Megan was trying to supervise Pinky, unlike Val's inattention to her dog. That's what this boils down to. I live in this neighborhood and would love to go for long walks, but unfortunately must stay close to home for this very reason. There's too many dogs running loose. Come on people, leash laws are in place because of these attacks. Yes, I said ATTACK!

wow. I just finished reading all the discussion and my overall impression is what a horrible incident all the way around, for everyone involved. Even though I own a dog, I personally am terrified of agressive dogs - big and small. Being put in the same situation, I have no idea how I would react and think it is unfair to pretend that I could predict my reaction. I would like to think I would kick or run... since this was obviously impossible for Ms. Walsh, I can only imagine the terrible fear and horror that overcame her when faced with such a horrible situation. As a dog owner myself I can't imagine the position both owners are now in - both looking at the loss of pets they loved - my heart goes out to both families, I can see how they are both feeling attacked at this point.

You can call me closed minded if it makes you feel better, but I don't care what kind of dog it would have been if the exact same thing would have happened. It just so happened to be a pit bull. I have a young son, and if I had a dog that killed another dog, especially in the way Pinky was killed (which was completly unprovoked and NOT in a dog fight)I would get rid of that dog in a hot second. I would never trust it again. What if it attacked a person the next time? What if it attacked my son? In fact, my son is outside playing frequently at my sister's house. What if he would have been there that day? I am over all the criticism of my sister and the rest of the family. And by the way, it became known that the pit bull was vicious and aggressive the minute it killed another dog, and this woman is appealing to keep it. There is no way in hell I would trade the safety of myself, my family and others for a dog that killed another harmless pet. I could care less if it were a pit bull or a lap dog.

Megan, I am proud of you, you did what you thought was necessary at the time so it's time to stop beating yourself up. Show them what you're made of. Erin, good girl for defending your sister. That's the important part, you too Molly. I am proud of all of you. Things happen and this was so unfortunate for everyone concerned and now the legal system will do the rest. I am sorry for the Val Leakey family because they are fighting their battle also. To all of those people that have written very mean spirited comments and passed judgement on my daughters, you're not even in their league.

BTW: I very proud of Raytown following the ordinance that they put in place, so many cities across the country put laws on the books and don't enforce them. Megan I hope everything works out for you, I can not even begin to imagine what that incident did to you.

Doesn't matter what breed it is ALL DOGS BITE. You read pit bull and you mind goes to this monster of an animal, no it's the owner and the owners responsibility to control their animal. The media will hype anything up to get a story, just the word pit bull catches peoples attention and all they hear is the bad. How many stories do you hear about other breeds attacking. I own a Husky and she attacked or I should say chased one of my rescue kittens, she broke it's back and killed it. She had been raised as a pup with cats, never a problem. Is she aggressive? No. If she were to do it again to another animal would I consider her aggressive, yes. Once is a mistake twice is a problem. Would I have her put down if she were to maim or kill a child...yes I would. My point being is this, all breeds have different characteristics, she's not a pit bull she's a cute fuzzy Snow dog, the type that parents went out and bought their children when the movie came out, they can be unpredictable, but then again any dog or animal for that fact can. doggieDr. My daughter worked at a vet clinic and she was more cautious around the smaller ones then the pits or rotties. Do you know what the most aggressive dog is according to a study? The dreaded Dachshund. I have one of those and I wouldn't trust him around children or smaller animals, even if he were supervised. At least with the Husky I can. Also there is no such breed as a pit bull, it is a title given to all bully breeds. American Stafford Terrier and the others that people say are pits. There is no such breed as a pit bull.

No offense erinwalsh12, but there is not a single animal expert who would agree with your statement. That may be your personal opinion, but it is not based in fact. From the story, this could just as well have been an accident. It sounds like a dog fight to me and not an attack. That the little dog lost does not automatically make the other dog aggressive or vicious. I deal with pit bulls in my practice all the time, and they're never the ones causing problems. My techs get bit quite often by the smaller breeds we treat. This was a sad story - but you should be more open-minded. Dog behavior is much more complex than that.

As soon as a dog kills another dog, it becomes aggressive and vicious, no matter how well behaved it was until that point.

erinwalsh12-I feel terrible about how they're treating your sister. It's absolutely uncalled for. But that's what you get with the media-you'll never get fair and balanced. Someone had to have called them though. And yes, the AC officer did "pick up the dog again"-at the owner's house, b/c under the law they have to impound the dog when it's in violation of the DDO (b/c it wasn't leashed in the fenced yard). I've seen the report. AC returned the dog, b/c it's not vicious-this was an unfortunate, bizarre series of events. There is no reason to be hateful. This dog was raised with kids, lives with two cats, and another dog. It was neutered when it was a puppy, went to obedience courses. The dog is 8 years old and has never been in trouble before. Yes, they should have taken better measures to keep the dog in the yard, but you have no basis to say it was a "known vicious and aggressive dog"-so you must be basing that solely on the fact that it was a pit (and I wish you weren't so closed minded). As for the dog "not being socialized" the AC officer said they did not socialize him "b/c they didn't take him to the DOG PARK"-anyone who knows anything about pit bulls knows you don't take them to dog parks b/c they are full of unstable dogs, and no matter whose fault it is-the pit bull always take the blame if something happens. Peg53 you have to back me up on that. It's not the foaming-at-the-mouth monster, you think it is. There is no reason to villify anyone in this freak accident scenario. Finally, regarding the dog barking and the owner letting it outside off leash-it's an inside dog, so it's not out all the time, and you cannot see their yard from your sister's house, which means someone else is telling you this and they're lying. You should go meet the dog-I'm 100% confident, he would change your opinion.

There's a leash law in KC, it should have been leashed whether the owner is outside with it or not. If it jumps or digs under a fence, tether it. This is not brain surgery people it's conman sense. KC should have held the dog until the owner went to a hearing, another ordinance that's passed and not enforced. Is it KC or Raytown who is handling this? I know that KC is in the process of privatizing the shelter and things are being overlooked. Raytown has passed a DDO 2 years ago this pass July. Is the dog altered? That is the law in KC. BTW: erinwalsh12 you're right about the media, they tend to over dramatize stories.