6-month-old boy dies after being bitten by dog in Chesterfield NOT A DOGO

6-month-old boy dies after being bitten by dog in Chesterfield
By MARK BOWES AND BILL McKELWAY | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: June 30, 2011
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A 6-month-old boy who was visiting with relatives in Chesterfield County died Wednesday afternoon after being bit by the family's longtime pet dog.

Police and paramedics were called about 1:40 p.m. to a home in the 4600 block of Overridge Drive for a report of an infant male being bitten by a dog, police said.

The child, who police said is related to the dog's owner, was taken to VCU Medical Center in Richmond, where he died. The dog, a Dogo Argentino, was signed over to Chesterfield Animal Control.

Lt. Randy Horowitz said the animal had no history of being aggressive.

The baby and his mother were visiting the woman's brother, wife and two children when the incident occurred, according to police and neighbors. The baby was in a common room of the house and several adults were in an adjoining room when they heard the dog grunt, Horowitz said.

When they went to investigate, they noticed blood on the back of the baby's neck, Horowtiz said.

Neighbors said they were shocked and saddened by the incident and described the family living at the home as longtime, well-liked residents of the community who had lovingly raised the rescued dog from the time it was a puppy.

Called Polar, because of her white color, the Dogo was deaf, according to neighbors Geoff Rundlett and J.C. Thompson.

"They are a loving family, and Polar is a loving dog," said Rundlett, who has known the family for seven years.

Thompson said neighborhood children would stop to pet the dog in the backyard, that the animal never leaped a 4-foot high fence there, and was quick to obey commands and hand signals from family members.

"Something had to trigger the dog. The kids would walk up to her and scratch her ears and she was as gentle as could be," Thompson said.

Thompson and Rundlett identified the owners of the home as Charles and Erin Teets, who also are identified as the owners in Chesterfield land records. The couple has two teenage children.

The family could not be reached Wednesday night and had left the home as media representatives began appearing in the neighborhood. Teets is a computer analyst at the Defense Supply Center Richmond, neighbors said.

The Dogo generally stands about 24 inches tall and weighs up to 100 pounds, according to website information about the breed, which is related to the bulldog. The breed is considered a loyal dog "who makes a great guardian of the home and family," according to the online Dog Breed Info Center. "This breed needs someone who understands how to display leadership," according to the website.

The residence where the incident occurred is in Chesterfield's Greenbriar subdivision between Harrowgate and Branders Bridge Road, about 2½ miles north of Colonial Heights.


mbowes@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6450 bmckelway@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6601

Introducing Benito

A Placement - Franco

There are times one of the biggest relief's is when you have found a family for dog. Its what you most look forward to. When you place - you hope and implore silently in prayer that the dog isn't going to ever have to move again.
Lately DAERRS seems to have been slammed left and right with dogs. Most of course are older males, and finding a place for them to go is a problem. My own home is a disaster right now thanks to the destruction brought upon by my fosters. Although, to be honest I can't blame them either which is why I don't loose it too badly. :)
They need exercise and stimulation and its often hard to find the right balance between work and home - plus dogs to do the right thing. This is why I don't have a dogo right now. I'd like to get an easier dog - not sure what but something without so much high needs factor.
Recognizing my own limitations - its possible that I've matured a bit. :)

Drake - Texas Dogo

Dogos & Boredom

Franco decided to help me renovate the remaining wood paneling near the living room, and went straight through it to the outside through the aluminum siding at my tin box. Needless to say repair required, so we took a trip to Home Depot, and got plywood to bandaid the spot while I could get the finished siding done.
I decided to take Franco with me to Home Depot and pick up the stuff I'd need to repair the result of his hardwork. Franco behaved beautifully and got many compliments from the employees. He enjoyed his time walking through the aisles, his "heel" is really good and his non-startling behavior is excellent.

He was even calm while the saw was running. This boy does excellent.

Whines & Trails

We do some walking at our local river as much as time and weather permits. On this particularly warm day, I took the dogs out with my three year old god-daughter. We had a nice break from being cooped inside the tin box, and enjoyed the lovely weather and the evening. We walked for nearly an hour, which was good exercise for all four of us.



Blanca enjoyed going after smells and chasing noises in the dusky evening. It was such a nice break. Even the girlie girl had fun, only asked to be carried twice to which I answered you are too heavy dearie, walk. So she skipped, hopped, jumped and enjoyed the fun of her first time doing a long trail with the dogs. She practiced her dog training commands. :)

Franco is about 3 years of age

Absolutely awesome personality dogo, great with other dogs. Has a great affectionate self, sweet walking him on a leash. Works hard to please. Has GREAT working potential, is very owner devoted. If I had to choose this WOULD be the dogo I'd keep. Except for his separation anxiety this guy is great. He needs a job, needs to have energy releases, mental and physical stimulation.

He is house broken.

Deep Breath.........

Yes, these two cohorts are like my Bonnie and Clyde!! Causing havoc and terror. I can't blame them though, my time is so caught up in twenty things. I am going to have to focus on this 501c3 and I can't if I'm housing dogs because of the time involvement and planning all of this requires.
That would suck because its the actual interaction with the dogs that I enjoy and love. Well, these two caused the death of a couch.

RIP Amoxtl 2/21/2011

Please, understand that writing this is painful. So I am going to simply limit myself to say that Amoxtl was euthanized on Monday February 21 2011 at approximately 5:30 due to issues beyond our control.

Siempre te acordare mi protector.

Introducing Franco - a 3 year old Dogo Argentino

Thanks to Big Love Dog Rescue we were informed of this very sweet guy, who really really is great. He is so incredibly affectionate and just has pretty good obedience. He LOVES to be with his people and rides fantastically in the car. He's even gone to Home Depot and he was complimented all over the place. He walks well on a leash. I'm really liking this guy. Personally, so grateful we were able to help this guy out.



Frank comes from a breeder, who didn't take him back. In his previous home he lived with kids. And did pretty good with them. He also lived with a male shitzu. He's doing pretty good with his housemate Blanquita.

Soon to Rescue - Blanquita - Dogo Argentino Female

Here’s the pictures of Blanquita … As far as info, the story is as follows:

-16 mo old Spayed Female Dogo Argentino
-Purchased from private owner when dog was 3 mo old
-Unable to keep because “needs more attention than I can offer”
-Never bitten a person or other animal
-May growl at strangers, “Strong sense of hunting” (unclear what they mean by that)
-Not good with cats
-House trained, crate trained, never has accidents
-20-30 minute walks 3x week
-Knows ‘sit’ ‘down’ ‘stay’ ‘come’ ‘paw’
-Gotten along with kids under 5, 6-12 yrs, adults and elderly
-Lived with a 10 y/o female Lhasa Apso
-Likes car rides, scared of thunder
-Described as playful, loyal, protective and smart, “needs exercise, likes to play a lot”

I would add that she really, really likes peanut butter. She is VERY underweight, and had on a cinch collar (in pictures, we removed it) that was much too small, barely fit over her head to be removed … likely left on since puppy hood. She is quite affiliative, especially for being so scared; likes to lean her head in or curve her body in to your torso for close contact.

Recent Rescue: Noche

This little girl was rescued at about 6 weeks old from a BYB situation. Decent condition but removed from mother too early. Searching for a home but won't be available to actual home until 8 weeks old.

Plumbers & Friends visits

Yesterday was a challenging day. We had no water at my house because the pipes started leaking from various spots and then the actual water heater started leaking. I had to wait for the plumber to come by to take care of the problem. Thankfully, it was a friend of a friend and he was sweet and didn't charge an exorbitant amount. OF course once he finished I felt foolish because if I would have taken the time to research the problem and crawl underneath the confines of the home, I probably could have taken care of it myself. I just dislike doing the crawling under.
Toby took the visitors with quiet observation. Amox of course made a fuss, and had to do his tough man stances all over the place. I simply ignored him.
Then I had a couple of friends over and Amox ended up having to make a huge scene fighting with Toby from a distance, as they are both tethered. And the pain in the a$$ bit me. Didn't really break skin but did enough pressure to bruise my hand in a good way. He did this when I pulled him up on the prong which he didn't appreciate. Afterwards, he's been doing the commands without me having to repeat it as I ignored him the rest of the day. So now I'm bruised and having a hard time handling things but alright, if anything I'm more pissed off then anything.

One of the things I've been considering lately is going raw on the dogs food. I've been feeding Taste of the Wild (TOTW) but Amox still has soft stool on occasion and isn't completely healed from the allergies. Toby has his worms and well that in itself has been concerning, I'm treating him with de-wormer. I'm going to try adding some natural stuff to their diets like garlic and slippery elm as suggested by another dogo owner. I want both boys to be healthy weights - balanced. I'm hoping to pick up the dog pen this weekend. And when the weather gets warmer be able to fix up the yard - fence it in so the boys can be out there safely for longer periods of time. Leaving me in the house to vacuum without commotion. Or simply just giving them some play time without tethering. I worry when I've got an episode of vertigo coming on its hard for me to do the outside thing or give them actual time. Not that they are that frequent but still.

My Dogo Genesis

I've been involved with the Dogo Argentino since 2001, I brought my first dogo Argentino puppies (Yes, 2, something I would never recommend) into my home in November of 2001. Argo and Ananaki were about 4 months old from North Carolina, a pair of older women who were both in ill health and unable to care for the dogos they had in residence had these two puppies. I literally paid $500 for both pups. Ananaki was a bilaterally deaf fireball acrobat. Argo was a pirate male. Both pups had digestive sensitivities, Argo significantly worse then Ananaki. The father was Legend and Sugar, both parents were on property, I suspected that these guys were bred on purpose and for money purposes, but both pups were riddled with worms and were so shy, completely unsocialized nor house manners in the least. The parents were both extremely obese and Sugar was easily held on a leash, sweet girl. Legend had growths on his skin that were extremely odd. I took pictures of the parents and brought them home, AGAIN this is something I would never recommend. My heart tends to go before my head. This decision lead me into a huge change in my life.
Prior to having the Dogo Argentino in my life I had dogs as a child - unmemorable mixed breeds until the age of 5, a Cocker Spaniel named Toro when I was 7-8 years old, a German Shepherd/Collie named Baby as young teenager and a Pekingese named Benji in my late teens. I was the child who brought home all the hurt and dying animals on my way home from school. I rescued birds all the time. Kept aquariums since the age of 8, parakeets, gerbils, rabbits and even a pet chicken. But I always pestered my parents for dogs. I worked at my local SPCA for about a year where we had pretty common breeds, while there I adopted a Shepherd Husky female, named Mona in January of 2001. I really truly never had any experience with dominant dogs before taking on the Dogo. I am being honest because I want people to know the truth of learning things the hard way and how many hard knocks I had with Dogos. There's a right way and a wrong way to do things, and then there are those grey ways that can be incredibly difficult, challenging and just seem riddled with obstacles - you can probably guess which way I chose to go.
When I brought home these pups initially all was great - I got them both crates, set-up their stuff, they were cuddly affectionate and just completely sweet. Argo was the leader - he pushed his way to the front, picked up commands quickly, challenged things and seemed to always be trying to figure things out and think them through. Ananaki, shortened to Naki, quickly proved to show her acrobatic skills by climbing furniture, crates and fences; her mischievous nature shined through her sweet brown eyes. Mona was the momma - she helped teach the pups manners and when they weren't cooperative they got pawed hard or scruffed by her. She seemed to enjoy her position in our growing pack. At the time I still fostered other dogs - Great Danes, American Pitbull Terriers, Siberian Huskies and a Doberman.
Please, do not get the idea that these first few months were blissful, they were anything but. The pups were not becoming crate trained or housebroken or learning anything about where their urine or feces should go. They'd both fill their crates up with messes, I'd never bought so much paper towels in my life. Also Naki was a constant loud pitched barker that was horrid. They'd be covered in feces in urine while crated when we came home from work. When we'd go outside every couple of hours, they'd still not get the concept of using the bathroom outside. I suspect while they were with the ladies in NC they weren't being cleaned often enough. Naki and Argo both had raging ear infections for the first few months of their lives. Their feces were never firm - just squishy watery nastiness and we struggled with all types of kibble. I'm sure there are many message boards still carrying my desperate messages from those days. I would be crying between their crates trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Crate training had never been an issue for me before. Their poop messes were horrendous, I couldn't figure out what to feed them. I was spending more money on their food then on our own - and absolutely none of it seemed to work. We de-wormed them multiple times. I can't imagine how many people had experienced such a horrendous beginning with dogos and can still willingly share their lives with them.

God is Good

Last night I watched as this beautiful creature who has suffered unknown pain and neglect by human hand, still managed to want affection and desired to please me. I feel completely undeserving of his attention and sweet moments of true love. I remember my theory of God's demonstration of love surrounds us, which better way demonstration of ever forgiving, ungrudging love then through the eyes of these creatures who provoke such heartfelt emotions within me.
I look into his beautiful earth colored eyes, and wonder what have they witnessed. What human eyes could have looked into this creature's, and still continue to do what they did. I have heard his barks of warning to any being that comes close to my home, threatening growls against unexpected suspicious movements yet he's only been with me for two evenings. He guards me, us, our home against evil of unknown kinds, defending our property, without regard to himself.
His deplorable conditions speak only of the lack of regard for himself, his neglect visible in lacking musculature and myriad health issues. I am gathering funding to put him back to a decent condition, to give him respect for the protection and undeserving love he gives me and my home.
I can only be grateful that in God mercy's such a creature exists, for we are blessed as they come into our lives, to share a reflection of God's love. Thank you Toby.

Amox at the Potomac River

Prior to me picking up Toby on Saturday Amox and I went to the Potomac River and walked/jogged...well,l in all honestly Amox was frustrated with me *trying* (emphasize on trying) to walk fast/jog with him.
He LOVED it, as usual. We added a new feature to our walk which is his new dog saddle bags, they had water containers and a few odds and ends for his walk. I've figured he's going to start hauling his own stuff. I need him to get more tired then me, or work out more during our walks. I'm planning on getting him a weighted vest and/or collar to start, but I wanted to see how he'll do with wearing something. I rarely, dress dogs up, just not my thing, I never understood the purpose of it unless the dog was in extreme weather or they weren't suited to the outside environment.
Last time when we were in training, he was shivering. I do notice that Amox's coat isn't as full as other dogos I've had in the past, so I was concerned that his shivering would somehow inhibit his learning and focus during our training. But in honesty, it happened during the cool down time after the training, when we each checking in with the trainer.
After reading up some posts from other dogo owners, it may be that he needs time to adjust to this, and perhaps environmentally grow a thicker coat? Not sure about that overall yet. We'll see how the weather develops and how he does.
Otherwise when we went out to the river on Saturday, it wasn't too bad outside. He enjoyed it and got some exercise. I wish I could get up earlier in the morning and do this regularly.

New Foster Dog - Toby, A Great Pyrnees

I guess I'm working my way through the breeds that make up the Dogo Argentino.
This is our newest addition as of Saturday evening, his name is Toby, which is English for "God is good." Which after what I've been through recently, I can't doubt.
He is about 6-8 months old, was a Craig's Listing posting for free, I picked him up in Fredericksburg. I just couldn't leave him. He is a sweetheart. Great temperament. Protective. I beginning to understand the meaning of the whole livestock guardian dog and what that entails.
Toby has a sweet temperament, we'll see how well he hits off with Amox. They just started butting heads.
I need to apply the rules I use on Amox to Toby, and I'm going to need to get another anchor for the house and move some stuff around. Toby is quite a big boy. He requires veterinary care, possibly even surgery because he has some back end issues.

"OFF THE COUCH"

We are working on staying off the furniture. Amox is no longer allowed to be on the bed or the couch - he's slowly tests the bed occasionally but the couch is a constant trial between the two of us. I know he sleeps on it now, I'm debating whether I should let him be in the smaller bedroom that I'm basically using for storage, and how that would go in dog-view.
Its interesting that ever since he's been removed from "possessing" the couch or the bed, he's a lot more compliant with certain things, so that is an improvement.


We are also working on his command to "watch out", I think he likes it, his body language speaks volumes as far as noticing, he likes his "job". When I notice that he is watching out, his body gets stiff, he may cock his head to one side depending where the sound is coming from, he is completely paying attention to the smell and sounds coming from the outside. When I see it I give him praise, when he barks and acts appropriate to weird noises outside, I give him a special treat that's specifically for that command. The good thing is when I tell him, thank you for letting me know he stops the barking, unless he hears more. Amox gets sooooo happy when its acknowledged and he gets rewarded for "watching out". So I think that makes him feel utilized and his confidence is built all which makes me happy.
I can't wait till I feel better and we can start going out. Its raining ice here, so he was wondering what the heck I was going to do when we were going outside, the idea didn't appeal much to him.

We haven't really been out much since I've been sick, but I am thankfully, starting to feel better but the weather has been keeping me indoors as well, as I'm scared to get sick again.

Sick Owner means Frustrated Dog

I've been sick for over a week, and Amox has been feeling the boredom and frustration so he lays back and does this crazy dance and looks up at me as if to shout I'm BORED!
And I so understand, he's even watching movies now, especially if they have animals or guns or high action.
He's also learning his "notice" command more, we've been practicing that one.
I've been too weak to do any actual physical movements, so we've been doing more establishing boundaries working with the hitch rings I put up and learning place. Plus, its pretty cold here so I can't be otuside for long, I'm hoping I feel better soon and can do more outside stuff. I'm anxious to start, I hate staying indoors myself.

Amox goes to the birds

I was thinking about getting birds for a while, I really wanted a larger bird like a parrot, but on limited funding I figured might be best if I went with something cheap and simple. So I went 'trolling' on Craig's List and found some doozies! Anyway, I located a couple of cockatiels, thinking that's what my biological father had gotten me when I was a new baby in this world, but turned out I was wrong according to my mother, they were canaries - oops!
Anyway, Amox totally was going birdie over the birds, he enjoyed watching them, scaring them to death, getting pecked (well, he didn't enjoy that but I did!;). So anytime I had to clean their area, which was quite often, their cage got put on the floor so he would take advantage of this opportunity to 'play' with them, and do bows in front of them and get them squacking good and loud. Needless to say the bird and dog language are not similar in the least.
I haven't repeated "leave it" so many times in my time with Amox and then he trots over and looks at me with a big doggie smile plastered on his big face over having disturbed the birds.

Our first training session with A Breed Apart, Inc

I've been searching for a trainer to address Amox's issues of obedience during distractions and for mental stimulation, in addition addressing Amox's possessive agression with food, attention and his things. Totally not acceptable in my book. But I knew I needed to step up the way I was handling him because he is a difficult stubborn dog, not always re-directed easily. I've visited training sessions with a few different trainers, and I always end up a bit cautious because of what I've seen.
With much trepidation I attended our first session with A Breed Apart, Inc. with Mr. Ira Hartwell in Annapolis, Md. I left stunned and amazed at how awesome of an experience it was, and more importantly how four cold hours later Amox was a whole new dog. At first I watched other dogs with their owners and saw challenging breeds, a Belgian Malinois, a Rottweiler, a herding collie, a Tosa Inu, a brindle mastiff, even an impressive little poodle. For the most part they were behaving, some seemed to have barely any issues. Some were handler issues, like me. Amox was left observing in the car anxious to come out and figure out this new arena, plus he wanted to see what I was up to.
I saw dogs walk perfectly, and I knew this was what I wanted and longed for, while still keeping a good relationship between Amox and I, having an obedient dog. Protecting his instincts as a protector and guardian, his happy fun personality, and endearing affectionate self. So I hoped he would take to this well, and that I could absorb these skills and apply them appropriately in hopes of making Amox a good spokesdog for his breed and rescue.
So when the trainer asked me to prong Amox and bring him out, I prayed within myself asking for guidance and open brain to learn all the minute details.
Amox and I initially practiced simply walking with a prong collar and a European lead, corrections and appropriate walking. There was a TON of distractions, and Amox tested the prong to the point he threw himself on the ground in protest, something he does to refuse cooperation. As well as testing my limits of embarrassment and strength, enforcing a correction that he would feel was difficult and I wanted them felt. Mr. Hartwell kept saying they (the dogs) can endure roughness, and we have to give it to them. Encouraging us women to man-handle our pooches. We've been "nice guys" long enough, it was time we used force to make ourselves heard and obeyed.
I knew this applied very much to the relationship between Amox and I, while solid, I acknowledged whole heartedly that Amox often did dominating behaviors, and "managed" me. So I knew to make the "us" work I was going to need to drastically change our world and I needed help. As the way this was going it was a ticking time bomb, and I couldn't afford the explosion.
I think my most memorable moment was when Amox did a beautiful 30 yard distance sit with an e-collar. He improved his heels and attention while we walked, stuff he did okay at home, was horrid in public. I nearly cried. I could hopefully walk my big baby monster out in public safely and well. I knew I had come to the right place for us both.
So we worked while we joined the circle, and shortly without too much effort Amox walked well just like the others while I walked stunned and proud of my monster.
He kept checking in with me. And if anything was wrong it was usually me!
So we signed in, and felt wonderful, leaving with anticipation as to what the week would bring.

This is the big white monster taking a break...

From his long ardous day of holding down the couch, watching the birds, and keeping the tin box safe.

La Mona

When I was employed by a local SPCA during my college years, I adopted this awesomely beautiful Husky Shepherd who had just had her first litter and was about a year old. This was my first dog as an adult, and I moved mountains to have her. A friend of mine held her while I moved to an apartment that allowed me to have dogs further from school but totally worth it.

Mona became my princess, she was great company. She was the substitute momma for my first dogo pups. And would correct them by smacking them upside the head when they didn't listen, it was quite comical to watch. She would teach them where they were allowed to go or not. And she would be the beta female at the house. Mona suffered from seperation anxiety, and broke through any and every crate we ever bought for her, she did best without any limitations in small spaces. Mona's anxiety caused a few thousand dollars cumalitive worth of damage in all the places I've lived.
Mona currently lives with my parents having a quite and spoiled retirement which is well deserved. She's not feeling well, so we are taking her to the vet.

Introducing Amoxtl

Amoxtl is a Dogo Argentino that is aproximately three years old, he was adopted from a wonderful rescue group called Dogo Argentino Education Rescue and Rehab or DAERRs. According to Amox's rescuing angels he was in a shelter in Georgia and then brought to the Carolinas to stay with an awesome great boarding kennel where Amox had a chance to get better and get more love and attention while he waited for his family.
While his rescue angel, was boarding him she searched for the right home, and she remembered me and my situaion with foster care teens. And I had expressed interest in helping out this awesome dogo. So we had a family meeting at my house, and the teens all agreed to pitch in and so we met with Amox's rescue angel and we brought him home.
Well, when my eldest teen saw Amox he fell in love with him and claimed him as his own. Their relationship grew and they totally hit it off. Amox worked therapy on my eldest, it was beautiful to watch them together, as my eldest tried to avoid the world gaming, he'd nuzzle against him remind him to stop and enjoy things.
I was amazed watching this totally unexpected development between them. They spent many hours sleeping in together, wrestling, gaming, watching movies curled up against each other, this gang-banging, emotionally issued man boy who usually refused any physical closeness thrived with Amox's attention.