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.

This is Pablo, he was killed in the same attack.

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.  

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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.     

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 *



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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?

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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."

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.”

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.

Timothy said the dog that bit him was a white pit bull.

He knows pit bulls because he has one at home.

But it’s what the woman told him that also upset his parents.

“Go home and put a band-aid on it, it will be fine,”  Timothy said she told him.

But it wasn’t fine.

He waved down a police officer who took him to get help.

Timothy needed stitches and five rabies shots. He has to go back for more shots three more times."

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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. 

                      

Pit bull roundup 1/19/2016 Dayton pit bulls attack, mauling toddlers, cats, and adults. Kent State University falls victim to ADA lunacy. Cincinnati pit bull owner plays the old shell game with his vicious pit bull, and gets caught.

1/7/2016
DAYTON Ohio
Montgomery County

Dayton police answered a call regarding a loose dog.  A 49 year old man reported that he was leaving his home via the front door when he was attacked by a brown pit bull. The victim was taken to Grandview Hospital with a three inch laceration to his buttock.  At roughly the same time a couple living nearby stated they heard a commotion in their yard and looked out to see the lifeless body of a stray cat they care for in the pit bull's mouth. Police located neighborhood resident Glennee Cole who stated that the pit bull, named Sosa, belongs to her boyfriend but she harbors the dog at her home.  Per WHIO " Cole was issued a citation for dog running at large and failing to license a dog in a timely manner.  She was also given a summons to appear in court for Sosa biting a person and failing to confine a dangerous dog.  

Will Dog Warden Mark Kumpf follow through on a dangerous dog designation?

There is a moral to this story, never harbor someone else's pit bull. No good can come of it.



1/7/2016
DAYTON Ohio
Montgomery County

A three year old boy was bitten in the face by a pit bull as he was visiting the home of a family friend.  The child was taken to Dayton Children's Hospital for emergency treatment.  The pit bull was removed from the residence by an investigator with the  Montgomery County Animal Resource Center. 

It was reported that the child had been walking through the house swinging a piece of a trash bag when the pit bull attacked the boy's face. The boy's grandfather, Michael Carrico,  told a reporter "The dog just grabbed him by the face and shook him like it wanted to kill him.  It was all I could do to get this dog off my grandson."  Carrico said the dog ripped apart the child's face.  "His top lip has been ripped off.  Now we have to go and help my grandson heal.


 

Will Mark Kumpf designate this pit bull as dangerous?

For video please click here.

Additional  news on the attack reveals that this is not the first pit bull attack in the little victim's family.  Grandfather Michael Carrico reported that another son was attacked by a pit bull a few years ago and was treated at the very same hospital.  This was a flashback for this family.  Mr. Carrico reported that he had also been attacked by a pit bull.  Dayton is pit bull hell and county dog warden Mark Kumpf  is completely ineffective in his response to the threat to the safety of the public.


Trent after emergency surgery.


This is a very recent photograph of the victim after reconstructive surgery.  This three year old will be forced to retain the tubes for six MONTHS.

 
Normal people are horrified by the injuries to this innocent child, and to the continuing pit bull problems of his family.  How long will the Montgomery County commissioners put up this?


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1/7/2016
Warren Ohio
Trumbull County

An eight year old boy was bitten in the face, shoulder and neck by the family's American Bulldog.  The victim was taken to Akron Children's Hospital.

A little background on American Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, formerly known as American Pit Bulldogs, are a breed featuring two types, the Johnson type and the Scott type.  The breed began with an effort by a small group of rural southern men to recreate a type of dog commonly found in the rural south but out of favor at that time, the 1940s. Each man bred to his own standard and vision, with random dogs found during their travels, or traded with others in the group.  These dogs began to be registered decades later.

 An interview with John D. Johnson is found on the American Bulldog Association website.  John Johnson (Johnson type)stated that the American Pit Bull Terrier is a derivative of the American Bulldog.
"Dr. J.: "Did you ever add American Pit Bull Terrier to increase gameness?" John D.: "No. The American Pit Bull Terrier got its gameness in the first place from the American Bulldog."
Not so much, the timing is off for this claim.  Pit bulls had been bred, and fought, in the United States for a long time before creation of the American Pit Bulldog breed but they did come from the same foundation stock.

A bit more discussion on the breeds used as the basis for the American Bulldog.
"John D.: I helped Alan Scott get started back in the mid 60's. I gave him two fine female bulldogs and expected some money in return when he started selling puppies. I never did receive any, however. I do know that Alan Scott bought many dogs from around the area and into Alabama that to me were of questionable lineage. He did have one fine dog, Mack the Masher, which I did breed to. Many of the dogs he bought had cropped ears and looked like they had a lot of American Pit Bull Terrier in them. "

A bit more from the same interview
"Dr. J.: "Did you know Joe Painter?" John D.: "Yes, I knew Joe Painter and I knew that he did buy Allen Scott's dogs. Joe Painter was a dog fighter and raised and fought American Pit Bull Terriers. I know that he did have some trouble with the law but do not know the circumstances of this.
" Dr. J.: "Did Joe Painter ever cross his American Bulldogs with his American Pit Bull Terriers?" John D.: "Joe Painter told me that he never crossed them, however his neighbor said he did."

There is an interview with Alan Scott (Scott type) on the same website, interesting reading on bloodlines, rivalries, and old grudges, dog men talking about each other like dogs.

In the early days of the American Pit Bulldog, pedigree was a casual thing.  Here is what Alan Scott had to say about it
" A.S. - "We started to register them after they were approved. We tried to trace back the genealogy as best as we could. And it seemed like it was along about 1973 before I registered any dogs. I think these are the oldest papers and they are the original ones I registered in 1973. But when we got back as far as we could get on a lot of these old dogs. Then the only thing I knew to do was to put like that dog's name down, and start with what we used to call a cold pedigree; a single register or a cold pedigree. So they were wanting (the NKC) a background. I called John D. and said 'Look we need to go ahead and get some of this paperwork sent in, that's the only way I know to do it.' And he said, 'Well come over here on Saturday'. So I did. When I got over there we went in and sat at his kitchen table and he said 'Here's what I've got for a pedigree on Tiny,' which was Dick the Bruiser, and he had a filled out pedigree. It had Johnson's this, this, this and this. He said here's some old.... They weren't real pedigrees but they were made out like real pedigrees. They didn't have English Bulldog pedigrees or American Bulldog pedigrees or anything like that. They were made up like genealogy pedigrees. This one sired this and all that. So he said 'what we can do is use the names of some old dogs that I had years ago in the 1940's. They're all dead and gone and in a few years it won't make any difference anyway.' " C.C. - "So John D. Johnson didn't make any distinction between an English Bulldog and an American Bulldog?" A.S. - "Apparently he didn't because I didn't know they (fabricated pedigrees) were English (Bulldogs) either until later years. I just thought they were some that he had wrote down. We didn't do it to hurt anybody. And we didn't do it to make money with them. God knows that we weren't getting but $125.00 a piece for puppies. The reason we did that was to get their registration started and as the generations went on, that would fade out. It didn't make any difference. When you get back to 7th and 8th and 9th generations, hell, it doesn't matter what's back there, no way. But that's where those names came from."

Scott liked his dogs game, sometimes they proved to be dead game.  This did not change his practices.
"A.S. - "Every dog was tested just like he (JDJ) said in his interview. Every dog was tested as game as we could prove them up to dead game without killing one and occasionally we did kill one. A hog would kill him or a cow would stomp his guts out or something like that, or fall on him. I've had dogs cut down and lay there with the fight going on and be scratching to get to them. And I know other men have done the same thing. But I've had my dogs do that. But where John D. says that they were all tested, sure they were tested. But he wasn't able to do it, so I did it. I'd catch cows, hogs, it didn't matter. What we caught was what everybody else culled."

The American Bulldog history is a confusing one.  I forwarded my remarks here to a knowledgeable friend and the response clarifies points I did not make clear.  Thank you!

".  bulldogs predate american pit bull terriers.  They were the bull baiting dogs brought from England  BUT at the time they were just called bulldogs, not american bulldogs.  I have looked in news archives and old dog fancy magazines online.  I can find no references to “american bulldog” in the early 20th century.  (except for a pistol called “american bulldog”).

These bulldogs were used to create american pit bull terriers.  They were part of the foundation stock - mixed with terriers and bull terriers (dogs that were already bulldog/terrier mixes).  When they became rare in the south and Scott and Johnson wanted to revive them, they bred back to the pit bull terrier."

 But I digress yet again.

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1/4/2016
Kent State University
Kent Ohio
Portage County

In the past Kent State University banned pets in the dorms, sensible policy. Students are at the college to get an education, their parents are paying a LOT of money for this education, distractions are not a good thing.  This will be changing very soon.  In the new world any animal can be given the title of "emotional support animal" and will be approved for dorm occupancy.  Dogs, cats, ferrets, ponies, monkeys, all will be accepted.  This policy change is part of a settlement in a civil rights lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department claiming that the school discriminated against students with psychological disabilities.

Per the Washington Post " The university would pay $100,000 to two former students who were not allowed to keep a dog in their university-owned apartment, $30,000 to a fair-housing organization that advocated for the students, and $15,000 to the U.S., if the settlement is approved in district court."
Click here for a link to the story on the Washington Post and you can read the court's decision.  Please note that on page 5 of that decision the court orders employees of the University to attend in-person  training on the disability discrimination provisions of the Fair Housing Act.

On page 3 we find that while university employees MUST receive training on the provisions of the Fair Housing act BUT in Attachment A, page 2  we find that "An assistance animal does not necessarily need to be trained, and is not limited to any specific type of animal." Employees must be trained but animals kept in the dorms do not require training?  What ??

On page 8 we find that the school has been ordered to keep records of the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of those requesting accommodation for a service animal, PLUS "The type or kind of accommodation requested AND the the type of disability that the accommodation is requested to alleviate." (emphasis mine) YOU CAN'T ASK THAT QUESTION PER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT! This documentation is to be sent to the DOJ, housing and Civil Enforcement Section.

Students will be leaving dogs, cats, ferrets, monkeys, and mini horses in dorm rooms while they attend classes.  Imagine, if you will, the barking and yowling. Imagine the smell.  Ever see pets kept by college students? I have. They were dirty, poorly fed, poorly kept, with poor veterinary care.

This will be a fascinating experiment.

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1/11/2016
Chillicothe Ohio
Ross County

Thirteen pit bulls were removed from on Rose Street.  Police reported that conditions at the home were "deplorable" unfit for either human or canine habitation. Each room was charmingly decorated with canine feces and urine.  How do people live like this?  And why?

Per the Chillicothe Gazette "Officers arrived at North Rose Street on Friday to find two pit bulls fighting inside a small makeshift kennel in the back yard. According to Chillicothe police reports, the conditions of the kennel were “deplorable” and the two dogs were walking in piles of feces and urine, and did not have clean water or food. The dogs had each other by the throats in the six-square-foot space enclosed by chicken wire, police reported. The dogs were bleeding, and covered in feces and mud. The officer was able to distract the dogs enough that they released their grip on one another, and they were removed from the kennel by the Ross County Dog Warden. They were taken to a veterinarian for treatment, but did not survive.

Four pit bull puppies and six adult pit bulls were also removed from the property and signed over to the dog warden.  A dead puppy was also found in the home.

The property owner will be charged with two counts of cruelty to animals.  Why only two counts?  Good question.  The Ross County dog warden, Waneta Wellinghof, stated this is not the first time she has dealt with this particular owner.  Lets hope it is the last time.

Wouldn't mandatory neuter and spay for pit bulls be better than this?

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1/19/2016
Cincinnati Ohio
Hamilton County

A pit bull attacked and mauled a leashed medical therapy dog being walked by its owner.  The owner has Parkinson's Disease.   The pit bull, owned by Jason Dotson, was not leashed at the time of the attack.  The owner of the therapy dog was bitten while attempting to protect his dog, keep in mind     that this is a patient with Parkinsons.  Police charged Dotson with failing to confine his pit bull and ordered the pit bull to be euthanized.  He was sentenced to 30 days in jail without work release. Dotson also got one year probation.

All good so far yes?  Not so much.  The history on this, after the order to euthanize his pit bull Dotson pranced on down to the SPCA and adopted a pit bull similar in appearance to his mauler.  He then returned two days later to the same SPCA with the new mauler on a leash to turn him over for euthanization.  Per Fox19news "Officials say he tried to pass the new dog off as the pit bull that attacked the therapy dog. 

An SPCA worker spotted the red flag and took action before it was too late. The microchip was scanned and revealed the dog's true identity.   

Dotson was arrested for allegedly violating the terms of his probation. He appeared in a Hamilton County Courtroom Tuesday.

The Oct. 14 incident was Dotson’s second citation for failing to confine his animal, documents state."

 
Jason Dotson booking photo.

You can't make this stuff up.  The good news, the actual vicious pit bull has been euthanized.

This guy is so far outside the bounds of acceptable social behavior that I fail to see why we should have just one booking photo.  It was difficult to make a choice, booking photo, handcuffed in court, interacting with law enforcement, being led out of court in handcuffs?  Why choose? One photo will just not be enough.  Here is another. Please note the handcuffs in this one.


Here is another courtroom shot.  Why choose just one photo?

"American Fighter" ? * eye roll *



  Here is another, what the hell.

                                                   

Click here for video of Dotson being led out of court in handcuffs.

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We will end this post with the most recent pit bull fatality, this is Payton Lyrik Sawyers, age 15 months, here with her mother.  Payton was attacked and mauled by her babysitter's pit bulls.  She died on January 8, 2016.