USA : Intruder, 21, is mauled to Death by two pit bulls while breaking into a home

[arista]

[Intruder, 21, is mauled to Death by two pit bulls
while trying to break into Georgia home:
Homeowner finds his body on the
porch the next morning
according to local authorities
The homeowner, who was not named,
discovered the body of 21-year-old
Alex Binyam Abraha on his
front porch on September 24
The homeowner will not face charges
related to Abraha's death, according to Fox News
Abraha, who grew up in Worthington,
Minnesota, had several active warrants
in Fulton County at the time of his death
A GoFundMe was created for Abraha
following his death, and has raised
nearly $1,000 out of a goal of $25,000
Both dogs were seized as a part
of the investigation by the county's
Department of Corrections]


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10050599/Intruder-21-MAULED-death-DOGS-trying-break-Georgia-home.html

[LaLaLand]

Oh well.

Hope they get the dogs back ASAP. Not their fault someone decided to break in.

[Oliver_W]

I hope the doggos don't get put down :(

[thesheriff443]

I hoped reading the article it would give more details and answer my doubts to this story

But it doesn’t and his family have un answered questions to.

One is why the owner didn’t hear anything why these dogs were killing someone in his house or on his porch

[user104658]

While it’s harder to have sympathy for a burglar as they know they’re taking risks with their lives breaking into a home (especially in the US) … putting that aside I’m afraid to say, dogs that will kill an intruder will kill your postman. Or a kid coming to retrieve a lost ball. Not safe to be around the public.

[bots]

i don't have any sympathy for the burglar, but as TS says, a dog that has a taste for blood will do it again

[Kazanne]

Dogs just guarding their home, hope they are not put down due to some scumbag deciding to help themselves.

[Livia]

Hope the dogs are okay. Like Kaz said, they did their job.

[joeysteele]

Dogs just guarding their home, hope they are not put down due to some scumbag deciding to help themselves.


I absolutely agree.
The dog's instinct would be to protect.
The home and their owners.

They probably wouldn't attack if someone was invited in.
It's simple enough, don't go into or break into another's home unless invited in.

The dogs would believe they were doing their duty.

[Denver]

The blame has to be on the on the owners because you teach a dog to raise the alarm and stop the intruder not tk kill

[Livia]

I reckon if someone breaks into your house to steal from you or worse, then they're fair game. No one's walking out of my house if they break in.

[GoldHeart]

If anything this should be a lesson to burglars and thiefs to not go breaking into OTHER PEOPLE'S homes, you never know whether they'll be guard dogs or whether the home owner has a weapon.

[user104658]

I absolutely agree.
The dog's instinct would be to protect.
The home and their owners.

They probably wouldn't attack if someone was invited in.
It's simple enough, don't go into or break into another's home unless invited in.

The dogs would believe they were doing their duty.



Hope the dogs are okay. Like Kaz said, they did their job.



Dogs just guarding their home, hope they are not put down due to some scumbag deciding to help themselves.



I’d be more inclined to agree if they had attacked him in the house - but the story quite clearly states that the body was found on the porch. Guard dogs are not, or certainly should not, be trained to maul or kill and there’s a risk (if not an inevitability) of them harming someone in error.

At the very least, they need to be muzzled whilst outside of the house (including the garden) and kept securely in a room at night/when unsupervised.

[joeysteele]

I’d be more inclined to agree if they had attacked him in the house - but the story quite clearly states that the body was found on the porch. Guard dogs are not, or certainly should not, be trained to maul or kill and there’s a risk (if not an inevitability) of them harming someone in error.

At the very least, they need to be muzzled whilst outside of the house (including the garden) and kept securely in a room at night/when unsupervised.

It also states though TS trying to break in to the home.
Inside or outside, the dogs are on his and their property.
Their territory.

Not much point in dogs having muzzles on in their own gardens or backyards..

Plus it doesn't say so we don't know what was attempted to be done to the dogs
If he threatened the dogs with whatever he was breaking in with.

Should the dogs just roll over and let him break in.

[thesheriff443]

I’d be more inclined to agree if they had attacked him in the house - but the story quite clearly states that the body was found on the porch. Guard dogs are not, or certainly should not, be trained to maul or kill and there’s a risk (if not an inevitability) of them harming someone in error.

At the very least, they need to be muzzled whilst outside of the house (including the garden) and kept securely in a room at night/when unsupervised.

We don’t usually agree, I’m an animal lover but this story raises concerns

A young woman was killed by a dog as she lay in bed in this country only a few months ago.

You can teach a dog to be spiteful but in turn some dogs can just flip out.

[Liam-]

Guard dogs are wonderful things, I grew up with Rottweilers and they were natural deterrents without having to be aggressive, they were all soft as brushes and cuddly to a sometimes annoying degree, but when they needed to be they were loud as possible to claim their territory, guard dogs should be trained to attack to protect, not to kill.

Dogs that aren’t trained to be guard dogs, but attack to kill naturally is another thing completely, once a dog gets a taste for blood, I think it would be a very unattainable ideal that they would never do it again in other circumstances.

You can have no sympathy for the burglar, but to think that it’s normal for a couple of dogs to maul someone to death for being in their territory is completely illogical, all it takes is for one kid to wander away from their parents and try and go play with the cute doggies and the ‘they were protecting their home’ argument wouldn’t count for ****

[Oliver_W]

The moment someone breaks into a house, it should be understood their life is forfeit. It's not the dogs' fault some scumbag forced them to attack him.

[Livia]

I’d be more inclined to agree if they had attacked him in the house - but the story quite clearly states that the body was found on the porch. Guard dogs are not, or certainly should not, be trained to maul or kill and there’s a risk (if not an inevitability) of them harming someone in error.

At the very least, they need to be muzzled whilst outside of the house (including the garden) and kept securely in a room at night/when unsupervised.

Intruder is the operative word. They were on the owners' property and shouldn't have been there. It's a learning curve for criminals. As for muzzling and locking them in a room... if they are securely on your property I have no problem. I have two babies in the house. If someone breaks in, I'm going to let the dog deal with them.

[GoldHeart]

Guard dogs are wonderful things, I grew up with Rottweilers and they were natural deterrents without having to be aggressive, they were all soft as brushes and cuddly to a sometimes annoying degree, but when they needed to be they were loud as possible to claim their territory, guard dogs should be trained to attack to protect, not to kill.

Dogs that aren’t trained to be guard dogs, but attack to kill naturally is another thing completely, once a dog gets a taste for blood, I think it would be a very unattainable ideal that they would never do it again in other circumstances.

You can have no sympathy for the burglar, but to think that it’s normal for a couple of dogs to maul someone to death for being in their territory is completely illogical, all it takes is for one kid to wander away from their parents and try and go play with the cute doggies and the ‘they were protecting their home’ argument wouldn’t count for ****

Yeah there has been cases where dogs turn crazy and attack for no reason, which is why I'm always wary of certain breeds of dogs ,as you don't always know how they're going to react.

Some guard dogs can be too protective and aggressive aswell,and as mentioned delivery men ,postmen, meter readers etc are at high risk .

And a switch flips and they can randomly attack their owners for no reason ,then next thing you know they're docile... again it's strange.

However in this particular instance if you're going to break into someone's house uninvited then you're looking for trouble.

[Liam-]

Yeah there has been cases where dogs turn crazy and attack for no reason, which is why I'm always wary of certain breeds of dogs ,as you don't always know how they're going to react.

Some guard dogs can be too protective and aggressive aswell,and as mentioned delivery men ,postmen, meter readers etc are at high risk .

And a switch flips and they can randomly attack their owners for no reason ,then next thing you know they're docile... again it's strange.

However in this particular instance if you're going to break into someone's house uninvited then you're looking for trouble.

To me, if you’re okay with your animal killing someone they see as a threat to their territory, you open yourself up to trouble because to a dog, anybody unknown to them is a potential threat to their territory

[Marsh.]

To me, if you’re okay with your animal killing someone they see as a threat to their territory, you open yourself up to trouble because to a dog, anybody unknown to them is a potential threat to their territory

This, basically.

It's ok... until the dog severely injures or kills an innocent person.

[Liam-]

Also the thought process of ‘oh, well I’m okay with someone being viciously mauled to death if they try to break into my house’ is a little bit... icky, to me.

[user104658]

Intruder is the operative word. They were on the owners' property and shouldn't have been there. It's a learning curve for criminals. As for muzzling and locking them in a room... if they are securely on your property I have no problem. I have two babies in the house. If someone breaks in, I'm going to let the dog deal with them.

If a group of kids come into your garden to retreive a ball or... heck... even to vandalise your pot plants on a dare and your dog mauls them - your dog will be killed and you will be at risk of a prison sentence. I assume you already know that though.

Also just athought but if your own kids go messing around in a neighbours garden and get mauled or killed by their dog I would expect that you'd be round there to put it in the ground yourself with your bare hands ... I can't imagine for a second that you'd say "Oh well, poor pup, my kids shouldn't have been trespassing so fair do's".

[GoldHeart]

Also the thought process of ‘oh, well I’m okay with someone being viciously mauled to death if they try to break into my house’ is a little bit... icky, to me.

I know what you're saying and I agree it is a slippery slope,but what if the burglar had the intent to hurt the homeowner ? .

There's been some horrible crimes where a family or person is quietly at home, and next thing they're being threatened and beaten. Some have been killed just for being in their own homes.

So we'll never know if this intruder was just robbing the place , which is bad enough or whether they were going to cause physical harm.

[user104658]

Also the thought process of ‘oh, well I’m okay with someone being viciously mauled to death if they try to break into my house’ is a little bit... icky, to me.

I agree, a dog should be trained to bark/raise the alarm and even to act in a threatening manner (baring teeth) but should also be trained to NEVER deliberately harm a human being (or another dog or animal, for that matter). The only dogs that should be trained to attack are dogs acting in professional roles (police, security) and even then they should be under professional supervision.

The idea that a dog who will maul an intruder won't maul someone else in error is just naive. No matter how smart someone believes their dog to be, they can easily misattribute someone's intentions. I'm even wary of dogs being trained to attack when they think their owner is being assaulted, because they don't necessarily know the difference between a real assault and play fighting, or the difference between an adult family member truly at risk from an adult and a child family member scrapping with another child (if your dog intervenes everyone has a MAJOR problem). I've even heard of incidents where someone's dog has come into a room while they're having sex and attacked their partner, believing their owner to be at risk.

tl;dr a dog is not a weapon and should never be trained or thought of as such, and should ideally be actively trained to be gentle at all times. If someone feels unsafe in their property... get better locks. Get alarms. Heck, I'd rather people have a shotgun under the bed than a dog that will attack an intruder. At least the shotgun isn't going to hop into the living room and shoot someone by itself.

[Livia]

If a group of kids come into your garden to retreive a ball or... heck... even to vandalise your pot plants on a dare and your dog mauls them - your dog will be killed and you will be at risk of a prison sentence. I assume you already know that though.

Also just athought but if your own kids go messing around in a neighbours garden and get mauled or killed by their dog I would expect that you'd be round there to put it in the ground yourself with your bare hands ... I can't imagine for a second that you'd say "Oh well, poor pup, my kids shouldn't have been trespassing so fair do's".

Yes, I do already know that... and I haven't got any neighbours. My dog is a family dog first and foremost but he is also very well trained. He is protective of the children and sleeps on the landing between their rooms. If I was having strangers round I would introduce them to the dog and he's fine. But if someone came to break in, well... bad luck for them.

[user104658]

Yes, I do already know that... and I haven't got any neighbours. My dog is a family dog first and foremost but he is also very well trained. He is protective of the children and sleeps on the landing between their rooms. If I was having strangers round I would introduce them to the dog and he's fine. But if someone came to break in, well... bad luck for them.

A genuine question though; what if one of your kids has a friend round, they have a falling out, and the friend punches your child in the face? You say the dog is protective of your children but in that scenario there's very real potential for a horrific outcome. No matter how well trained or intelligent a dog is, they can't be expected to understand the nuance that there's a difference between two teenage boys going a few rounds after a falling out, and someone being genuinely attacked.

[Livia]

A genuine question though; what if one of your kids has a friend round, they have a falling out, and the friend punches your child in the face? You say the dog is protective of your children but in that scenario there's very real potential for a horrific outcome. No matter how well trained or intelligent a dog is, they can't be expected to understand the nuance that there's a difference between two teenage boys going a few rounds after a falling out, and someone being genuinely attacked.

My children are small, one and two years. Once they're older then I'll have to think about the dog in relationship to the children... I'm not an idiot.

[Liam-]

I know what you're saying and I agree it is a slippery slope,but what if the burglar had the intent to hurt the homeowner ? .

There's been some horrible crimes where a family or person is quietly at home, and next thing they're being threatened and beaten. Some have been killed just for being in their own homes.

So we'll never know if this intruder was just robbing the place , which is bad enough or whether they were going to cause physical harm.

Exactly, we’ll never know, so using a whole load of what ifs to justify somebody being mauled to death for a crime that would have gotten them a couple years in prison by law, to me, is backwards, how do we congratulate a dog for killing an intruder but expect the same dog to tell the difference between a genuine threat and an innocent one, dogs don’t discriminate when it comes to unknown threats to their territory, whether it be a burglar in their 20’s or 30’s, or a child retrieving a flyaway ball as TS alluded to, to a dog, a threat is a threat, if you’re okay with it killing one of them, you have to acknowledge that there’s a clear possibility that they’ll take it upon themselves to kill the other, and that’s a very dangerous precedent to set.

[Livia]

If you don't break into other people's houses, you will not be killed by their dogs.

[user104658]

If you don't break into other people's houses, you will not be killed by their dogs.

The number of children who have been mauled/killed by dogs simply proves that this statement is objectively not true.

[Marsh.]

Exactly, we’ll never know, so using a whole load of what ifs to justify somebody being mauled to death for a crime that would have gotten them a couple years in prison by law, to me, is backwards, how do we congratulate a dog for killing an intruder but expect the same dog to tell the difference between a genuine threat and an innocent one, dogs don’t discriminate when it comes to unknown threats to their territory, whether it be a burglar in their 20’s or 30’s, or a child retrieving a flyaway ball as TS alluded to, to a dog, a threat is a threat, if you’re okay with it killing one of them, you have to acknowledge that there’s a clear possibility that they’ll take it upon themselves to kill the other, and that’s a very dangerous precedent to set.

Yeah, it's wilfull ignorance of the facts and an "I'm alright, Jack" attitude IMO.

Until the dog attacks them or one of their kids.

[user104658]

Yeah, it's wilfull ignorance of the facts and an "I'm alright, Jack" attitude IMO.

Until the dog attacks them or one of their kids.

I actually knew a kid when I was about 10 whose dog randomly lunged at his mum because she was going bat**** crazy shouting at him and had him backed into a corner... kid looked terrified (but was not actually in physical danger)... dog reacted and took a chunk out of the mum's arm. Was put down :shrug:. I have no doubt that it thought it was doing the right thing, I felt extremely sorry for the dog at the time and I still do, but it's just not the point.

[Kazanne]

Guard dogs are wonderful things, I grew up with Rottweilers and they were natural deterrents without having to be aggressive, they were all soft as brushes and cuddly to a sometimes annoying degree, but when they needed to be they were loud as possible to claim their territory, guard dogs should be trained to attack to protect, not to kill.

Dogs that aren’t trained to be guard dogs, but attack to kill naturally is another thing completely, once a dog gets a taste for blood, I think it would be a very unattainable ideal that they would never do it again in other circumstances.

You can have no sympathy for the burglar, but to think that it’s normal for a couple of dogs to maul someone to death for being in their territory is completely illogical, all it takes is for one kid to wander away from their parents and try and go play with the cute doggies and the ‘they were protecting their home’ argument wouldn’t count for ****

I doubt guard dogs would be wondering loosely ,they were probably contained within the owners garden, and as someone said are most probably fine with people they know or are invited in, guard dogs are there for a reason its all in the name, the dogs may now suffer because some scumbag decided to break in.Thats what some humans do,an animal gets the better of them so they kill it :shrug:

[Marsh.]

I actually knew a kid when I was about 10 whose dog randomly lunged at his mum because she was going bat**** crazy shouting at him and had him backed into a corner... kid looked terrified (but was not actually in physical danger)... dog reacted and took a chunk out of the mum's arm. Was put down :shrug:. I have no doubt that it thought it was doing the right thing, I felt extremely sorry for the dog at the time and I still do, but it's just not the point.

Yeah, exactly. Same happened to a friend of mine with his brother's dog when we were kids. Went for him on Halloween night when they were scrapping over their loot at the end of the night.

He needed stitches and a tetanus jab. Which we all found hilarious as kids (:/) but obviously looking back that could have been so much worse.

[GoldHeart]

Yeah unfortunately random people DO get bitten by dogs for no reason , some owners can't control them . And they don't always bother to keep them on a lead,which is wrong.

Like i said certain breeds are known to be more aggressive.I stay clear of pitbulls, rottweilers,dobermans etc.

[Ashley.]

I think the owners should just be counting themselves lucky that it was somebody threatening harm, and not a close friend or a neighbour on their porch.

Also, for those supportive of not bothering to train their dogs - if you want to protect yourself, then protect yourself. Don't expect an animal who cannot discriminate between good and bad intent to do your protecting for you, only to be put down as a result of your irresponsibility.

[joeysteele]

Do we know if the owner had a sign saying beware of the dogs.

If he had, and it was still attempted to break in, then that's a major risk.

Of course if these dogs were OFF their property and territory, then attacked people not controlled by their owner , of course that would be a different scenario.

How about, if the break in had been successful, the dogs more subdued, then the owner killed if he just came to explore their barking.

Because that's another risk as to breaking into another's home.

[Alf]

If a dog attacks then stand your ground at let them know who's the boss.

[arista]

If a dog attacks then stand your ground at let them know who's the boss.


2 Pit Bulls work as a Deadly Team
He should not have tried to break in.


The Dogs were protecting the owners.

[Alf]

2 Pit Bulls work as a Deadly Team
He should not have tried to break in.


The Dogs were protecting the owners.I'd have just said "down boy, who's a good doggie"

[arista]

Do we know if the owner had a sign saying beware of the dogs.

If he had, and it was still attempted to break in, then that's a major risk.

Of course if these dogs were OFF their property and territory, then attacked people not controlled by their owner , of course that would be a different scenario.

How about, if the break in had been successful, the dogs more subdued, then the owner killed if he just came to explore their barking.

Because that's another risk as to breaking into another's home.


He may have
or maybe not.

He made the Tragic error of picking the most Deadly Home

[arista]

I'd have just said "down boy, who's a good doggie"


They can Smell a Criminal.

[Tom4784]

Deleted Post

[GoldHeart]

I'd have just said "down boy, who's a good doggie"

It's 2 pitbulls ,not 2 baby poodles.

[user104658]

It's 2 pitbulls ,not 2 baby poodles.

To be fair, if a dog is about to attack and you've got nowhere to quickly escape to (should be your first option) then you do actually stand a better chance by being assertive than by trying to run (they will outrun you).

Although it's not likely to work if there's more than one dog. They're pack animals so they'll back down much more easily if they're on their own than if they have backup.

[joeysteele]

He may have
or maybe not.

He made the Tragic error of picking the most Deadly Home

I just feel if he had a warning sign up then really there was a pre warning, yet the major risk was still, by choice, taken to enter to commit crime anyhow in spite of that.

[GoldHeart]

To be fair, if a dog is about to attack and you've got nowhere to quickly escape to (should be your first option) then you do actually stand a better chance by being assertive than by trying to run (they will outrun you).

Although it's not likely to work if there's more than one dog. They're pack animals so they'll back down much more easily if they're on their own than if they have backup.

I'd rather take my chances getting away ,than trying to calm down 2 ANGRY PITBULLS . Unless you have a bag of raw meat to distract them , they'll still likely jump at you.

[Alf]

It's 2 pitbulls ,not 2 baby poodles.I've watched many episodes of "The dog whisperer"

I'd soon show those two who the master is.

[AnnieK]

I hoped reading the article it would give more details and answer my doubts to this story

But it doesn’t and his family have un answered questions to.

One is why the owner didn’t hear anything why these dogs were killing someone in his house or on his porch

Mmm, I agree with this. It's sounds a bit "off". They didn't hear the dogs killing a guy, there would have been noise surely? What about neighbours....surely someone would have heard a guy screaming as he's getting mauled by pitbulls?

[Alf]

Mmm, I agree with this. It's sounds a bit "off". They didn't hear the dogs killing a guy, there would have been noise surely? What about neighbours....surely someone would have heard a guy screaming as he's getting mauled by pitbulls?fhAPvmZJBUc

[thesheriff443]

Mmm, I agree with this. It's sounds a bit "off". They didn't hear the dogs killing a guy, there would have been noise surely? What about neighbours....surely someone would have heard a guy screaming as he's getting mauled by pitbulls?

Definitely rings alarm bells

[user104658]

I'd rather take my chances getting away ,than trying to calm down 2 ANGRY PITBULLS . Unless you have a bag of raw meat to distract them , they'll still likely jump at you.


If you CAN get away it’s always the better option… get behind something, trap them behind something, climb something… whatever… but I mean at times when there’s no chance of that/nowhere to go.