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Cane Corso Mastiff Fatally Mauls Boy, But Dog Is Not To Blame
Jones with another one of his killer (and abused) dogs taken from his Facebook page.
A 4-year-old Brooklyn boy was tragically mauled to death on Friday night by the family dog. Young Jayelin Graham was attacked by the dog as his 2- and 5-year-old brothers (who were also injured) watched in horror from underneath the bed. His mother, Saquina Jubeark had stepped out of the apartment into the hall with her infant daughter when the dog grabbed onto the boy’s neck and never let go.
A neighbor ran in when she heard the mother’s shrieks, but was unable to even get close to the dog who had gone into a full blown killing mode. Whatever caused the Cane Corso Mastiff to attack is unclear but neighbors were not surprised. They say the dog which belonged to the mother’s boyfriend, Damian Jones was trained to kill. Jones had bragged about that fact many times.
Neighbors report that the family home was a disaster waiting to happen for more reasons than this dog alone.
The first-floor family home housed the Cane Corso, two other dogs, two birds and fish in a midst of filth along with 4 young children.
The NY Post reports that neighbors said Jones “routinely punched and kicked his feared canine collective — a pit bull, a husky mix and the cane-corso mix.” When people would ask breed of dogs they were, he’d reply “monster dogs.” Jones was a fan of When Animals Attack” on Facebook page. The home is said to have had “putrid smell as flies hovered over dog feces in every room. A giant parrot cage rose four feet high in the center of the living room. Motorcycle wheels were stacked in the kitchen.”
Yet, Jubeark claims that she had no clue the dog might be vicious. She even said that Jones, her fiancé wasn’t to blame. “It was not my son’s or (Jones’) fault. The dog had showed no sign of aggression.”
That is a ridiculous statement when neighbor after neighbor said the dogs were trained to kill, had witnessed Jones beating the dogs into aggression, and say the whole block was scared of the dogs. The dog that fatally attacked the boy was called “Machete”. Clearly, there are two at fault here and it’s certainly not the children or the dogs. Jubeark and Jones abused animals, trained them to kill, and allowed them to live with 4 young children. While Jones may or may have not participated directly in the training, she allowed it. They should both be held accountable. No child should have to die in such a horrific way. It’s the parents’ responsibility to keep them safe. Furthermore, they should be charged with animal abuse. The Cane Corso Mastiff is also a victim of this family as is the other two dogs in the household.
The dogs are currently being held at the Animal Care and Control Unit and the Cane Corso Mastiff was put on a 10-day quarantine; it is still undetermined if he will be put down. I hope the dogs never get sent back to the family. I only wish the same for the children.
Jayelin’s grandmother, Amrett Graham, said several calls had been made to Administration for Children’s Services because neighbor knew the children were in jeopardy over more than just the dogs. “A lot of people called,” said Graham. “I don’t know if they actually came, but people pleaded to get the kids out of that house.”
In the end, there is one child dead, three others left to suffer living in the home, and three dogs abused (in all likelihood to the point that they will have to have their lives ended as well). The dogs are not to blame: they were also victims. Jones needs to be charged with animal abuse in addition to endangering the lives of children.The mother was released of charges although an investigation is still pending. I hope ACS does the right thing and makes certain that the remaining children are put in good hands and given the chance to lead normal lives.
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Troubles dogging Pinellas shelter – Tampabay.com « Boca Delray Dog Training commented on May 31 11 at 12:06 pm[...] owner should go to jail: “The dogs are not to blame,” says Danielle Sullivan at Babble. “They were also victims.” Police should arrest Jones for animal abuse, and for [...]
When family dogs attack: Are some breeds too risky? - Find Dog Breed Information & Dog Breed Pictures for your Favorite Dog Breeds - Dogs Breeds commented on May 31 11 at 7:54 pmJBoogie commented on May 29 11 at 10:11 amYou are totally right. I’m an animal lover (in fact, as I type this I’m having to wrestle my cat away from the screen and my two weiner dogs are serving as a laptop stand and foot warmer), but I do believe there are certain breeds that should not be around kids without a responsible, qualified, and dedicated owner. Cane corsos definitely count as one of these breeds, and these parents should be charged. My husband and I took so much caution and care with our weiner dogs when my son was born–they are definitely part of the family, and it was important to us for everyone, two-legged or four, to get along and accept one another. I agree wholeheartedly with the statement that these dogs were victims as well. Treating an animal like that is abuse.
JBoogie commented on May 29 11 at 10:14 amAnd for the record, one of my best friends has a cane corso that is nothing but a big, albeit very scary-looking, teddy bear. But it took lots of time, patience, and love to make sure sweet Zoey was a happy, balanced animal. Being a pet-owner is a huge responsibility that people should not take lightly. Sorry for all the commenting, but this is an issue I feel very strong about.
Dominick Jacobson commented on May 29 11 at 11:47 amAny person who would train any of these beautiful breeds and turn them into killing machines should have to do a mandatory maximum manslaughter stay in prison when that killing machine he has created kills anyones loved one. ENOUGH!!!
Manjari commented on May 29 11 at 1:58 pmI agree with Dominick Jacobson.
Lee commented on May 29 11 at 3:12 pmI have a cocker spaniel, two cocker mixes who are nothing but fluff and slobber, a two year old and a 4mth old. They all adore each other but I would NEVER leave them in a room alone together because very small children and dogs can be a volatile mix even if the dogs are more likely to lick someone silly. Toddlers are just notoriously tough on animals, and as much as I love them, i can’t expect my dogs to overcome their natural instinct to protect themselves. These people need to be charged. Manslaughter, animal cruelty, child endangerment….
Jason Kirk commented on May 29 11 at 3:50 pmPunish the deed not the breed. These are amazing dogs if trained properly. I own one and he’s one of the best dogs I have ever owned. I also have children my youngest is 2 I have never had a problem. People need to remember any dog can be taught to be viscous and attack.
jenny commented on May 29 11 at 4:18 pmI feel that no matter what breed of dog an animal cannot always be trusted.You can never know how they will react even in the best of environments and training they have.I do hope that these people are held responsible for what happened to this child..We can only hope the other children will never be in that situation again.
Roz commented on May 29 11 at 11:17 pmI am the owner of an Italian Cane Corso but I am also a responsible one. The death of this innocent 4 yr old little boy should never have happened. This breed is very powerful, loyal and protective and requires training, patience and a responsible owner to bring up a well balanced dog. Anytime anyone is abusive to a dog they should know that somewhere along the line there will be consequences and at any point that same submissive dog can finally have enough and snap. How can they claim to have had such a sweet dog when just a few months before it had eaten one of their pets?? That should have been their first clue. Its unfortunate when people choose these breeds to make a stupid tough statement and bring fear instead of appreciating the breed. They should be held responsible for their actions and negligence to both those innocent children and the dogs that they abused.
Angela commented on May 30 11 at 8:30 amI would also argue that social services failed these children (and the dogs) if they had been informed by neighbors of the dangerous environment the children were in and did nothing to circumvent it.
heather commented on May 30 11 at 11:13 amJudge the deed, not the breed! I’m a Veterinary Technician, Dog Obedience Instructor, doggy foster home, and I used to be in grooming. I have years of experience with all breeds of dogs – long enough to KNOW it’s not the breed’s fault, EVER. ALL dogs require training and socialization which sadly, MOST owners, regardless of breed, are too lazy to do for their pets. It’s a trend we’re seeing now – less and less people are putting their dogs through obedience classes, while even less are walking their dogs on a regular basis. (We have technology to thank for that!) Without training and exercise, how can one expect them to be socialized for all situations?
I’m the proud owner of a a 7 year old American Pit Bull Terrier – she’s the best, most well behaved, friendly dog and LOVES kids. She’s relaxed around them, doesn’t jump up, and let’s them do whatever they want to her. Their time together is always supervised and we taught our daughter to be respectful of all animals. She loves ALL people and a complete stranger can walk right into our house to be greeted by huge tongue and tail wags. (That person however will have to run from our jack russel terrier mix who is very protective!)
Our pittie loves our dogs and our neighbors’ dogs, but doesn’t like strange dogs and really doesn’t like when the neighbor cats come into our yard and there has been one that I feared my pittie might hurt – and the only person/animals who’s fault that would have been would be the cat’s owner for letting their cat run wild in the neighborhood. Our pittie loves bunnies, we used to have them and she almost seemed to think of them as her babies. She hates squirrels and we have a squirrel in our tree who teases her relentlessly. All of this to point out that animal aggression and human aggression are completely different. If this Cane Corso had killed one of their other pets, the logical solution should have been to find homes for all the other pets making this guy an only pet. So not only in addition to being abused by his owner (which I’m positive the kids saw and probably mimicked at least once), living in filth (those poor children too!) but the dog was also stressed surrounded by the other animals, which probably were all stressed too, feeding off each other’s anxiety.
It’s a terrible sadness and I do believe that Machete should be euthanized – I believe any animal that kills or violently attacks a human should be humanely put down. I feel terribly for the other children in the house and that poor 4 year old who died. It was 100% preventable…
Sarah commented on May 30 11 at 3:48 pmOwners are to blame bottom line! Our daughter was attacked by a “lab-mix” when she was 18 months old. We were visiting my husband while he was in training and our friends lived close to the training facility. Come to find out the dog was an American Bulldog mix. He was destroyed against the pregnant owners wishes! We filed an insurance claim. The owners saw it as use suing them. If we sued them, they would have lost their house, and so on. We thought against it. We don’t need the money. We just wanted their home owners insurance to cover all medical, so our medical didn’t have to. The insurance also gave us a liability settlement.
This family’s story is sad on so many levels. 4 small kids living in filth, with dangerous animals, I can only assume dangerous people. CPS should look into the safety of the other kids. We were extremely lucky, our daughter’s scars will heal, and she’s emotional healthy.
Linda commented on May 30 11 at 6:41 pmAnimals are like humans that they are a product of how they are raised. The step father is responsible for the dogs actions and the death of that beautiful child.
Ruth commented on May 31 11 at 9:50 amIt says that Jones “routinely punched and kicked his feared canine collective —a pit bull, a husky mix, what do you think was going to happen if he kept punching and kicking the poor animal, it was NOT the dogs fault!
And look at the way that they were living, its just discussing, those poor animals, my friends grandma would always say to be poor has nothing to do with being clean!
Karen brown commented on May 31 11 at 7:18 pmAs mother who lost a child my heart goes out to the baby RIP!!!!!!
C commented on Jun 05 11 at 6:14 pmDogs that have to potential to kill a person , regardless of breed, should not be around children period. I don’t care how thay are raised, each and every dog has the capacity to attack. I truly hope this dog is put to sleep as it does not deserve to take another breath of life. Remember: it mauled the breath and life out of an innocent child. I do not care if it was the FAULT of the owner, the dog himself killed the child . The dog has proven that it cannot be trusted.
C commented on Jun 05 11 at 6:21 pmp.s… I work with animals but I would NEVER place the importance of a dog above that of a human being.
I never let my child go near ANY dog because I know that ANY dog can attack .
I am really sick at the though that bleeding hearts do not think this dog should not be euthanized bacause”it was not his fault.”
Sorry, but if any dog attacked my kid, said dog would not longer live…period.
Cane Corso commented on Dec 03 11 at 2:22 amAnimals have their own rights, they have the rights to live, to be loved and not to be an instrument to harm. Anyone who takes animals as their pets or whatever purposes they have especially wild one is also responsible of every actions or misbehavior of their pets.
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