Here is part two of the Pit Bull Roundup. We are moving right along in the same outrageous manner. This might require a full pot of coffee.
9/9/2014
Toledo Ohio
A disabled woman in the care of her brother and sister-in-law was attacked by pit bulls during a five hour period when she was left alone with the pit bulls in the home. Lori Demski, age 53, was listed as being in fair condition at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center with dog bites, broken bones, and human bites as well. (?) The dogs are reported to be owned by the son-in-law of Norman and Susan Demski. Phillip Wall, pit bull owner, age 27, stated that Lori Demski was attacked when she fell while trying to break up a fight between the two pit bulls.
The police report stated that Ms. Demski was attacked by the two pit bulls suffering "numerous bites from her feet to the top of her head" and wounds to both arms and fractures of both arms. A nurse noted what appeared to be human bites on Ms. Demski's thighs, buttocks, and a shoulder. I have no explanation for this at all.
A roach infestation in the home was noted and floors were reportedly feces covered.
Pit bull owner Wall stated that "this is upsetting to me" of Ms. Demski's injuries and the charges against his in-laws were "blown out of proportion."
Lori Demski has been in the care of her brother and sister-in-law for the last 20 years. Court records show that Lori Demski has grand mal seizures, has a functional IQ of 45, and the functionality of a 4 or 5 year old. Remember that Lori Demski was left alone in the house with the pit bulls for 5 hours. It is difficult to understand Mr. Wall's explanation that the attack occurred after a fall while attempting to break up a pit bull fight as the victim was alone in the home at the time.
The pit bulls were taken by Lucas County Animal Control and are expected to be euthanized.
NBC24 News reports that three pit bulls were involved.
Norman Demski Susan Demski
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9/8/2014
Hamilton Ohio
A local woman was bitten by a pit bull while riding a bicycle past the pit bull owner's house. The victim,
in her 50s, was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries to her leg. Butler County Assistant Dog Warden Supervisor Kurt Merbs (who has been very busy with pit bull complaints in the last several weeks) stated that he retrieved the pit bull because it was "unattended by the owner with the back door of the residence open" and "it just attacked the woman."
For more information on pit bull attacks in Hamilton County please click
here.
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9/25/2014
Hamilton Ohio
You have to feel sorry for Assistant Dog Warden Supervisor Kurt Merbs. Butler County has had more than its share of attacks recently and a fatality as well.
Butler County animal control responded to a call after a pit bull and a Rottweiler burst through a gate and attacked a dog being walked by its owner. Merbs stated
“They had it right around the neck, which is never a good sign,” Merbs said. He added that the pit bull and Rottweiler were “playing tug o’ war” with the third dog, which appeared to be dead when he arrived at the scene. The dog was taken to a veterinarian by its owner, he said.
Onlookers were beating the Rottweiler with a recycle bin in attempt to get it to release the dog, according to Merbs. The owner of the pit bull suffered a bite on the leg while trying to control her dog. She denied medical care, according to Merbs"
The pit bull and the Rottweiler remain with their owner, she must list her dogs as dangerous because they killed another dog and bit the owner as well. This owner has been cited previously for failure to license, Merbs is correct, it is not a good sign when the dog victim is dead.
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9/9/2014
Mineral City Ohio
A dog described as a "
Bull Terrier Bulldog" attacked four adults at a grade school as children arrived for class. A grandmother was bitten on an arm and a leg. A teacher was bitten on the lower torso and on a leg. Two parents were bitten, both on the hands and arms. The dog owner, Heather Phelps, was attempting to return her dog home when he got loose. She was cited with two counts of allowing a dog at large. There were no reports of injuries to children but picturing this event, it was an ugly and dangerous start to a school day.
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9/9/2014
Medway Ohio
Yet another pit bull owner is asking why someone shot his dog. Here is the story, Moe the two year old pit bull mix was found at the side of the road, he had been shot. It seems that, per the owner's family, Moe had figured out to open the door and would let himself out. The family had been warned by a neighbor just last week that the dog was at large and that the family should "keep an eye on him because she has seen boys shooting at him." Per the Springfield News Sun "
Sheriff’s deputies handed the case over to the Humane Society of Clark County, but the investigation is at a standstill because there is little evidence and no witnesses saw who shot Moe, said James Straley, the Humane Society’s executive director.
The Ohio Revised Code states if a dog “is chasing or approaching in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack” a person can kill the dog without facing court punishment.
“The dog in question was unlicensed, unvaccinated and at large, so if he had approached anyone in a menacing way, that person is not breaking the law by defending themselves and shooting the dog,” Straley said."
Bottom line, keep your dog at home and under control and it won't get shot.
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9/11/2014
Cincinnati Ohio
WLWT5 has followed up with Zainabou Drame, horrifically mauled by a neighbor's pit bulls in June.
I highly recommend the video with this story. The public should be aware of the aftermath of a pit bull mauling. Zainabou's mother wants to share her story with the world. This is an incredibly courageous family with a very determined little girl. Zainabou lost her tongue and is unable to speak or eat. Six year old Zainabou communicates with sign language or writes what she needs. Remarkable !
Pit bull owner Zontae Irby faces 5 1/2 years in prison after his conviction on drug charges. Per Cincinnati.com "
While investigating the attack, though, police found evidence that led them also to charge Irby with receiving stolen property, trafficking in and possession of marijuana. He was convicted of those charges Monday." Cincinnati city council is now considering regulations on pit bulls.
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10/3/2014
North Olmsted Ohio
Heads up to the residents of North Olmsted Ohio, there is a pit bull rescue located in your quiet little suburb. Chris and Maresia Hughes run
Rowdy to the Rescue, "a rehabilitation home for abused dogs" and have posted video of their dog Gremlin and other dogs, presumably theirs, in tutus and costumes. Warning, the music is abysmal. On the up side, it appears that they can afford the insurance on these dogs. This is a good thing because
North Olmsted regulates pit bulls and $100,000 insurance is required.
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10/9/2014
Dayton Ohio
Montgomery County is in damage control overdrive.
A two day seminar was held in Dayton for law enforcement and animal control officers from all over Ohio. 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."
I find it strange that there was no mention in the news story on the seminar of the
mauling death of seven month old Jonathon Quarles Jr. mauled to death by his step grandmother's pit bull, inside her home in Dayton on July 20, 2014. The dog had a history of menacing a postal service employee and attacking a leashed dog being walked down the street. Montgomery county did not have ONE fatal attack in 2014, it had TWO fatal attacks. The dogs in the first attack had dozens of complaints against them with no real action taken by animal control. The dog in the second fatality had been cited my Montgomery County animal control twice. Damage control is needed here.
A hot tipper tells me that part of the presentation by one Montgomery County official discussed the use of affidavits from the public regarding dangerous dogs in the community. An affidavit form has been provided to dog wardens. The Ohio Revised Code has always allowed the use of affidavits, as we discussed back in February. Please click
here for a refresher. Why did it take two deaths to get to this point? Will Ohio lawmakers act on the requests for change in the ORC in order to better protect the safety of the public. Quick review, Ohio has had nine fatal dog attacks since the passage of HB 14, the bill that would "finally give dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs."
Don't forget Jonathon Quarles Jr.
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10/10/2014
Youngstown Ohio
Three dogs were shot in broad daylight in a Youngstown neighborhood. One dog, a three year old American Bulldog mix (by definition a pit bull mix) was shot in the face and killed. There were no witnesses. Frances Schulte, owner of the dog shot to death stated
“He was part of the family and he just got loose and he was on the street and somebody shot him,”
Diesel was found several houses from where he lived, an outdoor dog house and a chain are seen in the video. Youngstown police and local animal control are looking for information on the shooter. Here is a bit of speculation, someone who was tired of menacing dogs roaming the street. Dogs kept at home were not shot. The solution here is obvious.
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10/11/2014
Cleveland Ohio
A Cleveland man facing charges related to two different attacks by his pit bulls failed to show up in court. Police officers were sent to the man's home and found him standing in the driveway, he appeared to retreat but pulled a gun and shot one police officer. Both officers took cover and returned fire. The man ran to the back yard. The SWAT team was called to the scene and the man gave himself up, he was was shot in the torso and taken to Metrohealth Medical Center. The officer was wearing a bulletproof vest and is in good condition.
Neighbors describe the pit bull owner as "a neighborhood nuisance" the pit bulls had attacked two Poodles in one attack and a Mastiff in another attack. The poodle owner (who was bitten in the hand as she pulled her Poodles to safety) stated "the man needs to be put away."
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10/9/2014
Medina Ohio
The Medina Shelter was criticized by animal advocates for picking up a
pregnant stray pit bull and allowing her to deliver her ten puppies in the shelter then placing the puppies at six weeks of age. It has been reported that all the dogs were well cared for in the shelter but advocates felt the pregnant dog should have been sent to a rescue group to allow her to deliver and raise her puppies in a quieter environment. Per Cleveland.com "
County Administrator Chris Jakab said the shelter employees did an "excellent job caring for mother and puppies" and decided to keep the pregnant dog out of consideration for how busy the donation-funded rescue groups are at this time."
State law bars sale of puppies to the public prior to eight weeks. Shelter policies are expected to be changed in response to complaints. Those who complained about the actions of shelter staff might consider education to the pit bull owning public on neuter and spay to prevent issues like this.
Queenie the pit bull.
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9/14/2014
Muskogee Oklahoma
This is not an Ohio story but I'm including it because it pleases me to do so. Glenn Boulet of Muskogee was attacked and critically injured by pit bulls when he distracted them from attacking a small child in the neighborhood. The Native American Advocacy group at Irving Elementary School
held a fund raiser for Mr. Boulet. and the
Muskogee Phoenix supported the group calling Mr. Boulet a hero . The
Irving Elementary School group raised $3,187.32 for Mr. Boulet's recovery.
Per News9.com "
Boulet was sitting on his front porch, like he does every day, when he saw one of his neighbor's pit bulls jump the fence and charge a child.“I just so happened that I ran up in time to get the dog's attention to come at me,” Boulet said. The boy got away, but a second pit bull got loose. Boulet said he slipped and ended up on the ground in an alley, fighting off both dogs. “That's when they got the best of me,” he said. “They was trying to drag me through the alley.” A neighbor heard screams and tried to beat the dogs off with a bat, unsuccessfully. That's when Boulet's son got his shotgun."
Boulet spent a month and a half in a hospital. The pit bull's owner Ronnie Casey Jr. was charged with misdemeanor failure to restrain dangerous dogs but he has fled the community, his location is unknown. The dogs had an extensive history of violence. Please click
here for stunning video.
I take this opportunity to join the residents of Muskogee Oklahoma in thanking Glenn Boulet! A hero for sure.
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9/16/2014
Grove City Ohio
A pit bull breeding operation was shut down and nearly 50 pit bulls were seized, 20 of them puppies. Neighbors stated that the pit bulls have never been a problem in the neighborhood, in fact the neighbors stated that they have never seen the dogs out and that the owner is a "nice neighbor." Early reports are that the owner will be charged with failure to license. The pit bulls were taken by the Franklin County Animal Control. Click
here for video. It crosses my mind that little Sadie the lapdog is VERY fortunate. It also crosses my mind that the last thing Franklin county animal control needs is upwards of 50 pit bulls.
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9/30/2014
Circleville Ohio
Pickaway County Commissioners wisely said no for a second time to a proposal to allow direct adoptions of pit bulls to the public at the Pickaway County Wright-Poling Animal Shelter. Current procedure is to not allow direct placement of pit bulls. Dogs identified as pit bulls or pit bull mixes may only be released to a qualified rescue or be euthanized. Mark Rogols, Chief Dog Warden submitted a proposal for change in April and again in September. Rogols is dealing with increasing numbers of pit bulls and a shortage of rescues qualified and able to accept them. The shelter is housing 18 pit bulls, one of them there since July. Per reports 40 dogs have been released to rescues this year with the majority of them being pit bull mixes. Per
Circleville Today "
Rogols said the problem with the current plan in place is that the pit bulls stagnate until a rescue can be found for them, which creates a lack of efficiency at the shelter. Once the dog is placed with a rescue, Rogols said he loses all tracking of the dog, as well as any possible revenue. “I can’t turn them over, and when I can’t turn them over fast, then I have to feed them and take care of their kennels,” Rogols said. “I kind of like to have a revolving door with the kennels and all breeds. What is happening now for mixed pits coming in, I might get a quick response from a rescue that is interested, but we may have to wait a month until they get an opening.”
Current shelter protocol for adoption of non pit bull dogs requires that the adopter be at least 18 years old, have a full time residence, sign an adoption agreement, purchase a license tag and pay a $55 fee. Rogol suggests that in the case of pit bulls the adopter be 21 years old, sign a pit bull adoption supplement, provide a written letter from their landlord if renting, and be required to microchip the dog and pay an $80 fee. Rogols researched pit bull adoption policies in surrounding counties to develop his additional requirements.
This quote comes from the Circleville Today article and I find this a bit light on fact. "Pit bulls were removed from the State of Ohio’s vicious dog list in July 2013. In Rogols proposal, he said all issues of the dog shelter being liable by allowing adoptions of pit bulls were eliminated when the dogs were taken off that list."
Shelters across the United States have been sued for placing vicious dogs and pit bulls placed by shelters have mauled and killed humans, pets and livestock. Lawsuits are the natural result of a dog mauling. Think
Rita Pepe here, mauled to death by a pit bull from a local shelter. Think Longmont Humane Society. Click
here, and
here (note the statistic that 16% of dog bites in the community were traced to dogs adopted out of Longmont), and
here. Think
Sport Kim, mauled by a pit bull adopted from the Blount County Animal Shelter.
Sport required over 1000 stitches to his face and will require more surgeries in the future. The pit bull had to be choked unconscious until it released Sport's face. PLEASE watch
Sport Kim video and take careful note of the injuries. Here are some photos of Sport , think about it.
Think
Frankie Flora, mauled by a pit bull from Out of the Pits Rescue.
I digress, back to Circleville today "Brian Stewart, county commissioner, said the report was well done and Rogols had some great arguments. Stewart said he is encouraged that Rogols is moving the pits out now to rescue organizations even if it takes a while.
Stewart said he solicited the public for their thoughts, and there was mixed feedback on both sides. He said it is not a matter of whether the pit bull will be adopted, but rather who would be adopting them.
“Historically it has been as a county we don’t want to be in the business of giving pit bulls to drug dealers, to be real frank,” he said.
Stewart said he thinks a decision shouldn’t be made on an economic factor alone and there are other factors involved.
The commissioners expressed concern that it would only take one bad case of a pit bull being adopted that could cause a lot of repercussions. They said it was best for the shelter to continue to facilitate with other rescue organizations at this time.
“I’m not a pit advocate nor am I an opponent,” Rogols said. “They are a dog. I think it is an avenue that the shelter needs to take down the road because the problem isn’t going away, it’s getting bigger.”
This is the problem, unless those who claim to love the breed stop breeding pit bulls with no chance for permanent placement in a suitable home the pit bull problem will not go away, the numbers of dead, disabled, or disfigured humans, pets, and livestock will continue to increase. I believe the County Commissioners have made a wise choice here.
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10/1/2014
Elyria Ohio
A Fox8 I Team investigation is trying to find out why an American Bulldog (by definition a pit bull mix) has not been put down after attacking an eleven year old girl in early September. The girl was attacked causing severe facial injuries by a friend's dog in the friend's home. The owner of the dog wanted the dog euthanized but local animal control refused to take the dog.
Here is the story per Fox8 "
According to the Lorain County Dog Warden’s Office, the dog was not seized immediately because by law, it had to be quarantined by the owner for 10 days.
When the quarantine was up, Sarah Long said she again told the dog warden that she wanted to have the dog euthanized, but was notified by the Elyria Health Department that the dog could not be put down, because he had never been given a rabies vaccine by a veterinarian. Long was also warned that she could be prosecuted if she had him euthanized before he received the vaccine. “It’s sad because honestly we’ve been ready for this,” said Long.
When the I-Team asked Elyria Health Department supervisor David Oakes why the dog had not been put down 23 days after the mauling, Oakes told us, “That is because the owner of the animal has not proceeded to either do so, or provide us with the rabies vaccination information.”
Oakes maintains the handling of the mauling of Roxie Hamilton has been by the book. When asked if he could see why someone would think it was idiotic to get the dog vaccinated, and then have the animal euthanized, Oakes responded, “The follow-up vaccination is to meet city ordinance that all animals shall be vaccinated.”
Bottom line, dog mauls a guest, dog owner wants the dog put down but bureaucratic paper shuffling keeps the dog in the community, in the home of the owner who wants it gone.
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10/2/2014
Bridgeport Ohio
Two roaming pit bulls attacked two Shih Tzus that were on the porch of their owner. The owner of the Shih Tzus attempted to rescue her dogs and was attacked by the pit bulls as well. Police were called to the scene and when the arrived at the home of the pit bull owner one of the pit bulls charged the officers in an aggressive manner and was shot.
One of the Shih Tzus had to be euthanized due to the seriousness of his injuries, the other was transported to an animal hospital with serious injuries. The surviving pit bull was signed over to local authorities. The pit bull owner is facing charges of negligent assault and failure to leash, more charges may be filed.
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10/6/2014
Massillon Ohio
In possibly the worst way to introduce your family to the new neighborhood we have this story.
A six year old Massillon boy was bitten in the face by a neighbor's pit bull mix. Brady Coleman's mother stated that her son was visiting a new friend when he was attacked. The pit mix's owner was unable to provide proof of vaccination and was cited for failure to license the dog. Per Newsnet5 "
The owner of the dog said the it has never bitten anyone before and said it was an accident.
“I’m very sorry it happened,” said Rosie’s owner, who asked that her name not be used. The family has only been living in the neighborhood a week before the attack."
Brady lost part of his lip in the attack. His mother told reporters that due to the location of the injury and the need to line up tissue to suture without swelling that the
surgical repair had to be done without local anesthesia. Think about it.
Brady Coleman will require additional medical treatment.
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10/27/2014
Toledo Ohio
A story strangely not covered by the Toledo Blade turned up on Toledo News Now. A pit bull mix is being credited with saving the owner's life. Tiger the pit bull mix (nobody is having difficulty identifying Tiger's breed) walked down the street to find help for his owner, unconscious on his front porch. A local rescue and a pit bull advocacy organization are caring for Tiger until the owner returns home. Possibly the Blade's reporters were recovering from the Parking Lot Party to celebrate pit bulls in honor of Pit Bull Awareness Day.
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10/22/2014
Garfield Heights Ohio
A starving pit bull puppy was picked up in Garfield Heights.
Per Cleveland.com " The puppy is very timid and has no social skills, Hackett said. She thinks it will be a long time until he enjoys being touched and being around people." Ms. Hackett is the Garfield Heights Animal Warden. "
Once he is healthy, Hackett hopes to find a foster home for the dog through GM Hart – an animal rescue team servicing Garfield Heights and Maple Heights. Eventually, she would like to put him up for adoption.
"We're hoping he comes out of the shell that he's in before we put him up for adoption," Hackett said."
Unless there have been recent changes to Garfield Heights Municipal Code the dog will not be adopted out to a Garfield Heights resident. Garfield Heights bans pit bulls.
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10/31/2014
Toledo Ohio
A surprising story from the Toledo Blade.
Toledo Police shot a pit bull that was attacking a woman. The dog had previously attacked small children. The Blade does not often report on pit bull attacks.
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11/4/2014
Columbus Ohio
Two pit bulls were shot by Columbus police after the dogs attacked four people. Per NBC4 "
The women were attacked by two pit bull dogs, and a passerby in a vehicle stopped to help.
That's when, police said the passerby's brother, who was down the street, came to help. He was also attacked, police said. Police officers said they attempted to get the dogs off the man and that's when the dogs charged the officers. Both dogs were fatally shot."
The first victim of the pit bulls was an 85 year old woman who was simply working in her yard.
The pit bull owner, Mahogney Harrison has been located and has tearfully apologised. Per ABC6 "
"Really to the elderly lady I am very very sorry and I wish it never happened," said Harrison. The owner said she thought her two dogs were secure in their fenced-in backyard. But Harrison said she went out to vote on Tuesday, and somehow the dogs got out."Harrison has been cited for failure to control a vicious dog, and failure to license her pit bulls. She has stated that she plans to remove the fence and does not plan to keep dogs in the future.
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11/6/2014
Jackson Twp Ohio
A letter to the editor of Cleveland.com states that police and animal control need more flexibility in labeling dogs as dangerous. The writer mourns the loss of her beloved cat, killed on her property by a trespassing dog. The breed of dog is not mentioned but the problem is familiar. Ohio Revised Code does not allow a dangerous dog designation unless the dog bites a human, kills another dog, or is cited three times to earn a dangerous dog designation. The writer finishes with these thoughts "If you see a potentially dangerous dog roaming, take a picture or videotape it and call animal control. It will be difficult to change these laws but we need to try in order to keep our neighborhoods safe. Pass this letter along to government officials. We can't wait until another animal gets killed or injured, or worse, a child."
I agree, Ohio legislators must act to protect the peaceful residents of Ohio.
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10/9/7/2014
Logan Ohio
This article deals with animal bites in general and goes on to dog bites in particular. I am not going to paraphrase the last part of this article and will share it exactly as written. Victims of Canine Attack Organize Week of Awareness and Remembrance campaign is slated for Nov. 9 to Nov. 15. This is the inaugural year for the campaign aimed at bringing both awareness and education to the public about dangerous dogs. In particular, fighting and gripping breeds with respect to the risk they present to human and animal health and safety.
At this rate, according to AVOCA, someone loses their life to a canine attack in the U.S. approximately every nine days. AVOCA also strongly believes that further fatalities are preventable through canine breed awareness and education.
Bereaved family members and survivors of canine attacks also feel an urgency and obligation to help educate the public and dispel widespread misinformation related to dog bite prevention.
Along with AVOCA, participating advocacy organizations include
Dogsbite.org, Daxton’s Friends for Canine Education and Awareness, and Citizens for Canine Attack Prevention.
