Recent developments in Ohio pittery and some bonus Florida attacks sent in by a Florida reader fed up with pitbull attacks in that state. It happens everywhere and lawmakers need to read news from actual news sites rather than listening to breed advocates.
2/1/217
Massillon Ohio
Stark County
A 5 year old child was bitten in the face by a pit bull. The child required hospitalization. The child was a visitor to the home where the pit bull was harbored. The homeowner denied ownership of the dog but that claim was later proven false. The pit bull was harbored by the home owner for several months.
As we frequently see with pit bulls, the story gets complicated. When first responders arrived at the home to transport the child to a local hospital the dog was nowhere to be seen, reportedly at large. This is easily explained. The new owner of the pit bull hauled the thing off to someone else's neighborhood and abandoned it after the child was attacked. Per Channel 19 News "Jon Barber, the Stark County Dog Warden, says the dog was abandoned by his new owners after biting a little boy inside his new home last weekend.
A search party, organized by an Ohio pit bull advocate, found Zazu, the newly placed and newly abandoned for aggression, pit bull. She is now in the custody of the county dog warden.
I digress here to point out that Ohio shelters are full of pit bulls that have been surrendered because they were aggressive, or simply abandoned because they were aggressive and picked up as strays. This is the reason that there are so many available pit bulls.
Zazu had a previous owner, seen on camera in the video from the Channel 19 News video. Zazu was given, by that owner, to the family where she was the subject of two complaints to the County Dog Warden, including an attack on a child. How many more chances will Zazu get?
Zazu the biter. If you like pit bulls, Zazu is a rather nice looking creature. She was likely an expensive purchase for whoever her first owner was.
The homeowner, 25 year old woman, has been charged for failure to control, failure to vaccinate and license, and abandonment.
Per Indionline.com "The dog won't be adopted from the pound, Stark County dog warden Jon Barber said, but they will help him find a new home. The dog, he said, will not be euthanized."
2/1/217
Massillon Ohio
Stark County
A 5 year old child was bitten in the face by a pit bull. The child required hospitalization. The child was a visitor to the home where the pit bull was harbored. The homeowner denied ownership of the dog but that claim was later proven false. The pit bull was harbored by the home owner for several months.
As we frequently see with pit bulls, the story gets complicated. When first responders arrived at the home to transport the child to a local hospital the dog was nowhere to be seen, reportedly at large. This is easily explained. The new owner of the pit bull hauled the thing off to someone else's neighborhood and abandoned it after the child was attacked. Per Channel 19 News "Jon Barber, the Stark County Dog Warden, says the dog was abandoned by his new owners after biting a little boy inside his new home last weekend.
A search party, organized by an Ohio pit bull advocate, found Zazu, the newly placed and newly abandoned for aggression, pit bull. She is now in the custody of the county dog warden.
I digress here to point out that Ohio shelters are full of pit bulls that have been surrendered because they were aggressive, or simply abandoned because they were aggressive and picked up as strays. This is the reason that there are so many available pit bulls.
Zazu had a previous owner, seen on camera in the video from the Channel 19 News video. Zazu was given, by that owner, to the family where she was the subject of two complaints to the County Dog Warden, including an attack on a child. How many more chances will Zazu get?
Zazu the biter. If you like pit bulls, Zazu is a rather nice looking creature. She was likely an expensive purchase for whoever her first owner was.
The homeowner, 25 year old woman, has been charged for failure to control, failure to vaccinate and license, and abandonment.
Per Indionline.com "The dog won't be adopted from the pound, Stark County dog warden Jon Barber said, but they will help him find a new home. The dog, he said, will not be euthanized."
"He seems to be a very healthy dog," Barber said. Personal opinion here but who cares if the dog is healthy, the peaceful public deserves to know the dog is SAFE. Barber knows this is not the case and that is why he won't adopt it out directly. He does not want the liability for the county.
Click here to see more about this story, including photos. One of these photos shows pit bull advocate Jason Cooke (in the red coat) and associates demonstrating for "Justice for Zazu" a child biter with a history of complaints with local animal control. The child's grandfather wonders why there has been support for the dog but none for the child. Priorities? "Some on social media also lashed out at the victim’s family. Fred Gurule, the boy’s grandfather, said his family has endured some hurtful comments. 'There has been so much concern over the dog and few expressed concern about the child,” he said. “All this social media commenting over this dog, why isn’t anyone commenting about how he’s (the boy) doing?” He said his grandson, although frightened by the incident, is recovering."
Cooke is not new to demonstrations in support of pit bulls. Here he is demonstrating against a breed ban in Youngstown. Cooke is the man with the "End breed prejudice" sign in the photo below. Youngstown city council surrendered to this pitiful handful of pit bull advocates, led by Cooke of Boardman Ohio, and dropped their proactive law.
Click here to see more about this story, including photos. One of these photos shows pit bull advocate Jason Cooke (in the red coat) and associates demonstrating for "Justice for Zazu" a child biter with a history of complaints with local animal control. The child's grandfather wonders why there has been support for the dog but none for the child. Priorities? "Some on social media also lashed out at the victim’s family. Fred Gurule, the boy’s grandfather, said his family has endured some hurtful comments. 'There has been so much concern over the dog and few expressed concern about the child,” he said. “All this social media commenting over this dog, why isn’t anyone commenting about how he’s (the boy) doing?” He said his grandson, although frightened by the incident, is recovering."
Cooke is not new to demonstrations in support of pit bulls. Here he is demonstrating against a breed ban in Youngstown. Cooke is the man with the "End breed prejudice" sign in the photo below. Youngstown city council surrendered to this pitiful handful of pit bull advocates, led by Cooke of Boardman Ohio, and dropped their proactive law.
I find it interesting that one of Cooke's fellow demonstrators holds a sign with the words "Punish the deed not the breed" but in Massillon, Cooke demonstrates in support of a pit bull that has done the deed and is known to be dangerous. There is no logic.
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2/14/2017
Girard Ohio
Trumbull County
A 55 year old woman called police to report that her pit bull killed her Chihuahua and bit her grandchild. The pit bull owner wants the pit bull put down but apparently expects the county dog warden to do the job. Girard has a pit bull ban and the mayor states the ban is here to stay. Steffen Baldwin, who lives in Union county and a is registered lobbyist for pit bulls did lobby unsuccessfully against the Girard breed ban. In hindsight, given Baldwin's recent fall from grace, turning a deaf ear to his lobbying was genius.
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2/14/2017
Girard Ohio
Trumbull County
A 55 year old woman called police to report that her pit bull killed her Chihuahua and bit her grandchild. The pit bull owner wants the pit bull put down but apparently expects the county dog warden to do the job. Girard has a pit bull ban and the mayor states the ban is here to stay. Steffen Baldwin, who lives in Union county and a is registered lobbyist for pit bulls did lobby unsuccessfully against the Girard breed ban. In hindsight, given Baldwin's recent fall from grace, turning a deaf ear to his lobbying was genius.
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3/2/2017
Girard Ohio
Trumbull County
Update on a previous Girard attack. I'm going to let WFMJ.com tell the story, my eyes are rolling. Courtney Chupka's pit bull killed a peaceful pet, knocked the the peaceful pet's owner to the ground and bit the wife of the peaceful pet's owner. After the attack the pit bull was at large and so aggressive that police were given permission to shoot the thing. THIS deserved leniency?
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2/23/2017
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County
A Cleveland mail carrier will no longer deliver mail to a dozen homes on Walden Avenue. Residents will have to drive to the post office to pick up their mail. This arrangement is courtesy of pit bull owner Delorence Smith. Smith's pit bull, Rocco, has attacked mail carrier Jeffrey Glenn "several times". It deserves to be noted that Glenn has delivered mail on Walden Avenue for 37 years.
Per Fox 8 News "The first time, I was on the porch and he came out of the back through a hole in the fence," said Glenn. Glenn says he left the home a letter asking them to restrain their dog. "Then the other time he came at me, I put my mail bag in front of me. He grabbed the bag and shook, shook, shook the mail all out," said Glenn. Glenn says eventually the family was fined in court. But nothing has changed.
Per Fox 8 News "The first time, I was on the porch and he came out of the back through a hole in the fence," said Glenn. Glenn says he left the home a letter asking them to restrain their dog. "Then the other time he came at me, I put my mail bag in front of me. He grabbed the bag and shook, shook, shook the mail all out," said Glenn. Glenn says eventually the family was fined in court. But nothing has changed.
Pit bull owner Delorence stated that "He (Rocco) does a lot of things that dogs do but I don't see him as a vicious dog." Wonder what the dozen neighbors who will be driving to the post off ice to pick up their mail think of Rocco. Delorence lives with his mother.
Cleveland had the second highest number of dog attacks, 58, on mail carriers in the United States last year.
Cleveland had the second highest number of dog attacks, 58, on mail carriers in the United States last year.
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3/27/2017 Austintown Ohio Mahoning County
Charles Hunter, 71 years old, was charged with failure to confine his pit bull, twice, in one weekend. The first time was on Saturday. The pit bull was at large and chasing local residents. Mr. Hunter was cited but learned nothing from the first citation.
The second time the dog was at large it bit a 7-year-old child. Per Vindy.com " The bite occurred Sunday afternoon. A 7-year-old boy was riding his bicycle when the dog reportedly charged out of an Ardenwood Place driveway tackling the boy and biting his left hip."
Hunter was ordered to surrender the dog to the Mahoning County Dog Warden's office and he has a court date for April 3rd.
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2/19/2017 Moreland Hills Ohio Cuyahoga County
Police took a complaint from a local resident that a neighbor's pit bull was "running loose again with people in the area." Police spoke with both the resident and the pit bull owner. Evidence photos were taken and charges may be filed if it happens again. The word used in the complaint "again" is powerful.
This is a wealthy community. People with money are not amused with pit bulls at large.
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4/4/2017
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County
A six-year-old girl was attacked by an unrestrained pit bull. She was bitten several times and was transported to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital for treatment. There is no report on the severity of her injuries.
The dog reportedly "got loose" from a neighboring house. Animal control officers located the dog nearby, on the same street. Officers have not been able to contact the owners (shocking).
4/5/2017 update. It has been reported that the pit bull was loose at the time of the attack, it jumped a fence to attack the child and dragged her down a driveway. The pit bull had been loose in the owner's driveway prior to the attack. Two other dogs were found illegally tethered on that property and impounded.
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4/11/2017
Dayton Ohio
Montgomery County
Andrew Nason, owner of the dogs that mauled Klonda Richey to death in the snow in front of her own home in February of 2014 will finally serve a prison sentence, but not for her death.
Per the Dayton Daily News " Andrew L. Nason, 32, now of Englewood, was found guilty Tuesday for causing severe head injuries to his girlfriend's two year old daughter in 2012.
4/4/2017
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County
A six-year-old girl was attacked by an unrestrained pit bull. She was bitten several times and was transported to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital for treatment. There is no report on the severity of her injuries.
The dog reportedly "got loose" from a neighboring house. Animal control officers located the dog nearby, on the same street. Officers have not been able to contact the owners (shocking).
4/5/2017 update. It has been reported that the pit bull was loose at the time of the attack, it jumped a fence to attack the child and dragged her down a driveway. The pit bull had been loose in the owner's driveway prior to the attack. Two other dogs were found illegally tethered on that property and impounded.
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4/11/2017
Dayton Ohio
Montgomery County
Andrew Nason, owner of the dogs that mauled Klonda Richey to death in the snow in front of her own home in February of 2014 will finally serve a prison sentence, but not for her death.
Per the Dayton Daily News " Andrew L. Nason, 32, now of Englewood, was found guilty Tuesday for causing severe head injuries to his girlfriend's two year old daughter in 2012.
The toddler was taken by ambulance from the home where Nason was babysitting her while her mother was at work, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's office.
Nason was found guilty of felony assault and two counts of child endangering. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
"This defendant was supposed to be the child's caregiver. Instead,
he abused her and caused permanent injuries, likely requiring the victim to need assistance for
the rest of her life," said Mathias Heck, Montgomery County Prosecutor.
Yet another booking photo for Andrew Nason. As I understand it, those convicted and incarcerated for offenses against children have special social problems while in prison.
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4/18/2017 Canton Ohio Stark County
A Canton police officer answering a domestic disturbance call was attacked by a pit bull mix dog. The officer was bitten in the groin by the pit mix. The officer shot the dog in the head. Per Indeonline "When officers prepared to depart, the dog still was alive. But (police Sgt Eric )Vanover said reports indicate the animal likely would have to be euthanized. There was no indication the police officer was seriously injured.
Police did arrest a man at the scene. Vanover said he did not yet have the report indicating the charge filed against the suspect. The dog is believed to belong to a resident of the home.
“I think he had several dogs inside the residence,” Vanover said.
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4/11/2017 Warren Ohio Trumbull County
This is another follow up on a story we reported recently. Pit bull owners keep Ohio police officers busy. Amber Finney, who was the very first person charged under Warren's new bestiality law and eluded capture since January has been located and arrested. Here is the Cliffs Notes version of the story. She pleaded not guilty and is being held in the county jail without eligibility to make bond. Her next hearing is 10:15 a.m. April 20.
Finney is a pit bull owner.
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4/8/2017 Dayton Ohio Montgomery County
A Dayton police officer shot a pit bull that charged him, and charged a mail carrier as well. Per WHIO, police were called by the mail carrier who stated that she was charged by the pit bull and this was not the first time this dog menaced her. When police arrived at the scene toe dog was chained to an anchor but the anchor was simply being dragged by the unrestrained pit bull. Police contacted the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center but Montgomery County dog Warden Mark Kumpf's staff was unable to respond .
Per WHIO " The two Dayton police officers used a loudspeaker to try to contact the dog’s owner in the house. Then, one kept an eye on the dog while the other attempted to knock on the door. While the officer approached the door, the dog trotted from behind the house, and then began to growl and started running at the officer, according to the report. “I fired three shots at the dog as I was back peddling away from the pit bull. The pit bull was still charging towards me. I fired one more shot at the pit bull. The pit bull turned around and ran to the rear of the house,” the officer stated."
Not surprisingly, when Montgomery County ARC did respond the ARC officer stated that there were several complaints against the very same pit bull. Will dog warden Kumpf designate this pit bull dangerous now? Frances Daniel, the pit bull owner was cited for failure to control.
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I still have MANY more Ohio pit bull stories to cover but this is enough for today. I will finish up with a few Florida attacks sent to me by a reader who is fed up with pit bull lunacy in that state as well.
2/5/2017 Port St. Lucie Florida
A nine year old boy and his mother required transport to local hospitals with serious facial injuries after their own family pit bull mix attacked them. Per TCPalm "The boy, who was bitten on the right cheek, was flown to St. Mary's Medical Center, West Palm Beach, a fire official said. The mother was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute after being bitten on the ear, said Battalion Chief Scott West.
The dog was described as a pit bull mix. The incident happened at 1:10 p.m. at the family's home on Byron Street near Sportsman's Park. The names of the child and mother weren't released."
2/6/2017 Lake County Florida
A pit bull deemed "not adoptable" at the Lake County Florida shelter bit a man who was thinking of adopting him. Per PalmBeachPost.com " The man and his wife were testing their compatibility with the pit bull, Pluto, when it bit the man’s face, hand and forearm, The Sentinel reported. The man was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.
Pluto was described as having “anti-social behavior and marked for euthanasia,” after several employees noted the dog’s aggressiveness. However the canine wasn’t euthanized until after Thursday’s attack, the Sentinel reported. "
How does something like this happen? Pluto was known to be aggressive and unadoptable and shelter workers allowed this? Who is responsible for the complete breakdown of safety protocols?
How does something like this happen? Pluto was known to be aggressive and unadoptable and shelter workers allowed this? Who is responsible for the complete breakdown of safety protocols?
Generic photo of a pit bull included with the article. Looks pleasant doesn't it? Did the actual pit bull look more like this?
This dog was shot by police. Girard will keep their pit bull ban. 
