Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Mark Kumpf finally out as Montgomery County Dog Warden. Why did it take this long?

Mark Kumpf, the County Dog Warden in Montgomery County Ohio, who certainly makes the short list for any honors consideration for inept dog wardens, will no longer be employed by Montgomery County. Per the Dayton Daily News
"Montgomery County’s parting with longtime Animal Resources Center Director Mark Kumpf will put the beleaguered facility on a new trajectory to improve the outcome of animals in its care, both county officials and animal welfare advocates said Tuesday. 
“We feel that 2019 is going to be a transformative year for our Animal Resource Center,” said Montgomery County Administrator Michael Colbert said a day after announcing Kumpf’s employment with the county would end Friday. 
“We heard the community’s concerns, and we are making the necessary changes to address them,” he said. “Our primary goal is to improve our shelter operations, so that we can better serve our citizens and meet the needs of the animals in our care.”  

This is certainly good news.  Mr. Kumpf has been in his current position since 2006 and has the dubious honor of recording FOUR dog attacks fatal to humans in his county on his watch. Is this a record?

Why wasn't he fired after the death of Klonda Richey, the second fatal attack during his time in Montgomery County?  Richey was killed by her neighbor's dogs, dogs that she reported menacing and running at large over and over and over.  The response of the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center's staff, led by Kumpf, was to post sternly worded post-it notes on the dog owner's front door.  There was never any follow up and the dogs eventually killed Klonda Richey as she predicted.  The best Kumpf could do for Richey was place her cats after she died.

It is our understanding that the lawsuit against Kumpf filed by the family of Klonda Richey will continue to go forward.  Below is text from the ruling allowing the family to sue Kumpf personally. This quote begins on page 3 of the ruling. This is stunning stuff.   

  {¶ 5} In July 2006, Defendant-Appellee, Mark Kumpf, was hired as the Director of the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center (“ARC”) and as the Montgomery County, Ohio, Dog Warden. Kumpf was still serving in those capacities at the time of Richey’s death. Kumpf had been involved in animal control since the early 1990’s, and had changed his philosophy from an “enforcement mode” to an “education mode.” In the enforcement mode, Kumpf’s approach had been to see how many animals he could pick up, how fast the animals could be gotten off the road, and how many summonses he could write. In this mode, he averaged 100 to 150 citations per month. In contrast, Kumpf’s education approach involved issuing fewer summonses and focusing citations on the more serious cases. {¶ 6} After Kumpf came to Montgomery County in 2006, he changed the focus of the ARC from enforcement to education. The number of citations issued to citizens dropped by more than 33 percent in the first two years of his tenure. At first, Kumpf’s bosses were concerned about a drop in revenue. However, Kumpf pointed out that he had taken in 2,000 fewer animals, and that licensing and adoption revenues had increased. {¶ 7} Kumpf also instructed his deputy wardens to write fewer citations because he believed the courts were not doing their job, and were notoriously unhelpful with citation fines and enforcement. In the two years before Richey’s death, out of more than 20,000 calls about animals, only about 697 (about 3.4 percent) resulted in citations. Of 60,000 dogs in Montgomery County, only 12 were designated as “nuisance” or -4- “dangerous” dogs in 2013. {¶ 8} Kumpf was under the impression that before an animal control officer can issue a citation for a “dog at large,” the officer must witness the dog off an owner’s property and not under the owner’s immediate control. However, at Kumpf’s direction, officers were not patrolling. In addition, also at Kumpf’s direction, dispatchers routinely refused to answer phone calls requesting service during business hours. Instead, dispatchers pushed a “divert” button on the phone and calls were sent to voicemail. All of the calls Klonda Richey made to ARC went to voicemail. {¶ 9} Richey made about 13 calls to the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center and at least 13 calls to ARC to complain about Nason’s dogs. The problems were severe enough that Richey paid to have a fence installed between the two houses and to have a security camera pointed at Nason’s home to capture video surveillance of the dogs entering her property unrestrained and off leash. In one of the calls, Richey reported that Nason “let his aggressive pit/mastiff run loose while she was walking to work and threatened to let it have her for a treat.” Doc. #13, First Amended Complaint, ¶ 14. According to Kumpf, he met with ARC officers daily to discuss calls that had been received. As a result, Kumpf would have been aware of Richey’s calls and complaints."



It should be noted that Kumpf was also part of the team that brought changes to Ohio's laws regarding dangerous dogs in 2012.  Mr. Kumpf, as treasurer of the Ohio County Dog Wardens Association and Matt Granito as president of the organization, actively supported HB 14, written by out of state special interest Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab Utah and introduced by Toledo Representative Barbara Sears.  Kumpf and Granito, both closely associated with Best Friends, used the name of the Ohio County Dog Wardens Association while supporting the bill without actually consulting the rank and file of the group.  Many county dog wardens had serious concerns about the bill.  Those concerns proved valid.  Since passage of HB 14 in 2012 (not quite 7 years) sixteen Ohioans have been mauled to death by dogs in our state, three in Montgomery County alone.  In the DECADE prior to passage of HB 14 Ohio had five fatal attacks. Think about that.

Why did this take so long?

12/19/2018 update.

There was no tactful resignation.  Kumpf was involuntarily terminated by the county. 



Tuesday, October 9, 2018

October pit bull roundup. Journalism without thought is nothing more than breed advocacy with a byline. Dog fighters in Cleveland, pit bulls attack pit bulls, pit bulls kill tiny pets,

Here are examples of journalism without thought.  We begin and end this post with on same topic, reporters who don't think before the present a story.

WHIO writes about the glut of pit bulls in shelters as the result of overbreeding.  So far, we are on the same page.  Pit bull advocates admit that yes, pit bulls are overbred.  So far we are on the same page. However, history tells us that pit bull owners have no interest in neuter and spay, even when the surgery is free.  Any community can apply for grants for the purpose of neuter and spay for pit bulls only, breed specific, those with Chihuahuas or Labs are out of luck.  These grants fail to make any difference because pit bull owners breed pit bull puppies as a tax-free income source.  As an example, Several years ago Kansas City got a $100,000 grant for breed specific neuter and spay and a year later returned almost $87,000 because they could not find pit bull owners with any interest in neuter and spay.

The  Pit bull advocates interviewed by WHIO admit that pit bull owners need to be more responsible.  Again, we are on the same page.  The cure, per WHIO is "Heather Concannon, the Humane Agent for Montgomery County... says the public needs to change their perceptions of pit bulls to show people raising one responsibly takes work."  Yes, it does but pit bull advocacy fails miserably here.

No, the public does not need to change their perception of pit bulls.  The peaceful public is tired of reading about innocent people being mauled or killed.  The peaceful public is tired of burying beloved pets killed by pit bulls.  The peaceful public is tired of supporting shelters full of unplaceable pit bulls.  


Pit bull advocates and pit bull owners are the only ones capable of changing the public perception of pit bulls.  Stop breeding dogs destined to suffer and die because no one wants to bring a dangerous animal into their home. Pit bull advocates and owners need to figure out how to confine their dogs in order to protect the safety of the neighbors and their pets.  Pit bull advocates and owners need to carry insurance to cover the medical expenses of potential victims.  If pit bulls were responsibly confined to the property of the owner, not bred in wildly unsustainable numbers, and the public was assured that bankruptcy for the victim was not the natural result of a thoughtless mistake by the pit bull owner then there would be no public interest in regulating pit bulls.

Pit bull advocacy needs to clean up its own mess. 

                                                                    * * *

August 9 and August 11, 2018
Brookpark 
Cuyahoga County

Two pit bull dog bites were reported in Brookpark.  On August 9th a Lockhaven Ave resident reported that a neighbor's pit bull pushed its owner out of the way and escaped from the house.  The victim was bitten on the arm.  The victim was treated at Southwest General Hospital.  The attack was referred to Animal Control.

On August 11th a woman walking her dog on Sylvia Ave.  She and her dog walked past a pit bull, also being walked.  The victim was bitten on the leg.  The case was referred to Brookpark Animal Control.   


Brookpark regulates pit bulls

                                                                         * * *


8/5/2018
North Olmsted
Cuyahoga County

A North Olmsted couple was out walking their 22 pound Cocker Spaniel mix when a pit bull broke away from its handler, a SEVEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL   The pit attacked and killed the small dog.  The adult owner of the pit bull stated that the child was only holding the leash until he could come outside to walk his dog and that the pit bull "had never done anything like this before."  The pit bull owner stated that he was new in the community and was unaware that North Olmsted regulates pit bulls.  How many times do we hear this excuse?

More information was included in an article in the West Life, a neighborhood newspaper, but this is behind a paywall.  I have a copy of the article sent to me by a reader.  West Life Reporter Jeff Gallatin states that the Cocker Spaniel mix's name was Angel and she was 13 years old.  She was owned and walked by her owner, David Ostroske, a Cleveland State University police officer, and his wife Doreen.  Angel was adopted from a shelter six years ago.

The pit bull, Jax, weighed 80 pounds and was adopted from a shelter five years ago by Michael Cowan, a Marine recruiter, and his family while he was stationed in North Carolina.    The Cowans moved to North Olmsted in April.  Per the West Life "The Cowans didn't know about North Olmsted's requirements for pit bulls."   Pit bulls are banned from military housing.  How could Cowan be completely unaware that his dog might be regulated in North Olmsted?

Jax the pit bull was euthanized.  Brooke Cowan told the reporter "We're not getting another pit bull, not after something like this." "It was terrible.  We feel terrible for what happened to that dog and its family."

David and Doreen Ostroske are grieving for Angel and have no immediate plans to get another dog.
Doreen Ostroske told the reporter "We know that the dog's owner's didn't mean for this to happen, but people have to be aware of the high risks and responsibilities of owning a pit bull.  I honestly don't understand why someone would own one in a family neighborhood."  We share her thoughts and are sorry for her loss.

                                                          * * *

8/7/2018
Cleveland
Cuyahoga County

A Cleveland man, Robert Cook has been indicted for dogfighting.  Thirteen dogs were "rescued" from Cook's property.  We fully expect to find these bred for bloodsport, pit trained and tested pit bulls now housed at the City of Cleveland Kennels will be offered for adoption to the public through the City Dogs program.   As of 8/27/2018, the City of Cleveland has 92 dogs available for placement, of the 92, only 12 are not pit bulls.

Watch the video on the news link.  Classy.

Cook's mug shot.

Watch for new pit bulls in your neighborhood. Consider self-protection. Seriously.


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Sandusky Ohio
9/18/2018
Erie County

A Sandusky woman, working in her yard was forced to stab a neighbor's pit bull after it entered her yard'  "  My neighbor’s dog got loose out of her yard. It attacked my two dogs and it attacked me!” screamed Julia Parsley into the phone on Sunday evening.
The neighbor pit bull entered her yard menacing Parsley's pit bulls then attacked her.  She stabbed it to death.  She received hospital treatment for her injuries and has a serious infection. Charges are pending against the owner of the attacking/dead pit bull.  


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8/17/2018
Twinsburg Ohio
Summit County
A woman and her dog were attacked by a pit bull in a local dog park.  Twinsburg police are looking for the dog, named Daisy, described as a pit bull weighing 40 to 60 pounds.  Anyone with knowledge of the owner please call Twinsburg police officer Caporuscio at 330-425-1234.


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10/7/2018
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County

Two adults suffered what were called "significant" injuries while protecting children from a pit bull attack.  The attack was described as an "hour long rampage" by News Chanel 5.  Becky Barker and Jay Anderson responded to the screams of the children who were trapped on top of a car by the three pit bulls.  Barker was attacked immediately as she left her house to help the children.  "Barker told News 5 the pit bulls had children trapped on top of a car that was parked in front of her home, and when she stepped out to help, the pit bulls bit her multiple times in three areas of her body.
"They could have killed me, they really could have, if they would kept ripping me open like they did," Barker said.
Jay Anderson also responded. He had a screwdriver in his hand that he attempted to use as a weapon. One of the pit bulls took the screwdriver. Mr. Anderson was bitten on his legs and his back.   

EMS, the fire department and the Cleveland Dog Warden responded to the call. The dog warden seized one of the pit bulls but allowed the owner to keep two of them.  Why?

                                                        
Given that EMS, the fire department and the dog warden were called to this dumpster fire, how much did this cost the city of Cleveland taxpayers?  

Late update - Video has been posted of the rampage by these two pit bulls. PLEASE take a moment to watch it.   How will the breed advocates pressuring Parma City Council to drop that city's breed ban explain this?     

                                                                                 * * *

9/18/2018
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County

A Cleveland woman lost her beloved pet, Tyson, a tiny Lhasa Apso in front of her horrified eyes, in front of her own home.  Laura Lehmann was with her dog at the time of the attack, caught on film. The pit bull is still in the home across the street.  It has been ordered out of the city but the owner has 30 days to comply.  Where will this pit bull go?  It will most likely be relocated to another city where the history is unknown.  Will a change of address change the actual dog?  Nope, just spreading the misery around.   Is this the best we can do?  
Cleveland family’s dog attacked and killed by pit bull
The usual excuses have been made, the owner should be held responsible, not the breed. The prosecutor is "looking into " this situation.  Channel 19 has a reporter who owns a pit bull and has chosen to challenge a pediatrician's statements that pit bulls pose an unreasonable danger in our communities. We will see this very reporter in the next entry.

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10/1/2018
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County

A Cleveland woman's dogs have been attacked, in her own fenced yard,  THREE times by a pit bull owned by a woman living two streets away.  The first attack, on Bear, occurred on September 23rd.  The owner of the pit bull apologized and promised to pay the vet bills.  Bet she didn't.  Five days later the same pit bull came back and attacked Missy, the home owner's other dog.  As soon as Missy returned home from the vet she was attacked again.  Missy was still in a cone and was defenseless. Brenda Nichols, the owner of Bear and Missy is afraid to leave her home.

News station WOIO is "talking to the city" about why it took three attacks by the same pit bull to get the dog picked up.  The reporter, Victor Williams does fall back on the talking point that "the owner is responsible" even though the owner is obviously NOT responsible.  Reporter Williams appears to be rightly distressed by the attacks he is reporting on but in this case, he does not reveal his advocacy for the breed.  Reporter and pit bull owner Williams contacted a pediatrician who is outspoken about the dangers of pit bulls to the peaceful public and especially to children.  Williams requested a dialog with Dr. Marusinec and got it.  Dr. Marusinec states in  Williams report "
“The medical studies in the last 10 years really overwhelmingly conclude that pit bulls are especially dangerous to children,” said Pediatrician, Laura Marusinec." Marusinec by way of facetime says they’re just too much of a risk.
“Not only do they cause the most frequent injuries but they also cause the most severe injuries,” added Marusinec."

Has this information changed the way Williams thinks on the pit bull issue?  Suspect not. There is a very long list of medical studies supporting Dr. Marusinec's statements. Has this information reached the pit bull advocates harassing the Parma City Council?  Likely yes, but conveniently ignored.



                                                          





Saturday, August 25, 2018

Fraud and pit bull advocacy. Who would have expected this?

The money train that funds pit bull advocacy leaves the station in New York state from the farm owned by Jane Berkey, and headquarters of the Animal Farm Foundation.

A couple of years ago the Berkey-owned and funded AFF began placing shelter pit bulls, trained by Universal K9, with under-funded police departments in cash-poor communities as single purpose drug detection "police dogs."  These dogs were free to the communities and came with large public relations promotions.

Research on the program and the dogs revealed extremely limited training, dangerously limited training.  The AFF bragged shamelessly about these single-purpose dogs but fraud hung over this enterprise like a dirty cloud.  Fast forward to recent developments.  The owner and operator of Universal K9, Brad Croft, trainer paid by the Animal Farm Foundation to train shelter pit bulls as police dogs, was raided by the FBI, the IRS, and local humane investigators.  Croft has been arrested and charged with fraud and other crimes.

Animals 24/7 has done an excellent post on this ugly situation.  The post begins with this quote.  "The pit bull advocacy organization Animal Farm Foundation,  of Bangal,  New York,  had already had a difficult week,  even before a federal grand jury in San Antonio,  Texas on August 23,  2018 returned an indictment against Bradley Croft,  46,  on eight counts of wire fraud,  four counts of aggravated identity theft,  and two counts of money laundering.
Croft was the trainer whom the Animal Farm Foundation funded from 2013 to 2017 to prepare pit bulls for police work.
Please read what has been written by Merritt Clifton and Beth Clifton on the Animals 24/7 website.  Here is a link. There are so many angles on this mess that it makes your head spin.

Communities still using dogs trained by Croft should be VERY concerned about legal liability.  Bred for blood-sport stray dogs obtained from shelters desperate to unload unplaceable pit bulls placed through a fraudulent training program?  What could go wrong?

Brad Croft

For those interested in more reading on this.  Click here.   And here.  And here.

A handler moves a dog to an Animal Care Services transportation vehicle Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 at canine training facility Universal K9, 15329 Tradesman, near Loop 1604 on the Northwest Side, as an ACS officer walks behind the handler. State and federal authorities served a search warrant on the non-profit organization's facility early Wednesday morning and ACS took custody of 27 dogs from the facility as part of the raid. Photo: William Luther, Staff Photographer / Staff Photographer / © 2018 San Antonio Express-News

For more on the Animal Farm Foundation supplied and funded pit bull police dogs, here are photos of the dogs and their handlers plus a map of locations.   Handy. Lawyers for anyone injured by any of these dogs should find VERY deep pockets.  Suspect the page will not last long.  Get screenshots.

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Yet another dog mauling death in Ohio



There has been another dog mauling death in Ohio. After four dog mauling deaths in 2017, more than any other state, a Cincinnati area mother, forty-two-year-old Della Riley was killed by her own pit bull in her own home yesterday. Police were called to the scene after neighbors noted the victim's young son who ran from the house asking for help.

The coroner's report stated that the woman was killed by her pit bull.  She also owned a Rottweiler but that dog was not implicated in the mauling death.  Reports by neighbors that the woman suffered a seizure prior to her death are unconfirmed.  Per Cincinnati.com "The mother had a seizure. I don't know if the dog got scared or whatever but he attacked her and ripped her throat out," said Jon Seymoure, who lives next door."

The woman also suffered a gunshot wound, postmortem.  She was hit by a ricochet shot from police who were forced to shoot the dog.  So far there have been no reports of previous incidents involving the pit bull but follow up stories may clarify that point.

For anyone keeping count, there have been sixteen dog mauling deaths since Ohio Lawmakers passed the bill sponsored by Representative Barbara Sears, HB 14 in 2012, just six years ago.  HB 14 was written in Utah by lawyers employed by Best Friends Animal Society.  This bill was sold to state lawmakers as "finally giving dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs."  In the decade prior to passage of the Best Friends bill, Ohio had five dog bite related fatalities.  The numbers speak for themselves.

Current Ohio law, written by a well funded out-of-state special interest organization employing lots of lobbyists and lawyers, has proven to be a complete disaster.  In response to the failure of current Ohio law, SB 195 and HB 352 were written to hold owners of violent dogs accountable and better protect peaceful Ohio residents but the bills languish in committee.

What is wrong with the Ohio Legislature?  How many people have to die?  The death of Della Riley was not the first bite from her pit bull.  Below is a screenshot from her Facebook page.

Image may contain: one or more people





Fox

For video click here.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Milestone post, pit bulls on sale in Cleveland, pit bull kills pleasant little dog inciting rabid pit bull advocates to demand release of the pit bull, concealed carry permit holder shoots attacking pit bull, pit bulls attack each other prompting Dayton police to just shoot them

This post marks a milestone here at Scorched Earth.  The blog surged right on by 200,000 page views.  Thanks for reading this.  The blog was only supposed to record how a bad bill in the Ohio Legislature (HB 14) became a bad law.  We have gone in many directions and you have come along for the ride.  Thanks!  The ride is not over, lots more to come.

                                                                * * *

You can get at a drastic reduction in the adoption price from the City of Cleveland Shelter for a limited time only. Fifty of the longest held dogs will be available for $21, marked down from $61.  Here is the problem, they are all pit bulls.  I looked at this shelter a few days ago.  They had 68 dogs available, 63 of them are pit bulls.  Thanks, but I think I will stay home.


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6/13/2018
Kettering Ohio
Montgomery County

A Kettering pit bull has been euthanized for killing a Dachshund last month.  The person fostering the pit bull, I refuse to call her the dog's "foster mom" stated that Stormy the pit bull handled an interaction with the Dachshund "naturally" by grabbing the little dog by the neck and killing it.

Per the Dayton Daily news " Stormy was walking on a leash, held by a 16-year-old, on May 14 when Cooper’s owner let the smaller dog loose outside in the common area behind townhomes on Windsor Park Drive in Washington Twp. Cooper moved close to Stormy, when the larger dog lunged and grabbed the smaller dog by the throat and shook until he went limp, according to a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office report."

 Stormy was not licensed because the foster, Robin Pack, was in the process of "adopting" (read purchasing a used pit bull).  Title to this particular pit bull was held by the Cincinnati SPCA. There is little demand for pit bulls in Cincinnati apparently, the shelter is overwhelmed with them.  Failure to register and dog at large charges against Pack were dropped.  Stormy was euthanized at the Montgomery Animal Resource Center.  Pack, in the process of purchasing Stormy at the time of the fatal attack, was irate that she had not been given the right to agree to the euthanization nor had the Cincinnati SPCA.

The Animal Justice League of America held a protest at the Montgomery County ARC that had no impact on the final decision to euthanize Stormy.  Dayton is knee deep in violent pit bulls and has no need to import them from downstate.  Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden got this one right.

 Cooper (Contributed) photo
RIP Cooper

But wait, there is more information.  The Animal Justice League of America lobbied hard on behalf of Stormy without any actual knowledge of the actual circumstances.

Here is are the texts of two emails sent to Dog Warden Mark Kumpf.
"Hi Mark,  This is Shane Rudman, founder of the Animal Justice League of America.  I truly appreciate the difficulty of the job you do.  I'd like to help you with a good public relations for you. We are willing to take Stormy out of state to Kansas City.  I'll make sure to get you and your local media and national media to appreciate your situation.  I'm meeting with KCMO's mayor. (redacted material) ...will make time for this.  If you or your top assistant cam text me at your earliest convenience today, I think you'll be happy we connect.  Our people are in contact with (redacted)... guessing we'll make a very positive announcement in a few months (redacted name) makes his decision on next contact.  Again, Thx for all you do.  In far too many cases it's a thankless job."

Here is another email from the same individual.  "Hi Mark, trying to give you some help with the dog Stormy. I know we are both extremely busy.  When you get a chance just shoot me a quick text so e can connect.  I know time is running out.  I've left multiple messages on your vm, the person that reports direct to you, and one other person.  I was afraid maybe the phn system wasn't getting msgs straight so I had a volunteer drive over to deliver a message in person.  Hopefully, we can connect before it's too late.  Again, thx for your hard work."   These texts were posted on the Animal Justice League of America's Facebook page in hopes of stirring the pot in Dayton.  Here is what Rudman had to say.  "Animal Justice League of America

This is Shane Rudman. My team of Admin normally post here but several investigative reporters asked for these texts message to be posted tonight. These are two of the text messages I sent to Mark Kumpf of the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center. None were returned. He and his staff refused to return any of the other half dozen voice mails that I personally left. Part of the first text is redacted due to NDA’s.
.
Feel free to review this material on The Animal Justice League of America's Facebook page.  You will also have the opportunity to watch an endless video of Rudman's self-important statements, offers to "help" law enforcement, and threats if these "offers" are not accepted.  Life is short, I could not bring myself to watch the whole thing.  Background information- Rudman lives in Kansas City and drove to Ohio to interfere in local law enforcement matters.  

In any case, Rudman was apparently not aware that during the attack Stormy also bit the owner of the Dachshund and bit a neighbor as well. Here is a description of the attack from WDTN News. ""People started screaming," Lawson said. "And crying and punching stormy to get her to let go. I was hitting her too. I didn't know what else to do."

 Lawson is the daughter of Robin Pack, she was walking Stormy at the time all hell broke loose.

Here is a statement from the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center "The dog was property of the Cincinnati SPCA," a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center said in a statement Wednesday. "And it was signed over for euthanasia to the ARC.  Stormy was euthanized on June 5. This is a public safety issue.  One of our mandates is public safety. Montgomery County will not put the community at risk by releasing any animal that has shown aggressive behavior."
You can't make this stuff up.  
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6/26/2018
College Hill Ohio
Hamilton County

A concealed carry permit holder shot and killed a pit bull after the pit bull charged the man, his wife, and their dogs as they were out for a peaceful walk.  The permit holder did not shoot the pit bull until after he was bitten TWICE in the leg.  The pit bull owner came out of his house in response to the attack but was unable to control his own pit bull.  At this point, the permit holder shot the pit bull in the head.  Remarkable self-control.  The permit holder required treatment at a local hospital.  The SPCA cited the pit bull owner.  College Hill is located just 10 miles from Cincinnati, a pit bull hell.  The Cincinnati SPCA is infested with pit bulls.

Why is the pit bull owner always the last person to arrive at the scene of a pit bull attack?

 


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6/27/2018
DAYTON Ohio
Montgomery County

Yet another pit bull attack in Mark Kumpf's county.  Dayton police shot three dogs attacking another dog in a Dayton home.  The story has changed several times over the course of the day but it appears that one dog is dead, one in critical condition and one still at the vet with no condition report.  Neighbors report hearing Alexis Keeton screaming that she was being attacked but the dog owner denies this, stating that she was just trying to break up the dogfight.  She has five dogs, the three accounted for here are two American Bullies (pit bulls) and one pit bull  Dayton is a pit bull hell.  This story ends with the standard reassurances from the pit bull owner.   " Keeton said although her dogs have fought each other, once before - it's never been this extreme.
Keeton says she's thankful neither she or the police were injured. She said the situation could have been a lot worse. 
I bet Keeton's neighbors just love her.

                                                             * * *






Monday, April 2, 2018

April 2nd Pit bull Roundup. Pit bulls shot by law enforcement, injured by their owners, attack small dogs, kill mini horses, run at large and attack, get a huge break in Lakewood, and attack children.

1/10/2018
Mansfield Ohio
Richland County

This comes from the "a pit bull's worst nightmare is frequently his owner" file, in a city that dropped its breed ban in 2017.  Anyone reading the linked material should be aware that there is an error in the reporting.  There is no requirement by Ohio law that communities must lift breed bans.  Google Ohio Revised Code and read state law for yourself.  In any case, I digress.

Christopher Vandenberg, age 40, was sentenced to more than three years in prison for slitting the throats of four pit bull puppies.  He cut the puppies after an argument with his wife.  All the puppies recovered and have been adopted out.   This leaves a thoughtful person wondering.  There is no question that the puppies were injured, slightly, but they all recovered.  Owners of pit bulls that maul and kill other people's pets and livestock pay a small fine and prance free.  Why?  
Here is a photo of one of the puppies. This is not a life threatening injury.
  
Here is a photo of Mr. Vandenberg.  

This is Bella, she was killed and partially eaten by pit bulls in Ohio, shortly before Christmas.
Bella was killed Friday by a pit bull in St. Clair Township, according to the Butler County Sheriff's Office.  (Photo: Courtesy Paul Huesing)
This is Pablo, he was killed in the same attack.
Pablo died Friday in a pit bull attack in St. Clair Township. (Provided by Paul Huesing)
In addition to the deaths of the two mini horses, the same three pit bulls also killed a mini horse on another property on the same day. 
The horse in the foreground is Simon, the the third mini horse killed by Terry Foister's pit bulls.
The owner of the pit bulls that killed Pablo, Bella and Simon got a fine of $150 plus court costs.  Why three years in prison for cuts to puppies and a misdemeanor charge and $150 fine for the deaths of three mini horses?

What are we doing in Ohio?  There are bills in both the Ohio Senate an Ohio House that toughen state law regarding vicious dogs.  The Senate Bill, introduced by Senator Bill Beagle, is called the Klonda Richey Act, named after a Dayton woman mauled to death by her neighbor's dogs in 2014.  There is a companion bill, HB 352,  in the Ohio house, they are exactly the same.  These companion bills are poking along in the Ohio Legislature over four years after Klonda Richey's death.  An Alabama woman, Emily Colvin, was mauled to death by pit bulls on Christmas Eve of 2017.  The Alabama Legislature has already written and  passed Emily's Law,  legislation to hold owners of vicious dogs accountable.

The Ohio bills are well written and deserve passage.  Why can Alabama accomplish something in two months that Ohio still struggles with four years after a mauling death?  What are we doing in Ohio? 

While we are on the topic of the Klonda Richey Bill, there is this interesting story.  Andrew Nason, owner of the dogs that killed Klonda Richey after menacing her for years, has been spending his time in prison, on unrelated charges, by training dogs with the intent to become a journeyman animal trainer.  Per the Dayton Daily News. "  Nason, who is serving a five-year sentence at London Correctional for unrelated felonious assault and endangering children counts, wrote in a motion to a Montgomery County Common Pleas Court judge that he has participated in hundreds of hours in the Pets Uniting People Program (PUPP). 
Nason asked Judge Steven Dankof in a fall 2017 pro se (without an attorney) motion to credit his prison community work service toward his court costs. As of Sept. 25, 2017, Nason wrote he had performed 744 hours with PUPP.
A flyer about A-1 PUPP provided by the ODRC said it was a two-year apprentice program that offers a certificate of from the Ohio Dept. of Labor that certifies the graduate as a journeyman animal trainer.
The flyer says the program is for rescue dogs that may have been neglected, abused, surrendered, removed from bad living conditions including puppy mills. The ODRC said the program trains and socializes the dogs for adoption.
Nason wrote that he makes just $18 per month from which he must pay for utilities, health care fees, hygiene purchases and other miscellaneous expenses.
“I think this is absolutely ridiculous,” Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. said. “What is the Ohio Department of Corrections thinking? Which then begs the question, do they have any clue about his past?
“If he is enrolled in such a program, maybe he can learn what it means to be a responsible dog owner, and how to properly care for and control a dog.”
An Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman said Nason has not been active with the program since October. No reason was provided why Nason was allowed to enroll or why his participation ended.
Dankof denied the motion."
Andrew Nason.  What are we doing in Ohio? 
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3/18/2018
Toledo Ohio
Lucas County

Here is a story that was not reported in the media but was reported on Facebook.  A pit bull attacked a small dog owned by a woman appearing to be in her 60s.  A neighbor ran to the scene and helped the woman, her small dog, and another woman escape to safety.  The small dog owner was bitten and bleeding.  Police and an ambulance were called to the scene.  The Toledo Blade did not report this attack.  Not surprising.  Thank you Mr. Louden!

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3/22/2018
Forest Park Ohio
Hamilton County

A Forest Park pit bull owner has finally been arrested for allowing his pit bulls to run free in his neighborhood.  Investigators have been called to the home of Wade Hill Jr. 62 times since January of 2017.  A child has been bitten by the pit bulls requiring 29 stitches to his face. The mail carrier is on high alert, the FedEx driver has been menaced, peaceful neighbors and local police have also been menaced.  The pit bulls have been taken to the SPCA but have been returned to the owner.  Police are attempting to get a court order to remove the dogs.  After 62 calls in a year, this should not be a problem.  What are we  doing in Ohio?   

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3/8/2018
Colerain Ohio
Belmont County  

Colerain residents are in the same situation as those in Forest Park, they are prisoners in their own homes while a neighborhood pit bulls runs free.  This dog has bitten and menaced residents.  Per Fox 19 News " "It just runs around terrorizing the neighborhood. It keeps people from getting in their houses. It actually bit my husband's leg," said Kim Thompson, who lives next to the dog owner.
She says the dog cornered her child as well. "It's so scary my son. He has little toys that he rides out front, motorbikes, and things and he got stuck down there in a circle and the dog went right for him," she said.
Another neighbor who didn't want to be identified tells FOX19 NOW the police were called to his home a few weeks ago after the dog bit him.
"He's standing there at the end of my driveway. I say get out of here, get out of here and he comes up to me like he's going to bite me and I back up then he nipped me on the back of my leg," said the resident.
Luckily he wasn't hurt but he fears it will get worse if the issue isn't addressed."

Local authorities state that they are unable to act on complaints because the dog is already gone by the time they get there.  Residents are encouraged to take photographs of the dog at large.  What?  Authorities have a great many of these photographs.  Write the citations!  Get this dog off the street so peaceful people can go on about their lives.  
Several Colerain residents say they feel like prisoners in their homes because a dog is terrorizing their neighborhood. (WXIX)
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2/11/2018
Westerville Ohio
Delaware and Franklin Counties  

Two Westerville Ohio police officers were shot to death, ambushed by a local resident with a history of domestic abuse, animal abuse, and parking tickets.  In their coverage of the deaths of these two police officers  nbc4i.com notes " Smith was charged with animal cruelty in 2016 as neighbors called to report he had beaten a brindle pit bull puppy that was then put outside at the Crosswind Drive location. A judge was able to sign a search warrant for the Humane Society to take the puppy."  

A study was done, in Ohio, linking ownership of high-risk dogs and criminal behavior in the owner.   The study begins with this quote. 

This study examined the association between ownership of high-risk(“vicious”) dogs and the presence of deviant behaviors in the owners as indicated by court convictions. We also explored whether two characteristics of dog ownership (abiding licensing laws and choice of breed) could be useful areas of inquiry when assessing risk status in settings where children are present.Our matched sample consisted of 355 owners of either licensed or cited dogs that represented high or low-risk breeds. Categories of criminal convictions examined were aggressive crimes, drugs, alcohol, domestic violence,crimes involving children, firearm convictions, and major and minor traffic citations. Owners of cited high-risk (“vicious”) dogs had significantly more criminal convictions than owners of licensed low-risk dogs. Findings suggest that the ownership of a high-risk (“vicious”) dog can be a significant marker for general deviance and should be an element considered when assessing risk for child endangerment."

 Draw your own conclusions.

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3/26/2018
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County

City Dogs, a pit bull placement organization at the Cleveland City Shelter is looking for anyone willing to adopt their pit bulls.  More than 100 dogs are available, and they are pit bulls.  Look out Lakewood, many of these dogs are likely to find their way into your city.   Lakewood recently dropped their breed ban in response to complaints from a Lakewood woman who owned a pit bull (yes the proud owner of a pit bull in a city where the breed was banned).  This pit bull owner failed to keep her banned breed dog confined and it was picked up by animal control and ordered out of town.  She demanded that the city change local law to suit her particular form of irresponsibility.  This seemed logical in Lakewood and the law has been changed.  The chances that pit bull owners in Lakewood will contain and insure their pit bulls is just about zero as has be demonstrated in communities across the United States. 

The reason the City of Cleveland shelter is full of pit bulls?  Aggression and irresponsibility.  Lakewood City Council, say hello to you newest residents.     

One of the dogs up for adoption. (Source: City Dogs)
This City Dogs pit bull is looking for a new home.  

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3/29/2018
Fort Dodge Iowa/Ohio

Well, here is good news for residents of Ohio.  A pit bull declared vicious by the Ft. Dodge Iowa Board of Animal Appeals will be given another chance - in Ohio.  Wow, lucky us.

In November of 2017 a pit bull owned by Nash Wheaton and Mariah Hocking jumped a fence and killed a cat in the cat owner's yard.  The cat owner was injured while trying, unsuccessfully,  to rescue her pet.  The pit bull also entered the home of the cat owner, apparently unsatisfied by merely killing the cat.

What is a pit bull owner to do in this circumstance?  Pack the pit bull up and run is the usual answer and Ms. Hocking did exactly this.  She brought the pit bull to Ohio.

Per the Messenger, Hocking " brought the dog back to Fort Dodge for the hearing in the second floor conference room of the Municipal Building Wednesday afternoon.
Hocking said the dog does well around people and has never hurt anyone.
Jacob Naatz, the Fort Dodge police officer who handled the case, said in his experience with the animal it was not aggressive towards people.
Naatz said he has dealt with the dog on more than one occasion. He said each time, the dog harmed or attempted to harm another animal.
According to city code, a dog is considered vicious when it kills another domesticated animal without provocation.
“There is no question the dog killed another animal and did it without provocation,” Fort Dodge City Attorney Mark Crimmins said.
Board members Dr. Michael Bottorff and Bob Martin were the only board members in attendance, so the decision on the dog had to be unanimous.
Bottorff is a veterinarian in Fort Dodge.
The board determined the dog vicious, but is allowing Wheaton and Hocking to pick the animal up from the Almost Home Humane Society of North Central Iowa today.
Hocking is to take the dog back to Ohio, where it is to remain.
According to Bottorff, if the dog is seen or heard from in Webster County again, it will be put down.
“We’re all animal lovers here,” Bottorff said. “We don’t want to see the dog destroyed.”
Newsflash for Dr. Bottorff, we are animal lovers here in Ohio and we would rather see your vicious pit bull destroyed in Iowa than have it kill peaceful pets here.  If this pit bull is too vicious to remain in your city it is too vicious to ship across state lines.  The Ohio city is unnamed but local animal control should be notified that a vicious dog is about to be shipped into town.  The county dog warden should be notified as well.

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3/8/2018
Chillicothe Ohio
Ross County

A Chillicothe police officer was charged by a pit bull and shot it.  Per the Chillicothe Gazette "  According to Chillicothe police chief Keith Washburn, officers went to a home on North Sugar Street around 5 p.m. Wednesday. The chief said a child opened the door and a large pit bull charged at one of the officers, growling. The officer retreated and when the dog continued to charge at him, Washburn said the officer fired two shots at the dog."

The dog was only slightly injured and made a full recovery.  Local residents were urged to control their dogs.  * eye roll *
636560375576982123-CGO-STOCK-Police.jpg


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2/15/2018
Willoughby Hills Ohio
Lake County Ohio
This is as good a time as any for another law enforcement shooting of a pit bull story.  This time is was a Deputy U.S. Marshall who shot a pit bull while that Marshall was attempting to arrest a sex offender on a federal warrant.  Per Cleveland.com "Patrick Denning, 57, was hiding in a back bedroom of the home and was arrested, Elliott said. He was wanted on a warrant for failing to register as a sex offender, after his conviction in Nevada for lewdness with a child under 14 years old."

The pit bull survived.   Why are pit bulls so often found in the company of felons?

A deputy U.S. marshals shot a pit bull that tried to attack him on Thursday morning, U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said.

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7/11/2017
Mansfield Ohio
Richland County

More from Mansfield in this long overlooked story.  Richland County Commissioners deny responsibility for any decision on euthanization of two pit bulls that killed a tiny and peaceful pet.  Per the Mansfield News Journal. "Commissioners discussed the issue Tuesday for over 30 minutes with Hettie Rohwer, whose Maltese/Chihuahua mix was mauled and killed in one of the attacks on March 1 in the area of West Third Street and Penn Avenue in Mansfield.  Rohwer asked why county Dog Warden Dave Jordan has not taken the offending animals to a veterinarian to be euthanized.  “I checked with the (Mansfield) law director and his assistant and those dogs do not have to be held any more.  They can be put down at any time,” she said.  “I was told by the law director that the dog warden would have to transport the dogs to be put down.”  Commissioners’ chairwoman Marilyn John said the euthanasia issue was something that is between Mansfield Municipal Court, the city law director’s office and the dog owners’ attorney. “This is not something to bring to this meeting to negotiate,” she said.  “What the law director does is up to his office.”  Commissioner Darrell Banks pointed out that the dog warden is under court order to hold the dogs and that is all he can do."
Dogs.jpg
The caption under this photo states that this woman is speaking to Richland County dog warden Dave Jordan after a dog escaped from this home and killed other dogs.

Stop the dithering and put these dogs down. Protect the peaceful public.

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1/22/2018
Hillsboro Ohio/Peebles Ohio
Highland County/Adams County

This is a complicated story.  A former Hillsboro woman,  who had been ordered by the courts to NOT own dogs due to prior abuse and irresponsible behavior, was found in possession of sixteen dogs, at least one of them stolen.  Olivia Gale Youst, 27, and Molly Elizabeth Salser, 26, were charged with petty theft and tampering with evidence after the sixteen dogs were confiscated.  Please read this story yourself, how do people get away with this stuff for so long?  Yost's history includes charges that her pit bull constantly ran at large in Hillsboro and killed a German Shepherd within an hour of being caught by the county dog warden and returned to Yost.
Per the Times Gazette.  " The dog warden said Yost seems to prefer pit bulls and chihuahuas and that there is some question of whether or not she owns all the dogs that were in the Peebles home.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office has pictures of the dogs on its Facebook page with the following message: “These dogs were recovered from a residence located in the area of Jones Rd in Peebles, OH. If you recognize any of these dogs and they belong to you or know the owners please contact the Adams County Dog Pound at 937-544-2431. If your dog is recovered and want to pursue theft charges please contact the Adams County Sheriff Office at 937-544-2314.”
Some of the dogs that were confiscated Sunday from the Peebles home of a former Hillsboro resident are shown in these photographs.
Confiscated dog, not looking too good.

Two more, also not looking too good.

Yost

Salzer                           I have nothing further to say about this one. 

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1/23/2018
Brooklyn Ohio
Cuyahoga County

A 13-year-old boy was attacked by a pit bull while he was walking home from school.  A classic pin-and-run attack.  The pit bull owner, a female, had been talking on her phone with the pit bull's leash under her foot.  The pit bull lunged at the boy, biting him on the bicep. Per News 5 Cleveland "The bite was bad enough, but Timothy and his parents got really fired up when the woman left without calling for help or giving him contact information, so she could show proof the dog was up-to-date on his rabies shots.
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In a huge computer glitch, about a year's links to Ohio pit bull maulings has just disappeared.  Makes my life easier but a sad loss.

Ohio pit bulls will do their very best to keep me busy.  I remember a few of these items, will write about them and try to stay current in the future.