Ohio pit bull roundup, 5/22/2016. Pit bull advocates blame victims, pit bull owners attack police, pit bulls attack adults, babies and St. Bernards,

We have far too many Ohio attacks for one post so we will break this down into manageable sections.


4/22/1016
Maumee Ohio
Lucas County

Just when you think you have seen it  all from pit bull owners.

An elderly lady was walking her 12 year old, leashed Cockapoo in her own neighborhood.  She noted a pit bull mix approaching from the rear, dragging a small child who was holding the leash.

You know where this story is going.  The pit  mix attacked the sweet old dog, the sweet old dog's owner began hitting the pit mix on  the head, she was able to free her own dog.  Don't mess with  senior citizens.

The child grabbed the leash of her pit mix and ran home.  Here is where we hit a new standard for pittery. The child's mother called police and reported that the Cockapoo was the aggressor and had bitten her daughter.  The Cockapoo was quarantined for biting.  Upon investigation it was determined that the wound on the child's hand was a cut from her own leash, there was no bite.  Shocker, a pit bull owner lied about an attack, who would think?

Please click on  the link for video of an interview with the Cockapoo owner, watch the sweet old dog.
Were there charges for filing a false police report?

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5/1/2016
Aurora Ohio
Portage County

More from the "you just can't underestimate pit bull owners" file.

Two Aurora police officers were dispatched for a call reporting a disturbance at a local residence, the resident had attacked a neighbor.  When police arrived 26 year old Brandon Bayless hit an officer in the head with a tire iron. Two officers also reported an aggressive pit bull at the residence. Who would have seen that coming?  Shots were fired but no gunshot injuries were reported.  Bayless was subdued with a Tazer. Bayless was treated and released from a local hospital and was booked into the Portage County jail.


Brandon Bayless, booking photo.

The two police officers were also treated and released from a local hospital.  Nobody knows what became of the pit bull. I hope the neighbors are carefully watching their children.




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5/2/2016
Greenwich Ohio
Huron County

A pit bull, family pet, bit a one month old baby on the face.  The baby was on the floor while the mother was in the shower. (?) The mother heard her baby crying and found that the pit mix had attacked.  The baby was transported to Mercy Willard Hospital via ambulance then on to an undisclosed Toledo hospital for treatment.

The pit mix was reported to be 7 or 8 years old, the family reported no previous problems with it but they do not want it back after the 10 day quarantine.  Smart choice.

Per the Norwalk Reflector "Dog warden Gary Ousley confirmed the dog has been quarantined and discussed its temperament.

“The dog was perfectly fine. We’ve had it here in the office and it’s been fine. It’s been friendly with (Officer) Josh (Jasinski) and me,” Ousley said. “I don’t see the temperament of this dog to be aggressive.”

The dog warden’s office is waiting for photos from police and feedback from the dog owner. Ousley said once his officers speak to the owner, they will know what the next step is after the mandatory quarantine."

Sounds like unless the family insists on euthanization their dog will be recycled right back in to the community with some unsuspecting family.

Bad choice.

Here is another bad choice, Included in the Norwalk Reflector story on this attack on a helpless baby is a video titled "From our partners: a blue 'pit bull' longs for a home and another joins a family"  promoting pit bull adoption as family pets.  Who thought this was appropriate?   What are you thinking???

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5/16/2016
St. Marys Ohio
Auglaize County



 A pit bull attacked a St. Bernard, on the property of the St. Bernard's owner.  Police were called.  Per the Evening Leader "  “The St. Bernard was in its own yard and the pit bull was running loose,” St. Marys Police Chief Mark Ernst told The Evening Leader. “The officer tased the pit bull five times. The first few times, the pit bull went back after the St. Bernard. The last few times, the officer was tasing it to try and get control so they could get a dog pole but the dog was up and moving around. They were afraid the dog would break the leads and if so, they would have no control over the dog. With the kids and adults around, the officer was afraid it would attack a person.” It was at that time the officer shot the dog. Ernst said the pit bull’s owner eventually showed up at the scene. “He stated he understood why it happened,” Ernst said.


This comment was posted by the pit bull owner. Please remember, the pit bull was at large and attacking another dog on the property of the other dog's owner.

Brittany Bullock ·

Self Employed at Rci

Titan ran out of the house when the door was opened moving a bookshelf. There was three kids under 5 yrs of age at the house and he did not harm either one. 3 adults also not harmed. Ever thought Titan, "the vicious pit" was just protecting someone the St. Bernard was goin after. Considering the owed of the Saint said he was aggressive. He didn't tear that dog up severely.. It had two puncture wounds and some stitches in the face. He wasn't attacking him or he would've been way more injured. He was licking his jaws to keep him in place probably. And the owner also said they beat Titan with boards.. And this happened in 7-10 minutes then police arrived. No adults were outside during this so there's no witness to what exactly happened before the dog fight. Titan was a gentle obedient submissive dog. Never barked or growled.. Literally. And was super protective over every dog and human especially children and babies. There bits and pieces missing to this story.. That's for sure. Me and my ex got Titan together. And he was very well trained and babied with lots of love. We had him around people and other dogs before. Never a problem. He was bit before but never fought or attacked the dog back. He was an inside dog and slept in our bed every night. We eventually had a puppy after we got him and he loved that dog so much. That was his brother. So maybe if people would tell the rest of the story then we could understand the whole timeline. And what really happened.

There is a gofundme page for the St. Bernard's medical expenses, please click here .  He could use a few bucks.




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5/19/2016
Youngstown Ohio
Mahoning County

This one is a stunner and in my mind I hear part of this blog in Judge Jeanine Pirro's voice.

We begin with the facts.  A Youngstown woman, 36 year old Billie Schweikart, was attacked by the family pit bull. The three year old pit bull was "being trained" as a "service dog" for Schweikart's small daughter.  Schweikart  was apparently in her yard with her children when she was attacked.  Her screams brought the neighbors who hit the dog with a baseball bat and ran it over with a van in attempts to terminate the attack.

Per Vindy.com "The interior of the victim's van was covered in blood as was a car seat in the van that witnesses were using to try and fend the dog off, speckled with chunks of flesh."  A neighbor was quoted "He had her on the ground dragging her. He was chewing her up." The same neighbor stated that the victim was somehow able to get into the van to drive away but the dog continued the attack.

 The children are in the car, screaming,  at this point. Picture this from their viewpoint.

The explanation for the attack (there is always an explanation for pit  bull attacks) was that friends had gone to the victim's home to take her out  to lunch and the dog got excited and "jealous" when the victim picked up a small child  SO THE PIT BULL ATTACKED THE OWNER. Makes perfect sense to me.

This pit bull was "adopted" and reportedly had a history of abuse.  This is a common excuse because these dogs are picked up as strays and nobody knows where they came from or what their background is.  The pit  bull is aggressive in the shelter or the rescue? Must have been abused, obviously.  What other excuse might there be?

It does not get better, the dog has a history of aggression "but not to this extent".  Jax the  pit bull has attacked a neighbor mowing his lawn. A trainer had been sought for the lawn mower aggression issues but apparently without any positive result.    They put up with this in Youngstown?

Yes, they have to put up with it in Youngstown. Youngstown dropped their pit bull ban last year at the urging of Boardman resident Jason Cooke.  Why?  God only knows. We will get back to this point.

Two days after the attack Schweikart has forgotten her pit bulls previous aggression and stated Jax
had "never shown aggression."  Per WFMJ "We love Jax he was like apart of the family but, to see him that day he wanted me dead," said Schweikart.

Mahoning County Dog Warden Deputy Dave Nelson tells 21 News the attack is one of the worst he has come across in 28 years on the job.

Schweikart is badly bruised, with more than 100 stitches, and an arm and leg bitten to the bone.

She says she can't believe "Jax," who had been so good with her daughter, would suddenly attack.

"It went on for about 20 minutes of him just attacking me until the neighbor came over and ended up hitting him on the head with a baseball bat just enough to get him off of me," said Schweikart.

Schweikart says she doesn't know what caused Jax to act out of character but, Thursday afternoon he bolted for her and didn't let up.

Even after she took refuge inside a family van.

"Jax went under the van and sat right under where I was at, like waiting for me to open the door so he could finish. Like he was dead set he was going to kill me," described Schweikart.

Medics who arrived on the scene were unable to get to Schweikart until Jax finally gave up his fight when the van tried to pull away."

 PICTURE IT!

Click here for a hospital bedside interview.    Photos within the video show that there is no fence around Schweikart's yard. Other photos show Schweikart's small daughter with Jax.  One may not ask why the child might require a service dog but one may legitimately ask what task this dog was being trained to provide for the child.  Since the dog did not benefit from training to reduce his lawn mower aggression it is hard to figure out how this dog, adopted a year ago with known previous aggression issues and the mythical abuse history, was an appropriate choice for a child's service dog. Possibly I'm too picky.




Jax the pit bull is expected to be euthanized.  Schweikart is concerned that pit bulls might get a "bad rap" from this attack and adds that this is not her first pit bull. She is an experienced pit bull owner. The reputation of pit bulls should be her last concern at this point. It is reported that Schweikart will be hospitalized for a month and has several surgeries to look forward to.

Taxpayer alert ! Guess who will foot the bill for this?

Now lets talk Youngstown.  This city had a breed ban until late last year.  Pit bull advocate, and hoarder Jason Cooke, from Boardman Ohio,  approached a city council too naive to realize they were being outrageously manipulated by a non local breed advocate with no interest in the safety of Youngstown residents. Per Vindy.com "Cooke, who owns eight pit bull terrier mixes, said he and numerous pit bull owners will have a celebratory rally  outside city hall at 4:45 Wednesday  with Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. that day."  They are celebrating the victory before the vote.  Here is a photo of the "numerous pit bull owners at the  "rally."  Please keep in mind that the the estimated population of Youngstown Ohio is 65,062 and you get 8 people (nobody knows where they came from) one out of town breed activist, and one dog and THIS is a "rally of numerous pit bull owners?"



The Youngstown city Council dumped a proactive law that, if enforced would have protected Schweikart, her daughter, and her neighbors from the outrageous Jax attack for THIS pitiful handful of pit bull owners?  I believe the grinning man with the "End Breed Prejudice" is Cooke.

Per the Barkpost " But now, after the Youngstown city council voted unanimously to end the ordinance, citizens of Youngstown can “own, keep, harbor, or possess” Pit Bulls to their heart’s content – without restriction."  I'm sure Schweikart's neighbors are thrilled.  

Cooke is flushed with his success "Cooke said he and his organization will also seek to eliminate bans in Struthers, Columbiana, and the village of Poland in the coming months."

Here is the question, and this is the part that I hear in Judge Jeanine's voice.  Will Cooke and his organization accept responsibility for what they have done? Until  Cooke's meddling in the affairs of Youngstown resulted in the loss of a proactive law that would have allowed Schweikart's neighbors to complain about a known aggressive pit bull harbored in a home with a small child, and an unfenced yard, they had legal recourse.  Now anything goes.  Who will mop up the blood and pay the medical bills?

Who is Jason Cooke?  Here is a photo of Jason and one of his eight pit mixes posted on his public Facebook page. He has labeled this photo "share away" so we will.



You can't make this stuff up.


The icing on the cake here?  Jax was reportedly obtained from a dog training center in Girard Ohio. Girard Ohio has a pit bull ban that would not allow Jax to be placed with a local resident.  Pit bull advocates put the same pressure on Girard that they put on Youngstown but Mayor Melfi of Girard,  stated "I have done some investigating and the fact that most insurance companies won't insure home owners if they have a Pit bull is one reason we are not interested in lifting the ban,” said Melfi. “That means if a Pit bull harms someone or somebody else’s dog they are not insured to pay the victim any damages incurred by that particular dog." "“That this not breed discrimination,” said Melfi. “You really don't see in the news where they say, someone was killed by a Beagle, or a Golden Retriever, or a Schnauzer so there is plenty of evidence speaking to this result. The bottom line is that elected leaders must protect people.”

Smart man, Jax was trafficked out of his city and the mauled pit bull owner is not his responsibility.

Smart man.  Elected leaders must protect people.

Pit bull roundup 10/25/2015. Attacks on children and adults, little dogs mauled to death, pits shot by police and by citizens, clueless rescue angels.

7/28/2015
DAYTON Ohio
Montgomery County

A Dayton teenager was bitten in the face by a neighbor's pit bull.  The pit bull ran from the owner's yard to attack the 14 year old. The girl required stitches to her upper lip and will require dental implant surgery to replace a tooth knocked out  by the the neighbor's pit.  The dog was known to the girl and considered safe and friendly.  As always,  the pit bull owner believes that her dog did not bite the girl but instead "got excited" jumped on the girl, knocked out her tooth and scratched her but did not bite her.

ABC22 News in Dayton began this story with "Another day, another dog bite in Dayton.  This time a 14 year old girl."  It was reported that as of July Dayton Children's Hospital had treated 126 children for dog bites. Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley promises to look into tougher laws to protect the public from vicious dogs. Getting to be routine in Dayton.  Please keep in mind that the Montgomery County commissioners gave Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County dog warden, a raise this year while admitting that the year had been "difficult."

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7/14/2015
Port Clinton Ohio
Ottawa County

A 10 year old pit bull jumped a fence in Port Clinton to kill a seven year old Pomeranian in the yard of the Pomeranian owner and then went on to go after the owner of the dead Pomeranian.  The girlfriend of  Astro the pit bull's owner, took control of Astro after the attack, a responding Police officer put Astro in the back of his cruiser and followed procedure by notifying the county dog warden. The dog warden refused to respond to the scene and told police to release Astro right back to the owner "because the dog attacked another dog and not a human being."  Even the pit bull owner was surprised by this and promised to have Astro put down after the 10 day rabies confinement.  William Yount, owner of Astro was charged with the misdemeanor Failure to Confine a Dangerous Dog with a possible fine of $250.



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6/2/2015
North Canton Ohio
Stark County

A North Canton family dropped off their little eight pound Pomeranian/Poodle mix dog at Promway Kennels, they were on their way out of town for a business trip.  They have used Promway Kennels many times in the past and were pleased at the care Shadow received.  Things did not go so well this time.

 Kennel owner Bill "Novotny said a kennel employee mistakenly put Shadow in the area where two lab-pit bull mix dogs were and they attacked Shadow.  The dogs were rescued from a shelter and Novotny said he was trying to find them a home.

Novotny said steps have been taken to make sure something like this doesn't happen again and he said the dogs have been euthanized. "I feel terrible," said Promway Kennels owner Bill Novotny.

At the time of the Newsnet5 news article dealing with this senseless death the owner of Promway Kennel, Bill Novotny, had not apologized to Shadow's owners and appears in the video with this story calling the mistake leading to Shadow being in the same run with the pit mixes as "unfortunate."  Do you think Novotny learned anything here?

The answer to that is no.  Below is a Facebook post made by Bill Novotny in early July of this year, just weeks after the mauling death of little Shadow.  Please take a look at the Facebook page for Promway Kennels. Novotny is STILL pulling unplaceable pit bulls from shelters, fostering and adopting out these pit bulls from his business.  That business is caring for other people's beloved pets.  Please spend a few minutes watching the videos of Novotny's interviews.  He is relaxed, genial, smiling, while talking about the death of a client.  While a "trusted employee" may have made an "unfortunate mistake" leading to the death of eight pound Shadow, the big mistake was made by Novotny. He is responsible for housing rescue pit bulls at the Promway facility.  Novotny made the choice to harbor and "work with" the pit bull that killed Shadow.  Novotny stated that the killer pit bull was euthanized but he has apparently learned nothing from Shadow's death.

From the Promway Kennels Facebook page.

Promway Kennels

July 13 · 

Fosters that are currently at Promway- call Bill (330-494-8100) between 8am-5pm to set up a time to meet them - we would love for them to find their forever home!

  More on the available pit bull Dalton.  Background information, Dalton has been at Promway, waiting for placement for 3 1/2 YEARS.  Dalton has his own Facebook page.
   

Promway Kennels added 2 new photos.

September 1 · 

Dalton is enjoying his morning with some cuddle time.

For those who might be looking for a second hand, apparently unplaceable pit bull, GOOD NEWS, Dalton and Lexi are still available.  Novotny also places non-pit bulls and finds takers for these dogs but the pits stay on and on.  Does this tell him something?

NEWSFLASH, There is a  reason these pit bulls are in the rescue system. They have already failed in at least one household, likely more, killed another dog, killed a cat, bit the owner, bit a neighbor, jumped a fence and created a dangerous nuisance in a neighborhood, cited by animal control, the classic reasons for surrender of a pit bull.  Relocating these secondhand maulers is a dangerous business.  Shadow paid with his life.  Pit bull advocacy refuses to learn.  Promway kennels has been in business for 30 years, there is no excuse for the death of Shadow. Bill Novotny knows better.


For additional video please click here.

As it might be suspected, this particular attack touched a nerve with me. I will end this section of the post with a meme from the Facebook page for Dalton of Promway (the unplaceable pit bull) posted May 30th, just prior to the pit bull mauling death of Shadow..



Clueless?  Yes.  Sanctimonious?  Yes.  Learning from the death of a client's dog in an attack that that may well be a kick in the financial bottom line of your business?  Nope.  Why do pit bull activists feel that the peaceful public just needs a little "education" about pit bulls?  The actual news educates us every day. Educate yourselves.                                                      


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 6/12/2015
South Toledo Ohio
Lucas County

Per the Toledo Blade, a Lucas County deputy dog warden and two police officers responded to an animal complaint.  A resident stated that he had been walking in an alley when he was attacked by three dogs that had escaped from Jay Rummel's residence.  When the animal control officer was serving the citation for failure to confine the dogs to Rummel, Rummel's 20 year old roommate Brandon Gill opened the door and let the three dogs out again, disobeying a direct order from police to keep the door shut. After the dogs were let out they charged police.  The lead dog was shot several times. Per police reports, after the dog was shot Gill "came off the porch and started swinging at the officers."  After a brief struggle Gill was taken into custody, charged with felonious assault on a police officer, ordered held at the Lucas County jail in lieu of the bond pending a preliminary hearing.

The dog, a pit bull (surprise!) was taken to a local veterinarian but the injuries were noted to be very serious.  Rummell surrendered his pit bull to  Lucas County Canine Care and Control.  Julie Lyle, Lucas County dog warden, stated the pit bull had been shot in the left front leg, left shoulder area, and right leg.  The pit bull was euthanized.

Animal Control officers investigating this incident discovered that a second of Rummell's pit bulls was also involved in the biting incident earlier in the day.  This pit bull was seized and declared vicious.  Rummell stated to reporters that his dogs were not aggressive with people (despite biting a passerby and charging police) had not bitten anyone in the past but could be "territorial."  Rummell was allowed to keep the remaining pit bull.

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6/5/2015
Norton Ohio
Summit County

From the Norton Ohio Police blotter. Police were called to a Norton Avenue residence June 5 after a man reported his dogs were attacked by a pit bull that was running loose in the area. Officers observed bite wounds on one dog’s head and neck and the other dog’s snout. The pit bull had been corralled and the county dog warden was notified.  


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7/1/2015
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County

A federal judge in Cleveland sentenced the organizer of an Akron dog fighting ring to two years in prison.  The raid on the Akron dog fighting ring has been covered in Scorched Earth blogs several times.

 Per WDTN News "56-year-old Alvin Banks apologized during the hearing Tuesday, saying he grew up with people who had dogs fight and didn’t realize the practice is inhumane. He pleaded guilty in April to five charges, three related to dog-fighting, a felon in possession of a firearm, and marijuana possession."  

"He didn't realize the practice (of dog fighting) is inhumane?"  You can't make this stuff up.  Mr. Banks will have two years to think about this.




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6/5/2015
Toledo Ohio
Lucas County

Two pit bulls were shot by a citizen in Toledo but the Toledo Blade did not cover the story. A Toledo dog owner found his neighbor's two pit bulls attacking his own German Shepherd, in his own yard.  Per the Chronicle " a 29-year-old man from Toledo heard dogs growling in his front yard. He found his German shepherd pinned down by the neighbor’s two pit bulls. One of the pit bulls was biting the dog’s neck, while the other one was on top of the German shepherd biting his hindquarters. 

After attempts to scare the dogs failed, the man went into his house and retrieved his shotgun. He fired one warning shot, and when the dogs continued their attack, he shot at each of the pit bulls. Although the dogs retreated, one returned and approached the man"  That pit bull was shot and killed.

The pit bull owner stated that his son had left a gate open allowing the pit bulls to escape and he understands why his pit bulls were shot.   The German Shepherd was reported to be in critical condition at a local veterinary hospital.

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5/19/2015
Toledo Ohio
Lucas County

A Toledo woman surrendered 14 dogs to a local Humane Society after Toledo police responded to a noise complaint of dogs barking.  The residence where the dogs were housed had no furniture and was unoccupied other than the 20 dogs found there.  The owner stated that she was in the process of buying the house but humane officials referred to the residence as "unsanitary because of fecal matter and urine"  Just picture it.

Per the Toledo Blade "  The owner said she first bought a female from a man selling puppies on the street, and could not afford to get her spayed then. The dog got pregnant, and the situation spiraled from there as the dogs continued to breed.

She said she made a number of attempts but was unable to find homes or a rescue for many of the dogs that she said are “pit bull” and German shepherd mixes.

“It got out of hand,” she said. “I love dogs, and I thought I could do it on my own. ... I knew I needed help, but every place I contacted would either not call me back or tried to send me in a different direction, which always never helped.”

 My guess is that neighbors are VERY pleased with the removal of these dogs.

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5/8/2015

Youngstown Ohio

Mahoning County

A Youngstown woman, walking in a local park was attacked by a pit bull.

“Horrifying” and “terrifying”... Those are two words used by a south side woman to describe her encounter with a dog while exercising at a city park.

June Calhoun was taking a late morning walk at Jackson Park in the area of Lenox and Windsor Streets, when she found herself caught in a pitbull's stare.

"I didn't hear him. I didn't see where he came from. He jumped at me."

After the dog knocked June down, she found a stick and threw it at him. He backed off, but as she was trying to get up, he jumped on her again.

"Oh they can jump so high. Unbelievable! And he's muscle, you know, he knocked me down."

Her arms took the brunt of the dog's aggression because June was trying to protect a more vital part of her body.

"I don't know where I got that strength, but I was going to survive because he was trying to go for my neck. And why I was putting my arms up like that."

Calhoun was able to signal a jeep passing by as the dog was distracted.

"And I was able to run over to the truck but he saw me again and came after me again. I was able to get in the truck before he get to me."

June says the dog ripped the skin on her right wrist. She also has bites on her left hand, arm and knee. Her right shoulder was also injured in the attack.

The pit bull was unlicensed. The Mahoning County dog warden expected to file charges for failure to control and failure to license. The dog was being quarantined in the owner's possession.  

Youngstown Ohio regulates pit bulls but Ohio pit bull activists ignore attacks like the one on Mrs. Calhoun and are demanding removal of Youngstown BSL.  There have been no offers by pit bull advocacy to cover Mrs. Calhoun's medical bills.  

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5/13/2015

West Chester Ohio

Butler County

A tiny Poodle was attacked by a pit bull, and a Cane Corso mix at a school bus stop, in full view of the Poodle owner, her  children, neighborhood children, AND a school bus full of children.  Watch the video here.  These children are traumatized, the neighbors are traumatized and the dogs are at large regularly. "I heard all this screaming, and I ran out, and Gracie was over in the next yard, laying in the grass with this huge open wound, looked like no hair and no skin," neighbor Nan Adler said. The two adult dogs involved in the attack on little Gracie the poodle are frequent offenders, West Chester police took them to the Butler County dog warden's facility a month prior to this attack.   

Our old friend Kurt Merbs makes this statement on camera " "Unfortunately, the dog actually has to die to make the dog dangerous," Merbs said. "To stipulate a dog is dangerous, it has to bite a person, which in this case it did not, or it has to kill another dog."

Little Gracie lived, she was released to go home six days after the attack.  As Merbs has stated, the pit bull and the Cane Corso mix will not be designated as dangerous.  

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In honor of yesterday's National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day we will end this post with the image of another child killed by a pit bull. The child is Mia DeRouen, 4 years old, killed by Niko, the dog in the photo.  This monster pit bull was owned by Mia's mother's boyfriend.   Mia was killed inside her mother's apartment as she and her mother watched television together.  When police arrived in response to the 911 call the dog was so violent that Mia had to be handed out a bedroom window to first responders for transport to a hospital. The pit bull was shot by police. It required 13 bullets to stop Niko.  

Ohio Pit Bull Roundup, installment #1

This is a ragged collection of Ohio pit bull attacks.  It is very difficult to keep up with Ohio pit bulls.  There is no explanation for the failure of any logical order here other than the sheer numbers of incidents.  This post will have to be broken into several manageable installments.  Please enjoy installment #1.

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The verdict is guilty in the case of a Toledo couple charged after the pit bull attack on a mentally disabled woman living in their home.  The victim, Susan Demski, was the sister of Norman Demski who was found guilty on charges of patient endangerment, a first degree misdemeanor.  He faces up to six months in jail.

Norman's wife Susan faces up to a year in prison on charges of attempted assault.


Norman and Susan Demski


The Demski home.

For more information please click here.


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3/3/2015
Toledo Ohio

Here is an update on Jovie the underweight pit bull puppy in Toledo Ohio.  At 8 months old Jovie is now up to 19 pounds and is described by the Toledo Blade as "feisty".  This is the Toledo Blade so Jean Keating is heavily quoted for those who follow Ms. Keating's breed specific advocacy.

Late update.  Jovie has died following surgery to correct intestinal malformations.

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3/3/2015
Warren Ohio

Let me know when this story makes sense.  A 25 year old woman was bitten on the hip by a brown and white pit bull.  She was still bleeding when police arrived at the scene.  A police officer spotted the pit bull with a second dog nearby (breed of the second dog was not reported).  Both dogs were reportedly aggressive and were very close to a church where a funeral was in progress and 80 people were standing outside.  One dog was snared by police, the brown and white pit bull ran to a nearby house.  An officer spoke to the owner of the house, she is also apparently the owner of both dogs.  She told police that she can't control the dogs, they don't have their vaccinations, they are not licensed, there is no insurance AND she can't afford the $56 fee to surrender the dogs to the Trumbell County dog kennel so police LEFT THE DOGS WITH HER.  What?????  

This statement comes from Gwen Logan, executive dog warden for the Trumbell County dog kennel “Dog wardens in Ohio have the authority to take stray animals. By law we don’t have to take owner dogs,” Logan said. She added that animal-rescue organizations are the place to turn to if someone has a dog that they can’t afford and can’t handle.

How is the safety of the public served when vicious dogs are left with incompetent dog owners BECAUSE they are incompetent, irresponsible, and financially incapable of taking care of their dogs?

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3/3/2015
Middletown Ohio



Residents of Mark Kumpf's territory came up with this interesting attack story.   A two year old girl was reportedly bitten by a neighborhood dog while building a snowman with her father in the backyard of her grandparent's home in Middletown.  The father, Tyler Smith, of Dayton, told police that he grabbed the dog by the neck and choked it until it released his daughter. Quite the hero. Smith then drove his child to a local medical facility, the child was transported to Dayton Children's Hospital where she received 80 stitches to her face.

A local resident was cited for dog at large but she stated that her dog was confined at home at the time of the attack but had been at large earlier in the day.  Per Scott.net " Today, police told this news outlet that the family may have devised their story in order to spare the family pet. 

"We received further information last night," said Middletown Police Major Mark Hoffman. "At this point, we believe it was the family dog, the victim's own dog bit her." 

According to a police report, Kimberly Brumett-Smith told police that Tyler Smith, her son, sent her a text message telling her not to tell the truth to the police. Brumett-Smith told police it was actually her dog, which she described as a brown pit bull, that bit her granddaughter in the face at her residence. 

"We will be looking at withdrawing the charges on the other dog (owner), if we can determine it was not indeed running loose," Hoffman said. 

An anonymous caller told police that "several people who were present in the residence on Woodlawn had made up the story so that they would not get in trouble and that their dog will not be taken," according to the police report." 


The Smith Family.


Monroe Smith

The Journal News tells us that Monroe Smith's parents had plans for her to enter beauty pageants prior to the pit bull attack that scarred her face.  

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3/5/2015
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation

This will just make your day if you are an Ohio taxpayer.  A convicted murderer won a judgement against the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation because he was bitten by a dog that was part of a state prison adopt-a-dog program.   It is possible that the dog mentioned in this Toledo Blade article is the dog in question, if not they it was a program just like Toledo's.  Here is a quote from an article on dogs in the program "One that had gone for behavior-modification training with the Prisoners Helping Dogs program at Toledo Correctional Institution bit his inmate trainer over a toy and was killed."

Background on the Behavior Modification Program.  Toledo is possibly the most pit bull positive city in the world, absolutely the most pit bull positive in Ohio.  Toledo is also over run with pit bulls that find themselves in the Lucas County Canine Care and Control facility run by Lucas County Dog Warden Julie Lyle.  A quote from the Blade "With less than a week remaining, a 60-day pilot program at Lucas County Canine Care & Control to cut down on the killing of food-guarding dogs has resulted in more dogs killed than saved.  “We have mixed results at this point,” shelter Director Julie Lyle said. “We’re going to finish it out and see what we’ve got,” she said. The program that began March 5 provides constant access to food, a technique called free-feeding, for dogs that freeze or growl over a food bowl but who do well in all other areas of their behavior evaluations."

Dogs in shelters are temperament tested prior to being offered for adoption.  Part of the protocol tests the dog's behavior around food.  For public safety reasons dogs behaving in an aggressive manner and failing the test are not offered to the public, may be offered to rescues (who then offer the dogs to the public)  or may be euthanized.  Julie Lyle's job is to protect the safety of the public and she has done her job responsibly by humanely euthanizing dogs failing the behavior assessment.

Please read the linked Toledo Blade article for more information and lunacy.  Please note the slant on long suffering Lucas County Dog Warden Julie Lyle.  She is doing the job she was hired to do folks.

As usual, I have digressed.  Back to Vincent Doan, age 42, serving a life sentence for the kidnapping and aggravated murder of his girlfriend in 1996.  Doan filed a negligence lawsuit against prison officials after he was attacked by a dog at the Correctional Reception Center.  Per the Columbus Dispatch " Doan claimed he suffered permanent disfigurement and nerve damage when he was mauled by the dog, losing part of his nose and receiving a hole in his cheek. 
He claimed prison officials were aware the dog was vicious and were negligent in allowing inmates to care for the animal. Inmates are assigned to care for and train homeless dogs that then are made available for adoption by the public." 

Doan will receive a $7500 settlement.

Taxpayers are picking up all the bills here, Doan will be a taxpayer liability for as long as he lives. Taxpayers are paying the bills for municipal shelters and the programs they run.  Taxpayers usually pay the bills for attack victims, medical bills for pit bull attack victim Zainabou Drame total roughly a million dollars with no end in sight.  Taxpayers will pay the settlement to Doan.  Money well spent? I don't think so.  Some dogs can't be saved, they are, for whatever reason, not suited for life in our communities.  They are dangerous and "training" to pass behavior evaluations is wasting taxpayer dollars and puts the public at  risk.  


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12/13/2014
DAYTON Ohio

A twelve year old Dayton child reported that he was charged and chased by two dogs described as pit bulls as he was walking to school.  The boy was able to make it back home, his father had to take his son to school. Animal Control reported that the dogs were pit bulls and were not licensed. It is not clear if the Animal Control officers were employed by the city of Dayton or the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center run by Montgomery County dog warden Mark Kumpf.

The pit bull owner was cited and a hole in the owner's fence was found that allowed the pit bulls to escape and menace the public.   Shocking that this would happen in Dayton.
 

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2/1/2015
DAYTON again.

Here is the story.  A 14 year old boy took his pit bull, named "Menace", for a walk.  The boy's mother reported that a neighbor's pit bull, named "Jada" ran from a backyard and attempted to bite her son.  The boy told police that before Jada could lunge at him Menace jumped into action, positioning himself between Jada and the boy.  At this point Jada attacked Menace, biting Menace on the side of his head.  Jada's owner ran from his house and was able to take his mauler home.

Menace displayed a punctured ear with part of the ear missing.

Jada's owner told police that he was in his yard grilling dinner with Jada off leash and free to roam.  Jada ran out of  the yard and down the street to attack Menace.  Jada's owner was bitten while trying to regain control of the charming Jada.   Jada's owner was cited.  Shocking that this would happen in Dayton.


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1/29/2015
Cincinnati Ohio

While Cincinnati pit bull advocates lobby for laws soft on pit bulls, pit bull victim Brandon Williams of Newport Tennessee was driven to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati for surgery to improve his hearing since both of his ears were torn off in a pit bull attack.  Reports indicate that teh surgery was successful.  In August 2011 Brandon was carrying packages to a neighbor's home when he was attacked by the pit bulls.  This was Brandon's fifth surgery.

Shriners members transport patients to the hospital and back home, all costs for treatment and surgeries are paid by the Shriners. This is a very fine organization, fine hospital, very worthy of support by the public.  I am proud that my family members honor my birthday and Christmas with contributions to the Shriners Hospital for Children made in my name.  This pleases me very much.


Brandon Williams, honor roll student and pit bull victim.

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12/23/2014
Youngstown Ohio

From the "wouldn't mandatory neuter and spay be more humane than this?" files.  A pit bull was found at large in the McGuffey Road area with an arrow in his face, just below his right eye.  Rick Tunison of the Mahoning County Dog Warden's office stated the pit bull is expected to make a full recovery after surgery. It is not known who shot the dog, a neighborhood resident claims to own it.  For video of the capture please click here.  This pit bull does not appear to be troubled by the arrow even a little bit. Capture of the dog took about an hour and involved police, humane agents, and a deputy dog warden.  The costs of efforts like this are not recognized by those who claim that breed specific legislation is expensive for taxpayers.
 

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I will try to make the Ohio pit bull roundup a weekly event.  It gets out of control very quickly.

Pit bull roundup 6/5/2013

I always intend to keep up to date with Ohio pit bull news but it just gets ahead of me.  I will try to catch up. There will a very random order to this mess.

Here is a good one to start with.
Dayton Ohio, June 2, 2013

A Dayton area grandmother, out for her regular four mile walk was attacked by a "large white dog."  The breed of dog is not named.  A bit of back story, a recent development on breed specific advocacy blogs and facebook pages urges breed specific advocates to pressure news media to omit the breed of dog instead of the insane statements of breed defense that have become so very common.

Please watch the video and name that dog.

Per the victim, she was walking past a home when the home owner let his dog out.  The dog attacked the walker without provocation, as the victim stated "this dog was not playing."  The dog owner walked over and pulled his dog off the victim. She asked him to call for police and an ambulance and he told her it was not necessary!!!!   She struggled home and made the calls herself.

The victim very reasonably wants the dog owner to be punished for breaking the law.  This punishment would involve the Montgomery County Dog Warden, Mark Kumpf, vocal supporter of HB 14.  The law that Mr. Kumpf promoted as a way for dog wardens to deal with vicious dogs sets out a complex procedure to declare a dog vicious.  It is Mark Kumpf's job to set the process in motion and I hope he does it.  For those who might want to review the process, click here.

For record keeping purposes, in the 15 months since the Ohio Legislature passed the bill that proponents promised would "finally give dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs" there have been four fatal dog attacks in Ohio.

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May 11, 2013
Dayton again.

Two pit bull dogs were removed from cages in the back yard of an abandoned home.  The cages were filled with fecal matter, no food was reported, minimal dirty water was available.  The neighbor who called in the complaint stated the dogs howled all night.  She also stated that no one had lived in the house since last winter, "someone" stops by occasionally to feed the dogs.  Sometimes a pit bull's worst nightmare is his owner.

Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden is apparently a busy man.

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May 28, 2013
Dayton again, who would have thought?

Five dogs were pulled from homes on Helena Street and Brightwood Ave.  This is an apparent dog fighting operation.  The article calls the dogs "mixed breeds" but the video shows, wait for it....
pit bulls.  One seldom stumbles upon bands of dog fighters using Golden Retrievers or Chihuahuas.



Per whiotv.com, two of the dogs were so severely injured that they were euthanized.  In an on-camera interview Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden stated that the injuries indicated that the dogs were "forced to fight" and that an investigation is in progress.

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May 28, 2013
Dayton Ohio, what are the chances?

A 79 year old woman was bitten by her neighbor's dog.  She believes the dog to be a pit bull.  She was treated at the scene.  



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May 21, 2013
Mansfield Ohio

A tipster reported a man videotaping his pit bull killing a cat.

According to the report three or four men were walking two pit bulls. The men were seen chasing cats out from under parked cars toward the dogs, who caught and killed them.  Police were unable to locate the men but did find a dead cat on the sidewalk.  Richland County Dog Warden  Dave Jordan stated the perpetrators could face a second-degree misdemeanor, which might rate a maximum 90 day jail sentence and a $750 fine.

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May 10, 2013
Youngstown Ohio

An abandoned commercial building on Market street was raided by Youngstown police and dog wardens. Per Deputy Dog Warden Dave Nelson all the signs of dog fighting were there.  Blood, bleach, and a cash box were found in the building.  Urine and feces were found in every room.  The only dog on the premises was a "friendly female pit bull that appeared to have just had puppies."



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April 22, 2013
Toledo Ohio

In a story not reported by the Toledo Blade, four people were sent to local hospitals with a variety of injuries after they intervened in an attack by a pit bull on another dog.  Witnesses stated that the pit bull had been at large for much of the day prior to attacking the other dog.  Police tried to subdue the pit bull but were unable to do so, they shot it to protect the public.  Witness  Jeremiah Colston stated "I saw the dog chewing up some people,"There was just so much blood."

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June 2, 2013
Wellsville Ohio

An eighteen year old girl was attacked by a dog reported to be an American Bulldog, which is a pit bull derivative.  The story is a tangled one involving a domestic dispute, possibly over cell phones.  As is frequently done, the attack was described as a "freak thing" a dog just protecting his master.  Per The Morning Journal "Neighbor Sheryl Colgrove, who lives across the street, said she is familiar with the dog, and at one time wanted to buy it. "He's not vicious. He knows me," she said, identifying the dog as an American bulldog named Hoss.

"This is the first time he's ever done anything likes this. He's not aggressive at all," she said. "That took everybody by surprise."

 Victim Tina Springer was life flighted to Allegheny General Hospital.  Dog owner Amanda Bender explains the attack in this article from the Reviewonline.com.  Feel free to read the details.  Bender makes the required statements "the attack was uncharacteristic of a dog that, before Saturday, had been the ideal pet since the couple acquired it earlier this year.

"I don't think he should be put down. He is such a sweet dog," she said. "He's never been aggressive."Bender said she doesn't understand the dog's actions, especially since Springer and the dog have gotten along well. "He was laying on her lap on the couch. He loves that woman," she said. "Our children have known it since it was a puppy."

Bender said she wouldn't want her children around the dog now. The fact that the attack happened in her home haunts her.

"I keep waking up in cold sweats," she said. "I'm still dreaming about it and wishing it never happened."

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May 18, 2013
Letter to the editor of the ChillicotheGazette.com

The letter writer begins with the title "Dog Attacks More Common Than You Think."  She talks about her beloved Springer Spaniel/Beagle mix named Pippin, and the very special relationship between the dog and her young son.  She goes on to describe the attack on her dog, in her yard, by two pit bulls.  A neighbor drove off the pit bulls and called her at work, she rushed home and took  Pippin to a local vet.  Pippin lived only 48 hours after the attack, the letter writer does not give a dollar figure for the treatment of her dog.  I'm sure the bill is huge.

She does state that authorities had no trouble locating the pit bulls, the dogs had FOUR prior charges.  She lists them.  The dogs were found, and again returned to the owners. The pit bull owners did not bother to show up for their hearing on May 3rd, did not pay their fine, have not paid medical expenses for Pippin or the other injured dogs despite promises to do so.  Pippin's owner was not permitted to give the judge her side of the story.  So just how is Ohio's new law, written by breed specific advocates at an out of state animal rights PAC, helping dog wardens deal with vicious dogs?

Who speaks for the gentle Pippins of this state?  Who speaks for the children who love them?

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May 7, 2013
Letter to the Editor of the ChillicotheGazette.com

"Vicious Dogs Have No Place In Chillicothe"
This letter writer describes TWO pit bull attacks on her little dog named J Puppy, both attacks were by the same dog.  Sadly, J Puppy did not survive  the second attack.  The letter writer states that police did exactly what they were supposed to do but the courts let her down.  Please remember that Ohio's new law promises to protect Ohio residents by giving dog wardens the "tools they need to deal with vicious dogs."

The dog owner's attorney was able to postpone so many times that the judge apparently got bored, reduced the charges and allowed the pit bull owner to walk away.  This is a quote from the letter "This is what happened the first time my puppy and I were attacked. All the judge heard was one side of the story. I did not get a chance to tell the judge what happened. I was knocked to the ground so hard that I broke my elbow and wrist.

Is this justice? Why wasn’t I allowed to tell the judge what happened to me? When is enough, enough? What’s it going to take to have these dogs removed from the home — will it be a child mauled or killed? Should another animal’s life be taken by these vicious dogs?

I talked to the dog warden and she said they cannot remove the dogs, only a court can do that."

Why don't Judges in Chillicothe allow victims to speak?  The letter writer asks the question and it is an excellent question "What has happened to justice in Chillicothe?"

For more information on this attack please click here.

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April 26, 2013
Milan Ohio

A Cocker Spaniel mix named Ruggles was attacked inside the home of the owner by a pit bull that entered when the home owner opened the back door.  The Cocker Spaniel was dragged from the home by the pit bull.  When deputies arrived they had to beat the pit bull in order to get it to release Ruggles. Ruggles was treated at the Lorain Animal Clinic and did survive.

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South Toledo Ohio
In an article published 4/12/2013, Carl Steward of Toledo was indicted on six counts of dog fighting for allegedly possessing six pit bull dogs that investigators state were "trained for dog fighting."  Police found the dogs while investigating a report of a break in at Steward's home. Also found in the home were dog training equipment, syringes, and drugs commonly given to dogs.  

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April 1, 2013
Montgomery County Ohio

A sad end to a search for one of two pit bulls that escaped from their owner's home through a hole in a fence.  One of the dogs was found a week later and returned to the owners through the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center (Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden).  Several weeks later the remaining pit bull was found shot to death.  "The dog had been shot in the head and dumped at the location. It had wounds consistent with being in a dogfight, according to ARC Director Mark Kumpf.  Kumpf said he believes Onyx was grabbed by a third party and forced to fight another dog. Kumpf said he believes it was killed by the handler when it lost the fight."  “He was victimized because of his breed,” Kumpf said.

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $5000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the death of this dog.  This is a heinous crime but the HSUS does not offer rewards like this for information leading to arrest and conviction of owners of pit bulls that maul and kill other dogs.  Why is that? Did the HSUS consider a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction the three or four Mansfield Ohio men that chased peaceful cats out from under cars so they could videotape their dogs killing them?   Nope.   

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3/6/2013

Ravenna Ohio

From the "a pit bull's worst nightmare may well be its owner files" the Portage County APL is investigating the death of a female pit bull found in an empty parking lot.  An APL spokesman stated that the dog had a TV cable tightly embedded in her neck and extra cable wrapped around her body, a rope was hanging out of her mouth and the body appeared to have been dragged by a vehicle.

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3/26/2013

Akron Ohio

More from the "a pit bull's worst nightmare may well be its owner" file. The owner of twelve starving pit bull mixes found in an Akron house entered a guilty plea on animal cruelty charges and has been ordered to pay $1500 and will not be allowed to own a dog for a period of five years.  This dog owner was very fortunate and the guilty plea was a good idea.  Also found in the home were a treadmill, bite sticks and syringes.  Animal cruelty is a misdemeanor, dog fighting is a felony.  

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3/22/2013

Massilon Ohio

A dog was shot by a Stark County Deputy Dog Warden.  The dog warden was responding to a call and got out of his vehicle on a public roadway.  He was rushed by three "American Bulldog pit bull type dogs."  The dogs became so aggressive that he was forced to use his gun in self defense, wounding one of the dogs. The deputy transported the injured dog to a veterinary clinic for treatment.  The dog is expected to make a full recovery.  The owner of the dogs was charged with failure to control, failure to vaccinate and failure to register the dogs.      

An investigation of the incident determined that the deputy followed procedures and properly acted in self defense.  

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April 19, 2013

Sandusky Ohio  

The quick actions of two Sandusky police officers are credited with saving a 74 year old man and his jack Russel Terrier from two attacking pit bulls.  The victim, Paul Aviles, had bite marks on his hands and arms, the injuries to the Jack Russel are not given.  This quote is from the Sandusky Register "“Officers observed two pit bulls around a male subject lying prone face down on the ground,” a Sandusky police report said. “This subject, later identified as Paul Aviles, was lying still on the ground with these two dogs circling around him. They kept on nudging at Aviles as if they were attempting to get to something underneath him.” 

Sandusky police Officer Brad Wilson jumped out of his cruiser and yelled at the dogs, one of which charged at him. He zapped one dog with a Taser, prompting both animals to run off.  

“When Aviles stood up he was holding onto a small dog,” the report said. 

Aviles and the dog were covered in blood. Officers put them into the cruiser, then ran after the pit bulls. 

One of the pit bulls fell down, then got up and charged, the report said. When an officer zapped it with a Taser again, it died. Officers then snared the other dog and took it to the Erie County dog pound."  

The 42 year old owner of  the pit bulls, Rebecca Hush, was charged with two counts of dogs at large. 

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For more information on Mark Kumpf, Montgomery County Dog Warden, and his involvement with the passage of HB 14, the law that deregulated pit bulls in Ohio and created the nightmare "due process" for the owners of vicious dogs please click here