We will begin.
* * *
12/24/2018
Lorain Ohio
Lorain County
4/2/2019
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County
The Lorain County Dog Warden was called to remove a pit bull from a roof. This is not unusual with pit bulls but unheard of with Irish Setters or Beagles.
Cleveland Police were called for a similar scenario. A dog had been tied up on a second story porch, jumped the railing and was found dangling off the front of the house. Police were able to rescue the dog, a pit bull. Video is available by clicking here. The pit bull was uninjured and ran off after his rescue. Bet the neighbors were thrilled.
Have police ever been called for a Pug on the roof?
* * *
3/13/2019
Greenville Ohio
Darke County
A couple was joyfully reunited with a pit bull that they had lost two different times. The couple, Jason Hunt and Hillary Frech, live outside New Madison. Their 6-year-old red-nose pitbull terrier, Kiara, had run off once before, prompting a man who worked nearby to threaten to kill the animal if it strayed back onto his property. When Kiara vanished again in September of last year, they feared that was just what had happened.
The threat was not enough to convince the pit bull owners to improve containment and supervision of their pit bull. Kiara vanished again, gone for months until they saw a posting from the Darke County Shelter. There she was, held in a shelter that does not adopt pit bulls directly to the public. In order to reclaim the pit bull that the owners clearly can't contain or control, Hunt and Frech had to rely on a rescue as an intermediary 501c3 rescue to avoid liability for the County shelter.
Now that they have their repeat runaway pit bull back will containment improve? Not likely. It's a revolving door for pit bulls.
* * *
3/5/2019
Akron Ohio
Summit County
This story is hard to follow. Please hang in there. Three people were hospitalized and a mail carrier was injured in multiple dog attacks by the same dogs on the same day.
A woman, peacefully walking in her own community was attacked by three "dogs". Three men driving by noted the attack in progress and stopped to help the woman. These courageous men were unable to pull the dogs off their victim so they changed tactics and beat them off. The victim was transported to a local hospital with extensive injuries.
Prior to the attack upon the woman reported above, three other people reported attacks by three "dogs." A second woman reported being attacked as she attempted to get out of her own van. Hearing the victim's screams, a man came to help her. The man was attacked as well. Both of these two victims were transported to a local hospital with extensive injuries.
The "dogs" ran away and attacked a mail carrier. The mail carrier sprayed the "dogs" with mace but was bitten on the thigh. The "dogs" were picked up by animal control.
Photos of the three dogs are found on this link. They are all pit bulls but we already knew that.
Update 4/9/2019
The pit bull owner, Diane Yanke, had a pre-trial hearing in Akron, she has been charged with 21 misdemeanors, including five counts of having vicious dogs, t hr ee counts of physical harm, not having insurance and not having her pit bulls confined. Per ABC News 5, Cleveland " Criminal charges, related to controlling pit bulls, have been filed against Yanke three others times since September. In one case, a 62-year-old man was bitten, suffering a puncture wound on his right arm.
Update 4/26/2019
Pretrial is scheduled for 4/26/2019. Pit bull owner Diane Yanke still harbors pit bulls and the first victim in the March 4th Akron attack, Social Worker Sarah Friddle refuses to back down. This will play out in court.
Yanke's dogs were put down but she still has another dog. Bet her neighbors are thrilled.
* * *
These are not Ohio stories but one out of Iowa has a lot to do with the Reynoldsburg ruling so we are throwing it out there for your consideration. The other is a change in law in Citrus County Florida that indicates a long overdue change in direction with the treatment of vicious dogs. We begin with Citrus County. Citrus County has had far too many violent dog attacks and has changed shelter procedures in an effort to better protect public safety. Per the Citrus County Chronicle " commissioners gave unanimous approval Tuesday to a set of procedures designed to provide closer care of dogs and cats, preparing them for adoption.
On to Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court backed the rights of a community to declare a dog dangerous. Pinky (a pit bull) attacked a cat and was declared a dangerous dog.
After the attack, Des Moines animal control declared Pinky a vicious dog/high risk based on her breed, and a dangerous dog based upon her conduct. Local law required insurance and proof of vaccination from her original owner, Charles Brickell. Brickell did not challenge the high-risk designation of his dog at the time he obtained Pinky but let insurance and vaccination lapse for six years until Pinky's attack upon Rebel the neighbor's cat. When Pinky was seized by animal control, Brickell sold Pinky to Diana Helmers, the owner of an animal rescue located outside the city of Des Moines. This began a three-year slog through the courts. The end result was an evenly divided Supreme Court ruling. The evenly divided ruling deferred to the lower court ruling that declared the Des Moines high-risk dog law constitutional. Here is a link to the final brief from the City of Des Moines. Bottom line, the constitutionality of Des Moines proactive law was upheld.
Can it be hoped that these rulings might indicate a change for the better in protecting the peaceful public from violent dogs?
* * *
4/4/2019
Columbus Ohio
Franklin County
Twenty dogs were "rescued" from the property of German Sanchez, in addition, a dead dog was found. Sanchez was charged with one count of dog fighting and one count of possession of crack cocaine. Sanchez was found during an investigation into drug trafficking and his connection to dog fighting became clear.
Thirteen of the dogs were mature pit bulls, one was a Yorkie, six puppies of an unspecified breed were "rescued" per Mark Gofstein, a spokesman for the Franklin County sheriff's office. The dogs are in the custody of the Columbus Humane Society. “To be able to get all of these dogs away from a horrible situation is a good days work,” Gofstein said."
At least 13 of these dogs are game bred, pit tested fighting dogs. Their situation was horrible but the peaceful public is not responsible for this and should not be put at risk by any foolish, reckless attempt to turn at least 13 pit tested fighting dogs into pets. The Yorkie should be a safe placement.
German Sanchez, booking photo.
Pretrial is scheduled for 4/26/2019. Pit bull owner Diane Yanke still harbors pit bulls and the first victim in the March 4th Akron attack, Social Worker Sarah Friddle refuses to back down. This will play out in court.
Yanke's dogs were put down but she still has another dog. Bet her neighbors are thrilled.
* * *
These are not Ohio stories but one out of Iowa has a lot to do with the Reynoldsburg ruling so we are throwing it out there for your consideration. The other is a change in law in Citrus County Florida that indicates a long overdue change in direction with the treatment of vicious dogs. We begin with Citrus County. Citrus County has had far too many violent dog attacks and has changed shelter procedures in an effort to better protect public safety. Per the Citrus County Chronicle " commissioners gave unanimous approval Tuesday to a set of procedures designed to provide closer care of dogs and cats, preparing them for adoption.
The five-day hold was eliminated, but also the county will no longer provide dogs to rescue groups that it would not allow for adoption."
If a dog is too vicious to adopt out directly to the public it is inappropriate for handing over to a rescue that will adopt it out into a peaceful community. Logic is a beautiful thing.
If a dog is too vicious to adopt out directly to the public it is inappropriate for handing over to a rescue that will adopt it out into a peaceful community. Logic is a beautiful thing.
On to Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court backed the rights of a community to declare a dog dangerous. Pinky (a pit bull) attacked a cat and was declared a dangerous dog.
After the attack, Des Moines animal control declared Pinky a vicious dog/high risk based on her breed, and a dangerous dog based upon her conduct. Local law required insurance and proof of vaccination from her original owner, Charles Brickell. Brickell did not challenge the high-risk designation of his dog at the time he obtained Pinky but let insurance and vaccination lapse for six years until Pinky's attack upon Rebel the neighbor's cat. When Pinky was seized by animal control, Brickell sold Pinky to Diana Helmers, the owner of an animal rescue located outside the city of Des Moines. This began a three-year slog through the courts. The end result was an evenly divided Supreme Court ruling. The evenly divided ruling deferred to the lower court ruling that declared the Des Moines high-risk dog law constitutional. Here is a link to the final brief from the City of Des Moines. Bottom line, the constitutionality of Des Moines proactive law was upheld.
Can it be hoped that these rulings might indicate a change for the better in protecting the peaceful public from violent dogs?
* * *
4/4/2019
Columbus Ohio
Franklin County
Twenty dogs were "rescued" from the property of German Sanchez, in addition, a dead dog was found. Sanchez was charged with one count of dog fighting and one count of possession of crack cocaine. Sanchez was found during an investigation into drug trafficking and his connection to dog fighting became clear.
Thirteen of the dogs were mature pit bulls, one was a Yorkie, six puppies of an unspecified breed were "rescued" per Mark Gofstein, a spokesman for the Franklin County sheriff's office. The dogs are in the custody of the Columbus Humane Society. “To be able to get all of these dogs away from a horrible situation is a good days work,” Gofstein said."
At least 13 of these dogs are game bred, pit tested fighting dogs. Their situation was horrible but the peaceful public is not responsible for this and should not be put at risk by any foolish, reckless attempt to turn at least 13 pit tested fighting dogs into pets. The Yorkie should be a safe placement.
German Sanchez, booking photo.