Again, tragedy has struck down an innocent child — and again, the tragedy was avoidable. Former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter has died, a day after strangling on a cord left dangling from a treadmill at her Phoenix, AZ home.

The treadmill wasn’t turned on, but clearly the cord was still dangerous. Normally such cords are clipped at one end to a treadmill user, so if the person falls, the cord will pull out of the machine at the other end and turn it off. In this case, little Exodus Tyson’s weight apparently wasn’t enough to pull out the cord, which instead became a noose.

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Often the key to fixing a problem is to overcome denial. That’s why AA members confront their demons and proclaim themselves alcoholics, rather than pretending they’re just social drinkers. But many pit bull owners are different. While the canine carnage continues, they’re in denial, ceaselessly ranting that pit bulls are wonderful dogs and why don’t other people quit casting them in a bad light?

We don’t because we, at least, are not in denial. We are well aware that virtually any pit bull can be a dangerous dog, and we wonder why people buy such potential killers when they could have, instead, a sweet little mutt.

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Americans love their dogs. But can you love your dog too much, by allowing him or her to run loose?

A leash? Too much trouble. Spot’s just going outside with me while I get the mail — big deal. Besides, he’d never hurt anyone — at least until that first time.

But that first time could put you in jail, get your dog euthanized and cost you thousands of dollars in a civil lawsuit. That’s because you are responsible for your dog’s behavior, and unless you’ve managed to get past the dog-human language barrier or to read your dog’s mind, you really don’t know if, when and how your beloved pooch might attack another person.

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When an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning struck thousands of Americans last fall, federal investigators spent months seeking the proverbial “smoking gun.” In short, they spent months trying to pinpoint the origin and responsibility of an onslaught which sickened and even killed.

First they targeted tomatoes, and eventually jalapeno peppers, then Serrano peppers. Finally the “smoking gun” turned out to be a Mexican farm from which the corrupted Serrano peppers entered the food supply.

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Many dogs are friendly — even law-abiding. But many other dogs are aggressive –  some of them so much so that they can kill. On Sunday in Chicago, three dogs — including two Rottweiler canines — attacked and killed a 4-year-old boy. Days earlier, a Rottweiler attacked and injured two small girls in nearby Joliet, Ill.

In Chicago, Houston and many other cities, leash laws require dog owners to keep their dogs confined, either in a house, in a fenced yard or on a leash. No dog is supposed to be running loose at any time or anywhere. Yet many people routinely allow their dogs out the front door, figuring they can control them for the brief time they’re romping in the front yard.

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Millions of Americans enjoy the rugged thrills of riding the little go-getters known as ATVs. But if you’re one of them, do you know what you drive? Is it an ATV — an all terrain vehicle –  or perhaps a UTV, a utility terrain vehicle? And do you have legal protection if such a vehicle fails you and causes an injury?

While ATV is an umbrella term for the small off-road recreational vehicles whose sales have topped seven million units, Yamaha would rather call its Rhino a UTV.

Why? Because designating the Rhino differently relieves Yamaha from federal safety standards applied to ATVs. And because muddying the waters with rotating terms confuses regulators with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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Last month, a Michigan woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison when four of her bulldogs got loose from her property and, without provocation, attacked and killed two people. This week, such justice was applied for the first time in Texas.

A couple who live near Breckenridge in North Central Texas has been convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison after their pit bull dogs killed a 7-year-old neighbor.

This is Texas’ first conviction under a new law which holds dog owners responsible when their animals are unsecured and wind up injuring or killing someone in an unprovoked attack off their property. Such a tragedy would not occur if dog owners were not negligent of their duty to protect others.

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For anyone who thinks they aren’t responsible for their pet dog’s behavior, think again. A woman in Michigan has been sentenced to spend up to 15 years in prison because her bulldogs mauled and killed two people.

The woman had a horse farm on her property, about 45 miles west of Detroit, but the fence surrounding it was inadequate to keep her 10 dogs from leaving the property. Four of the dogs attacked and killed a 91-year-old man who was standing in his driveway and also killed a 56-year-old woman who was jogging nearby.

The woman also must pay restitution, and she will serve at least 43 months in prison. Her 10 dogs have been euthanized by authorities.

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It’s often said that “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist” to understand certain things. In Houston, we fully embrace that concept, given the fact that our city does, in fact, have rocket scientists. But people in Houston or anywhere can appreciate a no-brainer, and one is that pit bull dogs — while not always dangerous — do, in fact, cause great harm to many people.

The latest tragic case involved a 10-year-old boy in Michigan who was left home alone while his parents were out of town and his older brother neglected him. When the brother returned home, his younger sibling was being attacked by the family’s pit bull — attacked so badly that his right arm had to be amputated and he was in a hospital in serious condition. (more…)

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Pit bulls are no laughing matter. Unfortunately, some people think it’s funny to inflict pit bulls on others, and they don’t see why everyone shouldn’t find the same twisted humor in them.

Take comedian Andy Dick – please. He reportedly tried to check in at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas last weekend while accompanied by his pit bull – which then bit a guest. Dick was not admitted to the facility.

I can just see a dictionary’s entry for the term “no-brainer,” to wit: no-brain-er (noun) refusing Andy Dick and his pit bull admittance to your facility.

Dick is a gleefully offensive performer who’s known for pushing envelopes of witless vulgarity and mindless tawdriness while making a complete nuisance of himself. So he probably thought bringing a belligerent pit bull to a hotel where guests were trying to relax and enjoy themselves would be most amusing.

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