Authorities in Carroll County arrested 41-year-old Florence Pauley of Clem Monday on charges of reckless conduct and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of her child several days ago. Her daughter had been mauled to death by a Rottweiler that was chained on an unfenced lawn.

Chained dogs get mean and dangerously aggressive toward people. If this Rottweiler were not chained in an area that the child could get to, this death would not have happened. So far, the owner of the killer dog is going scot-free. The mother did not kill the child. Why are authorities going after the mother and not the owner of the dog?

Authorities in Georgia and around the USA need to put the blame where it belongs: on the dog owners who chain their dogs and thereby make them dangerous to children and others. Many cities have made chaining a crime for just this reason.

Today a Rottweiler, chained in its owner's unfenced front yard, killed 5-year-old Tiffany Pauley of Carroll County, GA (45 miles from Atlanta). The little girl lived just a few houses away.

Children need to be taught how to be safe around dogs. Adults need to learn that chaining a dog makes it aggressive toward people. "Chaining" means tying the dog to something stationary, using a rope, chain or leash. Many cities are now making it illegal to chain a dog for more than a few moments. For more about chaining, see Why Dogs Bite People.

Georgia has had three canine homicides this year. Texas has had 6. There have been a total of 14 throughout the USA in 2007.

In June 2007, Tennessee enacted a dog bite statute that rejects the one-bite rule for some dog attacks, but confirms it for others.

Under new section 44-8-413, dog owners are strictly liable for dog bites and other losses caused by a dog that occur when the dog is not under reasonable control on the dog owner's premises, or when it is running at large off the premises. However, the statute affirms the requirement of proving scienter -- in other words, affirms the one-bite rule -- if the accident happens on residential property, a farm, or "other noncommercial property," and the dog belongs to the owner, lessee or invitee of that property. The law contains numerous exceptions and contradictions. For more, see Tennessee on the Dog Bite Law website.

The state also enacted laws that increase the penalties for dogs running at large, and dogs trained to attack. Furthermore, it increased the penalty for being a spectator at a dog fight.

Logan Palomo, a six-year-old Houston-area boy, was mauled by a pit bull when the boy tried to give the dog a goodnight hug.

I do not favor breed bans. However, I am 100% in favor of teaching dog safety to kids, including providing information about the breeds that can cause the greatest injuries.

Parents should teach their children to avoid all fighting breeds and guard dog breeds. As an adult with the right of free speech, you can debate the appropriateness of breed bans all you want, and you can be as politically correct on this issue as you feel is necessary. However, you must not neglect your children's safety. Forbid them from attempting to hug pit bulls, Rottweilers, Chows, Akitas or any other fighting dogs or guard dogs.

So far this month, no Americans have died as a result of being attacked by a dog. Our neighbors in Canada have not been as lucky: a 17-month-old girl perished after being mauled by her grandparents' chained dog near Ottawa on Sunday, July 1st.

Although the "authorities" called this "unpredictable," it is well known that chaining a dog substantially increases its aggression and propensity to attack humans. For more about chaining, see Why Dogs Bite People.

Today, Mary Diana Bernal, 62, of Dallas, Texas, was killed by a pit bull owned by her brother in law, Eliasar Macias. "My dog never had any problems. He was a real friendly dog until now," Macias said. This killing happened in Daytona Beach, Florida, and the dog was in very poor health.

This month, two Americans died as a result of being attacked by a dog. On June 17, 2007, a 1-year-old Chow killed its owner, Phyllis G. Carroll, 63, in Connersville, Indiana.