Manslaughter Charges for mother of dog mauling

[Cookiely]

I can't believe this mother locked her son in the basement. What if there had been a fire? Why didn't she lock the dogs out of the house? Is she insane? Does she sound normal?
Mother of mauling victim feared family dog
Shut boy in basement while she ran errands
Sunday, June 12, 2005 Posted: 1:56 PM EDT (1756 GMT)
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- The mother of a 12-year-old boy killed in his own home by one of the family's two pit bulls says she had been so concerned about one of the dogs that she shut her son in the basement to protect him.

Maureen Faibish said she ordered Nicholas to stay in the basement while she did errands on June 3, the day he was attacked by one or both of the dogs.

She said she was worried about the male dog, Rex, who was acting possessive because the female, Ella, was in heat.

"I put him down there, with a shovel on the door," Faibish said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. "And I told him: 'Stay down there until I come back.' Typical Nicky, he wouldn't listen to me."

Nicholas apparently found a way to open the basement door.

Despite her concerns about Rex that day, Faibish told the newspaper: "My kids got along great with (the dogs). We were never seeing any kind of violent tendencies."

Faibish found her son's body in a bedroom. He was covered in blood from several wounds, including a major head injury.

No charges have been filed.

"It's Nicky's time to go," she said in the interview. "When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

Ella was shot to death by a police officer the day of the attack.

Rex was taken to a shelter, but Faibish said she wanted him put down.

[Kim_in_MN]

"It's Nicky's time to go," she said in the interview. "When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

I rarely comment on the threads on this board, but . . . . Excuse me? I am livid just reading this! What kind of person keeps a dog that they are scared of; locks their son in the basement and leaves; and then makes a statement like THIS to the press? It wasn't his time to go - you kept vicious animals in the house!

I am a dog lover and a believe that vicious dogs are raised to be that way, but if we had a dog that exhibited even an inkling of meanness to anyone, it would be GONE.

Kim

[coriolis]

People like this should be put down.

[Dee Bee]

[quote="Cookiely"]"It's Nicky's time to go," she said in the interview. "When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

A classic example of (psychological) denial of her part in this terrible tragedy -- this mother will need serious counseling to understand and accept her responsibility as well as the ramifications of her actions not just on Nicky but on the remaining family members, too.

[Stephanie]

People like this should be put down.

Or not allowed to reproduce.

[coriolis]

Yeah, that's better, Steph. I shouldn't be so inhumane.

[Stephanie]

Yeah, that's better, Steph. I shouldn't be so inhumane.

No, actually I do agree with you on that as well!

[streetsoldier]

"No charges have been filed"?

Uh, "involuntary manslaughter by reason of neglect, child endangerment, unlawful imprisonment, keeping vicious animal(s) without proper restraints"? And those are just openers.

[Miss Mary]

I could not believe the mother's (I use that word loosely) comments either. A 12 year old's 'time to go'? There is something so profoundly wrong with that comment. If he had been suffering with terminal cancer and hospice was taking over, then maybe we could understand a comment like that. But it was time to go b/c the parent's opted to keep a dog or dogs that were aggressive at times? I really don't want to get into the pit bull debate, not the direction I'm going here. It just seems as if this mother put the needs of a dog above her own son. Now I love my dog too but my kids come before the dog. And quite honestly, they almost always come before their dad! If we were in a fire, I know for a fact Jim would tell me to save the kids first. Then him, then the dog.

She needs counseling. I worry that there might be other children in the family?

Mary

[Stephanie]

"No charges have been filed"?

Uh, "involuntary manslaughter by reason of neglect, child endangerment, unlawful imprisonment, keeping vicious animal(s) without proper restraints"? And those are just openers.

Who the heck does she know???

[southerngale]

The mother's exact quote: "I put him down there, with a shovel on the door. And I told him: 'Stay down there until I come back.' Typical Nicky, he wouldn't listen to me."

What a sick and disgusting "mother" - she blamed her dead son.

[rainstorm]

Despite her concerns about Rex that day, Faibish told the newspaper: "My kids got along great with (the dogs). We were never seeing any kind of violent tendencies."

Faibish found her son's body in a bedroom. He was covered in blood from several wounds, including a major head injury.

No charges have been filed.

"It's Nicky's time to go," she said in the interview. "When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

isnt that what they all say? ive seen it on this board. "my pit bulls love my kids" i will always say no family with kids should have a pit bull in the home. as far as her saying it was time for her son to go, all i have to say is thats bunk. she made the decision to have pit bulls in the house. and she knew the pit bull would attack her son. if a parent left a loaded gun in easy reach of a 12 yr old and then left the house and came back to find the 12 yr old had killed himself with the gun would she be charged? of course.

[Cookiely]

Charges filed for manslaughter. I hope she gets the max ten years.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/24/dog.ma ... index.html

[Brent]

There are no words.

WHY are these people allowed to have children???

[cyclonaut]

It amazing how utterly stupid people are.

I have a 2 year old daughter I would never let any dogs get near here..I am not a dog person anyway,I can't stand when my peace & quiet is interrupted by loud annoying barking,not to mention that you can't go in your backyard without smelling dog crap &/or stepping in it.

This goes for any dogs needless to say pit bulls!

[Miss Mary]

Well, now wait a minute. There are some very gentle, loving dogs out there! I know, cause I have one. I wouldn't turn my back on a young child near a dog though, you have a valid point there, but we often joke if a robber came to our house, they'd get nothing. Because our golden retriever would lick him/her to death, thinking he/she is an invited guest. No question about it.

I could leave a 12 year old home alone with my dog. That's a year younger than I started leaving my oldest child home alone but a 12 year old would quite safe with my dog.

Mary

[Brent]

Well, now wait a minute. There are some very gentle, loving dogs out there! I know, cause I have one. I wouldn't turn my back on a young child near a dog though, you have a valid point there, but we often joke if a robber came to our house, they'd get nothing. Because our golden retriever would lick him/her to death, thinking he/she is an invited guest. No question about it.

Yes there are... but these were PIT BULLS. A pit bull attacked and killed an elderly woman here back in February while she was jogging down the street... had done it for years.

[Miss Mary]

Brent - he said 'any' dog. Go back and read what I took offense to. I know you were all talking about pit bulls. When he said any, that suddenly included dogs like mine.

I have a Golden Retriever, that is so extremely gentle. Most are. Unless they're trained to be mean.

ANY dog is the key word here. Again, I stand by what I said - I would leave a 12 year old child alone with MY dog.

[Brent]

Brent - he said 'any' dog. Go back and read what I took offense to. I know you were all talking about pit bulls. When he said any, that suddenly included dogs like mine.

I have a Golden Retriever, that is so extremely gentle. Most are. Unless they're trained to be mean.

ANY dog is the key word here. Again, I stand by what I said - I would leave a 12 year old child alone with MY dog.

Oh OK... I missed that. Yes, I agree. We used to have a cute little dog that, yes, it barked, but very rarely. It never attacked and never would bite anyone.

[Skywatch_NC]

Even here in my townhouse neighborhood (2 doors down from my folks and I) there's a Chocolate Lab named Harley and is a hit with everyone...loves zipping after tennis balls!!

I used to pet-sit with a Shetland Sheepdog named Leader...did for a few years and even had him as a Christmas guest one time due to an ice storm and was a hit with us all and my niece and nephew got an extra special treat playing with him, too, over the holiday period!!

Eric