Parents for Dog Bite Awareness

Another loving, tender hearted giver has paid the ultimate price for showing kindness and compassion to game dogs.

Gerónima Flórez was a beloved member of her community and family. She was well known as a sister, mother, grandmother, and friend. She was described as a “caregiver” to everyone, from her aging parents to her grandchildren.

Unfortunately, like so many other women, Gerónima extended that same unconditional love to the stray dogs she found around her very rural property in Texas. Others had attempted to help these abandoned dogs but found them aggressive.

A neighbor reported to KRGV that although she wanted to help the dogs, which are regularly abandoned in their area, she had soon learned they were a danger and needed to protect her young son from them.

On that fateful day, June 21, 2024, Gerónima went outside to feed two regulars that she considered more her own pets. She was fatally mauled. A relative tried to save her by dispatching one of the dogs, but she passed away from her injuries. The dog was described as a pitbull or pit mix in various reports and dispatch logs.

Although at first investigators thought both dogs were involved, they found and confirmed the second dog did not attack her.

Authorities collected dozens of dogs from the property. Four of them were dispatched due to aggressive behavior. Most of the remaining dogs were then dispatched due to canine distemper.

Gerónima loved baseball games. Her favourite songs were country and she was a great crafter, making quilts for her loved ones. Her handmade tortillas and tamales were famous, and she loved to bake for her relatives.

This close knit community lost a quiet, steady light. It was snuffed out in a moment over a squabble for food when plenty was available and waiting for these dogs.

It mirrors the traits of human narcissists. I often refer to it as a black hole effect. No amount of care, no level of love, no sacrifice can ever fill the black hole of a human narcissist’s heart. Similarly, no expert training, no perfect handling, and no amount of compassion can ever erase the hereditary genetics of dog breeds.

RIP 🪦 Gerónima. You wanted nothing more than to be there for others, even those rejected by society. In the end, that dog took everything from you instead of loving you back. May we all remember your shining light. And may we all take heed from this case to respect the breed.

There is a saying my Lola often told me as a child. “Como un día bien pasado trae un sueño feliz, la vida bien utilizada trae una muerte feliz.” (As a day well spent brings a happy dream, so a life well spent brings a happy death.) You deserved a happy death, yet this dog gave you a nightmare. We will never forget.

Mis sentidas condolencias,

-JL DBA Editor©️

News article:

https://www.krgv.com/news/monte-alto-resident-on-edge-following-deadly-dog-attack/https://www.krgv.com/news/monte-alto-resident-on-edge-following-deadly-dog-attack/