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.

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Highland Park mulls pit bull ban after attack

May 4, 2009 11:00 PM

Highland Park Mayor Michael Belsky called for a citywide ban on pit bulls today, three days after a 14-year-old girl was bitten on the face and arm, requiring hundreds of stitches, he said.

“I am very concerned about what happened,” said Belsky, who said the child’s injuries were not life-threatening.

“These are mercurial dogs, they are unpredictable and they are lethal,” Belsky said. “I think we need to lead by example here, and maybe other communities will follow suit and create a groundswell, like the smoking ban.”

Belsky had already been working with state legislators and several concerned residents about amending Illinois law so that the home rule community would be able to prohibit breeds, he said.

Regardless of what legislators do, “my feeling is we should be proactive and do it anyway,” said Belsky, who visited with the girl Saturday.

The girl was petting the dog as she sat with its new owner in his front yard within the 100 block of Edgecliff Drive about 4:45 p.m. Friday, said Deputy Police Chief David Schwarz.

The owner, a 17-year-old boy, had brought the dog home the night before, Schwarz said.

“He and his sister and this other young gal were with the dog walking it and sitting in his front yard,” Schwarz said. “The dog turned and bit the young girl on the face and about the upper arms.”

Because the dog was leashed, the owner was able to pull him off the girl, he said. The 9-month-old male dog has been impounded at the Lake County Animal Care and Control facility, where it will be monitored for 10 days as required by law.

Police declined to identify the people involved, but said the dog’s owner was cited with violating city ordinances regarding a biting dog, as well as failure to have a dog license or rabies vaccination. Officials do not believe the dog has rabies, Schwarz said.

Belsky said that he has been working to strengthen the city’s dog ordinance for more than a year. Twice he has worked with neighbors who asked for his help in persuading dog owners to give up their pit bulls, he said.

“In one case, pit bulls moved into a neighborhood,” he said. After neighbors filled Belsky’s office to express concern, the “homeowner who was new was kind enough to move the dogs,” Belsky  said.

A new ordinance would be more effective, said Belsky, who said pit bulls already in the community would likely be allowed to stay but held to more restrictions.

He plans to propose the ban on pit bulls as early as the next City Council meeting Monday with a public hearing to be scheduled at a later date, he said.

Belsky said he felt the girl could have been hurt worse.

The bite “was about an inch from her eye. She could have been blinded.”

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Pit Bull Attack in Columbia

COLUMBIA - Police detained a dog owner after several people reported two pit bulls got loose near the Kohl’s Department store.

The Columbia Police Department and Animal Control responded to a call around noon Wednesday.

According to police, 27-year-old Mark Adamson, the manager of GNC, suffered an injury to his right calf that is non-threatening. Officers found the victim and the dogs near the Kohl’s store.

An officer shot one of the dogs, killing it, after police say it advanced on him in an aggressive manner. The other dog ran southbound and officers have not located it.

Police detained the owner of dogs, 18-year-old Dakota Crites, and have no determined charges yet. They say there were other reports of victims that have not yet come forward.

According to police, Adamson diverted the attention of the dogs when they were chasing an unidentified woman through the parking lot. Officials say his actions may have prevented other people from being injured.

Anyone with information is asked to submit a tip to the Crimestoppers website at 875tips.com.

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This is a sad story all around.

Owner fatally beats pit bull after it bites woman

Associated Press

12:28 PM CDT, April 22, 2009

ANDERSON, Ind. – A man fatally beat and strangled his pit bull after the dog chased and repeatedly bit a 20-year-old woman, saying he did what was necessary after the attack. 

Kayla Greene received stitches for numerous bite wounds to her arms and buttocks that she suffered before the dog’s owner pulled the animal off her. 

The attack and the killing of the dog by Dustin Haskett, 25, are under investigation, and it will be up to prosecutors to decide whether he will face animal cruelty charges, city police Detective Mitch Carroll said. 

Greene said she was attacked Monday as she and her sister, Erin Greene, were walking to a convenience store and she tried to run away from the dog. 

Haskett said that once he pulled the dog away from Greene, he used the handle to a sledge hammer to beat the animal for five minutes. 

After beating the dog, Haskett says he saw that it was still breathing. “I had my foot on her throat until she was done,” he told The Herald Bulletin. 

Haskett said he did what he thought was necessary. 

“As far as animal cruelty, it wasn’t fun and games for me,” he said. 

Carroll said Haskett could face a misdemeanor charge of harboring an unimmunized animal and that the dog actions would be important in determining any cruelty charges. 

“It’s not as if he grabbed Fifi the poodle with a bow on her head and wrapped her around the tree,” Carroll said. “We’re talking about a vicious animal.” 

Haskett said he only had the dog for two days before the attack, but Carroll said the dog’s ownership was being investigated. 

The Greene said they have owned pit bulls before and don’t believe the breed is naturally more aggressive or vicious. Kayla Greene said she does not blame the dog, but the owner.

“It was raised mean,” she said. 

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Poor guy was attacked by two Pit Bulls while leaving his apartment. Follow the link for video coverage.

BILLINGS – A Billings man is in the hospital after facing his second pit bull attack in just six weeks. Westley Fuchs, 35, is listed in fair condition at St. Vincent Healthcare.
On Friday afternoon he was attacked by two pit bulls as he tried to leave his basement apartment at 1103 Sunnyside Lane. A neighbor called 9-1-1and soon a whole slew of city officials crowded the small street. 
“This is probably the worst pit bull attack that I’ve seen,” said Animal Control Officer Nancy Lindstrom. “We found two pit bulls loose in the front yard and a third inside the house.”
The dogs were stained with blood from the man they had just attacked, and continued to show signs of aggression.
“They were barking, when we approached they were lunging at the fence, jumping up on it,” Lindstrom said. 
Just to be safe, animal control officers called for backup from the Billings Police Department. If the dogs got too close, officers were prepared to act.
“If the dogs got too close to an officer, we asked that they shoot the dogs because we all want to go home at the end of the day too.”
Police said this was a particularly tense situation as the victim was basically trapped in the basement of the house as the dogs that just attacked him were loose in the front yard.
Officers were finally able to catch the dogs and Fuchs was able to get out of his home and on his way to the hospital. Lindstrom said the owner gave them permission to put the dogs down and they were euthanized Friday afternoon. She wanted to add that not all pit bulls are this aggressive. 
Animal control officers said Justin Lingle, the owner of the dogs, was cited for two counts of dangerous behavior and one count of an animal at large. Each count could come with six months of jail time or a fine of $500. Lingle could also have to pay restitution to the victim.

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Police report details Friday pit bull attack

A police report released Wednesday details a pit bull attack that happened Friday afternoon in Greenwood.

Police responded to the 9500 block of Stone Avenue North and found a large group of people holding a pit bull on the ground.

“The dog’s actions were very aggressive and he was fighting to break the hold,” officer Ryan Beck wrote in his report. “Officers instructed them not to get go until the dogs leash could be secured to a nearby fence post.

“I observed a great deal of blood both on the ground and around the dogs mouth from the attack.”

The owner of the pit bull was walking in the area when it began fighting with two off-leash dogs. The dog owners pulled the animals apart, and when the pit bull owner reached for the back of her dog’s neck, it bit her right forearm causing the woman to fall.

“Several people in the area saw (the victim) struggling with the dog and rushed to her aid,” Beck wrote. “They were able to insert a crow bar into the dogs’ mouth and eventually pry it away from (the woman’s) forearm.”

During that time, the man with the two off-leash dogs, believed to be Labradors, left and entered a nearby trailer.

After officers arrived and the dog had been leashed to the fence post, it leaped toward several people. An officer used a Taser on the dog, which calmed the animal.

The woman, who had a 3-inch laceration to her forearm, was taken to Harborview Medical Center. The man who had the Labradors did not respond to officer knocks on his trailer.

The animal was taken by humane law enforcement officers from the Seattle Animal Shelter.

In Seattle, pit bulls are more likely than any other dog to be classified as a danger to the community. Almost one in five dangerous-dog citations and warnings are for pit bulls, according to a 2008 analysis of city records shows by former P-I reporter Daniel Lathrop.

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Here’s a thoughtful defense of the breed. 

Here is what responsible owners have to say!

It is time to ban this breed?

The Province April 14, 2009

There is no doubt there are many wonderful pit bulls in the world. People familiar with the breed often talk about how social they are, that they love to play, and that they make great family pets.

Unfortunately, pit bulls have three strikes against them:

1.When they bite, they don’t easily let go and the damage to their victim is almost always severe.
2. They scare the hell out of people. Yellow Lab walks down the street with its owner and people smile. Pit bull walks down the street with its owner and people cross the street.
3. They don’t attract quality owners. That’s not to say all pit bull owners are questionable pet owners, just that an inordinate number of questionable pet owners are attracted to pit bulls.
On Friday, a pit bull savagely attacked a three-year- old in Surrey. No doubt the family is devastated by the incident. The father of the injured boy has accepted responsibility for not keeping a better eye on his son.”I can’t say it’s the dog’s fault,” the dad told Global TV.

However, in the end, it was the dog that did the biting and it was the dog that was euthanized.
There is no doubt there are many wonderful pit bulls in the world, but the time has come for jurisdictions like British Columbia to ban ownership of this breed for the safety of all.

What do you think? E-mail a brief comment, including your name and town to: provletters@theprovince.com

This is what we think:

NO it is not time to “ban this breed” it is time to stand up and hold the irresponsible OWNERS accountable for thier failer to house, train and socialize their dogs. Banning a breed doesn’t do anything but make the public FEEL safe, do you actually think that people who cant even follow a simple leash law are going to be able to follow a breed ban or the rules that would be implimented with BSL legislation.

WAKE UP, if only all provinces would follow in Alberta’s foot steps, Calgary has some of the best dog legislation in the WORLD and NO breeds are banned !

Proud owner and rescuer of the American Pit Bull Terrier

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A series of attacks and the Pit Bulls responsible still at large has an entire neighborhood on edge.

VALLEY CENTER: Neighborhood shaken by pit bull attacks

Roaming dogs said to be from nearby Indian reservation

By CHRIS NICHOLS – Staff Writer | Monday, April 13, 2009 5:56 PM PDT ∞

VALLEY CENTER —- A string of recent pit bull attacks has left two other dogs dead, a miniature horse mauled and residents feeling shaken and helpless in Paradise Mountain, an otherwise quiet community east of Valley Center on the edge of the San Pasqual Indian Reservation.

Several neighbors said law enforcement, county animal control and tribal authorities have failed to track down the pit bulls responsible for the attacks despite repeated pleas. They said they’ve provided specific information about where the dogs came from —- just across the reservation line near Sunset Vista Lane.

Pit bulls are among certain breeds of dogs that have been linked to numerous deadly attacks on animals and people nationwide. Some communities have passed laws to either ban them or place more restrictions on owning pit bulls.

County officials say they’ve investigated the Paradise Mountain attacks, but do not have the authority to seize any dogs from the reservation. Tribal officials did not comment for this story, despite repeated requests.

The attacks began Jan. 31 when a pack of four pit bulls dragged Robin Hansen’s miniature horse, Spike, by his face from his corral at about 11 p.m. The dogs ripped the skin off the 15-year-old horse’s muzzle, twisted his spine, dislodged his palate and left numerous puncture wounds on his hind quarters, Hansen said.

Hansen and her husband chased the blood-soaked dogs from their Sunset Vista property in their pickup, she said.

Two months later, the white and brown-spotted horse moves slowly and wheezes considerably. The exposed pink skin above his mouth is still raw.

Domingo Ortega’s Labrador, Negro, and Labrador/German shepherd mix, Burni, did not survive their attacks by what neighbors believe were three of the four same pit bulls. That incident took place in early March, also on Sunset Vista, where Ortega owns an avocado grove.

A full-size horse at a third property on Sunset Vista escaped March 18 with minor injuries after its owners scared the what are believed to be the same pit bulls, said owner Kris Preston.

The pit bulls have not been seen since that date and no new attacks have been reported, officials said. Residents, however, remain on alert, with several now saying they are carrying guns. The safety of people, not just animals, is at stake, they said.

Ortega, who has three children including a 4-month-old daughter, said authorities have been no help.

“I said, ‘What are you guys waiting for? (For) one of them to kill one of my kids?’ Nobody listens to us,” he said, adding he now brings his shotgun to the grove and is ready to use it.

County officials have little authority on the reservation, which is sovereign Indian land, said Lt. Dan DeSousa, spokesman for the San Diego County Department of Animal Services. He added the county has not been given the specific whereabouts of the pit bulls,

Ortega said he told the department the dogs retreated to homes on the reservation, just across his property line.

Even if the dogs are located, DeSousa said, animal control officials cannot enter tribal land to seize them.

“Our hands are tied,” the spokesman said.

DeSousa added that animal control contacted tribal security in February and March to inform them of the attacks.

Several residents said tribal security officials pledged to search for the dogs. They even told them they would shoot any dog not fenced in on the reservation, Hansen said.

The tribal security official who spoke to Hansen, Wehay Quis Quis, said he could not comment about the attacks. A tribal administrator did not return calls for comment.

DeSousa said the county has offered to take the dogs to its shelter if the tribe traps them. The county set humane box traps just off the reservation to try to capture the pit bulls, though none has been caught, DeSousa said. He said he did not know whether tribal authorities set traps on the reservation.

Animal control officers have responded to 20 calls on or near Sunset Vista since January 2008, DeSousa added. Those have been for a variety of problems, from abandoned or neglected animals to rattlesnakes to loose dogs. Some of the loose dogs were pit bulls, DeSousa said.

DeSousa said animal control cannot enforce dog licensing, leash laws or dangerous dog and public nuisance rules on the reservation. They can, however, enforce state animal cruelty and neglect laws on the reservation, he said.

Sheriff’s Lt. Sylvester Washington said animal control, not the Sheriff’s Department, handles dangerous dog calls. Deputies respond to immediate emergencies, not reports about past attacks.

He said residents have a right to shoot dangerous dogs if they present “an immediate threat” to a person or an animal.

“It can’t be a perceived threat,” he noted.

Standing next to Spike on a recent warm and windy morning, Hansen said she sometimes wonders whether she should have put her mauled horse out of its misery. His right leg is crooked. His head, because of the spinal injury, is always down. Drops of blood from the cracked scabs on his muzzle still drip to the ground.

Hansen doesn’t shy away from speaking about her animal and the horrific attack, no matter how hard it is to do.

“I think the more people that know about it, perhaps something will get done,” she said.

Here is an essay by one of the commenters on this weblog that I thought deserved its own post.

Last year I used Google Alert to get some insight on dog bites and attacks. For those of you that don’t know about this service, you give Google a topic and it e-mails you news releases on that topic.

So, for the last year I have been getting on average of, lets say, four alerts a day, and at least one report every day. Now, if I disregard the reports that are non relevant (articles that happen to have the words dog and bite or dog and attack in the story) then disregard the articles that are multiples of the same stories, I am still left with a staggering amount of violent incidences between humans and K-9’s.

Reading through every word of every article is not my cup of tea. My research skills are not great. However, I have trained myself to at least skim through all the articles to find the age of the human victim and the breed of the dog involved. Many of the attack releases are horrifying. Most involve young or small children, the dogs are (usually) known to the victim and of course “Pit Bull” is the news popular breed.

I am not writing this article to bash Pit Bulls. I would never own one, because I am not a Pit Bull “type”. Nor am I a Poodle or German Shepard “type”. I think for the most part this breed is getting its reputation because of irresponsible humans that have no idea how to manage a dog that has been bred to be a killer. Do Jack Russell Terriers not bite? We breed them to kill. No one wants to take the time to read a story about a ferocious JRT. But we do pay attention to the dangerous breed attacks. As well, we have to take into consideration the severity of a Pit Bull attack.

Part of my dog related business involves dog attack training for utility companies. These are the people that go to your house to read meters or to service equipment and it’s usually in the same place where many people STORE their dogs. I have labeled these dogs “backyard lawn ornaments”. The utility workers tell me their biggest fear is going into a fenced yard and seeing a dog on the end of a chain. They also tell me that some people will actually chain the dog to the meter, or build the dog run around the services to the house. The meter still needs to be read so there is usually some type of confrontation between the worker and the dog or the worker and the dog’s owner when asked to remove the animal from the area. It is easy to see that people that keep dogs this way did not get a dog for companionship. This dog is nothing more than a tool and eventually grows to be a social misfit. If it escapes or a child wanders into the yard the outcome is usually grim.
Dogs, like humans, are social animals. They need interaction with other living beings to be mentally stable. A dog that grows up on the end of a chain will not develop the social skills needed to suppress the attack or bite reflexes when confronted by another dog or human. Understanding pack mentality is crucial to raising a dangerous breed pup.

There are many other reasons why dogs develop aggression problems. Dogs are naturally aggressive. It is a survival instinct they are born with. The aggressive pup in the litter gets the most nutrition, warmth and affection. Once humans are in charge of the nutrition, warmth, and affection, care must be taken to insure that the pup knows its place in the human pack. The pup must be raised as a dog, not a human. Humanizing a dog will cause aggressive behavior. Issues can come from something as trivial as letting your dog on the furniture. Height is status in the pack. A dominant dog will stand over the submissive dog to show dominance. So letting your dog sit or sleep with the human pack members can give the dog a sense of authority that needs to be protected by aggression.

Not controlling the entrance to the house can cause aggression issues. If your dog charges the door at the sound of a knock or a doorbell, it is a dominant response to protect the pack. A stable dog will know to alert the pack by barking once or twice and let the pack leader deal with the intruder. When you take your dog for a walk, the dog should be the last one through the door. In fact the dog should sit at an open door until it is allowed to go out. These may seem like small details to humans, but in a dogs mind Alpha Status is everything.

If your dog is showing signs of aggression look for the triggers. What causes this dog to react violently? It may be something as subtle as a food dish by a door, or just being frustrated from lack of exercise.

Bill A

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Here’s a very thoughtful essay about the issue of dogs attacking children and what can be done to prevent it in the future.

Work together to solve dog attack issues

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Pits bulls again made the news. Now, before I go on, don’t think this is an editorial about pit bulls. All dogs bite. While bites have long been endured as a job-related hazard for utility and postal workers, for many cities the problem affects the entire community. Dog bites are serious public health problems that cause considerable physical and emotional damage to victims and incalculable costs to communities.

Following a severe attack, there is always an outcry to do something by citizens, and the something that is done often reflects a knee-jerk response. Typically, it’s an outcry to “ban the breed.” However, a knee-jerk response does not cure an ongoing problem. Of critical concern are the demographics of typical dog bite victims. Almost half are children younger than 12 years old, and boys 5 to 9 are at the highest risk. People more than 70 years old comprise 10 percent of those bitten and 20 percent of those killed. The costs of dog bite injuries are high. The insurance industry estimates it pays more than $1 billion a year in homeowners’ liability claims resulting from dog bites. Hospital expenses for dog bite-related emergency visits are estimated at $102.4 million.

A frequent question is what breed or breeds of dogs are most “dangerous.” This inquiry is generally prompted by a serious attack by a specific dog, or it may be the result of media-driven portrayals of a specific breed as “vicious.” Lately, it’s been pit bulls, but Dobermans, Rottweilers and German shepherds have all been targeted at some point. Singling out a breed for control can result in a false sense of accomplishment. Doing so ignores the true scope of the problem and will not result in a responsible approach to protecting the community’s most vulnerable citizens. In general, dog bite statistics do not give an accurate picture of dogs that bite. However, what is clear is that chained, intact (unneutered) male dogs are involved in 70 to 76 percent of reported dog bite incidents.

Total costs associated with dog bite injuries cannot be easily measured because so many intangible quality-of-life issues are involved. These costs include time spent by officials on animal-related issues, deterioration of relationships between neighbors, citizens’ concerns about neighborhood safety for children, concerns about being able to walk safely, homeowners’ insurance costs within the community and even animal shelter support for unwanted pets. These are quality-of-life issues that ultimately determine the desirability of a community to its citizens and contribute to feeling safe in our neighborhoods.

What can Abilene do to help prevent dog bites and attacks? Make responsible dog ownership and public education a priority. We have many programs already available in our community that could easily add a dog safety program.

To begin, we need Abilene animal control to enforce the ordinances and to let the City Council know if the current ordinances are ineffective in controlling animal problems. For your information, all animals in Abilene must have current rabies shots and be licensed; this makes the owners responsible for their animals. And, yes, this in turn helps fund programs. Offer reduced registration fees for neutering/spaying your pet. Many cities have passed ordinances requiring “breeder” licenses to help control overpopulation. Lack of enforcement regarding animal control ordinances in Abilene is a major safety concern of every citizen, young and old.

Dog bite injuries rank third only to bicycle and baseball/softball injuries as a leading cause of emergency admission of children to hospitals. Since every school child in Abilene goes through “Safety City,” add a short “safe pet” program for our children, sponsored by a local vet or another animal agency.

Parents, if you don’t know the safe dog rules, ask your school or child care facility to help sponsor a safe pet program. Always keep in mind that children are the most likely to be bit in the face.

And finally, to help the older victim of dog attacks, target the senior population through our senior centers and Meals on Wheels programs. Seniors are vulnerable not only because of mobility problems but underlying health issues that can turn a nip into an unhealed wound.

Responsible dog ownership is not only a good neighbor policy but a community responsibility. Abilene should be a safe and responsible community with safe neighborhoods. Unfortunately, until everyone is willing to take responsibility for their pets, it is up to Animal Control to enforce our ordinances.

Let’s put aside our differences about our “beloved” pets and work as a community to do our best to keep this tragedy from happening in Abilene.

Lydia M. Long, Ph.D., teaches criminal justice at Excelsior College and owns a Welsh corgi.

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I don’t think any responsible parent keeps an 18 foot python in an unlocked cage when there are children in the house.

Parents charged in python attack on 3-year-old son

Prosecutor cites cage disrepair, risks from snake in charging couple with abuse, neglect

By LAWRENCE MOWER
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Police on Tuesday arrested the parents of a 3-year-old boy who last month was bitten and squeezed to the point of unconsciousness by an 18-foot python.

Melissa Melendrez, 25, and Anthony Melendrez, 26, are being charged with one count each of felony child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm and felony child neglect in the Jan. 20 incident in their southwest valley apartment.

The charges stem from concerns authorities had over the cage housing the tiger reticulated python.

According to the couple’s arrest report, the door of the wood and fiberglass cage was being held together by duct tape and had “insufficient” latches with no locks.

At night, Anthony Melendrez would nail shut the door of the cage. Melissa Melendrez worried the snake might escape, according to the report.

The arrests contrast with how authorities dealt with previous animal attack cases, notably two last year in which pit bulls fatally mauled two young children. No one was charged in those cases because prosecutors felt they could not prove that the children were intentionally placed in harm’s way, as the state statutes require.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger said this case is different, partly because it involves a snake.

“We felt that under the circumstances, because the cage was in disrepair and because a python seems to be an inherently dangerous pet, that the abuse and neglect statute applied,” Roger said.

The couple’s youngest son had to be resuscitated by his mother after she stabbed the snake several times with a kitchen knife. The boy has fully recovered, and he and his 5-year-old brother are staying with Patty Robson, their grandmother.

Robson said Tuesday she was upset by the way authorities have handled her daughter’s case versus the cases of others involved in animal attacks. She said her grandson didn’t require any stitches and didn’t sustain internal injuries in the incident.

“There’ve been worse dog bites, and how many people keep a dog properly restrained?” Robson said. “It was a freak accident. It was just one of those things that wasn’t planned.”

The report doesn’t state how the snake, named Eve, escaped the cage. Eve had been in the home for four to six weeks, according to the arrest report.

Robson said the family had owned the snake before having a third party sell it to the Eden Gentlemen’s Club, on Valley View Boulevard near Spring Mountain Road. The person who bought the python then asked the couple to care for it while the club was being remodeled, Robson said.

But Robson said the man wouldn’t return phone calls when the family tried to return the snake.

Calls to the club have not been returned.

Melissa Melendrez told police that on the morning of the attack, she hadn’t touched the cage and didn’t know if it was secure. She went to the bathroom, and when she came out, her 3-year-old son was in the master bedroom. She could only see his feet, because the snake had flipped him upside down while coiling around him, according to the arrest report.

She then ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and began stabbing the snake. Her son had “light brown stuff” coming from his mouth, and his face turned blue, the report states.

The snake then let go and, as Melissa Melendrez was performing CPR, started wrapping itself around her waist, according to the report.

The snake was euthanized because of the knife wounds it sustained. The boy was hospitalized overnight. Melissa Melendrez suffered bite marks on her hands. Anthony Melendrez was not home at the time.

Police noted in the arrest report that the family’s five other snakes, ranging in length from 3 feet to 11 feet, were kept in cages without locks.

Anthony Melendrez told police that once when Eve was shedding, she pressed against her cage and broke the door and window.

Robson praised her daughter’s response to the attack, but she didn’t know how to feel about the charges.

“I can understand why the charges are in place. No, I don’t feel that my daughter did anything wrong.”

Link

I can’t blame Texas for wanting to do something in the wake of that horrible death last month. For all the sensation around bear, shark, and mountain lion attacks, dogs pose the greatest threat.

Lawmakers going after ‘vicious’ dogs

Measure would require owners to have liability coverage

AUSTIN — After intensifying penalties two years ago on owners of dogs that seriously injure or kill in unprovoked attacks, Texas lawmakers now are targeting the mauling canines, too.

Moved by the death last week of a baby killed by two pit bulls, a controversial bill before the House would define a “vicious” dog and would require owners to obtain liability insurance to protect the public.

Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, is sponsoring the bill, which he says is needed more than ever after the death of 7-month-old Izaiah Gregory Cox of San Antonio.

“There’s going to be a lot of debate about this bill, but the way I feel about it … we must act to address the issue of vicious dogs before this Legislature adjourns,” said Martinez Fischer. The measure was heard Monday by the House Committee on County Affairs, though no vote has been taken.

In the span of four days at the end of March, two children were killed in separate pit bull attacks across Central Texas. In Luling, 18-month-old Tyson Miller was fatally mauled after the tot apparently wandered into the backyard alone, where a female pit bull was chained. The most recent case is that of Cox, who was left alone in a room with two pit bulls while his grandmother warmed a bottle.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio and a member of the committee, predicted the measure will advance to the House floor for debate.

Among other things, the proposal would clarify the definition of a “vicious dog” based on the dog’s physical nature and ability to kill or injure.

Specifically, if the dog showed unprovoked aggression or signs it would attack without reason, it could be defined as vicious by animal control officers or a municipal judge. A vicious dog ruling, Martinez Fischer said, could be appealed.

The bill would increase the responsibility of pet owners to keep vicious dogs away from people and other animals. It would be a second-degree felony, instead of a third-degree felony as now, if a dog attacked anyone younger than 15 or older than 65.

Animal groups oppose it

Last year, a 76-year-old Texas City woman was attacked by three pit bulls. She survived the attack.

“There may have to be some adjustments or compromises made, but I do think we will pass a bill this session,” Castro said. “We have gotten a few calls and e-mails. It’s all been positive. People want to see some action taken on this.”

The proposal is fiercely opposed by animal groups, which charge that it’s an unwarranted attack on pet owners. The proposal, they say, would harm thousands of responsible dog owners by restricting activities in public places such as parks.

“We certainly have some problems related to aggressive animals, but this bill goes too far,” said Ronald Stried, president of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association.

One of the issues animal groups have with the bill is whether it will inadvertently allow local governments around the state to pick on certain breeds.

Martinez Fischer, who said he once raised a 100-pound Rottweiler named Montezuma, replied: “This bill doesn’t go after breed-specific. It goes after behavior. Some people may argue that behavior is breed-specific. I’ll say that behavior is what it is.”

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Since dogs do have an innate chase instinct, one should be careful about running near them.

EUSTIS, Fla. – A Lake County woman is recovering on Tuesday after being attacked by two pit bulls. 

Tracy Whigham was jogging near her home in Eustis on Sunday when the dogs attacked. 

Whigham suffered injuries to both of her shoulders and her left leg. 

The owner of the dogs heard the screaming and ran outside to pull the dogs off Whigham. 

Family members said Whigham is lucky to be alive, and the dogs’ owners said they’re sorry for what happened. 

“We didn’t see this coming at all. I mean they’re great, great dogs. They play really good with our daughter. It’s just very surprising,” Jesica Iaquinta said. 

The owners said the pit bulls were chained in the back yard, and they don’t know how the dogs got loose. 

Officials with Animal Control said the dogs are dangerous and will be euthanized.