Conn. Aunt Charged In Tot's Pit Bull Mauling Death

WEST HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut woman has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in the mauling death of her toddler niece by three pit bulls.

Police say 30-year-old Erica Hobdy was also charged Thursday with reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor in the death of 20-month-old Neveah Bryant.

The girl was mauled by three pit bulls on Sept. 30 while she was in Hobdy's apartment. She later died at a hospital.

Hobdy has said the child and dogs were in separate rooms with the door closed when she left to buy a drink. She says she came home to find Neveah had been attacked.

The child's death was ruled an accident by the state medical examiner.

The animals were killed by police.

Comments

[KsAPigButt]

02:22 PM on 12/31/2011

Have you ever seen a dog try to bury something...even if it's in an open spot of carpet, or behind a pillow? Ever seen a dog lie down, turning around several times around before settling down? That's b/c all dogs came from wild cannine ancestors 100s of years ago.

After humans domesticated them, the humans began breeding them, cross breeding them, and changing them to suit the needs of humans. Theyve been genetically engineered. Dogs have been bred to be docile companions, hunters, killers, and more. There are breeds that should never be fully trusted b/c, through no fault of their own, certain dangerous traits can appear out of the blue....EVEN those raised from puppies. It can be sparked by a movement, being frightened or suprised, a sound or noise, or many different situations. It's no fault of the dogs.

If you want to blame anyone. blame those who try to play God with dogs and other animals. Be safe and always do your homework and learn the 'history' of the breed you're interested in.

[pitadvocate]

10:22 AM on 12/28/2011

Aggression is not a breed trait. It is a state of mind. Educate. Educate.Educate.

[mother10]

06:46 PM on 12/28/2011

Stop putting these horrible animals on the same level as children...you aer making me sick with your pit bull promotion...these dogs are KILLERS ! They need to be put to sleep...PERIOD...now go buy a nice dog and be quiet

[averagezoe]

04:23 PM on 12/31/2011

You are an unspeakably stupid person.

[christalt1]

09:49 PM on 12/27/2011

Have people always been this stupid or is it only the ones that make the news??? Incredible!!!

[LynnW49]

04:30 PM on 12/27/2011

Dogs or no dogs, you never leave a 20-month old alone. Ever.

[cmdonatello]

09:53 AM on 12/27/2011

Personally I think the child's parents should be held responsible as well. Why leave your 20-month-old child in a home that has multiple dogs who are well known for their aggressive tendencies?

[amodernaudrey]

11:41 PM on 12/26/2011

I'm happy the woman has been charged but when is our justice system going to learn how to spare the animals in these cases? Not all dogs should be around children! That's just plain fact and that doesn't mean they should instantly be killed after things like this happen. There are NO bad dogs, just bad owners! Owners of any dog need to be careful! All dogs no matter the breed can be aggressive and it's avoidable situations like this that cause the breed of Pit Bulls (and others like them) to get a bad name. Poor child & poor dogs. No one should have had to die. Careless people just make me sick!

[doglove]

01:53 PM on 12/31/2011

And who is going to want to take three pitbulls that just killed a baby? You?

[Aries Warrior]

08:08 PM on 12/26/2011

She left a 20 month old child ALONE to go buy a drink ?

[Julie Takase]

02:42 PM on 12/26/2011

The poor baby. RIP.

[Altruism 101]

02:31 AM on 12/26/2011

The owner needs to be Impounded, for life !

and maybe feed Kibbles and Bits or Kennel Ration dog food !

[Dianna Jacks]

02:11 AM on 12/26/2011

NOW HOW STUPID IS THIS!? WHY LEAVE A 20 MONTH OLD UNATTENDED ANYWAY? BURN B#$% BURN!

[mother10]

07:13 PM on 12/25/2011

I HATE THESE DOGS !

[amodernaudrey]

11:43 PM on 12/26/2011

Don't blame the dogs! There is risk having any animal near small children. We had dogs all my life and although they all had VERY sweet temperaments my mom would never leave me alone with them when I was very young. There are NO bad dogs, just bad owners. It's careless owners like this that give the breeds a bad name!

[pitadvocate]

10:22 AM on 12/28/2011

What you hate is the irresponsible dog owners that instill aggression and nurture that behavior. You tell your child(ren) not to hit. You reprimand that behavior and offer/show another way of interacting like, "use your words" ect. until the behavior is modified into another productive way of expression, correct. Dogs are no different than children. Some people get it, some don't. I would never say I hate a child for it's misdirection like you have said about these dogs. Thank you for continueing the ignorance and stupidity that is killing this breed.

[stjoshy]

04:04 PM on 12/25/2011

i do not think pits are savage off the bat. it depends on the owner and the training it receives. that being said, it is not hard to understand that pits are naturally more aggressive than other types of dogs. its not even something a realistic person would dispute. all of these animals were domesticated and somewhere along the line pits and a few other types of dogs didnt fully get the memo or simply cannot fully shake that from their personality. and this behavior of agression is only heightened if the animal is surrounded by a couple of its comrades from its own species. my heart goes out to the girl and her family.. hopefully they will never allow this to be repeated

[doglove]

05:46 PM on 12/26/2011

I saw your pulled comment to me, how weird. I only tag spam myself, never anything else.

[empress trudy]

03:12 PM on 12/25/2011

We're just holdin it down the hardest hard real ghetto. Don't be racist.

[bridgeman]

11:36 AM on 12/26/2011

????

[allerleirauh]

01:43 AM on 12/25/2011

Not fond of pits since I live next to a woman who had her throat ripped out by one and now talks with a computer. That said, this is not about sweet family pets, I would bet money these were fighting dogs, and this woman or her relatives are involved in dog fighting. Three pits, mom and dad nowhere around, aunt left a three year old alone to go get drunk - yeah, classy folks. The wonder is that this little girl lived this long.

[megsy123]

07:02 AM on 12/25/2011

Silly post of the day award.

Here is what happened, this woman left a baby alone with THREE DOGS. ALONE. so she could buy a drink....

Who would leave a baby alone with ANY dog, ever? Lock her up, throw away the key.

RIP, baby girl.

[Carly Lee]

11:05 PM on 12/24/2011

Would never own one or visit anyone that does...whenever I go walking, I carry a spray bottle of bleach. Bleach is a good thing to use on vicious dogs...pits included. In my sister's neighborhood, while it is an affluent, some of her neighbors let their dogs roam without leaches so carrying something is very necessary.