Pit bull roundup 4/22/2017 Pit bulls attack children and police officers, menace mail carriers, kill small dogs in communities with breed bans, pit bull owners are total failures at containing their dogs. Ohio breed advocates lobby to save known dangerous dogs. Residents of other states have the same problems and are fed up as well.

Recent developments in Ohio pittery and some bonus Florida attacks sent in by a Florida reader fed up with pitbull attacks in that state.  It happens everywhere and lawmakers need to read news from actual news sites rather than listening to breed advocates.


2/1/217
Massillon Ohio
Stark County

A 5 year old child was bitten in the face by a pit bull.  The child required hospitalization. The child was a visitor to the home where the pit bull was harbored. The homeowner denied ownership of the dog but that claim was later proven false.  The pit bull was harbored by the home owner for several months.

As we frequently see with pit bulls, the story gets complicated.  When first responders arrived at the home to transport the child to a local hospital the dog was nowhere to be seen, reportedly at large.  This is easily explained.  The new owner of the pit bull hauled the thing off to someone else's neighborhood and abandoned it after the child was attacked.  Per Channel 19 News "Jon Barber, the Stark County Dog Warden, says the dog was abandoned by his new owners after biting a little boy inside his new home last weekend.

Barber responded to the scene and says it was the second time in as many months in which he was called to the house at Rhode Island and 25th St. to handle a complaint about this dog.

"She did indicate..... where to look for the dog" said Barber.

A search party, organized by an Ohio pit bull advocate, found Zazu, the newly placed and newly abandoned for aggression, pit bull. She is now in the custody of the county dog warden.

I digress here to point out that Ohio shelters are full of pit bulls that have been surrendered because they were aggressive, or simply abandoned because they were aggressive and picked up as strays.  This is the reason that there are so many available pit bulls.

Zazu had a previous owner, seen on camera in the video from the Channel 19 News video. Zazu was given, by that owner,  to the family where she was the subject of two complaints to the County Dog Warden, including an attack on a child.  How many more chances will Zazu get?
 
Zazu the biter. If you like pit bulls, Zazu is a rather nice looking creature. She was likely an expensive purchase for whoever her first owner was.

The homeowner, 25 year old woman, has been charged for failure to control, failure to vaccinate and license, and abandonment.

Per Indionline.com "The dog won't be adopted from the pound, Stark County dog warden Jon Barber said, but they will help him find a new home. The dog, he said, will not be euthanized."

"He seems to be a very healthy dog," Barber said.  Personal opinion here but who cares if the dog is healthy, the peaceful public deserves to know the dog is SAFE.  Barber knows this is not the case and that is why he won't adopt it out directly.  He does not want the liability for the county.

Click here to see more about this story, including photos.  One of these photos shows pit bull advocate Jason Cooke (in the red coat) and associates demonstrating for "Justice for Zazu" a child biter with a history of complaints with local animal control.  The child's grandfather wonders why there has been support for the dog but none for the child.  Priorities?  "Some on social media also lashed out at the victim’s family. Fred Gurule, the boy’s grandfather, said his family has endured some hurtful comments. 'There has been so much concern over the dog and few expressed concern about the child,” he said. “All this social media commenting over this dog, why isn’t anyone commenting about how he’s (the boy) doing?” He said his grandson, although frightened by the incident, is recovering."

Cooke is not new to demonstrations in support of pit bulls. Here he is demonstrating against a breed ban in Youngstown.  Cooke is the man with the "End breed prejudice" sign in the photo below.  Youngstown city council surrendered to this pitiful handful of pit bull advocates, led by Cooke of Boardman Ohio, and dropped their proactive law.  

I find it interesting that one of Cooke's fellow demonstrators holds a sign with the words "Punish the deed not the breed" but in Massillon, Cooke demonstrates in support of a pit bull that has done the deed and is known to be dangerous.  There is no logic.

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2/14/2017
Girard Ohio
Trumbull County

A 55 year old woman called police to report that her pit bull killed her Chihuahua and bit her grandchild.  The pit bull owner wants the pit bull put down but apparently expects the county dog warden to do the job.  Girard has a pit bull ban and the mayor states the ban is here to stay.  Steffen Baldwin, who lives in Union county and a is registered lobbyist for pit bulls did lobby unsuccessfully against the Girard breed ban.  In hindsight, given Baldwin's recent fall from grace, turning a deaf ear to his lobbying was genius.  

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3/2/2017

Girard Ohio

Trumbull County

Update on a previous Girard attack.  I'm going to let WFMJ.com tell the story, my eyes are rolling.   Courtney Chupka's pit bull killed a peaceful pet, knocked the the peaceful pet's owner to the ground and bit the wife of the peaceful pet's owner.  After the attack the pit bull was at large and so aggressive that police were given permission to shoot the thing. THIS deserved leniency?   

"A Girard woman whose dog was shot by police after attacking people and another dog, has been convicted of less serious charges than violating the city's dangerous and vicious dog ordinance.

Courtney Chupka pleaded no contest to two counts of disorderly conduct in Girard Municipal Court on Wednesday.

The charge was amended from the vicious dog charges filed in December after police say her pit bull attacked a smaller dog being walked by a 69-year-old man.

The smaller dog did not survive the attack.

The man who was walking the smaller dog tells police he was knocked to the ground by the attacking dog and received a cut on his face.

When the man's wife came out to help her husband, the pit bull bit her hand.

After the dog left the confined area of the neighbor's property, its owner, along with other residents and police chased and attempted to corral the animal in a wooded area.

Police say at that point, due to the aggressive nature of the dog and fears that the attacks would continue, an officer received permission from the owner of the dog to use deadly force.

The officer used his service weapon to shoot the dog.

The judge found Chupka guilty of the fourth degree misdemeanors and fined her $200."

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2/23/2017

Cleveland Ohio

Cuyahoga County

A Cleveland mail carrier will no longer deliver mail to  a dozen homes on Walden Avenue.  Residents will have to drive to the post office to pick up their mail.  This arrangement is courtesy of pit bull owner Delorence Smith.  Smith's pit bull, Rocco,  has attacked mail carrier Jeffrey Glenn "several times".  It deserves to be noted that Glenn has delivered mail on Walden Avenue for 37 years.

Per Fox 8 News "The first time, I was on the porch and he came out of the back through a hole in the fence," said Glenn.  Glenn says he left the home a letter asking them to restrain their dog.  "Then the other time he came at me, I put my mail bag in front of me. He grabbed the bag and shook, shook, shook the mail all out," said Glenn.  Glenn says eventually the family was fined in court.  But nothing has changed.

"Ya'll need to fix that fence where the dog can't get out. Move the chain so he can't bite or get ahold of it anymore. None of that happened, so now we still where we were before. The dog is still there," said Glenn." 

Pit bull owner Delorence stated that "He (Rocco) does a lot of things that dogs do but I don't see him as a vicious dog."  Wonder what the dozen neighbors who will be driving to the post off ice to pick up their mail think of Rocco.  Delorence lives with his mother.

Cleveland had the second highest number of dog attacks, 58,  on mail carriers in the United States last year. 

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3/27/2017                                                                                                                                 Austintown Ohio                                                                                                                        Mahoning County

Charles Hunter, 71 years old, was charged with failure to confine his pit bull, twice, in one weekend.  The first time was on Saturday.  The pit bull was at large and chasing local residents.  Mr. Hunter was cited but learned nothing from the first citation.  

The second time the dog was at large it bit a 7-year-old child.  Per Vindy.com " The bite occurred Sunday afternoon.  A 7-year-old boy was riding his bicycle when the dog reportedly charged out of an Ardenwood Place driveway tackling the boy and biting his left hip." 

Hunter was ordered to surrender the dog to the Mahoning County Dog Warden's office and he has a court date for April 3rd.  

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2/19/2017                                                                                                                                     Moreland Hills Ohio                                                                                                                  Cuyahoga County 

Police took a complaint from a local resident that a neighbor's pit bull was "running loose again with people in the area."  Police spoke with both the resident and the pit bull owner. Evidence photos were taken and charges may be filed if it happens again.  The word used in the complaint "again" is powerful. 

This is a wealthy community.  People with money are not amused with pit bulls at large.   

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4/4/2017
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County

A six-year-old girl was attacked by an unrestrained pit bull.  She was bitten several times and was transported to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital for treatment.  There is no report on the severity of her injuries. 
The dog reportedly "got loose" from a neighboring house.  Animal control officers located the dog nearby, on the same street.  Officers have not been able to contact the owners (shocking).  
4/5/2017 update. It has been reported that the pit bull was loose at the time of the attack, it jumped a fence to attack the child and dragged her down a driveway.  The pit bull had been loose in the owner's driveway prior to the attack.  Two other dogs were found illegally tethered on that property and impounded.   


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4/11/2017
Dayton Ohio
Montgomery County

Andrew Nason, owner of the dogs that mauled Klonda Richey to death in the snow in front of her own home in February of 2014 will finally serve a prison sentence, but not for her death.

Per the Dayton Daily News "   Andrew L. Nason, 32, now of Englewood, was found guilty Tuesday for causing severe head injuries to his girlfriend's two year old daughter in 2012. 

The toddler was taken by ambulance from the home where Nason was babysitting her while her mother was at work, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's office. 

Nason was found guilty of felony assault and two counts of child endangering. He was sentenced to five years in prison. 

"This defendant was supposed to be the child's caregiver. Instead, 

he abused her and caused permanent injuries, likely requiring the victim to need assistance for 

the rest of her life," said Mathias Heck, Montgomery County Prosecutor. 

Yet another booking photo for Andrew Nason.  As I understand it, those convicted and incarcerated for offenses against children have special social problems while in prison.  

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4/18/2017                                                                                                                        Canton Ohio                                                                                                                      Stark County

A Canton police officer answering a domestic disturbance call was attacked by a pit bull mix dog.  The officer was bitten in the groin by the pit mix.  The officer shot the dog in the head.  Per Indeonline  "When officers prepared to depart, the dog still was alive. But (police Sgt Eric )Vanover said reports indicate the animal likely would have to be euthanized. There was no indication the police officer was seriously injured.

Police did arrest a man at the scene. Vanover said he did not yet have the report indicating the charge filed against the suspect. The dog is believed to belong to a resident of the home.

“I think he had several dogs inside the residence,” Vanover said.

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4/11/2017                                                                                                                           Warren Ohio                                                                                                                   Trumbull County  

This is another follow up on a story we reported recently.  Pit bull owners keep Ohio police officers busy. Amber Finney, who was the very first person charged under Warren's new bestiality law and eluded capture since January has been located and arrested.  Here is the Cliffs Notes version of the story.    She pleaded not guilty and is being held in the county jail without eligibility to make bond. Her next hearing is 10:15 a.m. April 20.

Police said they found her in the basement at her home on Ward Avenue Northwest at 9:07 p.m. Sunday, after employees at the nearby Walgreens store on West Market Street said they observed her in the store and recognized her as the woman “on TV that got in trouble with animals.”

She had left the store by the time officers arrived, but officers went to her home and found her crying in the basement. She told police “she was drugged and later told officers that someone put something in her drink and she doesn’t remember what happened.”

It’s not clear whether she was talking about Sunday,or during the incident that resulted in her being charged under the bestiality ordinance. 

  Finney is a pit bull owner.          

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4/8/2017                                                                                                                            Dayton Ohio                                                                                                             Montgomery County   

A Dayton police officer shot a pit bull that charged him, and charged a mail carrier as well.  Per WHIO, police were called by the mail carrier who stated that she was charged by the pit bull and this was not the first time this dog menaced her.  When police arrived at the scene toe dog was chained to an anchor but the anchor was simply being dragged by the unrestrained pit bull.  Police contacted the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center but Montgomery County dog Warden Mark Kumpf's staff was unable to respond . 

Per WHIO " The two Dayton police officers used a loudspeaker to try to contact the dog’s owner in the house. Then, one kept an eye on the dog while the other attempted to knock on the door. While the officer approached the door, the dog trotted from behind the house, and then began to growl and started running at the officer, according to the report. “I fired three shots at the dog as I was back peddling away from the pit bull. The pit bull was still charging towards me. I fired one more shot at the pit bull. The pit bull turned around and ran to the rear of the house,” the officer stated."

Not surprisingly, when Montgomery County ARC did respond the ARC officer stated that there were several complaints against the very same pit bull.  Will dog warden Kumpf designate this pit bull dangerous now?  Frances Daniel, the pit bull owner was cited for failure to control.  

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I still have MANY more Ohio  pit bull stories to cover but this is enough for today.  I will finish up with a few Florida attacks sent to me by a reader who is fed up with pit bull lunacy in that state as well.    

2/5/2017                                                                                                                                  Port St. Lucie Florida

A nine year old boy and his mother required transport to local hospitals with serious facial injuries after their own family pit bull mix attacked them.  Per TCPalm "The boy, who was bitten on the right cheek, was flown to St. Mary's Medical Center, West Palm Beach, a fire official said. The mother was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute after being bitten on the ear, said Battalion Chief Scott West.

The dog was described as a pit bull mix. The incident happened at 1:10 p.m. at the family's home on Byron Street near Sportsman's Park. The names of the child and mother weren't  released."

                                          

2/6/2017                                                                                                                              Lake County Florida  

A pit bull deemed "not adoptable" at the Lake County Florida shelter bit a man who was thinking of adopting him.  Per PalmBeachPost.com " The man and his wife were testing their compatibility with the pit bull, Pluto, when it bit the man’s face, hand and forearm, The Sentinel reported. The man was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. 

Pluto was described as having “anti-social behavior and marked for euthanasia,” after several employees noted the dog’s aggressiveness. However the canine wasn’t euthanized until after Thursday’s attack, the Sentinel reported. "

How does something like this happen?  Pluto was known to be aggressive and unadoptable and shelter workers allowed this?  Who is responsible for the complete breakdown of safety protocols?   

 

Generic photo of a pit bull included with the article. Looks pleasant doesn't it?  Did the actual pit bull look more like this?

     

Follow up on Remi the missing pit bull. He has been dead since late December but you will be glad to know he was licensed on April 4th. .

This is a follow up to our most recent post.  It comes as no surprise that Remi is dead.  The whole scenario had a very "Bones" feel to it.  Anyone not familiar with the story of Bones can type the name into the search box at the top left of the blog.  You will be here for a very long time.  But I digress.

Per Baldwin's statement to the former owners of Remi, Remi killed another pit bull owned by Baldwin in a classic  "yard accident."    This is a term used by dog fighters when one of their pit bulls kills another.  In order to avoid yard accidents, dog fighters (who fully understand the dogs they created) keep their pit bulls chained to truck axles in the woods. The new breed of pit bull owner, ignoring genetics and common sense, tend to dress their pit bulls in tutus and keep their pit bulls in crates that are not, and can't be created to actually contain pit bulls.  Pit bulls escape from crates regularly and death may follow.  Yard accidents are not rare.  Even the pit bull experts at Best Friends Animal Society have had yard accidents and they are a multi, multi million dollar a year organization spending a great deal of that money attempting to prove that pit bulls are safe pets.   


This is a quote from a statement made by Remi's former owner.  "Remi has been Dead according to the paperwork that we did see from Rascal Animal Hospital which stated Remi was euthanized on Dec 28th 2016. Steffen claims that he came home and went to the barn and his dog Zack was dead and that he took Remi to the vet to get euthanized. He had the receipt from Remi's Euthanasia which we asked to take a picture of and he quickly declined. I also asked for a copy of the receipt from his dog's Zack's cremation to compare the timeframe to see if it was even close to Remi's euthanasia date. GUESS what he DECLINED that also. He said he didn't have that and he wasn't advised to bring it. I said no problem, call the crematory right now on speaker and let them tell me that Zack was euthanized. The receipt should have been dated somewhere between 12/28-12/31.Well Steffen became very UPSET and he REFUSED to call the crematory. Why??? Why wouldn't you want to prove with the one opportunity you had that this wasn't a lie???... It's very easy to fabricate a story that a "Dangerous Dog" had a reaction so he can be killed without any proof of it. I don't believe that story and NEVER will. Steffen claims that Remi escaped his kennel in the barn and said he killed Zack(Steffens personal dog). "... "Steffen has lied for 4 MONTHS about Remi's where about. He took it as far as to register Remi for his license on April 4th, a WEEK ago. Remi has been DEAD since Dec. He tried to keep his lie going as long as possible. Keep in mind I called the dog warden 3 weeks to see if Remi was registered for 2017 and was advised he was not nor were Any of his dogs."



Here is what Baldwin had to say.  Headers are not mine.  

Baldwin has admitted he made untrue statements.  He states it a bit creatively "Those people (the pit bull haters in particular) pay close attention to my page, so in truth  I have failed in always being completely transparent in an attempt to protect these dogs.  I always show the success stories and I don't show the stories that do not wind up in success.  
That is my fault 1000% and I will not make that mistake again. Transparency is absolutely critical, and it's one of the things that I picked up in Austin recently, is the importance of being transparent even if you're worried it's going to paint the dogs in a negative light. Please learn from this lesson as well, as I hope all the mistakes I've made over the years that I've been open about learning lessons for others as well that I've blogged about or discussed openly here in the past." 

NOW he promises to be transparent, after he has been caught?  He has NOT ever been "open about learning lessons" Preaching and learning are very different things.   

 He "lacked transparency" to protect his dogs from "pit bull haters" and blames the "haters" for his behavior?  Has he ever considered calling his critics "survivors of pit bull attacks" rather than "haters"?  He admits to avoidance regarding the revelation of unpleasant truths.  This is an ego problem. Pit bulls are zero-mistake dogs, when things go wrong they go VERY wrong.  


This is the last screen shot I'm going to include here and this one is huge.  Baldwin drags his dogs into schools and playgrounds to "educate" children about dog safety, and pit bull advocacy.These are violent dogs and he is willfully exposing children to these dogs.  
   


The dog in the photos below is "Belle the Bait Dog."  Baldwin frequently speaks of Belle's abuse but may fail to realistically explain that Belle is from a dog fighting ring in Cleveland. Was she a "bait dog" or did she just lose? Here is a quote from extreme pit bull advocacy, The Animal Farm Foundation, on "bait dogs." 
" WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH "BAIT DOGS"?
“Bait dog” is a term that is used to label dogs that have been used in dog fighting. Sadly, bait dogs do exist, but they are not commonly found in shelters. Law enforcement professionals have taught us that bait dogs are very rarely found alive in their investigations; however an unusually large number of dogs are being labeled as “bait dogs” based on nothing more than speculation about the dog’s past. 

Pit bulls seized from dog fighters are game bred, pit trained and tested.  Breed advocates tell clueless reporters "it's all in how you raise 'em." If this is true then dogs bred and conditioned for the pit are the most dangerous dogs in the world.  This basic truth is lost on breed advocates. 

Here is a photo of Belle and Baldwin teaching dog safety to a small town Ohio Girl Scout troop.  I strongly suspect that the parents of these children would want to know about Belle's history in an honest and transparent manner.   


Here is Bell with a school group.


Keep in mind what Baldwin has stated about his dogs. Three have killed other dogs, five had killed cats, and six have bitten humans.  Three of this subset three are face biters, one sent the victim to the ER for reconstructive surgery after ripping off 2/3 of their ear. One is a child biter.  Look at this photo.  Is this a good idea?  Do the parents of these children have a clue what Baldwin has brought for Show and Tell Day?  This is not a joke.  These are other people's children.  

Here is a link to an Instagram photo of Steffen and Zack making a television appearance. A bit about Zack's history. Zack was a stray, placed by an Ohio shelter and returned within an hour because he bit his new owner.  During the intake exam by the shelter vet Zack lunged at the vet's face.  Zack was determined to be unadoptable at that point, municipal shelters are twitchy about liability for foreseeable attacks. Baldwin felt public safety advocates were unfair to Zack so he brought the dog home with the intent of tuning him up a bit and passing him on to anyone foolish enough to take him.  Has he fully explained all this to the smiling reporter?  In what world was this a good idea? At this point Baldwin intends to place a dog deemed too dangerous for a municipal shelter to adopt out into the community due to potential liability but Baldwin will do it with a smile.    

Here is a link to video of Belle the Bait dog in the lap of a reporter while she is interviewing Baldwin.  Is she fully aware that Belle is game bred, and almost certainly pit trained and tested?  



This is Belle when she was picked up by Cleveland police.

Wouldn't it make more sense to concentrate your educational efforts on those who create this suffering and create the dogs that experience this suffering?  News reports from reliable news sources make it clear that pit bulls suffer almost universally at the hands of their owners, They are abandoned and picked up as strays filling shelters and rescues across the United States.  They are beaten and starved.  Pit bulls attack and kill peaceful pets in astonishing numbers.  Pit bulls attack and sometimes kill children and adults, unsuspecting passersby and their owners as well. Truth and transparency are ignored by breed advocates whining about local laws that might restrict their rights to own these dogs, or might require insurance and escape proof containment.  Laws requiring mandatory neuter and spay for pit bulls would be the most humane thing that could ever happen for pit bulls but pit bull advocacy fights these laws with money, lawyers, and lies.  Stop breeding dogs destined to suffer and die, languish in shelters for months to years, and drain taxpayer dollars.   

Educate pit bull owners and advocates, not the long suffering peaceful public.  Teach pit bull owners to neuter and spay their dogs, dogs not conceived do not suffer.  Teach pit bull owners how to contain their dogs so maulings simply do not happen. Nobody pushes for laws to regulate Poodles or Pugs because these dogs are not a threat to the safety of the public.  Pit bull advocates need to clean up their own mess, we can't do it for you.  

Baldwin has promised that he has learned his lesson. I hope he will learn to actually hear the stories and opinions of others. Stunning intolerance toward victims and public safety advocates is a poor strategy for increasing public acceptance of your ideas. 

If Mr. Baldwin is unwilling to listen to those who have been injured, lost a family member in a pit bull attack, a lost a pet in a pit bull attack, experienced financial loss, or are unable to enjoy their own property or community due to menacing pit bulls, possibly he will listen to someone who actually likes pit bulls but is able to clearly see the problem.  Blogger Terrierman gives us "Pit bulls in the River." I recommend it. 

Meltdowns that anyone could see coming.

We will take a break from the endless pit bull attacks in Ohio to take a better look at a couple of things that have been topics of discussion here in the past.

First, the uproar over a pit bull that has gone missing since it was placed with Steffen Baldwin.  Those who placed Remi, a designated dangerous dog from Trumbull County, with Baldwin because of his self-proclaimed expertise with dangerous dogs are justifiably anxious and angry that they are receiving no information as to the location and status of the dog.  These folks believed in the dog and backed up that belief up with cash. Where did it go?

Here is the short version of the story and we are sharing it per request.

Remi's Story:
For those of you that don't have time to read the lengthy version below here's a quick rundown. We saved Remi in May of 2016. He was deemed a dangerous dog through really no fault of his own. We had to hire legal counsel to save his life. We rehabilitated Remi in our home for 4 months and invested thousands in him. We reached the point that he needed to go somewhere who had a broader network of possible adopters due to his title. We gave Steffen $1,000 to polish Remi up and find him his forever home. We've asked multiple times for updated pics and to go visit Remi which Steffen had verbally agreed to. There have been no updated pics on his social media pages either. Fast forward 7 months later we still have not been allowed to visit Remi and we have no pics since Sept. Steffen failed to register Remi this year with the state for his Dangerous dog license. We are concerned for Remi's safety and concerned if he is even alive. We are asking everyone to please share Remi's story in hopes that Steffen allows us to see him or somebody knows where he actually is because Steffen claims he no longer has him and one of his volunteers do.

For the full story, please click here.  Make some popcorn and read the comments.

It should be noted that Baldwin has started another rescue with his friend Luke Westerman, Columbus Pets Alive! is the name.  ACT Ohio, Baldwin's personal, home-based rescue will merge into Columbus Pets Alive! on June 1, 2017. The facebook pages for this organization are down, shocking.  Here is a link to another promotional page for Baldwin's new group. It is also a blank at the moment.

As of this morning, we find that Baldwin's personal Facebook page is gone.  The Facebook page for his dog training business, Save Them Dog Training is full of demands for information on Remi.  It is important to note that Remi dog requires a dangerous dog license which has not been obtained by Baldwin in violation of state law.  Baldwin knows better, he is or has been, a humane agent for Union County.

This quote from the couple who trusted Baldwin with Remi. 

"NOW HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART. Remi is a Dangerous Dog in the State of OH and if all of the laws set in place for DD is not followed it can lead to criminal charges and the dog can loose his life. I called the Union County dog warden to find out if Remi was ever transferred to another owner or if Steffen registered him for the 2017 year. The answer I received made my heart sink. Remi was never registered for the 2017 year for his Dangerous dog license and NONE of Steffens dogs had their dog licenses renewed yet for the year. Mind you this was Mid March. The dog warden has stopped responding and Steffen still won't allow me to see Remi. Remi still belongs to ACT Oh and is still his dog. Why wasn't he registered for the year, if a volunteer had him, why was ownership not transferred and she didn't file for Remi's 2017 license???"

Mr. Baldwin can clear up this matter by simply responding to the questions and complaints but has chosen to avoid them. Why?  Has he licensed his own dogs yet?

Steffen Baldwin turns up in a fair number of posts on this blog but one covers a great deal of back story.  Please click here.


Baldwin also appears in the next story, a follow up on Bosco the Biter.

Quick review, Bosco was a stray pit bull picked up in Toledo and placed by the Lucas County Pit Crew with a family in Fulton County Ohio. Bosco bit the new owner on the third day in his new home and was returned to that rescue group.  There is no love lost between Fulton County officials and the Lucas County Pit Crew.
Click here for background information on Bosco and the legal problems he created for the Lucas County Pit Crew.  There are lots of links.



Bosco was eventually placed with a breed expert in Arizona, conveniently getting him out of Ohio where he was a designated dangerous dog.  Things are still not going well for Bosco but the new owner is relying on long distance training tips and advice from others, including Steffen Baldwin.

Per Bosco's new owner "Bosco is the greatest little dog…who happens to have a real problem with anxiety.

I have postponed writing this post, because it’s hard to admit that sometimes the things you have always done are not working.  Kevin and I have had challenging dogs in the past, but they have easily responded to all of our positive reinforcement without issue.  That hasn’t been true of Bosco."

Click here for the story of Bosco's current meltdown, up to and including "acting out" against his new owners. This couple is building their lives around creating a bubble of calm around a dog apparently so "stressed" that anything can trigger dangerous behavior.  Baldwin comes into the story with this quote.

"The final straw was when he was so stressed by a walk that he acted out towards Kevin.  The situation was no longer okay.  Something had to be done…not just for safety, but for Bosco’s happiness.

So, with the help of our vet, a behaviorist in Florida, and a dog trainer who I trust implicitly (yes I mean you Steffen Baldwin) we started Operation Make Bosco Happy.  We are primarily depending on nutraceuticals…nutritional supplements to help him become calmer.  Along with exercise and some other calmative items, we are working to help Bosco accept his world.So here’s what is currently in our arsenal:

• A DAP collar. This is a pheromone collar that works through the dog’s own body heat.  It gives out the same calming scents a mother dog gives out to her puppies.  Each collar lasts about a month.  You can also get a diffuser to plug in and flood your whole house with this calming scent.
• NutriClear Free by Biotics is a nutritional supplement for detoxification and metabolic clearing. It is a powder that you mix with water (it smells like a vanilla milkshake).  Bosco thinks it is the tastiest thing ever and slurps it down before I can even stand up from setting the bowl on the floor.
• ComposurePro supplement treats which have been proven to lower anxiety levels in dogs and cats.
• Phosphatidylcholine by Biotics. According to their website this is “a supplemental source of this important phosoholipid, which is a major constituent of cell membranes, and is important for normal cellular membrane function and repair”.
• Bio-B Complex by Biotics, a high potency dose of important B complex vitamins
• A treadmill for exercise. Walks are currently to upsetting to Bosco.  Everything in the world is seen as dangerous.  With time we are hoping to resume walks, which should be a happy activity for a dog.  In the meantime, a few minutes of treadmill time will help lower his anxiety level.
• Rescue Remedy in his water.  RR is a great natural calmative.
• A minute dose of Clonidine, which is an anti-anxiety medication.

Is " Operation Make Bosco Happy" making Bosco safe?  Are nutraceuticals REALLY going to fix Bosco? Who will guarantee the safety of Bosco's neighbors?  Will the insurance of the Lucas County Pit Crew cover the expenses of anyone injured by Bosco's anxiety?  Will Baldwin's insurance cover medical bills for humans or pets injured when Bosco's anxiety gets the better of him?  Baldwin also gave long distance training advice the owner of another rescue dog, Joe Dirt.  This did not go well either, Joe Dirt was appropriately euthanized after two serious attacks on his rescuer.  Links to the advice given by Baldwin are broken but here is the announcement of Joe's passing.  

Are those intent on saving dangerous dogs even concerned with the safety of the peaceful public?  Do they consider the safety of their neighbors?  Do they consider the safety of other folks peaceful pets?  Are we just opportunities to "socialize" their dangerous dogs?

The president of the Lucas County Pit Crew, Jean Keating, was Ohio's premier breed advocate until Steffen Baldwin moved into the state and began his campaign of self-promotion.  It is now a toss up for who gets the championship title.  Both these breed advocates are currently in questionable positions.

For the final chapter of the Bosco story please click here.