Saturday, January 31, 2015

Pit bull roundup 1/31/2015 Pit bull attacks, murder charges, dog fighting, the usual.


Getting back to work on some of the backlog here.  These stories appear in no particular order.

11/2/2014
Copley Ohio

Police were called to the scene of a dog fight at a residence on Summit Road.  Upon arrival police found a dead pit bull, apparently stabbed to death with two butcher knives conveniently laying on the ground next to the dead pit bull.  Here is the story, a neighborhood couple took their leashed dogs out for a walk and the neighbor's pit bull charged them, attacking one of the leashed dogs taking that dog's head into its mouth.  The owner of the leashed dogs grabbed the pit bull by the neck and kicked it with no success. The owner of the pit bull arrived and also began kicking his pit bull to get it off the leashed dog, again no success.  The owner of the leashed dog went into his home and returned with the knives which he used to stab the attacking pit bull off his dog.  The leashed dog was rushed to a veterinarian.  A police report was made and forwarded to the local dog warden.  Click here for a report, scan down the column to Copley news.  

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11/28/2014
Columbus Ohio

A feel good story, I'm holding my breath and hoping the warm feelings last.  A Columbus police officer rescued a pit mix puppy trapped in a car after a motor vehicle accident in early November. The officer saw the puppy a few weeks later on the Franklin County shelter's website after the owner surrendered the dog. Why?  Not included in the story.  In any case, the warm hearted police officer and his wife decided to rescue the pup again. This pit mix joins a household already including a Great Dane and a Boxer.  Many pit bulls do not show aggression until about two years of age.  Good luck.

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12/4/2014
New York City

This is follow up on the Bones story. Type "Bones" into the site search block and you will get more than you ever wanted to know on Bones, the dog implicated in a murder in New York.  Bones was placed with a "rescue" dedicated to dangerous dogs located appropriately enough in a garage in a densely populated neighborhood in Toledo Ohio by the Lexus Project. Bones mysteriously went missing but months later it was revealed that Bones was never missing but rather buried in the yard. No explanation was ever offered.

Shaun Dyer was convicted murder for the death of David Shadha and sentenced to 25 years to life.
 Man who killed roommate with pit bull, metal pole gets 25 years to life
Here is the story per the New York Post.
The fatal spat began when Dyer accused Shadha of stealing his keys, then ordered his pitbull, “Bones,” to attack him. While a moving truck waited for Shadha downstairs, Dyer whacked him with the pipe at least 18 times, prosecutors said.
Capital Trigger
Shaun Dyer’s pitbull.Photo: Brigitte Stelzer
He then panicked and tried to clean up the gory scene, but there was too much blood.
So Dyer left his ferociously barking dog in the apartment with Shadha’s mutilated corpse and decided to saunter over to a nearby grocery store to buy orange juice, yogurt and milk.
After he ate, Dyer led a marshall into the blood-soaked apartment and feigned surprise when they were confronted by the grisly crime scene.
At trial, Dyer argued that Shadha rushed at him with a bat and he’d only defended himself, but jurors didn’t buy it.
At Thursday’s hearing, defense lawyer Jim McQueeney asked the judge for leniency, given the strain Dyer was under over the eviction.
“This arose on a very difficult day in my client’s life,” McQueeney said. “The maximum sentence should be reserved for the most heinous cases, most brutal cases and this is just not one of them.”

* eye roll *  The strain of the eviction?

It was a difficult day in David Shadha's life too, and his last.  And yes, that is Shadha's blood on Bones in the photo.

Sources state that Dyer has a history of two dozen arrests.

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11/1/2014
Cincinnati Ohio

A woman was injured by a pit bull that per reports "hurt the woman's ankle."  The pit bull is owned by Anthony Easton who was accused of assault in the incident.  A grand jury did not indict Easton on domestic violence charges but Easton remained in jail on several protection orders violations.  Nice guy.

A rally was held in order to bring public awareness to the issue of domestic violence.

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12/14/2014
Akron Ohio

Indictments were returned by a federal grand jury against ringleaders of a national dog fighting ring raided by Akron police in November.  Ten people were indicted,a total of forty seven people were arrested, those remaining are expected to face charges in Summit County.
 Akron dog fighting investigation
Yes, that is blood on the walls of the pit.  For more information on this story please click here.

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12/21/2014
Fremont Ohio

A sixteen week old pit bull puppy was reportedly taken by coyotes while a caretaker was filling food and water dishes. Puppy caretaker Dallas Critchet reported "“I was standing right there, but here’s these three coyotes coming up on him, and they grabbed him and shook him once, and took off with him into the corn field,” Critchet said. “They weren’t more than 30 yards away from me.” " We had a routine, but then these coyotes just came up out of nowhere and grabbed him, and he was gone, It hurt real bad to lose him like that.”

Coyotes are known to be in the area and this was not Critchet's first encounter with them.  Sandusky County Wildlife officer Matthew Leibengood stated "My best advice is is for people to always accompany their pets outside."  Good advice.

The style of this attack is remarkably similar to the attack behavior of pit bulls and for those who witness their pets grabbed by the neck by pit bulls, shaken and carried off  it"hurts real bad" as well.

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12/24/2014
Mayfield Village Ohio

A resident complained to police that two pit bulls were on her front porch.  Police were able to lure one of the dogs to its home on SOM Center Road.  The 22 year old pit bull owner was cited for animal at large.  This is the second time she has cited for the same offense since October.  Another "responsible pit bull owner."

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12/30/2014
Dayton Ohio

A Dayton police officer was treated for a dog bite injury after he was bitten by a pit bull.  Per WHIO
"The dog was loose in the house on West Third while the officer spoke to roommates about a dispute late last night.
It ran upstairs after biting the officer, the report states.
I think the moral of this story is confine your pit bull when police are called.  

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12/31/204
Akron Ohio

On Christmas Eve five dogs were seized from the home of an Akron man who is one of those arrested in the November dog fighting raid.  Humane officials spoke with Robbie Hollis at his home, noting that Hollis had four pit bulls and one German Shepherd mix living in unsanitary conditions, without water or shelter, and exhibiting body sores.  A treadmill, harness, and powdered supplement used for muscle building were also found on the property.  Hollis faces six counts of animal cruelty.  

Hollis is one of those expected to be charged in Summit County, he was arrested in November with being a spectator at a dog fight.  He has pleaded not guilty to that charge. 

Akron Ohio has restrictions on pit bulls.

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1/4/2015
Dayton Ohio

Dayton police were called to a South Hedges Street home in response to a pit bull attack.  The victim stated to police that he was walking home from a grocery store when he saw a pit bull loose in a back yard.  The pit bull charged the man who climbed a fence in an attempt to get away.  The victim was bitten on the arm and also injured his knee while climbing the fence.  The victim also stated that this was not his first experience with this particular pit bull.  Police records showed a previous call to the home after the off-leash pit bull charged someone.

The dog was identified as "red nose male pit bull, had all his shots and was registered."  The owner told police he let the dog out in the yard without a leash.  

Has the Montgomery County dog warden considered designating this pit bull as dangerous? 

 Dayton-Police-Car
  

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1/12/2015
Columbus Ohio

This is another installment of "a pit bull's worst nightmare may well be his owner."  Two Columbus pit bulls were in the news for exposure to bitter cold, one rescued and one dead.  The two pit bulls were found at homes on the same street. One pit bull was frozen to death after being left behind by evicted owners. MJ, the surviving pit bull was chained in a yard, underweight, under protected from the cold, and covered in body sores.

MJ was taken to the Capitol Area Humane Society where records indicate that humane officers responded to a neglect call for the same pit bull at the same address a year ago. 

MJ's owner faces animal neglect charges.  

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1/18/2015
Dayton Ohio

A pit bull named Precious bit a Dayton woman in the leg as she was picking up a friend from a house on North Harbine Avenue.  Precious is owned by the victim's great nephew.  The victim stated that Precious has bitten other people in the past and and that there are two other dogs in the household that appear aggressive.  Anybody seen Mark Kumpf lately?  

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1/20/2015
Cincinnati Ohio  

Cincinnati city council is considering three different proposals related to dangerous dogs.  There is debate on the inclusion of criminal penalties in addition to fines.  I find this incredible, this is the city where Zainabou Drame was mauled nearly to death causing two months hospitalization in addition to lifelong disability to this child with a million dollars and counting in medical bills.  The owner of the pit bulls has not been charged "because there was no appropriate charge to make."

Per WVSU "Council Member Kevin Flynn said criminals will likely ignore additional misdemeanor penalties.
"They're doing activities that go far beyond what we as a city can penalize criminally," Flynn said. "About the only thing we can do, and it's a lot easier to get recovery, is go after them civilly."
Helloooo, FELONY charges are appropriate.  Civil court does nothing for a victim.  Looking for an easy way out does not serve the purpose of public safety.  
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1/27/2015                                                                                                                                        Newark Ohio   
For the second time this month a pit bull has bitten a local resident.  On Jan 18th a pit bull bit a man in the face causing injury.  The owner of the pit bull also faces outstanding charges dating back to September for failing to have insurance on a vicious dog and a violation of quarantine, plus charges on an exotic animals violation.
On January 13 it was reported that a man had been bitten by a pit bull as he was walking his leashed dog.  The leashed dog was attacked by the pit bull and the owner was bitten as he fought to protect his dog. It is an interesting factoid that January 13 happened to be the date of a city council meeting where breed specific advocates planned to speak in favor of dropping the local pit bull ban. 
On January 30th the Newark Advocate reported a third pit bull bite causing injury to a resident.  Per the Newark Advocate " Sgt. Paul Davis said there does not appear to be any evidence the victim did anything to provoke the dog. He said police do take and receive reports of dog bites involving dogs that are not classified as pit bulls, but Newark has not received any so far this year.
“Pit bulls are the majority,” Davis said."                    
Pit bull owners continue to complain that local law is unfair to them.  *eye roll*
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1/27/2015 Port Clinton Ohio
A Port Clinton Ohio pit bull is being called a hero for doing what pit bulls do.  It bit someone but this time the person bitten was a burglar.  Tony Byrd Jr., owner of Mama the pit bull, heard screams coming from the front of the house.  By the time he got there he saw the burglar shut the front door and run toward a dark vehicle, leaving a trail of blood in the snow.   Well done Mama.  Medical professionals have been asked to report any suspicious dog bite injuries.
mamma.jpg
Mama the pit bull.


Friday, January 23, 2015

Newark insanity.

Is the quick fix for pit bull attacks in a community with a pit bull ban opening the floodgates to countless more, and completely unregulated pit bulls?  Does that seem logical?

This appears to be the "thinking" of the Newark Advocate.  Please read the analysis by blogger Sudden, Random, Unprovoked, and Violent.  Click here for a thorough and thoughtful look at the Newark political situation.  Here is a short quote "  That bloody year is apparently of little consequence to the editors of the Newark Advocate, who in 2015 reversed course and published a series of articles unlike anything previously seen in pit bull advocacy. At least six articles appeared over a ten-day period, including a new editorial opinion in support of pit bulls.

In the middle of the publishing blitz, on Sunday, January 11, the Advocate published what appears to be a special insert. The heavily illustrated article, Pit bull owners share the softer side of 'bully breeds'was reprinted by newspapers across the country.2"

This seems to be a good time to remind readers of the stats in Ohio since the Ohio Legislature passed HB 14 in 2012.   In the first two years since the passage of HB 14 Ohio has had nine fatal dog attacks, four by pit bulls, one by dogs called "pit/mastiff" mixes and four by all other breeds combined.  In the ten years prior to passage of HB 14 Ohio saw six fatal dog attacks.  

Historic note - HB 14 was written by out-of-state animal rights and breed specific advocacy PAC Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends paid registered lobbyists to push the bill and sold it as "finally gives dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs."

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Pit bull roundup


The sheer numbers of outrageous pit bull events in Ohio has caused a huge backlog in our inbox.  We will get back to this mess soon but here is a bit of late year housekeeping.


Toledo Ohio
12/2/2014

From the files labeled "a pit bull's worst nightmare may be her owner" we have Jovie.  Jovie the pit bull puppy was surrendered to a rescue when she was three months old and weighed three pounds.  A local veterinarian stated that Jovie's weight was about half what it should have been and that she was "living on borrowed time."  The puppy is now in the care of the Lucas County Pit Crew.  At five months Jovie is up to seven pounds and her condition is greatly improved.

Jessica Bell, Jovie's former owner is a foster for the Toledo PET Bull project.  Bell is unable to account for the condition of the pup and she continues to foster dogs.  Bell stated that Jovie was "skinny" when she got her and offered proof that the dog had been seen by a veterinarian who found nothing wrong.

Given the involvement of the Lucas County Pit Crew, Jean Keating is heavily quoted.  Donations toward medical care for Jovie are, of course, being accepted by the Lucas County Pit Crew.

Is is unexplained how it was determined that Jovie is a pit bull, nobody can identify pit bulls.   It is also difficult to understand how those who claim to love the breed can fail to impact the numbers of pit bulls bred in backyards across the United States.  Roughly a million pit bulls die in American shelters EVERY YEAR.  Wouldn't mandatory neuter and spay for pit bulls cut down on the suffering of dogs like Jovie?  Dogs not conceived can't starve, suffer, or die.

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10/31/2014
Toledo Ohio

This story may have been missed previously and no one should miss a pit bull attack that was actually covered by the Toledo Blade.

Toledo police shot and killed a pit bull observed to be attacking a woman.  Prior to being shot the dog was witnessed menacing two pedestrians and charged police as well.

When the dust settled and statements were taken it was revealed that the victim, the woman attacked was protecting her children from the dog. They had all been attacked by the same pit bull.  Substitute Beagle for pit bull in this story and see if it makes sense.  Nope, not for me either.  

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11/2014
Dayton

Dayton police were called for an animal complaint.  A leashed pit bull was charging the door of a house preventing the home owner from taking his children to school.  Police were able to catch the leash and lead the pit bull away from the home but as it was being walked toward the police cruiser the pit bull became aggressive and bit the officer.  The dog was transported to the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center run by county dog warden Mark Kumpf, for quarantine.  The officer was treated for his injuries.

The Dayton Police department has purchased catch poles for use in situations like this one.  Guns work too, see the next few stories.


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11/17/2014
Fremont Ohio

Fremont police shot and killed a pit bull after it attacked an eight year old boy and charged police responding to the call.  The call was described by the News-Messenger "  Officers arrived and saw a brown pit bull on top of the juvenile, with the child screaming for help. The eight year-old boy was inside a fenced-in area with the dog, according to the report, with the animal actively dragging the boy around the yard." 

Police fired one shot killing the dog and ending the attack.  The Sandusky County Health Department and Sandusky County EMS also responded to the call.

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 11/24/2014
Cleveland Heights Ohio

An eight year old boy was hospitalized after he was attacked by a pit bull belonging to the family of his friend.  The boys were walking home from school when they arrived at the home of the boy who owned the pit bull.  The boys entered the fenced yard and approached the house when the two year old pit bull bit the boy on his hand and wrist.  The child was taken to Euclid Hospital and later transferred to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital for treatment.

The pit bull's owner was charged with having a vicious dog unconfined and lacking a permit and insurance for that vicious dog.  The taxpayer will receive the bill for this attack eventually.  The pit bull owner reported that his pit bull had no history of biting.  *eye roll *

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12/8/2014
Dayton Ohio

A report shows that Dayton police often shoot dogs that are aggressive, 50 since 2011.  Per Hometownnewsstations.com "Data shows police shoot at dogs more often than people, with shootings occurring during drug raids, welfare checks, investigations, traffic stops and chases through yards and alleys.
Police tell the Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/1zhfrFZ ) that using deadly force often is a split-second decision and provides the only guarantee to stop an aggressive animal from potentially causing harm.
Lt. Matthew Dickey, commander of the department's West Patrol Operations Division, says that getting bit by a dog can cause serious and sometimes permanent injuries.
Animal advocates say they understand what police go through but encourage more training to deal with canine confrontations.
Easy for advocates to say but police officers deserve to go home uninjured at the end of their shift. Those who don't want their dogs shot should keep their dogs safely confined.  This protects the public, police, and the dog.  


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11/2014
Cincinnati Ohio

Fundraisers continue for six year old Zainabou Drame, mauled by the neighbor's pit bulls in June.  An event held at the Horseshoe Casino and hosted by the Sentinel Black Police Officer's Association also honored the four police officers who saved Zainabou's life.  Click here for a link to the story and links to previous articles on Zainabou's recovery.  The event was attended by hundreds of people, the money raised will go directly toward Zainabou's medical bills which near a million dollars so far.  

One of the honored police officers, Kyle Strunk, was interviewed and he described the scene as police arrived per WLWT "Strunk said he'll never forget the image of that as they pulled up, seeing grown men and women vomiting on the street, reacting to what they had just witnessed.
"That's not a sight you see very often, you know, adults can't even look. They had to look away based on the violence of it,”

Zainabou has returned to school and was visited at school by Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell and several police officers.   City police have never wavered in their support for this child.

Zainabou lost her tongue in the attack, she is unable to speak or swallow and is fed through a tube.
The owner of the dogs was not charged for the attack because there "was no law on the books that fit."


                                                                 
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12/1/2014
Medina Ohio    

Augusta and Burdett Crandall pleaded no contest to misdemeanor animal cruelty charges that they starved their two dogs, a pit bull and a Boxer.  The couple has not yet been sentenced.  The dogs were confiscated in August by the Medina Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  That organization received $10,300 in donations for the care of these two dogs.


Charges look appropriate to me.  These are the dogs.

Andor and Friends with Steffen.jpg
Sometimes things get better. The tan and white dog in the center of this photo is the recovered pit bull.

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12/8/2014
Bellefontaine Ohio  

In a classic leap of logic the pit bull Belle, rescued from a dogfighting operation in Cleveland has been declared a "bait dog" in order to make her story more acceptable and make her more adoptable. 

Bait dog?  Bell has scars on her face, possibly she just fought and/or lost.   WHIO has declared Bell "heroic" why?   Bell is available for adoption into your neighborhood.  Good luck.  Contact the Ohio Animal Cruelty Task Force, a volunteer organization with no apparent connections to any larger humane organization.
Heroic recovery for pup used as ‘bait’ by dog-fighting ring gallery
Who will be responsible if Belle attacks?  Who will pay the medical bills of the victim.  Pit bull advocates remind the public ad nauseum  "its all in how you raise 'em" and Belle is game bred and pit experienced.

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11/20/2014
Bolivar Missouri  

bite2.jpg

Mia and Tebow in better times.

A three year old girl mauled by her grandparents American Bulldog (pit bull derivative) will be treated for her injuries at Cincinnati's Shriners Hospital for Children, one of my very favorite organizations.  Mia Kraft was scheduled to her her first surgery at Shriners in early December.  

A bit of history here, Mia's grandparents have owned Tebow since the dog was 8 weeks old and Mia has spent a great deal of time with the dog.  There was no history of violence from this dog.  Mia's mother has no insurance to cover medical expenses and will be billed for the surgeries done prior to Mia's arrival in Ohio.   

Mia Kraft, 3, is at the University of Missouri Women's