my lap and purr after they're done eating. The little bastards greet me when I wake up, too - and there's food and fresh water for them 24/7, so I know they don't want food when they're indicating they'd ike to be petted. You and Ruch Limbaugh have the right sort of cat - the kind who only exists when they're hungry and ignore you the rest of the time. I'd exchange these defective things, but I lost the receipt so I'm stuck with them. Dammit dammit dammit! Here's one now and he's purring. Fuck!

[RoyGBiv]

37. Annoying little fuckers aren't they?

I lost my receipt too. The one I have just isn't working right.

When I was so sick last week I couldn't move without feeling like my head was going to explode, my damn cat just sat next to me and watched me and occasionally bathed me. When I slept a whole day without feeding him, that damn animal opened the cabinet where I keep the food bag, fed himself, then went to the shower and lapped up the moisture from from the bottom of the tub rather than jumping up and down on me demanding I get up and tend to his needs. Made a bit of a mess doing this too. I should probably just shoot him.

And when I finally did get up and feed him and get him fresh water, that son of a bitch had the gall jump up on the bed next to me, curl up against my side, and fall asleep along with me.

I have no idea why I let this waste of flesh stay here.

[REP]

40. Don't Waste A Bullet - Just Wring His Neck

You know that defective waste of hair was just leaching off your body's warmth and was trying to lull you into a false sense of companionship, right? When I'm sick and bed and my feline-vampires stay with me and bring me their toys, and I know they're really just waiting until I'm too weak to fight them off so they can steal my breath. One of them likes to follow me to the bathroom - I think he's trying to figure out a way to drown me in the shower. And you know why? Because with cats, it's all about food. They're obligate carnivores, and I'm made of meat.

[RoyGBiv]

42. You're right ...

Selfish bastards. Him waiting for me at the door when I come home from work then rubbing himself around my legs, which I thought for awhile was just a friendly greeting letting me know he was glad I was home, is really an attempt to kill me. All this undeserved attention he gives me is just a ruse to get me into a compromising position where he can use me as food.

On a more realistically serious note, this sub-thread has had at least one positive outcome. I wasn't aware of the organization in your sig. After giving to several charities I normally give to and doing my Christmas shopping for my daughter and mother, I will this Friday after getting an unexpected bonus check find myself in the unusually fortunate position of having more disposable income this month than I'm accustomed to having. I'll be giving a rather large donation to them. Somewhat selfishly, doing so will give me an extra bit of pleasure knowing how much it might irritate some people.

On a related tangent, I was glad to see the most recent Comic Relief did not forget the same issue, with all animals. The story the organizer told about what some law enforcement did with a stranded family and their dog infuriated me.

[REP]

44. You Rcok Out Loud!!

Their website will tell you all about what they do, but I think Alley Cat Allies is one of the BEST cat groups. They have a very realistic (not every feral can be tamed) and humane (colonies should not be destroyed) outlook on feral cat colonies and do truly amazing (and unglamorous) work rescuing and maintaining cats in need.

I'm patting myself on the back over my .sig! Thanks for making this a great night! (My only affiliation to them is as a donor and fan, btw - I'm just taking waaaaaay too much credit!)

[RoyGBiv]

48. I checked out their website ...

I liked what I saw.

And you can't give yourself too much credit for making others aware of them, so pat away. :-)

[badgerpup]

45. Mine don't work right either.

I've set up the same kind of 24/7 food and water situation, but they still insist on accompanying me every-damn-where!

And purring?
Geez louise...just make eye contact and there they go again. :banghead:

:rofl:

[REP]

46. So Come WE Get Stuck With the Defective Cats?!?!

Mine will stop eating to be petted. What's up with THAT?

[badgerpup]

47. Dunno...just lucky, I guess.

Oh hell...there they go again with the purring...
:rofl:

[elehhhhna]

73. stupid ricky trills and talks and purrs while he

settles on my face at bedtime.

damnned kitty.

[tinfoil tiaras]

11. Sorry, but dogs always smelled wierd to me

even after they had a bath or whatever. And they're too hyper, imo.

:hide:

[Cobalt-60]

15. Easy there

If you know how to handle them, Dogs are ideal pets.
i was practically raised by them
Leaving the baby alone with your bear baiting dog is not part of correct handling.
I'm an adult, a big one at that, and my first and only cat sent me to the hospital by sinking a dirty claw into one of my shallower veins. (He wasn't fighting me, but trying to hang on to my arm.)

[flvegan]

17. "Bear baiting" dog???

What is this/that exactly?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

33. Watching the clock...

waiting for definition of bear-baiting dog here also... think we might be SOL flvegan. :shrug:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

36. Oh please, don't act stupid.

You know that 6-week-old pit bull puppies kill polar bears and grizzly's all the fucking time.

Shit, I saw one devour a black bear last week.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

39. I gonna

git me sum o dem puppies. mebbe they can git rid o dem f'kn cats. :freak: :rofl:

:hi:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

41. Meh, my smallest cat, at 8lbs, has struck fear into the hearts of German Shepherds and Pit Bulls.

Fortunately, she's missing most of her teeth, so she hasn't gnawed any digits off of infants yet.

[Robeson]

43. That's funny. My two outdoor cats keep the next door neighbors...

...two Great Danes, in a permanent state of terror! They run back into his house anytime they even see my little cats...:rofl:

[mikeytherat]

56. C'mon, it's a PIT BULL and PIT BULL = EVIL!

Pit Bull=Evil

Having owned both American Staffordshire Terriers and ferrets, I'd like to thank this couple for spreading such positive images of these two animals. Bravo, assholes. Oh, and kudos on those parenting skills, too.

mikey_the_rat

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

67. Dogs shouldn't be pets?

What are they then? Livestock?

[LoZoccolo]

69. Not necessarily. n/t

[sweetheart]

4. All people with ants, termites and cockroaches beware

You are responsible for every bug in your residence, like it or not.

[SoyCat]

6. That's so funny I almost laughed.

[sweetheart]

8. Giant wolf spiders with flesh rotting sickness

You can watch helplessly whilst wolf spiders inject toxins in to your householders
flesh rotting sicknesses, and so many other joyyous anachroindistic injections by the spiders of olde.

[aikoaiko]

12. This story drives me nuts when I think about it.

The parents should be glad that vigilante justice is illegal.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. How long was the baby crying before the parents woke up?????

You'd think that a baby having its toes chewed off would start screaming right away... :cry:

[hickman]

23. Finally someone gets to the heart of the matter.

Infants are not known for their patience. How the hell did any animal bite down the first time and the parents not hear it?

[kestrel91316]

18. Well silly me. I guess that makes it PERFECTLY OK.

[crim son]

38. A month old?

Wouldn't it be harsh if the night the toes were gnawed off was the first night the parents were so exhausted that they didn't even hear the baby's cries? I can see it happening. What I can't imagine is a dog getting into a crib and chewing off a kid's toes. A ferret OTOH, that I can see. My roommate in college had a ferret who got into more trouble that it's worth describing here, and some of it involved chewing body parts.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

51. yeah...let's find a way to not blame the parents for their negligence

oh, wait...criminal negligence. We have our third little one in the house with us now. She is nearly one month old and yes, we're tired. However, there is NOWHERE in that house (and it isn't a mansion but it isn't a shoebox either) that we could be and NOT hear that child when she wants something or is hurting. That has been true for all of our little ones. And if you're too tired to care for the baby, get some damned help! Call a friend or someone in your family. Hell, our neighbors are lovingly harrassing us on a daily basis to help with anything we need. If that fails you, call the damned hospital or the fire department...get someone to help you. You don't let the f***ing ferret or puppy EAT YOUR KID! There is zero excuse for this. It is criminal...

sP

[crim son]

58. I agree with you about the ferret.

I have three kids. And for what it's worth, I do live in a mansion :) I am not excusing the parents because I know NOTHING about the circumstances of the event. I came here from the Lounge on a dare to see if I could elicit a vicious response from somebody. I did! and I wasn't even trying very hard.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

59. it's not worth anything...

but, you were trying to excuse the parents by using the "they were too tired" excuse...poor poor parents just too tired to give a shit and you willing to give them a pass on it... nice

sP

[crim son]

60. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5970826&mesg_id=5970948

Just so you know I'm not a liar.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

62. i never thought for a second you were lying...

i don't know you from Adam's housecat so I would never accuse you of that...just pointing out that you were excusing the parents' atrocious behavior.

sP

[Blue Diadem]

64. Earlier threads with the original story said parents slept on floor on mattresses

and the baby was put in some type of carrier on the floor. When I first heard about it, I had wondered how a puppy could get into a crib or bassinette but it turned out the baby was at floor level.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

50. screw the kid and the ferret...save our puppy... n/t

[Ferretherder]

54. As a person who has had ferrets living with me for years,...

...it is VERY difficult for me to believe a ferret would gnaw an infants toes off. It is true that they are carnivores, but keep in mind that this distinction refers to those ferrets 'in the wild', because every ferret I've ever had living with me has been strictly 'bagged-food only' types. I would literally try to tempt them with raw steak or chicken, at times, and they would just turn their noses up at this supposed 'treat'(chocolate, well now, that's a different story). And yes, ferret's teeth ARE sharp, but I've been bitten several times, very hard, by ferrets, and only once did it even break the skin(not one of MY ferrets, by the way). Modern day 'pet' ferrets are a FAR cry from their feral, in-the-wild counterparts. They are handled on a daily basis by the people who breed them, so that when you get one from the pet store they are as tame as kittens, and VERY used to and desirous of human attention. I'm not saying that it is impossible that the ferret did this, I'm just saying that I would be surprised to find that it did, unless there were dire circumstances, such as the animal being starved into delirium.

Just saying...

[xultar]

61. Ithink the dog bites would have been bigger...but they were starving the pets

and ignoring their daughter.

Makes sense that child be removed from the parents.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

68. Sounds to me like rats.

[xultar]

72. I'd go along with that for damn sure. Sounds very plausable.

[SmokingJacket]

57. The parents are blaming each other.

The dog probably belongs to the wife, and the ferret is the husband's (she probably always hated it, too).

[BoneDaddy]

65. Another one for the Darwin awards

Perhaps this genetic line can fade into obscurity. So you leave the ferret alone with an infant. Great parenting. Where the hell was she that she couldn't hear the agony of her child?

[Javaman]

71. I was thinking the same thing, only as a subgroup.

The Parental Darwin group.

They don't lose their life, just their kids.