Any folks in the South Carolina area where this happened know any more about this terrible killling? The little article on MSN said it was a retriever-Labrador that killed the child. I have been in Labs for 30 years and have never had one EVER show any aggression toward a child! That is the reason they are the top dog. I am getting worried if it really was a Lab, I hate seeing Labs fight at shows and growl and jump at the front of their crates when people or dogs go by! German Wirehaired were known for aggression and killing other dogs in their kennels if they could get to them and I am hearing this is happening in Labs. In the past year I know that a top Breeder Judge had to have tons of stitches in one of her bitches because of a terrible fight, another Lab Breeder Judge has dogs that fence fight all the time pulling teeth out. Yes, those are just two folks but they have many dogs that they breed and send pups from those dogs out to families. I can't be the only one who knows of aggression happening in our breed! I think many are just keeping it on the down low because they don't want to take that beautiful show winning, health cleared dog out of their program. Years ago the number one dog put to sleep at the Vet Clinic I worked at because of aggression was the Cocker Spanial. We don't want the Lab to go in that direction!! I know with the kind of numbers that we have in Labs a few bad apples don't come close to spoiling the bunch but we have to throw those bad apples out of our breeding programs and not candy coat them no matter what titles they have or we are going to see more of these problems.. We have coats, bone, tails and heads but with out the trust and kindness what do you really have? JMHO

Just read an article but can't find the link. According to THAT article, it was a retriever mix that had been adopted by the family a couple weeks ago. Baby was in a swing outside the bedroom where dad was sleeping with a 3 year old. Mom had taken a 7 year sibling to the doctor. Not known if the baby had already passed before being mauled. Dog was taken from home and was in a pen behind the sheriff's office....
Something sounds off to me....seems dad should have heard something.

I didn;t look at the link, but from your posts, this sounds exactly like an incident that was discussed on this forum quite some time ago. Perhaps, this is follow up on that story?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/aiden-mcgrew-killed-dismembered-dog_n_1442092.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D153948

I think this link should get you there. It has yesterday's date on it, but you never know if the news service made an error. I do remember the other story....

"Aiden McGrew's mother called 911 when she got home around 11 a.m. and discovered the boy's leg was severed by a retriever mix the family had taken into the home a few weeks earlier, Dorchester County deputies said."

"She said the family's second dog was a yellow lab and she had never seen the smaller dog that had been taken away by deputies."

It says "by a retriever mix" That does not imply "Labrador Retriever". And the other quote, "the smaller dog that had been taken away by deputies" is NOT the "yellow Lab" that was the family's second dog.

A retriever mix, hmmmm... Any guesses what that retriever was mixed with? It's very sad, but don't get the facts of this story mixed up. It does NOT say it was a Labrador Retriever mix that mauled the child.

Yes, there are vicious purebred Labrador Retrievers out there. I've seen them. I've seen them at Specialty Shows and it's embarrassing to call them a Labrador.

I have not heard a word of this and you know the news these days. Always like to tell the bad stuff. Sad. But anything black in rescue is called a Lab Retriever. And sorry to say there are alot of Pits in the South. So could be any sort of dog. Also, only know of one Kennel down this way that is known for the bad temperaments. Have seen that action ring side once in a while.

They had a news report on Fox8 News - local - yesterday. They were calling it a Lab retriever mix, but who knows what it really is?

So so sad.

They will call a black pit bull a Lab mix so it can get adopted.

To start with, the child was an infant - not a 2 year old. I've seen a picture of the dog, and I don't really see anything "labbish" about it. It's a yellow dog, fluffy, looks more shepherd-mix to me. The dog looks friendly and happy and according to the paper behaves that way, too.

The story isn't making a lot of sense to me. Nobody heard a thing, including a parent who was sleeping in the next room? Other children were home at the time, including school aged children (during school hours, btw). The baby was left in a swing while a parent was in bed? I just hope they don't destroy the dog before they get all of the facts. This whole thing is so sad.

Another example of irresponsible ownership. A mixed breed should be called a mixed breed. Never should an actual breed be named because no one knows what is actually in the DNA!

We live in the south and any dog who is black, yellow or dark brown is labeled a Lab or Lab mix. Most often, it is obvious that the dogs are mixed but even dogs who are labeled "purebred Labs" are clearly mixed with something. Rescue groups add Lab to the description just to move the dog or just out of lack of knowledge of breeds.

You don't see a lot of bred to standard Labs in our area so people don't know what they look like. I get asked all the time what my dogs are and get cross-eyed looks when I tell them they are Labs!!

As far as the Pit comments, those comments are generalizations. I do understand why people would say this dog who attacked the child was probably a Pit Bull. But I have rescued MANY Pits and Pit mixes, some who have come with a litter in tow. And they have ALL been some of the most delightful, easy going, loyal dogs we have ever rescued.

The south is a rough area for dogs. It's getting better but the mindset is still such that people do not want to be told what to do with their dogs. They don't want to be told that they have to treat it humanely let alone train it, spay or neuter it, exercise it etc. So many of the dogs who end up in shelters have had a very rough start and may have the potential to snap and do what this dog did. But so many of them turn out to be wonderful family pets, too.

The south is one place where people still have a lot of liberties; you can leave garbage on your lawns, you can let your house fall apart, you can treat your animals the way you want, ha, you can even light fires and drive on the beaches here!!!

Unfortunately, dogs are getting the short end of the stick sometimes when it comes to personal freedoms here.....a bit of a sad dilemma.