Pit Bull Attacks
"Occure when pets lack PACK STRUCTURE"
Pit Bulls and Rots account for 67% of fatal
dog attacks

by Ed Frawley
As a breed I personally like Pit Bulls.
When properly
raised, when pack structure has been established,
when they have been obedience
trained and socialized they are great family pets. Unfortunately there
are many people in our society who ignore these very important responsibilities
and the results are often catastrophic. This article is intended as a warning
to Pit Bull owners who refuse to be responsible pet owners.
I should also point out that this is not just a Pit
Bull issue. Similar problems can evolve in many breeds of dogs.
I have never owned a Pit but over the
years I have been around a lot of them. In the past 35 years I have seen
some very nicePit Bullat training seminars that I have attended or sponsored.
Many are really cool dogs. Unfortunately many others become rank dangerous
animals mostly because their owners have never established pack structure with
their dogs.
This is a breed of dog that requires a solid foundation in pack
structure.
When irresponsible owners ignore pack behavior, rank drive issues and obedience
training their dogs often become dangerous animals.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined U.S.
dog-attack fatalities from 1979 to 1998. During that period, dogs killed
more than 300 Americans, and pit bulls, either purebred or crossbred, accounted
for 76 of the deaths, the most of any breed. Purebred or crossbred Rottweillers
were responsible for 44 deaths, the second highest. The CDC concluded that
Rottweillers and pit bulls were responsible for 67 percent of fatal attacks.
I breed German Shepherds and Malinois, for various reasons
I don't believe
"everyone who wants a dog" should own one of our dogs, the same
does for PB. The purpose for writing and
maintaining this article is to hopefully convince potential owners to think
before they buy a PB. This is not a breed to jump into without a game plan.
If you are not sure of you want to do the training then don't get a Pit Bull.
As a general rule PBs that attack humans are not born with the instinct
to kill a human. They get that way because their owners fail them. They get
that way because owners:
1- DON'T ESTABLISH PACK STRUCTURE
2- THEY DON'T TRAIN
THEIR DOGS
3- THEY DON'T CONTROL THE ENVIRONMENT THE DOGS ARE ALLOWED
4- THEY DON'T PROPERLY SOCIALIZE THEIR DOGS
As a working breed, PBs were originally bred
as fighting dogs. With most working breeds the majority of the dogs that
are sold today have had the working ability bred out of them. Unfortunately
because of ass holes like Michael Vick, this is not
the case with PBs. But with this said that does not mean that PB's
cannot be molded into safe well manored family pets - they can be.
DVD'S that will help solve these problems:
If you have a PB I strongly recommend that you get the DVD's
I did titled ESTABLISHING PACK STRUCTURE WITH THE FAMILY
PET and BASIC DOG
OBEDIENCE. If you own a PB that is already showing signs of dominance
and aggression I recommend that you get the DVD I did titled DEALING WITH
DOMINANT AND AGGRESSIVE DOGS
I find it interesting how so many Pit Bull breeders (and PB
owners) read this web page and then send me nasty nasty emails. These people
would rather stick their head in a hole an ignore the problems their breed
face.
Pit Bull Articles
This following article are a copulation of PB attacks
that are recorded in the media starting in Feb 2007.
Woman Dies In Deltona Dog Attack
DELTONA, Fla. -- A woman visiting Central
Florida from Texas was attacked and killed by a dog on Friday.Authorities
identified the woman as Mary Diana Bernal, WESH 2 News reported.Rudy Bernal,
the woman's husband, said he was shocked.
"He was dragging her, and all her scalp was hanging by her side. He wouldn't
turn her loose. He would let her go and attack her again," Bernal said. "I
saw police shoot the dog with a stun gun. That's the only way they could cut
him loose."Family members said the pit bull attacked and killed Diana, then
turned on her sister who was trying to help."When she went to help my wife," Bernal
said, "the dog turned on her and tore off all her thumbs.
She was on the ground
wrestling with the dog to get him loose."Eliasar Macias, the dog's owner, said
he was horrified that his sister-in-law was killed and his wife was injured
by the dog."My dog never had any problems. He was a real friendly dog until
now," Macias said.Animal Control took the dog to the Halifax Humane Society,
and officials said they plan to destroy it after Marcias agrees to surrender
the animal.Officials said there are other animals in the home, and while
investigation continues, the house will be cleared of all animals.
Pit Bull attacks toddler
2-year-old may lose sight in eye
05/19/2007
HESPERIA - A newly purchased pit bull attacked a 2-year-old boy, crushing
the bone around his eye, breaking his jaw in two places and inflicting numerous
puncture wounds.
The toddler, , wandered out the back door of the family's A Avenue home
at 4 p.m. Thursday. He moved around to the side of the house, where he was
attacked by the dog.
The family bought the adult male pit bull last month as a companion for
the family's female pit bull.
"They don't have any reason to believe the child provoked the dog in
any way," said Cindy Beavers, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County
Sheriff's Department. "The parents heard something going on and found
the dog attacking the child."
Pit bulls were responsible for nearly one-third of the 238 fatal dog attacks
in the United States during a 20-year study by the national Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Children are the most vulnerable of victims - 42 percent of dog-bite injuries
were inflicted on kids younger than age 14.
Both pit bulls from the Hesperia home will remain quarantined until an investigation
is complete. The dogs' fate was unknown Friday.
Deputies found a chain that may have kept the dog tied up, but it
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was unclear why the dog attacked the boy.
His parents immediately drove him to Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville.
He was transferred to Loma Linda University Center late Thursday.
The boy has a crushed left orbital, which is the bone surrounding the eye,
two jaw fractures and multiple bite and puncture wounds. All from the neck
up. Doctors fear they will be unable to save the sight in the injured eye.
"Because they're dealing with a young child who doesn't have a strong
immune system, injuries coupled with infection makes it really a life-threatening
situation," Beavers said.
About 4.7million people are bitten every year by dogs, resulting in about
12 fatalities a year, according to federal statistics. Between 500,000 and
800,000 dog bites require medical treatment annually.
Pit bulls are ranked as the most dangerous breed and are blamed for 76 deaths
in a federal study from 1979-1998. who likely will lose his sight in that
eye Medical
Pit-bull attacks in San Bernardino County
MARCH 2006: TWENTYNINE PALMS - Four pit-bull mixes escape from a fenced
yard and attack a 15-year-old boy walking by. He had huge chunks of skin
ripped away and required two surgeries to reattach the skin.
FEBRUARY 2005: YUCAIPA - A woman walking near Seventh Street Park is attacked
from behind by a pit bull. She scares it away by throwing dirt in its eyes
before it can bite her.
AUGUST 2004: LOMA LINDA - A 6-year-old boy wanders into a woman's home.
Her pit bull attacks him, biting him on his head, back, stomach and arm.
AUGUST 2003: A police officer shoots and kills a pit bull that severely
mauls a 72-year-old woman after escaping from its yard. The woman suffers
serious bites on her left leg.
DECEMBER 2001: FONTANA - A pit bull attacks a boy who is riding his skateboard
down the sidewalk. When a man tries to intervene, the pit bull turns on him.
Both victims suffer major injuries.
JUNE 2000: SAN BERNARDINO - A 5-year-old boy is walking to school with his
older brother when a pit bull attacks him, breaking the right side of his
jaw.
APRIL 2000: NEWBERRY SPRINGS - A 10-year-old boy dies after a pit bull attacks
him while he walks down the road with a friend.
Houston boy gets more than 200 stitches after pit bull bite
July 2, 2007, 2:43PM
A 6-year-old Houston boy spent three hours in surgery Sunday after being
bitten in the face by a pit bull, his father said today.
"They stopped counting (stitches) at about 200," Brandon
Palomo said, referring to repairs surgeons did on the face of his son,
Logan Palomo, between noon and about 3 p.m. Sunday.
Logan was visiting his mother at her northwest Harris
County home late
Saturday when the dog bit him two or three times in the face, the father
said.
The boy was listed in good condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital-The Medical
Center today, a spokeswoman said.
The incident occurred in the 7300 block of Legacy Pines Drive off of Barker
Cypress Road, said Sgt. Dana Wolfe of the Harris County Sheriff's Department.
Harris County Animal Control officials went to the residence after deputies
responded to the call but did not take the dog into custody because it is
not a stray, Wolfe said.
The dog belong's to a male roommate of the mother's boyfriend, Wolfe said.
Because the man was not charged with any crime, Wolfe declined to release
the dog owner's name.
The mother's account of the incident correlated with
the father's, according to sheriff's reports.
Wolfe said the mother told deputies that the boy was playing with the dog
when it bit him.
Logan's father said he understands the dog is to be checked for rabies.
Logan suffered one or more bites on the left side of his face and at least
one on the right side at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday, his father said.
The left-side wound "looked like a puzzle piece missing" from
his son's face, said Palomo, 26, a landscaping worker.
On the right side, the dog's teeth pierced Logan's face mainly above the
eyebrow, narrowly missing a tear duct, the father said.
Although the wounds were "gorey" and required stitches
in layers to repair, Logan was lucky, the father said.
"All these lacerations are around the eyes and nothing happened to the eyeballs," the
father said.
There was little or no bone damage as well, he said.
Palomo said his son told him he was heading for bed and was trying to hug
the dog good-night when it suddenly bit him.
The dog "rapidly chomped on him two or three times," Palomo said, his son
told him. "It happened real fast."
He and his son live with Palomo's grandfather in the 1100 block of Louise
in Houston's Heights area, the father said.
Palomo said he and Logan's mother are still married but have been separated
for about three years.
Woman charged with felonies in dog attack
Five pit bulls attacked Union City man and his
3-year-old son, prosecutor says
08/10/2007 11:09:27
AM PDT
A Hayward woman has
been charged with a pair of felonies after her five pit bulls attacked
a man and his 3-year-old son last month in a park on the Union City-Hayward
city limits, prosecutors said.
Shauna Dee Clark, 50, was charged earlier this
week with two counts of failure to control vicious animals, according
to court records. She was arraigned Tuesday at the Fremont Hall of Justice
and is expected to return to court on Aug. 23 to enter a plea. Clark
remains out of custody on $20,000 bail.
If found guilty at trial, she faces a maximum
sentence of three years and eight months in county jail, Assistant District
Attorney Colton Carmine said.
Prosecutors decided to file charges this week,
nearly three weeks after Union City resident Luis Diaz and his 3-year-old
son were attacked in Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park at the Union
City-Hayward city limits on July 14, he said.
The victims were walking near the Tamarack Drive
entrance in Union City when the pit bulls charged them, the prosecutor
said. Diaz lifted his son above his head and took the brunt of the attack
as the animals gnawed and clawed at his body for almost 10 minutes, Carmine
said.
Diaz's son received a few bites
and other wounds to his legs, but Diaz's injuries required surgery. "Very heroic what
the father did. He probably saved his son's life," the prosecutor said. "He
knew he could not go down or fall (or his son's injuries could have been
worse.)"
The pit bulls were not on leashes
when they attacked the man and his son, prosecutors said.
"You know how it is with these dogs, when they
are together there is that pack mentality," Carmine said. "They should
have been on chains."
The prosecutor said that he does not believe
Clark knew the dogs would attack the pair, but added that she is legally
responsible for her dogs and knew that they were vicious.
"Her dogs have a history of chasing people in
her neighborhood, and one of them attacked a smaller breed dog (in the
past)," Carmine said. That dog almost died, he said.
"This is a case where the elements
of the crime are that you (the owner) know the dog and their propensity."
The five dogs were seized by police, but it was
unclear Thursday where they are now.
"I do not know if they've been euthanized," Carmine
said.
Father charged in dog attack
Police say they warned Bath man to watch boy around pit bull
Aug 9, 2007
BATH -- The father of a 6-year-old Bath boy killed by a pit bull dog July
29 has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
William D. Abbott, 33, of East William Street Extension in Bath, was arrested
Wednesday by the Steuben County Sheriff's Department. He faces possible
fines and up to a year in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor charge.
Abbott's son, Saben W. Jones-Abbott, was found unresponsive about 15 minutes
after he had gone to feed the family dog. His injuries indicated the dog
had attacked him.
The sheriff's department said in a press release that William Abbott had
been previously warned about supervising the child around the dog. Details
of the previous incident were not made public.
Abbott was arraigned in Bath Village Court by Justice Chauncey Watches.
He was released without bail and is scheduled to reappear in court with
a lawyer Aug. 20.
"The charge stems from Abbott's alleged failure to properly supervise
his son as the child dealt with the dog and for his failure to check on
the child," the press release said. "These circumstances arose after having
been previously advised that such supervision was necessary, particularly
around aggressive animals."
The child was pronounced dead shortly after the incident at Ira Davenport
Memorial Hospital in Bath. The 6-month-old pit bull was destroyed at the
request of the family.
The sheriff's office was assisted in the investigation by Steuben County
Coroner Steve Copp and Steuben County SPCA Animal Cruelty Investigator
Scott Mazzo.
A funeral for the child, who was a student at Vernon E. Wightman Primary
School in Bath, was held Saturday at the Avoca Funeral Home. The victim
was also the son of Sommer Jones of Florida.
Man Saves Neighbor From Vicious Dog Attack
7/21/2007 7:37 PM
A Tulsa man will be honored this week for saving
another man's life. Back in April, Michael Cook came to the rescue when
a pitbull attacked his neighbor. The News On 6’s Chris Wright reports
Cook will receive the Citizen Appreciation Award from Tulsa police on
Tuesday, an honor his neighbor says he more than deserves.
Marvin Battle walks with a cane these days, but says considering what
happen to him on April 25th, he can live with the limp.
"I can't bend my leg. I have to go through physical therapy,” said
Battle. “I've been on a lot of pain medications. I have panic attacks
and I have nightmares."
Those nightmares stem from a vicious pitbull attack. Cook was walking
his 6-year-old Chow Chow, Xena, and his 2-year-old Pomeranian, Jazzy, when
he says the pitbull came out of nowhere.
"I turned around to go back to the house, and the dog knocked me down,” Battle
said. The pitbull killed the Pomeranian, injured the Chow, and then turned
its attention to Battle.
"I'm fighting for my life here. If someone doesn't come help me or if
this dog doesn't stop, I'm going to be killed. So all I'm thinking is saving
my life,” Battle said.
Michael Cook heard all the commotion, grabbed his gun, and came outside.
He says the only thing he'd ever shot at before was a target, and the margin
for error was thin. Fortunately, the pitbull looked up for a split second,
and Cook pulled the trigger.
"So I bent down to try and shoot the dog from the side. When I did, that's
when he raised up, and I shot him in the head,” Cook said.
The pitbull was killed, and Battle, though injured severely, was alive.
He says he owes his life to his neighbor, and the two, who did not know
each other before the attack, have become friends.
"It was terrible. Had my neighbor Mike not come out and shot the dog,
it would have killed me,” Battle said.
"I think we're becoming pretty good friends,” Cook said. “Turns
out we have a lot more in common than I thought we did. Marvin's a good
guy."
Cook spent a week in the hospital recovering from his injuries. No one
knows exactly who owned the pitbull. Battle believes it belonged to his
neighbors, who have several other pitbulls.
We talked to those neighbors Saturday, and they say the dog was not theirs.
Pack of pit bulls mauls man during early morning Deerfield attack
Posted March 2 2007, 12:50 PM EST
DEERFIELD BEACH FLA – A 28-year-old man was
seriously injured after he was mauled early Friday morning by a pack
of up to five pit-bull dogs, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.
One of the pit bulls was shot and killed by deputies and another may
have been wounded. Three dogs remain on the run.
The victim, Robert Wall, was hospitalized shortly after the 1:40 a.m.
Friday attack by the dog pack in the Target parking lot at 1250 South
Federal Highway, according to BSO spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright.
Deputies first tried to rescue Wall by shooting one of the dogs with
an electronic stun gun. The dogs scattered and Wall, who was mauled
from head to toe, was then rushed to North Broward Medical Center.
He remains hospitalized there.
Late Thursday around 11:30, deputies were sent to the Ashcroft home
at 101 SE 11 Court, where the dogs had attacked and killed the family's
rabbit and a guinea pig. Both had been kept on the front porch.
The dogs were also sighted running loose near the Rivertown Manor apartments
at 1161 SE Sixth Ave.
When deputies finally spotted the dogs, they were trying to eat a cat,
Coleman-Wright said.
Broward County Animal Control workers attempted to secure the dogs
using a noose, but the animals became agitated and aggressive, forcing
deputies to fire their guns, Coleman-Wright said. One dog was killed.
It's unclear if a second dog was injured. Three dogs got away.
The pit bulls were all described as young and are believed to be about
1 year old. All had brown or reddish coats.
BSO detectives want to find the owner of the dogs and the remaining
pit bulls before someone else is hurt. |
Family Dog Leaves Boy In Critical Condition
By MIKE WELLS The Tampa Tribune
Published: Mar 2, 2007
PLANT CITY - For Ian Keo's family, a near-fatal dog attack was made all
the more heart-wrenching because the dog that mauled the toddler was a family
pet.
The 2-year-old remains in critical care at Tampa General Hospital, and his
family is in anguish. The 2-year-old's grandmother, Kelley Ashley, said
the incident Wednesday night will haunt her for the rest of her life because
it might leave the child with lifelong scars.
"He's tough, he's fine, but I may have disfigured my baby's face," she
said Thursday.
Ian suffered facial fractures, an eye injury and trauma to his neck and head,
Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said.
The pit bull mix that mauled the toddler was euthanized Thursday morning.
The attack happened at 6 p.m. Wednesday as the child's great-grandmother,
Willa Tick, 69, walked him outside with her to feed the family's dog, Callaway
said. They live at 3408 Juanita Drive.
The child apparently tripped on the dog's chain, and the animal attacked
him, Callaway said. Tick wrestled with the dog to get Ian to safety.
As of early Thursday, the boy remained in critical condition at Tampa General.
The family has asked the hospital not to release details about his condition.
Hillsborough County Animal Services Investigator Dennis McCollough made the
decision to euthanize the dog, he said.
The dog became aggressive because it was chained to a tree, it wasn't neutered
and there was food involved, he said.
"Those are things we know that contribute to animal attacks," he said.
This year, 211 dog bites were reported in Hillsborough County. Fifty-six
involved pit bulls or pit mixes, McCollough said.
"That's the animal of choice in our community," he said, and because
there are so many pit bulls in the county "you're going to hear more and
more stories about them."
Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said most dog-bite victims are the
elderly and children. She cautioned adults never to leave children unattended
with dogs.
"Any dog can bite - even the family pet," Ryan said.
Pit bulls attack girls leaving bus stop
Feb.
23, 2007, 12:32AM
Harris County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a pair of pit bulls that
attacked two girls on their way home from school in north Harris County
on Thursday afternoon, dragging one of them down the street as she screamed
for help.
Although the two dogs had owners, authorities have not determined whether
any charges will be filed. It's an incident that state legislators will
likely point to as they continue to press this legislative session for
stiffer penalties against owners who violate leash laws, allowing dangerous
dogs to roam free.
Late Thursday, a 7-year-old girl remained hospitalized at Northeast Memorial
Hospital, where her condition was unknown. She is expected to recover, authorities
said.
Twelve-year-old Ruth Lopez, who was treated at the same hospital and released,
said the dogs didn't attack at first.
Ruth said she was walking home from her school bus stop about 4 p.m. when
the two pit bulls approached her in the 3900 block of Cypress Knee Lane.
She said she froze as the black and white dogs approached, hoping they would
leave her alone. They passed her, but when Lopez turned around to see if
they had left, they were following her.
"They started chasing me and I started screaming," Ruth said. "I
dropped my backpack and the white one got in front of me and I tripped, and the
black one got behind me and grabbed my ankle with his teeth. I was crying and
screaming."
She said a neighbor tried to beat the dogs away with a stick, but the dogs
attacked him as well. Ruth and the neighbor then ran to a nearby truck
and climbed into the bed.
Meanwhile, someone had called an ambulance, Ruth said. Five or 10 minutes
after it arrived, the dogs attacked the 7-year-old girl farther down the
street, dragging her along the sidewalk as neighbors and paramedics rushed
to her aid.
The dogs finally released the girl and escaped into a nearby wooded area,
where they were shot and killed by the deputies, who were searching for
them in the brush.
"They pretty much do what they have to do to protect people," said
Lt. John Martin, sheriff's spokesman.
After the attack, Carlos Lopez, Ruth's father, said pit bulls should be banned
in Harris County.
"I know it's a nice-looking dog, but it's not a pet. My daughter was lucky," said
Lopez, who said he had a pit bull puppy three years ago but gave it away because
it was too aggressive.
Tougher penalties sought
A spate of pit bull attacks has compelled state lawmakers to introduce bills
imposing stiffer penalties for owners of pit bulls that attack people.
Senate Bill 405, introduced by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, will require
tighter control of dogs.
Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, has introduced legislation to give Harris County
the power to ban dangerous pets. He also is pushing another bill that allows
the state's four largest counties — Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Bexar — to
regulate animal sales by roadsides and in parking lots in unincorporated areas.
Other lawmakers are pushing bills aimed at increasing criminal penalties
for owners whose dogs cause serious bodily injury or death.
It's currently a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.
The owner of a dog that kills someone unprovoked could be charged with a
second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison under House
Bill 1355 by Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown. Serious injury could draw a third-degree felony charge,
punishable by two to 10 years. The owner would have to be criminally negligent or know that the dog was
dangerous and fail to properly secure it.
Under a bill by Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, a fatal dog attack could
mean a third-degree felony charge for the owner, and a serious-injury attack
would be a state jail felony carrying a sentence of up to two years.
In Conroe, the City Council recently passed a dangerous-dog ordinance designed
to protect residents from dogs running at large in the community.
The ordinance requires dangerous dogs to be spayed or neutered, microchipped,
handled on a leash by a capable person older than 18, and kept in an enclosure
with 8-foot walls, a concrete floor and a roof.
The new law also carries fines of up to $500 per offense.
The proposed legislation was spurred by the attack of a 10-year-old San Antonio
girl who died after being attacked by her neighbor's dog while trying to
help the animal after it had gotten its collar caught on a chain-link fence.
Last Thanksgiving, a 4-year-old Houston boy was killed after he was attacked
by two pit bulls. Pedro "Pitchy" Rios Jr. died after being injured
by the dogs outside his home in east Harris County.
The boy and his 2-year-old brother, Peter, were playing outside when the
pit bulls attacked. The younger boy managed to run away.
Pedro's mother, Rosa Isela Rios, intervened but was unable to save her son.
Dog attack sends woman to hospital
Naperville police say more charges possible
February 26, 2007
Naperville police are considering filing criminal charges against a woman
following an incident, in which the dog she was walking allegedly attacked
and mauled two smaller dogs and repeatedly bit their owner and a good samaritan.
DuPage County Animal Care and Control officers as of Friday had not decided
the fate of the 5-year-old male mixed American Staffordshire terrier implicated
in a melee that sent the owner of the smaller dogs to a hospital, police
Lt. Dave Hoffman said.
The confrontation occurred at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 15, as Naperville resident
Bonnie S. Toye was walking the terrier.
Hoffman said the alleged attack occurred on the 100 block of East Bailey
Road, in the city's southeast side.
The police report indicated the dog began snarling and lunging after it apparently
caught sight of a 44-year-old neighborhood woman walking her two pet Cairn
terriers on the same sidewalk.
The owner of the Cairn terriers was repeatedly bitten by Toye's dog as she
tried to rescue her pets. A passerby, a 57-year-old man, also was bitten
several times after he came to the woman's aid, Hoffman said.
The man declined emergency medical treatment, but the owner of the Cairn
terriers was taken by ambulance to Edward Hospital in Naperville. Hoffman
said he did not know the severity of the woman's injuries or whether or
not she remained hospitalized Friday.
Toye also was bitten during the fracas but not seriously injured, Hoffman
said. She ultimately brought the dog under control and returned it to its
owner's home not far from the scene, he said.
Toye, 48, was issued a municipal public nuisance citation, although Hoffman
said additional charges "may be pending."
Dog kills dog, injures woman in attack
February 23, 2007
EFFORT — An 82-year-old woman was slightly hurt and her Yorkshire terrier
was killed in a vicious dog attack Thursday morning in Chestnuthill Township.
Frances Andrews was walking Peppy, her 8-year-old Yorkie, along Deer Trail Drive
in the Birches III development shortly after 10 a.m., when a neighbor's pit bull
mix rushed at them and attacked Peppy.
Andrews picked Peppy up, cradled him in her arms and tried to protect him from
the assault, but the aggressor dog managed to pry Peppy loose from Andrews' grasp.
Peppy was killed in the attack. Andrews was bitten
three times, but was not seriously hurt.
"The dog must have gotten hold of Peppy's collar," a shaken but composed
Andrews said Thursday night. "I'm lucky he did not tear me up."
Andrews, a widow who has lived in the Birches for 22 years, praised her neighbors
in the close-knit community for helping her get through one of the worst days
of her life.
"They were all so great today," she said.
One of those neighbors took Andrews to the Geisinger Medical Center in Mount
Pocono to be sure she was OK.
The owner of the attacker dog, a woman who lives near Andrews, tried to call
the dog back home during the incident, but did not leave her house to try to
help, Andrews said.
"What I don't understand is why she didn't run to get her dog instead of
just calling it," she said.
Once the attack ended with Peppy dead, the woman came outside, apologized and
took her dog back in the house.
She did not stick around to speak with authorities, however, saying she had to
take a family member to a pressing medical appointment, according to Andrews.
State police responded and sat in the woman's driveway, waiting for her to come
home. They summoned Monroe County Dog Warden George Nixon, who impounded the
dog.
The dog that killed Peppy had caused trouble in the neighborhood before, said
both Andrews and her neighbor and friend Judy Delp.
"It chased me in my own yard about five days ago; I had to pick up Peppy
and run back in the house," Andrews said.
Some residents of the neighborhood would not let their dogs out of their own
yards for fear of the dog that killed Peppy, Delp said.
Andrews and Delp both said they heard the attacker dog was put down Thursday
evening, but Nixon, the dog warden, could not be reached to confirm it.
Andrews, who had no other pets, said it will take a long time to recover from
her loss.
"After I lost my husband that dog meant the world to me," she said.
Dog owner may face prison stretch
28 February 2007
THE owner of a dangerous dog
which attacked a young boy could face a prison sentence as he is already
on a suspended sentence for assault.
On Monday at Huntingdon Magistrates' Court, Michael Feehily, 38, of Norfolk
Road, Huntingdon, changed his plea to guilty despite having denied since
September a charge of having an out of control dog.
The charge follows the dog's attack on four-year-old George Brown in August
of last year.
Feehily's partner, Toni Badcock, 30, has already served a prison sentence
for similar charges relating to the same American bulldog, as she was at
home without Feehily when the dog twice attacked children.
Following the second attack, George Brown had to undergo four hours of surgery
and have 200 stitches after the dog seized him by the face. He had been playing
with friends and his sister in Norfolk Road near his home. Another child,
aged seven, also needed hospital treatment.
Following the attack the dog, Buddy, was destroyed. The animal had been re-homed
with Feehily 11 months earlier from Wood Green Animal Shelters in Godmanchester.
Feehily was told he would have to appear at Peterborough Crown Court, at
a date yet to be set, because his suspended sentence for assault causing
actual bodily harm imposed on September 14, 2005 was still running.
In October, Ms Badcock, a mother of young children, was sentenced to nine
months in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of being in charge
of an out of control dog.
Dog owner sentenced to jail, fines for dog attack
The victim, Colona resident Rocci Mascari, said it's a start.
The defendant, Kurt Davis, left the downtown Geneseo courtroom Wednesday
visibly upset.
Mr. Davis, the owner of three pit bull terriers that ran onto Mr. Mascari's
property June 30 and tore apart his 14-year-old German shepherd, was sentenced
to 120 days in the Henry County Jail and placed on 18 months of conditional
discharge by Judge Dana McReynolds.
Mr. Davis was also ordered to pay $1,494 to the county for housing his pit
bulls after they attacked Mr. Mascari's dog, and fined $1,000.
"This is where the buck stops," Mr. Mascari said afterwards. "Next
time, it could be a kid that's attacked."
Judge McReynolds found Mr. Davis guilty of reckless conduct, a Class A misdemeanor.
Assistant Henry County state's attorney James Cosby had asked for the maximum
penalty of 364 days in jail, 30 months probation and a $2,500 fine.
In his closing arguments, Mr. Cosby said this isn't the first time Mr. Davis
has had problems with his dogs. He said a similar incident happened in Bureau
County, where Mr. Davis was placed on probation.
"That didn't get his attention," Mr. Cosby told the judge.
Mr. Cosby said Mr. Davis moved from Rock Island County due to dog problems,
under the stipulation that if he left the county wouldn't press charges against
him.
"Our patience is up," Mr. Cosby said. "He's not a responsible
(dog) owner."
Mr. Mascari testified that Mr. Davis' dogs ran onto his property and mauled
his dog so severely that she had to be euthanized. Testimony indicated Mr.
Davis had five pit bull terriers loose with him while on his mother's property,
which is adjacent to Mr. Mascari's.
Mr. Davis did not testify Wednesday, but his attorney, John McGehee, called
several witnesses on his behalf.
Those witnesses testified the dogs in question were friendly with them and
never harmed anyone.
Mr. Davis had no comment after Wednesday's hearing.
Judge McReynolds said if Mr. Davis pays all his fines and costs by March
30, his sentence will be reduced to 60 days in jail. Of that, he would serve
30 days with day-for-day credit, assuming he has no problems at the jail.
Mr. Mascari has a pending civil lawsuit against Mr. Davis and his mother,
Judy Davis.
Last Update: Sunday, March 4, 2007. 9:09am (AEDT)
Child seriously injured in dog attack
Canberra police are yet to lay charges over a vicious dog attack that
has left a four-year old boy in intensive care in hospital.
The child was playing with the animal while his family visited friends
in Banks in Canberra's south on Friday night.
At 7pm AEDT, the american staffordshire-cross attacked, gripping the
boy's head with its mouth.
Neighbours heard his mother scream and they had to beat the dog to death
in order to free the four-year-old.
He suffered terrible facial and neck injuries and remains in a serious
but stable condition.
Victim: Dog attack was unprovoked
Boy remains hospitalized with torn calf muscles
3-7-07
A 13-year-old Port Huron boy and his mother dispute a neighbor's report
that a pit bull had been taunted before attacking Sunday in the 1400
block of Howard Street.
"I never messed with that dog," Kieta Palmer said in a phone
conversation from his room at Port Huron Hospital. A neighbor on Monday
said Kieta was among a group of boys who had taunted the pit bull in
the past.
"I like dogs, but I don't like other people's dogs that I don't
know," Kieta said.
Kieta has been in the hospital since the incident during which police
said the 3-year-old pit bull, Chanes, jumped a chain-linked fence in
his owner's backyard. The dog then bit Kieta, who was with two other
boys, on the leg.
LaShay Phillips, Kieta's mother, said her son had surgery Monday to
repair a torn muscle in his calf and is expected to be in the hospital
for the rest of the week.
Police expect to turn the case against the dog's owner, Sherry Sterling,
over to the St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office. Sterling, who has
said she plans to have Chanes put to sleep, is expected to face criminal
charges for the incident.
Port Huron City Attorney John Livesay, who has reviewed the case, said
he didn't see anything in the police report about Chanes having been
taunted.
Livesay said city officials normally request charges against a dog's
owner when it seriously injures someone. He said Kieta's injuries were
the worst he's seen in the six years he's worked for the city.
"Whatever kind of dog you have, if it attacks some innocent bystander
without provocation (then) you have the dog at your peril," Livesay
said.
Kieta said he, his 11-year-old brother and a 14-year-old friend were
walking in an alley when the dog jumped the fence. He said he tried
to run but was slowed by deep snow.
Chanes caught him as he was entering the yard of his home, Kieta said.
The dog grabbed his leg and kept biting, the boy said, even though
his friend and brother were trying to get its attention.
"It just stayed on my leg the whole time, just gripping and ripping
it," Kieta said. "My brother was kicking it and everything."
Police said Chanes didn't stop attacking Kieta until his grandfather
punched the dog.
Phillips said the dog did not break any bones or sever tendons.
"The dog literally ripped (the muscle) right off his leg to where
it didn't fall off, but it was hanging," she said. |
7 March 2007
DOG PACK HORROR
An attack by wild dogs left a man needing more than 2000 stitches.
Robert Wall, 28, was bitten 182 times on the head, arms and legs by four
pit bulls and a chow in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Pit bull attack breeds fear
Thursday, March 8, 2007
It wasn't a fair fight:
Pit bull vs. poodle.
And the poodle was on a chain.
Guess which one won?
Monday afternoon, a loose pit bull ripped into the throat of Ruby, a 12-year-old
poodle mix. Owner Patsy Downs, 61, had to put Ruby down the next day.
Still shaken, Downs grimaces and spits out, "They don't never have that
dog on a leash."
That's not uncommon in Peoria, especially with pit bulls and especially
on the South End. Moreover, Downs and her family say the neighborhood is
so lousy with pit bulls that some residents stay inside.
"The neighbors say they can't put their kids out because of the dogs," Downs
says.
Ruby, a spunky ball of fluff, served as something of a watchdog for Downs.
The dog would bark like crazy whenever anyone would come near Downs' small
rental home at 3035 W. Meidroth St.
From the cement stoop stretches a chain leash. Downs typically would put
Ruby on the leash and watch as the pooch would do her business. That's what
they did Monday afternoon.
But a pit bull appeared out of nowhere, dashed into the yard and snapped
its jaws around Ruby's throat. The poodle fell prone and still, as if playing
dead. The pit bull didn't attack again, but stayed next to Ruby, barking.
Downs called for help, and an animal-control officer arrived from the Peoria
Animal Welfare Shelter. The officer captured the pit bull and took it to
the pound.
Meanwhile, Downs and her family took Ruby to a veterinary hospital. Its
neck had been crushed badly, making breathing difficult. The vet jabbed a
tracheostomy tube into the dog's throat to allow breathing, then sent Ruby
home with Downs to monitor the pooch's condition.
But the next day, Ruby's breathing grew worse, prompting another trip to
the hospital. The vet said the prognosis looked bad.
Downs cradled Ruby in her arms one last time.
"I told her, 'It'll be all right,'" Downs says. "And I petted her."
Then she turned over the dog to be put out of its misery.
Says Downs' daughter Mary Jordan, "This was a family dog. It shouldn't
have happened."
Meantime, PAWS contacted the owner of the pit bull, Angela Sierra, 3032
W. Seibold St., who recently had moved into the house behind Downs. Sierra's
backyard is ringed by a chain-link fence, but Downs and her family say the
pit bull - like many others - roamed the neighborhood off-leash.
Ruby's medical treatment and euthanization cost $636. Downs could ask Sierra
to pay, but Downs isn't too hopeful - as Sierra has not so much as offered
an apology for the dog attack.
I couldn't reach Sierra for comment. This matter apparently marks her first
run-in with PAWS.
Sierra must decide what she wants done with her pet. To get it back, she
would have to pay a $105 reclamation fee and a $125 fine, plus agree to get
the animal spayed.
Until two years ago, Peoria city ordinances allowed PAWS to declare an
attacking dog "vicious" and order it put down. But a 2005 state law now takes
precedence. A dog can be deemed vicious and then euthanized only if a person
is seriously hurt, or killed.
But in the case of a dog-on-dog attack, the offending animal - such as
pit bull who bit Ruby - can be declared only "dangerous," bringing only penalties
like fines. Only after three canine attacks can a dog be deemed vicious.
Downs isn't alone in her apprehension over roaming pit bulls. A block away
on Seibold Street, an elderly woman recalls talking to a neighbor outside
two weeks ago. She had been cradling her year-old miniature schnauzer when
she saw two pit bulls run toward her. She panicked and ran, in the process
dropping the dog.
"The pit bulls, they grabbed each end and pulled her apart," the woman
says.
She didn't bother calling PAWS. Instead, she just buried her dog in her
backyard.
PAWS director Lauren Malmberg has heard endless pit-bull horror stories.
She doesn't doubt that an entire neighborhood could be gripped with fear.
"They should be," she says.
Though any type of dog can attack, pit bulls are bred to be aggressive,
she says. They are a popular breed, especially on the South End, where many
young men buy and breed the dogs as a statement of power.
Each year, PAWS handles about 450 dog-bite calls and 3,500 dogs. About
40 percent of those dogs are pit pulls. In fact, of the shelter's 26 stray
cages, about half typically are filled with pit bulls on any given day.
Some get picked up. But most don't because the owners never show up. Because
of their criminal past, many owners shy away from showing identification
to any law enforcement, even dog catchers. So they instead leave the dog
at PAWS and buy a new pit bull elsewhere - and often lose the replacement,
as well.
"It's amazing how quickly these people go through these dogs," Malmberg
says.
Schoolboy loses lip in dog attack
|
Skin from John's leg was grafted onto his lip in
a two-hour operation
|
A nine-year-old boy's top lip was ripped off when his pet dog
tried to snatch a biscuit out of his mouth.
John Henderson needed a skin graft after the Staffordshire bull
cross Simba attacked him at his home in North Shields, North Tyneside.
Parents Russell and Muriel have had the dog, which the family raised
from a puppy, destroyed and have given away another Staffordshire bull
terrier.
John must now wait six weeks before the extent of the damage is known.
Mrs Henderson said she would never have another dog in the house
following the incident on 4 March.
She said: "It was horrible - our worst nightmare. I was in the kitchen
with John and he asked if he could have a biscuit.
"He was stroking Simba, who was on the bench, then the dog went for
it as John was eating it.
Skin graft
"The dog bit his lip and held on to it. He was just hanging on, and
that is when he pulled the skin away.
"John was screaming and was trying to feel his mouth."
The schoolboy underwent a two-hour skin graft from his leg at the
Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, and his mother believes he will
need at least two more operations.
Staffordshire bull terriers are not one of the breeds subject to
ownership or breeding restrictions under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. |
Island dog attack results in fine, probationary period
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
DAUPHIN ISLAND -- A dog owner was fined $500 Monday and told that his pit bull
must go for six months on good behavior, following the December attack of a man
who was taking an afternoon walk.
Bowen Allen pleaded guilty in Dauphin Island Municipal Court to charges of keeping
dangerous animals, failing to inoculate them for rabies and allowing them to
roam loose.
Shortly after the Dec. 9 attack, a police officer shot both of Allen's dogs
when they rushed him. He was trying to contain the dogs in a nearby neighborhood
until an animal control officer could arrive.
Allen's boxer was killed, but the pit bull survived. Because of its wounds,
the dog's right rear leg was later amputated.
Monday's courtroom result didn't please the victim, Charles Bridges, 64,
who was attacked in front of his Buchanan Street home as he began to take
an afternoon walk. He suffered several nasty bites to his legs in the attack,
but none of the injuries were debilitating.
"They're going to have a child mauled down here if they don't get the
animal ordinance they need," Bridges said.
"On three legs or four," he said, referring to the pit bull, "that's
a dangerous animal."
Bridges said he wants the remaining dog destroyed. But the town's animal
control ordinance doesn't give Municipal Judge James Lackey the power to
euthanize animals deemed to be dangerous, according to the town's prosecuting
attorney, Jay Ross.
The Town Council last week discussed toughening up its animal control ordinance,
but no action was taken.
Allen and members of his family who were present at Monday's court proceeding
declined a Press-Register reporter's requests for comment.
Permitting one's pet to roam loose is a class C misdemeanor, punishable by
a fine of up to $500 and/or up to three months in jail.
On that charge, Lackey gave Allen a 6-month probationary period.
For the other two offenses, Allen was fined $250 apiece, plus court costs,
bringing the total amount owed to $900.
| Dog attack witnesses sought |
|
|
3/16/2007 3:42:49 PM
On March 11 at about 4 p.m. Steve Davies was walking his 20-week-old black
Labrador in the park at the corner of Nutmeg and Jackson in Murrieta. Unprovoked,
two pit bulls attacked his puppy, biting its back legs, he said.
When Davies picked up his puppy, a boxer joined the fray and bit at the Labrador.
Davies said that at that point he held his dog above his head while the other
three dogs lunged at him.
The puppy needed stitches in both legs and a drain in one due to a damaged
muscle. Davies himself suffered puncture wounds to both his hands and arms.
He is asking anyone who witnessed the attack to contact him, as he wishes
to find the owners of the pit bulls and the boxer.
Second Day Of Testimony Begins In Dog Attack Trial
CAMERON The trial of a man whose dogs killed
a Milam County woman in 2005 entered its second day Tuesday.
Jose Hernandez is charged with criminally negligent homicide.
In November 2005, six of Hernandez's dogs attacked 76-year-old Lillian
Stiles as she was gardening in her front yard of her home near Thorndale. (map)
Prosecutors say Hernandez, Stiles' next door neighbor, is to blame for
letting the dangerous dogs loose.
The medical examiner told the court the dogs attacked the woman's face
and head beyond recognition and broke her neck. That was tough for the
family to hear.
"I think it's tough on our family because it brings up a lot of emotions
of that day,” Stiles’ daughter Marilyn Shoemaker said. “It
just all brings it back up again."
A vet testified that the kind of breed the dogs are--a pit bull rottweiler
mix--is like a loaded gun. She said the dogs may have seen Stiles as prey.
“The dogs go to start an attack, and the others joined in,” veterinarian
Valeri Bobbitt said. “Once they start, it's just a frenzy."
Hernandez says someone left the gate open while his family was away so
he's not responsible.
Still, the Stiles would like an apology.
"We heard it's a small town, we heard he's afraid to come and say he's
sorry,” Stiles’ granddaughter Nicki Williams said. “I
did hear his wife prays everyday for my grandmother."
Hernandez says if he knew the dogs were dangerous he would have gotten
rid of them.
Late Tuesday afternoon another witness testified Hernandez asked about
dog fighting, but never fought his dogs.
That backs up testimony from the vet who said that she didn't think the
dogs had been breed or trained to fight.
A MANSFIELD family are in shock after their 17-week-old
Jack Russell puppy was killed in a vicious dog attack on Saturday morning.
The incident happened as nine-year-old Steven Hurst was
walking his dog Tommy on the Bellamy Road estate when the young pup was set
upon by a what he describes as a brown pit bull cross.
Steven took the badly injured pup back home to his mum Kathleen — who
immediately rushed Tommy to the vets, but sadly they were unable to save
him and he died on Sunday.
"It ran across the street and bit and dragged him," Steven told Chad. "I
was shouting for help and a man driving by stopped and managed to get the
dog off."
Yesterday heartbroken Steven and his mum were struggling to come to terms
with the savage attack on their pet dog, which was a Christmas present for
the High Oakham School pupil.
Said Kathleen: "We only had him for 10 weeks, but in that time we became
really attached to him. He was not only Steven's dog but his friend too.
And he was my friend, while Steven was at school.
"We were hoping on Saturday that he would be all right but on Sunday the
vet called us in to say goodbye. When we saw him, his little tail was wagging
because he thought he was coming home. We miss Tommy, he was a really loving
dog."
The shocking incident was witnessed by farm worker Anthony Brooke, who stopped
his car and ran across to drag the snarling dog off Tommy.
"I was driving past the park and heard a boy screaming 'a dog's killing my
dog'," he said. "I stopped and wrestled the dog off the other one, but the
poor little thing had been ripped limb from limb. It was very badly injured."
Vets say the injuries Tommy suffered were some of the worst they had ever
seen on a dog so small.
Now Kathleen (29), of Bradmore Court, is calling on more action to be taken
to make sure owners take greater responsibility for their dogs.
"I think the dogs on leads rule should be enforced more," she said. "This
could have been a lot more serious –– if Steven had tried to
stop the dog it could have bitten him. I do not want this kind of thing to
happen to anyone else."
Police chiefs have confirmed they are investigating the attack on Tommy and
have appealed for anyone with information to contact them immediately.
"This incident has led to great distress for the Hurst family and the circumstances
of the attack are being investigated," said a spokesman.
"Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, the owner of a dog has a responsibility to
look after and be in control of their animal and it is an offence if your
dog is out of control in a public place. The penalty for breaking this law
is a fine or a prison sentence."
What do you think about this story? What experiences have you had with killer
dogs and out-of-control animals?
Grandma charged over dog attack
|
The grandmother of a five-year-old girl who was mauled to death
by a dog has been charged with her death.
Ellie Lawrenson from Merseyside, was attacked by a pit bull dog
which was owned by her uncle.
She was staying with her grandmother Jacqueline Simpson at the time
of the attack on New Year's Eve 2006.
Police have also charged her uncle Kiel Simpson with having a pit
bull, which is a breed of dog banned under law because they are considered
dangerous.
Jacqueline Simpson has been charged with manslaughter.
Manslaughter is when a person didn't necessarily mean to kill somebody,
but could be responsible for the death.
She suffered serious injuries trying to save Ellie from the dog during
the attack.
|
Teen Saves Boy From Dog Attack
POSTED: 6:01 am MST April 3, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. -- A heroic act by a 17-year-old Tempe boy
Monday morning saved a 12-year-old boy from a vicious attack by two pit bulls. It
happened at a trailer park near Apache Boulevard and McClintock Drive as
both boys were heading to school. The older boy, Jesus Jurado, said his neighbor's
dogs didn't do anything when he walked by them but they attacked the younger
boy who was walking behind him.
Jurado went back to aid the 12-year-old old, who had been bitten on the calf. He
said both of them then climbed onto the roof of a parked car. Jurado said
it appeared the dogs were going to get up on the car, so he got down, opened
the car's front door and got the younger boy inside. Then, he said, the dogs
came after him again and he got back onto the car's roof. Police arrived shortly
after that and when the dogs went after the officers, they fired, nicking
both animals. Animal control finally arrived and captured the dogs. Officials
said they plan to have the animals euthanized. Police said the 12-year-old
boy was treated at a hospital and released. Jurado had his shoe ripped by
the dogs but wasn't hurt.
Woman Hospitalized After Dog Attack
Armed with only a fireplace shovel and stern voice, Poulsbo resident Jerry
Sage confronted a 3-year-old chocolate-colored pit bull attacking his neighbor
Tuesday morning. the
pit bull. The two dogs left their owner’s yard through an open gate,
according to police reports.
"I didn’t even think," Sage said of his actions. "It all happened
so fast."
Terry Stump, a contractor working on a site next to the house where the
dogs live, was outside when he heard a woman screaming for help.
He got in his car to look for the woman. When he drove onto the street,
he saw the pit bull walking away while Sage stood over the woman, protecting
her from the dog.
"One of my neighbors did a very heroic thing," Stump said about Sage. "I
could hear the lady yelling; it was just awful. If he hadn’t gotten
there when he did, I don’t know what would’ve happened."
Sage attempted to stop the woman’s bleeding by applying a sweater
to the wounds on her foot and arms. Stump described the woman as "incoherent," saying
that her "eyes were up in her head."
The pit bull had tried to pull the woman into its owner’s yard. A
thin pool of blood remained in the driveway hours after the attack. The Poulsbo
Fire Department arrived and took the woman to Harrison Medical Center in
Bremerton where she received stitches for the bite wounds. As of Tuesday
evening, she was in fair condition and was expected to stay overnight at
the hospital, Harrison spokeswoman Patti Hart said.
Poulsbo Police reports show that around 10:45 a.m., the pit bull and Great
Dane got out of their owners’ yard, which is fenced-in and holds a
sign reading "I can make it to the gate in 3 seconds. Can you?" The victim’s
home is to the right of the house, while Sage and his wife live across the
street.
In an attempt to get the Great Dane to return to its owner’s home,
the victim threw biscuits into the yard, a strategy police said she’d
learned from neighbors if the dog ever got out. The pit bull also went through
the gate before attacking the woman.
This isn’t the first time the dog has attacked someone in the neighborhood,
Poulsbo Police Sgt. Bill Playter confirmed.
An animal control officer from the Kitsap Humane Society took custody of
the pit bull after the incident. The dog will be quarantined for 10 days,
which is normal procedure, said Ben Duenas, an animal control officer.
The dog’s owner decline to comment, but according to Stump, she was
very upset and is a "responsible pet owner."
NZ woman dies after dog attack
A 56-year-old New Zealand woman has died after being savaged by two dogs
as she went for a morning walk this morning, police said.
It was not known what prompted the attack and the dogs have since been destroyed.
Virginia Ohlson suffered injuries to her lower limbs when she was mauled
by the dogs in the central North Island town of Murupara.
Nearby residents heard the attack and raced to the woman's aid, but she
died while being rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper said the owner of the dogs - one believed
to be a pit bull and the other a Staffordshire cross - was devastated by
the attack and was cooperating fully with police.
"A decision as to what charges the owner of the dogs will face will not
be made until after the investigation has been completed," he said.
"It is not clear what sparked the attack."
He said the cause of death was not yet known.
"A postmortem examination will be conducted later today. However, it is
unclear when the result of that examination will be known," he added.
Ohlson lived in Murupara and regularly walked past the property where the
dogs stayed.
Fatal Dog Attack On Woman Leads To Charges
56-year-old Virginia Ohlson died after being attacked by a pitbull as she
was out for a walk near her home, and now criminal charges could soon follow
56-year-old Virginia Ohlson died after being attacked by a pitbull as she
was out for a walk near her home, and now criminal charges could soon follow.
Neighbors heard the vicious attack and tried to get help there as soon as
possible by calling ambulances to the scene. Virginia was alive when they
arrived and was treated for cuts, supposidly to the lower leg. She died in
the ambulance though on the way to the hospital, the Rotorua Hospital.
The cause of death was shock and truama.
The owner is working with police and the pitbull has been killed. This comes
as a ban is being pushed to ban pitbulls in New Zealand.
Dogs though was being defended in this matter with groups such as The Kennel
Club saying that the owners are responsible, not the dogs, for the offenses.
The owner of the dog could no face some serious charges for the
attack.
Dog attack injures woman in St. Paul
Last update: April 24, 2007 – 8:39 AM
The fourth serious dog attack in the Twin Cities in the past four weeks has
sent a severely mauled woman to a St. Paul hospital.
In the latest incident, two pit bulls attacked Joann Jungmann, 59, of
Willernie, as she was delivering legal papers to a St. Paul home on Monday
afternoon.
The victim's close friend, Michael Holmes, said Jungmann was at a house
when she passed a sign that said "Beware of Dog."
When the woman walked to the back of the home, Holmes, said, "both pit
bulls jumped over the fence and started biting her."
Jungmann tried to climb into her car, but neighbors said the dogs kept
dragging her out. Inside the car her own dog, a 65-pound Chesapeake Bay
retriever, cowered away from the open door.
"She yelled, 'C'mon, Caleb, save me!' Of course, it probably would've
gotten killed," Holmes said of Jungmann's dog.
Neighbors heard the woman scream and rushed to help. Witnesses got the
pit bulls off the woman and called for help.
"Her hand that I could see was just mangled and she was hanging on to
the kneecap and blood was running down the gutter and I tried holding her
up the best I could," said Violet Kult.
Jungmann was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where she was in good
condition Tuesday.
She was the latest victim in a string of Twin Cities dog attacks. The
first three were in Minneapolis.
— On March 26, a 37-year-old woman was nearly killed after a pit
bull and an American bulldog attacked her at a neighbor's home.
— On April 13, an 8-year-old boy was attacked as he walked home
from school by a 140-pound Akita that got loose from a neighbor's yard.
— On April 20, a 4-year-old girl needed 13 staples to close a severe
head wound after a dog attack.
The dogs in the latest attack were being held at the animal control center,
where they were expected to remain in quarantine for rabies observation
for 10 days, said St. Paul Animal Control supervisor Bill Stephenson.
He said the dogs' owner was considering giving his consent to euthanize
the dogs. "He was pretty shaken up," Stephenson said.
Belfast woman
recalls dog attack
An east Belfast woman has been describing the moment when her dog was
attacked by a pit bull type terrier.
By:Tracey Magee
|
|
| |
Gillian Donnelly`s terrifying ordeal was captured on a CCTV camera.
A peaceful Sunday morning walk became a terrifying nightmare for the
east Belfast woman.
Gillian Donnelly was walking her dog Benji along the Woodstock Road
when they were attacked by a pit bull type terrier.
In desperation she ran into a newsagent`s and its CCTV camera captured
the frightening images.
Shocked staff and customers watched in horror as the dog repeatedly
attacked Benji while Gillian tried desperately to free him from its
jaws.
Finally the deranged animal let go of Benji when a customer beat it
with a placard.
Panic-stricken Gillian then locked herself and her dog in a store room.
Benji is still recovering from his horrendous ordeal.
He needed emergency treatment for puncture wounds and severe bruising.
The dog which attacked Benji was finally located by the police and
the Ulster Society For Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (USPCA) took
the dog away.
Gillian says she has been deeply traumatised by what happened and believes
all pit bull type dogs which are illegal should be taken off the streets. |
Woman's dog attack terror
May 09, 2007 12:00

AN intellectually disabled woman yesterday recalled her terror
as she was pinned to the ground and savagely bitten in the face by
a Staffordshire bull terrier.
Tammy Daley, 28, had her bottom lip and chin ripped open and her upper
arm viciously bitten during the attack on Monday night at a house in
Raymond Terrace, north of Newcastle.
Figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal that staffies
are involved in more attacks than any other breed - yet the breed
is not on the State Government's restricted list.
The mauling happened in the dog's Watt St home, where Ms Daley had gone
to visit friends.
Although visibly traumatised, Ms Daley said she remembered feeling the
dog bite her lip.
"He grabbed my lip in his mouth and pulled me down on to the ground,
and I was pushing him away," she said.
The dog was handed over by its owner to a council ranger who confirmed
it would be destroyed.
Although Ms Daley suffered serious facial injuries, her aunt and carer
Margo Beaven said she was lucky the dog did not grab hold of her throat
- an action which would most likely have been fatal.
"She is lucky to be alive," Mrs Beaven said.
The dog's owner Karen Hodge was also wounded when she intervened in
the attack.
She suffered a bite on the arm - but said it was out of character for
the pet to have acted in such a malicious way.
"He's a lovely dog. He sleeps in bed with me, he's very gentle," she
said.
Lower Hunter police acting Inspector Mark Watters said it was unknown
if charges would be laid against Ms Hodge.

Pit Bull Disfigures 3-Year-Old Girl's Face
Girl's Parents Want Dog Put Down

INDIANAPOLIS -- A 3-year-old girl is recovering from her
injuries after she was bitten in the face by a neighbor's pit bull in the
Mars Hill area of Indianapolis Saturday.Rayvin Crawford has been at Methodist
Hospital since the attack. Her parents told 6News'
Julie Pursley that she was playing with another child in the neighbor's
yard when the dog bit her.
We allowed our 15-year-old son to walk her down there and play in the yard
with the baby," said Carl Crawford, Rayvin's father. "The babies were playing
with a ball. She missed the ball and the dog attacked the baby."Rayvin Crawford
was carried home and taken to a hospital, where she underwent surgery and
was given more than 200 stitches."Her face was ripped apart," said Rene Robinson,
the girl's mother."Why these people would let the dog out in the yard with
these children playing, I don't know," Crawford said.The 2-year-old male
pit bull was taken to Animal Care and Control. Rayvin's parents want the
dog put down, but authorities said the owner wants the dog back and that
its fate will be up to a judge."A lot of other things could happen. The dog
could be placed somewhere else or it could be euthanized, just depending
on how the judge feels about this case," said Media Wilson, of Animal Care
and Control.Rayvin's parents said doctors told them the girl might need more
surgeries."We don't know if she's smiling. We don't know if she's sad. There's
no emotion," said Rene Robinson, Ravin's mother. "She's not my … she's
not the same."6News tried to contact the dog's owner, but was unable to reach
that person. Pursley said the owner now faces about $700 in fines.
Man Injured In Pit Bull Attack
Neighbors Have Mixed Feelings About Dogs, Owners

INDIANAPOLIS -- Just days after a 3-year-old girl was mauled
by a pit bull, another dog attack has injured a 61-year-old man.Ed
Stanley said he was checking around an investment property he had just
bought in the 800 block of Gray Road when two pit bulls charged, trapping
him in a corner."The smaller dog was working this leg and he got me --
several bites here," Stanley said.
Neighbors called for help as the dogs tore at Stanley's flesh."It
seemed like it was about 10 hours fighting them off, but it was probably
about two or three minutes," Stanley said.As
Stanley bled, officers fire shots at one of the pit bulls. The dog went
down, but then got up and ran."(They) shot the dog three times and he was
still running. Eventually, it took a man with a shotgun to bring him down," Stanley
said.The other pit bull got away.A neighbor who didn't want to be identified
said vicious dogs run loose in the area. She owns a pit bull, but said
she treats her animal with care."It's according to how you raise them," the
woman said."They're (pit bulls) getting a bad rap," said Mark Miller, another
neighbor. "There are some bad owners, but it's the owners, not the dog.
Put the owners in jail."Another neighbor, Gary Sayer, said he worries about
his granddaughter being outside with dogs running loose."She's our pride
and joy. So, we don't want anything to happen to her," Sayer said.Stanley
said he just doesn't want what happened to him to happen to others."I think
if you've got them … just have a big fence, a big, strong fence," Stanley
said.The dogs' owners have not been found.
Dog Bite Prison Term Upheld
LITTLE ROCK — The state Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed a Sebastian
County judge’s decision to revoke the suspension of a Fort Smith man’s
sentence after the man’s dog bit a woman.
Circuit Judge James Marschewski ruled last June that Dustin McKinney had
committed the offense of third-degree battery when his pit bull, Snugs, escaped
from his yard and bit Sharon Sicard on the leg as she was passing his house
on April 8, 2006.
Sicard was treated at an emergency room and referred to a plastic surgeon.
Marschewski revoked McKinney’s suspended sentence for theft by threat,
residential burglary and theft of property and reinstated McKinney’s
original three-year prison term.
According to testimony at the revocation hearing, McKinney owned three dogs
that were rarely on chains. The dogs had escaped from McKinney’s yard
before and had sometimes bitten people, witnesses testified.
Snugs had shown a propensity to harm people and therefore could be considered
a deadly weapon, Marschewski found. The judge concluded that McKinney should
have been aware of the substantial and unjustified risk of harm in allowing
Snugs to escape from his yard, which was surrounded by a 3-foot fence that
Snugs was able to leap.
Marschewski sentenced McKinney to three years in prison.
Snugs and her six puppies were ordered destroyed in a separate hearing. Prosecutor
Steve Tabor said the puppies likely had been imprinted with their mother’s
aggressive tendencies.
McKinney admitted Snugs had been involved in at least one other biting incident,
but on appeal he argued it was unclear whether other incidents described
in testimony involved Snugs or one of his other dogs.
The Court of Appeals rejected McKinney’s claim of insufficient evidence.
“The preponderance of the evidence ... supports the circuit court’s
conclusion that McKinney committed third-degree battery by negligently causing
Sicard’s physical injury with a deadly weapon — his dog Snugs,” Judge
D. Price Marshall Jr. wrote in the court’s unanimous opinion.
7-year-old stable after dog attack
NORTHPORT - A 7-year-old boy attacked by a neighbor's pit bull in Northport
was in stable condition at DCH Regional Medical Center, his mother said.
Kristin Townsend said her son, Koby, was attacked Thursday and has bite
wounds on his left shoulder and bicep. She expected him to remain in the
hospital at least through the weekend. Koby had just finished his first-grade
year at Walker Elementary School
Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Sgt. Andy Norris said the attack happened shortly
after two pit bulls escaped from their pens during feeding at about 6:15
p.m.
Norris said a neighbor managed to pry the pit bull off of Koby, but then
the dog turned and bit him as well before the dog's owner finally restrained
the dog. Townsend said several neighbors who were volunteer firefighters
kept Koby stabilized by giving him oxygen and applying pressure to his wounds
until the ambulance arrived and took him to DCH.
"I'm scared this will happen again," Townsend told The Tuscaloosa News
for a story Saturday. "Koby's never been bitten before, but one of his friends
was bitten by one of the pit bulls in their yard a little more than six months
ago." The dog that attacked Koby has been quarantined at a veterinarian clinic
where it will stay for a minimum of 10 days, as is the procedure for dog
bite cases.
The case remains under investigation.
Grandpa Rescues Toddler From Pit Bull Attack |
|
|
| Saturday, 26 May 2007, 8:42 PM CDT
|
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- One Metro grandfather
lived a nightmare on Saturday when he saw a dog attack his three-year-old
granddaughter in Kansas City, Mo.
Raymond Stanley went outside to feed his cat around 10:30 a.m. and let
his granddaughter O'Leah come with him. Raymond gave the toddler a biscuit
to give a nearby pit bull, and turned away.
The next thing he heard was his granddaughter screaming.
"Just like that I was making the turn to go feed that cat, and he was
on top of her - had her knocked down on the sidewalk like he was fighting
another dog," Stanley said.
Stanley reacted quickly, pulling the dog off of his granddaughter.
"I started pulling the dog away from the little girl, and you can see
I got all that blood all over me," Stanley said of the morning scare.
The little girl is at Children's Mercy Hospital, but will recover.
Robin Lilly has been training dogs for more than 25 years. Lilly said
there are ways to prevent incident's like the one Stanley experienced.
"A small child should really never be allowed to give a dog treats," Lilly
said. Lilly explained that a child's size and stature makes them want
to hold a treat up at the animal, "so the dog's going to lunge for that
treat, and a lot of times that's just exactly how accidents happen."
Lilly said you should always reiterate how important it is to be gentle
with dogs, and teach them the proper way to approach the animal. She
said you should keep in mind that not all dogs are friendly, and if one
shows aggression, just slowly walk away. |
| Northport Boy Recovers from Pit-bull Attack |
| |
| Saturday, 26 May 2007, 8:10 PM CDT |
| |
|
NORTHPORT, Ala(WBRC-TV MyFoxAL.com)-- A
seven year-old Northport boy is recovering in the hospital from a pit
bull attack.
Koby Townsend was attacked Thursday and suffered bite
wounds on his left shoulder and bicep.
He's being treated at DCH Regional Medical Center
in Tuscaloosa.
Police say it happened when two pit bulls escaped
from their pens during feeding.
A neighbor managed to pry the pit bull off of the
child.
The dog has been quarantined at a veterinarian clinic
where it will remain for a minimum of 10 days, as is the procedure for
dog bite cases. |
Indianapolis girl has surgery after dog attack
May 25, 2007
A 7-year-old Indianapolis girl is recovering from surgery after a dog
bit her, police said.
Camaya Fletcher was taken to Riley Hospital for Children after Rex, a
pit bull, attacked her shortly after she and her mother walked the dog in
Orchard Valley, a new-home neighborhood on the Northeastside.
Fletcher's mother, Kimberly Harris, was "dog-sitting" the animal, said
Media Wilson, a spokeswoman for Indianapolis Animal Care & Control.
A part of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department,
Animal Care & Control
is investigating. No citations, if any, will be issued until the girl is
out of harm's way, Wilson said.
The girl's condition was unavailable, although police said she underwent
surgery on her arm. Family members declined to answer questions when contacted
by phone.
Wilson said the dog was euthanized at the animal facility, 2600 S. Harding
St. The dog had been shot three times by Mark Maxwell, a reserve officer
with Indianapolis metropolitan police. The dog was alive upon arrival at
the animal control facility about 8:30 p.m. The animal was euthanized with
the consent of the owner, Mikel Dixon, of the 3600 block of Foxtail Drive.
Dogs Attack Santa Maria Mailman
"May 25, 2007 10:18 AM EST"
SANTA MARIA
A Santa Maria woman's dogs break loose attacking a mailman.
But one of Santa Maria's finest comes to the rescue.
The second dog attack in a week's time on the Central Coast sends a mail
carrier to the hospital.
It happened just after noon Thursday on the 1700 block of north Lincoln
in Santa Maria.
Last Thursday, two Nipomo children were attacked by an American bull dog.
Thursday, a mail carrier was savagely bitten by three pit bull mixes.
Sandra Moreno-Tannan was in the backyard feeding her three dogs, Bebe, Bubba,
and Baby when the animals started to get agitated.
"They smelled the mailman and as they do, dogs for some reason don't like
mailman. I don't know why. They got out," said Sandra Moreno-Tannan
The pit-bull lab mixes chased the mail-carrier down the street biting his
arms and legs.
Corporal Jack Dunn of the Santa Maria Police Department was patrolling in
the area and noticed the dogs attacking the postman.
Dunn immediately drove his car in the direction of the dogs and jumped out
scaring them away.
The dogs were removed by animal control for observation.
Tannan isn't sure if she wants them back.
"Bebe is my husband's dog and he's sentenced to six to nine years to life in
prison, so he probably won't be coming home to take care of her. She's just too
big to handle. I can't walk her, she's too heavy," said Moreno-Tannan.
Tannan said she was more upset about the dogs injuring the mailman than
them being taken away.
"Soldiers die everyday, firemen get burned, postman get bit. I don't
know why dogs do it. But I feel really bad for him and his family and I
hope he recovers soon," said Moreno-Tannan.
The victim, Eddie Canales, was taken to Marian Medical Center, treated and
released with stitches to his arms and legs.
Action News spoke with Eddie Canales on the phone.
He is recovering at home.
He is a dog-owner himself but hopes "the ones that attacked him are destroyed".
Police have determined the incident was an accident as the dogs were restrained
in the backyard and broke loose.
Chesterfield Officer Injured In Dog Attack
May 29, 2007
A Chesterfield County police officer is recovering
after being attacked by two pitbulls early Tuesday morning.
According to police, it happened around 3 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection
of China Berry and Marbrett Drive. Authorities say the officer was on a routine
patrol when the dogs attacked.
The officer suffered minor injuries during the incident. Responding officers
were forced to shot the dogs, according to investigators.
Charges considered after dog attack
May 30, 2007
BAZETTA — The owner of a pit-bull mix may be charged today after
the mauling of a 7-year-old girl during the weekend at Mosquito Lake State
Park.
Alexis Foraker of Englewood Avenue, Austintown, was released Monday evening
from Akron Children's Hospital where plastic surgery was performed on her
face, according to Jeff Orth, assistant park manager.
Park police will meet today with the Trumbull County Prosecutor's office
to determine what charges will be filed against dog owner Lance Peck, 35,
of Champion, Orth said.
Orth explained that Peck was with his children at the park Monday afternoon
when Alexis and a sibling asked Peck if they could pet his dog, which was
on a leash.
The sibling was petting the dog, but it turned vicious and attacked Alexis,
Orth said.
Peck put the dog and his children in his vehicle and was going to talk
with Alexis' parents, but he became fearful of a confrontation with her
family and left, Orth said.
Peck, who was found at home, admitted he owned the dog and to what had
happened.
Dogs are permitted in the park, Orth pointed but, but must remain under
control.
Bite victim still in hospital nearly a week after attack
Lodi officials want dog destroyed and owner barred from ownership
By Layla Bohm
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2007 8:15 AM PDT
An elderly Lodi man remains hospitalized nearly a week after a dog bit
him Saturday, and city officials want the dog killed.
In court papers filed Thursday, Deputy City Attorney Janice Magdich asked
that a judge declare the 3-year-old pit bull vicious and order it destroyed,
and also asked that the owner be barred from owning dogs for three years.
The dog's owner, Sonja Gabales, did not immediately return a telephone message.
"I kind of feel sorry for them, but that dog is too dangerous," said Donald
Morita, who is on strict bed-rest due to a fractured spine he suffered after
the dog bit and knocked him over.
The black and white dog, Brutus, twice bit people last year and was also
impounded three times in 2006 for running at -large, Magdich wrote in court
papers.
It is only the fifth time the city has taken such action involving dogs in
the seven years Stephen Schwabauer said he has worked as city attorney and
previously as deputy city attorney. In four of those, the owner relinquished
the dog. The fifth case went to trial and a judge ultimately ordered that
the dog be destroyed.
On Saturday, according to a police report filed with the court papers, Morita
walked up to Gabales' door in the 500 block of South Rose Street.
Morita, 85, intended to ask Gabales to keep the dog in her house while workers
repaired a fence Gabales shares with Morita's sister. He was paying for the
fence repairs because the dog regularly jumped the fence into his sister's
yard, Morita said Thursday.
He had gotten halfway up the walkway when the 70-pound dog burst through
an unlatched screen door, knocked Morita to the ground and bit his arm.
Morita remains in the hospital, where he has undergone surgery to reattach
tendons and muscles in his arm and he needed 25 staples. He has a broken
vertebra and a concussion.
Brutus, who is properly registered and vaccinated, is known to animal control
officers and even bit Animal Services Officer Jennifer Bender in December,
leaving tooth marks but not breaking the skin. The dog also bit a bicyclist
last year, though the victim did not want to file a complaint.
At Bender's request, Gabales took the dog to the animal shelter to be quarantined,
common procedure after a dog bite. Gabales told the officer that the dog
is very protective of her daughter, and acknowledged that her screen door
does not latch, Bender wrote in a report.
That acknowledgment, along with the dog's history, prompted city officials
to file the court papers, citing Gabales' "apparent indifference to the
need to secure her dog."
Gabales' case is being handled through a court process with a judge, rather
than an administrative hearing, due to the "severity of the attack," Magdich
said.
In a case last year, for instance, the city moved to have half a dozen pit
bulls declared vicious after they were among 19 dogs seized from a Lodi home.
That matter was handled administratively because the dogs displayed vicious
behavior but had not attacked anyone, Magdich said.
Gabales' matter is set for a hearing June 11 in Lodi court.
An open letter to pit bull-defenders
You strut along the road with your four-legged magnum by your side.
Leashed, thank goodness.
But menacing nonetheless.
Your pit bull - complete with studded collar - does not impress.
It does not scream macho or gangsta.
All it says is "I'm stubborn enough to own a dog
that is inclined to attack and sometimes requires a pry bar because its
jaws lock so tight on its prey. I can't afford homeowners insurance because
of this risky dog. No neighborhood will allow me in. And I owe thousands
in animal-control fines."
That is how pit bull owners should be perceived.
Unfortunately, it's quite the opposite.
Pit bulls were already glorified by rappers. Now the suspicion
that Falcons quarterback Michael
Vick is a heavyweight in the dog fighting world and possibly linked to
as many as 55 pit bulls found at his home only fuels the cool dog perception.
Watch pit bull breeders cash in on No. 7.
Despite the deadly costs.
Of course, not all pit bull breeders and owners are involved in dog fighting.
But eve