On July 29, 2007, a 6-month-old pit bull in Bath, New York, killed 6-year-old Sabin Jones-Abbott of Steuben County, New York. The boy had been feeding the dog minutes before the attack.

In 2007, the USA has seen 17 canine homicides to date. 10 have been in "one bite states," where the courts actually protect dog owners from their own negligence, even if it results in the death of another person. There are only 18 "one-bite states."

In states where every dog gets one free bite, less vigilance is required of dog owners, which probably results in more deaths. Two more deaths were in states having dog bite statutes which substantially confirm the one-bite rule (i.e., Tennessee and New York). The states that lead the 2007 death toll are Texas (6) and Georgia (3).

For details about killings prior to this month, see Dangerous and Vicious Dogs. To learn about the deadly "one bite rule," click here.

A reporter at a major newspaper is looking for dog bite victims who've been bitten at hotels. If you or someone you know has been bitten recently at a hotel, please contact travelwriter8@gmail.com.

On July 23, 2007, 11-month-old Trey Paeth of Florence, Ala., was killed in Putnam County, Tenn., by two Siberian huskies. The boy was in a screened playpen, and the dogs bit and clawed their way through it to maul him to death. His parents were in another room and did not hear anything. The dogs later were destroyed.

This is the USA's 16th canine homicide in 2007.

Tennessee recently passed a dog bite statute imposing strict liability on dog owners whose dogs attack people -- except where the attack happens on the property of the dog owner. This very significant loophole was not in Sen. Doug Jackson's original bill, which I assisted in drafting. The loophole was added by the house. It made the Tennessee dog bite statute the only one in the USA that actually affirms the ancient and inhumane one-bite rule of England.

Hopefully this tragic fatality will enlighten the Tennessee legislature and cause them to pass clean-up legislation next year, cutting this loophole out of the dog bite statute.

Today the commissioner of football ordered Michael Vick, the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, to absent himself from the team until further notice. Vick was indicted for promoting and engaging in dogfighting, in violation of federal law.

If you love animals in general, watch the video of the "dancing" horse, linked below. Years ago, I myself studied this sport, called dressage. The horse and rider in this astonishing video demonstrate what greatness the bond between humans and animals can produce.

Watch the video...

A reader of this site responded to the post about Michael Vick:

This is VERY VERY VERY COMMON in Columbus, Georgia, Phenix City, Alabama, and surrounding area.

I moved to a neighborhood in Columbus a couple of years ago where basically "everybody and their mama" has a pit bull or pit bulls chained up in their yards at about every other house through the whole neighborhood. You know these dogs are used for nothing but fighting.. a lot are scarred up.

The owners NEVER NEVER do anything with these dogs while they are spending so much time outside around their homes.

(For the entire post, click on the link, below.)

"The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal," says the NFL about the dogfighting indictment against Michael Vick, the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. A federal grand jury has indicted him and three others on charges related to their alleged operation of a dogfighting ring based at a property Vick owns in southeastern Virginia. (Read the article about it.)

These activities are worse than that. Dogfighting indirectly causes injuries to children. People who engage in it are creating vicious animals. When these animals -- called pit bulls -- end up in the street, they prey upon the weak, including children and seniors.

Do you love dogs? Do you love pit bulls? Are you against cruelty toward animals? Do you want to keep our streets safe so our kids can play and our seniors can tend their gardens without fear? If so, raise your voice against the so-called "dog men." Demand enforcement of the criminal prohibition against dogfighting. If you suspect that dogfighting is going on in your neighborhood, call the police.