Pit bulls' owner guilty in mauling death of stepgrandson

[XemaSab]

A Concord man was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and two other felonies Friday after his three pit bulls fatally mauled his 2-year-old stepgrandson in the garage of their Concord home in 2010.

Steven Hayashi was also convicted of child endangerment and owning a mischievous animal that kills a human. He faces up to 10 years in prison in connection with the death of Jacob Bisbee at the family's home on Trailcreek Court.

In a jailhouse interview with The Chronicle a day later, Steven Hayashi said he didn't believe he was "totally responsible" for Jacob's death, but acknowledged that he had ignored warning signs, including when one of his dogs killed his Chihuahua.

Before the tragedy, Hayashi said he had always believed that pit bull owners - and not the dogs themselves - were the problem.

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Pit-bulls-owner-guilty-in-mauling-death-of-5396373.php

[SevenSixtyTwo]

1. I hear that a lot.

It's not the dogs, it's the owner. I agree. If the dog kills or mauls someone, the owner should be charged as if the owner committed the act himself.

[leftyladyfrommo]

2. That's true for any dog owner.

Any dog can be potentially dangerous. All dog owners need to be aware of this and make sure that their animal is under control at all times. And that is especially true if an owner decides to own one of the breeds that has the potential to really hurt either a human or other animals.

Many pitbulls are OK with people but can be very aggressive towards other dogs. Same is true of mastiffs. You just really have to stay on top of this all the time.

[SevenSixtyTwo]

3. I agree!

Didn't mean to imply pit bulls alone. I had a beautiful brindle pit bull years ago. He growled at me one time in a threatening manner. I loaded his happy ass up in the truck and took him to the SPCA. I couldn't take the chance with my two toddlers around him. Then we wound up with a miniature dachshund that was more temperamental but wimpy and not capable of mauling the kids or even an adult to death. Raise your voice at her and she'd roll over and wet herself. I miss that little hound.