Family dog drowns family of three

Three from California family drown in ocean trying to save dog By Ronnie Cohen SAN FRANCISCO | Mon Nov 26, 2012 5:29pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California mother and father and their 16-year-old son were swept out to sea over the weekend after a deadly chain of events set off when the teenager jumped into frigid waters to save the family dog from turbulent Pacific Ocean waves. The dog escaped on his own from the water off the Northern California coast. But Howard Kuljian, 50, and Mary Scott, 54, of Eureka died while their 16-year-old son, Gregory Kuljian, remained lost at sea, said Deputy Ariel Gruenthal of the Humboldt County Coroner's office. "The dog was able to get out somehow," said Dana Jones, a state parks and recreation district superintendent. "It's very sad, and we just always have to be aware when we're around the ocean that nature is sometimes out of control." The tragedy began on Saturday afternoon while the family, including an 18-year-old daughter who was unharmed, was walking with Gregory's girlfriend along a steep beach at Big Lagoon, about 270 miles north of San Francisco, Jones said. Howard Kuljian threw the dog a stick, she said, and a wave, possibly as high as 10 feet, pulled the animal into the water. The son went in first to try to rescue his dog, Jones said. "Then the father went in to save the son. The mother was swept in at that point," she said. "The waves are big and powerful, and that's a very steep beach. The waves pound the beach. When the waves are pounding like that, you don't have a chance to breathe." A bystander summoned help while Olivia Kuljian, 18, and Gregory's girlfriend, Lily Loncar, 16, watched in horror, Gruenthal said. Rescuers found the bodies of Howard Kuljian and Scott close to the shore, Jones said. The U.S. Coast Guard searched by air and sea for Gregory, but fog, darkness and the impossibility of survival prompted them to quit on Saturday evening, said Lieutenant Bernie Carrigan of the Coast Guard. He estimated the water temperature at between 55 and 57 degrees, so cold that hypothermia would rapidly set in, though a dog's coat would protect against it. "It's kind of a reminder to never turn your back on the ocean," Carrigan said. "It's neat to see that kind of power. It's also dangerous."

http%3A//mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE8AP18920121126%3Firpc%3D932



• How is it the dog's fault? The jerk dad threw a stick into dangerous surf.

• "Hey Dog! I'm actually impressed for once."

  The%20Cat

• This is the family -- parents, brother, sister.

  http://kymkemp.com/2012/nov/26/wear-green-geddie-memorial-young-man-and-his-paren/

• In 1981, David Allen Kirwan jumped into a hot spring in Yellowstone to rescue his dog. The water was 200 degrees Farhenheit. He was able to get back out of the water but the damage was done. His skin was melting down his body. He said it was stupid. He soon died. You need to watch out for heterosexual males. They get a thrill out of antagonizing or pushing the limits with animals. Throwing a stick into turbulent water was just that, pushing the limits.

• Oy, R4, this has nothing to do with being gay or heterosexual. Why do certain gay posters here must make everything anti-woman or anti-hetero, regardless of the topic at hand? BTW: I just read about David Allen KIrwan in one of my Uncle John's Bathroom Reader books. I found it disturbing when he realized how stupid that was. I can't imagine the shock afterward.

• [quote]...into frigid waters ... And people wonder why we don't live in NoCal.

  Southern%20Californians

• I've always been a dog person.

  Mrs.%20Patsy%20Ramsey%2C%20formerly%20of%20Boulder%2C%20CO

• The family seemed like a close bunch in that picture. Goofballs. It's sad that this happened.

• Sad story. The lone surviving family member, the 18 year old daughter, is gonna have a shitty time of it. I guess she has the dog, at least. Am I the only one that's irked that the article doesn't bother to report what kind of dog it is, whether it's male or female and what its name is? I'm guessing it was a retriever of some sort. The family clearly regarded the dog as a beloved family member (as most dog owners do) and ultimately ended up losing their lives in an effort to save the dog and one another... seems like the dog's name should at least be printed.

• Don't be to sad. they were an very ugly family anyways.

  The%20Cat

• R5 That's how I roll. I like to look at human behavior.

• R9, here's an extensive article with more pics, including the dog. Looks like a mutt to me.

  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2238834/Pictured-Parents-son-16-swept-deaths-trying-rescue-dog-sea--daughter-boys-girlfriend-watched.html

• This is very very sad. I hope the daughter doesn't hate/get rid of/get RID of, the dog. I feel especially sorry that the son and mother are dead. Father: that was pretty goddamn stupid throwing the poor dog a stick in those waters. The dog might need psychological counseling as well as the daughter. I am NOT being facetious. Stupid fucking Californians; you would NEVER see such idiocy back East. I think.

• If you are in turbulent water you should use the back stroke and swim diagonal to the shore.

• Sage advice, R13. Get counseling for the dog and chastise the entire population of a state with 40 million people!

  EAST%20COAST%20RULES%21%21

• Yes, R13 because East Coasters sure showed their incredible life skills during Sandy!

  Staten%20Island%20Mother%20of%20Two%20Deceased%20Boys

• Now can people get off this pet obsession? It's a dog. You don't risk the lives of your family for a stupid dog.

  Miss%20Sissy%20Boodles

• [quote]...we just always have to be aware when we're around the ocean that nature is sometimes out of control." Sometimes? Just try to control me. I dare you.

  Mother%20Nature%20%28the%20bitch%29

• What's on the dog's iPod?

• What did this dog KNOW? And WHEN?

  Nancy%20Grace

• This happened in my area. They are a well-loved family. The beach where it happened has a wild surf, the shore drops away sharply from the beach and the water gets deep quickly. Whales are sighted close to shore frequently. Undertow is normal. The sand can be mushy from the churning of the waves. It is north of Trinidad CA. and the water is very cold. Hypothermia is a danger. I'm sure the family knew the waves there can be dangerous, sounds like one mistake got compounded by others. It is all very sad. We are also the place where the shark bit the surfer. And where the guy got bit by the mountain lion while his wife beat it back with a pen in the cat's eye.

  Nature%3A%20I%20told%20you%20I%20was%20hard%20core.

• Too bad the father was such a moron. Why in the world would you throw a stick with the ocean so wild? Dog looks like part Australian Shepherd. Yeah, they like to fetch but honestly, how stupid of the father.

• And you thought I was bad.

  Dog fucks baby in the ass

• [quote]Stupid fucking Californians; you would NEVER see such idiocy back East. I think. Here, here!

  Florida%2C%20getting%20a%20pass%20with%20this%20one

• Isn't it possible the father didn't [italic]intentionally[/italic] throw the stick in the water? Maybe he just had a lousy throw and it landed in the water by accident. This is sad but I can understand the kid having that immediate reaction. Then it was compounded by one thing after another.

• See, Refalca! It ain't so hard.

  Fido%20

• Holy shit. I have friends in Eureka. This is a small town. People let their dogs play in that water all the time and it's COLD. This is just crazy but I can get how it happened. So sad.

• Stupid fucking hippies have RUINED most beaches in CA by allowing their mongrel mutts to run amok OFFLEASH , shitting and pissing all over the beach while the burnout hippie dog owners look on doing nothing. Too bad only 3 of them perished....need about a million more to join them.

• please don't let them be......Damn No more Blacks can't swim jokes. Didn't they know dogs know how to paddle(doggie paddle)instinctively.

• R28 how do you know it's rally the mutts doing the pissing and shitting?

• [quote]"It's kind of a reminder to never turn your back on the ocean," Carrigan said. "It's neat to see that kind of power. Is this man a psychopath? WF??? A family just died, and it's "neat"???

• Well this is all going quite swimmingly for them.

  B.%20Bush

• It is not worth cancelling a Fiona Apple tour to take care of a dog. It is not worth risking death in the surf for a dog. It is not worth going to court to defend your dog's right to bite people. I like dogs but people go nuts over their pets these days. Cats are introverts so it's by and large a dog issue.

• It's tragic, but there's also something very Darwinian about that dog getting out alive.

• Fuck you for making me laugh, R20.

• You mean iPawed.

  Woof

• Simply, people are stupid. They're careless, they don't THINK anymore. The man threw the stick and didn't THINK about the consequences. He just mindlessly threw it. That is not a smart person, in my opinion. Stupid. Of course the man went in after his son but again, he didn't think. The boy got out and went in after his father. I don't know what the mother was thinking. Well, obviously, she wasn't. If people would just think about their actions, so many problems could be averted.

• Wow and I thought I was something! Way to go poochie, 3 in one blow!

  http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/02/02/oscar-the-death-cat-i-haz-sniffed-many-deaths/

  oscar%20the%20death%20cat

• STUPID FUCKING DOG PEOPLE! FUCK THEM!

• Interesting that R20 has been deleted. It must have been in rather poor taste!

• You know, the guy jumping into the hot springs, I can see the impulse to go after your dog without thinking. Yikes.

• He didn't just jump, he DIVED head first into the hot spring! Now that's..something else.

• Now the dog is in the pound, awaiting the gas chamber.

• He's a murderer. He killed three people. What does he expect, R14, a reward?

• I told you I was hardcore.

  Frigid%20surf

• r41 it wasn't his dog, it was his friend's dog (wonder if they had the homosex) and before her jumped in, other's at the park told him don't, and he replied "like hell I won't." Then he DOVE in head-first into the hot springs. Sounds like he knew what he was doing.

  The%20dog%2C%20Moosie%2C%20died%20anyway

• Well played dog, well played.

• If any person was going to try to save the dog, it only should have been one person, not three.

• R48, all three weren't trying to save the dog. The boy, who went first, was. But the father jumped in to aid his son, but was taken under. The boy (and the dog) came out all right, but the father was now the one in danger, so the boy went back in, and the mother went in to help, too. If the idiot father hadn't jumped in, they would all be alive since the dog and the boy came out unscathed the first time, but the dad's idiot ass forced the son and mother to try to save him, thus costing all three their lives. .

• The stupid father is the one who threw the stick into the tide for the dog to fetch. If he hadn't done that, none of them would have died.

• [quote]but the dad's idiot ass forced the son and mother to try to save him Oh fuck you. Do you have anyone in this world that you love and care about? If you have a sister or brother or lover that was drowning... and you thought you could help- you wouldn't just stand there. You would try or you're a heartless machine. We want to point and laugh and think - OH that would NEVER happen to me but the reality is that random shit like this does happen. Simple quick mistakes that are completely frail human moments- become horrible in a flash. This is an utterly human and tragic fucking story.

• The daughter looks like she could be Cate Blanchett's younger sis.

• [quote]The stupid father is the one who threw the stick into the tide for the dog to fetch. Where in the story does it say he did this intentionally? I've often seen dogs just run into the water because they like how it feels. It was the waves that came up suddenly and caught them all off guard. Jesus, this place sucks with victim blaming. A sudden bad rise in the tide could happen to anyone who plays with their dogs on the beach.

• What a bunch of fools.

• For R53: The tragedy began on Saturday afternoon while the family, including an 18-year-old daughter who was unharmed, was walking with Gregory's girlfriend along a steep beach at Big Lagoon, about 270 miles north of San Francisco, Jones said. Howard Kuljian threw the dog a stick, she said, and a wave, possibly as high as 10 feet, pulled the animal into the water. The son went in first to try to rescue his dog, Jones said. "Then the father went in to save the son. The mother was swept in at that point," she said. "The waves are big and powerful, and that's a very steep beach. The waves pound the beach. When the waves are pounding like that, you don't have a chance to breathe."

• Will someone please start a thread to update us on what happened to Bear, the dog that fucked that baby in the ass? The story is nowhere to be found.

  Oscar%20the%20Death%20Cat

• r55 the story says, "Howard Kuljian threw the dog a stick". It doesn't' say anything about "into the tide" or "into the water" It may have been that the stick was just close enough and the tide came up on the dog, or the dog might have run into the tide after fetching the stick- like dogs like to do.

• This tragedy could've been prevented had the daughter and girlfriend jumped in to save the rest.

• I'm just so glad the dog is well.

  David%20Sedaris%27%20other%20sister

• That dog was inconsiderate and ONLY thinking of himself!

• "That's the last fucking time they'll feed me that ALPO shit!!!"

  Max, the Murder Mutt

• You're terrible, R60 and R61

  Feeling%20bad%20for%20lol-ing

• Sad story but glad the dog survived. And, yes, the asshole OP had to ramp up the thread title to get her requisted number of posts. You are a flaming asshole, OP.

• What happened to Bear? I can't find it on the interwebs and want to know if he really did that unspeakable deed or if he was framed.

• Let it fucking go r64.

• R65=Bear

• [quote]"It's kind of a reminder to never turn your back on the ocean," Carrigan said. "It's neat to see that kind of power. NEAT??? Anyone who says power is "neat," has to go!

  Madonna, sticking finger down her throat

• "Family Dog Fucks Family of Three" -there, I fixed it for you.

• Does anyone know if the dog really is at the pound now?

• Did the dog get arrested? The dog did leave the scene.

• R51 pretty much summed up the burning need of pathetic DLers to determine whose fault this was quite nicely. I normally come here for the bitchery, but come the fuck on people.

• R58 wins.

  You%27re%20terrible%2C%20Muriel.

• Right r24... (keep reading article after the ads).

  http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/06/nyregion/man-42-dies-trying-to-save-dog-in-icy-central-park-lake.html

• Surfin' DOA

  The%20Beach%20Dogs

• If I were the daughter I'd have the dog put to sleep.

  I%20like%20cats%20more%20anyway

• White people love animals too much

• This thread is full of LOLs.

• Why are white people always dying to save animals? The animals end up saving themselves anyway... I don't blame the dad or the dog...it was the idiot son.

• I have to laugh because the bigots upthread are kind of right: White people, admittedly, tend to treat their pets better than other human beings. Sorry, but if my life were at risk, Fido's replacement would accelerate the grieving process.

• Closet gay Ira Glass was talking about his demon dog today on This American Life. He and his wife sound psycho, sacrificing their lives to cater to a dog that can't be trusted around human beings.

  http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/08/26/ira-glass-on-rescuing-a-pit-bull-dog-with-a-ridiculous-diet.html

• Dogs and Dog People should all be put to sleep.

• How is Ira Glass a closet gay?