The Lexus Project's relocation of dangerous dogs, a good idea?

The Lexus Project has once again taken possession of a dangerous dog.  Onion, a mastiff/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix that killed his owner's grandchild, at the child's first birthday party, has been turned over to the Lexus Project.  After two years of legal maneuvers the Lexus Project has taken possession of Onion and has relocated him out of state to a rescue facility that they refuse to name.

Given the refusal to name the facility one must consider the possibility that local animal control on the receiving end has no idea what is coming, much less have the opportunity to inspect the facility to make sure that it meets the requirements of the agreement with the city of Henderson.  Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal "According to the city’s statement, its agreement with the Lexus Project indemnifies the city of future liability for the dog, “which was picked up from the Henderson Animal Shelter well cared for and in good health.”

“It also requires that the group transfer the dog out of state to a licensed dog rescue facility and provides assurances that the animal will never be allowed to be adopted out or in an environment with children present. The city is also requiring the Lexus Project to pay for a memorial for Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan that will be placed in a city of Henderson park.”

Representatives of the city of Henderson agreed to the transfer of ownership and custody of Onion in order to spare the family of Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan the stress of reliving the tragedy through testifying.   Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal  “As part of the court proceedings, family members would have been required to testify and relive the horrible details of that day,” city spokesman Bud Cranor said in a statement. “We didn’t want the family to have to endure that tragedy all over again.”

Please note that the Lexus Project has no similar sensitivity and has blocked the euthanization of Onion, the dog that killed a toddler at his own birthday party, and was going full on toward court proceedings.  It is only after the fact that the Lexus Project developed any sensitivity.  The following is a statement from head of the Lexus Project Robin Mittasch "“The litigation for Onion has been dismissed, and he has been relocated permanently to a rescue,” she said. “And out of respect to the family of Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan, we will make no further comment on this subject. It’s over.”

Mittasch would not say where Onion went, but she said he will not go to the Colorado sanctuary the group originally sought to send him to.

An  interesting quote from Richard Rosenthal husband of Robin Mittasch, this one from The Daily Mail "Eskew-Shahan died just after celebrating his first birthday when the six-year-old Onion lashed out and clamped onto the child's head for 30 seconds with his massive jaws.The dog shook Jeremiah as he bit down, breaking the boy's neck and mangling his face. 'There is nothing vicious about the attack,' Lexus Project's Richard Rosenthal told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in May of 2012."

What planet do these people live on?  What might Rosenthal, lawyer husband of Robin Mittasch consider vicious?   Your average man on the street would consider grabbing a baby by the head and shaking that baby until he is dead of a broken neck and mangled face to be the very essence of a vicious attack.  

 More interesting quotes from Mittasch are found here," Mittasch told The Associated Press she is "overjoyed" with the outcome, "and so happy that (Onion's owner) and her family finally has closure that brings her peace."

Contrast this with family statements "‘For what he did to my son, he deserves to be punished,’ Jeremiah's father, Christopher Shahan, said. ‘I’ve already accepted the fact that he’s dead,' the Chicago Tribune reported.  Jeremiah's grandmother, Elizabeth Keller, watched in horror as the dog bit her grandson in the head. She sobbed as she told the Review-Journal that the public legal fight over Onion's fate was putting even more strain on the family.  'I don't care if they save the dog or not. We need to get past this,' she said.

Here are some thoughts on the transfer of a dog that has undeniably killed a toddler.  Has the Lexus Project given the placement of this dog more thought than they did with Bones, the dog too dangerous to remain in New York City?  The Lexus Project sent Bones to a supposed sanctuary for dangerous dogs in Toledo Ohio called North West Ohio Underdog without knowing anything about the organization or the facility. This did not turn out well, the "sanctuary" was a garage behind a tiny house in a tiny yard in a densely populated neighborhood.  The garage already housed 15 to 16 other dangerous dogs.  For more on the Bones disaster please click here, and here,  and here , and here, and here,  and here, and here, and here, and here, and finally here.

This beautiful child was Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan, the dog is Onion.   It is to be hoped that the Lexus Project has done a better job here than they did with Bones.  The Lexus Project is once again responsible.    

Callous killers

Details released today from Brande Coy's arrest warrant portray her as the most callous dog caretaker since Marjorie Knoller.

The documents also confirm a rumor that fatal mauler Patrone was from the same litter as the bull mastiff/pit bull mix that killed five year old Ayden Evans in Jessieville Arkansas in June of 2013. Pit bull advocacy denies any genetic propensity for violence in the breed but seems unlikely that two dogs out of a litter of nine would be trained to kill a child and an elderly women in a six month time span.

Emily Coy, owner of Patrone, admitted during questioning that Patrone would "bite out of fear." A Hot Springs Village police officer made a statement that when he worked with Emily Coy at an area business she came to work with bandages on an arm and a leg, she stated that Patrone had bitten her. The investigation revealed that Patrone had bitten Emily Coy twice. The investigation also revealed that Patrone had bitten the face of Brande Coy's sister in the months prior to the fatal attack on Mrs Kappan.

Hot Springs Village police received a statement from a woman who stated that she lived near Emily Coy when Emily lived in Jessieville and was a regular caretaker for Patrone. She said that she was bitten in the face by the dog in July of 2012. Per her statement Emily Coy witnessed the bite, helped stop the bleeding but refused to pay for medical care.

Please keep these statements in mind and watch the video provided by THV11. Patrone had long history of biting, was a litter mate brother of the dog that killed a five year old child just months earlier and Brande Coy just opened the door to let him run with absolutely no thought to the danger to her neighbors. A fatal mistake.

Per THV11 "The following information was obtained from the Saline County Arrest Warrants for Brande and Emily Coy:

- At about 7 a.m. on November 21, 2013, Brande Coy released two unleashed dogs into an unsecured yard on Ornado Lane in Hot Springs Village. The dogs were a rat terrier and a bull mastiff/pit bull mix. The bull mastiff/pit bull, named Patrone, belonged to Brande's daughter, Emily, who was not home at the time.
- Brande told officers that after she let them outside, she went back inside the home, and after some time, heard someone screaming outside. Once she went outside to investigate, she saw Patrone biting a woman in the road in front of the house. Brande tried to stop the attack and was bitten herself. She said it took her about 30 minutes to gain control of Patrone. She then went inside and, at 7:38 a.m., called 911 to report the incident.
- Brande remained in the home - washing her face, hair, and changing clothes - until emergency personnel responded on scene about 16 minutes later.
- The victim, identified as Joan Kappen, was found in a ditch and taken to Mercy Hospital with severe injuries to her legs, hands, arms, and face. She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 9:33 a.m."

Joan and Hans Kappen

Brande Coy washed her face, hair, and changed her clothes while Joan Kappen lay dying in a ditch. Callous? Yes!
For more information please click here.

1/6/2014
Update

The mother / daughter team of Brande and Emily Coy were booked into the Saline County Detention Center today.  Below are their mug shots.

 

This is Brande Coy"s new image, unattractive isn't it?



This woman's trial will be a circus.  It will be difficult for a defense lawyer to put a good slant on this.

For the actual arrest warrant please click here.  VERY interesting reading.

The charge is manslaughter. Orange is the new black.

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Manslaughter, unlawful dog attack, and harboring a vicious animal charges were filed against Brande Coy for the attack that resulted in the death of 75 year old Hot Springs Village resident Joan Kappen in November of 2013.

Manslaughter is a class "C" felony and punishable by up to 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction.  Brande Coy is the mother of dog owner Emily Ann Coy.  Brande Coy was harboring Emily's dog at the time of the attack upon Mrs. Kappan.

Dog owner Emily Coy was charged with one count of harboring a vicious animal in violation of a county ordinance.





Emily Coy and Patrone

For more information on this attack please click here.