Oh the irony: Pit bull advocate mauled and killed by... her pit bull
91 replies, posted
[release][h2]Pit bull mauling of pregnant Pacifica woman remains a mystery[/h2]
[url=http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_18671143?nclick_check=1][b]//Source:[/b] Mercury News[/url]
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[img]http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site568/2011/0812/20110812_051228_napora_GALLERY.jpg[/img]
[i]Pit bull mauling victim Darla Napora with her husband, Greg, of Pacifica, Calif.[/i]
A day after the family's pit bull fatally attacked his pregnant wife, Greg Napora said Friday he doesn't blame the dog. He even plans to bury his spouse, Darla, with their pet's cremated remains in her casket.
"They are the most loving animals I have ever had in my life. Whatever happened right now was not the breed's fault," said Napora, who found his wife dead when he returned to the couple's Pacifica home from his construction job with plans to take her to lunch Thursday. "It was just a freak accident."
Police shot and killed the dog, named Gunner, when they say he approached emergency workers, but Greg Napora said Gunner didn't charge them, as was reported by some media outlets.
Horrified neighbors left flowers in front of the tiny white house on Reina Del Mar Avenue, where a "Beware of the Dog" sign hung from the fence. Darla Napora loved her dogs -- 2-year-old male Gunner and a 6-year-old female pit bull, Tazi -- family said, and was an avid supporter of Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit bulls, or Bad Rap, which seeks to change attitudes toward the polarizing breed.
She was also ecstatic about being pregnant with the couple's first child, said her mother, Sandy Robinson, of Seattle, who described Darla as the "heart of the family."
"She was the one who held the family together," Robinson said.
[i]Greg Napora said he does not know why Gunner, who the couple had raised from a puppy, attacked his wife.
Investigators also have no idea what may have led to the attack but hope an autopsy of Darla Napora and a necropsy of the dog will give them clues.[/i]
Greg Napora said he left for work about 8 a.m. as his wife was asleep with both dogs in the bed. When he arrived home about noon, he found the dog standing over her body and made a frantic 911 call.
Greg Napora declined to discuss what happened next, but police said his hands were cut while wrestling the dog into another room. Neighbors reported seeing him screaming and covered in his wife's blood as emergency crews worked to save her.
Pacifica police Capt. Dave Bertini said investigators have some theories about what happened but are waiting for exam results, which they hope to have back in a few weeks. Police said, however, they have no reason to believe foul play was involved.
"But you never know, so that is why we're waiting for the reports to make sure we didn't miss anything," Bertini said.
Peninsula animal care officers took custody of the couple's other pit bull, Tazi, and are examining her as part of their effort to piece together the attack. Police said that dog was not involved in the woman's death.
The two dogs may have had a fight, said Scott Delucchi, spokesman for the Peninsula Humane Society. But he said it was also possible that Gunner was provoked by something getting in the way of food or a toy he wanted.
"We don't know what triggered this," Delucchi said. "Nobody knows."
The family wants to get their surviving dog back as soon as possible.
"Tazi is kind of our rock. Right now we need her back," Robinson said. "It's what Greg has left right now."
In the meantime, the excruciating loss had begun to sink in for Darla Napora's devastated family.She was in the early stages of pregnancy, and the two would-be parents, who were married three years ago in Las Vegas, had decided against finding out the gender of their baby.
"It would have been a surprise for all of us," Robinson said.
A native of Yakima, Wash., Darla Napora was an organizer of family functions, but was also known for an ability to sense when someone needed help.
It was perhaps that spirit that led her into work behind a bar, which she had done since coming to the Bay Area more than 11 years ago. She managed the bar at the high-end 231 Ellsworth Restaurant in San Mateo, and also sold wine for a brokerage.
Chris Templin, general manager for 231 Ellsworth, where Darla Napora worked almost every night of the week, got a call just before 5 p.m. Thursday. It was Greg Napora.
"He was very upset," Templin said. "And he said Darla wouldn't be coming in to work."
She had a talent for making drinks by simply asking customers what they were in the mood for and coming up with her own concoctions, Templin said. "She always came to work with a smile on her face."
The family did not want funeral arrangements to be made public and have asked the public to respect their privacy.
This death has reignited a fierce debate about whether pit bulls should be allowed as pets.
[u]The anti-pit bull set is calling for a ban of the dogs, but those who run groups like Bad Rap cite the adorable attributes of pit bulls and point fingers at other breeds of dogs that bite and maul.
In a study by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association between 1978 and 1998, pit bulls topped the list of known breeds to have killed people, followed by Rottweilers, German shepherds, huskies and Doberman pinschers.[/u]
[u]But pit bulls aren't necessarily the problem[/u], Delucchi said, [u]although even pit bull supporters would admit that "bigger dogs can do a whole lot more damage."[/u]
[u]It's often that people ignore or don't see signs of fear or aggression in an animal and, therefore, don't "take care of the problem immediately,"[/u] Delucchi said.
Neither Tazi nor Gunner had formal complaints against them, Delucchi said, and by all accounts "they were good dogs."
If that proves to be true in Tazi's case, Delucchi said the humane society would be happy to give her back to Greg Napora.
"He lost his wife and his unborn child, and the dog is what he has left," Delucchi said. "Getting Tazi back would be the only good outcome."
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[b]UPDATE:[/b]
[h2]Coroner: Prelim Autopsy Results Show Pit Bull "Responsible For This Attack"[/h2]
[url=http://pacifica.patch.com/articles/coroner-prelim-autopsy-results-show-pit-bull-responsible-for-this-attack][b]//Source:[/b] Pacifica Patch[/url]
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[i]Darla Napora died of loss of blood and shock. Teeth impressions from the two-year-old male pit bull match her wounds. No evidence of other trauma was on her body.[/i]
[b]Update 8/16 2p.m.: [url=http://pacifica.patch.com/articles/female-pit-bull-released-to-husband-of-mauling-victim]Female Pit Bull Released to Husband of Mauling Victim[/url][/b]
Preliminary results from the autopsy conducted on Darla Napora - who police believe was [url=http://pacifica.patch.com/articles/pregnant-pacifica-woman-killed-by-pet-pit-bull]mauled and killed[/url] by her pet pit bull on Thursday - and from the necropsy conducted on the suspect dog have been released.
According to a pathologist and two odontologists (bite experts) - one of whom had experience with recent dog attacks in the Bay Area at the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office - Napora died of a loss of blood from dog bites coupled with shock.
The 32-year-old Pacifica woman, who was pregnant at the time, lived at 588 Reina Del Mar Avenue with her husband and two pet pit bulls.
The [url=http://pacifica.patch.com/articles/officials-check-pit-bull-for-cause-of-fatal-attack-on-pregnant-woman]preliminary results[/url] of the necropsy on the suspect two-year-old male unneutered pit bull that was shot by police shortly after they arrived at Napora’s residence on Thursday show that the dog was responsible for the attack, Pacifica Police Chief Jim Tasa said.
The evidence included hair and tissue sample removed from the dog. Teeth impressions from the dog match wounds on the victim, said Chief Tasa.
Teeth impressions were also taken of the family’s other pit bull, a female. No evidence shows that this dog was involved in the attack, said Chief Tasa. The Peninsula Humane Society took the dog after the incident to be inspected by a veterinarian.
There was no evidence of any other trauma to Napora’s body, the preliminary results of the autopsy show.
Complete and final reports on both the autopsy and necropsy won’t be available for another two or three weeks, Chief Tasa said.
Police also served a search warrant on Napora’s residence on Friday to collect fluid evidence to piece together the events of Thursday.
What police do know is that Napora’s husband, Greg, called 911 just after noon on Thursday to report what he believed to be a dog attack. He found his wife lying in the front room of their home and the male pit bull standing over her when he returned from work shortly before.
When police arrived, the victim was unresponsive and not breathing. While first responders were examining her body, the dog escaped from the back yard and began approaching them. Police shot the dog three times, killing it.
Greg Napora told police that the pit bull had been secured in the backyard before he left for work that morning.
After examining the scene, police believed that the dog had mauled and killed the victim. Emergency staff could not revive the victim.[/release]
A damn shame, specially since she was pregnant.
I don't know what to make out of all of this; on the one hand, you have 2 loving, caring people who (as far as we know) take good care of their dogs... on the other hand, such vicious attack indicates that that dog certainly wasn't playing. There's [b]NO[/b] mention whatsoever in any article about those dogs being trained or anything of the sort, which is pretty suspicious.
I expect a heated debate over this, people. Let's hear it.
Don't get a pitbull as a pet, simple as that. Get a super cool chihuahua.
first thought when i read the title
[img]http://images.blastro.com/images/blog-images/Pitbull2.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Squarebob;31775845]Don't get a pitbull as a pet, simple as that. Get a super cool chihuahua.[/QUOTE]
Say no to chihuahuas, it's the humane thing to do to the society.
[QUOTE=Squarebob;31775845]Don't get a pitbull as a pet, simple as that. Get a super cool chihuahua.[/QUOTE]chihuahuas are the most annoying dog in the fucking WORLD
[QUOTE=Mon;31775872]first thought when i read the title
[img]http://images.blastro.com/images/blog-images/Pitbull2.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]All of his songs sound the same
[QUOTE=Shiftyze;31775895]All of his songs sound the same[/QUOTE]
he knows you want him
[QUOTE=Squarebob;31775845]Don't get a pitbull as a pet, simple as that. Get a super cool chihuahua.[/QUOTE]Chihuahuas are only useful as (american) footballs and baseballs.
[QUOTE=Mon;31775872]first thought when i read the title
[img]http://images.blastro.com/images/blog-images/Pitbull2.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
You fail.
[img]http://sae.tweek.us/static/images/emoticons/emot-regd09.gif[/img]
That's terrible, now the dog has to pit down as well.
[QUOTE=Jacam12SUX;31775886]chihuahuas are the most annoying dog in the fucking WORLD[/QUOTE]
Also, this. I'll never understand how people like that dog...
I'd rather have a cat; way more quiet and cleaner.
[QUOTE=Squarebob;31775845]Don't get a pitbull as a pet, simple as that. Get a super cool chihuahua.[/QUOTE]
chihuahua's are more vicious and aggressive than pit bulls. in fact pit bulls are one of the most well behaved dogs around.
Pitbulls are more aggressive than most dogs by nature, but if trained properly they are just as friendly as any other dogs. This one obviously wasn't trained well. I have 9 large breed dogs, which some people find scary, but they are all properly trained. You really can't blame the dog for its actions, only the owner.
I own a pitbull.
It's the biggest wimp dog in the fucking world, as much as I love him.
My little tiny ChowChow/Miniature Pinscher is more "vicious" than him.
[QUOTE=its shortie;31775961]Pitbulls are more aggressive than most dogs by nature, but if trained properly they are just as friendly as any other dogs. This one obviously wasn't trained well. I have 9 large breed dogs, which some people find scary, but they are all properly trained. You really can't blame the dog for its actions, only the owner.[/QUOTE]
no they have very low violence to humans. they are more aggressive to other dogs due to their breeding, but also due to their breeding they are very loyal and loving dogs, to humans.
[QUOTE=its shortie;31775961]Pitbulls are more aggressive than most dogs by nature, but if trained properly they are just as friendly as any other dogs. This one obviously wasn't trained well. I have 9 large breed dogs, which some people find scary, but they are all properly trained. You really can't blame the dog for its actions, only the owner.[/QUOTE]
I agree. That's why I said it's strange there's no mention of the dog's training in any article...
[QUOTE=Squarebob;31775845]Don't get a pitbull as a pet, simple as that. Get a super cool chihuahua.[/QUOTE]
Chihuahuas are among the most likely breeds of dog to bite people. Contrary to popular belief, smaller dogs tend to be MORE vicious, rather than less. This is commonly mis-reported simply because they generally fail to do any serious damage on account of being the size of large rats.
Meanwhile huskies get tagged as being "dangerous" despite actually being among the most friendly breed of dog out there. They are, however, pure muscle. So if one decides to go off the reservation, they can do considerably more damage than most breeds of dogs could ever hope to.
In related news, you have to fail really hard at life to get killed by a dog. Seriously. I have a doberman capable of bending steel bars in order to escape any kennel she is placed in. But at the end of the day, I am still three times her size and can pick her up and slam her into a wall if I desired.
[editline]16th August 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=mastermaul;31775978]I own a pitbull.
It's the biggest wimp dog in the fucking world, as much as I love him.
My little tiny ChowChow/Miniature Pinscher is more "vicious" than him.[/QUOTE]
You mixed Chow and Pinscher. No shit it is more vicious.
[QUOTE=GunFox;31776175]Chihuahuas are among the most likely breeds of dog to bite people. Contrary to popular belief, smaller dogs tend to be MORE vicious, rather than less. This is commonly mis-reported simply because they generally fail to do any serious damage on account of being the size of large rats.
In related news, you have to fail really hard at life to get killed by a dog. Seriously. I have a doberman capable of bending steel bars in order to escape any kennel she is placed in. But at the end of the day, I am still three times her size and can pick her up and slam her into a wall if I desired.
[editline]16th August 2011[/editline]
You mixed Chow and Pinscher. No shit it is more vicious.[/QUOTE]
Thing is, you're a grown man.
A pregnant woman of presumably smaller stature than you is going to have a lot more trouble slamming a snapping pit bull into a wall.
[QUOTE=GunFox;31776175]In related news, you have to fail really hard at life to get killed by a dog. Seriously. I have a doberman capable of bending steel bars in order to escape any kennel she is placed in. But at the end of the day, I am still three times her size and can pick her up and slam her into a wall if I desired.[/QUOTE]
But... can you do the same while asleep, hmm?
[QUOTE=fskman;31776224]Thing is, you're a grown man.
A pregnant woman of presumably smaller stature than you is going to have a lot more trouble slamming a snapping pit bull into a wall.[/QUOTE]
And she is still going to have a considerable size edge and the benefits of adrenaline. Not to mention hands. Hands weren't really on the list of things most predators evolved to counter. Grabbing their muzzle and simply holding it shut has put a stop to every dog I have ever met. They don't have enough jaw strength to counter it.
[editline]16th August 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Pretiacruento;31776228]But... can you do the same while asleep, hmm?[/QUOTE]
I doubt the dog just got up and chewed her throat out in the middle of the night.
[QUOTE=GunFox;31776249]I doubt the dog just got up and chewed her throat out in the middle of the night.[/QUOTE]
Yeah but the article says her husband left her at 8am, while she was still sleeping, with both dogs in their bed...
My guess is the dog attacked her while she was sleeping :/
[QUOTE=Pretiacruento;31776228]But... can you do the same while asleep, hmm?[/QUOTE]
If a dog killed someone while they were lying there sleeping, then there's something wrong with the dog no matter what breed it is.
[editline]16th August 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Pretiacruento;31776281]Yeah but the article says her husband left her at 8am, while she was still sleeping, with both dogs in their bed...
My guess is the dog attacked her while she was sleeping :/[/QUOTE]
Hmm, maybe the two dogs started fighting and she woke up and tried to stop it? whatever happened, still something wrong with the dog or the way it was raised, not the breed.
[QUOTE=Squarebob;31775845]Don't get a pitbull as a pet, simple as that. Get a super cool chihuahua.[/QUOTE]
I have a pitbull and she's the nicest dog you'll see.
I've never seen her act violent, but then again my family treats her well.
I hate it when I see people needlessly hate on pitbulls when its most of time not their fault.
[QUOTE=deathrat;31776332]If a dog killed someone while they were lying there sleeping, then there's something wrong with the dog no matter what breed it is.[/QUOTE]
You bet your ass!
[QUOTE=deathrat;31776332]Hmm, maybe the two dogs started fighting and she woke up and tried to stop it?[/QUOTE]
That'd be a valid possibility... although the other dog doesn't show any signs of injuries (that is, if they did fight, on her bed, while she was sleeping), judging by the articles.
why would anyone want a pitbull, there are other dogs who are nicer, less likely to kill you and not as fucking ugly
[QUOTE=GunFox;31776175]You mixed Chow and Pinscher. No shit it is more vicious.[/QUOTE]
The chow is just laid back lazy and the Pinscher is just yappy.
Their offspring is a bit untrusting to strangers but he's still the most adorable thing in the world.
Pitbulls have been inbred to the point where their only purpose is being vicious guard dogs.
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