Lucas County Dog Warden Nails Aspect of Pit Bull Problem

Toledo Woman Mauled by Two Pit Bulls
Toledo, OH - Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon talks about the pit bull attack of Dorothy Markle. In the City of Toledo, pit bull owners are restricted to one pit bull per household; special confinement rules; and a muzzle when off-property.

Skeldon knows a thing or two about pit bulls, as do the dog wardens and animal control officers from Hocking, Franklin, Stark Counties and many more. Ohio state law automatically deems all pit bull dogs as "vicious," so each county has special rules that apply to them. In the video, Skeldon nails a critical piece of the pit bull problem.

"[The owners] all think that these pit bulls are nice sweet animals and some of them are, but by the time they get to be a year and half or two years old, they're pretty intent on what they're bred to do and that’s grab ahold of things and shake it until it's dead."

News sources report that a Toledo woman was mauled yesterday by two pit bulls in her home. Dorothy Markle -- reportedly the girlfriend of the pit bull owner -- suffered severe wounds to her legs from the attack. She was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center. The hospital had no information on her condition.

David Fyffe, the owner of the two male* dogs, agreed to give up the dogs to keep from being cited for housing more than one pit bull. Last May, Skeldon visited the same house because one of the two male dogs had attacked Fyffe. Again it was a situation where the two dogs were fighting in the house.

Responsible pit bull owner websites say that two pit bulls of the same sex should not be in the same household.

Related articles:
04/16/08: Pit Bull Owner Sics Dog on Stark County Dog Warden
04/01/08: Toledo to Add Mandatory Sterilization Ordinance
03/11/08: Pit Bulls Maul Woman in Lucas County, Ohio
01/09/08: Officials in Toledo Are "Fed Up" with the Pit Bull Problem
10/28/07: Ohio State Supreme Court Reactivates Legislation