Neighbors report the dog has been at large in the neighborhood in the past. More details when they become available.
1/3/2021
Update Animals 24/7 has done a thorough job of investigating the sad death of Raelynn Larrison. Please click here to read the sad and sorry details. The child was doomed.
Six years after the mauling death of Klonda Richey, a settlement has been reached between the family of Ms. Richey and Montgomery County Commissioners. Montgomery County will pay Richey's sister and brother 3.5 million dollars. Montgomery County commissioners are expected to approve the settlement on March 31st. The settlement will allow Montgomery to avoid a messy trial in the wrongful death case. Per the Dayton Daily News " “This lovely lady passed away. You never get over that,” said Montgomery County Commission President Judy Dodge. “But it has been dragging on for a while … Nobody wants to go through a trial.”
No, Ms. Dodge, this lovely lady did not peacefully "pass away" she was brutally mauled to death by her neighbor's dogs and her death was predictable, she predicted it herself. Per the attorney representing the Richey estate “The evidence is clear that Ms. Richey experienced prolonged conscious pain and suffering prior to her death.” Photo by WKEF News of the snow in front of Klonda Richey's home saturated with her blood.
Ms. Richey's thirteen complaints to the then County Dog Warden Mark Kumpf, made from 2012 until the time of her death in 2014, received no response other than sternly worded post-it notes left on the door of neighbors and dog owners Andrew Nason and Julie Custer. There was absolutely no follow-up to these post-it notes because Kumpf was "unaware" that follow-up was required. Here is a quote from Kumpf, the link is no longer live. " Per WDTN Numerous warnings were left for the dog owners at 35 East Bruce Avenue, but no action was taken. Kumpf says a warning is simply a notice that an officer responded to a complaint. There’s really no follow-up after that unless the owner calls the Animal Resource Center to find out more." This is the problem, zero follow- up. No Dangerous Dog designation was ever produced, no fines, no containment orders, no orders to obtain insurance. This was the typical response to complaints made to dog warden Kumpf, a dog warden with multiple human fatalities in his county during his watch due to his refusal to enforce the law. Please read the 2016 ruling from the Court of Appeals of Ohio Second Appellate District Montgomery County for an eye-opening explanation of Kumpf's business model. That model included, in addition to the refusal to enforce the law, refusal to answer phone calls, destruction of records, instructions to his staff to write fewer citations and zero follow-up to post-it note citations.
Unlike most high-dollar settlements, this one will result in actual payment. This payment may set a precedent for other victim-led lawsuits against other city Animal Control departments where priority currently favors inaction (sloth) protecting the owners of violent dogs over the safety of the public. Will it change how laws are enforced? Less sloth and more actual protection for peaceful people in their own communities? What a refreshing change this would be.
Montgomery County went into damage control overdrive after the Dayton deaths of Richey and 7-month-old Jonathan Quarles Jr, killed by a relative's pit bull that was known to the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center as a dangerous dog but was allowed to remain in the community. In an effort to salvage their reputation Montgomery County Commissioners sponsored a two-day seminar for law enforcement and animal control officers from all over Ohio, links are no longer live. Per WDTN News " Officers, along with animal shelter employees, and municipal and county prosecutors met inside Sinclair Community College for a seminar to discuss ways to improve the response and investigation of dog mauling cases. The group also took time to discuss changing and adding legislation and asking legislators to strengthen dog laws." The seminar was held prior to the Dayton pit bull mauling death of Maurice Brown. Dog Warden Kumpf failed to attend? Was asleep in the back row?
Bills strengthening Ohio dog laws still languish in committees in the Ohio State House to the shame of all Ohio lawmakers. But, I digress. Allowing Kumpf to remain in his position for years after his failures became public knowledge and holding a seminar for Animal Control professionals did little to protect the interests of the Montgomery County Commissioners or soften the blow to local taxpayers. This is a big lawsuit and it should have a big impact.
Mark Kumpf at the time of his firing by Montgomery County commissioners. Kumpf is now serving as head of Animal Control in Detroit, another city where death by dog mauling is a sad reality. Of all the possibilities, Detroit decided that Kumpf was the best choice to head their mess of an animal control department?
Four-month-old McKenzie Terwill died after being attacked by the family pit bull inside the family home. The pit bull has been quarantined and the attack is under investigation. McKenzie is the eighteenth Ohio resident killed by dogs since the Ohio Legislature allowed Best Friends Animal Society to re-write state law. Best Friends promised that their new breed-neutral law would make Ohio communities safer. Is anyone shocked that the promise has proven false?
Nope. In the decade prior to the change in state law Ohio had 5 dog bite-related fatalities. In the less-than-eight-years since the passage of HB 14 Ohio has seen eighteen fatal dog attacks. Stunning.
Our thanks to former Representative Barbara Sears and Ledy Vankavage's legal department at Best Friends Animal Society for bringing this disaster to Ohio.
Update - A neighbor reported that dogs at the home where the infant died were "mean, vicious, barkers, chasers" and caused people to avoid the location. The investigation is being handled by the Special Victims Unit.
Update - Per the Dayton Daily News, "The Dayton Daily News today obtained an affidavit written by Dayton Police Detective Karina Sulek seeking permission to search and collect evidence in the case. Sulek wrote when officers arrived at the home on the 100 block of Vermont Avenue on Jan. 9, the baby’s father, Parker Terwell, was on the front porch with the baby’s remains.
“Mr. Terwell said he just arrived home, and his girlfriend and mother of the child, Mary Shoup, was asleep on the living room sofa,” the affidavit in the search warrant requests says. “Mr. Terwell informed officers that Ms. Shoup is on prescription medication.”
In another update, this from WDTN News "The search warrant states that the prescriptions that were found have side effects such as drowsiness, cognitive dysfunction, and insomnia. The father also told officers that he threw out a bong before they arrived."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
* * *
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.
Per New Carlyle News " What we have been able to piece together is that a deputy initiated a traffic stop near the Kennedy Rd address. It is currently unclear how, but bystander with a dog became involved, and the deputy told a man to control the dog or it would be shot.
Conflicting reports of the dog's behavior are emerging. The owners of the dog are maintaining that the dog did nothing wrong. However; people familiar with the area tell us that the dog charges at everyone and everything. Neither can be confirmed or denied at this time.
The dog was alive and was being taken to a veterinarian for treatment.
A woman on the scene was visibly upset with the deputies. "Is that what you guys do, go around shooting peoples' dogs," she screamed in a profanity-laced tirade. “What am I going to tell my 6-year-old now?”
You can't make this stuff up. Don't want your dog shot? Don't interfere with law enforcement officers who are simply doing their job. Don't allow your pit bull to charge men with guns.
This is the pit bull involved in this incident. His name is Duke and he is not yet one year old. It was reported that he was taken to a veterinarian's clinic for overnight observation. If he lives through the night surgery is expected.
This is a strange story, but wait... video has been made public and this mess has been explained. There was apparently no bystander. A legitimate traffic stop was in progress, two men were in the truck. The truck, possibly stolen, was driven into a yard, the non compliant passenger in the vehicle, Michael Seals, ran to the house carrying a mysterious backpack. Someone (Seals?) held the door open for the pit bull. The officer yelled for the homeowner to control his pit bull but there was no compliance so the rapidly approaching and obviously menacing pit bull was shot.
Duke did not survive. The driver of the stolen vehicle was charged for a tail light violation. Seals was charged for failure to comply, resisting arrest, and obstructing official business. Seals also had an active warrant through Fairborn. It all makes sense now.
* * *
10/25/2017
Highland Heights Ohio
Cuyahoga County
Highland Heights police shot and killed a pit bull mix at the direction of the dog's owner. The pit mix attacked the owner and his 18 year old son. The pair were trapped in a basement room. The owner told police " the dog was chewing at the door trying to get to them and his son was losing a lot of blood. The dog attacked officers as they entered the home so they shot and killed it.
* * *
10/20/2017
Middletown Ohio
Butler County
Pit bull fails as a guard dog. A female Middletown resident hired a 34 year-old man to install a new door on her home paying $150 in advance. He later returned, with his 29 year-old girlfriend, to rob the woman. The home owner stated "She also said she was surprised that her pit bull that usually barks when strangers are in the house didn’t move when the suspects were in the residence."
* * *
9/12/2017
Avon Lake Ohio
Lorain County Ohio
Pit bulls attack in Avon Lake. Avon Lake, a community that had a breed ban prior to a 3 1/2 year effort by city councilman Dave Kos to remove the ban, continues to have pit bull problems. Please note that councilman Kos hired a pit bull advocate/animal rights lawyer to write breed neutral law the has proven to be ineffective.
In the most recent incident, the loose pit bull attacked four different individuals in just a few minutes. Click on this link and you can see actual video of the dogs in action. One of the victims, a young boy jumped in a neighbor's pool to escape. These two pit bulls have a history of running at large. The owner lives in a rental property with a "no dogs" stipulation on the lease.
Avon Lake post-bite ordinance, click here. Avon Lake taxpayers paid a pit bull advocate lawyer to write this law. They were cheated.
* * *
1/16/2018
Toledo Ohio
Lucas County
You rarely see the Toledo Blade report on a pit bull attack so this is a special event. Toledo police officer Mel Russell was attacked by a pit bull while helping to evacuate a home that was the scene of a stove fire. A pit bull owned by the occupants of the home attacked the officer as he helped the residents exit the home. Rude behavior. Officer Russell threw the pit bull off but the pit bull resumed the attack, biting the officer on his left forearm. Again the officer attempted to throw the pit bull off but was unable to do so. He shot the pit bull three times, killing it. Officer Mel Russell was treated and released from a local hospital.
Never attack a police officer, they carry guns. The countdown begins for the owner of the pit bull to demand justice for his dog.
Toledo police defend their officer. Per Cleveland.com "Police Sgt. Kevan Toney defended Russell's actions. "When a dog is attached to your arm biting you, you have to quickly make a decision and it could potentially cause further injury," Toney tells WTOL. "So, I think the officer in this case was doing just what he had to do."
The pit bull owner is also claiming that in addition to serving as a guard dog, his pit bull was also a "certified therapy dog." It should be noted at this point, there is no certification for therapy dogs. You can't make this stuff up.
Dogs placed by rescues should be micro chipped by law so that responsibility can be determined.
* * *
2/13/2018
Hamilton Ohio
Butler County
A 21-year-old Hamilton man was charged with animal cruelty after a video surfaced of him beating his pit bull with a thick rope leash. Sometimes a pit bull's worst nightmare is his owner. Wouldn't mandatory neuter and spay be better than this? Dogs not conceived so not suffer. Zeus the pit bull was removed from the home by county dog wardens. This is Butler County and the dog warden is Kurt Merbs.
There was no explanation for the decapitated dog head. Merbs stated "There's no body. There's no signs of a body. There's bones. There's no hair, fur, anything, so that would rule out that a dog ate this other body," Merbs said. "There was no animal marks, period. There was no biting, pulling, tearing. It was a clean slice of the head."
The dogs belonged to Jackson's husband ex-husband but she was reportedly caring for them. A fifth dog was found inside the home and was in good condition.
Wouldn't mandatory neuter and spay be better than this? Merbs spends a whole lot of his time on pit bull calls. He should be demanding mandatory neuter and spay for the protection of dogs in his county. He should also be demanding a change in leadership of the Ohio County Dog Wardens Association. The association website, as of 12/11/2017 lists Mark Kumpf as president of the the OCDWA with a president-elect listed as Adam Chellis of Wayne County. Why is Kumpf still running the show? The man, as reported in a decision by the Court of Appeals of Ohio Second Appellate District, does not enforce the law but rather has chosen a failed policy of "dog owner education" in Montgomery County. Since taking over as Montgomery County dog warden in 2006 there have been FOUR fatal attacks in Kumpf's jurisdiction and countless attacks upon humans and pets. Three of these fatal attacks have come from dogs already in Kumpf's system. Type Dayton into the search box at the top left of the page. You will be here all day. Ohio residents deserve better.
* * *
2/20/2018
Dayton Ohio
Montgomery County
Speaking of Montgomery County, this from Dayton. Two pit bulls entered the home of a Dayton woman and killed her cat - INSIDE HER HOME. The dogs were still on the property an hour later when animal control officers arrived to pick them up. Animal control was unable to identify owners of the dogs. As I recall, ownership of the pit bull that killed Dayton resident Maurice Brown in April on 2017 has not been determined despite full knowledge of exactly where the dog was harbored. That address has a long history of animal control calls. Montgomery County residents deserve better.
Enough for today, this is depressing. What is even more depressing is that there is a LOT more.
The Newark Advocate reports that a four-year-old boy was bitten on the cheek by a pit bull as the child and his mother were visiting a friend. Emergency treatment was declined and a report was forwarded from police to the dog warden.
Newark Ohio surrendered to pit bull advocacy a year or so ago, the Newark Advocate supported this effort.
Another failure for Montgomery County Dog Warden Mark Kumpf, a pit bull with a history of being at large was at it again and got shot with a BB gun prior to the arrival of Dayton police. The pit bull owner told police the dog "got away" from his daughter and began charging at neighborhood residents, some on their own porches. The pit bull owner was charged with failure to control. Will Kumpf actually do his job and cite this pit bull per state law?
* * * 11/16/2017 Marion Ohio Marion County A sheriff's deputy was attacked by two pit bulls during a drug raid and was injured when he shot himself in the foot during the attack. Pit bulls present at a drug raid? Who would think? Per the Marion Star " the sheriff's office had received multiple calls about drug activity at the house and that law enforcement had set up undercover drug buys there before obtaining a search warrant.
Shortly after forcing his way into the house alongside other officers, Deputy Mike Wheeler was attacked by two pit bulls, Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey said. Wheeler fired two shots, one of which went through his foot." " "the dogs "backed (Wheeler) into a corner," were biting at him and jumping at his chest.
One pit bull died at the scene.
* * *
11/12/2017
Hubbard Ohio
I want to finish this post by giving respect and credit where respect and credit are due. Four years ago Litsa and Angelo Kargakos adopted a clearly abused pit bull, Petey. Per WKBN News "Petey was living a nightmare, chained up without food or water in a backyard on the south side of Youngstown.
“He was completely emaciated,” Litsa said. “He was highly-heart-worm positive and his muzzle was duct taped as well.”
To make matters worse, Petey feared humans and became aggressive when they got close. That made adopting him difficult.
“He would try to bite me,” Angelo said. “He would growl and jump towards me.
With lots of love and patience, Petey warmed up to Angelo and Litsa.
Now, on the outside, Petey seems completely normal. But the emotional scars of his abuse will never go away.
“It is a happy ending for Petey because he is in a loving home and he is happy,” Angelo said. “But he could never be a normal dog. We could never walk him in a park.”
“They suffer for this the rest of their lives,” Litsa said. “It’s not like they get rescued and everything’s perfect at that point. He’ll suffer psychologically until the day he dies.”
Petey, now responsibly and lovingly owned, lives with six other dogs and two cats. Angelo states Petey is the "greatest dog in the world" and a daddy's boy, his constant shadow. There is video with this story and it is wonderful. I recommend watching it. This couple was well aware of what they were getting when they took Petey but they took him anyway and made a success of it but continue to be responsible with him. You can't do better than that.
The names Litsa and Angelo Kargakos might be familiar to readers of this blog. This couple placed a troubled pit bull named Remi with an Ohio breed advocate self-promoted as an expert in rehabilitating dangerous dogs. The Kargakos' made 100% responsible decisions when placing Remi, backed up with a large cash donation and mention in their wills. Sadly, it did not end well for Remi, link to the story below.
I have nothing but respect for Litsa and Angelo Kargakos. Thank you for restoring my faith.
* * *
Links to photographs are broken, stick with the text.
Given the neighbor's statements about the German Shepherd, this is a dog that would be on the radar of Cleveland Animal Control when SB 195 is passed by the Ohio Legislature. SB 195 was written to tighten up Ohio law and clean up the mess created when legislators allowed animal rights lawyers employed by Best Friends Animal Society to re-write Ohio law. Since the passage of HB 14 five years ago, fifteen Ohio residents have been killed by dogs. In the decade prior to the passage of HB 14, five Ohio residents were killed by dogs. Draw your own conclusions.
SB 195 mandates dog wardens to investigate vicious dog complaints made by the public. Currently there is little to no response to complaints. When the public is convinced that their concerns will be taken seriously they will make those calls and communities will become safer. If Sophia Booth's neighbors had complained about the dog and those complaints were properly investigated would she have died? Possibly not. The dogs that killed Klonda Richey, Jonathan Quarles Jr, and Maurice Brown were all well known to animal control but allowed to remain in the community. It should also be noted that all three of these fatal dog mauling attacks occurred in Montgomery County Ohio. The County Dog Warden is Mark Kumpf. Dog Warden Kumpf has moved from an enforcement model in his county to an education model that is not working, clearly.
The German Shepherd that killed Sophia Booth was taken by the City of Cleveland Kennels. The City of Cleveland Kennels is a strange world but not unusual for an American shelter . It is animal advocacy without thought to public safety. What will they do with the dog? "Rehabilitate" it? Send it to a rescue? Adopt it out? Dogs that kill should be euthanized but rescue angels just hate that option.
Here is a bit of background on the City of Cleveland Kennels.
Here is the official description of the City Dogs program as noted on the Friends of the Cleveland Kennel website. City Dogs Cleveland is the adoption program of The City of Cleveland’s Division of Animal Care and Control (CACC). This program is supported by Friends of the Cleveland Kennel (501c3). The City Dogs mission is to increase adoptions from the City Kennel by changing the image of the pit bulls who make up the majority of the kennel population, by preparing all adoptable dogs in the kennel for lives in loving homes and by creating as many opportunities as possible for the public to meet and get to know our dogs for the terrific pets they are meant to be."
One pit bull recently placed from the City Dogs program attacked a full grown horse in the Cleveland Metroparks only a week after it was adopted. The dog was adopted on 7/27/17 and attacked on 8/2/2017. This was a "terrific pet"? You can't wave a magic wand and "change the image" of pit bulls because that magic wand does not change DNA. Shelters frequently get dogs that are simply impossible to place due to obvious aggression. The City of Cleveland recently used the time honored tactic of sending the dogs across state lines to a new area where the dogs are unknown. City Dogs recently sent several of Cleveland's unplaceable pit bulls to Longmont Humane society in Longmont Colorado, long known for quick and questionable "rehabilitation" of pit bulls known to be vicious and dangerous, we will get to that shortly. Here is a photo of the City Dogs team getting ready to send Cleveland pit bulls to Colorado, a 1329 mile trip. I hope no taxpayer dollars were spent on this.
Here is a look inside the truck. No Chihuahuas making this trip.
Another getting ready to be loaded into the truck.
Does Longmont need any more pit bulls? The answer is clearly no. Hang in there with me for a short trip through the insanity that is no-kill pit bull advocacy. Here is a link to a video of Dr. Pam Reid PhD on the topic of Sheltering Dangerous dogs. The video runs nearly 40 minutes and you will never get those 40 minutes back but she makes points that I don't think she intended to make. View the whole thing but pay attention at about 27 minutes and 43 seconds into the video. She begins to tell the story of Dragon, a pit bull seized in a dog fighting case, purchased by an informant and fought several times. Keep in mind that Dragon is game bred, pit trained and tested and was involved in a dog fighting operation. If, as breed advocates love to tell us, "it's all in how you raise 'em" dogs seized in dog fight busts are the most dangerous dogs on earth. That does not trouble breed advocates. Dragon, living evidence, was held at a shelter for an extended period of time and became a favorite of the ATF agents involved with the case. PLEASE watch Dragon's introduction to live dogs. This dog is simply vicious but the ATF agents, while they did not want to actually take Dragon home to their own families, they wanted him rehabilitated and placed, they liked him. You just can't account for personal taste.
Dragon was transported across state lines from Virginia to the Longmont Humane Society in Colorado. Aimee Sadler is, or was, the trainer in charge of "remedial socialization" at Longmont. While Sadler has been in charge of "rehabilitating" MANY pit bulls, Dragon, a pit fighter from Virginia, was her first pit bull seized in a dog fight bust. Sadler felt he was "rehabilitated" and on the adoption floor just FIVE DAYS after arrival at Longmont. Please watch the video to see the magical process. Dragon was eventually paced with a family, I bet their neighbors were thrilled.
In 2014, Longmont Humane Society placed a pit bull with a young woman. The dog had a history of aggression while in the shelter prior to placement and had been previously placed and returned for an unknown reason. Aggression would be a safe bet. The dog went missing after the new owner left it with friends and eventually turned up in Portland Oregon in the possession of a 16 year old girl. The Longmont graduate pit bull made the news for killing a Pomeranian while on a streetcar. Longmont Humane Society offered to transport the pit bull back to Colorado for the legal owner but that offer was, not surprisingly, refused.
Here is a photo of the Pomeranian.
The frenzy to "save them all" without thought for public safety puts the public at risk. Longmont Colorado and Montgomery County Ohio are extreme examples of the failure of current public policy regarding vicious dogs but these practices exist all over the United States. These are the organizations tasked with protecting the public. Where are the adults?
Does Longmont Colorado need Cleveland's pit bulls? No.
Does Ohio law need to be changed for the purpose of public safety? YES!
