Dog's fatal attack on boy baffles family
BY NITA BIRMINGHAM
The Post and Courier
Brian Palmer was never afraid of Princess and even splashed around with the family pit bulldog Saturday in the small pool behind his mother's Hunters Ridge Lane townhouse.
Princess on occasion slept alongside the toddler's mom, Natasha Wilson. When the dog killed a cat a week ago, the family dismissed it as aggression toward other animals. They never thought the family pet would attack a human, much less a child.
On Monday, Princess got out of a utility room and started chasing a 16-year-old relative who is afraid of dogs. The teenager ran up the stairs and Princess tore after her. She struggled to close the bedroom door against the dog's weight, but lost the battle.
Before she could scoop up Brian and his young cousins and put them on the bed, the dog latched on to the 18-month-old boy's neck.
The other children frantically beat at the 60-pound dog, but it was a stranger who managed to pull Princess off Brian. EMS rushed the boy, nicknamed "Beenie," to the hospital, but the damage was so severe, his family doubted his chances for survival.
Brian died at 2:38 a.m. Tuesday at Medical University Hospital. Animal Control seized Princess, who was euthanized. The family began making funeral plans while they wondered why a dog that never showed aggression toward people would attack a child.
"We never thought it was the kind of dog that would attack a baby," Brian's cousin Cheron Gilchrist said. "Who is going to think that a dog that sleeps next to you in the same bed is going to attack your child?"
Gilchrist said she is no stranger to dogs because she's been a groomer about six years. She got Wilson into the business about a year ago. Gilchrist said they work six days a week, so Brian lived with his grandmother. People who know that they work with dogs often call them about strays in need of homes. That's how Wilson came to own Princess seven months ago, Gilchrist said.
Brian loved 2-year-old Princess as he loved all animals, Gilchrist said. He once tried to dip a betta fish out of the tank because it captured his attention.
Princess never showed aggression toward the family's other dog, a teacup Chihuahua named Elizabeth Taylor, but Gilchrist's cat Zoomba was attacked.
Princess' only other transgression seemed to be tearing up the house, a fault Gilchrist attributed to separation anxiety. To prevent more property damage, the family often secured Princess in the downstairs utility room, which is where she was supposed to be at 10 a.m. Monday. Wilson had gone to look into some rental housing, Gilchrist said, and left Brian and his cousins Kyasia Wilson-Green, 2, and Gabrielle Seabrook, 5, in the care of his teenage aunts, Marshawn Wilson, 13, and Sieshia Wilson, 16.
Gilchrist and Brian's aunt Ariana Wilson said they still don't know how Princess got out of the utility room or what made him chase Sieshia, who doesn't like dogs. It's possible the teenager running from the dog triggered hunter and predatory instincts, said professional dog trainer Mary L. Harwelik, who runs the Web site
The REAL Pit Bull - Info Center | Advocacy & Rescue | Education | Blog.
"You're already dealing with an animal that had behavioral issues," as evidenced by damaging the house and killing the cat, said Dr. Gail Golab, associate director of animal welfare for the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office is investigating Brian's death.
This article was printed via the web on 4/25/2007 10:14:50 AM . This article appeared in The Post and Courier and updated online at Charleston.net.
