The *Breed Specific Excuse*

Two recent attacks on shelter workers, and the responses of those who run those shelters made me think.  We have decided to introduce a new feature here at Scorched Earth, we will be recording and sharing examples of the *Breed  Specific Excuse* when it is repeated by those who know better.  You know the one... "its not the breed, any dog could have done this."

We will introduce this new feature with just a few examples of the *Breed Specific Excuse*.  Here is one  reported by wibu.com on December 12, 2012.  A local dog trainer comments on a mauling that killed two year old Savanna Edwards.
" A local trainer with 25 years of experience, Mose Hugghis, says this sort of thing could happen with any breed."Sometimes you need to know the health of the dog, if it's not feeling good, if it's not active around other kids," he said. "Putting the dog in that situation can be harmful sometimes. But in this situation here, it could be any breed."
"It could be any breed..."

Just last week we saw the *Breed Specific Excuse* trotted out twice.  In Port Clinton Ohio, Nancy  Benevento-Brown, owner of Island Safe Harbor Sanctuary had the honor.   Per ToledoNewsNow "Brown said this is the first time anything like this has happened at her shelter, and she doesn't want the dog's breed to take the wrap."This happens with any type of dog, given the right situation," she said. "I have been bitten many times, and the dogs that bite me are Chihuahuas.
"This happens with any type of dog."

In Kentucky it was the same story.  WLKY.com reported the *Breed Specific Excuse* statement of Metro Animal Services Director Justin Scally ""You know, we don't know exactly what caused the incidents. Anytime you deal with animals, you have that unpredictability about what they may or may not do,” Scally said.  MAS said that's true of any breed, any animal, not just pit bulls.

"That's true with any breed."

The *Breed Specific Excuse* comes from a person of perceived authority.  This time it came from Ed Schock, the Mayor of Elgin Illinois.  

This quote from the Daily Herald appeared in an article covering a pit bull attack on the Mayor and his dog. Here is an interesting fact.  A breed specific law had been proposed in Elgin but the proposal was dropped.  Note the quote "The council backed off after pit bull owners pleaded with the city to "punish the deed not the breed."     

   "Earlier this year, Councilman John Prigge championed a proposed law that would have automatically classified all pit bulls as dangerous dogs. But the council backed off after pit bull owners pleaded with the city to "punish the deed, not the breed."For his part, Schock Friday said he has no intention of revising the law to specifically target them."I think we have to let the ordinance work," he said. "It could have been any breed of dog."

There it is, the familiar "it could have been any breed of dog." 

The quote below is chilling.  It is taken from an American Veterinary Medical Association policy statement and is found on the Best Friends Animal Society website. Best Friends Animal Society and the AVMA are staunch opponents of any regulations based on breed.  They quote an epidemiologist who apparently realizes that some dogs are bred for aggression.  

"A dog of any breed can become dangerous when bred or trained to be aggressive." 
Dr. Jeffrey Sacks, epidemiologist for the CDC, said. "Fatal attacks represent only a
very small proportion of dog bite injuries and shouldn't be the primary factor driving
public policy regarding dangerous dogs." 

There we have it "A dog of any breed can become dangerous."

 At least Dr. Sacks has acknowledged that dogs can be bred for aggression but he goes on to say that fatal attacks should not be the primary factor driving public policy regarding dangerous dogs BECAUSE THEY ARE A VERY SMALL PROPORTION OF DOG BITE INJURIES.  What?????

This is Savannah Edwards.  Shouldn't the death of this beautiful child be considered during public policy debates?


How about Isaiah Aguilar, killed by a pit bull in February 2013.


Christian Gormanous, should his death by pit bull in January 2013 impact public policy debate?


Should the pit bull mauling death of Elsie Grace impact public policy debate?


Four Americans have been killed by dogs so far in 2013, all of them were killed by pit bulls.  Shouldn't this be part of public policy debate?

The *Breed Specific Excuse* is so irrational but appears so often that there must be a reason.  Here is a possibility.  Maybe folks get paid to say it.

The Animal Farm Foundation (motto "Securing equal treatment and opportunity for "pit bull" dogs) pays a bounty of $150 for each pit bull passing the AKC Canine Good Citizen test to shelters and rescues holding AKC CGC tests.  Collies do not count, Labs are left out in the cold, only pit bulls earn the money.  The AFF also offers grants to non profits.  The "I Am an Individual" grant can earn a shelter up to $2500 just for "removing barriers" to pit bull adoption.  Pesky little barriers like a home check, which is done by rescues placing Golden Retrievers and Greyhounds.  Ditch that for pit bulls. No yard?  No fence? No problem.  Placement of pit bulls, known to be dog aggressive, into "only dog" homes?  A foolish barrier, ditch that.  Placement of pit bulls with experienced dog owners?  Heck no, hand 'em out to anybody who wants one.

Does the AFF send a check for repeating the *Breed Specific Excuse*?      

Pit bull roundup, 2/15/2013

It has been far too long since the last pit bull roundup so here we go... in no particular order.


On January 1st the Newark Advocate reported "Charges filed in fatal dog attack: pit bull euthanized."

A pit bull was being harbored by an occupant of a residence near downtown Granville when it attacked a dachshund on the property of a neighbor.  The owner of the dachshund immediately took her dog to a veterinarian but it was already dead.  This gets confusing now, the pit bull was taken from the Granville home  by someone related to the occupant of that home to a home in Newark Ohio.  Newark Animal Control removed the pit bull from that home because the owner of that home did not have a permit to keep a pit bull, which is required in Newark.  The dog was taken to the Newark Police station until it was picked up by the actual owner and taken to yet another location, outside of Newark.  The owner later took the pit bull to a veterinarian and had it euthanized.  It was discovered that the pit bull had attacked another dog in Newark in 2011 and also bit the other dog's owner.  Per the Newark Advocate " An action filed by the county to have the pit bull labeled as dangerous was rendered moot by having it euthanized." Huge time saver for the County Dog Warden.

Charges may be filed against the owner of the pit bull and also the person who was harboring the pit bull.

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January 28th, reported by WhioTV in an article headlined "Intoxicated man stabs pit bull."  Robert Martin Smith was arrested on suspicion of three counts of child endangering, he elected to represent himself at his arraignment.  The wisdom of this decision is yet to be seen.

Here is the story.  Springfield police were called to a home where a man had stabbed a dog with a butcher knife while he was drunk.  When police arrived they found Smith sleeping of the floor of his bedroom.  Per family report, Smith arrived at home at 3 AM and found his children sleeping on the floor of the family dining room. He ordered them to bed but blood was found on their bed.  This blood was reportedly from Smith's own dog, a pit bull in heat.  Smith became so angry at his own dog that he picked up a large knife and began slashing at his dog and went on to stab it in the chest.

Hey, I did not claim this was going to make sense.

In any case, at the time of the knife attack on his own dog his children (ages 10, 6 and 5 years) were sitting on the edge of that very bed.  Smith then decided to throw the knife in an attempt to make it stick in the floor.  The children were only a few feet from where the knife landed.  In his drunken rage Smith then threatened to cut the heads off the other dogs in the home but he passed out before he acted on this threat.  Smith's mother fled the home taking Smith's children with her.  The pit bull is expected to survive and will not be returned to Smith.  One can hope that the dog will be spayed prior to placement.  It is to be hoped that Smith will be prosecuted for his drunken cruelty and that someone explains to this man that intact female dogs do bleed.  This can be fixed with a surgery that is offered free to pit bull owners in most cities and funded by organizations like PetSmart Charities.

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In an article dated 2/13/2013 NorthwestOhio.com states "2 injured in Ottawa County Pit Bull Attack."  Two people were injured in a pit bull attack at Island Safe Harbor Sanctuary in Port Clinton.  There is no information on the identities of the injured, if they were volunteers at the sanctuary or visitors.  The dog would not allow first responders to approach one of the victims so police were forced to shoot it.  The dog was injured and later euthanized.

The mission of Island Safe Harbor Sanctuary is " To provide a safe and healthy environment for elderly, infirmed, terminal animals and to assist animal shelters with over-population of animals in need of care due to their inability to provide it, and un-adoptable animals, by providing a forever home where they can live out their lives in peace and in good health."

One might guess that this particular pit bull would have been considered "un-adoptable."  Owner of the shelter Nancy Benevento-Brown has the honor of making the *Breed Specific Excuse.*  

Brown said this is the first time anything like this has happened at her shelter, and she doesn't want the dog's breed to take the wrap.

"This happens with any type of dog, given the right situation," she said. "I have been bitten many times, and the dogs that bite me are Chihuahuas

Breaking news on the Island Safe Harbor Sanctuary.  As reported in the Toledo Blade 2/15/2012 "Two animal welfare groups  pool efforts", the Erie County Humane Society and the Island Safe Harbor Sanctuary have begun sending dogs and supplies back and forth.  One can only wonder where Island Safe Harbor obtained  the pit bull shot by police.

In case anyone might think this shelter pit bull attack was unusual, WLKY.com in Louisville Kentucky brings us this story today "Counselors on hand after two bitten by dogs at shelter."  The dogs were, not surprisingly, pit bulls.  Both the injured individuals  were animal control professionals.  Per WLKY "The latest incident happened Thursday and supervisors said it was so severe that counselors came to speak with employees Friday to talk about what they called a trauma that affected the entire organization."  Shelter Director Justin Scally did make the *Breed Specific Excuse* "any dog can bite, its not just pit bulls."  Except that it usually is pit bulls.  Do they think nobody notices?


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.Whiotv.com  posted "Dog killed during drug raid" on 2/14/2013.  Dayton Narcotics officers raided a home on Baltimore street and encountered a "pit bull type breed" dog menacing and charging the officers.  One of the police officers shot the dog.  The dog's owner was the named subject of the search warrant, he was seen grabbing a gun and running toward the rear of the house then threw the gun on the ground.  In total there were four men in the house at the time of the raid.  Also found in the house were a .45 caliber Glock,  a jar containing 60 grams of pot, cash, ammunition magazines, and a scale.  Per Whiotv "The resident said the drugs were his for personal use and denied ever selling drugs. According to the report, when police said they had bought weed from him during an undercover investigation he called a “random event.”
The other men claimed that they were present in the home to play video games and had no knowledge of the drugs.  There were no arrests and charges have not yet been  filed.

Due to the shooting, Montomery County Dog Warden Mark Kumpf was saved the trouble of filing dangerous dog charges.

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An update on a November story brings Montgomery County Dog Warden Mark Kumpf's name back into the news.  Per the Dayton Daily News "Man charged with dog fighting, cruelty to animals." .  A Harrison Twp man was charged with dog fighting after a dog was spotted hanging from a window by a passerby in late November.

 Eric Wiggins was charged with two counts of dog fighting, one count of possession of criminal tools, ten counts of cruelty to animals, and one count of having weapons while under a disability.  Nine additional dogs, a rifle, and an automatic handgun were found in the home. Wiggins was prohibited from owning  firearms due to prior convictions for involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, aggravated robbery, and carrying concealed weapons.
Per the Dayton Daily News "At the time of the search, Montgomery County Animal Resource Center Executive Director Mark Kumpf said the animal appeared to hang itself as it attempted to jump out of a window."

What will Kumpf do with the nine seized pit fighters?

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On February 13th the Norwalk Reflector reported "Boy bitten by pit bull."



A thirteen year old boy was bitten by a pit bull.  He was transported via ambulance to Fisher-Titus Medical Center for treatment.  The dog (pictured) broke out of his collar and bit the boy.  A witness helped the boy escape. The boy was treated and released.

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In a story origionally reported by NBC4, a Columbus Ohio woman states pit bulls attacked her and her dog.   Chavonne Saunders states her dog was attacked by two pit bulls while they were out for a walk.  A mail carrier witnessed the attack and called police.  Saunders dog, Shimo is expected to recover. A spokesperson for the dog warden's office stated the owner of the pit bulls received six citations for failure to vaccinate, failure to have a license and allowing the dogs to run loose.

Saunders and Shimo.  Shimo is wearing a cone to protect this injury.

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On January 10th wtov9.com reported "4 taken to hospital after pit bull attack in Belmont County."  Three adults and a child were taken to local hospitals for treatment after an attack at the Pine Lake Trailer Court in Belmont Ohio.  Per witness Karen McEndree, a pit bull attacked a woman and a child.  She stated ""That's why my sister and my boyfriend got hurt because they protected the boy and got serious injuries themselves and I was just out on the porch screaming help, somebody help me."  Police were called, the pit bull was tazed multiple times until the tazer wires broke.  The dog was taken to a local shelter and charges against the owner are being considered.