ROBBINSVILLE, N.C. — Graham County police say a 2-year-old boy remains in critical condition after being mauled by pit bulls that belonged to his grandmother.

Sheriff’s Capt. Joseph Jones said Monday the boy was bitten on his neck, stomach and legs while he was playing in his yard where several of the dogs were running free Saturday.

Police have quarantined five pit bulls at the Haywood County animal shelter and they likely will be killed. Jones said the family kept the dogs as pets and were not breeding them.

The boy’s grandmother told investigators she had been trying to give the dogs away.

Jones says no charges have been filed.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that a deputy shot one dog at the scene.

via NC toddler in critical condition after dog attack :: WRAL.com.

Williamsburg, MO (KSDK) — Even if there are a few scrapes between them, John Reynolds insist his dogs are friendly. All 17 of them. All pit bulls.

“They were like best buddies,” Reynolds says of his father the 84 year old Rev. John Reynolds and one of the pit bulls. “My dad would sit there and feed him off his spoon. They slept together.”

Reynolds says no one knew his dogs’ nature more than his father who owned the home and property where John raises the dogs.

Which makes what he found on Wednesday night, October 13th, even harder to understand.

“I could see that he’d been attacked by something,” Reynolds recalls.

He came home that night and found his father on the ground in the pen with severe bite marks. He did not survive the attack.

The sheriff’s department says the dogs were on the loose but, with the exception of one dog who was wounded, showed few signs of an attack given the severity of Rev. Reynolds’ injuries.

“They think that my dad might have been out here and they might have been playing or rough-housing and it got out of control,” Reynolds says of his conversations with investigators. “But I just can’t, I don’t believe it.”

He admits it’s only speculation, but Reynolds believes stray dogs or possibly even a mountain lion may have attacked his father and his pit bulls.

While extremely rare, the Sheriff says deputies have taken reports on, and had sightings of, mountain lions in Callaway County. The official report on Rev. Reynolds’ death only says his injuries were consistent with an animal attack.

“I know that there [are] a lot of people out there that are dead set against pit bulls and I’m sure they’re going to try to use this to get their point across,” says Reynolds, defending his dogs. “I know he wouldn’t like it,” he says of his late father.

The investigation is ongoing, but the Sheriff says there won’t be any charges since the property owner has passed away. The dogs won’t be seized because the county doesn’t have the resources to handle that

via Rev. John Reynolds found dead with severe bite marks | ksdk.com | St. Louis, MO.

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) – In the front row of Lake Grove Missionary Baptist Church Saturday morning, relatives held each other and wept as 71-year-old William Parker was memorialized.

“I just don’t want to see them close the casket,” said Parker’s daughter, Gardenia. “I don’t want them to close the casket.”

Gardenia Parker was overcome by emotional and physical pain after losing her father.  She was among the injured on July 20th, when two lose pit bulls attacked her, her father and two paramedics.

Gardenia survived, but William Parker went into heart failure and died.

Days after the attack, city officials moved controlling vicious and stray animals to the top of their priority list.

“Clearly we think it’s a problem,” city CAO George little said earlier this week. “It’s a problem we’d like to move forward on.”

City government is considering a number of animal control ordinances, including mandatory spay and neutering, and a finder’s fee for citizens who capture stray animals.

But changing animal control laws won’t reverse the Parker’s family tragedy.  Still, family members said knowing that William Parker didn’t die in vain will help them heal.

If you want to help William Parker’s family, you can make a contribution at any Bank of America branch. The official name of the account is “The William Alvin Parker Memorial Fund.”

via Family says goodbye to father killed in pit bull attack – WLBT 3 – Jackson, MS:.

CONCORD, Calif. (CBS/AP) A California man was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of felony child endangerment and possession of mischievous animals after three of his pit bulls attacked and killed his step grandson.

The 2-year-old victim, Jacob Busbee, was at home Thursday morning with his grandmother, uncle, and 4-year-old brother, when he walked into the garage and was attacked by the family dogs, reports CBS affiliate KPIX. The boy died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Authorities say that the three dogs involved, as well as the family’s two other dogs, were all euthanized hours after the boy’s attack.

The Step-grandfather, Steven Hayashi, 52, was being held on $250,000 bail.

via Pit Bull Owner Arrested for Fatal Dog Attack on 2-Year-Old Step-Grandson – Crimesider – CBS News.

A Chihuahua died Sunday afternoon in the jaws of two pit bulls after they entered its south Richmond home and approached its owner’s newborn child, police say.

“The pit bulls apparently entered the residence through an open front door and approached a 22-day-old infant, whom the mom had been feeding,” said Dan Barrett, deputy director of the Contra Costa Animal Services department. “The family has a Chihuahua that confronted them. Of course, they focused their attention on the small dog.”

The larger animals seized the Chihuahua in their jaws and carried it out of the house, on the 300 block of South 7th Street. Authorities later found it dead nearby.

Richmond police officers responding to several 911 calls about the attack beginning at 4:35 p.m., and tracked the pit bulls to a home on the 300 block of South 4th Street, Sgt. Bisa French said. No people were hurt.

The owner did not surrender the dogs for euthanization, meaning Animal Services will conduct an investigation and may hold a hearing in a future to decide what to do with them.

County ordinance allows owners of animals accused of violent behavior an administrative hearing before the agency imposes fines, monitoring requirement or euthanization.

The family of the Chihuahua could not be reached for comment.

via Chihuahua died defending newborn from pit bulls in Richmond – San Jose Mercury News.

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Tragic.

A 2-year-old boy, mauled by a pet pit bull as he played in the backyard of his home, died Friday, becoming the second toddler in four months to die in San Bernardino County from a pit bull attack.

Nathan Aguirre was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center with severe head and neck injuries after he was attacked Thursday night and died several hours later, said San Bernardino police Sgt. Gary Robertson.

Nathan lived with his dad, Raul Aguirre Ramirez, mom, Kitziha Navarro, 8-year-old brother and the two pit bulls, he said.

Nathan had been riding his tricycle and playing with his dad in their fenced in backyard for about an hour, Robertson said.

“Dad went into the house for a few minutes to check on something. Mom, who was in the house, came out to check on the child. She found the child in the pit bull’s mouth. The mom yelled and the pit bull just dropped the child. Mom grabbed the child and ran into the house and notified authorities,” Robertson said.

He said he hadn’t talked to the parents, but the officer who did described them as extremely distraught.

Nathan was attacked by only one dog but both were taken by city animal control officers and will be quarantined for 10 days before a decision is made on what to do with them, Robertson said.

“We talked to family and neighbors in the area and there had been no previous incidents of aggression at all,” Robertson said. “It was just an unfortunate and tragic accident.”

Police have never been called to the house for any kind of problem, he said.

The family has had the year-old male pit bull for about three months. They got him from a person in Muscoy, he said. The other dog was older and bigger but not involved, Robertson said.

There were bowls out for the dogs, both for food and water, and there was food in at least one of the bowls, Robertson said. “We are not seeing any criminal culpability on the part of either parent,” he said.

The boy’s death is the latest in a string of dog attacks in Southern California in recent months.

In January, 3-year-old Omar Martinez died from injuries he sustained when being mauled by his family’s pit bull at his Apple Valley home, about 40 miles north of San Bernardino. In that case, authorities said the dog was aggressive toward responding firefighters so it was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies.

In February, a pack of five dogs escaped from their yard in Fontana, attacking three children who were walking by. Five-year-old Destiny Colon had a punctured lung and was put on life support for a while; 6-year-old Hector Perez needed 235 stitches in his legs; and 7-year-old Princess Colon needed 18.

Police shot and killed one of the dogs, the rest were euthanized. Investigators said the dogs included two pit bulls, a mastiff and two smaller breeds. Charges were filed against the dogs’ owners.

In April, in neighboring Riverside County, a 6-month-old boy was mauled in his carrier by two dogs at the home of a family friend. The pit bull and pit bull mix tore the infant’s diaper off and bit his scrotum. Carrie McKinney, 22, of Point Loma, lost custody of her son and her friend’s dogs were quarantined before being euthanized.

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In what is believed to be the first fatal dog attack in Philadelphia in more than a quarter-century, a pit bull sank her teeth into the neck of a 38-year-old Fishtown woman and killed her yesterday.

The victim, Christine Staab, had been arguing with her mother in their Oxford Street rowhouse and fell backward. At that point, the dog leaped on Staab, said her mother, Barbara Erb.

Erb, 59, said she tried frantically to pull off the dog, Jade, but could not get the pit bull to relax her grip on Staab’s throat.

The dog “was in some kind of protection mode,” Erb said.

After struggling with the dog, Erb let go and darted to confine her other dogs and call police. Arriving about 7 a.m., officers shot and killed Jade. They then shot and killed Bear, a second pit bull that lunged at them after he jumped over a barrier that had penned him and four other pit bulls in the kitchen.

The four surviving dogs were taken to the SPCA’s Animal Care and Control Team shelter on Hunting Park Avenue and quarantined.

Erb said she would like them back. “It was just a horrible, horrible incident,” she said.

Detectives in the East Division are investigating.

Erb said no one had suggested to her that she might face arrest.

A spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office said the death was being investigated as a fatal dog attack. An autopsy is to take place today.

Despite about 70 million dogs in the United States, fatal attacks are relatively rare.

According to the organization Dogsbite.org, dogs killed an average of about 30 people a year nationwide over the last three years. According to a review of Inquirer archives, the previous fatal attack in Philadelphia occurred in 1981, when Mary Logan, 81, was killed by several of the mongrel pets she kept in her house in Northern Liberties.

Dogsbite.org advocates breed-specific legislative action to control violent dogs. According to the group, pit bulls make up only 5 percent of the dog population in this country, but account for more than 40 percent of deadly attacks.

Erb spoke with an Inquirer reporter yesterday as she stood on her street moments after police gave her clearance to return to her home.

According to Erb, her daughter – the mother of a teenage son who lives with his father – had long fought a battle with drugs, shaking her addiction only to succumb again. Staab came into their house about 6:30 a.m. and appeared to be high, Erb said.

“I said to her, ‘I can’t deal with that anymore. You have to go,’ ” Erb recounted. “She was telling me where was she supposed to go?”

She said the dispute had not escalated into a physical fight and that their voices had not been raised.

As they argued, Erb said, her daughter took a step back and tripped over a mirror on the floor. She fell back, taking a lamp down with her. Erb said she was clutching at Staab’s sleeve as she fell.

This enraged Jade, who went “nuts” and attacked, Erb said. “I couldn’t get her off.”

At some point, Erb said, she rounded up the other five dogs and put them in the kitchen, blocking the doorway with a three-foot-high barrier. She called police.

Erb said she found the attack hard to explain because Jade, 6, knew her daughter well.

“I never had a problem with a dog,” she said, describing the six pit bulls as “house dogs” that were well cared for and even had microchips installed for identification.

“They were spoiled rotten,” Erb said. “They were not neglected in any way.”

A neighbor agreed, saying, “The dogs were very sweet. They never had a problem with them.”

The door of the house had one sign that read “Beware of dog,” and another saying that in the case of fire, rescuers should save the six dogs inside. It listed their names: Paige, Peaches, Maggie, Satan, Bear, and Jade.

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Killer dog was banned pitbull breed

The dog that savaged John-Paul Massey to death was an illegally-held pitbull-type dog banned for being too dangerous to keep, it has been revealed.

The four-year-old boy was attacked by the dog in the early hours of Monday morning at the home of his grandmother, Helen Foulkes, 63, in Liverpool.

The animal, called Uno, also savaged her as she tried to protect the boy she was babysitting at her home on Ash Grove in the city’s Wavertree area.

Merseyside Police admitted they were told months ago that a banned pitbull-type dog had been seen at the house.

A forensic examination was carried out on the animal and the dog was confirmed as being an illegal breed, said the force.

Deputy Chief Constable Patricia Gallan, of Merseyside Police, said on Tuesday: “Following extensive examinations and a post-mortem, an independent expert has confirmed that, in his opinion, the dog involved in the incident in Ash Grove, Wavertree, yesterday is a pitbull terrier-type dog which is classified as a dangerous dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act (1991).

“Our thoughts remain with John-Paul’s family at this time following his tragic death. A child’s life has been lost and it is essential that we determine the exact circumstances surrounding the attack. Investigations into the incident are continuing.

“Ascertaining the type of dog involved in this attack has been a complex issue. It has taken some time to complete the examinations and post-mortem before we have been able to confirm that it is an illegal type of dog. We are conducting a criminal investigation.

“On behalf of Merseyside Police, I am deeply concerned and very disappointed that our policy was not followed in February when we received a call alerting us to the possible breeding of pitbull terriers at the house where the attack took place.

“This is clearly unacceptable and we are sorry that Merseyside Police did not take the appropriate course of action at that time. Given the seriousness of this situation, and our failure to follow our own procedure, we have referred this case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who will be carrying out an independent investigation.”

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JOHNSTON CITY– Investigators say the family of a toddler– killed in a dog attack– will not face any criminal charges.

The death of 3 year-old Gabrial Mandrell has been ruled an accident.

Around 8:00 Saturday night, dispatchers in Williamson County received a distressed call regarding the toddler.

Family members had found Gabrial outside his home on Willow Pond Road in Johnston City, and the child was in serious condition.

(From the 911 tape)
Caller: “His eyes are set and his lips are white. I don’t know how long he’s been out here.”
Dispatch: “Continue to give him CPR until I can get somebody out there.”

As an ambulance was on its way to the scene, family members tried to figure out what had happened.

(From 911 tape)
Caller: “We think the dog got him.
Dispatch: “We think what?”
Caller: “A dog attacked him.”
Dispatch: “A dog attacked him?”
Caller: “He’s got puncture bites in his throat, around his groin… everywhere.”

Less than an hour later, Gabrial was pronounced dead.

Investigators say Gabrial had been sleeping at his home, then woke up, pushed out the screen in his bedroom window, and crawled outside.

It was there he was apparently attacked by the family’s three dogs.

The animals– a collie mix and two pitbull mixes– were taken from the home. They were brought to the Williamson County Animal Control facility. It’s not clear what will happen to the dogs.

Deputies say there were no other children inside the home at the time of the attack. They also say there had been no prior complaints about the animals.

An autopsy conducted Sunday determined that Gabrial died as a result of blood loss from multiple dog bites.

Visitation for Gabrial Mandrell will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 Wednesday night at the Murman-Wilson funeral home in Johnston City. A memorial service follows at 8:00 also at the funeral home.

By: Jackie McPherson
jmcpherson@wsiltv.com

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Woman Survives Attack By Two Pit Bulls

A Cortez woman attacked by two pit bulls survives.

 

The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office said Nancy Thomas went to visit her friend, Jonathan Wilson, on CR 29 outside of Cortez Wednesday morning. 

They said when she knocked on the door, Wilson’s two pit bulls attacked. 

Wilson’s girlfriend called 911 and Action 7 News obtained the tapes. 

“What’s wrong?” the dispatcher asked. 

“This lady came over to tell us something and my boyfriend’s dogs attacked her,” Wilson’s girlfriend said. 

“Ok, does she need an ambulance?” the dispatcher asked. 

“Yes she does right away,” Wilson’s girlfriend said. “I brought her into my house to get the dogs off of her.” 

“Where are the dogs right now?” the dispatcher asked. 

“They’re outside, I’m scared to go outside,” Wilson’s girlfriend said. 

Deputies arrived within minutes. 

They said the dogs would not allow them near the house. 

“He tried everything, he Maced the dog, one of the dogs ran away, the other dog just stayed there, he even took his training bite sleeve out to help get the dog to bite so he could guide it away,” Montezuma County Sheriff Gerald Wallace said. 

Wallace said deputies shot at the dog, but the bullet ricocheted off its skull, scaring it enough to run away. 

As for Thomas: 

“She did fracture her wrist when she got knocked down and she got a lot of stitches,” Wallace said. 

Thomas’ family said she is back home and is doing fine. 

Wilson had both dogs euthanized. 

He was cited with misdemeanor ownership of a vicious animal. 

It’s his first offense.