(Phoenix) - Tori Whitehurst loved her dog, Cane. She played with him constantly, and he slept in her room every night. The 4-year-old girl's love of animals, and Cane's love for her, only makes her death more tragic and inexplicable.

Tori was killed Monday afternoon when the family dog attacked her in the family's backyard.

One day after her death, Ian and Carin Whitehurst sat in their expansive north Valley home and tried to make sense of what happened to their daughter.

They wanted people to know that Tori was fun and adventurous. That her nickname was Tori-tornado. That she dressed as a cheerleader for Halloween and that her favorite color was blue. "She was a funny, funny girl. She was my crazy baby," said Carin, 36. "She knew 'stupid' was a bad word and 'hate' was a bad word. I will remember her joy," said Ian, also 36. "She was always so happy."

Ian was at his job in Scottsdale when he got a frantic call from a neighbor. "I raced home but couldn't get near the house because everything was shut down so the helicopter could land," Ian said. He followed the helicopter to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.

"She was gone by the time I got there," Ian said.

 

Help us prevent another child from being added to this list!

Nationwide attacks since October 2003
These largely preventable bites/attacks were serious enough to warrant emergency care AND to make the news. There are many more bite incidents that go unmentioned. There are even more minor injuries that can be just as traumatic to a child, however, those are not listed below.

 

March, 2008:
Joshua Martinez, 7, New Mexico, critically injured
Jacob Kelso, 9, Indiana, injured
Trinity Robichaud, 5, South Carolina, injured
Christian Franco, 10, Florida, severely injured

February, 2008:
DeNasha Hackner, 9, Indiana, injured
Un-named boy, 6, North Carolina, seriously injured
Maysia Moore, 8, Washington, injured

January, 2008:
Ciera Anayso, 9, Illinois, injured
Un-named girl, 9, Maryland, seriously injured
Un-named girl, 4, Louisiana, seriously injured
Un-named boy, 8, Texas, seriously injured
Daishauna Craig, 9, Tennessee, seriously injured
Un-named girl, 9, Florida, injured

December, 2007:
Angela Davis, 9, Florida, seriously imjured
Seth Lovett, 11, Texas, killed
Tacarra McCray, 6, Florida, seriously injured
Isaiah Crockett, 10, N. Carolina, injured

November, 2007:
Tori Whitehurst, 4, Arizona, killed
Seth Lovett, 11, Texas, killed
Mariah Carver, 9, Alabama, critically injured
Rashad Mathis, 6, Ohio, injured
Abreann Trujillo, 8, Colorado, injured
Timothy Hughes, 8, Wisconsin, injured
Tristan McNaylor, 12, Louisiana, seriously injured

October, 2007:
Justin Pelicano, 4, Louisiana, injured
Eric Gibas, 8, Illinois, injured
Scott Carney, 8, New York, injured

September, 2007:
Logan Dobbin, 4, Alabama, seriously injured
JaeLyn Rodriquez, 5, Iowa, seriously injured
Nathan Barry, 4, N. Carolina, seriously injured
Michael Branch, 13, Michigan, injured

August, 2007:
Zachary King, 7, Minnesota, killed
Scott Warren, 6, Iowa, killed
Ian Harris, 6, Iowa, seriously injured
Destinay Till, 4, Texas, injured
Josiah Harrison, 9, Georgia, seriously injured

July, 2007:
Sabin Jones Abbott, 6, New York, killed
Tiffany Pauley, 5, Georgia, killed
Judah Hunt, 6, Kentucky, injured
Un-named boy, 8, Ohio, seriously injured
Cassidy Jones, 7, Indiana, seriously injured
Jaime Khottavongsa, 4, Texas, injured
Un-named boy, 8, Washington, seriously injured
Logan Paloma, 6, Texas, seriously injured

June, 2007:
Jaime Khottavongsa, 11, Minnesota, injured
'Boy' Maynard, 4, Oklahoma, seriously injured
Un-named girl, 4, Iowa, injured
Shane Pasquini, 6, Tennessee, injured
Angelo Johnston, 5, Washington, injured
Un-named girl, 10, Florida, injured
Kelly Dame, 10, Michigan, injured

May, 2007:
Wyatt Fillion, 8, Minnesota, seriously injured
Cameron Hughett, 5, Kentucky, injured
Diamond Spencer, 9, Pennsylvania, injured
Zachary Haskett, 11, South Carolina, injured
Un-named boy, 3, Nebraska, injured
Georgia Rice, 7, Ohio, seriously injured
Larry Williams, 3, Oklahoma, injured
Aladrien Simmons, 4, Texas, injured
Kenlie Thomas, 7, North Carolina, seriously injured

April, 2007:
Peter Hetherington, 3, Wash., injured
Haley Fillion, 6, Minnesota, injured
Huyen Phan, 4, Minnesota, injured
Dakota Liles, 15, Florida, injured
Devonta Prince, 8, Minnesota, seriously injured
Un-named child, 8, Texas, injured
Marquis Prince, 8, Texas, critically injured
Un-named girl, 7, California, severely injured

March, 2007:
Un-named girl Warren, 5, Florida, injured
Jaida Riviera, 3, North Carolina, injured
Natalie Morales, 8, Texas, critically injured
Breanna Webster, 3,  Texas, seriously injured

February, 2007:
Josh Jolliff, 9, Colorado, seriously injured
Un-named girl, 6, Missouri, critically injured
Jose Sanchez, 4, New Mexico, severely injured
Un-named boy, 5, Florida, severely injured

January, 2007:
Taylor Kitlica, 18 months, Alabama, killed
Amber Jones, 10, Texas, killed
Iris Wass, 3, Michigan, seriously injured
Matthew Johnson, 6, VA, killed

December, 2006:
NyRicky Nelson, 5, Georgia, injured
Un-named girl, 3, California, seriously injured

November, 2006:
Taylor Wilson, 8, Oklahoma, injured
Pedro Rios, 4, Texas, killed
Luis Romero, 2, Arizona, killed

October, 2006:
Un-named boy, 14, New Jersey, injured
Ashley Evans, 2, Texas, seriously injured
Un-named boy, 2, North Carolina, killed
Dakota Kent, 2, Alabama, seriously injured

September, 2006:
Un-named boy, 2, Pennsylvania, injured
Un-named girl, 7, Oregon, injured

August, 2006:
Isaiah Smith, 5, Missouri, injured
Un-named girl, 2, West Virginia, injured
Un-named Boy, 2, Massachusettes, seriously injured

July, 2006:
Mireya Puga Davila, 3, Texas, killed
Cameron Kelley, 6, Virginia, seriously injured
Zoie Palmer, 2, Colorado, seriously injured
Kenny Obaya, 4, Texas, seriously injured

June, 2006:
Gemma Liliana Carlos, 2, Texas, killed
Nathan McClure, 8, Alabama, injured

May, 2006:
Un-named boy, 6, South Carolina, injured
Abby Marie Bent, 4, Tennessee, seriously injured

April, 2006:
Jonathan Saltkill, 5, Kentucky, seriously injured
girl Blatchford, 2, Oregon, seriously injured
Xavier Thorne, 2, Alabama, seriously injured
Kiera Odell-Manuel, 7, Iowa, seriously injured
Katelyn Kangas, 5, Alaska, seriously injured
Kylee Kindred, 5, Ohio, seriously injured
Unnamed girl, 5, Indiana, injured
Justin Dennis, 4, Ohio, injured
Unnamed girl, 9, Ohio, injured
Tyler King, 10, Louisiana, seriously injured

March, 2006:
Quillan Cottrell, 3, Missouri, killed
Jessica Laux, 3, California, injured
boy Sparks, 4, Illinois, injured
Alexus Nance, 6, North Carolina, injured
Jacob Tanner King, 6, Tennessee, injured

February, 2006:
Dominic Giordano, 4, Montana, killed
April Hendon, 17, Louisiana, seriously injured
Christopher Banks, 11, Virginia, seriously injured

January, 2006:
Cianna Crittenden, 2, Oklahoma, seriously injured
Cody Adair, 4, Oklahoma, killed

November, 2005:
Richard Franks, 11, Alabama, seriously injured
Nick McMaster, 11, Oklahoma, seriously injured
Delbert Preston, 6, Ohio, seriously injured
Dillion Allen, 2, Oklahoma, seriously injured

October, 2005:
Jarrett Livengood, 2, North Carolina, injured
Jesse Shoemaker, 12, Minnesota, injured
Ethan Agosta, 2, Maine, injured
Jonathan Michael Martin, 3, Virginia, killed

August, 2005:
Justin Murray, 3, New York, injured
Knikkie LeRoy, 2, South Dakota, injured
Unnamed boy, 2, Minnesota, injured
Amber Wilkins, 11, Georgia, seriously injured
Unnamed boy, 8, Illinois, injured
Paige Meador, 9, Kentucky, seriously injured
Teare Wimberly, 12, Michigan, seriously injured

July, 2005:
Christopher Austin Martin, 2, North Carolina, seriously injured
Michelle Baker, 16, Kentucky, injured
Jeffray Flatt, 14, New Jersey, seriously injured

June, 2005:
unnamed boy, 12, Kansas, injured
Jessie Thompson, 11, Missouri, injured
Dolan Miller, 3, Ohio, seriously injured
Todd, 7, North Carolina, seriously injured
unnamed boy, 4, Colorado, seriously injured
Zachary Yinquez, 3, Missouri, seriously injured
Nicholas Faibish, 12, California, killed

May, 2005:
Akina Jackson, 3, Illinois, injured
Unnamed boy, 2, Oregon, seriously injured
Thah Tyndal, 5, North Carolina, injured
Asia Brantley, 9, North Carolina, injured
Asia Michelle Turner, 4, South Carolina, killed
Kate-Lynn Logel, 7, Colorado, killed

April, 2005:
Skylar Finney, 2, North Carolina, seriously injured
Zachary Smith, 5, Pennsylvania, injured
Robert Shafer, 4, Virginia, killed

March, 2005:
Pharis Fish, 4, Alabama, seriously injured

February, 2005:
2 unnamed girls, 10, Texas, injured
boy Petrie, 4, New York, injured
Kaylin Flowers, 4, Florida, seriously injured
Kendra Odums, 5, North Carolina, injured

January, 2005:
Tamra Kuester, 8, Illinois, seriously injured
Tyler Babcock, 6, California, killed

December, 2004:
Krysta Cross, 4, Virginia, seriously injured
Myles Leakes, 4, Florida, killed

October, 2004:
Anton Brown, 8, Florida, killed

September, 2004:
Robert Fowler, 5, Arkansas, injured
Kaylee Chewning, 5, Illinois, injured

August, 2004:
Summer Baumgardner, 9, Pennsylvania, seriously injured
Briana Lyerla, 5, Indiana, severely injured

July, 2004:
Willie Moore, 7, North Carolina, seriously injured
Patricia Anderson, 2, Georgia, killed
Daniel Foster, 10, Ohio, seriously injured
Erica Lybarger, 5, Texas, seriously injured

June, 2004:
Emma-Leigh Chambers-Allen, 5, New Mexico, seriously injured

April, 2004:
Emily Page Stinnett, 4, Kentucky, seriously injured
Mark Wilson, 8, Illinois, seriously injured
Alani Black, 4, North Carolina, seriously injured
Rodney Dumas, 8, North Carolina, killed

March, 2004:
Meredith Bell, 8, North Carolina, injured

January, 2004:
Kaitlyn Matthews, 5, Mississippi, seriously injured
Nathan Roy Hill, 3, North Carolina, killed
Raymond Williams, 9, Texas, critically injured

October, 2003:
Makayla Sinclair, 2, South Carolina, killed
Jonathan Shane Ivey, 4, Texas, seriously injured
Okleno King, 3, Mississippi, seriously injured.

 

The faces of children seriously injured or killed by dogs

Is your child next?

 

• PLEASE NOTE -- DOG BITE FATALITIES ARE HIGHLY UNUSUAL. Incidents of dog bite fatalities by ANY breed are very rare. There are approximately 15 to 20 dog bite fatalities in the United States a year, and that's out of the 65 million dogs that Americans keep as pets.

  Janis Bradley, dog bite researcher and the author of 'Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous,' states, "Dogs can be dangerous. And they are more dangerous to children than adults. But not as dangerous as kitchen utensils, drapery cords, five-gallon buckets, horses or cows. Not nearly as dangerous as playground equipment, swimming pools, skateboards, or bikes. And not remotely as dangerous as family, friends, guns, or cars.

  A child is more likely to die choking on a marble or balloon, and an adult is more likely to die in a bedroom slipper related accident. Your chances of being killed by a dog are roughly one in 18 million. You are five times more likely to be killed by a bolt of lightening."

"It is important to emphasize that dogs bite today for the same reasons that they did one hundred or one thousand years ago. Dogs are no more dangerous today than they were a century or millennium ago. They only difference is a shift in human perception of what is and is not natural canine behavior and/or aggression and the breed of dog involved." -- Karen Delise, author of "Fatal Dog Attacks"

REGARDLESS OF BREED, NEVER LEAVE A CHILD UNATTENDED WITH A DOG!!