This Week's PIT BULL attacks

[Erik266]

Last updated February 20, 2008 8:56 p.m. PT

Girl, 9, hospitalized after pit-bull attack
By LEVI PULKKINEN
P-I REPORTER

A West Seattle girl was hospitalized Tuesday afternoon after being bitten by a pit bull.

The 9-year-old suffered severe cuts to her upper and lower lips and to her chin and face, after being attacked at a Highland Park home, according to police reports.

Firefighters were called to a home at 7945 Delridge Way S.W. where the girl had been attacked by the 90-pound dog. A neighbor phoned for help after seeing the girl bleeding from her face.

Seattle Fire Department medics arrived and treated the girl, but advised her parents that, because of the severity of the wounds, she would need to be taken to Harborview Medical Center.

The girl was rushed to the hospital by private ambulance. Harborview officials were unable to verify her condition Wednesday afternoon.

Seattle Animal Control removed the dog, a 3-year-old pit bull, that was involved in the attack. A second dog also was taken from the house.

Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson said the department will investigate the attack to determine whether any crime occurred. Seattle Animal Control also is investigating.

[Cal native]

Dog was miss identified. Not a pitt bull.

Tyical crap from the media.

[Pit Mom]

I completely agree, it was NOT a pit bull. These were terrible parents and irresponsible dog owners. To blame what happened to the little girl on the dog is completely ignorant. They didn't even think that chaining an intact dog with a female around (probably intact as well and in heat) would cause problems???
These people are STUPID and charges for neglect should be filed to the parent, the grandma, whomever was in charge of the kids and the dogs!

[Cal native]

When a female dog is in heat all breeds act aggressively. A male dog can smell a female in heat up to 5 miles away. When this happens the male can act totally out of character and be extremely aggressive. Intact males are more prone to aggressive behavior and most "BAD owners" can't deal with cutting off their dogs balls. Maybe we should spay and neuter owners who train dogs to fight.

Then we would have a lot of eunuch/enique people that way.

[HeatherW]

It was an American Bulldog, watch the video in the links... it doesn't even look like a pit bull, although that's what the media claims it was... new stories have changed it to 'pit bull type', which would include the American Bulldog. 90 pounds is also more realistic for an American Bulldog, and about 30 pounds too heavy for a Pit Bull.

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2008/0...

[Erik266]

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C.-- Two 10-year-old cousins are hurting and sore, but happy to be back together again after a vicious pit bull attack Thursday afternoon in Lancaster County.

The attack happened at Zeb Polston's mother's home on Unity Church Road. The boys said they were out on the porch and suddenly the male pit bull started sniffing Zeb’s cousin, Devin Polston.

"He was smelling him, and then he jumped on him. Devin just like fell, he fell down to the ground," Zeb said.

"He started biting me, and I started screaming for help," described Devin Polston.

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BULLETIN BOARD: Share Your Thoughts On Pit Bulls
RELATED STORY: Lancaster County Boys Attacked By Pair Of Pit Bulls
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He has stitches in his right ear, back and side, and had to be airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center after the attack.

Zeb tried to kick the male pit bull, named Zeebo, off of his cousin but couldn't get him to budge.

"I got bit on the leg and here on my hand," the boy said pointing to his wounds.

Zeb's mother, Annmarie Polston, ran outside and was also bitten as she tried to pull Zeebo off of her nephew.

Neighbor Justin Cauthen heard the boys screaming and ran over in time to see one of them jump over the fence to get away while the other boy ran into the house.

"You can't trust a pit bull," Cauthen said. "Those dogs should be tied to a chain or in a pen. You can't let them run around inside a fence like this."

Zeebo and another pet pit bull are now at the Lancaster County Animal Shelter for a 10-day quarantine period to make sure they don't have rabies. After that they'll be destroyed.

Sheriff's investigators said they don't expect any charges against the owner of the dogs, who is Annmarie Polston's boyfriend.

"The dogs were inside the fence like they should've been, and we don't expect to charge anyone," said sheriff's office spokesman Tom Holland.

Both Zeb and Devin Polston were still shaken Friday afternoon, but said they still like dogs. Devin said the helicopter ride to the hospital was fun.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/15453229/detail.ht...

[Erik266]

SHREVEPORT, LA
Man Hospitalized After Bloody Pit Bull Attack

Posted: Feb 28, 2008 04:13 AM PST

Updated: Feb 28, 2008 06:30 AM PST








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A Shreveport man's early morning walk through a Cedar Grove neighborhood turned into a fight for his life when a Pit Bull dog attacked.
Shreveport police say Percy Nettter, 51, was walking across Linwood Avenue near W. 74th Street around 4 a. m. Thursday when the animal suddenly pounced on him.
They say Netter apparently sliced at the dog with a box cutter and then grabbed some large branches, all in an attempt to fight him off. But the animal bit him on the arms, legs, chest and head, creating an especially bloody scene.
A passerby saw the commotion and tried to help.
"(He) told our officers that, initially, he thought 2 guys were fighting," said Randy Patrick, spokesman for the Shreveport Police Dept. "He stopped, got out of the car, and hit the dog a few times with his cane and that scared the dog off."
Netter was rushed to LSU hospital. As of 6 a. m., he remained in the emergency room.
An animal control officer arrived on the scene shortly before 5 a. m. and found the Pit Bull in the front yard of a home--one police believe belongs to his owner.
"That's the culprit," said Roman Walker with Caddo Animal Control, pointing the dog whose snout was covered in blood. "You can see he's the culprit because the victim used a box cutter to slice his face."
Walker said the dog will be held under quarantine while he's checked for rabies. His fate will be decided at a later time, Walker said.
This is the second Pit Bull attack in Shreveport this week. On Tuesday, two of the dogs pounced on Brezele Coutee, 89, as he walked along Horn Place in Hollywood Heights, Coutee suffered bites to his leg. He was treated at LSU hospital and released.
Police have not found the dogs involved in that attack.

http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp...

[Erik266]

Vicious Pitbull Attack in North Minneapolis

Last Edited: Tuesday, 26 Feb 2008, 9:03 PM CST
Created: Tuesday, 26 Feb 2008, 9:03 PM CST

Minneapolis Animal Control SideBar

Related Items
Stories
Pitbull 'Seriously Mauls' Boy in Minneapolis

A woman was walking her dog down the street in North Minneapolis when a Pit Bull jumped a fence, and attacked her.


A pit bull attacked Laurie Hellerud and her lab on the corner of Morgan Avenue.


Witnesses saw what was happening and called 9-1-1, only for the operator to transfer the call to Animal Control.


The woman was injured, but is back at her job tonight as a waitress.


Hellerud claims Minneapolis police passed her call and the problem onto another agency: Animal Control.


Witnesses estimate it took at least 20 minutes before Animal Control showed up, by the, a good Samaritan pulled the pit bull off the Hellerud.

[Cal native]

Might want to look here

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/...

this is a just the facts site .

[Cal native]

Here is some info from the above site.

There has always been a segment of the population that believes breed is the root cause of dog attacks. For whatever reasons, these people seem uninterested in examining the circumstances around the attack itself or refuse to acknowledge that the popularity and increased numbers of these breeds will necessarily be reflected in their "overrepresentation" in reported cases of dog bites.

However, history clearly bears out that when a certain breed becomes extremely popular in a given time period, and especially when the breed is used by substandard owners for negative functions, these will be the breeds found in reported cases of severe and fatal dog attacks.

The truth is - the incidence and frequency of dog attacks has remained relatively consistent over the last century, regardless of the popularity or involvement of certain breeds of dogs.

The extreme popularity of the German Shepherd during certain decades did not significantly increase the frequency of fatal attacks. Likewise, the immense popularity of the Pit Bull-type dogs and Rottweilers during the last two decades has not significantly increased the frequency of fatal attacks.

[Cal native]

Here is something to chew on.

In My home state :

Fatal dog attacks: 2
Struck by lightning: 2
Children left in hot cars: 3
Death from contact w/bees, hornets or wasps: 4
Child (<5 yrs.old) drowned in bathtub: 15

California children died as a result of maltreatment (abuse or neglect). 140

Acording to Eric we should worry about pit bulls and let more childre die from abuse or neglect.
Nice fellow.

[HeatherW]

Cal native wrote:

Acording to Eric we should worry about pit bulls and let more childre die from abuse or neglect.
Nice fellow.

Yep, but most people who hate on the breed of dog are too narrow minded to look at the bigger picture...

How about the fact that last year 5 people were killed by Pit Bulls... there are more than 2,000,000 pit bulls in the US... so there were 1,999,996 Pit Bulls that didn't kill anyone, yet Eric thinks those millions of dogs should die for the actions of a few.

More kids died from choking on baloons, than in dog attacks (from any breed)... maybe Eric should start campaigning against the deadly, evil and viscious balloons?

I agree that there should be stronger dangerous dog legislation, and that animal control officers should have more power to enforce those laws... but I don't think that all animals of any particular breed should be deemed dangerous just because of what they look like.

ERIC: What's the point of these posts? What message are you trying to portray? At this point you just seem to post random dog (or only pit bull) attack stories and completely ignore anyones comments, so it seems kind of pointless to me. What do you think should be done?

[HeatherW]

Cute, happy Pit Bull with a good owner:

Pit bull fends off stray dog attack on owner

ONOPAH -- A Tonopah woman is recovering after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs.

It happened right outside her home near 331st Avenue and Baseline Road.

Almost a year ago, Regina Fanire and her husband moved from 75th Avenue and Indian School Road to the Tonopah area for some peace and quiet.

Little did they think that their peaceful neighborhood would become the target of an attack.

"Most frightening thing I've ever been through in my whole life," Fanire said.

A daily chore turned into a harrowing experience for Fanire. Just last week she grabbed her mail and turned to head back toward home.

"Something grabbed my elbow, yanked me down on the ground," she recalled.

Shielding her face with her arm, she tried to fend off her attackers -- a pack of four stray dogs.

"When it went for my throat, I realized for sure I was being attacked," Fanire said.

Screaming and shouting, she dragged herself to the front door, managed to unlatch it and repeatedly rang the doorbell.

Her pitbull came to her aid.

"This is my hero," she said about her dog. "He suffered a few bites on his nose, face and ears."

Her hero's name is O.D., which originally stood for Outdoor Dog. He was a stray as well. Someone dumped him by the road and Fanire nursed him back to health.

And you can bet after this experience, she's changed his nickname to O.D. for On Duty.

Twenty-six bites later, four hospital visits and plenty of R & R, Fanire is starting to recover.

She's not angry with the stray dogs, but rather their selfish owners.

"I'm not mad at the dogs," she said. "I'm mad at whoever is dropping dogs off to starve and die out here. They wouldn't be running in packs. If you can't care for a dog, take them to a shelter, turn them in."

Animal Care and Control sent out officers to take a report and investigate the attack. They have since made daily rounds in that area to find the stray dogs. They have impounded one of them.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/to...

[HeatherW]

Click on Friday's show for a clip of the Michael Vick dogs up for adoption, and Rachael Ray discussing her own pit bull:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/

[HeatherW]

Eric: How would you identify Pit Bull's if a ban did go through?

City employee sentences dog to die, WRONGLY identified as a pit bull:

Video Killed A Classification. Council dogged by CCTV.

Gold Coast Sun 27.2.2008

Brent Melville.

Gold Coast City Council have been left red- faced after being ‘set up’ to perform a disputed dog breed test in a Currumbin house.
The test was captured on closed circuit television cameras and posted on u tube website.
The dog, and American Staffordshire terrier, was initially identified as a pit bull, but Council later backed down.

The video was later forced off U- Tube after the Council threatened legal action.
People fighting a Council Bylaw that bans pit bull terriers say the video is ‘clear evidence’ that the Bylaw is invalidated by a 22 point checklist it uses.

The Council has refused to comment on the incident, but the man behind the videos, security contractor John Mokomoko , said another video would be posted on U-Tube.

He said ‘amstaffs’ were genetically indistinguishable form pit bull terriers.
The U-Tube video made last month when Mr.Mokomoko set five Cameras in the Currumbin home of Fiona Gibson, who owns an amstaff named Maverick.

Mr Mokomoko asked Ms.Gibson to set up a dog breed inspection and installed the cameras in her home. He also posted signs inside and out side the house saying the house was under CCTV surveillance.
The two Animal Control Officers arrived, did the check, and declared the amstaff to be a pit bull terrier.

Mr. Mokomoko then appeared and told the two officers they had being filmed. He also gave them a Freedom Of Information form asking for a copy of their checklist.
Ms.Gibson was later told the dogs score sheet had been ‘recalculated’ and it did not qualify as a pit bull.

“Suddenly, miraculously the dog lost 20 points,” said Mr. Mokomoko.
“I’m still awaiting the Freedom of Information response to see the original score sheet.”

No Comment on ‘Lost’ FOI request.

Gold Coast City Council has ‘Lost’ a dog breed checklist and the Freedom Of Information request for the document, says dog campaigner John Mokomoko.

But Council staff promised to try and find the documents,he said. Mr. Mokomoko filmed two council officers carrying out a 22 point checklist on a dog at a Currumbin home last month.

When the checklist was done Mr.Mokomoko presented the council officers with a FOI request for the 22 point checklist they has completed. But when Mr. Mokomoko approached the council last week he was told no Freedom Of Information request has been received and there was no record of the assessment being done.

“I told them l had it on camera and they said they would try to locate the records.”
A Council spokesmen refused to comment on the matter.

U- Tube removed my videos, but we got 355 hits in three days so it served it purpose. The officer involved complained that he was getting death threats, and his children were suffering, shame he didnt think of all the children and families that dogs he has wrongfully identified and killed.

[HeatherW]

Ban obviously not working in the UK as bites are up 42% from last year (when more attention was paid to the ban, which actually started years ago), although this article is aimed at 'devil dogs' or pit bulls, more attacks are coming from Rottweilers:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news...

Our kids at risk from devil dogs
Feb 28 2008 by Luke Traynor, Liverpool Echo

MORE children are being attacked by dogs on Merseyside than ever before, new figures have revealed.

The government has said the number of youngsters being savaged in the county has risen by 12%.

The North West suffers the largest number of admissions to hospital accident and emergency departments of anywhere in the UK.

Last year, 667 people were seen by medics, 241 of them under 18.

The period includes the death of five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson who was killed in her St Helens home by her uncle’s pit bull terrier.

Today, the family of nine year-old Nikkita Douglas, who was savaged by a dog near her Norris Green home, spoke of their horror at the sudden increase.

Her gran Nora Kelly told the ECHO:“It’s worrying, I still hear owners shout,‘it’s ok, it won’t bite’, but we know that’s not the case. There’s not enough being done, I still see American pitbulls being walked around our streets even today.

“The courts need to be stricter with owners, not just give them a slap on the wrists.”

Nationally there were 3,787 A&E admissions for dog attacks, up 42% from 2,652 in 2002-03.

Four out of 10 prosecutions for owning dangerous dogs fail in Merseyside. The government is likely to toughen up guidelines to magistrates.

[HeatherW]

Weimaraner attack, in a city that has banned pit bulls:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/fe...

Dog attacks Boulder woman
The Rocky
Originally published 07:25 a.m., February 28, 2008
Updated 12:51 p.m., February 28, 2008
Related StoriesOwner ecstatic that Rolo will live

A Boulder woman was taken to the hospital Wednesday after she reported being attacked by a dog at the Tantra Lake apartments, 755 W. Moorhead Circle, at about 2:40 p.m.

The woman, whose name and age aren't known, told officers the large Weimaraner was running in and out of an open apartment when it attacked, said police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley.

Initial reports indicated she suffered a large gash to her behind. Huntley said the extent of the woman's injuries was not clear, but the victim was released from Boulder Community Hospital late Wednesday afternoon.

Humane Society of Boulder Valley animal control supervisor Janee Teague said the incident remained under investigation, although the dog's owner could face charges of owning an aggressive animal.

A man at the apartment Wednesday declined to give his name or comment about the incident, but he told Boulder police officers the door was closed when he left and questioned whether the woman was trying to get into his home.

Police officers at the scene described the dog involved in the alleged attack as being "as tall as a doorknob."

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News

[HeatherW]

Pit bulls controlled as dangerous dogs even though more German Shepherds overall bite people... and since pit bulls are still biting a year after being muzzled and leashed (which people ignore) obviously that's not working... AC NEEDS to be able to do more to irresponsible owners:

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php...

City seizes biting dogs (2)[Back]<Prev>
(News) Friday, 29 February 2008, 06:00 PST
BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff

Animal control officers are kept busy controlling the dog population in Prince George.

Latest statistics show that since Sept. 1, the city has seized 30 biting dogs. About 60 dogs are dealt with every year, said Ken Craig, bylaw control officer.

"Among the 30 seized in the past six months, some were surrendered and some were put down after a 72-hour stay at the SPCA, where it was decided they could not be rehabilitated," said Craig.

The 30 dogs include nine pit bulls, seven German shepherd crosses, two black Labradors, one boxer, one poodle and one shih-tzu.

The other nine are unknowns, said Craig, explaining they are roaming dogs who bite a jogger or pedestrian and then simply disappear.

Although some of the incidents involved biting or attacking people or other dogs, it was only the pit bulls that have fatally injured or killed cats, said Craig.

He added pit bulls, for their very small population in the community, are involved in a significant number of the biting incidents.

Three cats have been fatally injured in the past few months on Oak Street, and the two dogs have been seized and are confined until their fate is decided.

A 13-year-old girl was bitten Monday night by a pit bull on Milburn Avenue and that dog is now impounded along with the other two.

Vicki Lacey, the girl's mother, said the teen "has two big holes in her leg and it will take a lot of time and work to get her leg back to full use. Her leg is pretty bad."

Lacey said the girl did nothing to provoke the dog.

"All she did was say hi to her friend who was walking the dog, and the dog attacked her."

She added she is thankful "for the people that saw what was going on and helped get the dog off my daughter, because it had locked on to her leg."

She added that although she "loves dogs," she thinks owners should be using leashes and muzzles when necessary.

Prince George city council adopted a bylaw in September 2005 that deemed pit bulls, pit bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire terriers and crossbreeds of any of those dogs as dangerous dogs.

The adoption came after a five-year study of 411 dog-bite incidents that involved 95 German shepherds, 57 pit bulls, 52 Labrador retrievers and 43 rottweilers.

The bylaw requires dangerous dogs be muzzled and leashed in public, and at home it's required they are properly enclosed in a six-foot high fence or confined in an area that cannot be opened by children, and that warning signs are posted.

Fines for contraventions with no injuries range from $500 to $1,000 for successive offenses, and contraventions involving injury to humans or animals start at $2,000 with the maximum fine totalling $10,000.

Craig said dogs that attack with evidence to prove it are targeted as "dangerous dogs" and immediately come under the dangerous dog rules.

[HeatherW]

Rottweiler bites toddler, in a town where pit bulls have been banned for 17 years (and their yearly bite stats have increased):

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city...

Family dog bites toddler
Girl stitched up after jumping on sleeping pet
Jason van Rassel and Sherri Zickefoose, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, February 29, 2008
A two-year-old girl needed 16 stitches to her right ear and cheek after one of the family dogs bit her Thursday morning.

By Thursday evening, the girl was at home and playing in the living room, a gauze bandage on the right side of her face the only lasting sign of what had occurred.

The girl's mother called 911 to the home on Dovercliffe Way S.E. shortly after 11:30 a.m.

Email to a friend

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Font:****The woman, who asked not to be named, said she was in the bathroom when her daughter jumped on one of the household's two mastiff-cross dogs as they slept.

"I could see the one gash on her face so I called the ambulance right away," said the mother.

Paramedics arrived quickly, while the woman was still on the phone with 911, she said.

"I just tried to keep pressure on (the wounds)," she said.

City animal bylaw officers say nothing will happen until they interview the girl's parents this week.

"This does happen from time to time when it's a household pet. The dog is not at large and not a danger to the public," said animal bylaw services manager Bill Bruce.

"We'll be talking to the parents and investigating like we would any dog bite."

Last year, bylaw officers investigated 134 reports of dog bites.

"In a city of a million people with over 105,000 dogs, that's not too many."

Investigators will look at the history of the family, what the circumstances were and if the bite was out-of-character for the dog.

The woman said the two dogs are rarely in the house and come indoors only to sleep.

If charges are laid, fines are between $360 to $1,500.

[HeatherW]

Rottweiler lab mix, knocks over water employee and then breaks AC officers wrist when they arrive:

http://cbs11tv.com/local/officers.demoted.fir...

Feb 26, 2008 6:03 pm US/Central Officers Demoted, 1 Fired After Dog Attacks Man

Bud Gillett HUTCHINS, Texas (CBS 11 News) &#8213; Two Hutchins police officers were demoted and a third fired after a neighborhood dog attacked a public worker.

According to those involved, a Labrador/ rottweiler mix named Spike jumped a fence and knocked over a water department employee.

When Public Works Director Ronnie O'Brien arrived at the scene, he wanted police to take action against the dog. Instead, he said he got nothing but attitude from police officers.

He said that led to an "inappropriate conversation" with the officers' supervisor, Assistant Chief David Landers.

While Landers won't comment on the incident, his attorney admited heated words were exchanged.

"Assistant Chief Landers felt like Mr. O'Brien threatened him with,'Well, I'll just take my issues to the mayor,'" said attorney Lance Wyatt.

O'Brien did indeed complain to the mayor. In the fallout, Police Chief Gregory Griffin fired one of the two officers who first arrived on the scene, and he demoted another. Landers was suspended without pay for five days and demoted to sergeant.

Landers is appealing his demotion. "It seems like it's a little bit of an over reaction," said Wyatt.

No one else connected to the incident would comment.

Spike was quarantined, facing an uncertain future.

"I want my dog back. I cry for my dog everyday. I call them and ask them,'Can I see my dog?'" said the dog's owner Dora Leija. But, she said, they always say, "No. You can't see your dog."

According to police, Spike didn't bite anyone, but the water company suffered scratches and bruises when he was knocked over. The animal control officer reportedly broke his wrist trying to put Spike in the cage.