In the 3-year period from 2006 to 2008, pit bull type dogs killed 52 Americans and accounted for 59% of all fatal attacks. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers accounted for 73% of these deaths. | More »
Tom Skeldon, the "Biased" Blade and Recent Ruling Halting Enforcement of Toledo Pit Bull Laws
Please click an image to view that portion of the interview.
Exclusive Interview Toledo, OH - In a powerful four-part videotaped interview by WTOL, former Lucas County Dog Warden and expert witness Tom Skeldon opens up for the first time about the "Yellow" Toledo Blade, whose painfully biased reporting all but forced his resignation last November; the recent municipal court ruling that halted enforcement of Toledo and Ohio state pit bull laws in the City of Toledo1 and the repercussions this ruling will have on the safety of constituents.
Never before has the 30-year old pit bull problem been summed up so quickly and distinctly as in this WTOL interview.
DogsBite.org has provided a summary of each interview clip below. Outside of the litigious history of Denver's pit bull ban -- which Colorado courts consistently uphold -- no other city except Toledo has endured a similar history. Pit bull advocates declared both regions "BSL battle grounds" back in the 1990's. As demonstrated by recent events in Denver and Toledo, this battle continues today. In many ways, this interview with Tom Skeldon is the history of BSL in the U.S.
Interview part 1 | 10:00 minutes During the first segment, Skeldon reflects upon his many years in public service, the Toledo Blade witch-hunt, which all but forced his resignation, and the outstanding effectiveness of his tenure as the Lucas County Dog Warden. Unlike the vast majority of U.S. animal control agencies, Skeldon's department never had to dip into the taxpayer base for funding. His department wholly operated on county dog owners being compliant in paying their dog licensing fees.2
This segment also addresses the political forces, which submitted to the Blade's pressures, instead of standing up for Skeldon and his department's outstanding record. Skeldon cites that the most "disappointing" aspect of the Blade's witch-hunt wasn't even the Blade itself, but that not one elected official stood up in protest of the Blade's biased reporting. Skeldon's superiors also forbade him from having contact with his own media sources, thus silencing Skeldon's story.
Interview part 2 | 9:58 minutes During segment two, Skeldon explains the "straw that broke the camel's back" concerning the Blade and Commissioner Ben Konop. According to Skeldon, the young grandstanding commissioner has a history of beating up devoted county employees during public meetings. About a year-and-a-half ago, Skeldon was told that he was Konop's next target. Skeldon was also told by his political superiors to "rollover" to Konop -- to not defend himself and his department.
Skeldon, however, did not "rollover" during the public meeting. Skeldon told WTOL, "For 45 minutes Konop was throwing hardballs and for 45 minutes I kept knocking home runs with his hardballs." After the meeting, Skeldon's superiors instructed him to cease contact with the media, whereby halting his communication to the public, including sharing reports of children being mauled. Skeldon said that from that point forward, his department became a "punching bag."
Skeldon also explains in this segment why he believes Konop went after him. Essentially, Konop had many zealous pro-pit bull groups "in his ear" along with the Blade -- the primary newspaper in Toledo -- pushing the pro-pit bull agenda. Skeldon talks about the national pro-pit bull lobby too and how he helped jurisdictions in Denver and Ontario, who were facing this lobby in legal battles, by providing education and expert testimony to them about the pit bull problem.
Lastly, Skeldon talks about the recent municipal court ruling in the City of Toledo by Judge Goulding that voids Toledo and Ohio state pit bull laws in the City of Toledo. Despite two Ohio State Supreme court rulings that declare these laws constitutional, Goulding (whose campaign slogan is "Keep our city safer") has now made it impossible for the dog warden and police authorites to effectively enforce vicious dog laws in the City of Toledo. Skeldon tells WTOL:
"When the weather breaks in April, your next-door neighbor can have as many pit bulls as he wants. Your next-door neighbor wouldn't have to have a muzzle on the pit bulls when he takes them off the property. Your next-door neighbor wouldn't have to have the pit bulls in a locked, fenced yard, and your next-door neighbor wouldn't have to have any insurance on those pit bulls. "We investigate the serious dog bites for the health department. The second breed most involved in dog bites last year were Labrador retriever and Labrador retriever mixes. There were 35 serious dog bites. The third was German shepherds. There were 28. There were 81 serious dog bites by pit bulls."
Please understand that this ratio of serious pit bull bites existed with strong pit bull regulations in place. These restrictions include the State of Ohio pit bull laws and the City of Toledo pit bull laws, which limit the ownership of pit bulls to one per household and require pit bulls to be muzzled when off property. Goulding's questionable ruling, which voids these laws, means that serious pit bull maulings in the City of Toledo will take a drastic swing upward.
Interview part 3 | 3:34 minutes During segment three, Skeldon talks about the history of Ohio state pit bull laws, which were enacted in 1987 and prior to his tenure as dog warden, and why he was targeted by pro-pit bull groups. He said that since the pit bull lobby has been unable to overturn state laws, they "shot the messenger." In this segment, Skeldon also tackles the outdated motto, "It's the owner not the breed," employed by pro-pit bull groups that ignores the genetic traits of the breed.3
"(The owners) are a factor," Skeldon said. "If these pit bulls are going to be made vicious by an owner, shame on that owner and they should be taken to task for it. But it is hard to tell which of those dogs are going to act that way because that is what they are bred to do. The vast majority of pit bulls that have maimed, disfigured or killed someone in the past 25, 30 years have had no history that they can find of being trained for fighting or of biting someone before." "So out of the blue?" asked the reporter. "Boom!" Skeldon replied. "If they are triggered."
This explanation refers back to the unpredictability of a pit bull attack that Skeldon discusses at the end of segment two. When explaining the inherent danger of the breed, Skeldon describes the lack of warning signals pit bulls display prior to an attack versus other dog breeds that offer clear physical and verbal warning signs. For instance, pit bulls often do not bark, growl or offer a direct stare prior to an attack. This information is well documented by humane groups.
Interview part 4 | 7:21 minutes In segment four, Skeldon discusses pit bull puppies, the issue over which the Blade demonized Skeldon, calling him a "puppy killer." Skeldon's department, as well as most Ohio counties, adhere to a "No Adopt Out" pit bull policy as the state prima facially deems the pit bull breed "vicious." Skeldon also notes that nearly all U.S. insurance companies refuse to cover pit bulls, so there is "no deep pocket to put these kids back together again" after a serious mauling.
In terms of what to do with future pit bull puppies, Skeldon talks about how the recent municipal ruling will affect Lucas County residents. During Skeldon's tenure, and while pit bull regulations were enforced, his department had turned the corner on the pit bull problem. The number of pit bulls impounded was decreasing. This is a huge triumph as few other U.S. animal control agencies can report similar results. Skeldon adds about the ruling:
"If these laws aren't going to be enforced, because the courts have tied the police and dog warden's hands, then those numbers are going to come right through the ceiling. And the pit bulls will be out in the front yard instead of the back. They'll be in the alley instead of the garage. They won't be housed in the basement out of sight. They'll be flaunted. And they will be used for people to intimidate their neighbors and to control neighborhoods4 in the City of Toledo."
Lastly, Skeldon recounts the ending of his career after serving as the dog warden for over 22 years. Prior to this, he served in the Peace Corp and military. "If you look at the career, I've been obviously blessed," he said. "In the past year-and-a-half, they were knocking the snot out of me and it was uncalled for." Skeldon said that wherever you've got a "strong media form of government,"5 you end up with people in office who will succumb to this kind of pressure.
DogsBite.org greatly thanks WTOL for making this interview accessible to a nation and worldwide audience by posting this material to YouTube.
1The City of Toledo has appealed the recent municipal ruling. 2In most U.S. cities, dog licensing compliance is under 25% due to poor management. An excellent example was seen last year in Los Angeles under the leadership of Ed Boks. 3No person in the world has been asked to explain this outdated and false motto more times than Tom Skeldon. Note the expression on his face after the reporter poses the question. 4DogsBite.org receives numerous complaints from U.S. citizens who feel that their world has substantially "shrunk" due to nearby pit bull owners. They can no longer walk or jog down their usual paths, nor can they take their own dog on a walk out of fear of being attacked. 5The Yellow Toledo Blade.
2010 Fatality: Woman, 63-Years Old, Allegedly Killed by Family Rottweiler
Found in Driveway Cleveland Heights, OH - In a developing story, a woman was allegedly killed by her family dog early Sunday morning. Carolyn Baker, 63, was found in a pool of blood outside her home by her husband Ricardo Baker at about 3:30 am. When police arrived, they discovered that Baker had severe injuries to her right arm and shoulder, along with other bite marks inflicted by the family's rottweiler-mix. She was taken to Huron Road Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Despite the many bite wounds, family members do not believe the dog caused her death. They told reporters, "It was a 'good' dog." An autopsy is expected Monday, and the incident remains under investigation.
Pet Pit Bull Unleashes Explosive Attack on Owner and Two Others in Hoboken
Crime scene: One Independence Court luxury apartment.
Apartment "Ransacked" Hoboken, NJ - In a scene described as resembling the movie "Jaws," a pet pit bull1 exploded into a "savage biting rampage" late Thursday night sending three victims, including the dogs' owner, to the hospital. Witness Paul Michael said, "It didn't look like she was going to make it. She was bad. Her entire leg was torn up." Police eventually shot and killed the attacking dog. The incident left the luxury apartment ransacked and bloody; furniture was torn apart as well.
The next time a humane official says that it is "unusual" for a pit bull to attack its owner, please point them to this blog post.
The only aspect that is unusual about this attack is that there was not a fatality nor does there appear to be a limb amputation, at least not yet. Other owners of pet pit bulls whose dogs flew into an explosive attack were not so lucky including: Carter Delany, who was killed by his two pet pit bulls last year, Annette Williams, who suffered the loss of both arms due to her pet pit bull and John Venezia, whose pet pit bull bit off his whole hand (See: Lion Tamer Complex). A subsequent report reveals that the Hoboken incident began when a man called police to report that his roommate's pit bull, named "Giant," had severely bitten his right ankle. When police arrived they found the dog unleashed in the apartment. Giant's 26-year-old owner appeared and was repeatedly warned by police not to enter the lobby or her apartment, but she went into the apartment anyway and was attacked by her dog, causing "massive trauma and blood loss."
The only way first responders could save the victim was by carrying her out a street-level window and into an awaiting ambulance.
Hoboken police had managed to barricade "Giant" with furniture when the third victim -- a 41-year-old female Hoboken resident -- tried to enter the apartment, also despite police warnings (Again, please see: Lion Tamer Complex). The pit bull broke loose and mauled her as well, causing serious injuries to her legs. The woman was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center. Finally, Sgt. Edmund Drishti then drew his weapon and shot and killed the triple mauling "pet" pit bull.
Bullmastiffs Kill Owner After Owner Saves Them from Death Row
Scene of the 2006 attack that left Stanislav Meglic with permanent injury.
The Irony and Outcry Ljubljana, Slovenia1 - It was reported on Wednesday that the owner of three bullmastiffs, who saved his dogs from being euthanized in a lengthily court battle, was mauled to death by them. Dr. Saso Baričević, 52-years old, was killed by his three bullmastiffs in his garden. What prompted the court battle was a violent attack by the same dogs March 15, 2006. The incident prompted wide media coverage, and the victim, 35-year old Stanislav Meglic, suffered life-altering injury.
The 2006 Attack
The incident occurred when three of Baričević's four bullmastiffs jumped out of his car and attacked Meglic along with other pedestrians. Police shot and killed one of the dogs and wounded two others. The three surviving dogs, Atlas, Joy and Atos were impounded, yet before too long attacked a trainer at the impound facility. Meanwhile, Baričević continued delaying the compensation trial by supplying the court with medical certificates showing his poor "psychological state."
In July 2009, Atlas and Joy were returned to their owners sparking a national controversy (Atos was apparently uninvolved in the attack and quickly returned to its owner). The return conditions included that Baričević must erect "dangerous dog" signs on his property; ensure that the dogs "solely" resided at his property; ensure that the dogs were walked individually with a specifically defined leash and collar and that the dogs remained "insulated" from visitors.
In September 2009, the case finally went to trial. "I remember the severe pain throughout the body. I remember the snarls, tear and crunch of teeth, I could feel my skin market. Everywhere the sprinkled blood. I thought I was gonna die (Google translation)," said Meglic in the courtroom. Attorneys for the Defense argued that Meglic provoked the incident by having a phone in his hand. Ultimately, the dogs' owners were ordered to pay Meglic 112,000 euros in compensation.
A Loud Political Outcry
The recent announcement of the dogs killing Baričević sparked new outcries, including the resignation of Agriculture Minister Milan Pogacnik, who allowed the dogs to be returned to Baričević. A separate politician, Zmago Jelinčič Plemeniti, is now calling on legislation to prohibit the breeding and ownership of dangerous dog breeds throughout the Republic of Slovenia. Numerous other European countries -- and countries across the world -- have already taken such steps.
The moral of this story is three-fold: 1.) The dangerous dog breed problem is a world issue that many countries are struggling to overcome. 2.) Victims of these attacks often receive little compensation (about $152,000 in U.S. dollars for Meglic) after enduring horrible injury -- Meglic suffered permanent injury to his right hand and extensive bodily scarring. 3.) Finally, the unconscionable "saving" of known violent dogs over the protection of human life is a worldwide issue too.
Immense Social Injustice
After the release of the dogs, but prior to the compensation hearing, one Slovenian newspaper commented on the social injustice of the 2006 incident. The victim was forced to wait nearly four years for any compensation. The dogs' owners, who were prominent doctors, were able to manipulate the system through various hired guns determined to "save" his dogs. Specifically, the paper states, "Thus, dogs have many more lobbyists and lawyers, as a "regular" citizen Stanislav Meglic."
1We did the best we could in piecing this story together through poorly translated news reports. Readers who know the Slovenia language, please leave your corrections in the comment section. We also could not link directly to the Google translation pages. To see the linked pages in English, please supply a URL here.
Five Dogs Escape Fence and Brutally Attack Three Children in Fontana
Mother of the victims, Josie Arellano.
Condition Upgraded UPDATE 02/04/10: Destiny's condition has been upgraded from critical to serious condition, but is still in a medically induced coma at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. Family members are hopeful she'll make a complete recovery after a mauling that hospitalized three children. Dr. Jim Eguchi said, "It's too early to tell, when you're in the ICU you try not to predict things, you take it one at a time as they come along, and hopefully she makes it through."
02/03/10: Dogs' Owner "Sorry" About the Triple Mauling Fontana, CA - In yet another horrific display of criminal and unforgivable dangerous dog ownership -- where the dogs' owner might just be "ticketed" -- five dogs reportedly escaped through holes in the fence and attacked a mother and her four children. In what should have been an afternoon "walk to the park," turned into a Freddy Krueger nightmare instead. One dog ripped a 5-year old child from her mother's arms and the other dogs attacked her two other children.
The dogs are being described as a mastiff and four pit bull-mixes.
5-year old Destiny Colon, who continues to remain on life support at Loma Linda University Medical Center was initially treated for broken ribs and a punctured lung. Police said that the hospital called after the attack to ask if they had recovered any muscle tissue from the crime scene in hopes it could be reattached. Destiny's 6-year old brother, Hector Perez, received 235 staples to close a leg wound, and her 7-year old sister, Princess Colon, was treated for bite injuries.1
One longtime resident said she knows the aggressiveness of these dogs well. "They would come after horses, after people. Everybody was in danger. I'm not surprised," she said. "When people have dogs that are dangerous and they can get out of the yard, what can you expect? Those people need to be stopped." Correction: The City of Fontana and/or its animal control department must also be held liable if these dogs had previous complaints against them.
According to Sgt. Jeff Decker, the dogs' owners are "very sorry" about what happened. This is a miserable response to Josie Arellano, whose one child may die and two others may suffer permanent disfiguring injury. Not to mention the foreseeable bankruptcy filing of the Arellano family due to extensive emergency medical bills. The owners of these dogs did not choose to own poodles -- a breed with a strong safety record -- they chose to own known "frankenmaulers."
Owner of the AADR, Andrea Press, Allegedly Uses Pit Bulls to Attack Partner
New Brunswick County, NC - It was reported on January 20 that the new owner of the All American Dog Registry (AADR), Andrea L. Press, was charged with simple assault. Press allegedly used her dogs to attack her male companion during a domestic dispute. The simple assault charge carries up to 6 months in jail and or a $1,000 fine. DogsBite.org verified the charge by contacting the Brunswick County Court Clerk. The clerk also said that the state declined to prosecute.
Brunswick County Woman Charged With Assault In Dog Attack StarNewsOnline.com "Brunswick County woman charged with simple assault. Jan 20 Andrea L Press was charged with simple assault. Press allegedly used her dog (s) to attack her male companion during a domestic dispute. Press operates a dog registry out of her home in Brunswick County. The simple assault charge carries up to 6 months in jail and or $1000 fine. Investigators are still looking into this incident and there could be further charges according to one source." By Brandon Sneed Citydesk@StarNewsOnline.com Posted: 01/20/2010 10:40 PM
Press bought the AADR after its former owners T.L. Williams and Bobby Smith were arrested in the Pima County dogfighting bust. Investigators said that breeders of fighting dogs (pit bulls) used the AADR website to get the registration papers to prove a dog's bloodline. At the time of the bust, critics alleged that the AADR and its website was designed by dogfighters and for dogfighters. Critics dubbed the AADR a "networking apparatus" for the dogfighting subculture.
Now in the hands of Andrea Press, who operates Eyetrap Kennels, the AADR apparatus continues.
Dutch SPCA Willing to Sacrifice Other Animals to Appease Pit Bull Fans
The Hague, NL - On September 25, 2009, the Dutch SPCA1 fired animal welfare inspector Alexandra Semyonova, author of The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs, after Dutch pit bull terrier enthusiasts targeted Semyonova for identifying the dangerous characteristics of the breed and criticizing the reluctance of the humane community to recognize that dog breeds created to fight are both behaviorally and physiologically different2 from other dogs.
The firing leaves The Hague3 without an animal welfare inspector until a competent replacement can be trained.
Semyonova recently issued a statement to DogsBite.org regarding the actions of the Dutch SPCA. We have underlined portions of her statement for emphasis.
Dutch SPCA Fires Animal Welfare Inspector
"It's clear that they don't care about leaving thousands of animals unprotected -- including neglected and abused pit bulls," writes Semyonova.
"I've spent almost ten years now investigating reports of neglect and abuse of animals. The Dutch SPCA knew from the beginning that I disagreed with their stance on pit bulls. This annoyed them, but I was one of the best inspectors they ever had, able and willing to spend months if necessary nursing a case along until I saw that an animal's situation had really improved. I always expressed my views on the pit bull problem as a private person or in my capacity as an expert on dog behavior. I never implied that the Dutch SPCA shared my opinion. In fact, I was -- if asked -- always quite clear that they don't. So the organization tolerated me. In summer 2009, however, after I appeared in a Dutch television documentary on the pit bull problem, the Dutch SPCA began to get a flood of anonymous calls making ridiculous complaints about me. I was credited with owning DogsBite.org4 (quite a piece of inadvertent flattery there) and of going around parks arbitrarily tear-gassing pit bulls or stabbing them to death. In the end, the SPCA sacked me without verifying any of the complaints or the identity of the complainers, simply calling me disloyal for continuing to tell the facts about aggressive dog breeds. The most shocking thing about this, isn't its effect on me. It's the fact that the SPCA is willing to leave all the animals -- thousands of them -- in one of the Netherlands' biggest cities without a competent welfare inspector to protect them. Dutch law only protects animals from the most blatantly cruel physical abuse. These most blatant criminal cases are covered by the national service. It's up to local welfare inspectors to take care of the other 99% of the complaints we receive, where we can't bring criminal charges and have to depend on persuasion to get an animal owner to change his or her ways. It's going to take the SPCA at least a year and a half to find and train a new city inspector up to real competence. This means a year and a half of all kinds of animals silently suffering in situations that are appalling, but that the criminal law doesn't cover. The pit bull people are now trumpeting the success of their slander campaign all over the Internet as a big victory. It's clear that they don't care about leaving thousands of animals unprotected -- including neglected and abused pit bulls."5
The second part of Semyonova's statement addresses the "organized attacks" carried out by The Hague pit bull community. Similar attacks are carried out in America as well.
Organized Crime and Intimidation Campaigns
"If you speak out about pit bulls, you are on your own," writes Semyonova. "You are even on your own if you report the killing of your dog by a pit bull to the police."
"The anonymous complaint campaign to the Dutch SPCA wasn't the first attempt to silence me. But I'm not the only one who has been targeted. The same organized attacks have been directed toward shelters and shelter personnel where illegal pit bulls were being held for testing. There have even been break-ins and assaults. The Dutch Ministry of Justice acknowledged on public television that these intimidation campaigns form a pattern that clearly constitutes organized crime, but said they have no intention of prosecuting the pit bull fan club that is behind it all. If you speak out about pit bulls, you are on your own. You are even on your own if you report the killing of your dog by a pit bull to the police. The police will take the complaint if you insist, but they add a warning that they won't interfere if the pit bull fan club targets you for punishment. And they don't. This has led to serious underreporting of animal maimings and deaths caused by pit bulls."
The third part of her statement addresses the hypocrisy of animal welfare groups, who favor "preserving" the pit bull breed -- terminology mainly used by dogfighters.
Hypocrisy and Lack of Real Concern for Animal Welfare
"The SPCA is largely responsible for the repeal of the pit bull ban in the Netherlands this past summer," writes Semyonova. "The SPCA now get scads of calls from people whose ordinary dogs have been savaged by a pit bull."
"Still, what shocks me most, is the willingness of the SPCA to ignore the health and welfare of other animals in favor of preserving the pit bull. The SPCA is largely responsible for the repeal of the pit bull ban in the Netherlands this past summer. The SPCA now get scads of calls from people whose ordinary dogs have been savaged by a pit bull.6 But they can no longer help these traumatized and grieving people, because it's the SPCA who made sure there's no longer any legal recourse. Worse yet, SPCA policy requires that grieving callers be fed the same old line of propaganda they wanted me to propagate. Meanwhile, as long as no outsiders are listening, other SPCA employees I know acknowledge that they cross the street or quickly leave a dog park when they see someone approaching with a pit bull. They have one walking around at the national office. I've been told that when a visitor comes, they shut this dog up in another room. So the SPCA knows perfectly well what this type of dog is all about,7 yet they continue to fight for the breed's preservation -- and for suppression of information8 that might lead other dog owners to avoid pit bulls, thus saving many dogs' lives. Then there's the welfare of the pit bull itself. The SPCA knows that dogfighting isn't illegal in The Netherlands, yet they aren't fighting for a law to ban it. They know that keeping these fighting breeds legal means keeping dogfighting alive as a brutal blood sport. I just don't get it that they keep spending their donors' money on keeping the fighting breeds on the streets. To me, it looks like a lack of real concern for animal welfare."
The final part of Semyonova's statement includes an unanswered email sent by Animal People editor Merritt Clifton to the Dutch SPCA chief executive.
Failure of Humane Organizations to Admit Mistake
"They don't seem to realize they are undermining their own credibility on all fronts by failing to find the courage to admit a mistake," writes Semyonova.
"In an unanswered e-mail to the Dutch SPCA chief executive, Animal People editor Merritt Clifton asked, 'The Dutch SPCA could have been credited with employing the author of the most astute book about dog behavior that we have reviewed in 23 years of full-time coverage of animal issues worldwide, except that you had fired her. Why?' In my opinion, the organization made the wrong decision some fifteen years ago, when they decided to oppose breed-specific legislation and to fight for the preservation of the fighting breeds. Now they are more concerned with saving face by sticking to an old, bad decision than with doing what is really necessary to truly be a humane society. The same goes for humane societies all over the world. They don't seem to realize they are undermining their own credibility on all fronts by failing to find the courage to admit a mistake."
Alexandra Semyonova
The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs Alexandra Semyonova's book, credited by Animal People as "the most astute book about dog behavior that we have reviewed in 23 years," is available for purchase at the Hastings Press website. The e-book, an instantly downloadable PDF file, is available at this website as well.
Nonlinear Dogs: A Website Dedicated to Telling the Truth About Dogs From the Nonlinear Dogs website, one can review selected pieces of works by Semyonova including: "The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs," and "The Social Organization of the Domestic Dog," a study that challenges current canis familiaris organizational models.
1Unlike in the U.S. (See: Each Humane Society is a Separate and Distinct Organization), the Dutch SPCA (NL-SPCA) is a national organization, of which all local chapters are dependent. The NL-SPCA determines policy on all issues, from pit bulls to industrial animal husbandry, and the chapters must follow these policies. 2In the years serving as the vice president for research and educational outreach for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Randall Lockwood taught extensively about the "difference" between fighting dogs (pit bulls) and other dog breeds. Furthermore, Lockwood's fighting dog research was used to uphold the City and County of Denver's pit bull ban. 3The Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. 4Not only does DogsBite.org enrage U.S. pro-pit bull groups, we enrage such groups across the world! 5This is true in the U.S. as well. Furthermore, as 2007 data shows (750,000 pit bulls euthanized), the pit bull community responded by breeding more unwanted in pit bulls in 2009. 6The volume of pets, who are savagely attacked by pit bulls, far outpaces attacks on humans. 7The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is also fully aware of the dangerous characteristics of the pit bull breed (See: ASPCA Guide to Handling Pit Bulls in Shelter Environments). Yet, the ASPCA promotes the breed as a "nursemaid's dog" to the U.S. public. 8Countless U.S. animal welfare groups suppress and distort the truth about the pit bull breed to the American public. A few examples include: Best Friends, the ASPCA and the PSPCA.
Editorial: Tyler Newspaper Supports Statewide Ban on Pit Bulls
Tyler Morning Telegraph Tyler, TX - On Tuesday, the Tyler Morning Telegraph took a bold stand on the horrendous Texas pit bull issue: "It's time for Texas to take the first steps toward a statewide pit bull ban." Not only did the paper take such a bold stance, the editors at the Tyler Morning Telegraph make clear that they understand the real issues, which we have emphasized with hyperlinks below, as well as the continued, 30-year old1 propaganda spouted by pit bull owners and breeders.
The newspaper operates in a region that has witnessed several violent and deadly pit bull attacks in the last year and staff writers have no doubt examined the devastation of these attacks including: the recent mauling of a child by four pit bull puppies, the deadly attack upon Justin Clinton in June and the horrific mauling of Kristi Langston back in March. DogsBite.org applauds the Tyler Morning Telegraph and urges additional Texas newspapers to follow suit.
Time For Public To Take Action Against Pit Bulls "Advocates for pit bulls must grow tired of seeing headlines2 such as "3-Year-Old Mauled by Pit Bulls in Longview," which appeared in the Tyler Paper last week. They know it means another round of explaining to friends and others how sweet their dogs are, really, and how any dog can bite, and how it must be an irresponsible owner, as it can't be the breed. They'll have to reiterate their belief dogs are a blank slate, and no pit bull is born bad -- at least, no worse than, say, a golden retriever. But seriously; when is the last time you read an article about how a toddler was mauled, nearly to death, playing with a litter of golden retriever puppies? "The child sustained dog bites all over her body, and had serious injuries to her face and head," reported Longview Police Department spokesman Kevin Brownlee. He said the mother of the child told investigators she was at the residence visiting with a friend and allowed the daughter to go in the backyard without supervision. She added her daughter had been around the dogs before. The dogs -- four of them -- were 3-month-old puppies. The mother now could face charges for felony child endangerment. The little girl faces a lifetime of scars, both visible and unseen. How many more children and adults will we allow to be mauled, even killed, before we recognize pit bulls aren't goldens or labs or poodles -- that they're bred specifically to maim and kill? It's time for Texas to take the first steps toward a statewide pit bull ban. That first step is to repeal a law that doesn't allow breed-specific bans. Florida is already considering such a measure. Last year, a tragedy in Rusk County -- lest we forget, it was the mauling death of a 10-year-old boy -- led to a petition drive for a less-stringent response: Registration and education requirements for pit bull owners. That was opposed by advocates for this killer breed. Other tragedies have sparked other, lesser responses, as well - such as attempts at citywide or countywide bans. But because of the state law, those bans have been struck down. But it's time to think bigger. It's time to address a danger we know exists. It's time to at least allow cities and counties to adopt their own bans. Will those bans be difficult to implement? Perhaps. Opponents of a pit bull ban point out many "pit bulls" are actually mixed breed dogs. And they claim enforcing bans would require "DNA testing." Nonsense. That's where an expert -- such as an animal control officer -- can make a judgment call on what is and what isn't a pit bull. It's hard to mistake that crushing jaw. Will pit bull advocates challenge such bans? Sure. That's their right. But that shouldn't prevent the Legislature from repealing its law preventing cities and counties from deciding on their own whether to try such bans. It's a simple matter of local control. In the meantime, we're sure to see more tragic headlines. And we're sure to hear the same old arguments about how sweet Rex is -- or was, until the attack."
2010 Fatality: 56-Year Old Man Killed by Daughter's Six Pit Bulls
From left: Johnny Wilson's home and neighbor Avantis Smith.
Mislabeling Alert UPDATE 01/18/10: Despite the Chicago Police Department identifying the dogs as pit bulls, director Cherie Travis is now intentionally misleading the media, the citizens of Chicago and the entire U.S. public by stating that the dogs are actually "mixed breed," but she couldn't name the breeds until further evaluation. Travis is clearly a pit bull apologist placing the "protection" of the pit bull breed at a higher priority than reporting the truth about the fatal attack of a human being.
DogsBite.org calls for the immediate dismissal of director Cherie Travis.
Other pit bull apologists are popping through the seams as well "to soften" the impact of pit bulls killing two American citizens in an nine-day period. Animal behaviorist Suzanne Hetts, who is quoted in the updated article, said that the "dog's breed" isn't the most important factor. "Usually it's a perfect storm situation, with a lot of things that lead up to the attack," Hetts said. Yet the only perfect storm in this incident is the documented, lethal genetic history of the pit bull breed.
Pit bulls -- The Living IED: Designed for death, awaiting detonation.
01/18/10: Daughter "Stunned" by Fatal Attack Authorities report that the victim's daughter, who remains unnamed, arrived Sunday night to find her father covered in blood and near dead. The medical examiner's office ruled following an autopsy today that Johnny Wilson died of hemorrhaging from multiple injuries from a dog attack. Other sources said the victim suffered massive head, chest and upper body trauma, including having both of his ears bitten off and at least one of his eyes mauled.
The daughter, who had been breeding the pit bulls, told investigators the dogs were afraid of her father because his "voice was loud." But neighbors said that Wilson never appeared to have any trouble with the dogs prior to the incident. Avantis Smith, 31, who lives next door to the family, said he had seen Wilson walking the dogs on his way to the bank in the past. Another neighbor, Ruffin Davis, 62, said, "They always obeyed him. I don't see any reason for them to attack him."
According to Smith, Wilson's daughter was "stunned" last night and could not explain what had happened. She was perhaps as "stunned" as Chester Jordan's and Raymond Tomco's daughters, both of whom had also been breeding pit bulls in the family home and returned one day to discover their fathers mutilated bodies after being attacked by the dogs. In total, Chicago Animal Care and Control seized four adult pit bulls and two pit bull puppies from the South Side home.
Cherie Travis, director of the Animal Care and Control office, told reporters, "Dogs don't normally attack people in their own homes, so there's a lot to investigate." This is the same distortion voiced by the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) last year after two pit bulls first mauled their owner's son then mauled the owner. The truth is pit bulls are often in the news due to serious and sometimes fatal attacks upon their owners.
01/18/10: Man Killed by Daughter's Pit Bulls Chicago, IL - In a developing story, police are investigating the death of a 56-year old man found dead with dog bites at a home in the Washington Heights neighborhood. Johnny Wilson was found with several bite marks on his body, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office. The cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy by the medical examiner's office, but four pit bulls found at the residence were seized by animal control officials.
Grandmother Charged in Fatal Pit Bull Mauling Dies Before Trial
Trial Averted San Antonio, TX - Last March, we reported on the fatal pit bull mauling of 7-month old Izaiah Gregory Cox. At the time of the incident, Izaiah had been at his grandmother's home. Irma Barrera had been warming a bottle for her grandson in the kitchen when her two pit bulls "broke down the baby-gate" and violently attacked the child. The dogs were so wired with aggression after the incident that arriving EMS crews had to climb through a side window to reach the dying boy.
In August, 59-year old Barrera was indicted on one count of felony injury to a child after prosecutors showed that another grandchild, a granddaughter, several years ago, had been injured by the same pit bulls. The girl, 7, was hospitalized and required facial stitches after the attack. Despite this previous attack, and neighbors voicing concern about Barrera's pit bulls leading up to the attack that killed little Izaiah, Barrera had been allowed to keep her dangerous dogs.
Texas is a "one bite free" state unless the attack involves violating an animal control law, such as a leash law. So the granddaughter likely had no civil recourse and certainly had no criminal recourse. This previous attack, however, (Barrera knew the dogs had bitten a person before) allowed prosecutors to bring criminal charges in the case of Izaiah Gregory Cox. Barrera was facing up to 20-years in prison and a $10,000 fine if found guilty of the second-degree felony.
Barrera died of "natural causes" before her criminal trial began.
It was announced earlier this week that Barrera was due in court Monday, January 11, to face the injury to a child charge. But Barrera died of "natural causes" on December 6. San Antonio prosecutors moved to drop the case upon learning of her death. The tragic case of Izaiah Gregory Cox can now be summed up as: one scarred and possibly disfigured granddaughter, one dead grandson, two dead pit bulls (shot dead by police after killing Izaiah) and a dead dog owner.
The only remaining living elements being anguish and pain.
2010 Fatality: Pet Pit Bull Kills 3-Year Old Boy in Apple Valley
No Charges UPDATE 01/12/10: Investigators say they have found no evidence of negligence and have concluded that the death of Omar Martinez was a "misfortunate incident." This conclusion was drawn despite the pit bull's documented 30-year track record of seriously injuring and killing innocent children. At what point will authorities hold parents accountable for these preventable deaths? It is estimated that by 2014 or earlier, pit bulls will maul 200 Americans to death.1
01/10/10: Boy Killed in Backyard Apple Valley, CA - Just nine days into the New Year and a pet pit bull has already killed another innocent child. Authorities say that 3-year old Omar Martinez died Saturday after he was bitten by his family's pit bull. Emergency personnel were dispatched shortly before 3 p.m. to a residence in the 23500 block of Goshute Avenue. The boy was rushed to a local hospital but did not survive. Sheriff's officials said he was pronounced dead at 4:41 p.m.
Victorville Daily Press reports that the dog's owners were unable to gain control of the dog. When firefighters arrived, the pit bull, covered in blood, came out and started to attack firefighters. A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed the animal. Art Bishop, a deputy chief with the Apple Valley Fire Protection District, said the boy and his father had been in the backyard. The father reportedly stepped away briefly and the pit bull attacked.
2009 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org
Fatal Dog Attack Statistics DogsBite.org recorded 32 fatal dog attacks in 2009.1 Citations of each victim's story are located on the Fatality Citations page. The last year the CDC recorded or studied dog bite fatalities by breed was 1998. Likely due to pressures from animal advocacy groups, dog fancying groups and pro-pit bull groups, the CDC stopped recording these deaths by breed. The only other known entity that tracks this vital information is Animal People News.2 DogsBite.org has joined in this effort.
2009 Dog Bite Fatalities
32 U.S. fatal dog attacks occurred in 2009. Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 500 U.S. cities, pit bulls led these attacks accounting for 44% (14). Pit bulls make up approximately 5% of the U.S. dog population.3
In 2009, the combination of pit bulls (14) and rottweilers (4) accounted for 56% of all fatal attacks. In the 5-year period from 2005 to 2009, this same combination accounted for 70% (103) of the total recorded deaths (148).
The combination breakdown between the two breeds is substantial. From 2005 to 2009, pit bulls killed 82 Americans, about one citizen every 22 days, versus rottweilers, which killed 21 Americans, about one citizen every 87 days.
2009 data shows that 63% (20) of the attacks occurred to children (11 years and under) and 38% occurred to adults. Of the children, 60% (12) occurred to ages 2 and younger. In all attacks, males were more often victims, 59%, than females.
2009 data also shows that 38% (12) of all fatal attacks involved multiple dogs, and 19% (6) involved chained dogs. 75% (24) of these deadly attacks occurred on the dog owner's property and 25% (8) occurred off the owner's property.
The state of Texas led fatalities in 2009 (5) followed by Georgia and Illinois (each with 4) and California and Virginia (each with 3). Of the Texas deaths, the combination of pit bulls and rottweilers (4) accounted for 80%.
1At least seven additional victims died due to incidents caused by dogs in 2009. These deaths involved non-dog bite injury, minor dog bite injury or lacked a "reasonably clear" determination of death due to dog bite injury and are not included in the DogsBite.org statistical fatality data at this time: Dolly Newell, 80-years old (Alameda, CA), Vida Isabel Silver, 32-years old (Hayward, CA), Israel Pope Jr., 96-years old (Pickensville, AL), Gregory Isaacson, 58-years old (Kelso, WA), Beverly Head, 62-years old (San Jose, CA), Theresa Foss 47-years old (Plainfield, CT) and Timothy Niemeyer 56-years old (Indianapolis, IN). 2Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, by Merritt Clifton, Animal People. 3Decade of Adoption Focus Fails to Reduce Shelter Killing, by Merritt Clifton, Animal People, July/August 2009
Announcement: Wishes for the New Year from DogsBite.org
DogsBite.org - The dawning of a new decade is upon us. The year 2010 will bring many changes to DogsBite.org as we relocate our organization to the state of Texas. Instead of tracking new U.S. nonfatal pit bull attacks and police and citizen shootings of dangerous pit bulls in 2010, we will focus on analyzing the data documented in both areas from 2009. Additionally, once the relocation has occurred, the majority of energies must be focused on building a funded organization.
New Year's Wishes for 2010:
That each of 2009's pit bull attack victims and their families are not forgotten by their local and state government officials.
That in 2010, no innocent humans have to suffer through the most horrific manner of death conceivable to man -- being attacked, bitten, and ripped apart by powerful pit bulls with strong jaws and a tenacious demeanor that would prevent the average person from being able to stop the attack.
That in 2010, no innocent owner of a domesticated companion animal or livestock will have to witness, experience, or have to respond to a pit bull attack upon their animal, suffering either their death, their significant injury, the necessity for emergency veterinarian services and expenses, or the trauma of such an event.
That in 2010, more organizations invested in protecting human lives will become fully informed about the real and present danger posed by pit bulls in American Society and will take positive steps to take formal positions in favor of legal restrictions against pit bulls.
That in 2010, enlightenment comes to local and state government officials about the hidden agenda of pit bull breeders, dogfighters, and organized criminal conspirators to support anti-BSL efforts.
That in 2010, enlightenment comes to "misguided" pit bull advocates that support dogfighters and breeders of fighting dogs -- people heavily invested in the continuation of creating violent dogs -- and instead, focus their attention on breeding safer dogs.
Readers, please leave your own New Year's wishes in the comments area.
DogsBite.org is a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. We are a registered nonprofit corporation currently seeking tax-deductible status. Donations go toward recording and analyzing U.S. fatal dog attacks, U.S. pit bull attacks, U.S. police and citizen shootings of pit bulls and U.S. cities with pit bull laws. Funds also go toward researching state, county and city dog bite laws, developing a dog bite victim support group and website hosting costs.
Learn more about our mission, our passion and why we do what we do.
2009 Pit Bull Attack Victims and Their Stories - DogsBite.org
DogsBite.org - We have collected a group of 2009 pit bull attack victim stories1 that we have been unable to create a dedicated blog post about. Of the U.S. media reported victims who suffered injury by a pit bull not included in this post, many are recorded in the U.S. Pit Bull Attacks 2009 report, which will be published in 2010. We regret that we do not have the resources to document the massive volume of beloved pets who suffered a violent death by a pit bull.
Victims of Pit Bull Attacks: Please click a photo to read this victim's news story.2
Victims (From left to right): To view a richer story of each victim, please click the PDF link.
1Readers of DogsBite.org have asked why we have not yet written about Duane Vanlanham. Our answer is that it took us 1.5 years to write about Nick Foley, the catastrophic mauling of the 21st century. Heroic Vanlanham nearly falls into this same category and currently his story is too painful to write. 2News stories eventually fall into less reachable archive systems, which is why we provided a permanent PDF file as well. 3This victim's name was also reported as Alexus Zachary.
Pit Bull Attack Trigger: Slipping on Ice While Walking a Pet Pit Bull
From left: Victim Joyce Mitchell and her pet pit bull (with blood on its muzzle).
Owner Attacked Cincinnati, OH - It was reported Monday that a pit bull in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Pleasant Ridge viciously attacked its owner. Police say Joyce Mitchell was walking her pet pit bull when she slipped on ice, thus triggering a violent attack. Neighbors rushed out of their homes with hammers and shovels to beat the dog off Mitchell. The woman tried to secure her dog to a phone poll but was unable. A police officer finally gained control of the dog.
"Billy Rogers is one of the neighbors: "And I looked around looked in the car got a hammer and came down here to help her, that's all I could do was try to get the dog off of her...looked like the dog was too vicious, and some other neighbors came and tried to help too...we got shovels and tried to get the dog away from her...but he was still attacking, then the other polices came and damn..." Nieko Payne grabbed a shovel. "When I came out she had the dog wrapped around the pole and the dog started unwrapping itself and coming after her again and I hit the dog in the face and the police grabbed the leash and he wrapped it around the tree to keep the dog until the ambulance got here but... It had a big piece of her."
Cincinnati reinstated1 its pit bull ban in 2003.
Mitchell's pit bull may or may not have been covered under its grandfather clause. Yet she chose to own a pit bull and has now suffered serious injury because of it. As spoken by Cincinnati victim Meredith Green last year, "I haven't really been an advocate of the pit bull ordinance until now. I used to feel badly for the dogs but I can see now that a pit bull is a huge responsibility and there's too much danger. Nothing was gonna stop those dogs. Nothing."
Pit Bull Continues Attacking After Being "Run Over" by Police Cruiser
Two Pit Bulls Shot Glendale, AZ - It was reported Monday that Glendale police shot and killed two pit bulls after the dogs tried to attack a boy and the officers. In addition to pit bulls being able to withstand multiple shots from a police handgun or shotgun; heavily beaten by baseball bats; repeatedly stabbed with a two-prong barbecue fork or thrown off a six-story roof; pit bulls are so pain intolerant1 that even being run over by a 4,020 pound police vehicle will not stop a pit bull in "attack" mode.
So how does the average citizen stop a pit bull if it chooses to attack?
Glendale police shot and killed two pit bulls Monday after the dogs tried to attack a boy and the officers. Police responded to a dog attack call in the neighborhood near 71st and Orangewood avenues at about 4 p.m. Residents said that the dogs had been chasing a juvenile on a bicycle. Once on the scene, officers found the dogs to be similarly aggressive and shot them out of self defense, said Detective Mark Lankford, a spokesman for Glendale police. One of the dogs was run over. "The dog survived (being run down) and was still aggressive, so he (the officer) got out and shot it," Lankford said. Lankford said the owner of the dogs has previously been cited for letting the animals loose.
1Or rather, a pit bull will "not retreat, even when considerable pain is inflicted upon it." (See: One City's Experience, by Kory A. Nelson, Senior City Attorney for the City of Denver, Municipal Lawyer, July/August 2005)
Putnam County Pit Bull Ordinance Passes; Standing Ovation from Citizens
Community "Win" Bancroft, WV - Earnest D. Hunter, who carries an old fishing rod to defend himself against dogs in the Putnam County community, was among about 20 Bancroft residents at a County Commission meeting Tuesday to support an ordinance that prohibits pit bulls, mixed-breed pit bulls and any other dogs deemed vicious from running loose. County Commissioners passed the ordinance 2-1 and received a standing ovation from the Bancroft residents.
Congratulations Bancroft residents for taking back your community!
The ordinance requires owners of pit bulls and other dogs deemed vicious to keep the dogs on their property with a six-foot enclosed fence or keep them on a four-foot leash. A vicious dog, as defined in the ordinance, is a pit bull or mixed-breed pit bull or a dog that chases, bites, or attempts to chase or bite, without provocation, a person or another domesticated animal, or exhibits unprovoked aggression. Violators face up to a $1,000 fine for the first offense.
"The owners won't listen," Phillips said. "They don't care."1
"We all like dogs. The problem is we have people not taking care of them," said Bancroft resident Jay Phillips. Residents have tried to talk to the dog owners, he said, but the animals are still let loose. He said the community is terrified of the dogs, and it's only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed. On December 4, Lowell Bowden of Lindside, West Virginia (about 135 miles away) died after suffering a violent attack by loose pit bulls.
1Phillips' comment, "They don't care," nails the issue. Owners of these types of dogs do not care about your safety, your child's safety or that you may be forced to walk with mace and a golf club. They simply do not care.
2009 Fatality: 2-Year Old Killed by Family Dog in Cape Coral
Victim: Liam Peck Cape Coral, FL - A toddler died Tuesday morning after being bitten by one of the family's dogs. According to officials, the family's 8-year old male Weimaraner fatally bit Liam Peck, 2-years old, in the neck. Connie Barron, spokeswoman for the Cape Coral Police Department, said EMS transported the boy to Cape Coral Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Lee County Animal Services seized the dog from the home, along with a female Weimaraner.
Incredibly, yet commonly, this article spends more time talking about what might happen to the seized dogs, one of which killed Liam Peck, rather than focusing on the innocent dead victim. The article also inappropriately includes a quote by Dr. Robert South, an epidemiologist with the Lee County Department of Health. "It really comes down to the ability of the owner to have a well-trained dog and to teach children to be appropriately cautious around animals," he said.
How many 2-year old children understand "appropriately cautious?"1
Weimaraner Safety Record According to the Merritt Clifton report, "Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to December 22, 2009," and including this most recent fatality, Weimaraners have been involved in one fatal dog attack in the last 27 years. Of the two attacks involving Weimaraners in this period -- attacks serious enough to make the Clifton report -- both involved children. During this same period, pit bulls (excluding pit bull-mixes) accounted for 153 deaths and 777 maimings.
Liam Joseph Peck Fund To help the family pay for Liam's funeral costs, please visit any Fifth Third bank and make a donation to the "Liam Joseph Peck Fund."
1Directing the "weight" of understanding dog bite safety onto toddlers is wholly absurd.
Son of Rosie Humphreys Starts Campaign to Ban Pit Bulls in Flora
From left: Bob Koehler's sign and his mother Rosie Humphreys.
Anti-BSL State Flora, IL - Two weeks after 85-year old Rosie Humphreys was mauled to death by a pit bull, her son Bob Koehler erected a sign in his yard reading: "Ban Pit Bulls." Rosie was killed by a loose pit bull while walking her two poodles. The pit bull owned by Brian Pennington, 31, violently struck down Rosie and one of her dogs. Police Chief John Nicholson blamed the attack on the failure of the "D" ring attached to the dog's collar and dismissed Pennington of criminal liability.1
Koehler told reporters, "I'm going to be very vocal about it, I don't care who likes it or who don't." (High-five to Koehler from DogsBite.org!) Koehler's goal is to ban pit bulls in the City of Flora. "I'm going to keep kicking and pushing and digging until we can get something done," he said. Koehler added, "It's not a matter of if they will turn on you, it's a matter of when they will turn on you." Koehler has started a petition to try to lift the current Illinois state anti-BSL law.
Ledy VanKavage drafted the 2005 Illinois state anti-BSL law.
VanKavage's Dangerous Dog law did nothing to protect Rosie and allowed the owner of the loose pit bull to escape criminal charges!
In 2003, after loose pit bulls killed Anna Cieslewicz and severely injured Mary Murphy-Smith in a park near Chicago, "Anna's Law" was enacted by the State of Illinois. The law was intended to prevent future victims of loose dog attacks, but it turned into a "pet population" control law, which likely impacted the feral cat problem more than dangerous dogs. VanKavage, who was then working for the ASPCA, drafted the law and built the prohibition of BSL into it.
VanKavage, now a lobbyist for Best Friends, is also quoted in the Koehler article. The strategy of Best Friends is to hoodwink city officials and the public into believing that BSL "doesn't work and it is expensive," despite the fact that ample evidence exists to the contrary (See: Cities with Successful Pit Bull Laws). VanKavage also makes the following untruthful statement: "If a dog owner argues that the dog is not a pit bull, the municipality has to pay for DNA Testing."
To gain more information about VanKavage's statement, we reached out to Assistant City Attorney Don Bauermeister of Council Bluffs, Iowa. He said that since the enactment of the Council Bluffs pit bull ban (January 2005), only one instance resulted in a DNA test. "The DNA test was requested and paid for by the Defendant," he said. "The City incurred no costs on the DNA examination. The owners paid for blood draw, mailed it in and awaited the analysis," he said.
How Trustworthy Are DNA Tests?
Our understanding is that the Wisdom Panel™ DNA test created by Mars Veterinary is the most accurate test available. Yet the corporation's FAQ states the following about pit bulls: "Due to the genetic diversity of this group, we cannot build a DNA profile for the Pit-bull2." (See question: Does Wisdom Panel™ Insights test for "Pit-bull?"). So while VanKavage says, "with DNA, it is a whole new ball game," it seems that accurate pit bull DNA still has a long way to go.3
The Best Friends Baloney Calculator
VanKavage also makes the questionable statement that if Illinois were to ban pit bulls it would cost the state $18 million. How does VanKavage come up with such a number? Once again, to mislead and "scare" U.S. municipalities who may be considering a breed-specific law, Best Friends created an online impact calculator4 that "supposedly" measures the cost of a pit bull ban.5 This is equivalent to a smoker trusting an online "How Long Will You Live?" calculator devised by the tobacco industry.
What's notably left out of the "research" is the cost of not regulating pit bulls. For instance, of the thousands of persons, pets and livestock injured by pit bulls in the State of Illinois in a given year, what is the cost of their substantial medical bills -- pit bull victims often require $100,000 and beyond in medical care. Also, what is the state's annual cost of first responders including: police officers, paramedics, firefighters and animal control responding to a pit bull incident?
As pit bulls frequently inflict injuries requiring immediate emergency care, air flight responders such as helicopters are often called upon too. We have recorded these costs at $10,000-18,000 per flight from various victim stories. Finally, pit bulls account for approximately one-third of shelter occupancy across the U.S. If Illinois were to ban pit bulls (under the assumption that zero pit bulls existed in Illinois), this heavy burden on shelters would finally be lifted.
Failure to Acknowledge Victims
DogsBite.org must also point out what is always true when VanKavage and other pit bull advocates appear in the media. There is never an acknowledgment to the number of human and animal victims pit bulls leave disfigured and dead. To do so would imply recognition of the breed's inherent danger. Bob Koehler's dear mother and her poodle were savagely mauled to death by a loose pit bull that had never shown violence in the past and was not neglected in anyway.
DogsBite.org grieves for Rosie's family, and we encourage Koehler to Go Get'em!
1Dog owners should bare the full responsibility of ensuring that their equipment is properly functioning -- aka "strict liability." 2Apparently, a test bank for the American Pit Bull Terrier has not been developed in the U.S. Therefore there is no "control sample" by which to test. DNA can only be used to determine if one sample matches a known control sample. 3Chako.org, a pit bull advocacy group, demonstrates in a YouTube video the unreliability of the BioPet DNA test. Experienced pit bull owner (user ColbyDogs) warns, "Don't buy into the whole DNA thing." 4The calculator falsely assumes that enforcement agencies are responsible for the cost of the DNA tests. As put to us recently in an email, "There is absolutely no way in hell that any government agency has to do anything to "create" evidence for the defendant." 5The calculator only represents a pit bull ban. Another strategy of pro-pit bull groups is to turn all pit bull regulation conversation into a "pit bull ban." The ban conversation is the most polarizing and often halts future meaningful dialog about the different breed-specific options available to a city.
Pit Bull Dog-Aggression: Pit Bull Charges Through Screen Door to Attack
Home Invasion Attack Lehigh Acres, Fl - In another example of deadly pit bull dog-aggression, a neighbor's pit bull charged through a family's front screen door and mauled their small dog to death. At the time of the incident Patricia Denis was decorating her home for the holidays. Her son David intervened to stop the attack and the pit bull "bit through his finger." As demonstrated by this pit bull, the breed was genetically engineered to attack and kill dogs for the purposes of dogfighting.
"Patricia Denis was decorating her home for the holidays when all of a sudden a pitbull charged through their front screen door. "My dog was screaming horribly," she said. Her three year-old Shih Tzu named Buster was in a fight for its life. A neighbor's pitbull literally broke through the screen door, attacking Buster. David, Patricia's son says it happened on the living room floor. "Buster is only this big. The pitbull's head is this big. Buster was making a horrible noise," he said. David tried pulling the dogs apart, but the pitbull bit through his finger. A few seconds later, Buster was nearly dead."
Historic Recall: 50 Million Blinds Recalled Following Child Deaths
Product Liability Bethesda, MD - Last November, 1.6 million baby cribs were recalled following the death of two children. It was announced Wednesday that the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the window blind industry are recalling 50 million Roman blind and roller shades after the deaths of five children and the near strangulation of 16. The volume of fatal and horrific pit bull maulings upon children far outweigh these numbers, yet there is no publicly funded agency to protect these children.
Breeders of dangerous dogs have no liability or oversight.
"This morning we have a recall of historic proportions. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the window blind industry are recalling virtually every Roman blind and roller shade on the market -- around 50 million sets -- because the cords pose a strangulation hazard to children. Five children have died and another 16 have nearly strangled in the cords of the Roman shades and three children's deaths have been linked to roll-up blinds, which is why the CSPC negotiated the massive recall. But the agency said it's frustrated that it was necessary since the products should have been safer in the first place."
Historic Recall: 3.5 Million Pit Bulls Recalled Following Child Deaths
"This morning we have a recall of historic proportions. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the pit bull breeding industry1 are recalling virtually every pit bull on the market -- around 3.5 million dogs2 -- because pit bulls pose a horrific hazard to children. In 2009 alone, 11 children have suffered a violent death at the jaws of a powerful pit bull. Countless other children have suffered permanent disfiguring injury including having their full scalp ripped off, which is why the CSPC negotiated the massive recall. But the agency said it's frustrated that it was necessary since pit bull breeders should have been breeding safer dogs in the first place."
As demonstrated in the 1987 Sports Illustrated article, "The pit bull, friend or killer?" Pit bulls have been maiming and killing individuals since the early 1980's (known as the "pit bull leakage period"). Since this time, pit bulls have an unmatched and unbroken 30-year track record of inflicting serious injury and death upon people. A wise and dear friend of DogsBite.org recently said: "People and policymakers do not want to know the truth about pit bulls, as this implies responsibility."
1Breeders of fighting dogs, drug dealers, ex-convicts and the token household on your block running a backyard pit bull breeding operation. 2Based on pit bulls accounting for 5% of the total U.S. dog population. To see the horrific injustice pit bull breeders inflict upon their dogs, please see: 2009 U.S. Shelter Data Shows that Pit Bulls Account for 58% of Dogs Euthanized.
2009 Fatality: Great-Aunt's Rottweiler-Mix Kills 20-Month Old Boy
"Dog Just Attacked" UPDATE 12/15/09: Just before the burial service of Dallas Walters, the boy's father clarified a few issues: "There was no cookie. My son was eating potato salad and the dog just attacked him." Essentially, the rumored "cookie" story was just that -- rumored. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Department, the investigation into what happened is still ongoing. They say it doesn't appear anyone, including the dog's owners, will face any charges.
12/15/09: Dog Purchased Two Months Ago New information has been released in the death of Dallas Walters. The year old rottweiler-lab mix that killed the boy was euthanized just hours later. The dog belonged to Lisa and Preston Evans -- Lisa is Dallas' mother's great-aunt. The male dog was unregistered and unaltered. The couple said they got the dog about two months ago from someone in Tampa who had placed a newspaper ad. Authorities are trying to contact the sellers of the dog.
The owners surrendered the dog, named Willie, along with a 3-month old rottweiler puppy; it is unclear from the article if the puppy came from the same seller. According to Pasco Animal Services director Denise Hilton, "[The dog's owners] said the dog had been playing all day with the kids at the party with no problems at all." Yet Andrew Walters, the father of Dallas, said that Willie was a dog he had not seen before that day and was supposed to be chained in the backyard.
Walters said his family is taking the loss "second by second." He added that he had yet to talk to the Evanses. "I can't,'' he said. "I don't trust my actions.'' Walters wants criminal charges filed. Kevin Doll, the spokesman for the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, said the death is under investigation. Yet the incident looks to be another "tragic accident," despite the fact that rottweilers have the second worst safety record regarding fatal attacks, dwarfed only by pit bulls.
12/13/09: Boy Killed by Dog at Birthday Party New Port Richey, FL - In a chilling story, Dallas Walters, 20-months old, was killed after being mauled by a pet rottweiler inside his aunt's New Port Richey home Saturday night. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, a birthday party was going on at Dallas Walters' aunt's house in Moon Lake when the incident occured. Deputies say the boy was eating a cookie then dropped it on the floor. When he went to reach for the cookie the aunt's pet rottweiler attacked.
"I ran over there, pulled the dog off him," said the boy's father Andrew Walters, "I tried to beat the hell out of him."
This horrific scenario is very familiar readers: 1.) An aunt, uncle or grandparent's dangerous dog, often a pit bull or a rottweiler, with likely little to no experience with children. 2.) A young child visiting the dog owner's home, possibly for the first time. 3.) It's either the "cookie" (or food related) story, which blames the child for the life-altering or deadly attack or it's the "warming a bottle" story, where the adult steps away briefly and the pit bull or rottweiler kills the child.
1996 Fatality: 4-Year Old Wheeler Boy Killed by Loose Chow-Mix Dogs
File photos of individuals killed by loose dogs.
Damon Tyler Austin Koehn Wheeler, AR - On May 13, 1996, 4-year old Damon Tyler Austin Koehn was violently killed by a pack of loose chow-mix dogs. The boy's father, James Koehn, discovered his son badly mauled in a ravine near the family's home. Prior to the attack, James and his son had laid down for a nap, but Damon had awoken first and wandered outside. Authorities seized a total of 15 dogs from Dan Doiel, who lived in a mobile home 200 yards from the Koehn residence.
In early November, just after 2-year old Matthew Hurt was killed by a pit bull in Prescott, the older half-brother of Damon, Ricky Austin, contacted DogsBite.org. He said that he felt his brother's death had been in vain and worse, had been forgotten. Prior to reaching out to others and us at this time, Ricky had not spoken of the tragedy in many years. The death of Hurt prompted him to search for information about his brother's attack online, but he came up empty handed.1
"To be recognized then fall off the end of the world? For there to be nothing?" Ricky said in a phone call to DogsBite.org.
"You can find aggravated assault charges from 1996 online, or a drunk driver," he said, "but I could find nothing about the event that destroyed my family's life and left my family with massive obstacles." The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette fortunately does have online archives that date back to 1996 and Ricky was able to purchase some of these articles and forward them to us to help in the documentation of Damon's story and the unraveling of his family that followed.
The Day of the Attack
"The death of my brother is one of the most vicious cases I've ever scene," Ricky said. "Of what the animals did, they basically ate the boy."
On the morning of May 13, Ricky's mother, Mary Koehn, took 12-year old Ricky and his 8-year old sister to school then drove to work. Damon's father was an ironworker and had recently fallen off a 2-story building. He was homebound and on pain medication. Damon had stayed the day with him. After lunch, the two laid down for an hour nap. When the alarm clock rang at 2 pm, Damon was gone. James discovered his son's body at 2:20 pm. At that time, Ricky and his sister were still at school.
The incident quickly gained national coverage. According to Ricky, the media "swarmed" his small Wheeler community. About 300 to 400 cars a day came out to see where the tragedy unfolded, he said. The media then attacked James for "being asleep" and omitted the fact that the father had been on legal pain medication at the time. The problem grew so great that the family had to leave town. The media attacks2 compounded by the horrific death of Damon, proved ruinous for both parents.
After the funeral, James began questioning whether the incident was his fault and subsequently tried to commit suicide. Ricky's mother, who had recently gotten back on track after past drug abuse issues, began to abuse drugs again. Meanwhile, both families blamed the attack on Ricky and Shannon, the dog owner's daughter and girlfriend of Ricky, for walking across the ravine that connected the two homes, whereby making the path "safe" for Damon to walk.
By allowing his 15 dogs to run loose, Doiel was wholly negligent in Damon's death. Yet the media blamed Damon's parents and the traumatized parents then blamed their children.
Shortly after the attack, school let out. Ricky left to visit his father in Texas and his sister went to live with his grandparents in Oklahoma. Ricky said that he does not know how long his mother and James lived in the home after the attack -- the grandparents "shielded the children" from information after the attack. But upon receiving the life insurance policy funds after Damon's death, the two had spent it all within two months. Several years later, that house "mysteriously" burns down.
The Trial and the Penalty
"What in the world possessed prosecutors that they did not have enough evidence for the misdemeanor charges?" Ricky asked. "I'd like to know what happened in that little room."
On December 10, 1996 -- moments before Doeil's trial -- Doeil switched his innocent plea to 11 misdemeanor counts of violating the county's vicious animal ordinance to guilty after striking a plea agreement with prosecutors. Dan Doiel, 41, was sentenced to one year in jail and fined $1,000 -- both to be suspended if he performed weekly community service for six months, did not keep dogs on his property for one year and wrote a letter of apology to Damon's family.
"The sentence reflected recommendations by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kim Weber-Wall.3 Doiel had pleaded innocent in October to 11 counts of violating the county's vicious-animal ordinance. He entered the new plea after meeting with prosecutors moments before his trial was to begin Tuesday. Doiel was charged after Damon's father found the boy's mutilated body in a ravine separating the Koehn and Doiel residences near the Wheeler community." -Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 12/13/1996
We asked Ricky if the letter of apology had ever been written. He said that he did not think so. He added that by December, the family had totally deteriorated. He said, "The letter would not have mattered and possibly would have made matters worse." DogsBite.org contacted the West Fork Municipal Court to follow up on several issues: 1.) Why was there a last minute plea bargain? 2.) What happened regarding the civil case Washington County brought against Doiel?
To clear up a related matter first, according to the West Forks Municipal Court clerk, the reason why there are no Internet records regarding the guilty plea of Doiel is due to lack of technology capabilities. In 1996, Washington County did not have the capability to place such records online nor did any other Arkansas county. Such information today, 1996 records, is found only "in brief" electronically. Accessing the full case requires pulling archived paper documents.
In the criminal case against Doiel, DogsBite.org could not learn why prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain4 regarding the 11 misdemeanor counts of violating the county's vicious animal ordinance. It is understandable why prosecutors could not bring "enhanced criminal liability" charges. As in many states, Arkansas law required proof that at least one of Doiel's dogs had been reported to officials as vicious prior to the attack that killed Damon. Prosecutors could find no such proof.5
"The plea deal made my little brother die in vain," Ricky said. "It also set up another attack to happen. No repercussions!"
Doiel was not ordered by the West Forks Municipal Court to pay restitution to the Koehn family because restitution is only ordered for living victims. Damon's family could have brought a wrongful death suit against Doiel, but the idea was likely dropped at the time due to Doiel's limited assets. The Washington County Attorney's Office told us that wrongful death suits have a statue of limitations of 3 to 5 years, so the Koehn family no longer has the opportunity to file one.
The county did file a civil judgment against Doiel for nearly $16,000 due to the extensive costs of the criminal investigation, including DNA and forensic testing of the dogs. The West Forks Municipal Court clerk said that Doiel makes a monthly, in-person cash payment of $40 to the court and has been since 1997. "He's out here every month religiously," she said. While this amount may seem small, the court deemed this was all that Doiel could afford to pay each month.
Years of Therapy
"Damon's attack should have enacted a new state law," Ricky said. "When do enough children have to die?"
After spending time with his father following the attack, Ricky joined his sister in living with his grandparents. Both grandparents are doctors and had the means and understanding to enroll the children into therapy. Ricky said that he underwent two years of therapy and his sister had even more. He told DogsBite.org that both he and his sister were able to "rise above" the event with the help of his grandparents. He said that his sister has a child now and a happy marriage.
His mother, Mary, is currently living in Oklahoma and is no longer married to James.6. Still struggling with drug additions, she is unwell. Ricky said that she was very happy about our phone call. "This was a big event for me and my family -- this phone call," he said. According to Mary, whose words may or may not be accurate, the Doiels are still living in the same trailer home and have more dogs now. Information about Ricky's former girlfriend, Doiel's daughter7, could not be found.
About Ricky Austin
Currently, Ricky Austin is 25-years old and resides in Tyler, Texas near his father. He is a single father of a 5-year old boy. At one point, Ricky did own a Lab, but it brought back too many memories and he feared for his son. He gave the dog away. Ricky works in database and Internet development for the East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind (etlb.org), whose mission is to provide employment to people who are blind or visually impaired. His father, Ricky Austin Senior, is blind.
DogsBite.org greatly thanks Ricky for sharing his painful story that dates back thirteen years and continues to cause pain. As demonstrated by the story of Damon Tyler Austin Koehn, fatal dog attacks are multi-generational and not only devastate multiple families, but entire communities for many years. As the U.S. media typically abandons such stories after the initial "gory details" have been shared, the American public is unaware of the lasting effects of these tragedies.
1Karen Delise of the National Canine Research Council was informed by Ricky that her web site was in error regarding the number of persons convicted after a fatal dog attack in the State of Arkansas. Delise corrected the error with another error. Doiel did not plead guilty to "negligent homicide," he pleaded guilty to 11 misdemeanor counts of violating the county's vicious animal ordinance. 2Several media accounts also tried to blame the attack on a Doritos bag that was found near Damon's body -- placing the blame back onto the victim. Sadly, such ridiculous "blame tactics" after an unprovoked serious or fatal dog attack by a vicious dog(s) are common. Ricky said that Damon and his sister had eaten the chips the weekend before and had left the empty bag in the yard. 3,4Eight days prior to publishing this post, DogsBite.org sent an email to Arkansas attorney Kimberly Weber; online references show that she is the same Kim Weber-Wall referred to in the Democrat-Gazette article. Weber did not respond to our email. On December 11, we spoke to Weber on the phone and she confirmed that she is the same person. When asked why Doiel was given the plea bargain, the phone call that had started off "tense" turned hostile. After reminding her that the case regarded the fatal dog attack of 4-year old Damon Tyler Austin Koehn, Weber said, "I'm not recalling it; I don't recall the case." It is important to point out that fatal dog attacks are rare and the incident involving Damon dominated local news and made national headlines. Kimberly Weber's current area of law practice is criminal defense. 5Most state laws allow for "one free mauling" prior to serious charges. Some states allow up to three maulings, each resulting in "serious bodily injury," prior to felony charges. 6Little additional information was provided about James. Ricky said that after he tried to commit suicide, he was later arrested. "He became a different person," Ricky said. 7Shortly after the attack, the two parted ways. The families "were at war," Ricky said. In our phone call, Ricky expressed great concern for Jennifer Shannon Doiel and what happened to her after the attack. The Doiel family did not have resources like his grandparents did.
2009 Fatality: Woman, 49, Bitten by Dog Dies Shortly Thereafter
Theresa Ann Ellerman Norfolk, VA - It was reported on Saturday that a woman died after being bitten by a dog. Norfolk Police and Norfolk Fire responded to an address at Tabor Court at about 2:30 am in response to a reported dog bite victim. Officers found 49-year-old Theresa Ellerman experiencing difficulty breathing. She was transported to DePaul hospital where she was pronounced dead at about 3:45 am. The dog, reportedly an Alaskan malamute1, was placed into quarantine.
Several days later, preliminary autopsy results showed that Ellerman died due to a dog bite to her neck. Chris Amos, a spokesman with the Norfolk Police Department, said that Theresa Ellerman of Jacksonville was visiting friends when she was bitten by an Alaskan malamute in their home. Amos would not discuss the extent of Ellerman’s injuries, but did say, "she was not mauled." Authorities continue to investigate the incident and would not identify the dog's owner.
In a tragic online post titled, "My Fiance Died," the author states: "...his Malamut bit her in the neck and throat. The swelling shut her airway and she died on the way to the hospital." The person added, "She was 5'2" tall and had more energy than anyone I have ever known. She was a retired USMC Gunny. She was my best friend and my lover. The last words we ever spoke to each other were, "I love you". She left three children, her family back in Prescott Arizona, and me."
1According to Merritt Clifton of Animal People, eight wolf hybrid attacks in the past five years, severe enough to qualify for the Dog Attack Deaths and Maiming report, have initially been reported as "malamute" attacks by dog owners who were hoping to escape prosecution for the illegal possession of wolf hybrids.
Pit Bull Dog Aggression: Two Fighting Pit Bulls Shot Dead at Dulles
"Very Violent Fight" Dulles, VA - It was reported on Thursday that a pair of large male pit bulls (most likely "game bred" pit bulls, specifically bred for dogfighting) were shot and killed by police in a Dulles Airport cargo facility. Both dogs "broke out" of their kennels and began attacking each other in what was described as a "very violent fight." Despite the many questions the incident raises, such as, "Were the dogs being shipped to Korea for dogfighting?" Airport authorities declared the case closed.
"A pair of large male pit bulls on their way to Korea were shot and killed by police in a Dulles Airport cargo facility Thursday morning after both dogs escaped their enclosures and began fighting. "This was a very violent fight," said Rob Yingling of the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority. "The officer had no choice in this situation." The dogs had been dropped off at AirFrance Cargo earlier in the morning by their owner and were destined to be loaded on Korean Air Flight 94 to Incheon, Korea later in the day. The owner of the dogs was not booked for travel, according to Yingling. Airport officials will not release the identity of the owner and officials at the AirFrance Cargo office at Dulles declined requests from 9NEWS NOW for more information. Courtney Mickalonis, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, says the incident began just after 10 a.m. when one of the animals was able to escape its carrier and attack another dog while it was still in its enclosure. Mickalonis says the second dog also escaped its carrier, and a vicious fight ensued."
2009 Fatality: 70-Year Old Dies After Violent Maiming by Pit Bulls
Manslaughter Charges UPDATE 12/09/09: In a developing story, the four people charged in connection with a fatal dog attack in Monroe County were arrested Wednesday, December 9, on additional charges. Sheriff's deputies charged Justin Blankenship, his mother Kimberly Blankenship, Anna Hughes and Mose Christian with involuntary manslaughter charges. The four were previously charged with several misdemeanors including failure to register a dog and failure to vaccinate a dog.
12/07/09:Fatal Dog Attack: Lowell Edison Bowden Lindside, WV - On November 27, Lowell Bowden was attacked by a group of loose pit bulls. Lowell's family has submitted a statement to DogsBite.org that recounts the attack that led to his tragic death on December 4. The incident marks the second fatal dog attack in West Virginia this year, both attributed to pit bulls. DogsBite.org urges citizens of West Virginia to contact their legislators and ask that they sponsor a law that provides felony punishment for owners of loose dogs that seriously injure or kill a human being.
The Lowell Family Statement "The family of Lowell Bowden is saddened and horrified by his death. On Friday, Nov 27, 2009, the day after Thanksgiving, Lowell went for his normal walk, around 4:00 pm on the same main, gravel road in the subdivision in which he and his wife live, in Lindside WV, with no knowledge or indication of potential danger. Two hunters, a man and his young daughter, came upon 4 pitbull breed dogs attacking something. When they realized that it was a person, the man got out of his car, and stomped his feet trying to scare them away. When the dogs did not move from their kill, the hunter fired a shot in the air, so as not to accidentally shoot Mr. Bowden, which made 3 of the 4 dogs run away. One dog still stood in defiance, growling, before running away. The hunters got help, and a neighbor notified Mr. Bowden's wife and family, at their home, not less than 1/4 mile away. Mr. Bowden had no vital signs, but the emergency medical technicians brought him back to life and took him to a local hospital, where he was then air-lifted to a hospital in Roanoke. He was put on life-support in critical condition. Mr. Bowden was maimed beyond recognition, with no facial features remaining and other horrific disfigurement. Mr. Bowden passed away on Friday, Dec 4, 2009 early in the morning. The family holds the owners of the pitbulls and the county responsible and accountable for Mr. Bowden's death. The owners of these dogs had previously been cited, and only fined, by the county for chasing and harassing children and horses. By West Virginia state law, the homicide of Mr. Bowden is only considered a misdemeanor. They want to make sure that no one else ever has to face this horrific event, by changing the West Virginia state law to make maiming or death by owners of any dangerous breed of dog, a felony. This breed of dog is nationally considered dangerous and vicious, and these particular dogs were allowed to roam free, by the owners, in a pack. Based on the history of attacks by this breed of dog, this attack never should have been allowed to occur by these negligent owners, and the family never should have to be dealing with the nightmare of the death of their beloved husband, step-father, brother-in-law, uncle, and grandfather. The family, although during their time of suffering and pain want to concentrate their efforts to change state laws to send a loud and clear message to irresponsible and negligent dog owners of any breed, to manage the keep of their dogs according to strict guidance, or suffer the punishment of a felony instead of a misdemeanor of that this does not ever happen again. No more one free bite, one free mauling and no more one free homicide!"
Justin Ray Blankenship, 20, who appears to be running a backyard pit bull breeding operation (See related PDF), his mother Kimberly Blankenship, 52, Anna Hughes, 32, and Mose Christian, 19, were arrested last week in connection with the incident. The individuals face misdemeanor charges in relation to the fatal pit bull mauling of Lowell Bowden that left him "maimed beyond recognition, with no facial features remaining and other horrific disfigurement."
Free Jazz Event Hopes to Raise Funds to Help Pit Bull Attack Victim
DaMonica Paul hugs her uncle Johnie Robinson (11/28/09).
DaMonica Paul Elkhart, IN - Back in August, we wrote about 4-year old DaMonica Paul, whose nose was bitten off by a neighbor's pit bull. Recent photos of the little girl show the effects of the disfiguring attack. As DaMonica prepares for multiple surgeries to reconstruct her missing nose, community support has picked up. Organizers of Cornbread-n-Jazz, a grassroots community arts outreach group in Elkhart, say a wave of momentum to help the Paul family is now rolling in.
A free event will be held on December 18 to benefit the family featuring live local music, an open microphone for poetry readings and people from local arts, business, faith, social services and community leadership circles. It's the first time Cornbread-n-Jazz has chosen to focus on the needs of one specific family. Originally, the group aimed to provide free, upscale entertainment and networking opportunities for adults who were out of work or facing life transitions.
The July Dog Attack
According to DaMonica's mother, following the extensive upcoming surgeries, she will have a 10 percent chance of recovering any sense of smell.
After the dog bite last July, DaMonica was airlifted to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, where her nose was surgically re-attached. Several weeks later, her nose detached and fell away, leaving the nostrils uncovered and open. The nose could not be re-attached a second time. Doctors then sealed the hole in DaMonica's face by stitching the remaining nostril flaps together. In mid-December, a complicated process of repairing her facial disfigurement begins.
A team of doctors expects to perform one surgery every three weeks, for up to a twelve-week period. Between the surgeries and afterward, for up to 24 weeks, she will be quarantined. After that, the "sweet, social bunny of a child with a real gift of the gab," will have a 10 percent chance of recovering any sense of smell, according to her mother. City Councilman Rod Roberson connected the Paul family with the Cornbread-n-Jazz organizers after hearing DaMonica's story.
DaMonica's mom is a homemaker. Her father is a machinist who was laid off from a factory job in Elkhart two years ago. The couple has two other children, ages 16 and 7. On public assistance, the Pauls can't handle the present or future emotional or financial strains alone. They anticipate extensive medical bills, not covered by Medicare, as well as travel and wardrobe costs -- hypo-allergenic clothing with snaps to prevent fabrics from rubbing the child's face as it heals.
How to Help DaMonica Paul
Cornbread-n-Jazz will take place from 8 to 11 pm Dec. 18 at Concord Mall. Admission is free, but a non-perishable food item will be collected at the door and given to the Paul family and other local food outreach programs. Drop off any used cell phone at Concord Mall. For every used cell phone donated, $1 will be donated to DaMonica's fund. Fore more information, call Concord Mall's marketing office at 875-6502 or visit the Cornbread-n-Jazz Facebook page.
DaMonica Paul Relief Fund Donations can be made to the "DaMonica Paul Relief Fund" at any 1st Source Bank or sent via mail: 1st Source Bank / P.O. Box 1602 / South Bend, IN 46634
1Due to pit bull advocates flagging YouTube artist Zupf's videos as "shocking" in hopes of removing his already TV broadcast news videos, Zupf now covers or blurs pit bull injury in his videos. YouTube is guilty of suppression of free speech and guilty of being persuaded by the pro-pit bull faction. To see hundreds of thousands of horrifically shocking animal injury on YouTube, simply view one of the many YouTube videos of Charla Nash, whose face was ripped off by a Chimpanzee and shown on the Oprah Winfrey show.
Zupf: Pit Bull-Mix Hospitalizes Owner, Had Previously Bitten Son
Busts Through Door Rockville, MD - Lying in a hospital bed, Orlando Romero spoke to the Washington Post about what it was like to be attacked by his large pit bull-rottweiler mix, a dog that had bitten his son1 last month. The dog, named Jesus, had shown signs of aggression for about two months prior to the incident that hospitalized Romero. His injuries include: bites to his left arm down to the bone, damaged muscles and nerves and a large hole in his wrist requiring 150 stitches.
Romero said the attack lasted about 20 minutes. According to the Washington Post, "The attack brought a team of police officers to his home in Rockville on Saturday night. They spent hours trying to catch the dog, which crashed into walls, busted a hole through the door of a bedroom where he had briefly been contained, jumped on windowsills and ignored several electronic rounds from a Taser." Police officers eventually shot and killed the dangerous dog.
One of the most compelling aspects of Romero's account are the images of the door the dog crashed through as police attempted to contain the berserking animal.
1We found no additional information about the attack on his son.
2009 Fatality: Flora Woman, 85, and Her Dog Killed by Pit Bull
Police Press Conference UPDATE 12/04/09: Police Chief John Nicholson states that the attacking dog was indeed a pit bull, an unaltered 3-year old male, with full registration. "The dog did not appear malnourished or abused and had no visible signs of mistreatment," he states. The dog did not slip its collar or break its chain either. According to Nicholson, the dog had gotten loose because the metal "D" ring on its collar failed. No criminal charges are expected to be filed.
Statement from Chief John Nicholson: "The incident that occurred on November 30th at 235 Austin Avenue in Flora has devastated several families. This was a very tragic event for not only the families involved, but the neighborhood a well. Rosie L. Humphreys, 85, of 235 Austin Avenue Flora, Illinois was not only a citizen of Flora, but was so much more to so many. After speaking to several neighbors and friends in this neighborhood, it became apparent that Rosie was everybody’s Grandmother within that area. This is exactly why this case is so tragic, as Ms. Humphrey could have been anybody’s grandmother at any town USA. Before I go into a timeline of the events of November 30th, I would like to clarify some mis-information, clear some dis-information and stop some on going rumors. The particular breed of the dog involved in the attack was an American Pit Bull Terrier. He was an un-neutered 3 year old male, with full registration. The dog was purchased from a registered breeder at 6 months of age by Brian Pennington of Flora. There is no available information that it had ever been trained by its owner, Brian Pennington to attack or fight in any manner. The dog was Pennington’s family pet. The Flora Police Department or the Clay County Health Department Animal Control office have never received a single call as to this particular dog or the owners address at any time. There has been no documented or reported cases, where this dog has displayed any aggression towards people or other dogs. The dog did not appear malnourished or abused and had no visible signs of mistreatment. The dog did not slip its collar, break the chain or dig its way out of the kennel..."
"...All available evidence indicates that the factory installed metal "D" ring on the leather collar broke, which released the dog. The metal "D" ring was of normal size for this collar type. The metal appeared normal in wear and condition. On December 1, 2009 a forensic autopsy was conducted by Dr. John Heidingsfelder at the Clay County Hospital. The preliminary results showed the cause of death was due to Exsanguination, due to transected Carotid Artery, due to bite mark lacerations to the face, neck and extremities. The manner of death was ruled accident. After careful review of the applicable criminal statutes that could apply to this case and all physical evidence, witness statements, and background investigations, it was determined by the Clay County State’s Attorney’s Office that there will be no criminal charges filed at this time against Mr. Pennington."
12/01/09: Police Say Family Pit Bull "Snapped" According to police, the family pit bull that killed Rosie Humphries and her poodle on Monday had no history of displaying aggression. Neighbor David Bohnman, who lives across the street from the victim, said he heard screams and saw something he will never forget: his lovely neighbor and friend being killed by a pit bull. Geb Borders with the Illinois Police Department said that Humphries suffered fatal injuries to her "neck and facial area."
The victim reportedly had two poodles and often walked them up and down the street. Neighbors said the pit bull was quiet, "so quiet many didn't know he was there until now." Yet on Monday, the pet pit bull broke free from its collar and fatally attacked Humphries and her dog. Police say they have "no idea why" the pit bull that lived two houses down and has for years suddenly snapped. No previous reports of aggression have been made to authorities about the pit bull.
11/30/09: Woman and Dog Killed by Pet Pit Bull Flora, IL - In a fatal dog attack that appears to have begun with "pit bull dog-aggression," an 85-year old woman was mauled to death by a pit bull after the animal killed her small poodle. Police say Rosie Humphreys had taken her dog for a walk Monday afternoon. The pit bull had reportedly been secured with a log chain and a heavy collar, but broke the chain, freeing the dangerous animal to kill Humphreys and her dog. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
Statement from Chief John Nicholson: "On November 30, 2009, at approximately 2:18 p.m., Clay County 911 dispatch center received a 911 call of a pit bull attacking a woman at a residence on the 200 block of Austin Ave. here in Flora. The 911 telecommunicator dispatched Flora City Police Officers and Clay County Ambulance Paramedics to that location. Upon officer’s arrival, neighbors had gained control of the pit bull which had attacked an elderly female. The pit bull had apparently also attacked and killed a smaller dog owned by the victim. Officers along with citizens rendered first aid to the victim until paramedics arrived. The efforts to save the elderly female were not successful. Pronounced dead at the scene by Clay Co. Coroner Gary Bright was 85-year-old Rosie Humphreys of Flora. It appeared she died of injuries she received from the attack by the pit bull. The dog’s owner and police officers were able to contain the dog in a pet carrier until Clay County Animal Control personnel arrived. An autopsy has been scheduled for Dec. 1, 2009. Nicholson would like to thank the assistance provided to his agency by the Clay County sheriff’s office, Clay County state’s attorney’s office, Flora/Clay Co. animal control/health department and by the crime scene services provided by the Illinois State Police."
2009 Fatality: Dog Kills Retired Librarian in White Mills, Kentucky
From left: Victim Karen Gillespie and the offending boxer-mix.
Investigation Expanded UPDATE 12/03/09: The investigation into the death of Karen Gillespie continues. Hardin County Attorney Steve Bland said the case could be referred to a grand jury upon completion. Bland said he has met with Kentucky State Police Detective Larry Walker and KSP has chosen to expand the investigation rather than rush its completion. Persons with information about previous incidents with Miller's dogs are urged to contact the Elizabethtown police office.
If presented to a grand jury, Bland said, it could consider a misdemeanor charge against the dog's owners for harboring a vicious animal, where penalties range from a fine up to $500 and up to one year in jail. Bland said the grand jury also could consider felony charges, but he declined to comment further. Also noted in the article is that Hardin County Animal Control supervisor Jerry Foley identified the offending dog as a boxer-mix instead of an American bulldog.
See the location, adjacent to the dog owner's property, where her body was found: Photo 1, Photo 2.
11/27/09: Dog Had History of Bites Fox 41 News reports that the dog's owner, Howard Miller, said that "their American bulldog is a stray they were feeding and he was not fenced in." The News Enterprise, which serves Hardin County, Kentucky, reports that the dog had a history of bites, including previously biting a U.S. Census worker at the home and biting a firefighter involved in the search for Gillespie, and blood -- believed to be Gillespie’s -- was transferred to the firefighter during the incident.
According to the county coroner, the majority of Gillespie’s injuries were head-related and she died shortly after the attack. The coroner's investigation also revealed Gillespie died between 4:15 and 5 pm Tuesday evening -- more than 12 hours before her body was located. KSP Detective Walker said Gillespie’s death probably could have been prevented, but there was no criminal intent by the dog’s owners. Harboring vicious animals is a misdemeanor under Kentucky law.
11/26/09: Death Due to Dog Bite Injuries Following the autopsy done on Karen Gillespie, deputy coroner John Clemens said, "The cause of death was head injuries from a dog attack." Hardin County Animal Control removed the dog believed responsible for the attack from an adjacent property on Web Mill Road. The dog was photographed, and appears to be a boxer or an American bulldog, but officials have yet to identify its breed. DogsBite.org prays for the Gillespie family on a day that celebrates the joy of family.
11/26/09: Retired Librarian Killed by Dog White Mills, KY - In a developing story, Kentucky State Police say the body of a woman was found near her home and she had sustained "dog-related wounds." Deputy Hardin County Coroner John Clemens says it is too soon to discuss the cause of death of 53-year old Karen Gillespie, a retired librarian with the Grayson County Public Library. Hardin County Animal Control removed a dog (pictured) from the property of Howard Miller, adjacent to where Gillespie was found.
KSP Detective Larry Walker said Gillespie suffered no additional wounds, and he did not know if an underlying medical condition could have played a role in her death. Gillespie’s husband, Stephen, said he was unaware of any medical problems. He said his wife left her home that day to photograph an old one-room school house in the area. Interested in genealogy, he said she had been researching some family history and photographed older structures as a hobby.
When darkness fell and she had not returned home, Stephen Gillespie knew something was wrong. He reported his wife's disappearance around 7 pm Tuesday, and search crews worked through the night trying to find her. Gillespie's home eventually became a command center for the search and rescue teams. It was there that first responders were alerted of Gillespie’s location around 9:30 am Wednesday. An autopsy is scheduled for Thanksgiving Day.
Back in August, retired librarian Sherry Schweder and her husband, Lothar Schweder, were mauled to death by a pack of "mongrel" dogs in Oglethorpe County, Georgia.
4-Year Old Boy Killed by "Pit Bull Terrier Type" Dog in United Kingdom
From left: John-Paul Massey, Uno the pit bull and its owner Christian Foulkes.1
Dog Owner Arrested UPDATE 12/03/09: The BBC reports that the owner of Uno, Christian Folks, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. It is important to point out just how newsworthy the death of John-Paul Massey is in the United Kingdom. Google News shows well over 600 articles written about the incident. On the same day his story emerged, Rosie Humphreys was struck down by a pit bull in the U.S. Thus far, only 33 articles have been written about her.
12/01/09: Dog Identified as "Banned" Breed Merseyside Police say that the dog was a "pit bull terrier-type," a breed banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act. A criminal investigation has begun. The force has apologized after reports of dog breeding at the home were not followed up. The deadly attack upon John-Paul, which unfolded before his 13-year old brother's eyes, also involved his grandmother being attacked. The owner of the dog is 21-year old Christian Foulkes (pictured), the dead boy's uncle.
11/30/09: "Dogs Bred" at Fatal Attack House UK - On the same day that DogsBite.org penned the London guide dog post -- who was savagely attacked by a pit bull-mix captured on CCTV -- the BBC reported that a 4-year old was mauled to death by a "pit bull type" dog. John-Paul Massey was killed at a home in Ash Grove, Wavertree, just after midnight, according to the BBC. His grandmother, 63-year old Helen Foulkes, suffered injuries trying to save the child and required hospital treatment.
The "breed of dog" as well as a previous complaint against the dog continues to be under investigation. In February, a person informed police that "dog breeding" was occurring at the residence. Ch Supt Steve Ashley, of Merseyside Police, said they are currently examining why no action was taken. He said that an officer who is an expert on dangerous dogs should have spoken to the caller who was concerned and, if necessary, visited the house to examine the dogs.
In 1991, the United Kingdom passed the Dangerous Dog Act, which bans four fighting breeds: pit bull terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos and Fila Brasileiros. The act also covers crossbreeds and any other dogs that appear "to be bred for fighting or to have the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose." The death of Massey patterns the 2007 death of 5-year old Ellie Lawrenson, who was attacked and killed by her uncle's pit bull at the family's Merseyside home.
In related UK news, read how West Midlands Police are grappling with the pit bull problem.
1Owners of dangerous pit bulls are often men in their early twenties with no disregard of how their actions affect others. In the instance of Christian Foulkes, his ownership of a banned and illegal breed is inexcusable.
Service Dog Organizations Urged to Support Breed Specific Laws (BSL)
Relentless Attack UK - London police officials recently released a shocking scene captured on CCTV cameras. The October 4 incident shows the full-length assault of a pit bull type dog attacking a guide dog near the dog's blind owner. The grisly scene unfolds at a London railway station. The blind woman had walked by a man standing in an underpass, reportedly drinking a can of beer, next to his dog. The unleashed dog bolted and violently attacked the woman's dear guide dog.
Please watch how this grown man cannot stop his pit bull once it has launched its attack.
The argument of whether or not to regulate pit bulls boils down to a few simple issues: 1.) The average person cannot stop a pit bull when it chooses to attack. 2.) The average person cannot tell the difference between a "nice" pit bull and one that may suddenly launch an unbridled and unprovoked attack. As demonstrated by this video, the pit bull appeared to be having a "good" day up until it saw the guide dog. Yet, with no warning, the animal violently attacked.
Neela is Recovering
Just before Thanksgiving, The Sun reported that the guide dog, named Neela, was lucky to survive after her "neck was ripped open by the dog." Police are still searching for the dog's owner, who did not provide assistance to the victims after the assault. The 57-year old blind woman told The Sun, "For her to be attacked in such a vicious way, when she was doing her job assisting me, was a horrendous experience and one I hope no other guide dog owner ever has to go through."
It must be noted that Neela is a rare service dog in that she has been able to continue working as a guide dog after the attack. Such vicious attacks are commonly "career ending" as the guide dog is left too traumatized to perform its service duties afterward. Given the genetic dog-aggression inherent in pit bulls and the great risk this poses to guide dogs and their disabled owners, one would expect guide dog organizations to be active supporters of "preventative" laws (BSL) and "hindsight" laws.
The Resignation of Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon
From left: Tom Skeldon and chart depicting dramatic drop in euthanizations.
Interview with Dog Warden Toledo, OH - On Friday November 20th, the "Yellow" Blade1 reported that Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon submitted his resignation (view letter), effective January 31, after 22 years of service. According to Pete Gerken, president of the board of Lucas County commissioners, Skeldon will take advantage of accrued vacation time and make December 31 his last day in office. Skeldon's resignation follows weeks of unfair journalism by JC Reindl at the Toldeo Blade.
Skeldon's stepping aside should have marked the end of the anti-Skeldon crusade led by Commissioner Ben Konop and penned by JC Reindl, but it was not. After damaging Skeldon's reputation by printing false and misleading data about the Lucas County Animal Shelter, as well as by branding him a "puppy killer," the two2 are now trying to exclude Skeldon from a proposed county buyout program that he is eligible to receive, and that Konop actually designed and introduced.
The Price of Telling the Truth
Konop and Reindl, along with heavy backing from the "Yellow" Blade, essentially ousted Skeldon for telling the truth about county shelter euthanization rates3, which are mimicked nationwide, and his enforcement of Ohio State and Lucas County pit bull laws. A recent report showed that the Lucas County Animal Shelter's kill rate was 66%4 (with the Blade reporting 77%). Yet, half of these dogs were pit bulls and county policy prohibits the adoption of pit bulls (view chart).
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. -Schopenhauer
Last year, DogsBite.org bestowed upon Tom Skeldon its award for "Dog Warden of the Year," which details the contributions Skeldon has made to Lucas County residents. By vigorously enforcing the "no adopt out" pit bull policy, which lies at the heart of the anti-Skeldon crusade, Skeldon has refused to place residents and their pets at risk to a disfiguring attack. Also, while under Skeldon's leadership, Lucas County had the highest dog license compliance rate in all of Ohio in 2008.
The Loss of a Powerful Advocate
As Bard Knapp, president of the Ohio County Dog Wardens' Association and the Erie County Dog Warden, recently told the "Yellow" Blade, "It's a sad day for the dog warden profession in Ohio. We lost a very valued and experienced person who succumbed to the pressure of the media and personal vendettas." Current and future victims of serious dog attacks in Lucas County and across the nation have also lost one of the most powerful voices that speaks on their behalf.
DogsBite.org and all of our followers will dearly miss Tom Skeldon.
Video Note: On Saturday, we posted a "preview" video of the Conklin and Company segment with Tom Skeldon. Late Sunday, we were able to post the complete segment. Skeldon explains in the full interview that the latest "puppy killing" claim did not involve non pit bull puppies as reported by the dog owner and the "Yellow" Blade. The puppies, it turns out, were pit bulls and under county law, the county shelter cannot adopt them out. Skeldon also details the number of dogs euthanized during his reign. In 1979, the last year the Toledo Humane Society held the animal control contract, the society euthanized 10,581 dogs. By 1989, 10 years after the county assumed the role of dog warden -- Skeldon was appointed in October 1987 -- the number of euthanizations had dropped to 3,312. By 2009, the number fell even lower to 1,784. Ohio statewide pit bull legislation (Section 955.11) was passed in July 1987, several months prior to Mr. Skeldon being instated as the dog warden. Skeldon told Conklin, "Those groups that have championed my dismissal, those groups can't change the law in Columbus, but they might be able to kill the messenger in Toledo."
1John Robinson Block is the publisher of the Toledo Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and has a history of hijacking dissenting voices. 2Qualifying both Konop and Reindl as "pit bull jihadists," as neither fall into the larger category of being "pit bull advocates." 3Unlike private humane groups, county shelters cannot "choose" their dogs, they must accept all incoming dogs, many of which have behavioral and health issues. 4The 66% or 77% issue lies in the incorrect data gathered by the oversight committee. The committee failed to include the number of dogs the Lucas County Dog Warden sent to the Toledo Humane Society and were adopted out. The "Yellow" Blade is perfectly aware of this fact, yet continues to report the "77%" statistic.
Pit Bulls Lead "Bite" Counts Across U.S. Cities and Counties
DogsBite.org - City and county animal control departments in at least 16 U.S. states report that pit bulls are biting more than all other dog breeds. These states include: Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. The often-quoted myth by pro-pit bull groups that pit bulls "do not bite more than other breeds" is categorically false. In addition to the fact that pit bulls are the leading biters, the pit bull bite is also the most likely dog bite to inflict serious and disfiguring injury. Last updated 12/27/09.
Toledo, Ohio | (PDF) In December 2009, the Toledo Lucas County Health Department data showed that pit bulls led the number of bite incidents from January 1 to November 8. Of the 380 total bite incidents, 65 were attributed to pit bulls. This accounts for 17% of all bites, despite pit bulls accounting for less than 5% of the county's dog population. Though pit bulls are regulated under Ohio and Toledo laws, the breed still led all biting incidents. The Lucas County Dog Warden's office keeps track of the more serious bites. Of the 150 bites listed as "serious" this year, pit bulls and their mixes accounted for 42 (28%). In 18 of the cases, the victims were under 18 years of age.
Bakersfield, California | (PDF) In September 2009, it was reported that more than 2,400 dog bites had been recorded by animal control services in Bakersfield and areas of unincorporated Kern County since January 2007. "By a wide margin," the breed that bites most often is the pit bull, according to records compiled by the county. The city does not track bites by breed, which is an indicator that the city's animal service opposes BSL. The article also notes the questionable "mixed-breed" category: "Since 2007, pit bulls have bitten 389 victims in Kern. Mixed-breed dogs hold a dubious second place with 254 bites, and German shepherds are third with 140 bites."
Royal Oaks, Michigan | (PDF) Also in September, another Detroit suburb discussed pit bull legislation (view related map). According to a report provided by City Manager Don Johnson on the 5,311 licensed dogs in Royal Oak, "Pit bulls account for only 1.7% of licensed dogs in Royal Oak but were responsible for about 35% of reported dog bite incidents this year." It is important to point out that Detroit is known as the "dogfighting capital" of the U.S., thus an area rich with the breeding and ownership of pit bulls with explosive aggression. The Detroit area is also the center of U.S. medical research regarding pit bull injury to humans1. We do not believe this is a coincidence.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina | (PDF) In August 2009, it was reported that pit bull bites were up 20% in Mecklenburg County. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control, in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, pit bulls represented 208 bites. Labs were second with 152, followed by German shepherds and Chows. The news article followed the July pit bull attack involving 9-year old Jisseth Moquete. The girl's neighbor, Jonathan Hall, had been "showing" the pit bull to her family in hopes they would buy the dog. As Moquete was petting the pit bull, the dog latched onto her face. A stranger had given the dog to Hall "for free" one day earlier.
Springdale, Arkansas | (PDF) Also in August, the mayor of Springdale, Doug Sprouse, said that over half of the bites reported over the last 2 years have been by pit bulls. That can be a little misleading, he said, "but that's still a hefty number." City officials agreed that they wanted to "prevent bites before they happen," particularly by pit bulls, yet were hesitant about targeting a specific breed in the ordinance. The nearby city of Siloam Springs declares pit bulls "vicious" (Sec: 10-101) and requires owners to adhere to restraint requirements, attain liability insurance and to muzzle their dog when off property. The law specifically targets pit bulls to prevent future pit bull bites.
Hamilton, Ohio | (PDF) In July 2009, after a pit bull named "Monster" escaped its pen and attacked its owner's 5-year old daughter, the Hamilton Health Department released bite statistics. From 2001 to July 2009, pit bulls lead with 157 biting incidents, representing 19% of all dog bites. Despite the fact that Ohio declares pit bulls "vicious" and requires special restraint measures (955.22), pit bulls overcome these measures and still lead. The closest follower was "mixed," with 133 incidents (16%). Yet this category is questionable given that no dog in the U.S. is sold or adopted under the generalized name "mixed." Labs followed in third place with 65 incidents (8%).
Hillsborough County, Florida | (PDF) Also in July, the Tampa Tribune requested data on dog bites from the Hillsborough Department of Animal Services regarding the 2,400 cases recorded in the last 18 months. The data shows that 103 different dog breeds were responsible for the bites. Pit bulls topped the chart with 371 incidents, 15% of all bites during the 18-month period. Labs followed with less than half of this amount with 151 incidents (6%). German shepherds ranked 3rd with 105 incidents (4%) and Chows ranked 4th with 80 (3%). As depicted on the chart, the Tribune seemed to think it was no big deal that one dog breed accounted for such a large percentage of bites.
Woonsocket, Rhode Island | (PDF) In June 2009, Capt. Kenneth Paulhus of the Woonsocket Police Department issued a 3-year report concerning the alarming pit bull trend. "In 2006, pit bulls accounted for 32 percent of all the dog bite cases in Woonsocket," Paulhus says in the report. "The number increased to 37 percent in 2007. The year 2008 reflected half of all dog bites in the city were attributed to pit bulls." He added that "many were serious." Animal Control Officer Doris Kay says in the report that she used to think all dogs were created equal. But she says she's learned that, "In Woonsocket pit bulls bite more often, and cause more injury, than any other breed."
Lincoln, Nebraska | (PDF) Also in June, after a pit bull attacked 10-year old Baylee Harris, Lincoln Animal Control officials said that pit bulls are the leading breed in reported attacks. Since September of 2008, there have been 38 pit bull bites in the city followed by Labs with 27. The Lincoln County Animal Control 2008 Annual Report (truncated) shows that in 2008, a licensed population of 858 pit bulls and their mixes produced 60 biting incidents. The city's substantial population of Labs and lab-mixes, 5448 dogs, produced 39 bites in the same period. The data shows that 1 out of every 14 pit bulls in Lincoln is a biter, while its takes over 142 Labs to produce a bite.
Richmond County, Georgia | (PDF) In the same month, it was reported that Richmond County had 139 complaints of animal bites so far this year, 26 of them involving pit bulls. This is about 19-percent and the most of all dog breeds, according to the article. Diane Downs, the Director of Richmond County Animal Control, said that pit bulls "tend to get the most exposure because unfortunately they do the most damage." The news article came in response to a pit bull attack that left an Augusta man hospitalized. As we see in so many of these cases, the pit bulls escaped owner property (through a gap in the fence) "just to attack" a man who had been walking down the street.
Syracuse, New York | (PDF) In May 2009, it was reported that the Syracuse dog control department had responded to 19 pit bull bites since the start of the year. According to the article, this is nearly double the amount during all of last year. "It's the beginning of dog control officer Jason Driscoll's shift," the article states, "and already he's responding to a pit bull call." In this instance, the two pit bulls (with a history of bad behavior) had also escaped owner property. Last year one of the same dog's bit a young girl. Dog control officers told WSYR TV that they run into trouble with other dog breeds as well, but pit bulls make up the "majority of reported attacks."
Dyersburg, Tennessee | (PDF) In April 2009, after a 16-year old girl was attacked by loose pit bulls while walking down a street, the Dyersburg Police Department reported there were 21 "dog bite" reports written in 2008. The figures show that nearly half of those bites (10) were from pit bulls. In the first four months of 2009, three of the five police reports written on dog bites involved pit bulls. The article also includes information from the Dyersburg City Attorney's office. City records show there were 35 court cases involving dogs within the last year. Of the 35 cases, 29 of them involved pit bulls. There were also six dog bite cases and all of those were from pit bulls.
Ogden, Utah | (PDF) In March 2009, the City of Ogden considered a new ordinance that would toughen requirements for pit bull owners including carrying liability insurance. Bob Geier, director of the Ogden Animal Shelter, was in support of this new ordinance. Based on the APPA national survey statistics, Geier estimated that there are about 16,000 dogs in Ogden, including 3,200 pit bulls. During the last two years, pit bulls have accounted for about 20 percent of the dog population at the city animal shelter. During that same period, according to Geier, pit bulls and their mixes have been responsible for about 40 percent of reported dog bites in the city.
Lake County, Florida | (PDF) Also reported in March, Marjorie Boyd, the director of Lake County Animal Services, said, "Pit bulls lead all breeds of dogs and cats in bite incidents the county has investigated in the past two years." According to Boyd, pit bulls represented 12.7 percent of bite cases in 2007, 12.5 percent in 2008 and 18 percent of cases thus far this year. The article came in response to the brutal mauling of 22-year old Tracy Lindsey. At the time, Lindsey had been jogging down Getford Road when two pit bulls escaped owner property and attacked her. Lindsay was airlifted by a Life Flight helicopter to Orlando Regional Medical Center and rushed into surgery.
Benjamin Roode, "Pit bulls maul jogger," The Daily Commercial, March 31, 2009 (www.dailycommercial.com)
Broward County, Florida | (PDF) South of Lake County, the Broward County Dog Bite Database depicts a vivid picture of the "top biter." During the years of 2005 to 2008, Labs produced 151 biting incidents with 98 inflicted on humans and 53 on animals, while Cocker spaniels produced 16 biting incidents with 15 on humans and 1 to an animal. In the same period, the pit bull/American Staffordshire terrier community produced a whopping 618 biting incidents with 323 inflicted on humans and 296 on the county's pet and livestock population. The data shows that human-aggression is just as prevalent as animal-aggression in pit bulls produced by local breeders.
Altoona, Pennsylvania | (PDF) Altoona city records showed in March that of the 5,056 dogs licensed in 2008, 162 (3%) of them were pit bulls or their mixes. City dog law officer, John Iorio, handled 178 biting incidents in 2008. Of these incidents, 110 (61%) involved pit bulls. Iorio believes the actual number of pit bulls in the city to be 400 (8%), but this hardly reduces the alarming number of bites attributed to them. In July 2009, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDF) records showed that 112 dogs in a 5-county region were declared legally "dangerous." Pit bulls accounted for 42 (38%) of these dogs. No Cocker spaniels or Labs appeared on the list.
Indianapolis, Indiana | (PDF) In February 2009, The Indianapolis Star reported that pit bull bites were at a record high -- 282 in 2008, an increase of 33 percent from the previous year and about three times the total from 2006. The Marion County Dog Bite Database shows that pit bulls produced 490 biting incidents while Labs produced 152 incidents and Cocker spaniels only produced 27. The Star also reported that out of 3,000 pit bulls in animal care last year, nearly 2,500 were euthanized. Despite these statistics, the active pit bull community and the Indianapolis Humane Society, managed to "table" a new dog ordinance designed to reduce pit bull bites and deaths.
Heather Gillers, "Can pit bulls be saved?" The Indianapolis Star, February 1, 2009 (www.indystar.com)
Wichita, Kansas | (PDF) In January 2009, the Wichita Department of Environmental Services released a number of pit bull statistics. The figures are based upon the Wichita Animal Control department's investigation of 733 dog bites and attacks in 2008. Included in the data are pit bulls encountered by the Wichita Police Department. In the 1-year period, 95% of police encounters with aggressive dogs were pit bulls. The report also showed that the percentage of pit bull encounters had increased from 66% in 2004 to 95% in 2008. Subsequently, four months after the release of this data, the City of Wichita enacted a mandatory pit bull sterilization law.
55% of all dogs deemed dangerous were pit bulls (41 pit bull dogs deemed dangerous).
34% of attacks and bites involved pit bull dogs (246 pit bull attacks/bites).
28% of dogs found running at large were pit bulls (1,279 pit bulls found running loose).
25% of dogs impounded were pit bulls dogs (1,575 pit bulls impounded).
37% of all dogs euthanized were pit bull dogs (1,255 pit bulls euthanized).
23% of dog complaints involved pit bull dogs (2,523 complaints involved pit bull dogs).
North Texas Cities | (PDF) In August 2008, The Dallas Morning News reported that dog bite incidents from July 2007 to July 2008 in Duncanville, Cedar Hill and Mesquite, showed that a third (33%) of all animal attacks involved pit bulls. Each of these cities passed resolutions urging the state Legislature to allow breed-specific laws, as lawmakers were hoodwinked by the dog lobby in 1991 and passed a preemptive state-wide anti-BSL measure (822.047). The next closest breeds were German shepherds (9.6%) followed by Labs (9%). While breed population data was not available in this article, it's presumable that the pit bull population is lower than the other two breeds.
Ventura County, California | (PDF) In July 2008, Ventura County Department of Animal Regulation released a 1-year statistical report (July 2007 to June 2008). The report showed that pit bulls ranked 8th in licensing, but were still the number one biter producing 117 biting incidents in this period. Cocker spaniels, often cited by pro-pit bull groups as the leading biter, ranked 6th in licensing, but 8th in bite numbers with only 28 incidents. In September 2008, 5-year old Katya Todesco of Simi Valley suffered catastrophic face and neck injury after she reportedly "bumped into" a pit bull. She died 6 days later. The pit bull mauling death of Katya was recorded as "one biting incident."
Lubbock, Texas | (PDF) In February 2008, the City and County of Lubbock experienced a "pit bull epidemic," which by March ended in the deaths of 23 animals due to loose pit bulls. The February article provided 2007 Lubbock Animal Services data regarding dog incidents. Of the 247 dog bites, pit bulls accounted for 75 incidents (30%). Labs followed with just 17 incidents (7%) and German shepherds with 15 (6%). Unfortunately, the writers of the article were hoodwinked into the myth that pit bulls are one of the "most popular" dog breeds in the nation. 2009 U.S shelter data shows that the total U.S. pit bull population is no greater than 5% of all dogs.
San Francisco, California | (PDF) In July 2005, about 6 months prior to San Francisco enacting a pit bull sterilization law, the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed hundreds of dog bites logged by the city. According to Animal Care and Control department records, pit bulls and their mixes accounted for 27% of reported dog bites since 2003, even though they accounted for only 6% of licensed dogs. Of the 900 bite incidents recorded in this period, 626 traced to a specific dog. Of those, 169 bites were attributed to pit bulls. As the Chronicle writer points out, "that's more than the number of bites by German shepherds (69), Labradors (58) and rottweilers (34) combined."
After Fatal Pit Bull Mauling, the City of Prescott Bans Pit Bulls
Emergency Declared Prescott, AR - Nineteen days after a pit bull killed Matthew Clayton Hurt, the Prescott City Council declared an emergency to approve an ordinance banning pit bulls. The ordinance was approved on November 16. Prescott now joins a number of Arkansas cities that ban pit bulls including: De Queen, Dierks, Jacksonville, Lonoke, Maumelle, Mineral Springs, Mountain Home, Nashville, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Russellville, Sherwood and Siloam Springs.
Other Arkansas cities regulate pit bulls by declaring them "dangerous" or "potentially dangerous" and include: Little Rock, Siloam Springs and Stuttgart.
Lafourche Officials "Set Up" Second Attack; Rebuff State Representative
From left: State Rep. Rickey Hardy, Judge Jerome Barbera III and double-mauler "Shank."
The Lafourche "Compromise" Larose, LA - On October 19, a pit bull owned by Jerome and Lillian Jarreau escaped its home and attacked a woman. Police said the attack was "brief but furious," after the dog ripped into 48-year old Tecla Smith's left arm. Smith's son Juan, who witnessed the attack, said he was surprised that the pit bull did not let go after being beat on the head with a two-by-four. Smith's injuries required immediate multiple reconstructive surgeries and more are expected in the future.
After the attack, the pit bull, named Shank, was taken to the Lafourche Animal Shelter. The Lafourche Sheriff's Office initially requested that the dog be declared "dangerous" and enuthanized. In a letter to State District Judge Jerome Barbera III, sherrif's staff attorney Mike Jimenez said the dog would "pose an immediate threat" to the public if ever released. Yet just before the dangerous dog hearing, a humane group intervened and a compromise was struck sparing Shank's life.
This "compromise" proves to be disastrous.
It is important to point out that prior to the compromise, not only had the Sheriff's Office initially and strongly urged Judge Barbera to put the dog down, but State Rep. Rickey Hardy weighed in on the matter as well. Hardy authored the new Louisiana state dangerous animal law (HB 155). In response to the issue of "Shank," Harding said, "Not only should the pit bull be killed, but the owners should face charges of negligent injury and go to jail." He added, "One incident is too much."
The Compromise
"I was not satisfied," Hardy told DogsBite.org upon learning of the judge's decision. "We cannot give a dog like that a second chance," he said. "If it had been one of his family members how would he have dealt with the situation?"
Despite the wisdom offered by Hardy, Judge Barbera agreed to spare the dog based on sparse information provided by Michael Grunblatt of the Pontchartrain Humane Society, a rescue group that does not have a facility. According to their website, "The pets are cared for in foster homes until a permament home is found." (Spelling error included). Grunblatt agreed to care for Shank for six months while the Jarreaus worked to meet state laws for housing a "dangerous" dog.
Following the arrangement, Jimenez told reporters: "I think with this compromise, everybody will be safe and it will give the Jarreaus a chance to become responsible dog owners." We have two thoughts for Mr. Jimenez: 1.) The community was not safe due to this arrangement, and 2.) Why do Shank's owners deserve a second chance at becoming responsible? Their dog already seriously injured a woman requiring her to undergo "multiple reconstructive surgeries."
On November 6, it was reported that the Pontchartrain Humane Society would not be allowed to take custody of Shank, as the group did not meet state requirements to house a dog deemed "dangerous," namely carrying $100,000 in liability coverage. Trusting that the rescue group could meet state standards in a few weeks, Shank continued to be housed at the Lafourche Animal Shelter, where the dog launches a violent attack upon an animal control officer 6 days later.
The Second Attack
Officer Joe Lamartina survived the assault1, that he described as the dog "chewing my stomach." The pit bull's broken tooth was still in Lamartina's arm when he was transported to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. The attack occurred when one of Shank's owners, Lillian Jarreau, visited the shelter for a 20-minute "play period" with Shank outside of its kennel. Unsurprisingly, Jarreau lost control of her 95-pound pit bull and Lamartina quickly intervened to try to help.
Shortly after the second attack, Shank was euthanized.
The Moral of This Story
By Sheriff's officials and Judge Barbera agreeing to a "compromise" with the Pontchartrain Humane Society, they set up the attack on Lamartina. Both entities placed their trust in a small rescue group -- who approached Sheriff's officials in the courthouse hallway moments before the scheduled dangerous dog hearing -- instead of honoring the advice of State Rep. Rickey Hardy. Furthermore, each aspect of the compromise was predicated on the following unreasonable assumption:
Within six months time, the owners of Shank could comply with state "dangerous" dog ownership laws, which include: Carrying a half million dollar liability policy ($400,000 greater than a rescue group is required to carry); installing a secure fence; and posting Dangerous Dog signs. Given that a $100,000 policy in Ohio2 can reach $800 annually for a pit bull with a non-biting history, it's extremely unlikely the Jarreaus could afford a $500,000 policy for a pit bull with a bite history.
What's Next?
Jerome Jarreau could be charged with "negligent injury" based on State Rep. Rickey Hardy's new legislation. Unlike many dangerous dog laws involving criminal repercussions, Hardy's legislation is not specific to on- or off-property attacks. The state law is specific to whether or not the dog owner is "reckless" in confining or restraining the animal. So though Tecla Smith was on the dog owner's property at the time of the attack, Jerome Jarreau could still be charged.
(HB 155 § 32) "The inflicting of any injury upon the person of another by a dog or other animal when the owner of the dog or other animal is reckless and criminally negligent in confining or restraining the dog or other animal."
It's unknown if Lillian Jarreau faces charges regarding the attack on Officer Joe Lamartina. As discussed in our recent phone call with Mr. Hardy, in instances when city and county employees -- Officer Joe Lamartina of the Lafourche Animal Shelter -- are injured, taxpayers are required to pay these costs. Not only did the Lafourche Sheriff's Office and Judge Barbera make the grave error of agreeing to a "compromise" with Shank, they left taxpayers to foot the bill.
Citizens of Lafourche Parish may wish to contact the following persons:
Judge Jerome J. Barbera III 17th Judicial Court (Lafourche) 303 W. 3rd St., 2nd Floor Thibodaux, LA 70301 (985) 446-0517 - main (985) 446-6423 - fax
1Lamartina greatly thanks his partner Kamie Burgos, who got between him and the dog, and helped him fight off the attack. 2The State of Ohio is the only U.S. state with breed-specific pit bull laws.
ASPCA Euthanizes "Unpredictable" Pit Bull After Rehabilitation Fails
Oreo Euthanized New York, NY - It was recently reported that a pit bull, named Oreo, who had been thrown off a Brooklyn rooftop last summer, was euthanized by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Once hailed as a "miracle dog" for surviving the fall, Oreo's aggression following the healing process proved to be unmanageable. Ed Sayres, the society's president and chief executive said, "Oreo's aggression is triggered by, basically, everything."
"Society officials said a major factor in their decision to put Oreo to death was that she was unpredictable -- so unpredictable that she even attacked her handler, someone she saw regularly. Oreo had to be kept in relative isolation for the safety of society employees and other dogs at the society's headquarters at 424 East 92nd Street, between First and York Avenues."
The issue of Oreo and the ASPCA brings up a number of concerns that directly relate to our cause of preventing future violent pit bull attacks. We do not have a bone to pick with the ASPCA for euthanizing a very unstable and aggressive pit bull that attacked its handler and bit a fake hand during a behavioral test -- though the "No Kill" movement, headed by Nathan Winograd does1, despite the fact that the ASCPA put the dog through 59 training sessions, at nearly 45 minutes each.
We do have a bone to pick with the ASPCA regarding several other items, however.
#1. Pit Bulls in the Shelter Environment
In the ASPCA's PowerPoint presentation, "The Care of Pit Bulls in the Shelter Environment," several of the screens discuss the need for pit bulls to be stored in isolation from other dogs and shelter employees. Page 10 even recommends that a "panic button" be installed in rooms housing pit bulls. We remind readers that the ASPCA strongly opposes breed-specific laws, yet as demonstrated by their own safety guidelines, the group is very specific in the handling and housing of pit bulls.
#2. 49 "Were Immediately Adoptable" (?)
In the Times article about Oreo, Mr. Sayers makes a terribly inaccurate statement concerning Michael Vick's dogs. He said that the ASPCA evaluated the Vick dogs and that, 49 of the 50 "were immediately adoptable." As stated on the Best Friends website, of the 47 Vick dogs, 25 were classified as "sanctuary" dogs -- dogs too unstable to ever be adopt out -- by a U.S. federal court. As the president of the agency that evaluated the Vick dogs, how could Sayers make such a huge error?
"Of the 47 surviving dogs, 25 were classified as sanctuary dogs; Best Friends received 21 of those. (The 22nd dog that Best Friends received was assessed as being highly adoptable.) The resulting stipend to Best Friends was $388,775. The other rescue groups, who took in four sanctuary dogs and 21 adoptable dogs, received $178,100. The court paid the remaining $361,198 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which was responsible for the dogs during the legal proceedings. That amount includes the cost of transportation, care and feeding; $31,051 for the ASPCA's behavioral assessment; and $100,000 in hourly payments and travel expenses for Huss."
#3. "Rehabilitated" Fighting Dogs
Following the announcement to euthanize Oreo, the ASPCA launched a Ready for Adoption "rehabilitated" fighting dog campaign. Perhaps the timing of the two was to appease "No Kill" forces and pit bull advocates, who criticized the euthanization of Oreo. The ASPCA made the correct choice in euthanizing Oreo, but that choice still forced them into a corner by zealous groups that wanted to "save" the dangerous pit bull by consigning it to a lifetime in isolation, which is less than humane.
DogsBite.org does not believe in the "rehabilitation" of fighting dogs -- pit bulls seized in dogfighting raids. They are too unstable and present substantial risk to the public and our pets (See: Explanation: The Policy of Not Adopting Out Fighting Dogs). Moreover, there are too many behaviorally sound dogs that are euthanized today because they cannot find homes. This reality, however, has not stopped the ASPCA from jumping onto the "rehabilitation" bandwagon led by Best Friends.
4. Unreliability of Temperament Testing
Lastly, we must also mention behavioral assessment (temperament testing) that is done by animal groups to determine if a shelter dog is a safe candidate for adoption. According to a study published by Applied Animal Behaviour Science in 2007, "Aggressive Behavior in Adopted Dogs that Passed a Temperament Test," a considerable number of dogs passing temperament tests exhibited aggressive tendencies in their new homes within 13 months of being adopted.
"Despite the limitations, this study strongly suggests that significant numbers of dogs with certain types of aggression have the potential for escaping the notice of shelter workers even when employing a standardized temperament test and combining its results with shelter observation, histories, and strict euthanasia policies. The majority of dogs with aggression-associated behaviors were in the low aggression category (barking only); however, many of the dogs were in the moderate category (growling and/or lunging) and some did exhibit high levels of aggression (biting/snapping)."
Dogs examined in the study were common shelter dogs -- not pit bulls seized in dogfighting raids that are likely products of multi-generational breeding for the purposes of dogfighting. (See: Dogfighting 'Godfather' Ed Faron Pleads Guilty to Felony Dogfighting to learn why Michael Vick's dogs did not meet this criteria.) Recent examples of rescued pit bull temperament testing disasters include: Kip Leggard, 5-year old Frankie Flora and an 8-month old infant.
1Once again showing that today's "No Kill" movement is more accurately defined as a "No Kill Pit Bull" pressure group.
Family Pit Bull Berserks, Kills 85-Year Old Owner in Peru
Santos Garcia Ramirez Lima, Peru - As written previously on DogsBite.org, the pit bull problem is a world problem. Dangerous pit bulls attack and kill human beings in North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, South Africa -- the scope is too expansive to list. Given that pets, horses and livestock are victims in these attacks more often than humans, one can only imagine -- dog-on-animal attack data is infrequently tracked -- the "pet death toll" attributed to pit bulls.
"LIMA – An 85-year-old man who owned a pitbull bled to death after being brutally attacked in the leg and face by the animal, which apparently became enraged after being punished, Peruvian media reported Thursday. Santos Garcia died Wednesday at the Casimiro Ulloa Emergency Hospital after suffering severely torn muscle tissue in one of his legs and the loss of part of his nose, his upper lip and right eye, the El Comercio newspaper said. The elderly man had punished the dog two days ago for destroying some household objects and did so again on Wednesday, which prompted the dog to retaliate. The victim, who lived in Lima’s San Juan de Miraflores district, died en route to the hospital. The dog was locked in a room in the house after the attack and later taken at the request of the family to an anti-rabies center, where a decision will be made on the animal’s fate. Pitbulls have become very popular in Peru in recent years as guard dogs, but they also are used by gang members to attack their victims."
Other articles reported that the pit bull, named Gernaro, had been living with its owner for 7-years1 prior to the fatal attack and that Ramirez suffered the loss of over half of his face2 in the incident. The son, Angel Garcia, who may have been the original owner of the pit bull then dumped it on his father,3 denied that his father hit the dog and that the animal tore into his father's face. "My father has yelled and the dog has gone crazy and attacked him in the leg," he said.
1,2You can translate these articles by going to Google Translation. 3Pit bull owners frequently dump their dogs on mothers, fathers, grandparents or friends when they are "in transition" or can no longer care for the animal.
Pit Bull Owners Force the Removal of Justin Clinton's Small Memorial
Justin Clinton's memorial being dismantled as grieving family members watch.
Continued Trauma Leverett's Chapel, TX - On June 15, 10-year old Justin Clinton was viciously struck down by two pit bulls owned by Ricky and Christi George. After the attack, classmates of Justin created a make-shift memorial at the spot where he took his last breath. The location is next to CR 133 and falls at the very back of the George's property, a distance from their house and fenced yard. Recently, the George's demanded that the memorial be removed from their leased property.
On November 7, Justin's grieving mother, Serenia Clinton, attended a brief ceremony at the memorial and witnessed as family and friends broke apart Justin Clinton's memorial piece-by-piece and stowed it into the back of a truck. Mrs. Clinton still suffers from the horrific death of her son this past summer and will now suffer the added trauma of the "demanded removal" of her son's harmless memorial. In a press release issued on November 6, Mrs. Clinton states:
"Our family has been touched by the love and prayer of our community when they established this small make-shift memorial for Justin. Everyday my daughter would go by the memorial on her way to school. As a cheerleader for the school, she would each day say a prayer and give Justin a cheer at the site of his gruesome death. This helped her cope with her grief. The small memorial was a source of some consolation to me and now that the owners of these vicious dogs that killed my son have demanded the removal of this memorial, my grief is almost too great to bear. We hope that this incident will bring attention to the vicious nature of this breed of dog and the need for responsible dog owners to safely secure these dangerous animals. I hope that even without this small memorial people will not forget Justin and the lessons to the public about the likelihood of substantial harm to life and health caused by this breed. I had hoped the memorial would remind people to make responsible decisions about which breed is a family pet and which breed is a loaded gun waiting for the trigger to be pulled. Our attorneys, Don and Cynthia Kent are working to try and seek new legislation to protect future victims of these dangerous dogs. It is my sincere hope that the Texas Legislature and other government officials will create an even larger memorial for Justin by stepping forward and responding aggressively in protecting the life of a state full of Justin Clintons. Justice for Justin may be obtained by remembering Justin, better public awareness of the dangers of this dog breed, and hopefully legislation banning pit bulls."
2009 Fatality: 16-Month Old Killed by Pit Bull of Babysitter's "Boyfriend"
Pit bull owner Jerry Westmoreland, has a "pit bull memorial" painted on his vehicle.
"Boyfriend's" Pit Bull UPDATE 11/09/09: The New Albany Gazette published an update to the fatal pit bull mauling of Destiny Marie Knox. At the time of the attack, Destiny was under the care of her babysitter Tonya Graham. According to Union County Sheriff Tommy Wilhite, Graham and Knox were at Graham's boyfriend's residence, the home of Jerry Westmoreland, when the incident occurred. The offending pit bull, named Foolish, was shot and killed at the scene by a police officer.
The mother of the victim is Nicole Howard and the father of the baby girl is Detrick Knox. In regards to possible charges, Wilhite told reporters, "We have not been able to prove any neglect and haven’t established a criminal violation at this time." Charges, if any, will be determined in the March term of the grand jury. Westmoreland, who has a "pit bull memorial" painted on his vehicle, surrendered his four remaining pit bulls to the Oxford Humane Society.
11/07/09: Dog Was "Very Healthy, Very Stout" New information concerning the death of Destiny Marie Knox has been released. The pit bull owner had a total of five pit bulls, one of which "slipped its collar" and chain and entered into the owner's home. The dog quickly attacked the toddler, who had not been left unattended as previously reported. Investigators found no signs that the pit bull had ever been mistreated. Chief Deputy Jimmy Whitten said, "This dog was very healthy, very stout. It was well-kept, well-groomed."
According to Whitten, Union County had not had a fatal dog attack in his memory, but he and fellow officers said vicious dogs are a frequent problem. Sheriff's Investigator Anthony Anderson said he'd favor a ban on pit bulls and other vicious breeds. "Every dog bite case I've worked at the hospital has involved a pit bull," he said. Investigator Roger Garner agreed. "When I was at Tupelo and we had attacks by dogs, almost 100 percent of the time it was by a pit bull or some pit mix," he said.
Both Whitten and Anderson believe that state legislators need to look at the growing pit bull problem and take action to prevent future maulings.
11/06/09: Victim Named: Destiny Marie Knox Union County Coroner Mark Golding has released the identity of the Union County toddler killed by her babysitter's pit bull Thursday evening in the Martintown community. Golding identified the 16-month old child as Destiny Marie Knox. According to Union County Sheriff Tommy Wilhite, sheriff’s deputies are continuing their investigation into the killing. No other names of people involved, including the babysitter, have been released.
The child was killed at the home of its babysitter when the babysitter’s chained pit bull "slipped out of its collar" and followed the people into the house as they unloaded groceries. A 19-year old man in the house tried to stop the attack, but by the time sheriff’s deputies arrived the child was dead. The pit bull was later killed by sheriff’s deputies, presumably by gun fire.
"It’s devastating anytime you have the loss of a child," said Sheriff’s Investigator Anthony Anderson. "Especially in these circumstances, where the child was mutilated, it’s devastating."
The vehicle identified as belonging to the owner of the pit bull bears a "pit bull memorial." The dog, named Bam Bam, is apparently a former pit bull owned by the person. Two of the lines in its poem state, "But some of you don't like me, I'm sure I don't know why. The only thing I'm guilty of is courage, love and try." (Read full poem.) This pit bull owner is a "classic pit bull advocate" who undoubtedly stated on many occasions: "My dog would only lick you to death."
11/06/09: Child Killed by Babysitter's Pit Bull New Albany, MS - In a developing story, a 16-month old child was attacked and killed by a pit bull in Union County on Thursday, November 5. Union County Sheriff Tommy Wilhite said a family was babysitting the child and left the child unattended in a room when the dog attacked. The incident happened on County Road 87 about 5:30 p.m. A 19-year old, who was at the home at the time, hit the pit bull and stabbed it several times trying to get it off the toddler.
This death marks the third death of a child by a pit bull mauling in less than two weeks. Each of these instances involved a "babysitter."
Unnamed Pit Bull Scalp Attack Victim - DogsBite.org Needs Your Help
Photo text: "Five year old boy was attacked by a pit bulldog and lost almost all of his scalp and forehead."
Unnamed Victim DogsBite.org - On October 31, a blogger named "thinkinfyou" wrote a post titled, "Fear, Loss and Much Needed Legislation." The post details a deadly attack inflicted by a pit bull on the writer's Chihuahua named Spotty. The four-month old pit bull apparently "feasted" on Spotty as its owner stood by and watched. This attack marks the third pit bull incident experienced by the writer, one of which includes being bitten. We've included a portion of the blog post below.
Also within the post is an undated photo of a pit bull attack victim. The five-year old boy suffered the loss of most of his scalp. If any of our readers know the name of this victim or any details pertaining to this attack, please leave this information in the Comments section. The photo was at one point published to Ogrish.com, a "shock" website that now points to LiveLeak.com. Depictions of pit bull injuries are frequently posted to "shock" websites, as these injuries are horrific.
We must also note that the pit bull attack victim website, pit-bulls.christianunfair.org, shows this same photo, but links to a story that does not quite match the photographed boy's injuries. This child, who could be a young man by now, may be American, Canadian, British, Australian or from a different country. Pit bull maulings that result in permanently disfiguring injury occur across the world everyday, which is why some countries ban the importation and ownership of pit bulls.
Fear, Loss and Much Needed Legislation "The sight of walking out into my backyard and finding my fence ripped open and seeing my dogs right outside of the gate was enough to get me running, but as soon as I got to the opening, the horror that my eyes beheld stopped me in my tracks. This pit bull puppy had my chihuahua underneath him and when he heard me walk up, he lifted his head slightly to reveal that my dog’s neck was gone. I panicked and started screaming, while the dog’s owner came running to the scene. I felt a sense of relief feeling that she would be able to control her dog, but that was quickly replaced by terror, when the dog picked up my dog like it was just a stick and ran with him sagging out of his mouth. Not knowing what to do, I ran inside called the cops, and went back out the front door hoping to find her and her savage beast gone, but to my surprise, she had caught her dog and was allowing him to feast off my dog shaking and ripping flesh from him, right in my front yard. The sight of this was too much for my eyes and my stomach, for I started puking right there."
Collection of Pit Bull Scalp Attack Victims - DogsBite.org
DogsBite.org - We've gathered a modest number of pit bull scalp attack victims and placed them into a single blog post. Stories not recorded in the DogsBite Blog link to a PDF file, as these articles will eventually disappear from news websites or fall into less reachable archive systems. We ask that DogsBite.org readers leave links to additional stories that involve pit bull scalping attacks (or more information regarding a listed attack) in the Comments section.
Pit Bulls Attacking Owner's Brother Caught on Camera in Bakersfield
iPhone Snapshot Bakersfield, CA - In a rare photo captured by Damon Hill via iPhone on Tuesday, 35-year old Steven Herrera is shown being attacked by three pit bulls in the front yard of his brother Salvador Romero's East Bakersfield home. Neighbor Andy Castaneda could hear Herrera's screams from four houses down. He was screaming, "Oh God, please somebody help me," Castaneda said. When 69-year old Castaneda arrived at the scene, he had no weapon except a hardwood cane.
"The big pit was chewing the man's arm off. It was horrible," Castaneda said. "I've never seen anything like that."
As neighbors gathered outside the fenced front yard of Salvador Romero, one shot a few photos with his cell phone. Others were reluctant to enter without a weapon to defend themselves against the powerful pit bulls. According to Castaneda (pictured right), by this point, "the man's arm was shredded." So he entered the yard, used the bicycle to shield himself, and started beating the dogs with his cane until they retreated long enough to get Herrera out of the yard.
Damon Hill also heard the commotion. "His son was outside the yard crying and throwing up," Hill said of the victim. Hill said he believes Herrera would probably have been killed had someone not intervened. "The dogs were just going wild," he said. Romero, who runs a backyard breeding operation, initially said he would not seek the return of the three pit bulls that are currently being held in quarantine, but later suggested he may want the two pregnant females back.
Tennessee "Loose" Dog Attack Law: Pit Bull Owner Charged with Aggravated Assault
From left: Helen Marshall, Skye, Andre Robinson and unnamed judge.
Judge Strips Bond 11/03/09 UPDATE: The anticipated Wednesday court hearing regarding Andre Robinson's half million-dollar bond was pushed forward to Tuesday so that the victim, 62-year old Helen Marshall, could be heard at the hearing. WREG TV video captures the terrified victim as she enters and leaves the courtroom, where she had to face pit bull owner Andre Robinson, who has a felony record of robbery and burglary, as well as multiple prior complaints against his vicious dogs.
The judge, who is unnamed in the article, essentially evacuated the half million-dollar bond by dropping it to $50,000. It seems the point of the high bond was to keep this potentially dangerous man behind bars, unable to harm someone else or to "suddenly move," as he did following the incidents with his dogs in Horn Lake, Mississippi. Now, along with dreams of vicious pit bulls "crushing" her bones, Marshall has the added fear of Robinson back in the neighborhood.
11/03/09: Held on Half Million Dollar Bond Cordova, TN - On Saturday, Shelby County sheriff's deputies arrested the owner of three pit bulls that attacked and injured a Cordova woman and her dog two days earlier, charging him with Aggravated Assault. Andre Robinson, 33, is now being held at the Shelby County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Robinson's dogs attacked Helen Marshall, 62, on Thursday, October 22, as she walked her son's Husky, named Skye, past Robinson's house in the 8600 block of Oak Trail Lane.
This is the first instance of an Aggravated Assault charge -- that does not involve the dog's owner "siccing" his dog on a person -- DogsBite.org has recorded.
Doctors at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis told sheriff's detectives Marshall was bitten more than 50 times on her arms, legs and forearms. She is now recovering at home. Her dog Skye also suffered many wounds and lacerations. According to sheriff's office spokesman Steve Shular, the steep bond was set because of the extensive injuries to Marshall. It was likely also set this high due to past infractions by Robinson and his dogs and new Tennessee State dog law.1.
Zero Tolerance for Dog Attacks
On the same day the above article was published by the Commercial Appeal, an editorial was published by them as well, "Zero Tolerance for Dog Attacks." The editorial outlines the new Tennessee "loose" dog law that was passed in 2007 (See: 44-8-408 or view PDF). Unsurprisingly, the law provides numerous exceptions for owners of loose dogs, for instance "temporary harborers" are excluded2, but due to Robinson's history of not properly restraining his dogs, he is not excluded.
We presume that Robinson is being charged with a Class E felony, which according to the editorial is punishable by one to six years in prison and a $3,000 fine. Under the same statue, if a loose dog kills a person (off the dog owner's property), a Class D felony applies, which is punishable by two to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. If the dog has been trained to fight or has previously inflicted serious injury or death upon a person3, the penalties worsen.
The editorial also mentions the horrific -- and preventable -- 1990 death of 57-year old Betty Lou Stidham and the lowly sentence her neighbor, Edwin Hill4, served after his two pit bulls first mauled Hill's own wheelchair-bound mother, in a subsequent attack, tore the leg off Stidham's pet pug, then 6-months later killed Stidham as she walked away from her mailbox. Hill was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and served five months of a two-year sentence.
We've gathered news articles and court documents about the Betty Lou Stidham case, whose family successfully sued the City of Memphis after her death. Please visit our Scribd page to download.
1In addition to Robinson's pit bulls running loose and attacking pets in his current neighborhood, his former neighbors in Horn Lake, Mississippi filed similar complaints against him. He moved from that location prior to being taken to court. 2Serious and fatal dog attacks frequently occur when the dog is in the hands of a "temporary harborer." 3As in other U.S. states, after a dog kills a person, the State of Tennessee does not mandate the euthanization of the animal. 4Edwin G. Hill, a former Memphis police officer, apparently "sobbed on the witness stand" at his sentencing hearing.
Pregnant Woman Attacked by Pet Pit Bull, Airlifted to Trauma Center
Fractures Arm Oak Hills, CA - A woman nine months pregnant was attacked by her own pit bull, breaking her arm and prompting her to be airlifted to a trauma center, according to officials. Rescue personnel arrived at the home in the 7300 block of Braceo Street near Ranchero Road, found the victim bleeding profusely and said she appeared to be going into shock. The 20-year-old was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, said a spokeswoman for the Victor Valley station.
San Bernardino County Animal Control officers took custody of the woman's pit bull.
2009 Fatality: Toddler Wanders from Babysitter's Home; Killed by Pit Bull
From left: Offending pit bull and his doghouse, Chief Brian Russell and Richard Ray Smith.
Another Accident? UPDATE 10/29/09: New information has been reported about the death of Matthew Hurt. According to a KTHV video, family and friends1 said the boy saw a puppy and chased it to a backyard where a pit bull was chained. Matthew's 3-year old brother followed him, then rushed home to alert the family. Neighbor Bridgette Monroe, who tried to help, described the horrible scene, "The babies' jugular, throat was bitten and from his mouth up to his eye was bitten."
Authorities seized two adult pit bulls from the dog owner's home2, one of which was male. Though not stated in the article, it's likely that the puppy Matthew had been chasing came from a litter of the two pit bulls. Richard Ray Smith, whose mother owns the dogs, said, "The dog has been raised with us and all the kids have played with the dog. It's not a violent dog, we don't know what happened." He added, "We don't want the family to be mad at us, it's just an 'accident.'"
But two adult chained pit bulls, likely part of a backyard breeding operation, that wind up severely injuring or killing a child is far from an accident. The situation is a ruinous attack only waiting to happen. Chief Brian Russell said police and emergency crews arrived within minutes and the boy was airlifted to St. Michael's where he was pronounced dead. "There very well could be charges either way," he said. "We'll just have to see where the investigation goes from here."
1Matthew and his two siblings stayed with Kevin Taylor and Christy Godwin while their mom worked. The couple was afraid of the dogs and told the dogs' owner they were vicious in the past. 2The loose puppy of an unnamed breed has still not been caught.
10/28/09: 2-Year Old Killed By Chained Pit Bull Prescott, AR - Five days following the fatal pit bull mauling of 17-month old Colton Smith at his babysitter's home, two-year old Matthew Clayton Hurt of Prescott, Arkansas is also dead by a pit bull. Matthew arrived at his babysitter's home just before 10 am this morning. At some point, the boy wandered a few blocks away and into a backyard where a pit bull was chained. The dog savagely attacked the toddler. A woman walking nearby tried to help, but it was too late.
"He wasn't moving at all he was bitten all on his throat across his face just limp," Bridgette Monroe said.
Arkansas State Police are still investigating. No charges have been filed at this time.
In Massachusetts, Landlords May Be Liable When Tenant's Pit Bull Attacks
Pit Bulls Singled Out Waltham, MA - The second-highest court in Massachusetts recently ruled that a landlord may be held accountable if a tenant's pit bull goes on the attack. The Court specifically singles out the breed as one known to have a propensity for aggression. The appeals court ruling, which reversed a lower-court decision, arose from a 2005 lawsuit against landlords Emil and Clara Florio in which a 10-year old boy's leg was badly injured by their tenant's pit bull named Tiny.
The appeals court opinion, written by Justice Gary Katzmann, stated: "While the defendants may not be held strictly liable by virtue of Tiny's breed, knowledge of that breed and its propensities may properly be a factor to be considered in determining whether the defendants were negligent under common-law principles." Katzmann ruled that the lower court erred in dismissing the negligence charge. The case was returned to superior court for further proceedings.
In its argument, the appeals court made use of a 2008 state Supreme Judicial Court decision -- which had not been issued at the time of the lower-court's ruling -- that found pit bulls are "commonly known to be aggressive." In that decision, the Court determined police officers may not have to "knock and announce" their presence to execute a search warrant if a pit bull is on the premises. The ruling comes as state lawmakers push to update existing animal control laws.
Killian Nutt vs. Emil A. Florio "Our assessment of the defendants' knowledge of Tiny's propensities, however, is informed by a decision of the Supreme Judicial Court issued after the summary judgment here and thus not available to the judge in the proceedings below. There, in the criminal context, the court observed that the pit bull is a breed "commonly known to be aggressive."[ 7 ] Commonwealth v. Santiago, 452 Mass. 573, 577-578 (2008). The court justified an exception to the "knock and announce" rule for the execution of a search warrant where, among other factors, on the premises to be searched was a pit bull -- an animal the court stated was "known to be dangerous and aggressive" -- that could be used to confront the officers."
On July 18, 2005, 10-year old Killian Nutt was playing in a sprinkler when Tiny the pit bull "bolted" from its porch, "leapt into the air and over the retaining wall" and violently attacked Killian. According to Harry Vlachos, the attorney representing Killian, the appeals court ruling says that it is "up to a jury to decide whether a pit bull has to bite somebody before it's considered dangerous." He added, "What it says is pit bulls may present certain issues that Lassie doesn't."
2009 Fatality: 19-Month Old Boy Killed by Pit Bull-Mix at Babysitter's Home
Future In-Law's Dog UPDATE 10/27/09: Sheriff's Deputies confirmed that the 65-pound pit bull named Max did not belong to the babysitter, rather she had been "watching it" for a week for her future in-law's. This is despite the fact that a KMPH video shows a "Warning Security Dog" sign hanging on the babysitter's fence with rusted screws. A preliminary autopsy released Tuesday confirmed that Smith's death was a result of loss of blood due to a puncture wound to the subclavian artery.
Sheriff's Deputies say there are "no plans" to arrest the babysitter at this time. The case though will be sent to the District Attorney's office.
10/26/09: Child Victim Named: Colten Smith Authorities have identified the latest pit bull fatality victim as 19-month old Colten Smith1. On Friday, while under the care of a babysitter, the toddler was bitten in the throat and dragged around the yard by a pit bull-mix living at the babysitter's home. The boy was airlifted to Valley Children's Hospital in Madera, where he died shortly after arrival. The boy's body was returned to Merced for further investigation by the county coroner on Friday as well.
The identity of the babysitter will not be released until the Merced County District Attorney's office decides if criminal charges will be filed.
10/23/09: Babysitter's Pit Bull Fatally Attacks Delhi, CA - In a developing story, authorities report that a 19-month old boy in Merced County has died after being mauled by a pit bull-mix. Authorities say the little boy wandered into the backyard while his babysitter was in another room. By the time she noticed he was missing, the dog had already attacked. The news video shows a "Warning Security Dog" sign posted on the fence of the babysitter's home where the boy was attacked by the 65-pound pit bull.
Sheriff Pazin states in the video, "These are rugged vicious animals that can just that quickly snap." According to Pazin, the babysitter tried to stop the attack by beating (or stabbing) the pit bull with a two prong barbecue fork. The dog eventually let go, and that's when the sheriff's office received a 9-1-1 call from the hysterical babysitter. She dropped the phone and tried driving the little boy to the hospital, but was pulled over by a deputy for driving erratically.
She literally handed the blood soaked toddler to Deputy Cardenas, who performed first aid until the ambulance arrived to take the toddler to a hospital. The boy was later flown to Children's Hospital Central California where he was pronounced dead. The pit bull, who reportedly belongs to the "babysitter's fiance's parents," is now under quarantine at the Merced County's Animal Shelter. Police are investigating whether any criminal charges will be filed.
In the 3-year period of 2006 to 2008, 14% (12) of the fatal attacks involved a "watcher," a person such as a grandparent or babysitter watching a child between the ages of 0-4.
1Colten Smith's age was initially reported as 17-months old and the spelling of his name as "Colton."
2009 Pit Bull Awareness Day by YouTube Artist Zupf - DogsBite.org
They're Not Letting Go DogsBite.org - Back in July, YouTube artist Zupf created a video in anticipation of this year's Pit Bull Awareness Day1, when pit bull lovers unite around the country to "praise" the breed. As in our own video last year, Zupf hopes to bring true awareness to the American public about pit bulls on this day. Pit bulls were selectively bred to fight, to inflict maximum damage in these fights and thereby have an unmatched 30-year track record of killing and maiming our children and pets.
DogsBite.org praises Zupf. The artist's continued commitment to this cause has clearly prevented innocent persons and pets from suffering disfiguring injury and death by a pit bull.
Pit Bull Attacks Owner's Mother; May Suffer Arm Amputation
The Pit Bull Bite Pierceton, IN - Janet Hartman, 63-years old, may lose her arm after her son's pit bull attacked her at his Pierceton home. On Tuesday, October 20, Mrs. Hartman underwent the misfortune of stopping by her son's home to "drop off money" for him. She had been to her son Kevin's home before and met his pit bull. On this occasion, Kevin was not home. The dog was tied to a tree at the front of the house, but the walkway to the front door was within the dog's reach.
According to police, when Mrs. Hartman approached the house, the dog attacked. She put her arm up to protect her neck and face, and the pit bull’s jaws "locked on." The dog chewed her arm down to the bone and doctors believe it might have to be amputated. Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Detective Josh Spangle, who was the second officer on the scene, said is was a "gruesome, bloody scene." As far as a dog attack, "I’ve never seen anything like that," he said.
Mrs. Hartman was airlifted to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne in serious condition. She was upgraded to fair condition the following day. Spangle told reporters that because the dog's vaccinations are current and the attack occurred on the owners’ property, the animal was not taken into custody. Kevin Hartman and his girlfriend, Heather Hersha, are allowed to keep the potential "arm amputating mauler" as the attack did not violate any state or county laws.
Like the majority of U.S. states and counties, Kosciusko, Indiana has few preventative dangerous dog laws. Furthermore, once an attack of this nature occurs, there are no laws after the fact either. What will happen, for instance, when this pit bull chooses to snap the rope or cable that attaches it to the tree? Which unlucky child playing in a nearby yard will meet this animal's jaws? Which unlucky child will be ripped from his bicycle and suffer broken bones or worse?
The State of Indiana continues to amass more limb amputations than any other state. In at least three instances, the victims were attacked by "family" pit bulls.
Oct. 09: Janet Hartman, 63, Pierceton. Victim expected to lose one arm.
Feb. 09: Scott Sands, 47, Elkhart. Victim nearly suffered one arm amputation.
Jan. 09: Brenda Hill, 68, Indianapolis. Victim suffered a lower leg amputation.
Jun. 08: Annette Williams, 45, Greensburg. Victim had both arms amputated.
DogsBite.org officially turns two-years old today, October 15, 2009. In these two years, we have built a sizable website with nearly 1,750 pages, documented nearly 5-years of fatality data and produced three national reports1. Additionally, we continuously track new U.S. cities and foreign countries that adopt breed-specific (pit bull) laws. By the end of 2009, we will have recorded a full year of U.S. media reported pit bull attacks and police and citizen shootings of dangerous pit bulls.
The Pit Bull Problem Continues to Grow
Back in August, we published a post concerning the 2009 U.S. shelter data report by Animal People. Of the 1,663,167 shelter dogs projected to be euthanized in 2009, pit bulls account for 58%. This is an 8% increase from 2007, indicating that the "pit bull problem" is only growing. Unless more cities adopt laws to correct the breed-specific problem that pit bulls present, we can presume a substantial number of new mauling victims and pit bulls euthanized in the next two years.
Who Is DogsBite.org at Two-Years Old?
DogsBite.org is a public education website about dangerous dogs -- specifically pit bull type dogs. We are the only website dedicated to putting the safety of humans before dogs, as we are the only source of information on this topic that is not owned, controlled, or funded by pit bull breeders, pit bull owners, dog fancying organizations, dog registry and breeder organizations, veterinarian organizations, animal welfare groups or any of their associated influential lobbying groups.
We thank our readers for their continued participation in our comment sections and writing to us directly to share important information. We rely on both to continue our mission.
Tanner Joshua Monk, Breckenridge, TX
Over the past two years, we have focused many resources on the State of Texas due to the volume of serious and fatal pit bull attacks that occur in this state, as well as organized dogfighting. Texas citizens have begun to mobilize against the 1991 statewide anti-BSL measure that prohibits pit bull laws. In memory of the innocent Texans who have suffered death by the powerful jaws of a pit bull, we leave readers with the images of Tanner Monk, who now only flies in the arms of angels.
"Non Bite" Pit Bull Injury Leads to Death of Plainfield AC Officer
Officer Theresa Foss Plainfield, CT - An incident that raises many questions regarding what defines a "fatal dog attack" recently occurred in Connecticut. On September 29, Plainfield Animal Control Officer Theresa Foss was hospitalized with head injury after being knocked to the ground by a pit bull. Foss had responded to the call of an aggressive dog that had trapped a family inside their home. A resident of the home, Ron Roberts, shot the dog several times after it attacked Foss, causing the animal to flee.
News articles were quick to point out that the loose pit bull, named Buddy, had not bitten Officer Foss. The owner of the dog, David Coombs1, told reporters "he had no idea" the trouble Buddy had caused when the dog returned to Coombs’ 180 Moosup Pond Road home the following morning. Though news reports clearly stated that the dog had not bitten Foss, Coombs took the unusual step of shooting Buddy to death then burying the animal in Canterbury, about 4 miles away.
Authorities did not attempt to locate the buried dog2, because the incident did not involve a bite.
Up until Foss' death on October 8, she remained hospitalized at Yale-New Haven Hospital with serious head injury. While it could have been an error on his part, Charles Gagne, of Gagne-Piechowski Funeral Home, said that Foss' death was unrelated to the dog incident. This appears to be impossible, as Foss never left the hospital after the attack. State Animal Control Officer Linda Wenner later told reporters that Foss "died of organ failure," begging the question as to why?
Two Heart Attack Victims in 10-Day Period
Foss' death comes during the same 10-day period in which two people suffered a heart attack following a terrifying "pit bull incident," thus highlighting the issue of "non bite" pit bull injury even further.
On October 2, 70-year old Mary Garcia of Adams County, Colorado was attacked by two dogs, a pit bull-mastiff mix and boxer-pit bull mix, when she stepped outside to lock her car doors. Garcia suffered serious bite injury in the attack, but the immediate threat was a heart attack that struck after the incident.
On October 11, 56-year old Timothy Neimeyer of Indianapolis hopped a fence to stop a fight between his pit bull and a neighbor's dog. The pit bull broke its chain and jumped a fence to attack the dog. While trying to stop the fight, Neimeyer went into cardiac arrest. His condition is listed as "grave."
1Combs was ticketed for dog nuisance, allowing a dog to roam and failure to license. He was fined $242. 2For all we know, Buddy could have been shipped across state lines to live with a friend or relative of Coombs.
2005 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org
Fatal Dog Attack Statistics DogsBite.org recorded 28 fatal dog attacks in 20051. Citations of each victim's story are located on the Fatality Citations page. The last year the CDC recorded or studied dog bite fatalities by breed was 1998. Likely due to pressures from animal advocacy groups, dog fancying groups and pro-pit bull groups, the CDC stopped recording these deaths by breed. The only other known entity that tracks this vital information is Animal People News. DogsBite.org has joined in this effort.
2005 Dog Bite Fatalities
282 U.S. fatal dog attacks occurred in 2005. Pit bull type dogs were responsible for 57%. Pit bulls make up approximately 5% of the U.S. dog population.
The combination of pit bulls (16) and rottweilers (5) accounted for 75% of all fatal attacks.
46% of the attacks occurred to children (11 years and under) and 46% occurred to adults (21 years and older)3. Of the adults, 85% occurred to ages 55 and older.
57% of fatal attacks in 2005 involved multiple dogs; 7% involved chained dogs.
64% of the attacks occurred on owner property and 36% off owner property. Of the off-property attacks, 90% (9) involved pit bulls.
61% of the victims were female; 39% of the victims were male. Of the female victims, over half (9) were 11 years and under.
The state of California had the most fatalities (4), followed by the states of Georgia, Michigan, Texas and Virginia each suffering 3 three.
1DogsBite.org launched in October 2007. By January 2010, DogsBite.org will have five years of fatal dog attack data available to the public and 250 megabytes of downloadable PDF documentation about these victims. 2Various websites report 29 fatal dog attacks in 2005. This is due to the December 30 death of Cody Adair and the initial media reports falling on January 3, 2006. Cody is included in the DogsBite.org 2006 dog bite fatalities. 3Two victims fell within the 12 to 20 age group, ages 12 and 14.
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DogsBite.org is a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. We are a registered nonprofit corporation currently seeking tax-deductible status. Donations go toward recording and analyzing 
VanKavage also makes the questionable statement that if Illinois were to ban pit bulls it would cost the state $18 million. How does VanKavage come up with such a number? Once again, to mislead and "scare" U.S. municipalities who may be considering a breed-specific law, Best Friends created an 
As neighbors gathered outside the fenced front yard of Salvador Romero, one shot a few photos with his cell phone. Others were reluctant to enter without a weapon to defend themselves against the powerful pit bulls. According to Castaneda (pictured right), by this point, "the man's arm was shredded." So he entered the yard, used the bicycle to shield himself, and started beating the dogs with his cane until they retreated long enough to get Herrera out of the yard.
Plainfield, CT - An incident that raises many questions regarding what defines a "fatal dog attack" recently occurred in Connecticut. On 
