Here is a good one to start with.
Dayton Ohio, June 2, 2013
A Dayton area grandmother, out for her regular four mile walk was attacked by a "large white dog." The breed of dog is not named. A bit of back story, a recent development on breed specific advocacy blogs and facebook pages urges breed specific advocates to pressure news media to omit the breed of dog instead of the insane statements of breed defense that have become so very common.
Please watch the video and name that dog.
Per the victim, she was walking past a home when the home owner let his dog out. The dog attacked the walker without provocation, as the victim stated "this dog was not playing." The dog owner walked over and pulled his dog off the victim. She asked him to call for police and an ambulance and he told her it was not necessary!!!! She struggled home and made the calls herself.
The victim very reasonably wants the dog owner to be punished for breaking the law. This punishment would involve the Montgomery County Dog Warden, Mark Kumpf, vocal supporter of HB 14. The law that Mr. Kumpf promoted as a way for dog wardens to deal with vicious dogs sets out a complex procedure to declare a dog vicious. It is Mark Kumpf's job to set the process in motion and I hope he does it. For those who might want to review the process, click here.
For record keeping purposes, in the 15 months since the Ohio Legislature passed the bill that proponents promised would "finally give dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs" there have been four fatal dog attacks in Ohio.
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May 11, 2013
Dayton again.
Two pit bull dogs were removed from cages in the back yard of an abandoned home. The cages were filled with fecal matter, no food was reported, minimal dirty water was available. The neighbor who called in the complaint stated the dogs howled all night. She also stated that no one had lived in the house since last winter, "someone" stops by occasionally to feed the dogs. Sometimes a pit bull's worst nightmare is his owner.
Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden is apparently a busy man.
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May 28, 2013
Dayton again, who would have thought?
Five dogs were pulled from homes on Helena Street and Brightwood Ave. This is an apparent dog fighting operation. The article calls the dogs "mixed breeds" but the video shows, wait for it....
pit bulls. One seldom stumbles upon bands of dog fighters using Golden Retrievers or Chihuahuas.
Per whiotv.com, two of the dogs were so severely injured that they were euthanized. In an on-camera interview Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden stated that the injuries indicated that the dogs were "forced to fight" and that an investigation is in progress.
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May 28, 2013
Dayton Ohio, what are the chances?
A 79 year old woman was bitten by her neighbor's dog. She believes the dog to be a pit bull. She was treated at the scene.
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May 21, 2013
Mansfield Ohio
A tipster reported a man videotaping his pit bull killing a cat.
According to the report three or four men were walking two pit bulls. The men were seen chasing cats out from under parked cars toward the dogs, who caught and killed them. Police were unable to locate the men but did find a dead cat on the sidewalk. Richland County Dog Warden Dave Jordan stated the perpetrators could face a second-degree misdemeanor, which might rate a maximum 90 day jail sentence and a $750 fine.
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May 10, 2013
Youngstown Ohio
An abandoned commercial building on Market street was raided by Youngstown police and dog wardens. Per Deputy Dog Warden Dave Nelson all the signs of dog fighting were there. Blood, bleach, and a cash box were found in the building. Urine and feces were found in every room. The only dog on the premises was a "friendly female pit bull that appeared to have just had puppies."
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April 22, 2013
Toledo Ohio
In a story not reported by the Toledo Blade, four people were sent to local hospitals with a variety of injuries after they intervened in an attack by a pit bull on another dog. Witnesses stated that the pit bull had been at large for much of the day prior to attacking the other dog. Police tried to subdue the pit bull but were unable to do so, they shot it to protect the public. Witness Jeremiah Colston stated "I saw the dog chewing up some people,"There was just so much blood."
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June 2, 2013
Wellsville Ohio
An eighteen year old girl was attacked by a dog reported to be an American Bulldog, which is a pit bull derivative. The story is a tangled one involving a domestic dispute, possibly over cell phones. As is frequently done, the attack was described as a "freak thing" a dog just protecting his master. Per The Morning Journal "Neighbor Sheryl Colgrove, who lives across the street, said she is familiar with the dog, and at one time wanted to buy it. "He's not vicious. He knows me," she said, identifying the dog as an American bulldog named Hoss.
"This is the first time he's ever done anything likes this. He's not aggressive at all," she said. "That took everybody by surprise."
Victim Tina Springer was life flighted to Allegheny General Hospital. Dog owner Amanda Bender explains the attack in this article from the Reviewonline.com. Feel free to read the details. Bender makes the required statements "the attack was uncharacteristic of a dog that, before Saturday, had been the ideal pet since the couple acquired it earlier this year.
"I don't think he should be put down. He is such a sweet dog," she said. "He's never been aggressive."Bender said she doesn't understand the dog's actions, especially since Springer and the dog have gotten along well. "He was laying on her lap on the couch. He loves that woman," she said. "Our children have known it since it was a puppy."
Bender said she wouldn't want her children around the dog now. The fact that the attack happened in her home haunts her.
"I keep waking up in cold sweats," she said. "I'm still dreaming about it and wishing it never happened."
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Letter to the editor of the ChillicotheGazette.com
The letter writer begins with the title "Dog Attacks More Common Than You Think." She talks about her beloved Springer Spaniel/Beagle mix named Pippin, and the very special relationship between the dog and her young son. She goes on to describe the attack on her dog, in her yard, by two pit bulls. A neighbor drove off the pit bulls and called her at work, she rushed home and took Pippin to a local vet. Pippin lived only 48 hours after the attack, the letter writer does not give a dollar figure for the treatment of her dog. I'm sure the bill is huge.
She does state that authorities had no trouble locating the pit bulls, the dogs had FOUR prior charges. She lists them. The dogs were found, and again returned to the owners. The pit bull owners did not bother to show up for their hearing on May 3rd, did not pay their fine, have not paid medical expenses for Pippin or the other injured dogs despite promises to do so. Pippin's owner was not permitted to give the judge her side of the story. So just how is Ohio's new law, written by breed specific advocates at an out of state animal rights PAC, helping dog wardens deal with vicious dogs?
Who speaks for the gentle Pippins of this state? Who speaks for the children who love them?
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May 7, 2013
Letter to the Editor of the ChillicotheGazette.com
"Vicious Dogs Have No Place In Chillicothe"
This letter writer describes TWO pit bull attacks on her little dog named J Puppy, both attacks were by the same dog. Sadly, J Puppy did not survive the second attack. The letter writer states that police did exactly what they were supposed to do but the courts let her down. Please remember that Ohio's new law promises to protect Ohio residents by giving dog wardens the "tools they need to deal with vicious dogs."
The dog owner's attorney was able to postpone so many times that the judge apparently got bored, reduced the charges and allowed the pit bull owner to walk away. This is a quote from the letter "This is what happened the first time my puppy and I were attacked. All the judge heard was one side of the story. I did not get a chance to tell the judge what happened. I was knocked to the ground so hard that I broke my elbow and wrist.
Is this justice? Why wasn’t I allowed to tell the judge what happened to me? When is enough, enough? What’s it going to take to have these dogs removed from the home — will it be a child mauled or killed? Should another animal’s life be taken by these vicious dogs?
I talked to the dog warden and she said they cannot remove the dogs, only a court can do that."
Why don't Judges in Chillicothe allow victims to speak? The letter writer asks the question and it is an excellent question "What has happened to justice in Chillicothe?"For more information on this attack please click here.
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April 26, 2013
Milan Ohio
A Cocker Spaniel mix named Ruggles was attacked inside the home of the owner by a pit bull that entered when the home owner opened the back door. The Cocker Spaniel was dragged from the home by the pit bull. When deputies arrived they had to beat the pit bull in order to get it to release Ruggles. Ruggles was treated at the Lorain Animal Clinic and did survive.
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South Toledo Ohio
In an article published 4/12/2013, Carl Steward of Toledo was indicted on six counts of dog fighting for allegedly possessing six pit bull dogs that investigators state were "trained for dog fighting." Police found the dogs while investigating a report of a break in at Steward's home. Also found in the home were dog training equipment, syringes, and drugs commonly given to dogs.
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April 1, 2013
Montgomery County Ohio
A sad end to a search for one of two pit bulls that escaped from their owner's home through a hole in a fence. One of the dogs was found a week later and returned to the owners through the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center (Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden). Several weeks later the remaining pit bull was found shot to death. "The dog had been shot in the head and dumped at the location. It had wounds consistent with being in a dogfight, according to ARC Director Mark Kumpf. Kumpf said he believes Onyx was grabbed by a third party and forced to fight another dog. Kumpf said he believes it was killed by the handler when it lost the fight." “He was victimized because of his breed,” Kumpf said.
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $5000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the death of this dog. This is a heinous crime but the HSUS does not offer rewards like this for information leading to arrest and conviction of owners of pit bulls that maul and kill other dogs. Why is that? Did the HSUS consider a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction the three or four Mansfield Ohio men that chased peaceful cats out from under cars so they could videotape their dogs killing them? Nope.
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3/6/2013
Ravenna Ohio
From the "a pit bull's worst nightmare may well be its owner files" the Portage County APL is investigating the death of a female pit bull found in an empty parking lot. An APL spokesman stated that the dog had a TV cable tightly embedded in her neck and extra cable wrapped around her body, a rope was hanging out of her mouth and the body appeared to have been dragged by a vehicle.
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3/26/2013
Akron Ohio
More from the "a pit bull's worst nightmare may well be its owner" file. The owner of twelve starving pit bull mixes found in an Akron house entered a guilty plea on animal cruelty charges and has been ordered to pay $1500 and will not be allowed to own a dog for a period of five years. This dog owner was very fortunate and the guilty plea was a good idea. Also found in the home were a treadmill, bite sticks and syringes. Animal cruelty is a misdemeanor, dog fighting is a felony.
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3/22/2013
Massilon Ohio
A dog was shot by a Stark County Deputy Dog Warden. The dog warden was responding to a call and got out of his vehicle on a public roadway. He was rushed by three "American Bulldog pit bull type dogs." The dogs became so aggressive that he was forced to use his gun in self defense, wounding one of the dogs. The deputy transported the injured dog to a veterinary clinic for treatment. The dog is expected to make a full recovery. The owner of the dogs was charged with failure to control, failure to vaccinate and failure to register the dogs.
An investigation of the incident determined that the deputy followed procedures and properly acted in self defense.
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April 19, 2013
Sandusky Ohio
The quick actions of two Sandusky police officers are credited with saving a 74 year old man and his jack Russel Terrier from two attacking pit bulls. The victim, Paul Aviles, had bite marks on his hands and arms, the injuries to the Jack Russel are not given. This quote is from the Sandusky Register "“Officers observed two pit bulls around a male subject lying prone face down on the ground,” a Sandusky police report said. “This subject, later identified as Paul Aviles, was lying still on the ground with these two dogs circling around him. They kept on nudging at Aviles as if they were attempting to get to something underneath him.”
Sandusky police Officer Brad Wilson jumped out of his cruiser and yelled at the dogs, one of which charged at him. He zapped one dog with a Taser, prompting both animals to run off.
“When Aviles stood up he was holding onto a small dog,” the report said.
Aviles and the dog were covered in blood. Officers put them into the cruiser, then ran after the pit bulls.
One of the pit bulls fell down, then got up and charged, the report said. When an officer zapped it with a Taser again, it died. Officers then snared the other dog and took it to the Erie County dog pound."
The 42 year old owner of the pit bulls, Rebecca Hush, was charged with two counts of dogs at large.
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For more information on Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden, and his involvement with the passage of HB 14, the law that deregulated pit bulls in Ohio and created the nightmare "due process" for the owners of vicious dogs please click here
