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2008 Fatality: Pit Bulls Fatally Maul 4-Month Old in Las Vegas
 No Charges Filed
UPDATE 10/22/08: Clark County District Attorney David Roger said his office couldn't find that the family members of the child had intentionally placed her in harm's way. "There were no significant prior actions of the dogs that would suggest that these dogs would be dangerous to human beings," Rogers said.
09/18/08: 911 Call Released
The 911 call between the grandmother and the dispatcher has been released. Baby Cenedi was ripped from her stroller and killed by a pit bull. The two pit bulls belonged to the boyfriend of Cenedi's mom. DogsBite.org consistently runs across this scenario: Women and their children victimized by the "boyfriend's" pit bull. In this horrifying instance, the baby was killed.
09/15/08: Victim Named: Cenedi Kia Carey
The 4-month-old girl mauled to death by two pit bulls has been identified as Cenedi Kia Carey of Las Vegas by the Clark County coroner's office. Responders found the infant laying on a bedroom floor. Paramedics pronounced the baby dead from the attack. The parents and grandmother still remain unidentified.
Residents Jason Howell said that the shots prompted him to run to his neighbor's house to see if he could help. He says that what he saw will haunt him. "There are some peculiars I don't even want to discuss," said Howell. Different theories are coming to light about what may have prompted the attack, including that the dogs had grown more aggressive after the child was born. Yet the horror is best described by Howell:"You have an aggressive breed dog, a Pit Bull and a child in the house. They ripped it to shreds," Howell said. What could the child possibly have done to instigate that? I have a daughter who is 18 months old. And the look on the father's face is something I'll never forget, ever. That's all I have to say." 09/13/08: Dogs Force Way into House to Attack
New information about the North Las Vegas fatality has been released. Chief Joseph Forti said the dogs were in the backyard of the home prior to the attack. The dogs managed to enter the home, possibly by bursting through a screen door, and began attacking the baby as she lay in a stroller, he said. "They just went right for the little girl."
The grandmother took the baby and tried to escape into a room of the house. She tried to close the door behind her, but one of the dogs forced its way into the room, Forti said, followed by the other. The dogs began attacking the girl again, and the grandmother called police. When officers arrived, they found the two dogs with blood on their fur "acting very aggressively" toward the officers. Police shot and killed the dogs.
Officers found the baby lying on the floor of a bedroom, dead from her injuries. "This is about as severe an attack as I've seen in my 18 years in North Las Vegas," Animal Control officer Dale Smock said. Forti said he was told by officers the girl had suffered "very severe bite and head wounds." As mentioned previously, officers and medical personnel who responded to the incident are being offered counseling.
09/12/08: Deadly Family Dog Attack
Las Vegas, NV - In a developing story, a 4-month old girl was killed today by her family's two pit bulls. According to Capt. Cedric Williams, the grandmother who was babysitting the child was also bitten when she tried to save her. "Somehow the dogs got inside the house," Williams said. He added that the dogs "were the family pets."
Williams said that when police arrived, in an effort to save the victims, they had to kill the two dogs. Williams did not release the name of the child or the grandmother. He said that rescue personnel who went to the scene are being offered counseling. This marks the 6th fatality this year -- of 17 total -- when a baby, 12-months old and younger, was killed by the family dog.
Related articles:
09/07/08: 2008 Fatality: Alexis Hennessy, 6-Days Old, Killed By Family Dog
08/05/08: 2008 Fatality: Tulsa Infant Killed by Labrador
07/25/08: 2008 Fatality: 1-Year Old Erie Girl Killed by Family Dog
01/20/08: 2008 Fatality: Justin Mozer Killed by Jack Russell Terrier
01/04/08: 2008 Fatality: Brooklyn Infant Killed by Family DogLabels: boyfriend's pit bull, Fatality
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Clarksville Man Sicced Pit Bull on Girlfriend
 Boyfriend Arrested in Kentucky
UPDATE 08/27/08: Authorities have arrested the Clarksville man accused of ordering his pit bull to attack his girlfriend. Scott Murphy was arrested near Oak Grove, Kentucky and is awaiting extradition back to Tennessee. Murphy is charged with aggravated assault. No other details were provided.
08/27/08: Domestic Pit Bull Violence
Clarksville, TN - In another instance of domestic violence combined with pit bull violence, police are looking for a man that may have sicced his pit bull on his girlfriend. Scott Lee Murphy, 24, is sought for aggravated assault. Murphy reportedly pushed his girlfriend down during an argument and ordered his dog to attack. The dog bit her on her arm and leg.
Clarksville officer Jim Knoll said, "The information that we have from the witness accounts and the complainant is yes, she was held down and the dog was actually sicced on her." Police are searching for Murphy for using his dog as a weapon. Murphy is on the run, but his dog is locked up. If authorities find out that the dog has attacked before, it could be euthanized.
If the dog has not attacked before then what? Will the dog be returned to Murphy? Or, perhaps adopted out? It seems clear enough that the animal has been trained to attack on command. This is a significant public safety threat. Animal Control has previously visited Murphy's home because his two pit bulls are known for being loose. Logically, neighbors are concerned about the animal being returned.
Related articles:
08/12/08: Flashback: Police Kill Pit Bull During Domestic Disturbance Call
07/31/08: Boyfriend's Pit Bull Attacks Woman in Blanchard
07/28/08: Aggravated Assault Charges Investigated in Pit Bull AttackLabels: boyfriend's pit bull
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Flashback: Police Kill Pit Bull During Domestic Disturbance Call
Girlfriend Badly Injured
Westminster, CO - On February 9th, 2004 police shot and killed a pit bull after they answered a domestic disturbance call in Westminister, a city that lies outside of Denver. The woman had been attacked by her boyfriend and his pit pull. After officers arrested Daniel Brent Smithson Jr., 29, they attempted to subdue the pit bull. Despite their efforts, the animal tried to bite them.
Officers said they used pepper spray and Taser guns in an effort to suppress the dog. The pit bull was then shot by an officer and continued charging, according to police. The dog had to be shot repeatedly in order to stop it. The woman was treated for bite wounds to her face. Police charged Smithson with second-degree assault and unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog. Hopefully, he was convicted.
A separate news article details other pit bull attacks in the area. Eight days before the Smithson incident, five-year-old Michael White was attacked by the family pit bull in Denver while watching TV. He suffered severe facial injuries. Also in February, Constance Simonds, 53, was attacked in Highlands Ranch. Three months earlier, Jennifer Brooke, 40, was killed by her neighbor's pit bulls in the town of Elizabeth, 40 miles away.
Related articles:
07/31/08: Boyfriend's Pit Bull Attacks Woman in Blanchard
07/28/08: Aggravated Assault Charges Investigated in Pit Bull AttackLabels: boyfriend's pit bull
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Boyfriend's Pit Bull Attacks Woman in Blanchard
Victim Suffered Massive Injury
UPDATE 07/31/08: Kathryn Long suffered massive injuries in the attack. Neighbor Christina Voight, who witnessed the attack, said the dog "ate half of her arm off, her back and leg, its like a gaping hole, nothing there." Voight is mentioned in several news articles, and left this comment on the KTBS website. Her response may be directed toward the abusive pit bull advocates that DogsBite.org will not publish in our comments.
"So, my name is Christina Voight and I'm one of the neighbors who helped to save this woman. I have attempted numerous times to reach Ed Walsh because he can't get this story right. She wasn't "fussing" at her child so don't assume what you don't know. Her daughter dropped a glass and she CALLED OUT HER NAME! That's it, END OF STORY! You weren't there, you didn't hear what was said, you didn't see a woman on the ground being mauled by a dog fighting for her life like I did, yelling out for you to save her child!! Everyone thinks they know the whole story, well, trust me, YOU DON'T!!!! I've never been so scared in my life. No, this dog was not aggressive. I could walk up and grab his face and kiss him. So, if you didn't have to beat a dog off your neighbor this morning like I did, you can stop posting comments you know nothing about!!" We hope that Christina Voight contacts DogsBite.org so that we can give her a platform to tell the full story. She talks about the attack in an article published today by KSLA news as well.To give you an idea on just how vicious the attack was, the victim stabbed the dog three times with a knife, and neighbors used a metal pipe and wooden board to pry the dog off the woman, but nothing could get him off of her. "I broke the board over his back and he still wouldn't let go," Voight said. "I wedged it in between his mouth and her, and jumped on it and stomped as hard as I could and he finally let go." Kathryn Long was rushed to LSU Medical Center where she underwent surgery for her injuries. The article did not add further information regarding her condition.
07/29/08: Victim Hospitalized
Blanchard, LA - In a developing story, a woman disciplining a child for breaking a glass was attacked by her boyfriend's pit bull. Caddo Parish sheriff's deputies say the woman stabbed the dog, and two neighbors altered to the attack beat the dog with a pipe and a board. Deputies say the dog will be euthanized because of the viciousness of the attack and the extent of its wounds.
Caddo sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick said 27-year-old Kathryn Long suffered severe dog bites to her arm and buttocks and had to be hospitalized. The incident happened Tuesday at a home just outside of Blanchard.
Related article:
07/28/08: Aggravated Assault Charges Investigated in Pit Bull Attack
06/18/08: Woman, Police Officer Attacked by Pit Bull in D.C.Labels: boyfriend's pit bull
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Aggravated Assault Charges Investigated in Pit Bull Attack
Boyfriend Charged in Mauling
UPDATE 07/28/08: Police arrested a man charged with allowing his pit bulls to attack his ex-girlfriend. 38-year-old Tony Keys is due in court today on the charge of malicious wounding. In what DogsBite.org hopes is a mistake, the news article also says that the victim is still hospitalized. This would mean a two-week stay in the hospital indicating massive injury.
07/24/08: Victim is Named; Investigation Continues
The victim's name is Beonquay Charmane Earley. Police spokesman Harold Eley said she was visiting her 38-year-old former boyfriend at the time of the attack. Eley wouldn't comment on her injuries but said they were not life threatening. Due to the ongoing investigation, police are unable to discuss if the owner of the dogs told them to attack.
07/23/08: Attacked by Ex-Boyfriend's Pit Bulls
Newport, VA - A woman was attacked by her ex-boyfriend’s pit bulls in his home. The attack reportedly followed a dispute. The victim has been hospitalized for 5 days. The injuries suffered must be severe, though the article does not provide more detail. The man turned over his two pit bulls, Cognac and Cheeba, to animal control. Both have since been euthanized.The number of instances in which a woman is victimized by her boyfriend's pit bull is sobering. Newport News Police spokesman Lou Thurston said, "This case is being investigated as an aggravated assault. No one has been charged at this point." The 31-year-old victim lives in Portsmouth. DogsBite.org urges women to avoid men that choose to own dangerous dogs. It is the woman or her child that are consistently victimized in these scenarios.
Related articles:
07/01/08: 2001 Omaha Pit Bull Attack Victim "Totally Traumatized"
06/18/08: Woman, Police Officer Attacked by Pit Bull in D.C.
04/17/08: Pit Bull Attack Puts Owner in the HospitalLabels: boyfriend's pit bull
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2001 Omaha Pit Bull Attack Victim "Totally Traumatized"
7 Years and Still a Long Road Ahead
Omaha, NE - On Staturday, the adoptive mother of an 8-year-old Omaha boy whose genitalia were torn off in a 2001 pit bull attack said she thinks the dogs are dangerous and should be banned from the city. "We just don't know what makes those dogs tick." She added that, "all dogs need love, but for some reason, that breed just can't get it right."
Her adopted son, Bodi, was attacked when he was 18-months old. Back then he was named Shane. He was sleeping when the pit bull attacked him. The dog, Gator, belonged to his mother's boyfriend. It had been abused. Both the mother and the boyfriend were sentenced to time in jail for the attack, and the boy was placed in a foster home before she adopted him.
She says that Bodi today is a sweet-natured kid who dearly loves his pet golden retriever, Boo. He sometimes fears other dogs, though. She said the attack's psychological aftermath, in part, forced him to repeat kindergarten. "He was totally traumatized," she said. "It's affected him emotionally. We had to keep him back because his speech wasn't there."
Bodi, who will start second grade this fall, has a long road ahead of him. After he turns 12 or so, Bodi will have to begin receiving testosterone shots, a regimen that will continue for the rest of his life. He also faces many reconstructive surgeries, and he won't be able to father children. She worries about mean-spirited school kids, but believes he will overcome any challenge. "Bodi bounces back with smiles, and he's always for the underdog. That's what makes him special." Related articles:
Coverage of the Omaha Pit Bull Attack - DogsBite.orgLabels: boyfriend's pit bull, omaha
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Woman, Police Officer Attacked by Pit Bull in D.C.
Pit Bull Attacks Handler Without Warning
Washington D.C. – A D.C. woman is struggling to understand why her boyfriend's pit bull suddenly, without warning, attacked her while she was out walking the dog. The victim, Sharmin Spriggs, does not understand that pit bulls are the only dog breed in which unpredictability has been selectively bred into it.
[The dog] never showed any aggression toward me...I don't know why this time was any different, she said. Given the genetic background of a pit bull, this time doesn't have to be different. This time or any old time is a perfectly suitable time to attack. Unlike other dog breeds, provocation before an attack is not required for a pit bull. Owners of pit bulls, particularly those who claim, "My dog is the sweetest dog in the world," may be at the greatest risk of a sudden attack.
In the case of the Spriggs, police Officer Kevin Whaley's son and wife were outside their home when they saw the pit bull. After the dog started attacking Spriggs, Whaley's family ran and told him what happened. Kevin grabbed his radio, gun and badge, then raced outside. He said the woman was "down on all fours on the ground" with blood rushing down her arms and thighs.
Due to the closeness of proximity of the victim and attacking dog, Whaley held off firing his weapon. He instead stepped in and tried to pry the two apart. Subsequently, Whaley was bit. He said he picked up the dog with the dog's jaws still latched onto his arm. "It felt like he almost broke my forearm," he said. After separating the woman and dog, Whaley fired several times at the pit bull, killing him.
Now that the nightmare of the attack is over, Spriggs will undergo the nightmare of recovering from severe pit bull injury wounds. DogsBite.org hopes her boyfriend has a homeowner's insurance policy that will cover the cost of her medical treatment.
Related articles:
04/28/08: Father Shoots Son's Pit Bull Mix After it Attacks Him
04/17/08: Pit Bull Attack Puts Owner in the Hospital
03/21/08: Owners Put Down Pit bull After it Attacks ThemLabels: boyfriend's pit bull
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Pit Bull Attack Puts Owner in the Hospital
Owner of the Dogs: Fiancé
UPDATE 04/17/08: The pit bull that attacked a young woman was owned by her fiancé. The rate of women in their 20's being attacked by the "boyfriend's" pit bull has shot through the roof. Just as destructive, dogs owned by the "boyfriend," attack the woman's child. These attacks occur on-property and the boyfriend is usually away at the time. No one is ever at fault.
04/16/08: Pit Bull Owner Should Have Had a Break Stick
Spokane, WA - A young woman is in the hospital after being severely bitten while trying to break up a pit bull fight. The attack started when two dogs at the home -- at least one being a pit bull -- started fighting. The 28-year-old woman, identified as Elizabeth, reportedly shares ownership of both dogs. She stepped in to try and break up the fight and was attacked.
Animal control reports she was bit severely, from her shoulder down to her wrist, and was taken to the hospital. The offending dog was seized and will be kept in quarantine for the next ten days. Officials say the animal that attacked its owner was extremely aggressive when they arrived to take it away -- they had to use a Choke Pole to get it out of the house.
According to a friend, Elizabeth has owned the dog for over a year and has never had a problem like this with the animal before. But responsible pit bull websites say (particularly when two pit bulls share the same household): "Never trust a pit bull not to fight."Pit bulls were selectively bred for an activity that is a felony in all 50 states: dogfighting. Related articles:
02/29/08: Cousins Hospitalized After Unprovoked Pit Bull Attack
01/09/08: Brevard County: Another Pit Bull Attack in Florida
DogsBite.org - Pit Bull FAQ
DogsBite.org - Pit Bull MythsLabels: boyfriend's pit bull, spokane
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Family Bull Terrier Attacks Teenager and Mother
Bull Terrier Was Recently Adopted
Smithfield, RI - A family dog attacked a 15-year-old girl and her mother at their home yesterday. The dog, a bull terrier, was adopted about two weeks ago by the mother's boyfriend. The girl was severely bitten in the face and chest. Lt. Michael Rheaume says the girl is likely to need reconstructive surgery. He said that the girl's mother was treated for bites to her hands and has been released.
The two-year-old dog is being quarantined at the Smithfield Animal Shelter. Rheaume says it's not known whether the dog had a history of aggressive behavior, but police or animal control will investigate. (They should investigate which agency the dog was adopted from. Reconstructive surgery for the 15-year old victim will be extremely costly and that agency may be liable.)
In other newsPit Bull Attacks Bull Terrier in Collier County
Naples, FL - After trying to break up a fight between his bull terrier and the neighbor's pit bull, Bill Summers said the pit bull's teeth went through his finger and out the other side. Now he wants the neighbor's dog declared dangerous. He's worried about the kids and other animals on the block: "If that dog attacked me and will attack my dog, it will attack them too."
Domestic Animal Services (DAS) is investigating, but say it is unclear whether the incident happened on Summers property or his neighbors. It’s also unclear which dog actually bit him, which means either or both dogs could be declared dangerous. DAS warns that when two dogs are fighting and you put your hand in the middle of it, you are probably going to be injured by both dogs.
The owner of the bull terrier plans to sue his neighbor, which should make for a fine barbequing summer.
Related articles: Labels: adoption, boyfriend's pit bull
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Cousins Hospitalized After Unprovoked Pit Bull Attack
 Injured Children Describe Pit Bull Attack
UPDATE 02/29/08: Two 10-year-old cousins are together again after one of them got his ear stitched back on. The attack happened at Zeb Polston's mother's home on Unity Church Road. The boys said they were outside when the male pit bull started sniffing Zeb’s cousin, Devin Polston.
"He was smelling him, and then he jumped on him. Devin just fell, he fell down to the ground," Zeb said, who then got bit trying to help his cousin. Zeb's mother, Annmarie Polston, ran outside and was also bitten as she tried to pull the dog off of her nephew. The boys' screams alerted neighbor Justin Cauthen who later said:"You can't trust a pit bull. Those dogs should be tied to a chain or in a pen. You can't let them run around inside a fence like this." Sheriff's investigators said they don't expect any charges against the owner of the dogs -- Annmarie Polston's boyfriend. "The dogs were inside the fence like they should've been," said sheriff's spokesman Tom Holland.
DogsBite.org adds that it is very common for women and their children to be victimized by "their boyfriend's" pit bull.
Cousins Hospitalized After Pit Bulls Attack
02/28/08: Lancaster County, SC - Two pit bulls viciously attack two 10-year-old cousins. One of the boys was so badly hurt he was flown to Carolinas Medical Center for care. The second boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Authorities say the attack happened as the boys came out into the front yard of the home where they were playing. They also say the attack was unprovoked. A neighbor, Richard Hopkins, heard one of the boys' mothers screaming and rushed to help. “The little boy’s ear, half his ear had done been bit off dangling, big hole in back of his head, two or three holes in his back where that dog just latched on him." The boy with the torn ear was already inside the house by the time he arrived, but the other was still trying to get away from the dog. He said the boy was trying to crawl over the fence, but that "the dog was literally grabbing his leg trying to pull him back."
He says the boy’s mother, who lives there with the dog, was trying to fight it off, but couldn’t. “The dog was dragging her around. He done got the taste of blood,” Hopkins said.Labels: boyfriend's pit bull
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Fatality Victim: Another Young Woman Killed by Pit Bulls
 Coroner: Drug Overdose Killed Strode, Not Pit Bulls
UPDATE 2/5/08: Coroner Susan Boone says that toxicology results reveal Amber Strode died from a drug overdose in her home and was not killed by two dogs.
Amber was found dead inside the home she shared with her boyfriend. Two male dogs, described as pit bulls, belonging to the boyfriend were also inside the house. Police said the dogs had severely mauled Strode.
It's our understanding at DogsBite.org that dogs do not attack nonliving bodies. We hope that an additional autopsy is requested by Amber's family. The boyfriend, whose name has not been released, apparently left the home sometime that morning and returned later to find Strode dead in the master bathroom.
1/29/08: Initial Autopsy Inconclusive
It bears repeating that for the third time, in as many months, a similar scenario unfolds: boyfriend owns pit bulls, boyfriend leaves house, boyfriend returns home to find girlfriend attacked by pit bulls. Next we will hear that 22-year old Amber Strode is responsible for her own violent death, just as Kelli Chapman must have had a seizure, which then prompted the pit bulls to kill her.
DogsBite.org stresses that it is all too common "to blame the victim." In human behavior, it is the first step in denial, as well as the first step in disengaging in reality. We see this scenario too frequently in dog attacks.
In the instance of Amber, authorities are still trying to determine whether it was the mauling that caused her death or foul play or both. Toxicology tests and additional studies are pending. It's unclear how long these tests will take, though several weeks seem standard. In the fatality case of Cora Lee Suehead, who was found mauled by a pack of dogs December 4, 2007, test results are still unavailable.
Jane McBride, president of the animal welfare group Illinois Humane, comments that it is unusual for animals to attack the dead:“For a dog to attack a dead body, either they’re extremely hungry or there’s something else going on here,” she said. “We really need more detail. It’s very odd for an animal to scavenge a dead body.” 1/28/08 Central Illinois Woman Killed by Pet Pit Bulls
Springfield, IL - In the third death of it's kind of late -- see: Jennifer Lowe and Kelli Chapman -- a 22-year old woman was fatally mauled by her pet pit bulls. Police are not releasing the woman's name. She was found dead inside her home Sunday afternoon, and authorities have described the scene as gruesome.
Springfield Deputy Chief Clay Dowis says investigators are interviewing a man who lived with the victim, but police believe the woman's death was an accident. Two pit bulls and a puppy were found at the home. The woman's autopsy is scheduled for this week.Labels: boyfriend's pit bull, necromauling
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Brevard County: Another Pit Bull Attack in Florida
Boy Attacked by Mother's Boyfriend's Pit Bull
Brevard County, FL - Counties in Florida continue to bear a large brunt of pit bull attacks, which reflects the growing popularity of the breed in areas of: dog ownership, dog fighting and criminal endeavors.
In this instance, the mother and child were at her boyfriend's house when the attack occurred. The boy had been left alone in a room for reasons still unknown when the pit bull lashed out. The 4-year old's injuries were so severe the child was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando.
It is unclear who the dog owner was, but it is presumed to be the boyfriend. The scenario is far too common: A woman and child at a boyfriend's home who owns a dangerous dog and tragedy ensues. The excuse we expect to hear in the coming days will lack moral reprehension: "The dog never showed any signs of aggression before."Labels: boyfriend's pit bull, child attack
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