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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12704953165488338002014-11-22T17:35:03.725-06:00DogsBite BlogDogsBite.org is a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. Our website contains a wide collection of data to help policymakers and citizens learn about dangerous dogs. Our research focuses on pit bull type dogs. Due to selective breeding practices that emphasize aggression and tenacity, this class of dogs negatively impacts communities the most.Colleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-45175414564968755392014-11-22T13:04:00.000-06:002014-11-22T13:04:14.285-06:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pack of Dogs Kills 8-Year Old Girl on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Mother Pleads for Enforcement
UPDATE 11/22/14: After the tragic mauling death of 8-year old Jayla Rodriguez, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation residents are reeling in grief. Jayla had been sledding near the Crazy Horse housing complex when she was attacked by the dogs. Law enforcement officials still have not located the attacking dogs and continue to investigate the circumstances around the girl's death. One mother, however, is calling on Oglala Sioux Tribe officials to enforce the existing animal control ordinances.

Three years after Ellen Fills Pipe's son was attacked by pit bulls in 2003, Oglala Sioux Tribal Council passed Braedon's Law banning pit bulls, rottweilers, doberman pinschers and other vicious dogs from the reservation. The ordinance also allows law enforcement to confiscate and euthanize these dogs. Fills Pipe's son Braedon was 5-years old when he was viciously attacked by the dogs. He underwent 15 facial surgeries and still has nightmares of the attack today.

Fills Pipe is deeply saddened that the little girl's death could have been prevented. "Losing any life is so traumatizing," she said, "and to know it could have been prevented if we enforced Braedon's Law and enforced our animal code period." She said it was especially tragic because her son had been a mentor to the young girl who was killed by the dogs. "He talked about how angry he was that Braedon's Law wasn't being enforced and now his little best friend is gone," Fills Pipe said.

"If all it takes is to sit down and rewrite some laws and make sure they're being enforced ... We need to do it immediately." - Ellen Fills Pipe
In other painful news, tribal authorities are being pounded on by the media for rounding up non-compliant dogs and putting them down. The tribe is carrying out the tribal law that reads: "Any and all stray unlicensed animals not displaying a current rabies tag that pose a threat to the health and safety of persons residing on the Pine Ridge Reservation will be destroyed immediately." Authorities are being this aggressive because they have not located the dogs that killed the child.

The situation is extreme readers, not just because of the death of a child, but an extreme lack of resources. Not only is Pine Ridge (Shannon County) in the lowest bracket of income in America, it is the second poorest place in all of America, according to Census data (See: YouTube video of reservation). Slate published a short version of Aaron Huey's photo essay in 2011, whose effort to photograph poverty in America led him to Pine Ridge. The long version was shown at TEDxDU.

"The life-expectancy rate for men is between 46 and 48 years old. Roughly the same as Afghanistan and Somalia." - Aaron Huey
The investigation into the little girl's death is continuing. No one argues that the problem of loose unchecked dogs, in addition to abandoned and feral dogs, on the reservation is out of control. One man who lives in the Pine Ridge housing development said he locked up his dogs when he heard about the round up of stray dogs. Adrian Trueblood said he does not walk down the street without a stick in a nearby neighborhood that is filled with "more and meaner" dogs than his own area.

There Are No Easy Answers

It appears that no one witnessed the attack. An earlier report stated that a supervising adult briefly left her alone. When that woman returned, she found the girl suffering fatal injuries from a dog attack. Another report said that authorities believed the dogs were mixed-breed, but it was unknown how many dogs were involved. What is true is that they may never find the culprit dogs or their owners. Yet another haunting reality for a people who have already suffered so much.

DogsBite.org grieves for the family and friends of Jayla Rodriguez, grieves for the Red Cloud school system and all of its staff and students, grieves for the Oglala Sioux Tribe leaders and local law enforcement officers and grieves for all of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation community. It is with terrible sadness that we must add Jayla Rodriguez to our website. The difficult problem of owned, abandonded and feral roaming dogs must be solved. Pine Ridge, we pray, can do this.

11/19/14: Dogs Kill Child on Reservation
Pine Ridge, SD - On the heels of a pack of dogs killing a 40-year old woman last week on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, another fatal pack attack occurred on Tuesday evening on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Police Chief Ron Duke said the little girl was attacked and killed about 5 pm while she was sledding near the Crazy Horse housing complex. Packs of dogs run uncontrolled in every district of the reservation, according to Duke.

KEVN reports that police are still trying to locate the pack of dogs. Acting Police Chief John Mousseau said his department is devoting every available resource to locate the pack so that the animals do not pose any further danger to the community. Mousseau said the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs are investigating. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe and consists of 3.4 million square miles. It is the eighth largest reservation in the US.

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, like the Wind River Indian Reservation, is plagued with crime, violence, poverty, unemployment, dilapidated structures, drug and alcohol abuse and also packs of roaming dogs. As if life were not already brutal and relentless enough for residents on these reservations, they are getting torn to pieces by dogs too. Mousseau summed up the disparaging situation in Pine Ridge back in March and amazingly mustered up a small hint of hope too.1

It kind of feels like we're not making a dent, like we're just running uphill. But we are still running and trying our best."- Police Chief John Mousseau
Later in the evening, the Argus Leader updated their post. Though police are still not releasing details of the fatal dog attack or the child's name, the article did note that Pine Ridge enacted legislation several years ago that banned several dangerous dog breeds from the reservation. The legislation, named Braeden's Law, was passed after a young boy was mauled by pit bulls. The tribe's new law bans pit bulls, rottweilers and doberman pinschers from the entire reservation.

The tribe passed legislation several years ago called Braeden's Law after a young boy was attacked by pit bulls, Mousseau said. The law banned Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers and pit bulls completely from the reservation, he said, "and any time we come across a dog like that, law enforcement will take and destroy the dog." - Argus Leader, November 19, 2014
Witnesses interviewed Tuesday were unsure of the breeds involved in the deadly attack or even how many dogs were involved, according to Mousseau. The little girl was a third grader at Red Cloud Elementary. "It's been definitely difficult," said Chris Ives, interim director of communications for the Red Cloud system. Counselors from multiple school systems and Catholic Social Services all came to Red Cloud Elementary Wednesday to help grieving students and staff, Ives said.

Learn more about Indian reservations that regulate dangerous dog breeds on DogsBite.org

1There was much more hopeful news about the Wind River Reservation recently.

Related articles:
11/17/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Pack of Dogs on Wind River Indian...
12/31/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Pack of Dogs Kills Boy in Cibola County, New Mexico
03/30/11: 2011 Dog Bite Fatality: 55-Year Old Man Killed by Pack of Dogs Near Gallup
03/11/10: 2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Rottweilers at Home One Day Kill Baby on Iowa Tribal Land
08/15/09: 2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Winterhaven Man Killed by Pack of Dogs
07/18/08: 2007 Fatality: Cora Lee Suehead Attacked by Pit Bulls

Photo: Indian Country Today Media NetworkColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/2014-dog-bite-fatality-pack-of-dogs.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-71844435694603907442014-11-19T09:58:00.000-06:002014-11-19T09:58:59.149-06:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: 7-Year Old Boy Killed by Trained Protection Dog in Dodge County, Wisconsin
Personal and Family Protection Dogs with a "Switch"

Dutch Behaviorist Responds
UPDATE 11/19/14: Dutch animal behaviorist and author, Alexandra Semyonova responds to protection dogs with a "switch" after a 7-year old boy was killed by a protection trained rottweiler living at his family's home. She discusses why bringing an attack bred and trained dog into a home and hoping it will be a reliable family pet is a mistake. Enclosed below is Semyonova's short response. Semyonova also provided a long response that discusses many additional details.

Long response: The Tragic Fantasy That A Protection Dog Can Make A Reliable Family Pet

Alexandra Semyonova (short response)
Perhaps the most important thing this case should force us to realize is that you can't take an attack bred and trained dog into a home and hope that it will be a reliable family pet. Both the breeding and the training that go into these dogs prohibit this. The dogs are bred in the first place for heightened reactivity, poor impulse control, low bite threshold, and unwillingness to back down in a conflict. The training they're then subjected to amplifies these traits. The dogs are taught to attack on command, but also to make the decision to attack independent of any handler command. In attacking, the dogs are taught to bite with all their jaw strength, to grip and hold on no matter what the target does, and to release only when so commanded by their handler. This doesn't mean that titled dogs can be relied on to release at the first command. Even at level 3 (the highest level), the IPO rules allow the handler to repeat the command three times. Only if the dog ignores the command a third time does the dog fail the trial.
The idea that the dogs will limit their attack behavior to the training field isn't realistic. They are being trained to exhibit this behavior anywhere they're accompanying their handler. If someone buys the dog as a 'personal protection' dog for in the home, the home becomes one of the places where the dog is expected to show the attack behavior – but of course only if a burglar comes in. However, many of the cues these dogs learn as a sign that it's time for an independent, non-commanded attack are human actions the dogs will frequently encounter in the home with welcome guests and family members. Dogs can't read our minds. There's no magical way for the dog to understand who is welcome, who is not, or that the attack chain must never be initiated even if a family member does give one of the cues (for example, a child running at the dog with a stick in the child's raised hand, or one spouse shouting at the other in a marital argument). Unless each and every one of the home's occupants and every guest who is ever invited in is an experienced dog trainer, who also knows exactly what actions will trigger the dog to attack, and who never makes a mistake or has a moment of not paying attention, there will always be the risk that the dog does what it was trained to do.
There is no such thing as a 'switch' that will turn this off. Yes, you can 'switch' your IPO trained dog from tracking to attacking and back again if you know how and have the skills to do so, but you can't flip a switch and turn the training off altogether. The video Vohne Liche so proudly posted of Ozzy behaving normally with strangers demonstrates, in my opinion, that Vohne Liche must know this. First of all there's the very fact that a short episode of normal interaction with a few selected strangers is presented as an achievement to be proud of. This implies to me that Vohne Liche knows there are often problems with these dogs in family and neighborhood situations. Secondly, there's the clear nervousness of Ozzy's handler during this short video, the constant praising of the Rottweiler in a soothing voice, which strongly suggests the handler knew (or at least feared) that this Rottweiler had a not completely predictable or controllable hair trigger.
Dogs that have been bred and trained to attack may have a function in certain contexts. Some of us would question whether it's fair to exploit dogs this way at all, but that is a question for another time and place. What this case makes clear is that clear boundaries should be imposed on commercial traffic in these dogs. A trained protection dog can command a price up to $15,000 or more on the international market. It seems foolish to allow the people who exploit these dogs for commercial reasons to work on expanding their market regardless of whether there is a reasonable or urgent need, and regardless of how much danger that puts families in.
On a final note, the following. The Dutch government's Council on Animal Affairs acknowledges that this trade is becoming a serious problem. On August 15, 2014, it published a policy development paper, advising the government to take measures to prevent both failed and retired police dogs from being transferred into private hands as family pets. How sad that any such policy will now be too late to save the life of an American child who fell victim to this trade.
The Long Response

Semyonova's long response explains many aspects to readers more deeply including, bite threshold and bite inhibition, IPO bite training and protection dogs with a "switch." It also discusses several of the Alpha Dogs episodes featuring Vohne Liche Kennels and their clumsy training techniques. The long response addresses breeding and the international "protection dog industry" and offers insights into the Dutch rottweiler and Netherlands, Semyonova's native country.

Meanwhile, Platinum K9 Protection and their owners, Jessie and Tiffany Smith, are carrying on with business. The entity's Facebook page touts many new 5-star reviews for "expert" training since their own protection dog killed Tiffany's son, Logan Meyer, four weeks ago. Tiffany later told police, "Ozzy was Logan's favorite dog." The two might instead do well to read what behaviorist Semyonova has to say first. If they do not, then any prospective customers certainly should.

Alexandra Semyonova is an internationally acclaimed animal behaviorist and author. View additional DogsBite.org posts that Semyonova has provided commentary for in the past.

Long response: The Tragic Fantasy That A Protection Dog Can Make A Reliable Family Pet

11/01/14: Protection Rottweiler Euthanized
The rottweiler that attacked and killed a 7-year old boy in Dodge County last Friday has been euthanized. Police reports gained by FDLreporter.com through an open records request show that Ozzy attacked Logan Meyer when he took the dog outside to go to the bathroom. The reports indicate that the dog was 3.5-years old, however, the March 2014 video states that the dog was 3.5-years old then, so presumably the rottweiler was 4-years old when it killed Logan last week.

The Reporter points out that although early press releases by the Dodge County Sheriff's Office stated that the dog had severely "bitten" the boy, the police report refers to the incident as an "attack." This is an important difference in language.1 Officers also noted in the report that the boy had severe head and facial injuries. The boy's mother, Tiffany Smith, told investigators that Ozzy had been living with the family for 3-months and that the dog was trained in "personal property."

One can get much more specific than that. A December 6, 2013 post on the Vohne Liche Kennels Executive and Family Protection Facebook page -- the branch of Vohne Liche Kennels that Jessie Smith directed -- states: "If you have been searching for a Rottweiler for Personal Protection then your search is over...... Say Hello to Ozzy a three year old IPO2........ Yes thats a 2 and it's not a typo." We presume this means that Ozzy had received the Level 2 Schutzhund title, IPO 2.2

This video shows an unrelated rottweiler being evaluated on the IPO 2 Protection test.3 Additional examples from a variety of dog breeds include: IPO 2 Protection and Obedience test compilation 2013 (rottweiler), IPO 2 Champion Protection test 2012 (American bulldog) and IPO 2 Champion Protection test 2011 (cane corso). We have provided multiple video examples because some, if not all, of these Schutzhund trial videos may be removed or privatized by their "fearless" owners.

Smith told investigators she was in the kennel building preparing food dishes when Logan took Ozzy outside to go to the bathroom. She said Logan had been in the yard less than five minutes when Ozzy attacked him. Smith does not know what happened before the attack. "Ozzy was Logan's favorite dog and ... there had been no previous incidents or safety concerns regarding Ozzy with Logan or anyone else," Smith told investigators, according to the sheriff's report.

Additional Updates

Vohne Liche Kennels has removed Jessie Smith's profile from their Personnel page on their corporate website. The Vohne Liche Kennels Executive and Family Protection Facebook page continues to stay online with Smith's contact information in the About section. There is also a VLK Executive and Family Protection Facebook page that appears to be abandoned. Lastly, in 2013, Vohne Liche Kennels announced the opening of their European kennel; it is located in Holland.

10/28/14: Watch the Video: Ozzy Meeting People
In the past 24-hours, news reports from Wisconsin media have surfaced stating that Ozzy, the "bite" trained rottweiler that fatally attacked a 7-year old boy, was being trained as a service dog. We have no other choice but to post the video removed by trainer Jessie Smith yesterday from his YouTube channel clearly indicating that Ozzy had done bite work. In other damning news, it appears that Ozzy was technically trained under the hood of megastar Vohne Liche Kennels.

If true, we are no longer talking about Smith's new business, Platinum K9 Protection, we are talking about a major industry leader in police dogs.
In a September 3 Facebook post from Vohne Liche Kennels Executive and Family Protection -- the branch of Vohne Liche Kennels that Jessie Smith directed -- it states, "****** are some more photos of Ozzy the beautiful Rottweiler. For those of you that were interested in the videos I posted last week, please take a minute to tell Ozzy goodbye as he has found his forever home and his delivery will be set up over the coming days." The post displays multiple photos of Ozzy.4

This type of post is exceedingly bad for business, considering what has happened since, which is likely why it was removed from the Vohne Liche Kennels Executive and Family Protection Facebook page. We found it in Google Cache on Monday. Trainer extraordinaire Jessie Smith has been on constant "clean up" duty removing damning photographs and videos of Ozzy since his "bite" trained rottweiler suddenly "switched" and attacked Logan's face and neck killing him.

"We received a call from the mother who stated that he was bitten by the dog and when we arrived on scene it was a horrific scene," said Dodge County Sheriff Patricia Ninmann.
--- snip ---
[First responders] arrived on scene and he was in the pen wagging his tail being a nice dog -- allowed us to go up and pet him did not appear to be aggressive at all," said Ninmann. - Fox 6 Now, October 27, 2014
Service Dog and Sheriff's Chaplain Decoys

We first noticed the "service dog" language from Fox 6 Now on Monday afternoon. We had thought it was a misunderstanding. We were wrong. Late Monday, WISN aired their segment propped up by the Dodge County Sheriff's Office Chaplain, who specifically stated: "I do know [the dog] was trained to be a service dog. He was not trained to be an attack dog or any of that stuff." The segment added that the dog also had a background in both military and police training.

Sounds a little confusing doesn't it? First off, Ozzy was indeed trained in bite and protection work -- aka attack dog training. The "Ozzy Meeting People" video clearly depicts this. Second, why is the chaplain of the Dodge County Sheriff's Office the spokesperson delivering this confusing message? From the get-go the Dodge County Sheriff's Department has placed a silencer on this fatal dog attack case or as the FDLreporter.com states, has erected "information roadblocks."

Protection and Attack Dogs as Service Dogs

Protection trained and bred dogs are poor service dog candidates (See paper by psychologist pertaining to PTSD: Disaster is not what a trauma victim needs). While the ADA does not explicitly forbid a person from doing protection training with their service dog, "it also does not protect their choice to do so, and businesses may legally exclude a protection trained dog from their premises even if it is also trained as a service dog, as a direct threat," according to Service Dog Central.

What we are talking about is a dog that has been trained by deliberately stimulating his prey drive to elicit aggressive behavior for guard or protection purposes. Some call it "attack training," others refer to it as "protection training." Such a dog is likely to do what it was selected and trained to do when he feels or perceives threat. The experience of threat is innate in all creatures. However, individuals with PTSD have a pervasive heightened arousal and exaggerated perception of threat. They also have problems with anger control and are more likely than others to become engaged in interpersonal conflicts. How will these emotions impact the protection dog? I believe it will increase the likelihood of aggression towards innocent people or other dogs. The use of protection dogs by individuals with PTSD places the general population at risk for harm.

- Disaster is not what a trauma victim needs: Risks and negative consequences of protection dogs for individuals with post traumatic stress disorder by Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, PhD

October Surprise at the Sheriff's Office?

After the Dodge County Sheriff's Department placed a "silencer" on this case, we immediately looked at the most obvious public office to see if there was a cantankerous election race at hand. Indeed there is in Dodge County (You can read about the nastiness here). Sitting Dodge County Sheriff Pat Ninmann was appointed by Governor Scott Walker in 2013. She lost the primary election by a modest number of votes to Sgt. Dale Schmidt. Ninmann is now a write-in candidate.

The Monday news report by FDLreporter.com goes deeper into the political ramifications of a fatal dog mauling in this jurisdiction -- specifically involving a police and military K9 trainer from a celebrity kennel and a "bite" trained dog -- just before the November 4 election. Sheriff Ninmann is vilified for erecting "information roadblocks" to the media in this case, which she is dutifully guilty of doing. But would Schmidt have behaved differently as the sheriff, given the parties involved?

While Sgt. Dale Schmidt would not comment on the dog bite incident, the sheriff-elect said roadblocks with the media will be lifted when he officially takes office in January. Schmidt defeated Ninmann by a margin of 300 votes in the Republican primary election in August. However, Ninmann has launched a write-in campaign for Nov. 4.
"The employees here are aware of (Ninmann's withholding of information)," said Schmidt. "(Former Sheriff Todd Nehls) had a very good relationship in working with the media, and I plan to go back to doing some of the same things he did when he ran the sheriff's office." - A politician just days before an election
Social Protection Dogs with a Switch

At the end of the day, social protection dogs with a switch have their drawbacks don't they? This is why DogsBite.org continues to write about this case. It is misguided to believe that expert training in protection and bite work can produce a "switch" in certain dog breeds from a gentle babysitter of children to the instant attack of a stranger. In the business of "switching" aggression on and off at whim, a rottweiler is a terrible choice. In this area, breed is an excellent predictor of danger.

10/27/14: Mauling Victim Identified
The 7-year old boy who was mauled to death by a dog Friday has been identified. Logan Thomas Meyer was pronounced dead at the scene after a rottweiler owned by his family viciously attacked him, according to Sheriff Patricia Ninmann. Media outlets continue to stay mute about the overwhelmingly important background of the dog's owner. Meet Ozzy, the professionally "bite" trained rottweiler from Holland "being social and friendly," seven months before killing the child.

But you can't meet Ozzy can you? Jessie Smith removed this video from his YouTube channel just today. We made a copy last night just in case.
The March 2014 video talks about Ozzy possibly going to a doctor in Arizona that has three small children. This screenshot, however, taken on October 25 of the Platinum K9 Protection Facebook page, indicates that Ozzy was going to a military officer. All images of Ozzy were removed from the Platinum K9 Protection Facebook page sometime after the night of October 25. It was the only rottweiler in the group's photo album. Currently, Ozzy is apparently still being held in quarantine.

Video Transcript Excerpts: "Ozzy Meeting People"

Handler: Going inside the building to meet some people. Good boy. Good boy Oz.
[Approaches one man sitting at a desk, the man starts to pet him.]
Handler: Good boy. Good boy.
Handler: Come on, let's go meet some more people.
[Approaches different man who kneels down, the man starts to pet him.]
Man: How old?
Handler: He is 3-and-a-half. Here Oz!
Handler: Sit!
Man: Where are you from? [Asks the man looking at the dog]
Handler: He's from Holland.
Man: Nice and heavy on the bite?
Handler: Yeah, he bites really nice ... [can't decipher language]5 ... Making a little short video of how social he is and just real friendly. There is a doctor in Arizona looking at him and he's got three small kids. He wants to make sure he is going to be a good fit for his family...

In short, this rottweiler was trained in obedience and bite work and it has a "good bite."

10/26/14: Trainer at Celebrity Kennel
In the wake of uncovering Platinum K9 Protection as the new owner of Country Kennels Bed & Biscuit business Saturday night, more bad news follows. To start, the motto of Platinum K9 Protection is, "Social Protection Dogs with a Switch." Go ahead and consider how unrealistic this goal is? According to the public Facebook pages of the owners of Platinum K9 Protection, the family arrived in Wisconsin with five dogs, presumably four malinois' and one rottweiler.

Jessie Smith, the owner and trainer of Platinum K9 Protection, was formerly the Director of Executive and Family Protection at Vohne Liche Kennels. The kennel gained national attention in 2013 for starring in Alpha Dogs, a National Geographic Wild television series (See: related March, 2013 USA Today article). Five months after the USA Today article, Vohne Liche Kennels was not featured so prominently in the news after 10 dogs died while being transported to El Paso.

Ten dogs arrived in El Paso already dead, according to Maj. Joe Buccino, a Fort Bliss spokesman. The Canine Center is on post.
Vohne Liche owner, Ken Licklider said the air conditioner in the vehicle carrying the dogs malfunctioned. He said the kennel driver is supposed to check on the dogs during the 22-hour drive. - December 2013, KVIA.com
Though not reported by KVIA until December, Jessie Smith posted a video to YouTube on August 23, 2013, which depicts Vohne Liche owner, Ken Licklider, commenting on the "horrible event in Texas." Licklider said that the dogs did not die on the road; they died at the hotel early in the morning. There were seven surviving dogs. "We are sickened over what happened, please understand," Licklider states. Both trainers that made the bad judgment call were fired.

Alpha Dogs was canceled at the end of its 2013 season, according to the Futon Critic website.

10/25/14: Critical New Information
It was confirmed Saturday evening (in the video only) that the fatal dog attack occurred at Country Kennels Bed & Biscuit, a dog boarding facility, which is actually located in Iron Ridge. Neither family nor friends would speak to CBS 58 on camera. They did learn, however, that the family had just moved into the property with a kennel facility only a week or two ago. The family bought the home and kennel with plans of running the same type of business, according to neighbors.

Dodge County Sheriff's deputies still will not confirm the name of the deceased child or whether it was a family dog or name the breed of dog involved in the attack that killed a 7-year old boy. Lieutenant Brian Loos did say, "It was not just some dog that was running loose, I can confirm that, but I cannot confirm whether or not it was the family's dog." Dodge County Sheriff's investigators do not anticipate filing criminal charges. That is as far as the CBS 58 report went Saturday night.

Our own subsequent investigation showed that the arriving family renamed the business to, "Platinum K9 Protection, LLC."
State of Wisconsin business filings and a Facebook page chock full of images from Platinum K9 Protection, showing the same property address and kennel facility as Country Kennels Bed & Biscuit, was uncovered Saturday night by DogsBite.org and our vital researchers. The Facebook page shows the logo of the entity -- note the parents and child in the logo -- along with two K9 protection dogs, a malinois and rottweiler, the latter described as "all muscle" by one commenter.6

Seems pretty clear now why the Dodge County Sheriff's Department has been so tight lipped.7

10/24/14: Child Mauled to Death by Dog
Hustisford, WI - In a developing story, a 7-year old child was attacked and killed by a dog Friday evening. The Dodge County Sheriff's Office said the attack occurred in the Town of Hustisford. Sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call at about 5:20 pm reporting the boy was bleeding profusely. "Numerous first-responding agencies responded," Dodge County Sheriff's Office Lt. Brian Loos said. Despite the many emergency responders, they were unable to save the boy's life.

"Paramedics were trying for several hours to save the boy." - WISN.com
Loos said the dog was known to the family, but would not confirm if it was a family pet or the dog's breed. Few other details are being released at this time. The animal was seized and transported to the local humane society to be placed into quarantine. Loos said the boy's death is devastating to the emergency responders who worked so hard to save his life. "Children are always the worst ones for our first responders to deal with. It's very difficult for them to deal with this," he said.8

Responding agencies included: Dodge County Sheriff's Dept. and chaplain, Dodge County Medical Examiner, Neosho/Rubicon/Ashippun Police Depts., Hustisford Fire and First Responders, Hartford EMS, Lebanon EMS, Iron Ridge Fire Dept. and Woodland Fire Dept.

2010 Dog Bite Fatality

In 2010, 4-year old Taylor Becker of Hustisford (population 1,380) was mauled to death by a dog while visiting family friends in Hubbard Township (population 1,640), also located in Dodge County. The two towns are about 7-miles apart. The little girl's parents had been visiting the home of Steven and Stefanie Beauprey when the lethal attack occurred. The 5-year old dog had only been with the Beaupreys for 3 to 4 months before killing Taylor. The Beaupreys were breeding the dog.

1But sadly, "bite" and "bitten" are not uncommon language used when authorities describe a vicious dog attack. Often it is the other way around too. Police told Steve -- who was rushing Jeff Borchardt to the hospital -- that there had been a "dog bite." This was after two pit bulls savagely mauled Jeff's son for up to 15-minutes. "Dog bite" and "dog bite incident" are deeply rooted terms in the system and in no way properly identify mauling or fatal injuries.
2Level 3 is the highest. We really wanted to link readers to a basic, general web page about the three Schutzhund levels, but could not locate one that does not also promote a trainer or kennel. Even the Wikipedia page gave up.
3There are 3 phases that must be passed to gain the IPO 2 title. This technical document explains them in detail. Also, you can see the same unrelated rottweiler performing tests in IPO 2 Obedience and IPO 2 Tracking.
4The most recent post of Ozzy that we could locate was posted to the Platinum K9 Protection Facebook page on October 20. At that time, a commenter states: "He looks great. Looking forward to getting him with his new partner." We previously posted this image on our October 27 update. While we do not know the significance of the name "Ozzy," or even if there is one, we do know from the March 2013 USA Today article that it was Jack Osbourne, the son of heavy-metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne, that convinced Vohne Liche Kennels to do the reality TV show. Jack Osbourne was the show's executive producer.
5After learning more about this case in subsequent updates, this language is clear now. Smith states, "Yeah, he bites really nice, he is IPO 2."
6Links with images appearing on a black background indicate that Platinum K9 Protection removed these images from their Facebook page sometime after 10:45pm October 25, 2014. These images have been replaced with screenshots taken by DogsBite.org prior to publishing this update at 10:45 pm on October 25.
7It is never "acceptable" when a trained K9 kills an innocent child.
8Fox6 News initially reported that the attack occurred at Country Kennels Bed and Biscuit then later removed this information.

Related articles:
05/04/14: Fatal Rottweiler Attacks - The Archival Record
07/26/13: Beyond the Interview: Essay of a Fatal Pit Bull Mauling
12/05/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Yadkin County Infant Mauled to Death by Family Dog
02/11/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: 'Visiting' Child Killed by PTSD Service Dog in Kentucky
08/27/10: 2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Dog Kills Visiting 4-Year Old Girl in Dodge CountyColleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/10/2014-dog-bite-fatality-7-year-old-boy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-64882568444726338402014-11-19T08:15:00.000-06:002014-11-19T12:25:16.180-06:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: 91-Year Old Woman Dies After Vicious Attack by Own Dog
Victim Seldom Seen
UPDATE 11/19/14: According to the most recent CTPost.com news report, neighbors rarely saw Stella Antanaitis or her dog outside of her home. "I've been here 27 years, and I never saw her walk that dog," said Olga Figel, who lives two houses away. "I never saw anybody walk that dog," she said. Also, notably, "reports in the Stratford Star that the woman tried to intervene during a fight between her dog and her cat could not be confirmed by police Tuesday," states the article.

Two purebred keeshond breeders are interviewed in the news report. One of them, Heather Myers of Killingworth, was shocked to learn the dog turned on its owner of 8-years. Myers also wondered whether it was a rescue dog or whether it is a true Keeshound. "A lot of times our dogs get confused with elkhounds, Siberian huskies and chows," she explained. Myers will likely be speechless to see a photo of the dog taken by News 12 Connecticut at Stratford Animal Control.1

11/18/14: Elderly Woman Killed By Dog
Stamford, CT - Late last night it was reported that a 91-year woman, who was attacked by her own dog on Friday, was fighting for her life. Stella Antanaitis of Stratford was taken to Bridgeport Hospital after her dog of 8-years, a black-and-white keeshond-mix, viciously attacked her, inflicting horrific bite injuries on her arms. Police described the scene as very violent.2 NBC Connecticut and others are now reporting that the woman has died, according to Bridgeport Hospital officials.

The attacked occurred in the victim's kitchen, according to police. Her daughter said her mother had owned the dog since it was a puppy and never had any problems with it. Her daughter feared she was dying while in critical condition and dealing with skin grafts and kidney failure. Neighbors were shocked by the attack. "To think a dog could just turn on you and attack you like that," said Amy Garrison, of Stratford. "I really have no idea, because you think you know your own dog."

"Both arms, badly mutilated, that is crazy. It seems unreal to happen around here." - Amy Garrison
The Stratford Star provided several more details. Stratford Police Capt. Paul DosSantos said that when Antanaitis intervened in a fight between her keeshond-mix and her cat, the dog starting attacking her. Emergency personnel arrived to a 91-year old woman with severe injuries to her upper extremities. She was transported to Bridgeport Hospital. The dog is currently impounded at Stratford Animal Control. It will be tested for rabies and likely euthanized, according to DosSantos.

1Parts of the 911 call are played in this video. We are forced to link to it because it also has a photograph of the dog. We caution readers that listening to a 91-year woman essentially utter her last words is terribly disturbing and painful. Usually, 911 calls of serious and fatal dog attacks (that are posted to the web) are not made by the victim.
2The 911 call from the victim is available online, we greatly hesitate posting it to this website.

Related articles:
06/03/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Connecticut Woman, 93, Dies after Vicious Attack...

Photo: NBC ConnecticutColleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/2014-dog-bite-fatality-91-year-old.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-1778823712979916342014-11-17T14:11:00.001-06:002014-11-17T14:11:34.656-06:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Pack of Dogs on Wind River Indian Reservation
Coroner Confirms Death
Riverton, WY - Fremont County Chief Deputy Coroner, Mark Stratmoen confirmed in a statement Monday that a 40-year-old woman was killed by a pack of dogs last week. Preliminary autopsy results show that Deanne Lynn Coando died of hypothermia and loss of blood from serious injuries she suffered last Wednesday when multiple dogs attacked her on the Wind River Indian Reservation, according to Stratmoen. Coando was a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe.

Sadly, it appears there may be similar issues in this case as in the death of 8-year old Tomas Henio in December 2012. The young boy was mauled to death by a pack dogs known to him in Cibola County, New Mexico. The attack occurred on the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation. The attack brought to light the confusion amongst feral dogs, stray dogs, wild dogs and un-collared and unchecked roaming dogs. The boy's great-uncle had been caring for the dogs that killed Tomas.

Background of Fatal Dog Attack

The discovery of the victim's body was first reported on Thursday, after the Fremont County Coroner issued a public health and safety alert. At that time, authorities believed an animal attacked the victim. Fremont County Chief Deputy Coroner, Mark Stratmoen, said the injuries are consistent with a predatory animal or a feral domestic animal such as a dog. "The injuries are severe enough that they are either contributory or causatory of the death," Stratmoen stated.

"If the public sees any suspicious animals of any types or groups of animals or aggressive behavior of the part of animals, then they need to notify law enforcement." - Chief Deputy Coroner, Mark Stratmoen
The attack occurred amongst residential areas and a school, Stratmoen said. It was our duty to inform the public, he said. Multiple agencies investigated the attack including, Fremont County Coroner's Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal Agencies, Wind River Police Department and the FBI. The 2.3 million acre reservation is home to nearly 4,000 members of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and 8,600 members of the Northern Arapahoe, according to this Reuter's article.

The Ranger, Fremont County's daily newspaper, added more details. Although several dogs were observed in the area where the woman was found, Stratmoen said the dogs were not necessarily the aggressors in the attack. "Like with any other animal investigation, you have your initial event and then you may have other animals coming by later (who) are opportunists," Stratmoen said. The autopsy examination, scheduled for Friday, would answer these types of questions, he said.

The woman was discovered on Wednesday at about 3:30 pm. She was unconscious with a light pulse when ambulance personnel arrived. The Ranger, listening to scanner traffic, heard crews discussing the victim's footwear. An early report indicated that she may have only been wearing a shoe and sock. A brown-and-black dog on the scene apparently had blood on it -- it is unknown if it was seized. Also, four dogs in a pack ran toward arriving law enforcement vehicles at the scene.

Emergency personnel said they had to stay at the scene after the woman was transported, because they had found footprints in the snow. A brown-and-black dog on scene apparently had blood on it, but emergency personnel said they were not sure whether the blood was from the incident or if the dog had come into contact with the woman after the attack.
--snip--
Witnesses Wednesday afternoon saw Bureau of Indian Affairs vehicles at the scene and heard barking coming from the home at 888 Rendezvous Road. A black car was in the area farther away from the home. About four dogs in a pack ran toward two more law enforcement vehicles that arrived at the scene. - The Ranger, November 13
Related articles:
12/31/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Pack of Dogs Kills Boy in Cibola County, New Mexico
03/30/11: 2011 Dog Bite Fatality: 55-Year Old Man Killed by Pack of Dogs Near Gallup
03/11/10: 2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Rottweilers at Home One Day Kill Baby on Iowa Tribal Land
08/15/09: 2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Winterhaven Man Killed by Pack of Dogs
07/18/08: 2007 Fatality: Cora Lee Suehead Attacked by Pit BullsColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/2014-dog-bite-fatality-woman-killed-by.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-591229456738807892014-11-15T09:00:00.000-06:002014-11-15T22:07:31.463-06:00Texas Woman and Her Rescuer Describe Savage Pit Bull Attack on The Doctors TV Show
A Powerful Story of Humanity and Survival

Surviving a Dog Attack
Houston, TX - On the last day of Canine Victims Awareness Week 2014, we share the story of a mother of two children who was brutally attacked by two pit bulls while jogging and rescued by a 63-year old man she did not know. Earlier this year, the two appeared on The Doctors TV show and shared their stories of survival and the magic and boldness of human triumph when faced with unbearable odds. These two courageous individuals from Texas will forever be in our hearts.

The Horrific Dog Attack

On March 5, 2014, 35-year old Monica Garza was viciously attacked by two loose pit bulls while jogging on the South Belt hike and bike trail in Southeast Houston. A retired couple heard an alarming sound behind their home. Sharon Jordan asked her husband to take a look and what he saw was horrific: Two pit bulls were clamped onto the jogger and playing tug-of-war with her body. Charles Jordan, 63-years old, ran to her aid and jumped on top of her covering her body.

The dogs did not want me. The dogs were fixated on her. - Charles Jordan
Two months later, Monica Garza shared her story of survival with KHOU in an emotional interview. "I think about my children," she said. "I don't want God to take me at this time, my children are young. She said the dogs, "ruined my life for a little while, but they are not going to ruin it forever." Monica spent 37 days in the hospital after the vicious attack. She had 350 staples and 54 lacerations and bite marks covering her body. By June she had undergone two skin grafts as well.

The Doctors TV Show

In September, The Doctors aired the story of Monica and Charles. The episode involves a re-enactment of that day, both recounting the terrifying attack, and the life saving actions of Charles. After the pit bulls finally ceased their relentless attack, Charles held her close and said, "Nothing bad else is going to happen to you today. I am going to make sure that you are okay from here on out." We hope that Charles is awarded a Carnegie Medal for his extraordinary heroic act.

"I consider Monica my hero. She is the most courageous person I have ever seen. She never quit fighting. She never gave up. We met, strangers. In one special moment in your life, you put your arm around somebody, and they lean on you. They touch your heart. And that moment is going to stay with me for the rest of my life." - Charles Jordan
Both cried while watching the re-enactment. Monica said she continues to have a lot of anxiety around dogs, especially the larger and aggressive types. She shows the doctors how her right leg is healing. The doctor explains her injury to the audience and future surgical procedures. When asked about his selfless act, Charles said, "There was really no thought process to it, no fear to it. When you see a woman in distress, you have to stop it." The audience roared with applause.

After the Violent Attack

Three weeks after the vicious attack, Monica's father, Jeff Mack, stood before Houston City Council nearly in tears. The police veteran shared the story of his daughter, and how her daily jog turned into a nightmare of horrific injuries inflicted by two loose pit bulls. At that time, Monica was still hospitalized. Mack was shell-shocked that the owner of one of the pit bulls was merely issued a class-C ticket. (Readers recall Harris County and their shabby history of felony charges?)1

"It's pit bulls. It's all you hear about. They were originally bred to be very aggressive. And yet I would say the dogs are responsible, and the owners are responsible. This is unreasonable that we cannot get some criminal charges filed in this case." - Jeff Mack
Mack is a retired Houston Police Department officer with 25-years of service. He has written to legislators and hopes to change the felony dog attack law in Texas -- which currently has One Bite codified into it (prior knowledge of vicious propensity) -- so that criminal charges can more easily be brought. Mack will file civil charges, which are also governed by the One Bite rule in Texas, but at least in civil court, they won't face the high standard of "proof beyond a reasonable doubt."

This blog post is part of a special series DogsBite.org is running for the first ever Canine Victims Awareness Week, November 9-15, 2014. Learn more by visiting the AVOCA website.

Suggested hashtags: #WontBackDown #CanineVictimsAwarenessWeek #VoicesoftheVictims

Texas Dog Bite Victims' Advocacy - Join our Texas email list to stay informed

1It is unclear if the other pit bull owner was ever located. Regarding Harris County, which leads all Texas counties in fatal dog attacks, pursuing criminal charges after the mauling death of Christina Bell in January is either the first time by Harris County prosecutors or a long overdue second case since Lillian's Law was passed in 2007.

Related articles:
07/01/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Pit Bull Attack in Southeast Houston
04/25/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: San Antonio Woman, 83, Dies After Pit Bull Attack
04/15/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Comal County Woman, 75, Dies After Pit Bull Attack
04/15/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Suspected in Death of Elderly Kaufman Woman
04/06/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Bullmastiff Kills Child, Seriously Injures Another in Killeen, Texas
02/19/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Texas Toddler Killed by Pit Bull Being 'Watched' by Her Family
08/29/13: East Texas Woman Severely Mauled by Pit Bull at 'Dog Friendly' Private RV Park
03/12/13: Report: Texas Dog Bite Fatalities, January 1, 2005 to February 17, 2013
11/22/11: Hero Stories: Honoring Those Who Risked Their Lives to Stop a Pit Bull Mauling
05/01/11: Texas Doctors Produce Study: Mortality, Mauling and Maiming by Vicious DogsColleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/texas-woman-and-her-rescuer-describe-pit-bull-attack.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-46863228775741523572014-11-13T18:33:00.000-06:002014-11-15T09:35:12.290-06:00Canine Attack Victims' Group Releases Open Letter to Arianna Huffington
Letter Released During Canine Victims Awareness Week

Open Letter to HuffPost
East Troy, WI - Today a national ad hoc coalition, Awareness for Victims of Canine Attack (AVOCA), releases an open letter to Arianna Huffington, the chair, president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, which includes The Huffington Post. The letter urges Ms. Huffington to reconsider her publication's stance on the promotion of pit bulls as family pets and comes in response to The Huffington Post's "Pit Bull Week" that was featured at the end of July.

AVOCA releases the open letter to Arianna Huffington -- signed by over one hundred parents, survivors of vicious dog attacks and victims' advocates -- during the first-ever Canine Victims Awareness Week. On Monday, the same group released its first in a series of Public Service Announcements titled, "Won't Back Down," that features dozens of photos of family members, dog attack survivors and safety advocates holding up signs with the hashtag #WontBackDown.

The open letter to Arianna Huffington outlines the emotional and physical devastation experienced by canine attack victims, as well as the overwhelming financial cost of medical treatment, according to the group's press release. Thus, "as a support and advocacy network of victims' of dangerous dogs," states the release, AVOCA "cautions The Huffington Post that encouraging the proliferation of fighting breeds as family pets is ill-advised and even potentially deadly."

The open letter, "An Open Letter to Arianna Huffington Regarding the Promotion of Pit Bulls" is located on the Daxton's Friends website at the following URL: www.daxtonsfriends.com/open-letter-huffpo. We encourage all DogsBite.org followers to read it in full. DogsBite.org (Texas), Daxton's Friends for Canine Education and Awareness (Wisconsin) and Citizens for Canine Attack Prevention (Illinois) are all participating in Canine Victims Awareness Week with AVOCA.

Read full new release: Victims of Canine Attack Issue Open Letter to Arianna Huffington

Portions of the Open Letter

DogsBite.org has selected a portion of the open letter to show readers just how reckless The Huffington Post's, "pit bull advocacy" has become. The HuffPost has been on our radar for a number of years, beginning in 2009 when we responded to a pro-pit bull piece by Carrie Pollare (See: I'm Tired of "Pit Bulls Before People"). In 2010, we began calling the publication, "PuffPo" after editors removed a male, unaltered, chained pit bull from their 9 Most Dangerous Pet list.

We never would have imagined, however, that by July of 2014, HuffPost would have a dedicated "HuffPost Pit Bulls" section of their website, promoted a special "Pit Bull Week," specifically designed to rebrand pit bulls as safe family pets, and finally, strongly promoting a children's book about pit bulls that author Douglas Anthony Cooper states, "no conventional publishing house will go near [the book]." We were told: "You might as well write a children's book about meth."

The Huffington Post has become a premier outlet for the rebranding of pit bulls. On "Pit Bull Awareness Day" last year (October 2013), your publication posted, "Your Kids and Pit Bulls Love Each Other." Readers were invited to submit photos of their children hugging and kissing their pit bulls. Over a hundred photos appeared in the slideshow, but one in particular caught our eye -- that of poor little Nephi Selu who'd been mauled to death by his "best friend", a pit bull named Kava. In the photo, sweetly smiling Nephi hugs Kava around the neck. We were horrified to see that photo in the slideshow and alerted your publication to this grievous error. Your photo editors quietly removed the picture, offering no apology. Such a misstep, however, did not deter HuffPost's pit bull promotion team from boosting their efforts. With the creation of "Pit Bull Week," the editorial team ramped up the propagandizing even further, devoting an entire new section of your website ("HuffPost Pit Bulls") to the pushing of this "misunderstood and maligned" breed that kills more people than all other dog breeds combined.
-- snip --
So very seductive is this false concept that pit bulls and children belong together that novelist and HuffPost blogger Douglas Anthony Cooper felt compelled to write a children's book (and accompanying essay for parents) called Galunker, which is due for release later this year, about the eponymous "misunderstood but lovable" pit bull. The Huffington Post serialized the storybook in May of this year in a post entitled "Children Need Pit Bulls: A Picture Book" which, no doubt, helped Mr. Cooper's Kickstarter campaign to quickly earn $62,000 (over double its original target). In an opinion piece for Animals 24-7, National Post columnist Barbara Kay reviewed HuffPost's advance copy of Galunker and concluded, "To imply that a real-life Galunker would be 'about as dangerous as a marshmallow' is a stunningly -- one might reasonably say a dangerously -- misleading statement."
Download full letter: Open Letter to Arianna Huffington Regarding the Promotion of Pit Bulls

This blog post is part of a special series DogsBite.org is running for the first ever Canine Victims Awareness Week, November 9-15, 2014. Learn more by visiting the AVOCA website.

Suggested hashtags: #WontBackDown #CanineVictimsAwarenessWeek #VoicesoftheVictims

Related articles:
11/10/14: Canine Attack Victims' Group Releases PSA: "Won't Back Down" - AVOCA
07/24/14: Nonprofits Urge CDC to Resume Tracking Richer Data Set for Children and Adults...
06/20/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Union City Boy, 6, Killed by Uncle's Pet Pit Bull
03/07/10: Pit Bulls Make "Most Dangerous Pet" List at The Huffington Post
06/29/09: I'm Tired of 'Pit Bulls Before People,' A Response to Carrie Pollare

Photo: Arianna Huffington by David Shankbone / CC BY 3.0 Colleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/canine-attack-victims-release-open-letter-to-arianna-huffington.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-25755151055331243682014-11-12T08:00:00.000-06:002014-11-13T19:16:50.614-06:00Video: Two Mothers Share Their Tragic Stories of Losing a Child in Family Dog Attack
Family Pit Bull Suddenly Kills Innocent Child

Please click an image to play the video. From left: Roxanne Hartrich and Angela Rutledge.

DogsBite.org - On the fourth day of Canine Victims Awareness Week, we have selected two powerful videos of mothers who have lost a child in a sudden, vicious family dog attack. Roxanne Hartrich of Bloomington, Illinois lost her 4-year old daughter after the family's two pit bulls brutally attacked her in January. Angela Rutledge of Fulton County, Georgia lost her 2-year old son after her family pit bull of 8-years, Kissy Face, suddenly attacked and killed him at their home last year.

Each of the videos touches upon the unexpected nature of the attack and the tremendous violence of it. Both fatal attacks involved well-raised and cared for family pit bulls -- raised from puppyhood -- that had previously played with the child countless times. Both mothers have shared their painful stories to prevent this from happening to another family and to offer a warning to other parents about the dangerousness of pit bulls. "Had I known then what I know now," Roxanne reflected.

Roxanne Hartrich - Bloomington, Illinois (2014)

The raw, emotional account of Roxanne will pain the hearts of viewers. She begins by saying that the day of the horrific attack was her daughter Kara's 4th birthday. The family owned three pit bulls, two males and one female. At the time of the attack, Kara and her younger sister were at the family home being watched by Roxanne's mother. After Kara put a toy away, she came into the room with her grandmother and sister and said, "Brody knocked me into the wall. Brody hurt me."

Roxanne said that her mother picked up Kara and said, "I'm sure Brody didn't mean it Kara ... are you okay?" Roxanne said she had barely gotten that out when "Brody came flying from the playroom, and jumped into the air, and attacked my mom and my daughter. He attacked her out of my mom's arms," Roxanne said. Despite her mother's efforts, Brody continued to attack. "He initially went straight for the jugular. He also bit her face, her head, everywhere," she explained.

I got out of my car. I was met by my husband, my mom and police officers and the firemen. They said you need to go to BroMenn. Go to BroMenn now ... And the doctor came in and he said, "Your daughter is gone. There is nothing we can do for you, for her." And he said, "Prepare yourself, the damage is going to be excruciatingly painful to see." We have three dogs ... Brutus was two, Brody was one, Bella was in her crate ... In retrospect, if I could turn back the clock, had I known then what I know now, you are absolutely correct, we should not have had them around our kids. My little girl is gone because we were, in essence, ignorant ... The ones that are attacking are the family dogs... - Roxanne Hartrich
Angela Rutledge - Fulton County, Georgia (2013)

Another raw, emotional account features Angela Rutledge speaking with State Rep. Keisha Waites. In April 2013, Angela's 2-year old son Beau was savagely killed by his family's pit bull at their home. Neighbors who saw the attack scene said it was "like a horror movie." The family had owned the female pit bull, named Kissy Face, for 8-years without any aggression issues. That suddenly changed that day in April, when Angela left her son momentarily to go to the bathroom.

She begins by telling Rep. Waites how stealth and fast the vicious attack happened, and how she did not hear any noises. "When I came downstairs, it wasn't because I heard anything," Angela said. "It wasn't because I heard a scream or any banging. I don't even to this moment understand how I did not hear anything. There was no music playing in my house. It was so quick," she said. "I walked down those stairs not expecting anything other than to cook lunch for my son," she said.

My son had puncture wounds in his neck. Gashes in his head. And he laid there, and I screamed so loud ... I ran upstairs to go get my cell phone so I could call 911. I couldn't even call 911 because I kept slipping in the blood, and I kept dropping my phone ... The reason why I am supporting this legislation is to undo the lie ... There's a horrible rumor out there saying that nature will submit to nurture. It's almost like if you were to get a lion as a cub -- They are very innocent and very sweet, but there comes a point ... They are ticking time bombs. You cannot reach into their minds to know what is going to click on that detonator and set them off ... I believed that if you loved these dogs... - Angela Rutledge
Many more videos of victims sharing their histories are located on the Victim Videos page.

This blog post is part of a special series DogsBite.org is running for the first ever Canine Victims Awareness Week, November 9-15, 2014. Learn more by visiting the AVOCA website.

Suggested hashtags: #WontBackDown #CanineVictimsAwarenessWeek #VoicesoftheVictims

Related articles:
11/10/14: Canine Attack Victims' Group Releases PSA: "Won't Back Down" - AVOCA
07/24/14: Nonprofits Urge CDC to Resume Tracking Richer Data Set for Children and Adults...
04/29/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: 4-Year Old Girl Killed by Family Pit Bulls in Bloomington
12/12/13: Video: Mother of Fatal Pit Bull Attack Victim Shares Story with State Representative
05/23/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Fulton County Infant Killed by Family Pit BullColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/two-mothers-share-tragic-stories-losing-child-family-pit-bull-attack.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-74509385420351225022014-11-11T03:49:00.000-06:002014-11-13T19:17:08.556-06:00Video: Two Men Share Their Stories of Surviving a Life-Threatening Dog Attack
Dog Mauling Victims Recount Brutal Attacks

Please click an image to play the video. From left: Robbie Nelson and Michael O'Neill.

DogsBite.org - On the third day of Canine Victims Awareness Week, we have selected two powerful videos of adult men who survived a life-threatening dog attack. Robbie Nelson, 49, of Sydney, Australia had such severe chest injuries from the attack that arriving paramedics could see his heart through his wounds. Michael O'Neill of Nederland, Colorado speaks frankly about sinking a knife into the attacking pit bull to stop the animal from ripping out his femoral artery.

Each of the videos touches upon the unexpected nature of the attack and the tremendous violence of it. Both videos involve loose aggressive pit bulls in public spaces, demonstrating that these attacks can occur at nearly any time and anywhere. Robbie had been jogging in his neighborhood and Michael had just finished hiking when the attacks occurred. We have chosen to highlight adult victims and parents during this week because they often receive less attention from the media.

Robbie Nelson - Sydney, Australia (2013)

The vivid and personal account by Robbie Nelson will leave many readers feeling vulnerable to a vicious attack. Robbie was savagely mauled by three pit bulls while jogging in his neighborhood. It started with just one pit bull and then he realized -- as if in a dream -- there were two more. He recounts his attack as if still in a dream-like state, the very way many victims experience a violent dog attack in real time. He even talks about the "serenity" that sets in when close to death.

Robbie also talks about his emotional injuries, but as if he does not know that he is describing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. "I have visions when I fall asleep of them attacking me, you know like the actual reoccurrence of what happened? And I still lay there trying to figure out why, looking for some sort of answers," he said. "It's really, what's the word for it? Put my life in a different stance, a different approach? It's strange," he said, "like a bad wake up call that you didn't want."

I felt like a bump on the left-hand side of me and I looked down and saw one dog, a pit bull. I thought she was playing around then I realized she had my left hand in her mouth pulling me back … My brain did not fathom what was going on … I did not even know there were two other dogs, another one latched onto this side of my arm and … Now one had each of my arms … They were trying to pull me down and I knew if I went down I was in big trouble … I couldn't tear my arms out of the dog's mouth because it already had chunks -- I could see the meat coming off my bones … There was a moment there where the pain was like a 'serenity' type of thing? I don't know, I was on my way to passing… - Robbie Nelson
Michael O'Neil - Nederland, Colorado (2011)

Michael O'Neill and his wife were just finishing a hike in the forest north of Nederland when a pit bull suddenly flew up over the hill in a "flat-out sprint," knocked him to the ground and began ripping into his flesh. "It's not that he nipped me. It's not that he bit me. He mauled me," Michael said. "He tried to kill me, and that's a whole different thing." He spoke to the Daily Camera a month after his attack because he wants people to understand that pit bulls are a dangerous breed.

"I feel like I have a responsibility to the community," he said. What is uncommon about Michael's attack is that he was armed with a knife and was able to defend himself. He saved his own life. Part of the PTSD that victims experience after a violent dog attack is that they could do nothing to stop the dog. The massiveness of this vulnerability, which Michael mainly escaped, is haunting. "There's only one thing that saved me," Michael said. "I had a knife and knew how to use it."

There is no question in my mind that the dog was intent on killing me. From what the doctors tell me, that bite right at my femoral artery, if she had managed to rip that out, there is no question that I would have bled out. Last year, I lost my dog to a big cat, we live up in the mountains. Since that time, when I go out in the forest country, I have carried a knife with me -- ready to defend myself in the case of a cat attack, I never expected to have a dog attack ... As he was ripping at the area over my femoral artery in my leg, I was able to sink the knife into him pretty deeply ... From everything I understand, pit bulls are not easy to give up their bite once they have something in their mouth. I was fortunate... - Michael O'Neill
Many more videos of victims sharing their histories are located on the Victim Videos page.

This blog post is part of a special series DogsBite.org is running for the first ever Canine Victims Awareness Week, November 9-15, 2014. Learn more by visiting the AVOCA website.

Suggested hashtags: #WontBackDown #CanineVictimsAwarenessWeek #VoicesoftheVictims

Related articles:
11/10/14: Canine Attack Victims' Group Releases PSA: "Won't Back Down" - AVOCA
07/24/14: Nonprofits Urge CDC to Resume Tracking Richer Data Set for Children and Adults...
06/25/14: Total Chaos: Husband Recounts Violent Pit Bull Attack Inside Patrolled, Gated...
04/30/14: Pit Bull Attack Survivor Attends Court Hearing and The Universal Prayer for All...
09/17/12: Irish Radio Airs Documentary of Man Mauled to Death by Pit Bulls in MalaysiaColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/two-men-share-their-stories-of-life-threatening-pit-bull-attacks.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-53203293839057855452014-11-10T08:05:00.001-06:002014-11-15T09:33:59.337-06:00Canine Attack Victims' Group Releases Public Service Announcement: Won't Back Down
Launches First Ever Canine Victims Awareness Week

Won't Back Down
East Troy, WI - Today a national ad hoc coalition, Awareness for Victims of Canine Attack (AVOCA), releases its first Public Service Announcement to kick off the very first Canine Victims Awareness Week, November 9-15, 2014. The PSA titled, "Won't Back Down," was conceived as part of an ongoing campaign to help prevent fatal and disfiguring dog attacks, according to their news release. The video is located on the AVOCA website: www.VoicesoftheVictims.org.

The short film features the Tom Petty music track, "Won't Back Down," performed by Jimmy Solesky. His brother, Dominic Solesky, survived a near fatal pit bull attack in Towson, Maryland in April 2007. Dominic's attack was the basis of the landmark appellate decision, Tracey v. Solesky (2012), that declared pit bulls "inherently dangerous" and attached strict liability when a pit bull attacks a person. In April 2014, the Maryland legislature muted the Court of Appeals ruling.1

The emotional PSA features dozens of photos of family members, dog attack survivors and community safety advocates holding signs with the hashtag #WontBackDown. Grieving family members, survivors and advocates appearing in the PSA come from 16 different states including, Alabama, California, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

Readers will recognize some of these survivors and advocates from serious and fatal dog attack stories published on the DogsBite blog.
The filmmaker, MJ Maly, works in the advocacy movement under a pseudonym. Maly was moved to help victims raise awareness about this public safety threat after friends lost their child in a violent pit bull attack. The filmmaker has chosen to stay anonymous, according to the news release, to avoid being targeted and harassed by pit bull promoters, as has happened to other advocates who have spoken out against the dangers of keeping fighting breeds as family pets.

Read full new release: Canine Attack Victims Release Public Service Announcement

Why Do They Target and Harass?

This harassment is not limited to advocates either. The same abuse is unleashed on television news stations, national and local news publications and the individual reporters themselves who report the alarming number of fatalities, maulings and "bite" statistics attributed to pit bulls. The abuse is also directed at animal behaviorists, expert trainers, shelter workers and animal publications that speak frankly about the "well earned" dangerous reputation of the pit bull breed.

Since the launch of DogsBite.org in October 2007, we have seen this harassment escalate and grow more venomous in social media attacks. It has grown from infantile emails to DogsBite, "We've reported you to the FBI," to damaging professional reputations. Why do the pit bull promoters do it? To silence people and organizations about the dangerous breed issue. Such practices have been delivering good results for the promoters for 30-years. Why stop now?

Especially since it is easier than ever today to harm personal and professional reputations due to the Internet and social media.
The title of the PSA, "Won't Back Down," is a very apt title for today's era, as new victims' groups form, formerly quiet advocates speak out and a growing body of evidence proves to many media members that -- "Good dragons under the control of bad people do bad things"2 -- is nonsense and serves only to inflict more preventable, horrific injuries on innocent victims. Today's era should strike fear into the hearts of the promoters: There are many of us now and We Won't Back Down.

This blog post is part of a special series DogsBite.org is running for the first ever Canine Victims Awareness Week, November 9-15, 2014. Learn more by visiting the AVOCA website.

Suggested hashtags: #WontBackDown #CanineVictimsAwarenessWeek #VoicesoftheVictims

1New law reigns in Maryland, but the value of the Solesky decision in 49 other states is not lost. Learn more.
2The quoted phrase is from the "rebuttal" to the June 2014 Time article by Charlotte Alter (The Problem With Pit Bulls). The rebuttal is so packed with 1980s and 1990s pit bull fallacies, that we are not even linking to it.

Related articles:
07/24/14: Nonprofits Urge CDC to Resume Tracking Richer Data Set for Children and Adults...
06/02/14: Maryland Legislature Mutes Landmark Ruling, Tracey v. Solesky, During 2014...
03/19/14: 30-Year Anniversary of Historic Pit Bull Attack Victim and The Village of Tijeras...
04/17/13: Maryland High Court Ruling Stands: Pit Bulls are 'Inherently Dangerous'
08/21/12: Maryland Court of Appeals Narrows Decision to Pit Bulls; Removes Cross...
04/30/12: Maryland Court of Appeals Holds Pit Bull Owners and Landlords Accountable Colleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/video-wont-back-down-canine-attack-victims.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-83481919005388263472014-11-06T21:03:00.001-06:002014-11-06T22:13:37.459-06:00Woman and Her Dog Attacked by a Pit Bull While Camping at Michigan State Park Campground
Asks: If States and Cities Can Have BSL, Why Not State Parks?

Click an image to see a larger version and description on the DogsBite.org Facebook Page.

Michigan - A woman recently emailed us parts of her attack story, both she and her Goldendoodle were viciously attacked by a pit bull while visiting a state park. She was with her husband and friends sitting around her fire pit at her campsite when the pit bull suddenly appeared. She said she would have posted her photos to her own Facebook page, but "Amazingly," she wrote, "my friends and family have already been cruel enough in defending the 'friendliness' of pit bulls."

We were sitting around OUR fire pit on OUR lot at a state park when the pit bull quietly came onto our lot. He walked between all of us and the fire pit, passed my dog, turned around, stood in front of him for a second then attacked him. It was HORRIFIC. He brought him down and my dog went submissive, got several wounds on his stomach. Then the pit bull dragged him by his head. When I tried to save my dog, he came after me.
Afterward, I tried to find out why they weren't banned from such a family friendly place (A STATE PARK CAMPGROUND!!!) and they said they could not ban a specific breed. People can't believe a little 35-40 pound pit bull could bring down my 110 pound Goldendoodle. They certainly can, instantly!
My attack never made the news because the police weren't called. I wish it had made the news, people should know that these monsters are allowed in campgrounds filled with children! If it were an hour earlier, there would have been 2 year olds sitting in little chairs around the fire ... it could have been THEM in the jaws. - Goldendoodle owner
Her writing is so immediate and jarring -- exactly how these attack occur -- that we asked if she would share more with DogsBite readers. What follows is an extended account of what happened based on a series of follow up questions that we asked. Like most people, until that night at the state park campsite, she could not have imagined what such an attack entails. Underlined text portions (our emphasis) indicate that these areas are discussed at the bottom of this blog post.

What happened after the attack?

After the dog let go of me, I felt the blood gushing in my jacket and took it off. I had no idea how badly I was hurt. Everyone started scrambling for a towel because the blood was just gushing out. I, however, was trying to get my dog into the camper because I did NOT KNOW if the pit bull was secure, I only knew he let go of me. My husband managed to secure the dog by looping MY dog's leash around its neck and holding it between its legs. There was blood all over the camper door from me trying to take care of my dog. Everyone was telling me not to worry about my dog and that I had to go to the hospital NOW! My husband grabbed me and put me in the car before I even knew how badly my dog was hurt. I had him call about 6 times from the hospital to check on his injuries.
The owners showed up after we got in the car and headed to the hospital. That was about 10:30 pm. All they said was: "That's my dog, I'll take him." They NEVER asked WHAT HAPPENED or if anyone was hurt!!!! - Goldendoodle owner
What happened at the vet?

I don't get out of the hospital until after midnight. We brought our dog into the local vet the next day, which was a NIGHTMARE. The desk clerk was really nice when we got there and asked what happened. We waited forever to get in. They shaved him, cleaned out the wounds, and gave him some antibiotic pills. We didn't realize how bad it was until he was shaved. Our vet bills total over $400. My husband had gone to run an errand and while I was waiting for him in the waiting room, a lot of other dog owners coming in SAW my dog and of course asked "WHAT HAPPENED?"
At the time I was trying to be discrete and only said "He was attacked by another dog". And EVERY SINGLE PERSON asked "What kind of dog?" So I told them. None were surprised and most said "of course." As I was re-telling the events to about the 3rd person, the desk clerk, who had been SO friendly when no one was there, told me "You can go wait in that room over there!" I got the feeling she was upset that I was telling people about this HORRIBLE PIT BULL!!! I had to go sit in a separate room so that people coming in wouldn't see me and hear what happened!
Luckily, my husband pulled up right after she said that, so I just glared at her and headed out the door. I wasn't educated about pit bulls at the time. I had watched Cesar Milan and heard how "it's all how you raise them" until my attack. After almost witnessing the death of my dog to the pit bull, I educated myself and have been trying to educate others. Getting a lot of backlash from friends and even FAMILY members. - Goldendoodle owner
Reaction to the incident report?

The incident report states that their dog had some "bite marks" on the top of its head. Those are not bite marks. That dog was being kicked and hit in the head with a camp chair. My dog never got a bite in! He rolled over in submission almost immediately and the pit bull bit him in the stomach!!
Also, "(the owner) stated that (the pit bull) likes people but doesn't like new dogs." So, bring him to a state park which is known for having a lot of dogs and kids and then don't keep your eye on it? Let it wander off your site at 10:30 pm and not even notice, even when blood-curdling screams are coming from a few streets over? By the way, I don't think this dog should be around people either!
- Goldendoodle owner
How is your world and life today?

I have started writing a letter to the Department of National Resources headquarters about banning dangerous dogs from the state park. They said it can't be done, but if countries, states, and counties can have BSL, so can state parks!
MY PTSD is so bad, I can't go for walks, I practically RUN in and out of my house to get me and my kids into my car, and EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I am outside, I am looking everywhere for a pit bull. I don't let my kids play outside because I saw someone walking a white and black pit bull down our country road. Scenarios run through my head about them coming after me, my children and my dog. I have nightmares EVERY NIGHT about them coming after my kids. The emotional damage from this attack far outweighs the physical damage done to me and our family pet! - Goldendoodle owner
Discussion Notes

The difficulty of both human and animal injuries (Everyone was telling me not to worry about my dog and that I had to go to the hospital NOW!) The most common pit bull attack involves the dog attacking a pet dog -- pit bulls were selectively bred to attack and kill dogs in a fighting pit. In many cases, one or more persons are injured trying to save their dog from certain death. Without immediate human intervention these attacks usually result in the death of the pet dog. Injured humans and animals are treated at different facilities -- two different types of hospitals. Immediate medical attention is often required; so both victims may be gone from the scene by the time police arrive. This often adds to the difficulty of identifying the owner of the attacking pit bull. Fortunately, her friends were on scene when park officials arrived.

Predictable pit bull owners (They NEVER asked WHAT HAPPENED or if anyone was hurt!!!!) This always comes as a complete shock to victims. They cannot understand the mindset of pit bull owners. This mindset, however, is a dime-a-dozen amongst pit bull owners and is termed "narcipitism." Maul Talk Manual - Narcipitism was coined to describe the classic pit bull owner who does not apologize or even solicit information about the welfare of a person who was seriously injured by their dog. Narcipitism initially comes as a shock to pit bull attack victims, who can't imagine this psychological condition. Most often, people who chose to own pit bulls are not normal dog owners. Readers must recognize this truth before an attack. Having to "see it to believe it" is the most painful way to reach this realization.

A question victims can always count on (And EVERY SINGLE PERSON asked "What kind of dog?") We commonly tell victims that there is no need to include "breed" when recounting your attack to friends, relatives, co-workers, hospital workers and others. As the Goldendoodle owner expresses, "every single person" will ask you, "What kind of dog?" For feisty victims who want to pursue this debate with others, we tell them to fire back: "What kind of dog do you think it was?" We promise this will result in an unforgettable expression by the initial questioner. This is all rhetorical, as the person who asked "What kind of dog?" already knows the answer to the question. But, allowing a person to fully conclude this answer on their own helps he or she validate what they already suspected was true!

The myth that gets children killed and leads to an obscene number of serious injuries (I had watched Cesar Milan and heard how "it's all how you raise them" until my attack.) As we describe in Essay of a Fatal Pit Bull Mauling: "However, when one looks at the situation in this light -- which groups are spreading the false myths, which groups fail to refute these myths and how many entertainment and news organizations broadcast these myths -- one must also ask: Where can a person go to receive reliable information about this dog breed? Usually, a person only finds DogsBite.org when it's too late." Currently, a death row pit bull from Texas that was "saved" and rehabilitated at Cesar Milan's Dog Psychology Center after attacking a woman is now on death row in California for attacking two more people.

Painful and real backlash (Getting a lot of backlash from friends and even FAMILY members). Unfortunately, the dangerous myth, "it's all how you raise them," propagated by veterinarians, animal welfare organizations, megastar Cesar Milan, a host of cable TV shows and print media is a tough myth to dispel. As addressed in the essay: "From a psychological standpoint, the simplest form of the myth, "It's the owner," answers all of the questions to an average person about the dangerous breed issue. Challenging this belief disrupts and threatens the beholder's world." Add to this that since the conviction of Michael Vick (post 2007), there has been a growing backlash about saying anything negative about pit bulls at all, despite the fact that they kill more human beings than all other dog breeds combined.

Pit bulls often ignore dog signals (He rolled over in submission almost immediately and the pit bit him in the stomach!!) Randall Lockwood, PhD: "Likewise, [pit bulls] are disrespectful of the traditional signs of submission and appeasement … most dogs are hardwired to respond to a display of submission by cutting off aggression because it means you have won. But if you are a fighting dog and the object is to inflict the most damage possible, a submissive gesture is just a new opening. In the early 80's, I started hearing from the Humane Society ... They would put that dog into a pen with a German Shepherd, and the German Shepherd speaks "dog," ... and the German Shepherd would go belly up, and the pit bull would just disembowel him. They don't speak that language. They ignore that signal."

Known dog aggression is unacceptable in the 21st Century (Also, "(the owner) stated that (the pit bull) likes people but doesn't like new dogs.") Pit bull owners, rescuers and advocates, along with a countless number of animal welfare groups, no-kill groups and shelters, adopt out dogs, primarily pit bulls, with known dog aggression. While misguided or wishful thinking may be behind their actions, such actions lead to a public safety nightmare, which is another reason why these groups have zero business operating in or influencing the area of public safety. There is no neighborhood or public place where a known "dog-aggressive" dog is safe. Humans error, a door is opened, out bolts the pit bull that destroys a dog being walked on its leash and sends that pet dog's owner to the nearest emergency room.

Emotional injury is underreported and underemphasized (The emotional damage from this attack far outweighs the physical damage done to me and our family pet!) Readers must understand how painfully significant, yet under researched, emotional injury is following a violent dog attack. The description by the Goldendoodle owner is 100% on mark. Part of this trauma stems from the sudden and uncontrollable nature of these violent attacks. They can happen at anytime and just about anywhere. For most of us, unless a policeman is within yelling distance, you are Shit Out of Luck. Some of this trauma will fade for the Goldendoodle over time, but it never fully goes away. You can never go back to the person you were before the violent dog attack. We are sorry to be the bearer of this bad news.

We thank this Goldendoodle owner so much for sharing her important story! Our hearts go out to her and her dog. Her sharing this story will prevent new attacks and inspire new advocates. Thank you so much! Below is a photo of her dear Goldendoodle before being mauled by a pit bull.

Related articles:
05/07/14: Letter: After Pit Bull Kills Dog and Maims Man, Victims Seek to Advance Public...
08/29/13: East Texas Woman Severely Mauled by Pit Bull at 'Dog Friendly' Private RV Park
05/31/13: DogsBite.org Featured as Guest Columnist in Support of Pit Bull BansColleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/woman-and-dog-attacked-by-pit-bull-at-michigan-state-park-campsite.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-91357933010197569062014-11-06T15:01:00.000-06:002014-11-06T15:14:51.480-06:00Follow Our Blog and Twitter Feed as We Report Election Results for the Aurora, Colorado Pit Bull Ban
Tune in After 7pm Mountain Time for Live Election Results

UPDATE: Thursday, 1:50 pm Mountain Time
Difficulties in counting ballots in Adams County has left at least two important candidate races uncalled in Colorado. The county still has about 10,000 ballots to count, according to the Aurora Sentinel. It is unclear what portion of the remaining ballots affects Aurora. Current results for Proposition 2D show a 65% to 35% margin in Arapahoe County, 72% to 28% margin in Douglas County and a 62% to 38% margin in Adams County. Combined, 65% of Aurora citizens voted no.

UPDATE: Wednesday, 10:55 am Mountain Time
More ballot numbers rolled in over the course of the night. The latest results of the combined counties show that 66% voted no and 33.5% voted yes. The Aurora Sentinel tweeted earlier that Adams County still has 25,000 ballots to count, but only a portion involve Aurora. The current margin is similar to the Miami-Dade pit bull ban vote in 2012, which had a 63% to 37% margin. That vote, however, was a county primary in August, not a general elections vote in November.

UPDATE: Tuesday, 10:32 pm Mountain Time
The Aurora Sentinel election blog now reports that, "By a 2-to-1 margin, Aurora voters say they don't want pit bulls to return to the city, based on early returns. With more than 70,000 votes counted across Adams and Arapahoe counties so far, voters have overwhelmingly said no to Aurora ballot question 2D, which would lift the city's 9-year-old ban on the dogs. In Arapahoe County, 68 percent of voters said no. In Adams County, 63 percent voted against lifting the ban."

UPDATE: Tuesday, 8:08 pm Mountain Time
First results in from two counties now -- Aurora is part of three counties. So far, Aurora voters are showing OVERWHELMING support of the city's pit bull ban. It is over a 2 to 1 margin. Douglas County is a growing area of Aurora, but still only contains small voting numbers. The founder of DogsBite.org told Colorado Public Radio on Oct. 28, "We'd like to see more city councils putting it on the ballot. Our theory is that the majority of Americans don't want to live next door to a pit bull."

UPDATE: Tuesday, 7:47 pm Mountain Time
First returns are in -- first returns consist mainly of mail-in ballots. Second returns are expected at about 8:00 pm Mountain Time and will include ballots cast today. First returns for Proposition 2D show that Aurora's 9-year old pit bull ban is so far being upheld by voters by a large margin. The language specifically is: Shall the people of Aurora adopt an ordinance allowing pit bulls back into their city? So far into the evening, 46,449 have voted No and 21,158 have voted Yes.

UPDATE: Tuesday, 5:45 pm Mountain Time
A hot tipper from the Aurora, Colorado area writes into DogsBite.org that CBS News is reporting a whopping 55% turnout in Colorado for the 2014 midterms -- 1.6 million ballots. First returns are expected to be reported shortly after 7:00 pm Mountain Time -- immediately after the polls close -- and will consist mainly of the mail-in ballots. The second report will be around 8:00 pm Mountain Time. This latter report should be the most telling, as it will be updated with ballots cast today.

UPDATE: Tuesday, 2:15 pm Mountain Time
The Arapahoe County Elections website (ArapahoeVotes.com) went offline for over 5 hours today. Arapahoe County is one of three counties that is part of Aurora. Local county officials blamed the Florida vendor that manages the website. The site came back online at about 2:15 pm. In other Aurora news, as of yesterday, Aurora police have still not located the alleged "aerial attacking" pit bull that leapt from a second story balcony and attacked and killed a small shih tzu last week.

Aurora, CO - Welcome to Election Day 2014 readers. Today marks an historic day for our cause as citizens of Aurora vote on their pit bull ban. This is the first general election to determine this issue. In 2012, during a primary election, the citizens of Miami-Dade County voted to keep their pit bull ban by a 63% margin. Today and after the polls close in Aurora, we will be live tweeting election news for Proposition 2D and following the Aurora Sentinel election blog and Twitter feed.

Follow the DogsBite.org Twitter feed and related conversations on our Facebook page.

Many parts of the country are watching the Colorado midterm election this year because this is the first major election since the state shifted to all mail-in ballots in 2013. There are also several key congressional races in the state; one is Aurora-centered as well. The City of Aurora is part of three counties, Arapahoe County, Adams County and Douglas County, so election results will be compiled from three areas. When the results become available, they will also be published here.

Rules and Sample Ballots

The county clerk must receive all ballots by 7:00 pm on November 4. This means received, not postmarked (military and overseas voters have eight more days to get their ballots in). There are also designated ballot drop-off locations in each county. To see a sample ballot for each county -- Proposition 2D is the fourth Aurora initiative -- please click one of the following: Arapahoe County Sample Ballot, Adams County Sample Ballot and Douglas County Sample Ballot.

Past Aurora Sentinel Coverage

The Aurora Sentinel has been covering the city's pit bull ban for a number of years. Most recently they published an editorial about Proposition 2D, covered the October advertising "drama" instigated by pit bull devotees after Daxton's Friends placed an advertisement in "YourHub" and picked up the AP article, Aurora pit bull vote could spur a national trend. In May, the PerryBlog responded to the Aurora City Council's decision to place the measure on the November ballot.

Colorado Cities with Pit Bull Laws

View Colorado Breed-Specific Laws in a larger map

Related articles:
10/14/14: Aurora Citizens: Do Not Allow Pit Bulls Back into Aurora
09/17/13: Dramatic Decline in Attacks by Pit Bulls Since Pawtucket Adopted Pit Bull Ban in 2004
08/16/12: Vote in Miami-Dade County to Repeal Pit Bull Ban Fails by Wide Margin
08/25/09: The History of the Denver Pit Bull Ban and the Victims that Prompted New LawColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/follow-our-blog-aurora-pit-bull-ban-election-results.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-13209212051537318932014-11-04T10:45:00.000-06:002014-11-04T22:46:10.921-06:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Modesto Man, Critically Injure Another
Survivor Recounts Attack
<psan class="orange">UPDATE 11/04/14:</psan> Maria Fernandez, 77, was initially treated in an intensive care unit for multiple traumatic injuries after four pit bulls belonging to her next-door neighbor viciously attacked her and her son. Maria is now recovering at Evergreen Nursing and Rehabilitation Care. Among other injuries, both of her hands were broken during the attack and her right leg was broken below the knee. Her son, Juan Fernandez, 54, suffered so many critical injuries that he did not survive.

Maria told The Modesto Bee the dogs had come onto her property two or three times in the past after digging a hole between the yards. Each time, the animals were returned to the neighboring property and the neighbors patched up the fence. The dogs often barked at them, Maria said. She was afraid of the animals. She said that both she and her son were inside on October 14 when Juan saw the pit bulls in their yard again. He went outside and she soon heard him shouting.

The dogs were attacking him. She grabbed a broom and rushed outside. The pack of pit bulls then turned their attention on her, knocking her to the ground. "I put my arms over my face, and they were biting my arms," Maria said. She was able to get to her feet with her son's help. The dogs then resumed their vicious attack on Juan, which ended in his death the next day. Maria was able to get back into her home and collapse on the couch, one leg bleeding from a serious wound.

"I try not to think about it. Sometimes it gets into my mind, and I try to get it out of my mind." - Maria Fernandez said of the attack
Two family members said the owners of the pit bulls moved away after the attack.1 Her sister, Guadalupe Vela of Mercedes, Texas, took a bus 1,900 miles from south Texas to Modesto upon learning of the attack, where another sister joined her. The two have been raising funds to pay for Juan Fernandez's funeral and burial. So far family members have raised about $1,000 by placing donation cans at businesses and flea markets. They still need to raise about $2,600 more.

Related video

11/01/14: Bold Local Editorial: Bring Charges
The Modesto Bee published a powerful editorial about this horrific fatal dog attack on Friday (Pit bulls can be deadly; hold owners accountable). On October 14, Juan Fernandez, 54-years old, and his mother, Maria Fernandez, 77-years old, were savagely mauled in their own yard by a pack of pit bulls owned by their neighbor. Juan did not survive his traumatic injuries, it is a miracle that his mother did. The Modesto Bee editors believe the deadly attack warrants criminal charges.

"Four pit bulls equal danger," said attorney Kenneth M. Phillips, the leading California attorney in dog-bite cases. "When you have a dangerous condition, you have to take steps to correct it."
The editorial questions the bizarre lack of laws to prosecute owners of uncontrolled recognized dangerous dog breeds. "A rolling car, an exploding gas can, a random gunshot all would likely result in charges. Why not death by dogs?" states the editorial. It adds, "Where is the justice if a death is insufficient for charging the owner of four pit bulls -- a breed known for its violent attacks on humans and other animals?" These are excellent questions that lawmakers need to answer.

The editorial also questions the sanity of "pit bull glorifying" TV shows. "Some people, unable to own a gun, get a pit bull. You can watch them on the TV show 'Pit Bulls and Parolees' on Animal Planet," states the editorial. Renowned dog bite attorney Kenneth Phillips, who is featured in the editorial, adds, "You've got this whole bunch of people not allowed to carry weapons so they arm themselves with pit bulls and somehow this has turned into a TV series to glorify them."

The editorial asks that lawmakers "step up and fix" antiquated county and state laws that fail to hold a dog owner responsible, in this case after killing one person and critically injuring another. Some suggestions include: alarming their fences, "just as gates in fences around swimming pools are alarmed" or requiring owners of aggressive breeds to double fence their property or, at the very least, require people who own these kinds of dogs to carry significant liability coverage.

Finally, the editorial sees through the nonsense of pit bull devotees, who never offer solutions beyond, "loving away the ferocity of these aggressive breeds." The carnage is piling up and has been for over 30-years. Excuses for lawmakers are running thin. Many states can't even criminally prosecute the most egregious attacks involving loose aggressive breeds killing an innocent person who is on the their own property, as this case and the death of Klonda Richey in Ohio shows.

10/21/14: Mauling Survivor is Improving
On Monday, The Modesto Bee reported the first update on the medical condition of 77-year old Maria Fernandez. She was placed into a medically induced coma after four pit bulls belonging to her neighbor critically injured her and mauled her son to death last week. Maria has been transferred out of the intensive care unit and is expected to survive, according to Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson. She remains hospitalized, but is now listed in stable condition.

An autopsy conducted Monday on her son, 54-year old Juan Fernandez, determined that he died from massive blood loss when he was attacked by four pit bulls on October 14 at his Glenn Avenue home. He suffered multiple traumatic injuries and died the next day. Due to the extent of his injuries, the pathologist could not determine how many bites had been inflicted, according to Detective Josh Sandoval. Arriving Stanislaus County deputies shot and killed all four pit bulls.

The investigation continues with conflicting media reports. Sandoval states in The Modesto Bee article, "Evidence at the scene shows that both victims were present in the backyard; however, there were no eyewitnesses to how the attack began." Deputies found Juan Fernandez unconscious and unresponsive in the backyard of his home. While searching his home, they discovered his mother inside with "multiple traumatic bite wounds," also attacked by the dogs.2

Sheriff "Braces" Public for Inexplicable

Since last week, Sheriff Christianson has been "bracing" media members and the public with the inexplicable reality that criminal charges are unlikely. It appears in Stanislaus County one can own four pit bulls that escape their fenced property, maul a man to death in his own backyard, then in a vicious "home-invasion" attack, nearly maul to his mother to death too. We pray that Maria, now out of a medically induced coma, can provide sheriffs officials with crucial background details.

"We certainly want to hold someone criminally accountable for this tragedy. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that in order to charge a criminal act, there has to be a provable act of negligence. If we're unable to prove that the dog owner was negligent in some form or fashion, there's no way we'll be able to present a prosecutable case to the district attorney." - Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson
The sheriff's answer suffices after a 1984 fatal pack attack, but fails miserably 30-years later and 315 dead Americans later, all killed by pit bulls. Attorney Kenneth Phillips stated last week, "There is definitely a criminal angle. You have four pit bulls, pit bulls are known to be dangerous, dogs in a pack are known to be dangerous and it's illegal for them to be out. This would be like owning four loaded guns, and if you have four loaded guns, you don't leave them out, you lock them up."3

10/15/14: Dog Mauling Victim Identified
The 54-year old victim has been identified.4 Juan Fernandez of Modesto died of multiple traumatic injuries inflicted by the dogs, authorities said Wednesday. His mother, 77-year old Maria Fernandez, remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma. The four pit bulls belonged to the victims' neighbors and got into the victims' yard by digging a hole under a shared fence, according to Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson. The owners could face charges.

In order to pursue criminal charges, Christianson said authorities would have to show that the owners of the pit bulls were negligent. "There is still a lot of work to do," he said. "We have to be able to finish the investigation to determine what happened that led up to this tragedy," Christianson said. Investigators will be looking to see whether the dogs had a history of vicious behavior or any contact with animal control prior to the attack concerning bites or vicious behavior.

Similar Circumstances, Dog Owners Charged

In 2011, San Diego County authorities criminally charged a mother and daughter after their two pit bulls crawled through a hole in the fence and brutally mauled their neighbor, 75-year old Emako Mendoza. The victim suffered catastrophic injuries requiring multiple surgeries and two amputations, and arm and a leg. Alba Cornelio and her daughter, Carla Cornelio, were charged with serious bodily injury from a mischievous animal, a felony, along with multiple misdemeanors.

Six months later, on Christmas Eve, Emako died. A few weeks before her death, she underwent a third amputation, her remaining leg, due infection within the bone. Prosecutors increased charges to involuntary manslaughter, death from a mischievous animal and multiple misdemeanors. In February 2013, a jury found both women guilty on all charges. Carla Cornelio, 21, was sentenced to 4-years in prison. Her mother Alba Cornelio died of medical issues prior to being sentenced.

10/15/14: Man Dies After Pit Bull Attack
Modesto, CA - In a developing story, a 54-year old man horrifically mauled by pit bulls Tuesday night has died from his injuries, according to sheriff's officials. The man's 77-year old mother, who was also violently attacked by the dogs, remains in critical condition at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto. At this time sheriff's investigators are still trying to learn who owns the four pit bulls that were involved in the mauling, according to Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson.

On Tuesday at about 5:45 pm, deputies responded to a home on the 800 block of Glenn Avenue. The location is very close to Bret Harte Elementary School. Deputies arrived to three pit bulls mauling a man in the backyard; the fourth pit bull was circling the vicious attack. They shot and killed two of the pit bulls immediately then later shot the other two as well. Deputies found the injured female victim inside the house; she had also been attacked by the same pit bulls.

Sheriff Adam Christianson told CBS San Francisco, "We've seen bites involving pit bulls before. But never four dogs on a single human being to the point that the victim in this case was unconscious and unresponsive." Christianson said the dogs were from the neighborhood, but the identities of the owner(s) is still undetermined. Neighbors said they had seen the dogs loose in the area before. The investigation is ongoing. The names of the victims have not been released.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: California Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

1Moved or fled the country? The latter would not be the first time after a serious or fatal dog attack. Yet another reason to arrest the dog's owner as soon as possible after an attack of these circumstances.
2Sheriff Christianson said last week, "She was attacked inside the residence, so we're trying to piece together all the facts and circumstances..." Also, there were witnesses when the pit bulls brutally mauled her son.
3A fatal pack attack involving four at large pit bulls -- or other recognized dangerous dog breed -- should be sufficient in proving negligence.
4The deceased victim's age is being reported as 54 and 59.

Related articles:
11/03/14: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Antelope Valley Woman Mauled to Death by Pit Bulls
11/22/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Stockton Woman Killed by a 'Big, Nasty Pit Bull'
09/25/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: 2-Year Old Boy Killed by Relative's Pit Bulls in Colton
06/20/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Union City Boy, 6, Killed by Uncle's Pet Pit Bull
01/18/12: 2011 Dog Bite Fatality: Victim of Catastrophic Pit Bull Injury Dies on Christmas Eve

Photo: KCRA.comColleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/10/2014-dog-bite-fatality-pit-bulls-kill-modesto-man.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-1029469549361450892014-11-03T13:56:00.001-06:002014-11-20T13:50:36.454-06:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Violent Pit Bull Attack in Robeson County
Dog Mauling Victim Dies
Rowland, NC - On October 25, 83-year old Alemeaner Dial suffered catastrophic injuries inflicted by four pit bulls belonging to her granddaughter. She had been sitting on her front porch when the dogs pulled her off and mauled her. She was taken to New Hanover Medical Center then airlifted to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. Six days later, it was reported that Dial was taken off life support and near death. Family members confirmed today that she passed away late Sunday night.

The attacking pit bulls were two adults, a 3-year old male and 2-year old female, and two puppies, according to Robeson County Health Director Bill Smith. The attack occurred at Dial's home on Gaddy's Mill Road last Saturday evening. She had been sitting on her porch when the dogs attacked her, Smith said. One of her grandson's was alerted to the attack and shot and killed one pit bull, the three others fled, but were later caught by animal control and euthanized, Smith said.

The pit bulls belonged to Dial's granddaughter. She and her dogs moved into Dial's home over the summer, according to Dial's daughter-in-law, Linda Dial. A neighbor called Linda and alerted her to the attack, she said. Linda's family rushed over to Dial's home, about a quarter of a mile away from their own. She said her son, Johnathan Dial, kicked the dogs off Dial and shot and killed one. Linda said the dogs ripped off her ears, tore out her hair and mutilated her arms and legs.

These are well thought of people. She doesn't deserve this. Nobody deserves to be mutilated by dogs. - Linda Dial, Robesonian.com, October 30, 2014
The Robesonian.com reported additional details last week. Linda said that a nurse at New Hanover Medical Center, where Dial was initially transported, said that she'd never seen a patient in such condition. "She said they were not equipped to handle such a severe patient," Linda said. Alemeaner Dial was then airlifted to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and placed on life support. "They're telling us that if she survives she may lose all or some of her extremities," Linda said.

Linda had been concerned enough about these dogs to contact police and the Department of Social Services. Her mother-in-law had dementia and used a walker, according to Linda. "Nobody foresaw this, but everybody knew it was a dangerous situation," Linda said. After deputies and animal control arrived on scene, Linda confronted them, saying, "We've been trying to get you guys to do something for months." All county officials could say was, "We know, we're so sorry."

According to Linda Dial, family members and neighbors had repeatedly asked that the dogs, which she said roamed in a large fenced in area, be restrained. She said the dogs were known to be vicious and had caused trouble in the neighborhood before.
"Nobody foresaw this, but everybody knew it was a dangerous situation," Linda Dial said. "Everybody said 'something has got to happen, we just hope they don't bother Miss Dial.'" According to Linda, her mother-in-law has dementia and uses a walker.
Linda said the family had called police and the Department of Social Services trying to get someone to intervene. She brought this up when sheriff's deputies and animal control officers arrived.
"We told them we've been trying to get you guys to do something for months and they said 'we know, we're so sorry, we're so sorry," she said. - Robesonian.com, October 30, 2014
"We're So Sorry" Is Not Good Enough

In yet another animal control and county policy fail resulting in a preventable fatal dog attack, one has to wonder how many more people have to suffer a barbaric "mutilation" dog mauling death before "reasonable" change is implemented? This is the 21st Century, not the Medieval period. Considerable blame must be pinned on the victim's granddaughter as well, who did not just own a couple of pit bulls, but was running a homespun pit bull breeding operation out of Dial's home.

In 2012, there was another fatal pit bull attack in Robeson County. 53-year old Mary Jo Hunt was mauled to death by seven rescued pit bulls at a home she shared with her sister on Sharon Lane. At the time of the attack, Hunt worked for Robeson County Claws and Paws Rescue. All of the pit bulls involved in the fatal attack had been up for adoption through the rescue. Sheriff's authorities said the victim was trying to break up a dog fight when the dogs turned on her and attacked.

Recent North Carolina Dog Bite Fatalities:

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Alemeaner Dial, 83-years old (Rowland, NC)

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Nyhiem Wilfong, 1-year old (Caldwell County, NC)

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Braelynn Coulter, 3-years old (High Point, NC)

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Katherine Atkins, 25-years old (Kernersville, NC)

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Dixie Jennings, 3-months old (Yadkinville, NC)

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Mary Jo Hunt, 53-years old (Pembroke, NC)

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: James Hudson, 10-months old (Hertford, NC)

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Eugene Cameron, 65-years old (Roxboro, NC)

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: North Carolina Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

One of four pit bulls owned by Lydia Hoyes that horrifically attacked and killed Alemeaner Dial.

Related articles:
06/11/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Comal County Woman, 75, Dies After Pit Bull Attack
06/03/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Connecticut Woman, 93, Dies after Vicious Attack...
04/25/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: San Antonio Woman, 83, Dies After Pit Bull Attack

Photo: FayObserver.comColleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/11/2014-dog-bite-fatality-woman-dies-after-violent-pit-bull-attack.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-33471443747985416872014-10-27T13:00:00.000-05:002014-10-28T11:19:04.070-05:00Detroit Man Suffers Catastrophic Injuries in Violent Pack Attack by Pit Bulls
Residence where over a dozen pit bulls were kept, at least 8 adult dogs.

Dog Owner Failed to Help
UPDATE 10/27/14: The victim of catastrophic pit bull injuries has spoken to police. When asked by police what the owner, Derrick Felton, did as his 12 pit bulls attacked him, Steve Constantine said, "I don't know. I think he ran away." Felton told police he could not help the man, "EMS came, so I left." Earlier reports stated that Felton was not home when the attack occurred. We now know this was untrue. Further, EMS could not immediately help, they had to wait for police to arrive.

Prior to the attack, Constantine was walking on Pennsylvania Street. He saw Felton outside and asked if he needed help feeding his dogs. The dogs then "started eating me alive," he said. Police have asked prosecutors to pursue a felony charge of harboring a vicious animal causing serious injury against Felton, but the decision is still pending. The Sam Bernstein Law Firm is representing Constantine in a civil lawsuit. They are suing Felton and his mother, who owns his residence.

Attorney Mark Bernstein said the firm is suing Felton's mother because landlords "who allow irresponsible, reckless tenants to engage in these types of behaviors" should assume some responsibility for what happens in the homes they own.
"We're going to ask for a meaningful amount of damages in order to send a message that these people need to be held accountable," Bernstein said. - Detroit Free Press, October 27, 2014
Constantine's sister, Cathy Hawley, is horrified about what happened to her younger brother. "The obstacles that Steve is going to face are beyond imagination," Hawley said. Constantine remains hospitalized at Detroit Receiving Hospital. He lost most of his left arm and a portion of his left leg, which was amputated, due to the vicious pit bull attack. His right arm was "opened to the bone" and the injuries to his right foot will require doctors to "fuse it to the ankle," according to Hawley.

Hawley also provided background about her brother. He graduated with honors from Mott High School in Warren, but mental illness struck when he was in his 20s. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, she said. He had been missing for a year when he was attacked. "Steve would give you the shirt off of his back. He was taken advantage of a lot," she said. Hawley only learned of the attack after being contacted by a Detroit Free Press reporter a week after the horrific mauling.

Related documents:
Steve Constantine and Derrick Felton statements
Detroit dog mauling lawsuit

10/22/14: Weighing Felony Charge
In a surprising development, the Wayne County Prosecutor's office is now weighing whether to charge the owner of a dozen pit bulls that nearly killed a man with a felony. A warrant request was submitted to the prosecutor's office on Tuesday seeking a felony charge against Derrick Felton, 61-years old, for harboring a vicious animal causing serious injury, according to Detroit police. The request is currently under review by the prosecutor's office. A decision will not be made this week.

Steve Constantine, 50-years old, remains hospitalized in critical condition at Detroit Receiving Hospital after surviving the brutal attack on October 2. The Detroit Free Press obtained recordings of the 911 calls, as well as a half-dozen police reports that provide gruesome details about the violent attack and the victim's horrific injuries. The pit bulls chewed off most of Constantine's left arm and removed "large chunks of flesh" from his arms and legs, according to police reports.

"Fearing for my safety and own well being, I … engaged the animal a second time, by discharging my firearm twice striking the animal twice, killing it," Sexton wrote, noting that he fired nine shots in all.
The reports list a grim array of injuries, with arms and legs ripped to the bone and dogs "eating the flesh" off a naked man. A friend, who visited Constantine days later at Detroit Receiving Hospital, said he had lost most of his left arm. - Detroit Free Press, October 22, 2014
The police report also details shots fired. Officer Adam Sexton wrote that he fired numerous times at the pack of pit bulls that were actively attacking Constantine, striking four. Most of the pack then fled, but one of the shot dogs dropped to the ground yelping, trying to take cover in a large bush. That pit bull then jumped to its feet and advanced his partner, who shot it twice. Now with at least three bullets in it, the same pit bull again charged Sexton, who shot it two more times killing it.

10/09/14: No Charges; Victim Identified
The owner of a dozen pit bulls that escaped his home and nearly mauled a man to death faces a handful of misdemeanor violations. Sgt. Michael Woody acknowledged that the case is "horrifying," but the citations are likely the extent of the penalties the dog owner faces. On October 2, at least a dozen pit bulls escaped from Derrick Felton's home and inflicted catastrophic injuries on an innocent passerby. Steve Constantine remains in critical condition unable to speak.

Police believe at least 12 pit bulls participated in the violent attack. All of the dogs have since been euthanized. Neighbors had complained a number of times about Felton's loose dogs, but there were no reports of the dogs attacking a person. Thus, the life-altering attack of Steve Constantine has no consequences. The best Detroit could do after the attack was to pin the citations and a brochure titled, "Pet Ownership in Detroit Your Rights and Responsibilities," to Felton's door.

Ron Gulledge, Constantine's roommate, rushed to the hospital after learning of the attack. "I talked to him and told him to be strong … and he nodded," Gulledge said. He described Constantine's injuries as different than initial reports. He said only a small portion of his upper left arm remains, his left leg now has rods in it and his right leg, arm and head are heavily bandaged. He said it looked like Constantine still has feet and one hand, but he could not see all of his fingers or toes.

"It's terrible," Gulledge said. "You don't wish nobody to get eaten alive."
We will add to his statement, "get eaten alive on a residential street by dogs," and afterward, "there are no repercussions for the dogs' owner." Annually, there are over 600 media reported disfiguring and maiming attacks by pit bulls alone across the country. There is no longer any excuse for cities and police authorities to lack criminal procedures after a horrific maiming attack, particularly when involving "loose" dogs. The previous history of the dogs does not matter.

People like Steve Constantine and Klonda Richey are paying with their lives for the indefensible lagging by local and state lawmakers to write and implement post 1985 criminal penalties for the owners of dogs that chew off the limbs of people like a bear or tiger would or leave their faces so disfigured that even 21st Century medicine does not know how to fix. As a man who lost his wife in a brutal dog attack last year voiced, "What kind of country is this? What protection do we have?"

10/04/14: Pit Bulls Inflict Catastrophic Injuries
Detroit, MI - A man suffered catastrophic injuries after being attacked by a pack of pit bulls Thursday night. The dogs "chewed off" the victim's hands and feet in the attack, according to Police Detective Michael Pacteles. The dogs were so vicious paramedics were forced to wait in their vehicles for police to arrive before they could help the man. Police shot and killed at least one pit bull; 12 other pit bulls were seized from Derrick Felton's home, the owner of the dogs.

"Because of the viciousness of the attack, the remaining pit bulls will be euthanized." - Detroit Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Woody
Andrew Sims lives a few houses away and witnessed part of the horrific attack. He told the Detroit Free Press the attack was more gruesome than anything he had seen during a tour in Vietnam. "They was aggressive. They didn't stop. I could just see them tugging, you know, pulling at him," Sims said. The mauling victim continues to remain unidentified -- he was not carrying identification when the dogs escaped through a side door of the owner's home and viciously attacked him.

As of Saturday afternoon, the victim remains in critical condition and unconcious at Detroit Receiving Hospital, according to Detroit Police Officer Adam Madera. Police have been unable to ask him any questions about his identity or the circumstances of the attack. Different reports have emerged about why the victim had been in the area at the time of the 10 pm attack, ranging from "unclear" reasons to he had been walking along the sidewalk near the dog owner's home.

Two videos by 7 Action News show police and animal control seizing the pit bulls and arresting the dogs' owner, Derrick Felton. They also interviewed neighbors who said the pit bulls were often seen running loose. A female neighbor, who was not identified, said, "Those dogs are vicious, I am not surprised," after learning about the violent attack. When asked if the dogs often got out she said, "Yes, a lot of times." Though the investigation is ongoing, dogfighting is not suspected.

In July, Craig Sytsma, 46-years old, was brutally killed by two cane corsos while jogging in Metamora Township, about 50 miles away from Detroit. The two owners of the cane corsos are currently standing trial for murder in the second-degree in connection to Sytsma's death.

Related articles:
09/13/14: Criminal Trial: Couple Charged with Second-Degree Murder After Cane Corsos...
09/11/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Type Dogs Attack, Strip Naked and Kill Dayton Woman
08/02/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Two Cane Corsos Brutally Attack and Kill Jogger in Metamora...
05/31/13: Westwego Woman Loses Eye, Ear and Both Arms After Pet Pit Bulls Attack
07/25/12: Bay County Animal Hospital Worker Suffers Catastrophic Injury in Pit Bull Attack
02/16/12: Orlando Woman Suffers Catastrophic Pit Bull Injury; Amputations Expected

Photos: WXYZ.com Colleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/10/detroit-man-suffers-catastrophic-injuries-pit-bull-attack.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-50802422871940058812014-10-24T13:28:00.000-05:002014-10-24T14:12:03.020-05:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Family Pit Bull in Cave City, Arkansas
Vicious Dog Ordinance
UPDATE 10/24/14: The mauling death of 75-year old Alice Payne by her pet pit bull on September 26 has prompted Cave City Council members to consider a vicious dog ordinance. In the days following the deadly attack, Cave City Police Chief Nate Stephens asked council members to consider one. The first discussion of the possible ordinance is set for October 28 at the Cave City City Hall. Stephens recently discussed pit bulls on the police department Facebook page:

"These dogs were bred to fight to death, bite harder, get stronger and be tougher. This breed is what is known as pit bulls. They get the name from the dogs being placed in pits to fight each other. These dogs weren't bred for intelligence, to be docile or make good pets. They were made to kill another man's dog. I have seen some pits that are really nice dogs. I have a friend who has one that will lick you to death. But you never know when a pit will go back to what it is bred to do. Some never do go back and continue to be good pets. However, it's a roll of the dice and you never know how they will fall. Statistics shows, that most will turn on their owners and usually a child of the owner. Some of them turn on whoever is handy when they decide to snap. Some say all dogs will bite and that is true, but pits are more likely to maul and finish the job if they can, and other breeds bite and run or back off. Pits can't be blamed, it was what they were made to do." Cave City Police Chief Nate Stephens
10/08/14: County Coroner Report
New information about a Cave City woman who was attacked and killed by her pit bull on September 26 has been released. According to a report from Sharp County Deputy Coroner Aaron Presser, Alice Payne, 75-years old, was in her home on North Melody Lane when she was attacked by the dog after tripping and falling. Payne's daughter, Sheree Huckabee, was in the backyard when the deadly attack began. She heard her mother call out, saying she had fallen.

After coming into the home, she witnessed her mother being bitten in the face and neck by the pit bull. Huckabee intervened and tried to get the dog off her mother. Her son called 911. Both Huckabee and her son were also bitten by the dog before containing the animal in the backyard, according to on scene officials. The first officer to respond to the scene, Cave City Sergeant Bryan Barnett, was met by Huckabee who confirmed the dog was a pit bull belonging to her mother.

When Barnett reached Payne's body she was no longer breathing and found to be deceased. He observed extensive injuries from apparent dog bites. The Arkansas State Police Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy. Cave City Police Chief Nate Stephens said police reports on the incident would be released once autopsy results are known. "It is an ongoing joint investigation between the Cave City Police Department and Sharp County Sheriff's Department," Stephens said.

Alice Payne was widely known in the area. She operated an antique store, Hometown Antiques and Gifts, for many years. Funeral services were held on October 3 at Soul's Harbor Church.

09/28/14: Woman Killed by Own Pit Bull
Cave City, AR - A Cave City woman is dead after being attacked by her own pit bull. Alice Payne, 75, was killed in her home by a family dog on Friday, according to police. Family members were able to get the dog off Payne and into the backyard. The victim's body has been transported to the state crime lab for an autopsy. Cave City does not currently have a vicious dog ordinance, according to police. The police chief plans to ask city council to consider one this week.

KAIT 8 reports that Sharp County Dispatch received a 911 call at about 2:15 pm Friday. Multiple law enforcement and emergency medical teams responded to the house on North Melody Lane. Cave City Police Sergeant Brian Barnett arrived first and found Alice Payne, 75, dead on her living room floor with bite marks all over her body. The woman's daughter said she witnessed her mother's pit bull attack her. The dog was put down by officers and turned over for rabies testing.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Arkansas Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Related articles:
01/03/14: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman, 75, Killed by Bullmastiff in Arkansas Gated Community
11/19/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Boy Dies After Attacked by Pit Bulls in White County, Arkansas 06/13/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Child Temporarily Staying with Aunt Killed by Neighbor's Dog
09/11/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Jefferson County Woman Attacked by Own Pit Bulls Dies

Photo: City-Data.com Colleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/09/2014-dog-bite-fatality-woman-killed-by-family-pit-bull-cave-city.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-80416759660277185102014-10-15T11:45:00.000-05:002014-10-15T14:10:46.221-05:00Announcement: Happy Birthday DogsBite.org!
Dog Bite Victims' Advocacy Group Turns 7-Years Old

Austin, TX - October 15, 2014 marks the seventh year that DogsBite.org has been operating on the World Wide Web educating the public, dog bite victims, attorneys, doctors, law enforcement, journalists and policymakers about the growing epidemic of serious and fatal dog maulings in this country. The vast majority of these severe attacks are inflicted by a handful of well-documented dangerous dog breeds. Our website is now over 2,200 pages and hosts over 500 PDF files.

The cornerstone of DogsBite.org is conducting high quality research and analysis about U.S. fatal dog maulings that identify underreported high-risk injury scenarios, primarily involving children. We uncover trends that are unknown to the CDC and other researchers. For instance, in 2013, 38% of all dog bite fatality victims were either visiting or living temporarily with the dog's owner when the fatal attack occurred, up from 32% in 2012. Young children accounted for 83% of these deaths.

Our dedication, research and analysis saves lives by providing parents critical safety information that is often not widely distributed.
At the end of 2014, DogsBite.org will have collected 10-years of U.S. dog bite fatality information. It is our mission to collect and closely analyze this data, including subsequent criminal trials and legislation that comes in response to a devastating fatal dog mauling, because the fundamental U.S. government agency that should be closely tracking this information, the CDC, stopped in 1998. It is our mission to prevent these horrific attacks no matter the hurdles that lay in our path.

In 2011, we launched Fatal Pit Bull Attacks - The Archival Record, tracking the growing number of Americans killed by pit bulls. As of today, 255 people have been mauled to death by pit bulls since the CDC stopped tracking breed data in 1998, and since 1980, 336 killed. Earlier this month, we launched a separate list: Fatal Pit Bull Attacks - Child Fatalities. As of today, 133 children have been struck down by these dogs since 1998, and since 1980, 184 dead. This is unacceptable.

Good Strides, Still a Ways to Go

Despite our strides over the past 7-years, we still suffer a difficult fate: Many parents do not find us online until it is too late. Many parents are "so close" to understanding the danger these dogs pose to their children, but still agree to a "temporary" situation, allowing the dog to stay in their home for a short while, or allow their child to visit the home of a spouse or babysitter who owns a pit bull -- a risk factor today that accounts for nearly 4 times the number of deaths inflicted by chained dogs.

Why don't more of these parents just say no, especially when they already have misgivings? Because the readily available information (pumped out by Cesar Milan, AVMA and the Pit Bull Propaganda Machine) claims "It's all how you raise them." Add to this that the common understanding of a "dog bite" is a minor injury that might require a few stitches. Many people simply have no idea what a "mauling injury" entails, permanent disfigurement or loss of limbs.

As stated in our CDC Remedy document, 93% of all dog bites fall into the "garden variety" category requiring very little medical attention. The remaining 7% is the focus of DogsBite.org, severe injuries requiring emergency room treatment (5%) or hospitalization (2%) and in some cases death.1 When more parents understand severe "mauling injuries," they can make better choices, one of which is to simply say no if asked, "Can I bring my pit bull into your home?"

A Special Thanks to Our Donors

Our website, ongoing research and our ability to travel to locations to present vital testimony would not be possible without donations from across the country and around the world. We thank all of our donors so much for making our mission possible and for making our 7th birthday a reality. You have had great faith that we would persevere and we ARE! Together, with your continued support, we will keep fighting and we will see an end to senseless "mauling injuries" and fatal attacks.

Key Benchmarks in Past 7-Years

Lastly, every year brings new benchmarks of progress. The last 12-months in particular mark the growth of the victims' advocacy movement across the country. There are so many new websites, blogs and Facebook pages advocating on behalf of victims and breaking down the dangerous myths proliferated by pit bull owners that it is hard to keep track! With that, we leave readers with some of the key benchmarks of DogsBite.org and the advocacy movement over the last 7-years.

2014 (Oct) - The citizens of Aurora will vote on whether to keep their pit bull ban in a first general election ballot measure of this kind.

2014 (Sep) - Artist unveils first memorial for U.S. fatal dog mauling victims at ArtPrize 2014 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. | Official website

2014 (Jul) - Nonprofits urge CDC to resume tracking richer data set for children and adults disfigured, maimed and killed by dogs.

2014 (Jun) - The Problem With Pit Bulls by Charlotte Alter - Time Magazine. A national publication shares our side of the story from multiple voices.

2014 (May) - Missouri: Proposed statewide bill prohibiting breed-specific ordinances fails during the legislative session.

2014 (May) - Third national event: A Night Of Remembrance For Those Killed In Canine Attacks, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2014 (Mar) - New nonprofit, Daxton's Friends for Canine Education and Awareness, launches in Troy, Wisconsin.

2014 (Jan) - Pit bull fatalities rise to highest percentage, 78%, since DogsBite.org began tracking and collecting U.S. dog bite fatality data in 2007.2

2013 (Oct) - Second national event: Kaylie's Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Dangerous Dogs, held in Sacramento, California | Official website

2013 (Jul) - DogsBite.org releases, Beyond the Interview - Essay of a Fatal Pit Bull Mauling, detailing the aftermath of a fatal pit bull mauling | Read essay

2012 (Dec) - The Solesky family releases 911 call at the center of high court decision, Tracey v. Solesky. Video created, edited by DogsBite.org | Watch video

2012 (Oct) - First national event: Walk for Victims of Pit Bulls and Other Dangerous Dogs, held in Tucson, Arizona. | Official website

2012 (Aug) - Vote in Miami-Dade County to repeal pit bull ban fails by a wide margin, 63% of voters favor keeping the pit bull ban.

2012 (Jun) - Injury Prevention publishes study showing reduction of dog bite hospitalizations after cities adopted pit bull bans in province of Manitoba, Canada.

2012 (Apr) - Maryland Court of Appeals declares pit bulls "inherently dangerous," attaches strict liability when a pit bull attacks a person.

2012 (Jan) - Editor of Animal People, Merritt Clifton, releases 30-Year Summary of Pit Bull Trends, showing surge of attacks post Michael Vick conviction.

2011 (Oct) - DogsBite.org launches key document: Estimated U.S. Cities, Counties, States and Military Facilities with Breed-Specific Laws.

2011 (Oct) - DogsBite.org submits amicus brief to Maryland Court of Appeals in landmark case, Tracey v. Solesky. | Read brief

2011 (Apr) - Annals of Surgery publishes, Mortality, Mauling and Maiming by Vicious Dogs by John K. Bini, MD, Stephen M. Cohn, MD et al.

2011 (Apr) - DogsBite.org receives 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS on April 18, 2011. Donations become tax-deductible.

2011 (Jan) - DogsBite.org launches Fatal Pit Bull Attacks - The Archival Record, a growing archive of fatal pit bull attacks dating back to the 1800s.

2010 (Jul) - Off Lead & Animal Behavior publishes, Pit Bulls by Gary Wilkes, a 21st Century depiction of the American pit bull terrier | Read article

2010 (Jun) - DogsBite.org releases: Cities with Successful Pit Bull Laws; Data Shows Breed-Specific Laws Work (2008 to present) | View post

2009 (Aug) - U.S. Marine Corps bans pit bulls, rottweilers and wolf-hybrids from all privatized housing both domestically and abroad.

2009 (Jul) - DogsBite.org releases: Pit Bulls Lead 'Bite' Counts Across U.S. Cities and Counties (2008 to present).

2009 (Jun) - DogsBite.org releases report: U.S. Police and Citizen Shootings of Pit Bulls (January 1 to December 31, 2008).

2009 (Apr) - DogsBite.org releases 3-Year fatality study: U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities (January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008).

2009 (Jan) - U.S. Army bans pit bulls, rottweilers and several other recognized dangerous dog breeds from all privatized housing.

2008 (Dec) - DogsBite.org launches first series of State Pit Bull Fatality Maps beginning with California and followed by Texas.

2008 (Oct) - DogsBite.org releases 5-minute video of attack victims and national statistics on Pit Bull Awareness Day 2008 | Watch video

2008 (Feb) - United States Supreme Court leaves intact Ohio Supreme Court's ruling that breed-specific legislation is constitutional when properly written.

2007 (Oct) - DogsBite.org launches from Seattle, Washington. The first snapshot of the website appears in Internet Archives in early November.

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1Section II: The CDC Obfuscates "Bites" with Mauling and Maiming Injuries and Deaths (Page 7).
2We have more years of fatality data than our age of 7 because we also collected data from 2005 and 2006.

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06/20/11: Founder Colleen Lynn Reflects Upon Four Year Anniversary of Her AttackColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/10/announcement-happy-birthday-dogsbiteorg.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-49194162734474470242014-10-14T14:30:00.000-05:002014-10-15T10:04:34.690-05:00Aurora Citizens: Do Not Allow Pit Bulls Back into Aurora
Vote No on Pit Bull Ballot Question, Proposition 2D

Vote No on Proposition 2D
Aurora, CO - On October 14, ballots will begin to be mailed to all registered voters in Aurora, Colorado. In a first ever general election vote, the public will be asked the following: "Shall the people of Aurora adopt an ordinance allowing pit bulls back into their city?" We urge residents of Aurora to vote no. The City of Aurora adopted a pit bull ban in 2005. Since this time, serious pit bull maulings have virtually been eliminated. The Aurora pit bull ban is a proven success.

The Aurora pit bull ban is a proven human success, a proven humane success and a proven legal success.
Proven Human Success

The number one goal of a pit bull ban is to drastically reduce and to eliminate horrific pit bull maulings. Aurora's pit bull ban has accomplished this. There has not been an extreme human mauling in Aurora in many years. Statistics provided by the city's animal care division in March also show that overall pit bull bites have been reduced by 73% since adopting the ban. The Aurora pit bull ban is a proven human success. May Aurora residents continue to enjoy this safety!

"Since the ban has been in place, bites are down 73 percent from pit bulls," said Cheryl Conway, a spokeswoman for the city's animal care division.
--- snip ---
"There hasn't been a human mauling in many years. Complaints and requests related to pit bulls are down 50 percent." - Cheryl Conway, Aurora Sentinel, March 2014
Proven Humane Success

The Aurora pit bull ban is a proven humane success. In the same March article, Cheryl Conway, a spokeswoman for the city's animal care division, said that before the ban was enacted, up to 70% of shelter space was occupied by dangerous or unwanted pit bulls. The level now is only 15%. Moreover, since the adoption of the ban, euthanasia of pit bulls is down 93%. Achieving this 93% reduction is a victory that most city shelters in the U.S. can only dream of accomplishing.

Why is the euthanasia of pit bulls so low in Aurora? Because the heart of a pit bull ban contains the critical ingredient to make this possible: mandatory sterilization of existing pit bulls. When Aurora's ban was adopted, grandfathered in pit bulls were required to be registered, sterilized and insured. This, combined with prohibiting new pit bulls, dramatically reduces the population of pit bulls within a community, thus dramatically reduces shelter intake of unwanted pit bulls.

According to city documents, before the ordinance was enacted in 2005, up to 70 percent of kennels in the Aurora Animal Shelter were occupied by pit bulls with pending court disposition dates or with no known owner. That number is now only 10 to 20 percent of kennels.
--- snip ---
"Euthanasia of pit bull dogs is down 93 percent. Of those few that are put down, they are primarily those that come in as strays and their owners don't come to claim them." - Cheryl Conway, Aurora Sentinel, March 2014
Proven Legal Success

Both the Aurora and Denver pit bull bans have withstood numerous legal challenges and prevailed each time. These ordinances are both legal and constitutional in the eyes of appellate justices. Additionally, back when Aurora's ban was challenged in 2009, it was a fighting breed ban that included 7 dog breeds, and their derivative breeds, along with pit bulls. Aurora's original fighting breed ban is a proven legal success and continues to serve as the Model Fighting Breed Ban.

What if the Ban is Repealed?

Denver, officially the City and County of Denver (the Denver pit bull ban pertains to both), directly borders Aurora. Nearby Commerce City also bans pit bulls. Prior to Aurora adopting its ban in 2005, not only did the city experience vicious pit bull maulings, but also a high influx of pit bulls banned in bordering and nearby jurisdictions into their shelter system. This scenario will replay itself within 15 months of the ban being repealed. Aurora, essentially, will be back to square one.

Because of the boarding jurisdictions that ban pit bulls, the situation in Aurora might be worse than what occurred in Cincinnati after it repealed its longstanding ban in May 2012. 15 months after the repeal, shelter occupancy of pit bulls in Cincinnati city shelters increased up to 85%. Horrific maulings began as well, beginning with Bulah Shaef, 73, in December 2013 and the extreme mauling of Zainabou Drame, 6, in June 2014, causing city officials to reconsider the repeal.

The public outcry after the horrifying Zainabou attack was immense. Her grandfather described her injuries as, "One dog grabbed her face and literally tore it off. The other one pulled her mouth off." He was not exaggerating. She has severe facial injuries, a dislocated and broken jaw and she lost her tongue in the attack. Current medicine has no way of restoring her speech. She is home from the hospital now, but faces years of future surgeries and may never be able to speak again.

Turn the Corner on the Pit Bull Problem

Cities like Aurora and Denver have turned the corner on the pit bull problem. Across the country, in cities that do not regulate pit bulls, there has been a dramatic rise in pit bull maulings since 2007, the year of Michael Vick. Last September, we compared Pawtucket's successful pit bull ban to what is occurring nationally from 2002 to 2013. Pit bull attacks in Pawtucket nosedive after adopting a pit bull ban in 2004. Nationally, pit bull maulings across the U.S. skyrocket post 2007.

View comparison charts: Vote no to ensure that Aurora continues to avoid Table 2

View Colorado Breed-Specific Laws in a larger map

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08/25/09: The History of the Denver Pit Bull Ban and the Victims that Prompted New LawColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/10/aurora-citizens-do-not-allow-pit-bulls-back-into-your-city.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-43877311512054848722014-10-09T10:00:00.000-05:002014-11-03T19:10:11.408-06:00Criminal Trial: Arkansas Mother and Daughter on Trial for Fatal Dog Mauling of Joan Kappen
One of Two Victims Killed by Littermate Dogs in a 5-Month Period

The victim's grieving husband and best friend, Norbert "Hans" Kappen, attends criminal trial.

Both Found Guilty
UPDATE 10/09/14: Some of our readers followed the live Twitter feed last night as the jury deliberated and reached a verdict. Though both were found guilty, Brande Coy was only found guilty of "misdemeanor" negligent homicide. Brande had been charged with felony manslaughter and deserved a felony conviction and felony level jail time. She left Joan Kappen dying in a ditch for at least 30 minutes before even calling 911. Her depraved indifference was monumental.

Brande Coy received 60 days in jail and one year probation. In a twist, her daughter Emily Coy -- who most thought would walk free -- received a slightly stiffer sentence of 120 days in jail and one year probation. Emily owned the bullmastiff-pit bull mix that horrifically killed Kappen, but was not present when the animal attacked her nor did Emily let the dog run free that morning. Those actions all fell squarely upon her mother Brande. Both Coys will also have to pay $2,500 in fines.

Hans Kappen spoke to THV11.com after the trial. "I am happy with this particular case, that they both got guilty charges," he said. "They both knew this dog was vicious. All the evidence pointed in that direction." He added, "Not only did I lose my wife, but my best friend and also, Arkansas lost a woman that devoted her life to helping others."1 The jury spent over 4 hours deliberating. The judge warned both Coys that an appeal would take longer than serving out their sentences.

10/08/14: Jury is Deliberating Verdict
Closing arguments were given today and the jury began deliberating. Macy Jenkins of THV11.com is live tweeting from the courthouse. As of 8:20 pm Central time Wednesday, there is still no verdict. The jury requested pizza at about 6 pm. "It may be awhile," Jenkins tweeted. The jury may also be sent home and asked to finish tomorrow. On November 21, 2013, a bullmastiff-pit bull mix under the care of Brande Coy horrifically killed Joan Kappen. The dog had a history of aggression.

Highlights of today's trial include Hans Kappen telling prosecution, "It is like she had a grenade in her hand and tossed it out into the yard." The prosecution likened releasing the dog to "running with scissors." Brande knew something bad would happen. Brande Coy testified today summoning poor "medical condition" excuses. She let dog out alone that day, because "I went to check my blood sugar," she said. And, she was "confused" during her testimony today "due to MS."

UPDATE 10:05 pm: Watching the live Twitter feed tonight was intense and emotional. From one moment it was, "Jury finds Emily Coy guilty of unlawful dog attack. Brande Coy guilty of negligent homicide" to a correction in the next moment, "UPDATE: Brande Coy found guilty of *misdemeanor* negligent homicide," dashing all hopes of justice for Joan Kappen and her dear husband Hans. We are shaken and devastated. The jury is now deliberating the sentencing.

10/07/14: Testimony Begins in Dog Mauling Trial
Jurors heard testimony from over 15 people on the opening day of the trial. First responders, police and animal control officers testified along with friends and family members of the victim and the two defendants. Joan Kappen, 75-years old, was attacked and killed by the defendants' bullmastiff-mix dog last November. Only one defendant, Brande Coy, faces a felony manslaughter charge. Her daughter, Emily Coy, was away at the time of the attack. She faces a misdemeanor.

A number of people testified about the history of the dog and the animal's history of biting and aggression. They also testified that the dog was a littermate of a dog that killed a 5-year old boy in Jessieville about 5-months before Kappen was killed. Through this testimony, prosecutors tried to establish negligence and recklessness on the part of the two defendants. The victim's husband, Norbert "Hans" Kappen, plans to do an interview with THV11.com as soon as the trial is finished.

Later this evening, KATV.com reported more information. When Norbert took the stand today, he testified, "I saw a naked body in a ditch." He said he didn't recognize her at first, but then saw a bloody pile of clothes and knew they belonged to his wife. Horrifically, Norbert saw the whole scene after the deadly attack. According to several witnesses, when firefighters arrived, she was still alive, but could not speak, she could only utter noises. She had severe facial trauma.

Hot Springs Village Firefighter Zachary Sykora testified the when EMTS arrived, they cut off her clothes to assess her injuries. Many more serious wounds were found, "Could see muscles, skin gone, major trauma throughout the body," he said. Hot Springs Village Police Sergeant Brian Nickles testified that Brande told him it took about 30 minutes for her to get the dog inside after the attack. She then washed her hair, face, changed clothes and called 911 in no particular order.

Nickles said that Brande stated that after calling 9-1-1, she did not go back outside until paramedics arrived.
Fox16.com captured additional testimony. The doctor who performed the autopsy spoke in detail about Kappen's injuries. Her entire scalp was peeled off in the brutal attack and she was bitten over 100 times. The doctor testified that there were so many bite injuries that he could not count them all. Other witnesses called by prosecution testified that Patrone had bitten them prior to the fatal attack and another stated that the animal had killed a cat and bitten its owner, Emily Coy.

Concerning the littermate issue, a vet testified that aggression in dogs can be hereditary. The vet also testified if the owners knew about this issue, it would be reason to have the dog put down. Emily Coy's father, of course, testified that the dog was obedient, gentle and loyal. Nancy Baumann, one of Kappen's friends who attended the trial today said, "These people who owned it say it was a wonderful dog. Well if it was why did it attack my friend and rip her to pieces?"

10/07/14: Jury Selected in Dog Mauling Trial
Saline County, AR - A jury has been selected in the trial of a mother and daughter in connection to the fatal mauling of a 75-year old woman. Brande Coy is charged with manslaughter and unlawful dog attack. Her daughter, Emily Coy, is charged with unlawful dog attack. On November 21, 2013, a loose bullmastiff-pit bull mix attacked and killed Joan Kappen who was taking her daily walk in Hot Springs Village. A littermate of this dog killed a child less than 10-miles away 5-months earlier.

The criminal trial began Tuesday morning and is ongoing.
DogsBite.org covered this case extensively last year, including the arrest affidavit filed on January 2, 2014, which documented previous attacks by "Patrone" and lurid details of the day of the attack. The attack on Joan lasted up to 30 minutes before Brande placed the 911 emergency call. She remained in the home "washing her face, hair, and changing clothes - until emergency personnel responded on scene about 16 minutes later." All the while, Joan lay mutilated and dying in a ditch.

Norbert told KATV.com, "10 months of misery, and it still is, and unfortunately people are not safe." He reflected about his best friend and the love of his life. "My wife got mauled to death," he said. "There was not a drop of blood left in her, blood was everywhere on the street, I just hope this judge and this jury understands what we are dealing with here." A neighbor emailed DogsBite after the attack and stated that she was only identifiable by her shoes and glasses that lay near by.

Historic Arkansas Criminal Trials

According to our documentation, the criminal case of State v. Emily Coy & Brande Coy is the first manslaughter case in Arkansas against the owners of dogs that fatally attacked a person since June 2002. On October 13, 2001, 50-year old Carolyn Shatswell was mauled to death by three loose pit bulls while taking a walk in Russellville, Arkansas. The owners of the pit bulls, Carl and Kim Smith, were subsequently charged with felony manslaughter in Pope County Circuit Court.

The two ultimately pleaded guilty. Carl Smith was sentenced to 3-years in Arkansas state prison plus a 3-year suspended sentence and ordered to pay $1,000 in fines and court costs. Kim Smith was sentenced to 5-years probation and ordered to pay $1,000 in fines and court costs. Let's hope in 2014, after over a decade of escalating fatalities by well-documented dangerous dog breeds, that this Saline County court is not sympathetic to the depraved indifference of Brande Coy.

Historic Year in Fatal Dog Mauling Trials

Currently, the owners of dogs involved in at least nine fatal dog attacks are facing felony charges across the country, including the 15-year to life prison sentence handed down Friday after the mauling death of Pamela Devitt in Los Angeles County. Alex Donald Jackson was convicted of second-degree murder after his loose pit bulls horrifically killed Devitt. In September, a Michigan judge ordered the owners of fatally attacking cane corsos to stand trial for second-degree murder.

Arkansas: 2013 mauling death of Joan Kappen, manslaughter

California: 2013 mauling death of Pamela Devitt, second-degree murder

California: 2013 mauling death of Claudia Gallardo, involuntary manslaughter

Florida: 2014 mauling death of Javon Dade, Jr., manslaughter

Iowa: 2013 mauling death of Jordyn Arndt, multiple felonies

Michigan: 2014 mauling death of Craig Sytsma, second-degree murder

Mississippi: 2014 mauling death of David Glass Sr., manslaughter

Texas: 2014 mauling death of Christina Bell, felony dog attack

Texas: 2014 mauling death of Betty Clark, felony dog attack

1Qualities these Arkansas jurors chose to ignore.

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10/03/14: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Antelope Valley Woman Mauled to Death by Pit Bulls
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Photos: KATV.com, HotSpringsDaily.com and FacebookColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/10/criminal-trial-mother-and-daughter-arkansas-fatal-dog-attack.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-64903631684584944252014-10-03T14:00:00.000-05:002014-10-06T01:20:49.765-05:002013 Dog Bite Fatality: Antelope Valley Woman Mauled to Death by Pit Bulls

Sentenced to 15-Years
UPDATE 10/03/14: On Friday, Alex Donald Jackson was sentenced to 15-years in state prison for the murder of Pamela Marie Devitt -- the 63-year old woman was mauled to death by four of Jackson's loose pit bulls on May 9, 2013. Devitt suffered catastrophic injuries in the violent attack; she died while being transported to the hospital. In August of this year, a jury found Jackson guilty of second-degree murder in connection to her death and guilty of multiple drug-related felonies.

During the hearing, the victim's husband, Ben Devitt, gave an emotional victim impact statement. Just days before the deadly attack, the couple had been making retirement plans. They planned to relocate to Washington to be closer to family members. "Her story shouldn't have ended in such a horrific way," he said. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa Chung handed down the 15-year sentence and 7-years for the other guilty counts, to run concurrently with the murder term.

08/29/14: Guilty of Second-Degree Murder
Los Angeles, CA - A 31-year old man whose four pit bulls brutally killed a woman last year has been found guilty of second-degree murder. On Friday, the defendant, Alex Donald Jackson, was also found guilty of cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of a controlled substance, psilocybin, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The jury also found that Jackson was armed with a shotgun during the commission of the offense.

On May 9, 2013 Pamela Devitt, 63, was walking near her Littlerock home when she was violently attacked by four pit bulls belonging to Jackson. Devitt suffered catastrophic injuries, including 150 to 200 puncture wounds, her scalp ripped off and one arm dismembered. She died en route to the hospital. County police authorities unleashed a ground and air search effort to find the attacking dogs and offered a $25,000 reward for, "Information leading to the capture of the 4 killer pit bulls."

Jackson was an unsympathetic defendant from the get-go; his dogs were guilty of multiple acts of aggression prior to killing Devitt. These aggressive acts, however, were primarily directed at animals. Jackson had also put a set of four pit bulls down in 2006 after a separate act of animal aggression. His defense attorney tried to portray Jackson as an "animal lover" who rescued strays. This defense strategy clearly fell flat on its nose. Excellent verdict for a repeat vicious dog owner!

Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3. He faces 24-years to life in state prison.

05/31/13: Repeat Vicious Dog Owner
Within the massive news coverage in the last 48 hours, new information was revealed on Friday at the first court hearing. Alex Jackson previously owned four other violent pit bulls that were destroyed in 2006 after attacking emus. On Friday, Los Angeles County prosecutors said that this previous incident weighed into the second-degree murder charge, along with three incidents since January involving Jackson's "current" crop of pit bulls that savagely killed Pamela Devitt on May 9.

Most members of the public do not know that many owners of these types of dogs are repeat offenders. After the dog attacks (enough times), it's eventually deemed "dangerous" and the owner puts it down to avoid paying the necessary fees and insurance to own a designated "dangerous" dog. The person then buys a new crop of dangerous dogs and the process begins all over again, including attacks on innocent people and pets. This cycle persists without legal intervention.1

Related video

05/30/13: Second-Degree Murder Charges
Los Angeles County prosecutors charged a 29-year old man with murder in connection to the pit bull mauling that killed a 63-year old Antelope Valley woman in early May. Alex Jackson, 29, was arrested at his Littlerock home. His bail is set at over one million dollars -- $1,050,000. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison, according to a district attorney's spokeswoman. Since January, authorities received at least three other reports of Jackson's pit bulls attacking other people.

Pamela Devitt, 63, died en route to the hospital from catastrophic injuries inflicted by the dogs. Coroner officials said they found 150 to 200 puncture wounds and sharp force trauma across her body. Previously, Los Angeles County authorities said Devitt "was dragged 50 yards, scalped and her arm removed." Jackson was also charged with cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, possession for sale of a controlled substance and assault with a deadly weapon.

05/11/13: LA County History Lesson
On Friday, 6abc.com published an article, "Littlerock pit bull attack raises legislation questions," that contained an erroneous statement from Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich's Office: "the Littlerock attack is the first fatal pit bull attack in the county's history." According to the Fatal Pit Bull Attacks website -- visually tracked on the California Fatal Pit Bull Maulings Map -- there have been 9 previous pit bull fatalities in this county, one stemming as far back as 1891.2

April 2006, Los Angeles County, CA
John Doe, 25
Fatal pit bull attack

November 2005, Los Angeles County, CA
Mike Rocha Gomez, 86
Fatal dog attack involving pit bull(s)

February 1999, Los Angeles County, CA
Fily Araujo, < 2
Fatal pit bull attack

November 1994, Los Angeles County, CA
Baby Doe Garcia, < 1
Fatal pack attack involving pit bulls

January 1990, Los Angeles County, CA
Lilly Marjee, 70
Fatal pit bull attack

July 1983, Los Angeles County, CA
Sara Lynn Delance, 5
Fatal pit bull attack

February 1980, Los Angeles County, CA
Norman Ben Jr., 3
Fatal pit bull attack

February 1945, Los Angeles County, CA
Marguerite Theresa Derdenger, < 2
Fatal pit bull attack

April 1891, Los Angeles County, CA
Don Shorb, 7
Fatal dog attack involving bulldog (pit bull-type)

05/10/13: Mauling Victim Identified
The victim has been identified as Pamela Devitt, 63-years old, of Littlerock. On Thursday at about 9:30 am, Devitt was savagely attacked by up to four pit bulls she encountered while taking her morning walk. Tony Bell, spokesperson for LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, said Devitt "was dragged 50 yards, scalped and her arm removed. We've gotta do something about it; they're killing machines." Devitt died in an ambulance en route to the hospital. Bell also stated:

Supervisor Antonovich's office says this incident points out the need to change state law regarding the aggressive dogs to make communities safer.

"To ask state legislature to allow local government to pass their own ordinances, breed specific if you will. We're not talking about bans necessarily. We're talking enhanced enforcement on pit bulls and the owners," Bell said.

Currently, California municipalities are prohibited from declaring a specific dog breed "dangerous" or "vicious," as well as banning a dog breed. Municipalities are limited to breed-specific regulation of the spay/neuter status of a dog. The ordinances on the California breed-specific laws page reflect this limitation. Prior to the ability to regulate the spay/neuter status of specific dog breeds (2005), California was a full anti-BSL state, disallowing all forms of breed-specific regulation.3

The six seized pit bulls remain in quarantine. Authorities are conducting DNA tests to determine if the dogs were involved in Devitt's mauling death. Evelina Villa, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Animal Care and Control, said the owner of the pit bulls had previously been cited because at least one of his dogs had attacked a horse. The 29-year old owner, identified as Alex Jackson, was arrested yesterday on unrelated charges for suspicion of cultivating marijuana.

05/09/13: Investigation Continues
Tweets from Captain Mike Parker of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department along with the Palmdale Sherriff's Station Facebook Page help clarify developing events. Eight dogs were taken into custody on the 37000 block of 115th Street. Six of the dogs were pit bulls, the other two were mixed. The owner of the dogs was arrested for cultivation of marijuana. The correct location of where the mauling victim was found is 116th Street East and Avenue S, Littlerock, California.

It is still not known if the seized dogs are responsible for the woman's death.

05/09/13: Dogs Seized from Home
NBC Los Angeles updated their article reporting that at least four dogs were taken from a home near the mauling site after deputies served a search warrant after 5 pm Pacific Time. Women at the home were reportedly "screaming as the dogs were taken away" and two men appeared to be in custody in the back of the patrol car, according to the article. Seizing the dogs4 comes hours after an active ground and air search effort and county authorities offering a $25,000 reward for:

"Information leading to the capture of the 4 killer pit bulls."
05/09/13: Woman Killed by Pit Bulls
Littlerock, CA - In a developing story, a woman was fatally mauled by pit bulls while out for a walk Thursday morning in the Antelope Valley. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and animal control responded to the call of a fatal pit bull attack at about 9:30 am. The victim, a 63-year old Hispanic woman, was out for her morning walk on Avenue S near 110th Street East when the dogs attacked. Deputies shot at the dogs, which sent them scattering into the dessert.

A separate article said a witness saw the attack and began honking her horn to try to scare them away. Instead, the four pit bulls began attacking the witness's car -- specifically trying to puncture the car's tires. County officials continue air and ground searches trying to locate the pit bulls. Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to their capture. The woman suffered severe injuries and died en route to the hospital.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: California Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

1These dog owners also put the attacking dog down to evade the "potentially dangerous" designation. Why not? A new crop of pit bulls has no paper trail -- it's a clean slate for new attacks without accountability. It is true in this case that prosecutors are using Jackson's past vicious dog ownership against him. We hope this is a trend that sticks!
2The article also contains erroneous data about the number of pit bulls euthanized in Denver since its 1989 pit bull ban. In 2009, Animal People reported on the effect of breed-specific laws on pit bull euthanasia rates. Denver's annual average is 275 versus Los Angeles with 13,000. This is not rocket science. After a pit bull ban is enacted, the population of pit bulls dramatically decreases over time, thus the pit bull killing rate decreases as well.
3The statewide preemptive anti-BSL measure was passed by the California legislature in 1989.
4The article did not explicitly state that the seized dogs were the culprits.

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04/13/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Stockton Woman Killed by a 'Big, Nasty Pit Bull'
12/14/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Fresno County Man Mauled to Death by Pack of Pit Bulls
12/07/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: San Diego County Woman Killed by Pack of American BulldogsColleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2013/05/2013-dog-bite-fatality-antelope-valley-woman-fatally-attacked-by-pit-bulls.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-12356208210925270482014-10-02T18:11:00.001-05:002014-10-02T22:43:54.321-05:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Dog Bite Injuries Contribute to Florida Woman's DeathThree Pit Bulls
Sebring, FL - On April 30, Jessica Dawn Norman, 33-years old of Sebring was found naked and dead in a ditch near the back of her property, according to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. Police and autopsy reports released this week stated she had both alcohol and methamphetamine in her system and puncture wounds on her body consistent with animal bites. Her death was attributed to methamphetamine intoxication with canine bites listed as a contributing factor.

The bite injuries from the dog or dogs occurred before Norman died, according to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office report.
Investigators believe the culprits were three aggressive pit bulls that were known to have been loose nearby on April 28 -- the day Norman was last seen alive. The dogs escaped their kennel and fenced-in enclosure on April 28. Highlands County Animal Control euthanized three pit bulls owned by Lisa Hodge over the course of the investigation. Highlands County Animal Control Officer Ralph Smith said they were the most aggressive dogs he had dealt with in 11-years.

Six weeks earlier, a Highlands County deputy shot and killed Floyd Gene Hodge, the husband of Lisa Hodge, after he stood in his front yard "spraying bullets on four homes with an AK-47 rifle." Neighbors that called in about the shooting activity alerted deputies about the couple's aggressive dogs. Though the dogs were known to be dangerous, the sheriff's office declined to file charges against Hodge, as she kept the dogs in an enclosed space and was unaware they had escaped.

"The Sheriff's Office spent considerable time investigating whether the dogs contributed to Norman's death, the reports indicate." - Highlands Today
Investigators tried to prove through DNA evidence that Hodge's dogs were the ones that attacked Norman, but were unable to find sufficient DNA evidence in the samples taken from the dogs and Norman's body wounds and clothing. "The hairs (found on her body) were determined to be canine in origin, but were unable to produce a DNA profile for any comparison," the report said. Sheriff's investigators still concluded that Hodge's three pit bulls inflicted the bite injuries.

"Based on the fact that Lisa Hodge's dogs were documented at large on the same date Jessica Norman was last seen alive, acting in what has been described as a 'very aggressive,' manner towards several individuals, it is believed that Jessica Norman was attacked by the same dogs. To further substantiate this theory, canine hairs located on the body of Jessica Norman were consistent with the colors of these dogs. Also, the close proximity of where Jessica Norman's body was located in reference to where Lisa Hodge's dogs apparently exited the fenced property, supports this theory. - Highlands County Sheriff's Office report
Contributing Cause of Death

When dog bite injuries contribute to a human death and severe injuries have been inflicted, these deaths are included in DogsBite.org fatality statistics. The last case occurred in 2012 after letter carrier Diane Jansen sustained multiple injuries in a dog attack and simultaneously suffered a stroke. The medical examiner's report listed the cause of death as hemorrhagic stroke due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with dog bites as a contributing factor.

In the 315 fatal dog attacks recorded by DogsBite.org since 2005, less than 1.5% fall into this category. Other cases include the 2011 death of 47-year old Jennie Erquiaga (San Bernardino, CA). The coroner's office confirmed her death was due to "physiologic stress from multiple dog bites" in addition to underlying medical issues. In 2010, 65-year old Ethel Horton (Lee County, SC) suffered severe bite injuries in the attack and underwent a heart attack. She died on the scene.

Excluded from DogsBite.org fatality statistics are deaths resulting from "non bite" injuries.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Florida Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

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03/09/14: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Letter Carrier Dies After Pit Bull Attack in Escondido
04/01/08: 2007 Fatal Mauling Investigation of Carshena Benjamin Closes UnresolvedColleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/10/2014-dog-bite-fatality-dog-bite-injuries-contribute-to-death.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-41861024260370280672014-09-26T20:17:00.001-05:002014-10-10T19:45:57.362-05:00ArtPrize Exhibit, 'Out of the Blue,' the First Physical Memorial for Fatal Dog Attack Victims

Out of the Blue
Grand Rapids, MI - Artist Joan Maria Kowal created an entry for the Grand Rapids ArtPrize 2014 competition titled, "Out of the Blue." It is the nation's first physical memorial for victims of fatal dog attacks. Nearly 30 differently decorated crosses in multiple shades of blue each represent a person killed by a dog. She titled the entry, Out of the Blue, because that is how fatal dog attacks often occur. Kowal hopes to raise awareness about these victims and to prevent future tragedies.

"Putting faces on it is powerful. It brings up something that people don't always think about." - Christa Beukema, Out of the Blue observer, WZZM13.com
The row of crosses at Calder Plaza represent individuals killed by dogs so far in 2014. As one might expect, the majority of crosses represent people mauled to death by pit bulls. As of September 26, pit bulls are responsible for 72% of the total recorded fatal dog attacks this year. Last year, pit bulls were responsible for 78%. Two fatal dog mauling victims from Michigan, Craig Sytsma (Metamora Township) and Holden Garrison (Davisburg) are represented in the exhibit.

Viewers are encouraged to express their sympathy, respect and support for the victims and their families by leaving teddy bears, flowers or memorial decorations in the designated heart-shaped memorial space. "These people need love," said Kowal. "We cannot keep forgetting about these people." Kowal said that a pastor will be at the memorial on Saturday at 6 pm to lead a prayer for dog attack victims. On Sunday, a trio of misguided pit bull owners plan to protest the memorial.1

There are 1,537 works of art in this year's ArtPrize contest. The event runs from September 24 to October 12. For 19 days, three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan is dedicated to the urban exhibit; the event is free and open to the public. Two grand prizes worth $400,000 and eight category awards worth $160,000 are awarded, half determined by public vote and the other half by a jury of art experts. On the opening day, ArtPrize viewers cast nearly 15,000 votes.

View the official website for Out of the Blue, ArtPrize 2014, at CanineVictimsMemorial.com.

1The photograph of these women "gloating" with their pit bulls at the exhibit is extremely disturbing. Narcipitism, however, is a well-documented characteristic amongst pit bull owners.

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10/24/13: Kaylie's Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Dangerous Dogs ApproachesColleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/09/artprize-exhibit-out-of-blue-memorial-for-fatal-dog-attack-victims.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-9732463914888041842014-09-25T20:39:00.000-05:002014-09-26T14:13:21.703-05:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Mississippi Man Attacked by Pack of Pit Bulls Dies
The victim, David Glass Sr., standing with his daughter Marietta Glass.

Ex-Wife Recounts Events
UPDATE 09/25/14: The South Reporter spoke with the victim's ex-wife, Patricia Glass. She said that David Glass Sr. visited her Friday night for a few hours. A friend picked him up at about 12:30 am. He was likely dropped off at Sexton Road and Highway 7, she said. Eric Hodges, the dogs' owner, lives in the first house on one side of the intersection. Glass Sr. lived in the second house on the other side. Glass Sr. was found lying in a ditch opposite to Hodges' home just before dawn.

[Patricia Glass] said David Glass Sr. was severely bitten by the dogs. He apparently had protected his face with his hands, but had lost an ear, she said. Additionally, his arms were bitten multiple times and the main arteries in both arms were lacerated. He was also bitten multiple times on the legs and all over his body, she said. Patricia Glass, The South Reporter, September 25, 2014
Patricia said her ex-husband was friends with everyone along the road and the dogs likely knew him as well. Both she and Benton County Sheriff Arnie McMullen said it was common in the county for residents to walk from one house to another on the road at night. Patricia had been married to Glass Sr. for 19-years and the couple had three children together, Germaine, 19, Marietta, 22, and David Glass Jr., 24. "He was extremely loved and will be truly missed," she said.

09/22/14: Manslaughter Charges
The DJournal.com reports new information. David Glass Sr. was attacked by three pit bulls at about 1 am Saturday morning, according to the Benton County Sheriff's Office. He was found four hours later. Glass Sr. was able to give Sheriff Arnie McMullen an account of what happened. The attack occurred at Sexton Road and Highway 7 in Lamar. The owner of the pit bulls, Eric Hodges, was arrested and charged with culpable negligent manslaughter in connection to his death.

Glass Sr. died of his injuries Sunday afternoon after being airlifted to Regional Medical Center at Memphis in critical condition.
Later this afternoon, WMC Action News 5 provided more information. A passing driver discovered Glass Sr. in a ditch by his house covered in bite injuries. The victim had been lying there for up to four hours. Glass Sr. told investigators he was walking to a friend's grave before the attack. Authorities seized three loose pit bulls then went to the dog owner's home and seized three more pit bulls that were tied up. The dogs are undergoing tests to see which ones attacked Glass Sr.

The victim's family members still have many unanswered questions, but are currently still in shock, trying to come to grips with his mauling death. His son, David Glass Jr., drove up from Starkville to be with his father after being airlifted to a Memphis hospital. Family members thought he would survive. His daughter, Marietta Glass said, "It hasn't really set in that my dad's gone and I'll never, never get a chance to talk to him again." His shaken family is now preparing for his funeral.

Benton County currently has no leash law; the sheriff hopes to pass a new ordinance. The county should consider banning pit bulls all together, given their strategic location for dogfighting activities (a rural county 50-miles from Memphis) and the senseless horrific death of Glass Sr. that leaves behind three grieving children. Several Mississippi counties have already placed restrictions on pit bulls including, Bolivar County, Carroll County, Hinds County, Leflore County and Rankin County.

Related video

09/21/14: Man Dies After Pit Bull Attack
Benton County, MS - In a developing story, WREG reports that a man who was attacked by a pack of dogs yesterday has died. David Glass1 was severely mauled by a pack of pit bulls in Benton County, Mississippi Saturday morning. The attack occurred off Highway 7. Glass was airlifted to Regional Medical Center in critical condition after the attack. Glass died Sunday afternoon. Benton County borders the Tennessee state line. No other news reports have so far been located online.

Major Dogfighting Bust in 2013

On Easter Sunday last year, law enforcement from multiple jurisdictions broke up a national dogfighting event in Benton County. The raid ended in gunfire, multiple arrests and the seizure of 26 dogs. A fight match was in progress when officers arrived to a crowd of about 200 spectators. Officers arrested over 50 people and called the bust one of the five largest dogfighting operations in the country. The location of the bust was about 6-miles northeast of Ashland off Highway 72.

The Benton County Sheriff's Office now must contend with a pack of pit bulls that killed a man.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Mississippi Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

1The first name of the victim was initially reported as Daniel.

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Photo: WMC Action News 5Colleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/09/2014-dog-bite-fatality-pack-of-dogs-kill-mississippi-man.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-2255670652535801282014-09-13T12:30:00.000-05:002014-09-13T12:53:40.133-05:00Criminal Trial: Couple Charged with Second-Degree Murder After Cane Corsos Brutally Kill Jogger

Couple Bound Over for Trial
UPDATE 09/13/14: At the end of the preliminary examination on Friday, Lapeer County District Judge Laura Barnard ordered the couple bound over to face trial in a circuit county court. Sebastiano Quagliata and Valbona Lucaj will stand trial for second-degree murder and harboring a dangerous animal causing death after their two cane corsos viciously attacked and killed a jogger in July. The couple will be arraigned on September 22. The bond for each remains at $500,000.

Prosecutors showed through witness testimony and evidence that the couple knew the dogs were dangerous and could attack or kill. They also showed that the owners knew the dogs had a habit of escaping their pen. On Friday, Lapeer County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Jason Parks testified that Quagliata told him after the death of Craig Sytsma that his dogs had escaped their pen numerous times. Judge Barnard clearly believed the two had knowledge their dogs were dangerous animals.

"This is a very difficult situation for everyone for involved. Each of the parties did create a high risk of death by their behavior or lack of behavior." - Lapeer County District Judge Laura Barnard
Animal Control Testimony

The defense called Lapeer County Animal Control Chief Carla Frantz to testify about her knowledge of the two previous attacks in 2012 and 2013. The defense asked why the dogs were not taken away then? Frantz testified that she did the investigation in 2012 and another officer investigated the 2013 biting incident. "It was a year-and-a-half between bites," Frantz said. "There were no other complaints." She added that at that time, the owners were "very cooperative."

DogsBite.org interjects here by adding: Of course the owners were cooperative, they wanted to get their papered, breeding cane corsos back. Were Quagliata and Lucaj cooperative with the victims too? Since both victims filed civil lawsuits against them, we presume they were not. Recall that Quagliata also pleaded with the second victim, "don't call the cops" and offered him a financial bribe. Neither of the pair showed up for a court hearing involving the 2013 bite victim either.

The Detroit Free Press has additional information about testimony given by Frantz. She testified that "her department had no record-keeping method to keep track of dogs that repeatedly bite people," according to the Free Press. Despite two separate biting incidents, apparently because they were 1.5 years apart, Frantz saw no reason to pursue a dangerous dog designation. Then Frantz whips herself into a contradiction that defense will surely use during the actual trial.

When she heard about the fatal mauling on July 23, she testified, "I knew of the address. I was not really surprised because of the breed of the dogs." - Lapeer County Animal Control Chief Carla Frantz
DogsBite.org understands that wires get crossed, particularly when an agency, operating like a third world country, had "no record-keeping method" to track repeat biters. We wish we could see the transcript of this hearing to better evaluate the context of Frantz's testimony. Given these limitations, it appears Frantz had no concern after the second bite or lacked knowledge of it.1 But after learning of the fatal attack, Frantz quickly connected these dogs to it due to their breed.

Animal Control Breakdown

While animal control officers often have their hands tied due to poor local, county or state laws, there is no question that many fatal and serious dog attacks are the result of negligence on the part of animal control (difficult to prove in court, however, see: piercing governmental immunity). It is important to point out that early on in this case, the animal control agency in the neighboring county of Oakland said they would have asked for a review by prosecutors after the second bite.

Lapeer County Prosecutor Tim Turkelson says his office was never notified of vicious dogs biting pedestrians and roaming free in Metamora Township and would have taken action before two of those dogs killed a jogger last week.
"Unfortunately, there were red flags all over the place," Turkelson said in a phone interview this morning. Had his office been notified by Lapeer County Animal Control of repeated attacks, he said, he would have taken action to have the dogs destroyed.
--- snip ---
At that point [after the second bite] animal control officers could have taken the matter to the prosecutor, arguing a pattern of dangerous behavior. "They never notified us," Turkelson said. - Lapeer County Prosecutor Tim Turkelson, July 29, Detroit Free Press
09/04/14: Police Reports Released
Lapeer, MI - On July 23, Craig Sytsma was brutally killed by two cane corsos with a history of aggression while jogging on a rural Metamora Township road. The dogs' owners, Sebastiano Quagliata and Valbona Lucaj, were subsequently charged with second-degree murder and possessing an animal causing death. A preliminary examination has been unfolding to determine if there is enough evidence for the couple to stand trial. Testimony continues on September 12.

The examination began with  testimony from the couple's veterinarian on August 15. Shelley Wallace examined two adult cane corsos owned by the pair three months before Sytsma's death. She testified that she found both dogs to be "aggressive" and "dangerous" and warned their owners that they needed to seek help from an animal behaviorist. It took three people to pin each dog, both muzzled, against a wall for her to perform a 15-second exam due to their aggression.

After two separate examinations of dogs Toni and Princess, Wallace talked with owner Valbona Lucaj about the dogs' aggression.
I told the owner I felt the dogs were very aggressive and may be dangerous," she said during a preliminary examination in Lapeer County District Court for Lucaj, a native of Albania, and her husband Sebastiano Quagliata, a native of Italy. - Shelley Wallace, veterinarian, Mlive.com, August 15, 2014
The two adult cane corsos that Wallace examined that day were Toni and Princess. It was Toni and Julia, however, that attacked and killed Craig Sytsma. The couple owned three adult cane corsos, a 4-month old and seven cane corso young puppies. The three adults were euthanized and the eight remaining dogs were shipped to a rescue in Austin, Texas. According to prosecutors, each papered cane corso was sterilized before being shipped to this out-of-state jurisdiction.2

If readers recall, at the time of Sytsma's death, Quagliata and Lucaj were attempting to sell the young puppies on Hoobly.com. Along with advertising the puppies for sale, the couple included the International Cane Corso Federation (ICCF) papers of the sire and dam: Toni (born April 26, 2013) and Julia (born December 31, 2010). According to testimony by Wallace, at the ripe age of 1-year old, she ranked Toni a whopping 9.5 on a scale of 10 in his aggression; she ranked Princess 9.

View a photograph of the defendants' three adult cane corsos (DogsBite.org added the names).

At the time of the April 2014 veterinary examination, one or more of these dogs had already attacked two people on the same rural Metamora Township road. April Smith, 25 of Oxford, was attacked in May 2012 and resident Jim Salego, 73, was attacked in November 2013. Both filed civil lawsuits. Lucaj did not reveal to Wallace during the 2014 examination either of these prior biting incidents. Wallace noted in the files of both dogs, "DWB," which stands for "Dogs Will Bite."

Testimony by Neighbors & Victims

When neighbors Edward Elmer and his girlfriend, Helen Barwig, rushed to help Sytsma that day, the victim already knew that he was dying. Elmer testified, "At first I did not know what I was seeing. Then I realized it was the jogger with two dogs hanging from him." Elmer had waved to Sytsma only moments before when he saw him jogging as he mowed his lawn. He yelled to Barwig and ran and got a gun, firing once into the air and three times at the dogs. One shot hit.

Elmer's girlfriend, Helen Barwig, a trained EMT technician and first responder, ran to Sytsma to try to save him, applying a tourniquet to his shoulder and using paper towels to stop the bleeding. He was "pouring" blood, she said, and begging her to save him.
"Then he reached and grabbed my arm, and then he went limp," she testified.
Sytsma's family members wept quietly in the front row of the courtroom as she testified. - Detroit Free Press, Aug. 29, 2014
Both victims previously attacked by the cane corsos owned by the couple also testified. One of the dogs, presumably Julia, attacked April Smith on May 14, 2012 as she walked with her sister and her sister's dogs down Thomas Road. The dog began following them as they passed by the owner's home. The loose dog then attacked Smith, biting her three times. "It latched on and broke away all three times," she said. Smith sued the owners and was awarded a $20,000 judgment.

Dog Owner Offered Victim a Bribe

Jim Salego who was attacked on November 21, 2013 while walking along Thomas Road also testified. Salego told a packed courtroom that three of the large dogs came "flying down the hill," as fast as they could run. "They began to circle me," he said, "I had my stick going back and forth trying to get them off me." After he was bitten in the leg, Quagliata came out of the house and called his dogs off. "He said, 'Don't call the cops; I'll pay you money,'" Salego recalled.

Salego ignored the bribe and instead whipped out his phone and dialed 911 and told him, "'Yes, I am calling police. I have blood running down my leg.'" Both Quagliata and Lucaj are currently under investigation by U.S. federal officials after Lucaj paid a $3,000 bribe to an immigration officer in 1997 to grant her asylum, according to federal court filings. At the time of Sytsma's death, the couple had been facing "imminent deportation." The couple's defense attorneys deny this.

Quagliata and Lucaj have separate defense attorneys in connection to the death of Sytsma. Lucaj and their three children were in Boston at the time of the fatal mauling. Lucaj still knew about the veterinarian's warning three months before his death and the previous bite victims in 2012 and 2013. Neither of the pair showed up for a court hearing involving the 2013 bite case either. For these reasons, and likely others, prosecutors chose to charge both with second-degree murder.

After the mauling death of Diane Whipple in 2001, prosecutors also charged a husband and wife pair, Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller, even though Noel was not present when the dogs fatally attacked. A grand jury indicted Knoller for second-degree murder and indicted them both for involuntary manslaughter and felony charges of keeping a mischievous dog. A jury found the couple guilty on all charges in 2002. Knoller is currently serving her sentence in a state prison.

Testimony Resumes in September

Examination testimony resumes on September 12. Thus far, a significant amount of evidence has been presented that shows the dogs' owners had full knowledge of their dogs' viciousness. Does the evidence also succeed to show the couple had a wanton disregard for human life? Police records indicate that Quagliata also had full knowledge that his powerful dogs repeatedly dug out of their chain-link kennel. On the evening of Sytsma's death, Quagliata told sheriff's investigators:

"Quatliata stated that the dogs dig under the kennel and escape(ed)," the report stated. "Quatliata stated that this occurred numerous times prior (would not give a number when asked) and that was how they were escaping from the kennel." - Mlive.com, August 15, 2014
Lastly, at least one buyer of a puppy from Quagliata and Lucaj has testified so far. After Robert Pitcavage heard about the fatal attack, he contacted police. He purchased a puppy from the couple in July for $900. Just prior to paying, he said he wanted to meet the parents of the puppy. "I was really disturbed," he testified. "Walking up there I noticed the pen and the structure of the chain length fence was torn up." The dogs then attacked the cyclone fence as he stood there.

"It literally grabbed on the fence," he said. "I didn't realize the strength of their jaws." Poor naïve Pitcavage then testified that his dog -- presumably a 3 to 4-month old "puppy" -- is well-tempered and that his family has not had any issues with the dog. Yet, puppies are puppies and usually have no way of being adequately tested for aggression until they reach adulthood, which is at least 12-months old, preferably 18-months of age. Pitcavage is not out of the woods in our opinion!

1A news clip shows Frantze answering the question: "Is it safe to say that someone's dog could have bitten someone 6, 7, 8, 9 times and Lapeer County Animal Control would not have knowledge of the previous bites if a different officer handled it?" Frantze states, "Correct." Such arcane practices by animal control agencies are inexcusable. Then to use this poor record keeping as a "defense" after a person is mauled to death, holy wow!
2Cane Corso Rescue Inc.

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08/02/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Two Cane Corsos Brutally Attack and Kill Jogger in Metamora...Colleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/09/couple-charged-second-degree-murder-cane-corsos-kill-jogger.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-45186388198649234182014-09-11T18:30:00.000-05:002014-09-12T02:58:55.339-05:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Type Dogs Attack, Strip Naked and Kill Dayton Woman

Klonda Richey of Dayton, Ohio at different times before her death. View more photos »
Prosecutor Fails
09/11/14: A Montgomery County grand jury did not return any indictments for Andrew Nason and Julie Custer, whose two dogs horrifically killed Klonda Richey on February 7. Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. held a press conference today, of which we only saw the last part. Heck essentially stated that because there were no witnesses, there are no criminal charges. Heck blamed Richey's preventable death on a "community" fail. Heck's statements are inexcusable.1

In a grand jury proceeding, the prosecutor runs the show. Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. is responsible for the return of no indictments. The administrative, legal and law enforcement system failed Richey over and over again, which led to her brutal death. After she died, these systems failed her again. In Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, public execution by your neighbor's dogs comes without consequences. Nason and Custer face no felony charges.

[Grand jury] proceedings are usually one-sided, and are very different from a trial. Unlike a public trial, the accused person is not present (unless he or she is called as a witness), nor is his/her counsel present (even if he is called as a witness). Also, witnesses are not cross-examined. Not even a judge is present in the grand jury room, although a judge will be contacted if a witness refuses to answer a question and the prosecutor wishes to cite the witness for contempt.
--- snip ---
Further, information obtained by illegal police investigation, unconstitutional surveillance, or by unreliable means, can be heard and relied upon by grand jurors, even though that information would not be admissible if the case proceeded to trial. Finally, even if a prosecutor knows of information which would help show that the accused person is innocent, he is not required to present it to the grand jury. - Professor Margery B. Koosed, Ohio State Bar Association
"Continuous" Efforts by Victim

On the morning of February 7, Klonda Richey was brutally killed by her neighbor's two "mastiff-mix" dogs. Her naked, bloody body -- the dogs stripped off all of her clothing -- was found face down in the snow in front of her home. Prior to the deadly attack, Richey had filed 13 complaints with animal control (ARC) and made 46 calls to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center related to her neighbor's dogs and home between December 2011 and her death.

The problems with her neighbors and their two dogs had become so bad that Richey installed surveillance cameras on her home and built a high two-tiered security fence to protect herself and her cats from these dogs. 16 months before her death, Richey filed a civil stalking protection order in court against Nason. The order was denied by Magistrate Kristi Wuebben in February 2013. Richey appealed the decision. Judge Michael Krumholtz denied her appeal the following month.

Klonda Richey now lives in the sky. There will be no justice for her barbaric death.

02/21/14: Citizens Speak to Commission
Following the preventable dog mauling death of Klonda Richey, Dayton citizens appeared before the City Commission on Wednesday, complaining that public safety has evaporated in the area, with the problem of loose aggressive dogs, gunfire and other problems plaguing the area. Terms brought up by citizens included, we live in a "crime containment zone," there is a "systemic dysfunction" in law enforcement and "city authorities have breached their contract with citizens."

Mayor Nan Whaley addressed meeting:
"Every one of us know or have been a part of some of these issues with dogs and being unsure about what is going on ... It is a tragedy that someone's life is lost over it. I think the best thing we can do is figure out how to make sure that no one else's life is lost in the future. I talked yesterday with three state representatives, Rep. Butler, Rep. Winburn, Rep. Strahorn. We will be sending a letter with recommendations to the state legislature on ways that they can tighten up their law. Specifically, I think it is bothersome to us, and I have told them this, that Animal Resource Center can be contacted by someone nine times, and there is no requirement for them to call back. So that is one place where the state legislature can take a more active role ... they are very interested and engaged with this issue ... they are very interested in working on the state law issue."
Read more about the utter failure of the Animal Resource Center at the Scorched Earth blog.

02/12/14: Victim Made 16 Calls to 911
In addition to filing a civil stalking protection order in court, which was suggested by police, Klonda Richey, made 16 calls to 911 in the last year to report problems with her neighbor and his dogs. During a July 2, 2013 call, Richey told dispatchers, "I've made a lot of calls about this neighbor next door to me and his pit bull-mastiff ... I tried the civil protection order and I got brushed aside by those judges as a neighbor dispute. It's gone way beyond a neighbor dispute," Richey said.

According to the 2 News article, Richey also stated, "This is nuts," Richey told the dispatcher. "This is constant intimidation thing. I lost my last case and it was the police who suggested I do the civil stalking protection order." On February 7, Richey was savagely struck down by her neighbor's two pit bull-type dogs in a sustained attack in front of her home. Today, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said that current state legislation (that repealed the longstanding pit bull law in 2012) is "weak."

Mayor Whaley also said, "Our police department sees a lot, but this is something that has really affected them as well." Readers must remember that as horrific as shooting homicides are, most bullet injuries do not produce injuries like a fatal pit bull mauling -- parts of a person's face, arms, legs or scalp ripped off, deep tearing injuries covering the victim's body, blood soaked everywhere, in the case of Richey, across white snow, and finally, the visual evidence of a prolonged struggle.

We believe that Dayton police will do everything they can to ensure that felony criminal charges are brought against the dogs' owners.
On Friday, Dayton police released Richey's surveillance videos that she submitted as evidence when trying to obtain the civil stalking protection order against her neighbor. Richey is in the midst of having her own privacy fence built during the footage. The videos clearly show the man using intimidation tactics with his own presence and his dogs. Multiple shots show the dogs loose on her property and exhibiting aggression. Richey's neighbor was indeed operating a terror campaign.

02/11/14: Victim Sought Protection
In addition to the laundry list of complaints documented about the dogs that horrifically killed Klonda Richey -- coroner Harshbarger stated Monday: "The injuries are multiple and severe and clearly happened while she was alive ... It is a significant period of time that she was aware, cognizant of what was happening." -- court records show that Richey filed for a civil stalking protection order on September 12, 2012. Included in the filing is a letter to Andrew Nason.

I have 24 years of my life and memories here before the deaths of my Dad, Mother, husband. I am not leaving.
You have little time here with no emotional attachment. House is a trainwreck; no idea why you chose it when so many better ones are on the market w/few minor repairs necessary.
You paid 8k. I'll pay $3900 cash -- don't really want the house, but do want the trauma to my cats and fear to end. (They only go to that house because empty so long).
If you want to hurt me, shoot or stab me. Leave cats in peace. - Klonda Richey
Magistrate Kristi Wuebben did not grant the protection order. Klonda Richey is now dead.2

Additionally, 2 News questioned Montgomery County Animal Control Director Mark Kumpf, who is now sitting on a pile of evidence showing his department's complete failure of duty to Klonda Richey. Kumpf called her death a "tragic accident" and "there is nothing foreseeable or doable" to prevent this type of occurrence. Kumpf played an active role in repealing Ohio's longstanding pit bull law, which prima facie declared all dog breeds "commonly known as a pit bull dog" vicious.

955.11 - (iii) Belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog. The ownership, keeping, or harboring of such a breed of dog shall be prima-facie evidence of the ownership, keeping, or harboring of a vicious dog. - 955.11, Ohio Revised Code, 1988 to May 22, 2012
The new state law, according to Kumpf, "basically levels the playing field for all breeds of dog" … "Other than the one dog, we've had our hands tied," Kumpf said in a February 2012 article. "Kumpf was part of a group involved in rewriting the bill introduced last January ... If signed by the governor, the law would allow animal control officers to designate any dog as "nuisance," "dangerous" or "vicious," regardless of breed. Violators could be fined or face felony sanctions."

So what happened? Mark Kumpf should be fired for total failure of duty.
Richey had surveillance cameras installed on her home. That video is now in the hands of Dayton police. Remember what Harshbarger said, "It is a significant period of time that she was aware, cognizant of what was happening." We predict that it was at least a 10-minute relentless, violent attack by two dogs that fall under the designation of a dog "commonly known as a pit bull dog," in Ohio jurisdictions that continue to have breed-specific pit bull laws, Dayton, sadly, not being one.

02/10/14: Autopsy Results Announced3
On Monday, Montgomery County Coroner Kent Harshbarger said that Klonda Richey died of blood loss. "The injuries were severe and multiple," Harshbarger said. "This is one of the worst that we've ever seen," he said. The crime lab is now working to match dental impressions left on Richey's body with the teeth of the two suspected dogs. After the barbaric attack upon Richey, police officers shot and killed both male dogs; their remains have been preserved as evidence.

On Sunday evening, both dog owners, Julie Custer and Andrew Nason, were released from jail. Dayton Police Sgt. Richard Blommel explained their release, "Due to the complex nature of the laws concerning animals, we just felt that at this point it would be better off to get our ducks in a row before we proceeded any further." Blommel said that police continue to investigate and will meet with prosecutors once again when they feel there is enough evidence for an indictment.

New information was also provided about previous complaints involving the two dogs (now being identified by the coroner as "cane corsos"). Both Montgomery County Animal Resource Center (ARC) and the Sheriff's Department have handled multiple complaints about the dogs at large. Many of the complaints, dating back to 2012, stem from an anonymous female who said the dogs were loose and aggressive; other complaints involved barking dogs or not having enough food.

In a March 16, 2013 report, a woman called the ARC to report that the mailman would no longer deliver mail to the street until a loose dog problem was resolved. "The dog has come after (the complainant) before and she states that now (the owner) will let his dog loose to go after her and her cats," the report states. Klonda Richey had 20 beloved cats in her home. After that report, an ARC employee left a warning on the door of 35 E. Bruce after knocking and receiving no answer.

See: Documents showing complaints from May 2012 to February 7, 2014

A Preventable Horror Story

An Associated Press article added that Richey was terrified of the two dogs. According to people that she knew, Richey had complained many times about the dogs and sought help from various public agencies. Richey had been harassed by the dogs' owners and built a high fence to protect herself and her 20 cats, said acquaintances interviewed by the Dayton Daily News (behind a paywall). Friends and co-workers of Richey said the problem had been going on for three years.

"She's always been terrified of those dogs," said Tim Bridwell, a friend who worked with Richey at Montgomery County Job & Family Services. Bridwell said that Richey told him that she tried to work through the legal system to get protection from the dogs, but felt that no one believed her. "She told me, and a lot of other people, she was afraid those dogs were going to kill her," Bridwell said. On Friday, February 7, that is exactly what happened when she stepped outside her door.

Related video

Images of Dayton fatal dog mauling victim Klonda Richey at different times in the past year:

02/07/14: Mauling Victim Identified
When the evening news cycle unfolded, many new details were provided. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office identified the fatal dog mauling victim as Klonda Richey, 57-years old. An investigation by 2 NEWS showed that she worked for the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services for 25 years. The investigation also showed that six 911 calls were made about a dog at 35 E. Bruce Ave (from 2013 to present); five of them were made by Richey herself.

A multitude of pit bull deflection breed names have surfaced thus far, including: mixed-breed, mastiff-mix, bullmastiff and mastiff-cane corso mix. Ohio is unique in that it formerly had a statewide pit bull law (1988 to 2012). During this period, and still today, the definition of a pit bull is broadly defined as a dog "commonly known as a pit bull dog" and includes the gamut of pit bull derivatives: American bulldogs and pit bull-mastiff mix breeds (cane corso, presa canario, etc).4

Mark Kumpf, Director of Montgomery County's Animal Resource Center, told 2 NEWS he was aware of nine complaints, but, he said, "we've never located them or seen [the dogs]." Kumpf's agency had never even SEEN the dogs. They are listed in the licensing database as "mixed-breeds," a label presumably given by the dogs' owners. This did not stop Kumpf from telling media outlets the dogs were "mastiff-mixes" to deflect early police reports of the dogs being pit bulls.

Further, a hot tipper sent in this horrific detail about one of the dogs' owners, Andrew Nason: September 2012, booked into Montgomery County Jail on suspicion of endangering a child. The child wound up in intensive care after Nason said the child fell down a flight of stairs. The law is no stranger to these dog owners, Custer and Nason, who of course had to add pit bull-type dogs to their home. Julie Custer's Facebook page shows multiple children and her fatally attacking dogs.

Finally, the Dayton Daily News is claiming that this is the third fatal dog attack in Montgomery County in the last 17-months. We believe it is the second fatality, the first being the death of Dawn Jurgens, 76, of Trotwood in September 2012. The possible third fatality occurred in Miami County. In late November 2012, Elizabeth Hirt, 93, was badly injured by her two Boston terriers. She died on December 11, 2012, according to her obituary. We have little other information about her death.

02/07/14: Dog Owners Identified
WDTN names the dogs' owners as Julie Custer, 25, and Andrew Nason, 28; both are being charged with reckless homicide. Sgt. Richard Blommel told WDTN, "It's not like the dogs' owners were four houses down. They were right next door," Blommel said. "I can't imagine the blood curdling screams of someone being attacked would not be heard by someone who lives next door," Blommel added. Both Custer and Nason were booked into the Montgomery County Jail.

02/07/14: Dog Owners in Custody
Dayton Daily News video coverage shows the two owners of the dogs handcuffed and being hauled away by Dayton police. Authorities believe the 57-year old victim walked outside early this morning to take out the trash or pick up a package when she was attacked and killed by the two loose dogs, now being described as pit bull-mastiff mixes. The victim was discovered at about 8:20 am Friday morning, after police received a report of a naked woman on the sidewalk.

When officers arrived on scene, the two dogs charged the officers who then shot both animals to death. Police have received nine previous complaints about the dogs running at large, and both dogs are licensed, according to authorities. Police said the victim did have a coat on when she walked outside, but the dogs "tore the woman's clothes off during the attack." It is unknown what degree of charges, if any, the two dog owners face. Homicide detectives continue to investigate.

Criminal Charges in Ohio?

There have been 11 fatal dog maulings in the State of Ohio since 2005, only one, the death of Ernie Assad, resulted in criminal charges. In that case, the dogs -- a pit bull and American bulldog -- belonged to former Cleveland Browns tight end Darnell Sanders, who had asked a friend, Natalie Gruttadauria, to watch them while he was away. The dogs got loose and attacked Assad while he was watering plants in his backyard. Charges against Natalie were later dismissed.5

02/07/14: Pit Bulls Kill Woman
Dayton, OH - In a developing story,6 Dayton Police report that a woman was killed by two pit bulls outside her East Bruce Avenue home. In a horrific, but predictable scenario, the news article bluntly states: "Dayton Police say they came upon the woman's body on the sidewalk. A nearby neighbor called 911 and reported seeing the body on the sidewalk. She said the body was face down and naked." Officers shot and killed both pit bulls suspected to have attacked the woman.

A number of fatal pit bull attacks involve the victim being stripped naked -- including their shoes -- during the violent attack.
Police obtained a warrant for 35 East Bruce Avenue, where they arrested two people, a man and a woman, on suspicion of the owning the two pit bulls. The deceased woman's identity has not been released, pending notification of family members. What is known is that this woman died a violent death at the jaws of two pit bulls, and as she tried to protect herself, the dogs ripped off her likely substantial clothing (snow) leaving her dead and completely naked on a sidewalk near her home.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Ohio Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

1Commenter Tipton said it best, "Prosecutor needs to go bye bye."
2Richey also filed an appeal, which was denied by Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Krumholtz in February of 2013. Between 2011 and 2013, Andrew Nason had three other protection orders filed against him, none of the three by Klonda Richey. All three were dismissed.
3The original Dayton Daily News article that was linked to was live for about 24 hours then removed by the newspaper (or placed behind a paywall). That is pathetic. DogsBite.org will no longer link to "any" Dayton Daily News article. The original link has been replaced with a WHIO.com article that is closely related.
4Ohio v. Anderson, 1991, Supreme Court of Ohio - "Appellee's contention is based on the confusion which he believes has arisen as to whether the statute covers only purebred pit bulls or mixed breeds as well. We perceive this as a problem of semantics alone. If a dog possesses the physical and behavioral traits discussed in this opinion, then its owner must comply with the statute or risk arrest and prosecution for noncompliance. The formal breed name which has been assigned to the dog is not relevant...
Ohio's pit bull statute is the product of a prudent legislative compromise and sound public policy. Appellee's brief suggests that if the legislature had referenced particular dog breeds, such as the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, then the statute would be constitutionally viable. Since we find the phrase "commonly known as a pit bull" sufficient to inform a dog owner of ordinary intelligence as to the conduct prohibited, we find this argument unpersuasive. Moreover, sound public policy compels us to find the Ohio statute superior to those statutes which rely on recognized dog breeds."
5Scroll down to: What happened in the case of two dogs that mauled an 82-year-old man outside his Parma home on April 13, 2005? Notably, the charges were merely misdemeanor charges.
6This is a developing story -- a slightly newer article is naming the dog breed "mastiff-mixes."

Related articles:
09/05/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Trotwood Senior Citizen Killed by Own Dogs
10/21/10: State Law Only Allows for Meager Charges After Near Fatal Mauling
02/07/10: Tom Skeldon, the 'Biased' Blade and Recent Ruling Halting Enforcement of Toledo... Colleen Lynnhttp://email@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/02/2014-dog-bite-fatality-pit-bulls-attack-strip-kill-dayton-woman.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270495316548833800.post-61761526768758948152014-09-11T13:00:00.000-05:002014-09-11T13:38:43.924-05:002014 Dog Bite Fatality: Visiting Child Killed by Family Pit Bulls in Miami-Dade County

From top left: Javon Dade Jr., the crime scene, suspect #1 and the "breed labeling game."

Manslaughter Charges
UPDATE 09/11/14: Prosecutors have charged both Javon Dade Sr. and his girlfriend, 26-year old Alessandra Carrasco, with manslaughter charges -- the emphasis placed on Carrasco. According to prosecutors, it was Carrasco who brought the dogs onto the property and who leased the property. Furthermore, it was Carrasco who was in charge of Javon Jr. at the time of his death. Carrasco did not appear in court today. Both defendants are expected to stand trial in November.

08/22/14: Father, Girlfriend Arrested
Miami-Dade Police have arrested and charged two people in connection to the mauling death of 4-year old Javon Dade Jr. On August 13, Javon was first reported missing by his father then discovered dead in the backyard of his father's home by police a short time later. One or more of his father's pit bulls had attacked and killed him. On Friday, his father, Javon Dade Sr., 30, and his father's girlfriend, Alessandra Carrasco, 26, were arrested and charged with child neglect.

According to Dade's arrest report, he picked up his son from his mother's home about 9:30 pm the night before the attack and returned to his home. After his son fell asleep, Dade and Carrasco "began smoking several marijuana cigarettes laced with cocaine," according to the report. When his father and Carrasco woke up the next morning, about 9:00 am, Javon Jr. was nowhere to be found. Police said the front door of the home was locked, but the rear sliding glass door was not.

Notably, now that the police report has been released to the media, we see a distinct language change regarding breeds of dogs. The 5 dogs in question are now being called "pit bull-mixes." The breed labeling game by Miami-Dade Animal Services -- who offered up four different breed names for these dogs, none being "pit bull-mix" -- is now over. This may be due to the fact that the boy's death now involves criminal charges of child neglect and is now fully under police control.1

CBS Miami also spoke to the boy's paternal grandmother, Jocelyn Dade. She said that both her son and his girlfriend have drug problems (as noted in Javon Sr.'s extensive criminal arrests and convictions). Jocelyn also said that the white dogs "grew up" with Javon Jr. but the adult male pit bull -- already euthanized due to aggression -- was a new dog her son had gotten from a neighbor. The related video shows Javon Sr. collapsing to the ground upon learning of his son's death.

08/18/14: DCF Knew of the Pit Bulls
CBS Miami reports that the Department of Children and Families (DCF) was warned that the pit bulls posed a danger to Javon Dade Jr. and his siblings 3-years before one or more of these dogs fatally attacked the boy. According to documents obtained by CBS Miami and their news partners, in March 2011, DCF received a complaint from a neighbor about the "smell" and "feces" and "danger" of the six dogs, two being pit bulls, living in the family's home (See: DCF document).

At that time, Javon Jr., 6-months old, and his two siblings lived with his two parents. The March 2011 DCF narrative in part reads: "There are about six dogs living inside the apartment … the dogs urinate on the floor and the children are frequently on the floor … Two of the dogs are pit bulls … There is concern for the safe care of the children in the home." The DCF report also mentions an incident a year earlier when both parents were bitten trying to break up a dog fight.

When DCF officials confronted the mother, Doreen Reyes, about the allegations, she denied them, claiming to only own three dogs, none of which were pit bulls. At that time, the family was living in Miami-Dade County. DCF failed to contact Animal Services about the dogs being kept illegally by the family. Would it matter if they had though, given that Animal Services is so quick to mislabel any pit bull-type dogs as a terrier-boxer mix, terrier-mix or American bulldog-labrador mix?

Two of the dogs are pit bulldogs," the DCF report added. If the DCF investigator knew that it is illegal to keep pit bulls in Miami-Dade County, there is no mention of it, and no indication that animal services was informed of the situation.
The DCF probe concluded that Javan and his siblings were in a "moderate to high" risk environment, yet no action was taken to remove the children or the dogs. DCF investigators spoke with teachers, daycare workers and a doctor who said the children appeared healthy and well dressed. - CBS Miami
Finally, the DCF report spells out part of the father's extensive criminal record. (We checked this last week as soon as his name was released by searching the Miami-Dade County criminal court website.) Javon Dade Sr., has a history of drug offenses involving cocaine and marijuana; a perfect pairing with running an illegal pit bull breeding operation out of his home. By June of 2011, the parents had split up with Javon Jr. living primarily with his mother and visiting his father.

Summary of DCF Investigations

DCF knew about the pit bulls, which are illegal to own in Miami-Dade County and have been since 1989, but DFC did not know about the county ordinance? Second, DCF documents state that on August 13, "Javon Jr. was mauled to death by the father's pit bull dog." So it will now be harder for Animal Services to mislabel the dog(s) as terrier-mixes or bulldog-mixes, ad nauseam. Finally, if DCF had properly followed up and the breed ban enforced, Javon Dade Jr. would still be alive.

08/15/14: Memorial Grows for Victim
Javon Dade Jr. was visiting his father at the time of his violent mauling death. The boy lives with his mother, Doreen Reyes, and his brother in Palmetto Bay. The two parents are no longer together. Friends of Doreen recently defended her on the Local 10 Facebook page. Doreen also commented: "I brought my kids up in a Godly home and I'm leaving it up to him to get us through this tragedy. So please have compassion for my family and my other son through this time."

CBS Miami reports other social media comments. Beryl wrote to Javon's grandmother (maternal or paternal is unknown): "I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THESE DOGS PITBULLS KILLING OUR BABIES. OH GOD HAVE MERCY SAVE OUR BABIES. WORDS CAN NOT EXPRESS HOW THIS FAMILY FEELS RIGHT NOW." Beryl may be referring to the fact that three young boys, ages 4 to 6, have been brutally mauled to death by family pit bulls in Florida in the past four weeks.

A family friend has set up a fund for Doreen and her mother to help them through this loss.

08/14/14: Landlord Update; AC on Record
Kenneth Darbin, the landlord and owner of the property, told CBS Miami yesterday that he warned his tenants a week ago that they had seven days to remove the dogs or face eviction. The day of the fatal attack was the seventh day of his warning, according to reporter Lauren Pastrana who spoke to him. When later reached by phone, he claimed, "They snuck the dogs on the property." The boy's father had only been living in the house for a little over two months, Narbin said.

New Breed Name -- Will It Stick?

Beginning with Miami-Dade Animal Services labeling 5 of the dogs "labrador-pit bull mixes," then broadening this to "terrier-boxer mixes" finally, Kathleen Labrada, the spokesperson for Animal Services went on record with WSVN last night calling the 5 dogs "American bulldog-labrador retriever mixes." (We've underlined the first name, which is the predominant breed.) Labrada also admitted that the puppies are too young to properly evaluate, but still called them "terrier-mixes."

"A total of six dogs were removed from the scene. Three adults which appear to be American Bulldog and Labrador Retriever mixes, and one pit bull," said a spokesperson Kathleen Labrada of Animal Services. "The puppies appear to be terrier mixes. They are too young to evaluate, they are under six months of age. We're certainly hopeful that through DNA evidence and other evidence we're able to gather, that we will be able to confirm which dogs..." - Kathleen Labrada
When all else fails, labeling the dog an American bulldog-mix usually sticks. As explained in footnotes, there is no frantic labeling game (throw it until it sticks) about the breed of the number one suspect. If there were, if might get someone from Animal Services fired. It is still unknown, however, which of the adult dogs attacked or if all three did. Currently, Animal Services is trying to pawn off the two adult females (the white and tan dogs) as "American bulldog-labrador mixes."

People who breed pit bulls, like to produce more pit bulls. The goal is not to produce litters of American bulldog-mixes or labrador-mixes. Therefore, they mate pit bulls with other pit bulls, a breed which certainly has a wide variance in colors and weight, but very little variance in the shape of the head. The white and tan dogs are predominantly pit bulls and any label should reflect this, such as "pit bull-mix" or "pit bull-American bulldog mix" or "pit bull-[insert breed name] mix."

Above: Thus far, Miami-Dade Animal Services have labeled 5 of the dogs three different names.

08/13/14: Landlord; Terrier-Mix Label
In an evening update from NBC Miami, the news team spoke to the landlord and owner of the home, Kenneth Narbin, who said that last week he gave the renters2 -- Javon Dade Sr., and his girlfriend -- seven days to remove the "pit bull dogs from the home." Miami-Dade County has banned the breed for over two decades. Despite this legal demand from their landlord, the boy's father kept the dogs along with his homespun pit bull breeding operation. Now his son is dead.

Before reading the Miami Herald update, it is important for readers to understand that the Herald strongly opposes the pit bull ban and urged the public in 2012 to vote to repeal it. The public shrugged off the Herald and voted by a wide margin to keep the ban. The main reason we link to the Herald now is to point out a disturbing new pit bull "mislabeling" trend. The new trend is to replace "pit bull" with "terrier," as was done on the adopted dog that viciously attacked Rita Pepe.

Twenty minutes later, police made a gruesome discovery: Javon had been mauled to death by dogs in the backyard of the Goulds home, his limp body found in the overgrown grass near a fence.
 In the same yard: Two adult female terrier-boxer mixes, an adult male pit bull and three terrier-boxer mixed puppies between two and four months of age. - Miami Herald
The terrier group is a large list of breeds, of which the American pit bull terrier (aka American Staffordshire terrier) is grouped within by many major kennel clubs, along with the border terrier, rat terrier, west highland terrier, Scottish terrier and more. Under this "trending" misleading labeling treatment for pit bulls, a "pit bull-boxer mix" is simply a "terrier-boxer mix." which completely removes the pit bull name to unsuspecting adopters and for dog bite statistical tracking purposes.

Miami-Dade County Animal Services, who initially labeled five of the dogs as "labrador-pit bull mixes," then switched over to the broader "terrier-mix" label. The Herald immediately pushed this "revised" label. What is truly revolting is that Miami-Dade County Animal Services is tax-funded and under the mission to enforce the county pit bull ban. What the public knows now is that even in the case a fatal dog attack, this agency will "protect the breed" over their public safety duty.3

08/13/14: Dogs Seized, Photographed
Miami-Dade authorities seized and photographed a total of six dogs, three adults and three puppies. Authorities "speculate" that at least one adult pit bull may have been trying to protect the puppies when it unleashed a brutal attack killing the 4-year old boy. According to Animal Services, only one dog appeared to be aggressive, an adult male pit bull (top left). The rest of the dogs are allegedly "labrador-pit bull mixes," despite a female labrador nowhere to be found on scene.4

Above: Local 10 published photos of all six dogs seized after the fatal attack of Javon Dade Jr.

08/13/14: Child Killed by Family Pit Bull
Goulds, FL - In a developing story, Miami-Dade Police confirm that a 4-year old boy was mauled to death by one or more of his family's dogs in Goulds this morning. The attack occurred in the fenced-in backyard of a home at 12301 SW 230th Street. Hovering news choppers at the scene spotted the boy's body covered in a yellow tarp lying in the middle of the backyard. Neighbors described the family's two dogs as being "very aggressive" and believe they are pit bulls.

This is the third little boy in Florida mauled to death by family dogs since July 19. The first two fatalities involved family pit bulls.
The CBS Miami video shows numerous first responder personnel and vehicles at the scene. Miami-Dade police also set up a "command post" near the scene. While writing this blog post, police identified the boy as Javon Dade Jr. and confirmed that three dogs were captured. The video suggests that at least one dog was shot. The investigation is ongoing. It is unknown what the circumstances of the attack were or if the boy was under adult supervision at the time.

WSVN offers additional information. In a press conference, Miami-Dade Police spokesperson Robin Pinkard said the call began as a missing child case. When police responded, they canvassed the area and made the horrific discovery. At least three dogs were captured. Police are still trying to determine who owed the dogs and if the dogs resided at the fenced property or broke into it. Animal control is conducting "a series of tests" to determine the breeds of dogs involved.

Police have been dispatched in search of the missing boy when they made the horrific discovery. "According to investigators, at approximately 10:09 this morning, police received a phone call advising of a missing 4-year-old male," said Pinkard. "As officers arrived they did an area canvas where they discovered a black male, 4 years of age, deceased in the backyard." WSVN.com
Finally, Local 10 News is now reporting the "predictable" pattern that the boy was "visiting" his father's home at the time of the fatal dog attack. Also, as of 1:45 pm Central time, a total of six dogs have been removed from the property. The father, along with his girlfriend, were at the home at the time of the fatal incident. As DogsBite.org readers know, Miami-Dade County has banned pit bulls since 1989. If the dogs are determined to be pit bulls, criminal fines or charges may follow.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Florida Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

1We imagine the DCF report helped as well.
2Only the video contained the phrase "last week." The print version did not.
3Amazingly, for legal purposes and otherwise, the #1 suspect, according to Miami-Dade County Animal Services, is the only dog being labled as a "pit bull." All of the other pit bulls and pit bull-mixes will get recycled back into the community under misleading terrier-mix names.
4Why would Miami-Dade Animal Services pull the "labrador-pit bull mix" stunt? Notably, the breed listed first is the predominant breed. First, it must be explained that puppies this young -- whose physical form has not filled out yet -- are often too young to be properly identified by breed. Second, when two pit bulls mate, this does not produce labrador-pit bull mix dogs. It produces pit bulls or pit bull-mix dogs depending upon the exact make up of each parent. Finally, Animal Services must falsely identify the puppies as anything but "predominantly pit bulls" or else, given the county pit bull ban, they can't adopt out the offspring of a fatally attacking pit bull to the public.

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07/29/13: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Visiting Child Killed by His Uncle's Two Pit Bulls in...
08/16/12: Vote in Miami-Dade County to Repeal Pit Bull Ban Fails by Wide Margin
03/12/12: Attempt to Overturn Miami-Dade Pit Bull Ban Advances: 'Don't They Know?'Colleen Lynnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com://blog.dogsbite.org/2014/08/2014-dog-bite-fatality-florida-child.html