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.  

Pit Bull Roundup 12/28/2016 Bosco the Biter, pit bull "police dogs," an over supply of pit bull puppies, foolish protests in Trumbull County

This year-end wrap-up will not actually be a wrap-up, far too many attacks to deal with by 
January 1st but we will get a start on this.


                                                                    * * *

10/31/2016
Toledo Ohio
Lucas County

Legal issues surrounding Bosco the Biter, a pit bull that became the center of a conflict between the Lucas County Pit Crew, headed by Ohio's pit bull advocate, Jean Keating and the Fulton County Commissioners have been resolved. Background on the conflict can be found in this post.  For specifics on Bosco's adventures click here and here.

For those with no time to waste, Lucas County resident and pit bull advocate Jean Keating attempted to bully Fulton County officials about adoption procedures for pit bulls but the Fulton County Commissioners refused to play.  Keating's group later placed Bosco the Biter with a Fulton County family.  Bosco bit the new owner on the third day post placement.  The injured owner called the Pit Crew to pick up the dog but instead of following the law in Fulton County they attempted to hide Bosco from lawful quarantine.  Keating and two members of her group were amazed to face misdemeanor charges for obstruction for hiding Bosco from Fulton County officials and for violation of a rabies quarantine.

In October the Lucas County Pit Crew, headed by Keating, agreed to plead no contest to the charges. It was expected that the Pit Crew would pay a fine plus court costs in exchange for dropping the personal charges against Keating and her two associates.  

Bosco the Biter, now a designated dangerous dog, has been removed from the state of Ohio and is now harbored by a couple living in Arizona.  Not surprisingly, the new owner, Jacque Johnson, is employed by Best Friends Animal Society and is an advocate for pit bulls.

Johnson has stated that "Bosco is the biggest clown in the entire world.  He's a great dog that some bad things have happened to."  She also admits that the dog "can be excitable, but has shown no aggression in his permanent home."  You will be thrilled to know that Johnson has set up a Facebook page for Bosco so you can follow his adventures in Arizona. 

                                                         * * *  

12/26/2016
Toledo Ohio
Lucas County

Let's stay in Toledo for a bit more pittery.  The Toledo Blade proudly announced that a "local group trains pit bulls for use by police."   The "local group" mentioned in the article headline is not very local.  The article refers to the New York state Animal Farm Foundation partnered with a dog training business in Texas.

The AFF spokeswoman, Stacey Coleman, stated "we train them to do the same work traditionally reserved for purebred dogs."   "The reason we do all of it is to change that negative stigma."  The translation for this is "we are creating breed ambassadors."

Make no mistake, the AFF subsidized pit bull "police dogs" go to communities that are very small or very poor or both.  The AFF claims proudly to have placed about 20 of these dogs but they do not reveal exactly where they went.  We do know that Bartlett Texas got one.  In 2014 the population of Bartlett was 2,751.  The median household income in Bartlett is $36,047 while the median income for Texas households is $51,704.  We know that Normagee Texas got a pit bull "police dog".  The population of Normagee is 685 with a median household income of $36,860.  We know that Montgomery Texas got an AFF subsidized pit bull.  The population of Montgomery is 710 and a median household income a bit above the median household income for the state of Texas. 

Much has been made of the ASPCA "public service" award won by Poughkeepsie's pit bull police dog, Kiah, an AFF subsidized dog.  Interestingly, no one has been able to name a public service performed by Kiah, other than being a pit bull subsidized by a very wealthy New York state resident. It appears that the ASPCA award is simply for sale.      

    

Texas training business Universal K9, partnered with the AFF picks up pit bulls from shelters and municipal pounds briefly trains them for narcotics and explosive detection and for tracking.  They are not trained for bite work which is required for apprehending suspects. The AFF pays the bills.

 Apparently the editors of the Toledo Blade think Toledo needs a police pit bull but by the sound of it, Toledo police are underwhelmed. A spokesman for the Toledo police K9 unit stated that Toledo will not likely participate because the department  requires dogs trained for all aspects of police work.  Apprehension work with pit bulls is problematic. Pit bulls are frequently shot by police because they don't let go.  The police spokesman went on to say "I think the idea behind it is great but the start and end point for us is that we need dogs that can do everything."

The Toledo police get their dogs from Von der Haus Gill German Shepherds in Wapakoneta, Ohio and are pleased with the supplier who guarantees the health and suitability of their dogs.  Brad Croft of Universal K9 takes issue with this because "guarantees are a moot point if the dog is donated. It makes sense if you're spending $15000, to $20,000 on a dog that you want health guarantees. But if you're getting the dog for free, what does it matter?  We have millions of dogs being euthanized each year, and a lot of them can do this work.  If there's a problem with a dog, we can replace that dog very quickly."  In other words, the dogs supplied by Universal K9 are disposable.  

What can't be replaced is public trust and the Toledo police are apparently unwilling to risk their reputation on stray pit bulls.  For those who are concerned with the numbers of dogs euthanized each year, educate pit bull owners on the value of neuter and spay.

For a bit more information on fully trained police dogs please click here. The Mansfield police department just graduated two new police dogs after 9 full weeks of full time training with their new handlers.  These dogs are also from the Wapakoneta supplier and have been bred for the task, chosen from the best prospects in Europe, likely received training in Europe and were imported for American police departments.

Police departments that can afford bred-for-task dogs are not rushing to the AFF for pound pit bulls.

                                                                 * * *    

12/6/2016
Toledo Ohio   
Lucas County

While we are in Toledo we might as well talk about the new Lucas County Dog Warden. Richard Stewart has been hired to take Julie Lyle's job as Lucas County Dog Warden. Stewart was head of animal services in Pocatello Idaho for one year.  Julie Lyle moved on to a position as clinic director for Humane Ohio.  Humane Ohio is a low cost neuter and spay clinic in Toledo.  

                                                            * * *

11/14/2016
Toledo Ohio
Lucas County

Finishing up in Toledo, the Lucas County Pit Crew's foster homes are full of pit bull puppies.  Of the 69 pit bulls harbored by the Pit Crew on the date the article appeared in the Toledo Blade, 57 of them are under 65 months of age. Per the Blade "Ms . (Jean) Keating said many of the litters were the result of accidental breeding and surrendered directly to the Pit Crew."  Neuter and spay education falls upon deaf ears with pit bull owners.  These puppies are a financial drain on the Pit Crew's finances.  The Pit Crew purchased a property this year to serve as a permanent home for the organization and renovations are expensive.


                                                                    * * *

4/6/1016
Warren Ohio
Trumbull County Ohio

This is an insane story that has been waiting too long.  A pit bull named Brownie, adopted out of the Trumbull County shelter in November on 2015 was returned to the shelter in April of 2016 for euthanasia. Brownie had attacked two smaller animals.  No further details on those attacks were offered.  A staff member injected the euthanasia solution into the muscle rather than a vein. Human error?  Wrong drug and wrong route?  Who can say, humans make mistakes.  In any case, instead of quickly administering the drug via vein, the dog was transported to a veterinarian for resuscitation. WHAT?  Brownie lived but animal advocates attended a Trumbull County Commissioner's meeting to complain.  They made the point that the medication administered was painful when injected into the muscle.

The central issue was completely missed by this very small group of advocates.  Brownie was there for the purpose of euthanasia because he attacked other animals.  Brownie was dangerous. The pain of the animals Brownie attacked was never considered.

Let's consider the pain experienced by animal victims of violent dog attacks.  Here are a few photos of animal victims of pit bull attacks.  Think these wounds were achieved without pain?  These are far from the worst photos available to me.  I believe most of the dogs did survive except for the pit bull with the gunshot wound to the top of his head, shot for killing the cats, and the very last dog.  Victims suffer pain, lots of it.

Brownie lived, God only knows where he went from here. I hope the advocates protesting Brownie's pain will consider the pain of his future victims.  No dog should be subjected to pain but sometimes   mistakes are made.            

Consider their pain, please. 

     










This little Boston Terrier did not survive.  Think there might have been pain here? 

Brownie had the Golden Ticket.  He was adopted out of a county shelter but he failed his real world temperament test.  He created his own misfortune by attacking small pets.  He was on the euthanasia table for good reason. That  reason was the protection of peaceful pets like the ones seen here.

Let's keep a bit of perspective here.

Pit bull roundup 3/9/2016. Pit bull owners go to jail, pit bulls held by the Cincinnati SPCA die of negligence, pit bull holds Dayton residents hostage, pit bulls attack children, adults and police, Bosco the Biter declared dangerous.

1/20/2016
Lima Ohio
Allen County

The owner of the pit bulls that attacked an off duty Lima police officer in October has been found guilty on seven counts, including harboring more than one pit bull per residence (Lima regulates pit bulls), and failure to leash or muzzle the two pit bulls involved.  Officer Mark Link has been off work for three months and has endured five surgeries.

A victim's Statement was read in court "Unprovoked and irresponsible attack from the defendant's two pit bull dogs. My wife and children have suffered, and the city of Lima community has suffered," 

Douglas Jackson, the pit bull owner faces a maximum of 180 days in jail for each count plus a $1000 fine for each count.  I will do the math for you, that is 1260 days in jail and $7000.




Allen County Commissioners honored mail carrier Scott Eversole with a resolution of appreciation for his quick actions stepping in to assist officer Link.  Per LimaOhio.com"Scott Eversole was delivering mail in the 900 block of North Elizabeth Street on Oct. 19 when he noticed two pit bulls playing in a yard. He was originally going to leave and complete delivering mail on that part of his route later when he noticed out of the corner of his eye a man leaving his house and going to his car. The man, Lima Police Patrolman Mark Link, was then attacked by the two dogs, who knocked him to the ground and began biting his face.

“I saw that they hit him and were going after him as hard as they could, and he was struggling to get back on his feet,” Eversole said. “It was then I went over with my bag, the best weapon I had, and I took it off my shoulder and began to swing it as hard as I could and knocked them off him enough for him to be able to jump on the car.”

Allen County commissioners present a resolution of appreciation to mail carrier Scott Eversole.  Dog warden Julie Shellhammer thanks him for saving the life of a police officer.  The appreciation is well deserved, mail carriers are too often the victims of pit bull attacks and Mr. Eversole was well aware of the risks but took action anyway.  Well done!

Late update - Douglas Jackson, pit bull owner goes to jail.  


                                                                    * * *

1/20/2016
Cincinnati Ohio
Hamilton County

The wildly pit bull centric Cincinnati SPCA was transferring a pit bull mix between two facilities when a staff member did not follow protocol, leaving the dog alone in a van for 16 hours, in January.  The dog was found to be in a hypothermic state and was euthanized.  Four staff members were disciplined but have kept their jobs.  The Cincinnati SPCA transports 7000 dog a year per WLWTnews.  Why were they moving it?  The Cincinnati website SPCA shows roughly 130 available pit bulls.   There are plenty to go around. 



                                                              * * *

1/21/2016
DAYTON Ohio
Montgomery County

A stray pit bull turned up on the doorstep of  a Dayton apartment, parked himself there, menaced residents and did not allow residents to enter or leave their apartments. One resident was forced to delay his trip to the local store, needing formula for his baby and food for his young daughter, to watch a 30 minute ordeal by local police to control the thing.  The resident described the dog as a pit bull complete with dog fighter ear trim.  Video of the dog backs up this breed identification.  The WHIO reporter identified the dog as a Cane Corso.  Why?  Who can say? The cage card on the pit bull's cage at the Animal Resource Center also identified the thing as a pit bull.  The short legs identify the dog as a pit bull.  Checking the AKC website, the only markings noted for the breed are masks, not the classic white pit bull chest we see on the dog in the ARC cage.  Why play games?     

                                                           * * *

1/26/2016
Mansfield Ohio
Richland County

A ten year old girl was attacked by dogs that witnesses describe as pit bulls.  The girl was walking with friends when the two pit bulls began to chase her, knocking her to the ground and biting her.  The girl was able to run home, witnesses chased the pit bulls away with a shovel.  The child required hospital treatment for her injuries.  

Police were called, a sergeant with the sheriffs department attempted to tase one of the pit bulls but was unsuccessful.  The County dog warden's department was able to locate the owner, she is 19 years old.  Think she has insurance to cover the little girl's medical bills?  

Raina Drescher, pit bull owner stated she owns one of the pit bulls but she "cares for" the other pit bull claiming that it is a neighborhood stray.  Per the NewsJournal " (County Dog warden) Jordan said under state law, Deschner qualifies as a keeper and harborer of the stray dog because she admitted to allowing it into her home and feeding it and she never reported the dog to the warden's office." The county dog warden charged Drescher with two counts of having a dog at large and one count of failure to vaccinate.  Sounds like the dog warden was not much impressed with the denial of ownership of the second pit bull.  Drescher's pit bull was declared a dangerous dog.  Insurance, confinement, warning signs, microchip requirement and a special dog license go with the dangerous dog designation.  

From the NewsJournal " Jordan said Deschner was surprised to hear her dog acted aggressively as it does not act that way in her home, where she has children.

The warden advised Deschner it is not uncommon for dogs to act differently out of the home and warned her of the dangers of letting the dog loose again. While the charges for a first offense are minor misdemeanors, the severity of charges increases on the second offense."

Checking Mansfield Municipal code I find this information

(4)    A.   "Vicious dog" means a dog that, without provocation and subject to subsection (a)(4)B. hereof:

            1.   Has killed or caused serious injury to any person,

            2.   Has caused injury, other than killing or serious injury, to any person, or has killed another domesticated animal,

            3.   Belongs to a breed known as the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or Staffordshire Terrier, or any mixed breed of dog which contains as an element of its breeding the breeds aforestated so as to be identifiable as partially of any one of such breeds...

   (b)    Vicious dogs are hereby prohibited within the jurisdictional limits of the City.

Mansfield bans pit bulls.  There is a reason that communities ban pit bulls and this pit bull owner needs to be charged with violation of local law.   

  

                                                               * * *

1/27/2016
Cleveland Heights Ohio
Cuyahoga County

A pit bull was shot and killed by a Cleveland Heights police officer as it attacked a woman.  Per NewsNet5 " An officer said that he responded to a 911 call from a woman who said she was being attacked by a dog.

When the officer arrived, he said she was screaming and a dog was biting her arm. The officer told the woman to drop on the ground and try to separate herself from the dog. The officer tried to separate her from the dog, as well, but they could not.

The officer shot the dog in the neck and it retreated, but then circled back and the officer shot it again, this time in the eye.

The officer called for an ambulance and the woman was hospitalized. The dog died."

The pit bull involved in this attack was on home quarantine for biting a child earlier this month.  The pit bull owner was cited for harboring a vicious dog and for failure to insure a vicious dog.  Yet again, both victims pay their own medical bills.

Click here for the officer's body cam video.

For more on this attack click here,  and here.  For video of the attack victim and her mother making a call at the police department to thank the police officer who saved her, click here. Watch the victim's reaction as a police dog is led through the room.  It is never over for the victim.

                                                                                 * * *

2/29/2016
Newark Ohio
Licking County

A Newark police officer was bitten by a pit bull mix while responding to a call from a citizen about the dog.  The complainant stated the pit mix was acting aggressively and apparently made an accurate assessment of the animal's behavior.  As the police officer was speaking with the pit mix's owner the officer was bitten by the pit mix.  The officer was treated and released at Licking Memorial Hospital. Here is a shocker, the pit mix was not in compliance with Newark's law requiring liability insurance and special dog tags for pit bulls.



                                                                  * * *

3/8/2016
Cleves Ohio
Hamilton County

An unlicensed pit bull, harbored very near a school, has bitten two people in a week. The first victim was a girl walking home from school. The second victim was a man walking past Worthington's home.  The pit bull owner, Vicki Worthington, has offered to pay the medical bills for the victims. I would not hold my breath waiting for a check..She has been cited by the SPCA in the past. Worthington was allowed to keep her two time mauler and she paid her fines.  In the first attack the pit bull crawled under a gate to atack the teenager, in the second attack the pit bull burst through the gate to attack the male passerby.

Did anyone learn anything here?  


Photos show the male victim's injuries.

For a complete report on this, plus video, please click here.  Please note, the linked fox19 article mentions a fatal pit bull attack in the Cleves area.  The fatality was not a human, it was a pit bull, with three other pit bulls shot by police.  Here is what I had to say about it at the time.


Cleves Ohio

In a story posted August 26, 2013 Fox19 reports that three pit bulls were shot by police, one fatally.  This attack did not make local news at the time of the attack but surfaced a week later due to contact between the family of the pit bull owner and Fox 19.  The dog owners were looking for support but refused to speak with reporters.  The story is pretty outrageous.  Per reports, the three pit bulls were at large in the neighborhood and menacing neighbors.  A woman who was unable to leave her home due to the dogs menacing presence called the SPCA.  SPCA officers responded with police back up.  The SPCA  officer attempted to collar one of the pit bulls with a "control bar" which was attacked by the remaining two pit bulls. Hang on,  there is a lot of story to go here.  An elderly man approached and stated that he was the owner, without stating if he owned the dogs or the property.  SPCA officers report that they were threatened by the man.  I can't improve on this so I will just quote Fox19 " The man allegedly told the officer to leave and said several times he would "bust" the SPCA officer's head. After trying twice to control the dogs with a stick, according to paperwork, that man was then attacked by the dogs.

"At that point, the gentleman picked up a stick and started hitting the dogs or threatening the dogs, or whatever, and the dogs turned on him," Rutzlaff told FOX19.

SPCA officer John Sturgill said in his statement that that man then started screaming "save me" and "help me."

After screaming at the dogs to move along, Sturgill says they charged himself and a deputy, who opened fire. 

Screaming for law enforcement to shoot your own pit bull as it mauls the hand that feeds it is not uncommon. A change of heart after the fact is not uncommon either.  Here is a Facebook page set up to create sympathy for the maulers.  The family wants "justice" for their dogs.  Has there been any consideration of justice for the neighbors?  In statements to police, neighbors have complained that they are afraid to walk outside and one neighbor stated that "the dogs have charged me and my family several times."  Per the video report, the SPCA responded same address in July for a complaint that the same dogs were running loose.


For more information please click here.

                                                       * * *

3/1/2016
Wauseon Ohio
Fulton County

I have to admit to being completely bored with the continuing drama surrounding Bosco the Biter, harbored by the Lucas County Pit Crew.  I was pleased to see that a Fulton County judge has ruled Bosco the Biter dangerous.  For more information on this attack click here.

Under current Ohio law a dangerous dog is a dog that has caused injury other that serious injury to a person without provocation, Bosco's bite fit the parameters of the law. Judge Jeffrey Robinson stated "The statute doesn't provide a lot of leeway."  The dangerous dog designation brings regulation to the care and placement of Bosco the Biter.

Reading through the Blade article you will come to this clueless quote from Keating speaking about Bosco the Biter " He's been around all kinds of people and all kinds of situations and not once has he shown a bit of aggression."  Hellooo? Bosco was declared dangerous because he bit his new owner.

Keating and two others in the Lucas County Pit Crew face legal charges related to the Bosco affair and a jury trial is scheduled for June 24th.


This was Bosco's promotional photo publicly shared on Facebook and by 13abc.com.

For more on this affair please click here,  Previous blog posts dealing with the Fulton County/Jean Keating disagreement may be reviewed by clicking here and here.

For video of an interview with Keating please click here.  Quoted from the 13 abc.com interview   "You know when the life of an animal is at stake you have to speak up" "it is not a crime to speak up and out against an injustice that is your right as an American" stated Jean Keating.  It should be kept in mind that when the lives of peaceful people are at stake, at risk because of the thoughtless placement of dogs bred for blood sport with good-hearted people unaware of the danger, it is the right and responsibility of the knowledgeable public to speak up.

 For the County Sheriff's department statement click here.

                                                            * * *

There is a great deal more Ohio pit bull absurdity to cover but I have and enough for the day.  I will end with a Florida story sent to this blog by a reader.  An entire neighborhood has been terrorized by a pack of pit bulls owned by a neighborhood resident.  A peaceful dog walker was forced to shoot one of the pit bulls to protect his own dog.  Nobody wants to shoot a dog but sometimes you have to take action.  A 16 year old boy was bitten by the same pit bulls.  Local law enforcement has made multiple visits to the pit bull owner's home and written multiple citations totaling thousands of dollars in fines.    Per WPTV in West Palm Beach

"Everybody around here would benefit by them being gone with those dogs," John says. "People are afraid to go out their houses."

That frustrated resident (is) getting his wish Monday.

Animal control stepped in - opening up an investigation and removing 5 pit bulls from the home. 

"We've been out there, we've issued thousands of dollars in citations, civil fines, and they're still running loose," says Captain Dave Walesky with Animal Control. "They were running loose yesterday.  Captain Walesky says despite the fact they've been out to the home multiple times, the laws make it tough to actually remove the dogs.  "It's very hard to take someone's animal away from them when it's inside the house. In this case she was willing to allow us to come here." The owner, not wanting to talk to us camera, says two of the dogs were able to dig their way out from behind the fence. She was emotional after their removal, saying her dogs aren't aggressive.  "I'm sorry, I'm am so sorry. I don't know what to do to make it better," she tells us. "I'm so sorry. But these dogs...I love them, and they're not bad dogs."  

This particular pit bull owner was not sorry until one of her pit bulls was shot and the five other pit bulls were taken from her.  Animal control has been out on complaints on this pack of dogs many times, the owner had the opportunity to modify her behavior at any step along the way.  That is what she could have done to "make it better" and keep her dogs.  Too late for that now.    

Why are the owners of dogs so problematic that an entire neighborhood is held hostage completely unable to view their animals as they exist, dangerous, menacing, biting creatures.  The owner of the pack stated "these dogs, I love them... and they're not bad dogs."   What might be her definition of "bad dogs" be if hers don't qualify?  This is reminiscent of the claim made by Ohio breed advocate Keating  speaking of Bosco the Biter"not once has he shown a bit of aggression"  in an interview dealing with the legal issues surrounding a bite by the very dog she is talking about.  Why can't pit bull owners and advocates connect the dots?

God help us all, this is the problem.  In Florida, in Ohio, in every state.  The peaceful public has the right to walk their dogs, walk to school, stroll to the mailbox,  get in their car to go to the store,  and any other peaceful task without being mauled by violent dogs, most often pit bulls.