Newark again. An old post with an unexplained number of page views bumps to the top of the blog.

An old post has received a tremendous number of page views in the last couple of weeks.  Why?

Mystery solved. Newark Councilman Rath has, zombie like, returned to  the pit bull issue. The election of new city council members has given him hope that his illogical quest might be successful this time. It failed last time and it was reported that Councilman Rath was in tears in city council chambers when the vote was taken.

What is the issue? Glad you asked!  Newark bans bit bulls but pit bull owners can exempt their pit bulls from all local regulations by simply training their dog to pass the AKC CGC test, a very simple little test.  Complete exemption, easy as pie.  Any reasonable dog should be able to pass with ease.  It appears that Newark pit bulls are unable to manage even this.  It was  reported that in the first year of the program only 3 pit bulls achieved exemption.

What might the answer be for Newark pit bull advocates?  Try again to drop the breed ban so the city can be filled with even more pit bulls that can't pass a simple test, this is their answer.  Last time pit bull advocacy (let no one forget that the huge numbers of pit bull advocates turning up at city council meetings are not Newark residents, this is a time tested tactic, fill up the room with pit bull owners to create a false sense of community support) challenged the Newark pit bull ban,  continued pit bull attacks in Newark made the news regularly.  Pit bull advocates took no notice and continued to advocate for complete deregulation.  Their thought process was "the breed ban is not protecting Newark from pit bull attacks so lets drop the ban and fill up Newark with even more bit bulls that are not insured, contained, or neutered and spayed."

What? Is that logical?    

In any case, I'm going to bump the most popular post and throw in whatever else turns up about Newark a bit later.  This post, originally a pit bull round up,  first appeared in April of 2015.  The title was " A rescue rising star with resume problems, lawmakers who read the news, attacks, shootings, and hysteria. Your average pit bull roundup."  I have edited out the average roundup material and left the Newark material.
                                                    * * *

In no particular order, we will begin.  The first story takes a detour that I did not expect.  Please enjoy the scenery.  

"Mixed breeds, pit bulls, Labs bit the most in 2014." This is a stat filled article published last January in the Newark Advocate before the final vote on possible repeal of Newark pit bull regulations.  (Spoiler alert, pit bulls will continue to be regulated in Newark). Here is the quote that sums it up "Newark police took reports on 71 dog bites throughout 2014, with 12 of those attributed to unidentified mixed-breed dogs. Another 10 were attributed to pit bulls or pit bull mixes." Keep in mind that at the time this article was written pit bulls were banned in Newark unless certain conditions were met. 

Here is a second quote from the Newark Advocate article "So far in 2015, Newark police have taken reports of three bites, all of which were by pit bulls"  More on the three pit bull attacks logged Newark in January.  From the Newark Advocate, dated 1/30/2015 we find that a bite was reported 1/29/2015.  The victim told police that his neighbors dog had bitten him unprovoked and that he believes the dog to be a pit bull.  On 1/20/2015 a man was reported to have been bitten in the face by a pit bull.  On 1/12/2015 a man's dog was reportedly attacked by a pit bull and the man was bitten on the hand while trying to separate the pit bull from his dog. Per the Newark Advocate. "Police Sgt Paul Davis said police do take and receive reports of dog bites involving dogs that are not classified as pit bulls, but Newark has not received any so far this year.“Pit bulls are the majority,” Davis said. No other reports of dog bites have been taken by Newark police in 2015."

 Quick review, pits are banned in Newark unless the pit has passed the AKC GCC test.  This is a quick and simple test and one would think that pit bull owners would line up for it, just passing the test exempts the pit bull from regulation. One would be wrong, only THREE pit bulls have achieved exempt status since this option was made available to pit bull owners in 2013, all other pit bulls in Newark are illegally owned.

The article includes a quote so foolish that I include it here.  The quote is from Steffen Baldwin, president and CEO of the Animal Cruelty Task Force, a private and non government affiliated animal rescue group despite the very official sounding name.  Here is the quote " If you take a dog out of an environment and you put it in a new one, its behavior will change."  "It's not the breed, its not some genetic thing from 200 years ago... It's  all about the environment the dog is being put in."  Mr. Baldwin lives in Marysville Ohio in Union County, he does not live in Newark Ohio but spoke to the Newark City Council in favor of deregulation of pit bulls.  The majority of the City Council did not buy it and eventually voted to retain their pit bull ban.  This may indicate that the majority of city council members did not sleep through high school science classes where genetics was taught.  Changing a dog's address does not change the actual dog.  Recent news accounts of maulings by newly adopted pit bulls and fatal attacks by newly adopted or fostered pit bulls make this clear.  *See links at the bottom of this post.*

Here is where we take the detour, video of the city council meeting where Mr Baldwin spoke is posted online and I spent some time watching it.   Click here and you can watch it yourself. I recommend it.  At 3:58 into the video Steffen Baldwin gets up to speak.  Note the back of his jacket, it says Animal Cruelty Task Force in large yellow letters. Sounds legal doesn't it?  It is a private humane society in Union County Ohio not an entity of any level of government. Mr. Baldwin goes on to state that he has been requested to come to Newark and speak to the city council.  At 8:37 Baldwin goes on to speak briefly of the Mike Vick dogs that were rehabilitated and served as therapy dogs.  WHAT? A google search tells us that three of the 50 Vick pit bulls have participated in hospital visits.  The huge majority of the Vick pit bulls lived in sanctuaries or in extremely controlled situations.  Some were hit by cars, two were involved in an attack at Best Friends Animal Society where a non Vick pit bull named Beans was decapitated by a Vick pit and that pit went on to maul and nearly kill another of the other Vick pits.  Despite constant training some of the Vick pits took fully six years or more to pass the AKC CGC.  For more information click here. 

After the foolish quote from the January Newark Advocate article and the Mike Vick "rehabilitated fighting pit bull therapy dogs" remark I HAD to know more about Baldwin.  Here is how Baldwin describes himself and his organization taken from his Linked In page"Since leaving the military at the end of 2001 I have spent the last thirteen years employed in the nonprofit sector with increasing levels of responsibility beginning with the YMCA in an entry level position, and spending the last eight years as an Executive Director. Most recently, I have taken my nonprofit skills along with my experience with animals and as a Humane Agent, to form my own private nonprofit organization known as the Animal Cruelty Taskforce of Ohio, or ACT Ohio, to provide free animal cruelty investigation services to rural counties in need."

Here is how it works, Ohio revised code only allows a Humane agent to work in the county where they live so ACT Ohio pays for the required training of a volunteer in that county and pays that volunteer mileage for calls.  All good so far.  ACT Ohio has volunteers in several counties. Humane investigations are fine and necessary, go for it. 

We understand the business, lets understand the businessman. 

Lets begin by taking a look at the resume that Mr. Baldwin AKA Steffen Evan Finkelstein, has posted on Linked In.  Start at the bottom with Education, The United States Military Academy at West Point 1999 to 2001 (three years) with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, wow!  West Point has a Cadet Honor Code.  Keep this in mind.

There is no graduation date but the intent is clear, those looking at this material are supposed to think Baldwin went to West Point. Here is the problem, West Point does not offer a bachelor's degree program in Philosophy.  West Point is the Army, they train those who they feel are officer material for fields that benefit the army. Philosophy does not fit here. It must be also be noted that West Point is a four year program, no exceptions.

Do you accept transfer students?

No. Students in college or with previous college credit may apply to West Point if they meet the basic requirements. However, those students still enter West Point as plebes (freshmen) and must complete the four-year program.

Just above Education we find work experience. 

The first listing is United States Army Imagery Ground Station Operator/Paratrooper with dates July 1998 to December 2001.  How did one person spend three years at West Point to get a four year degree in a field that is not offered by West Point and in the same time frame serve as a Ground Station Operator and Paratrooper, discharged from the Army in 3 years and six months ? 

Six months after Army discharge Baldwin begins an entry level job as a Youth Sports Coordinator, current salary for this position is $11 per hour.  

Also listed at the YMCA is a job as After School CAPS Supervisor, CAPS is a before and after school program for children in Kindergarten through 5th grade and the pay range would be expected to be about the same. The YMCA jobs are listed as June 2002 through August 2005.  This is apparently part time.  From June 2003 to August 2006 Baldwin has another part time job.  He served as a Funds Development Manager for a drug treatment facility.  From a pair of $11 an hour part time jobs at the Y to another part time job as a Funds Development Manager?  Logical?  Not particularly. 

It gets more illogical.  The next job is listed as Executive Director for the Victor Valley Community Hospital Foundation (a community hospital that went bankrupt in 2010).

At this point Baldwin is about 26 years old with no documented bachelor's degree much less an MBA and he is Executive Director of a hospital foundation? Logical?  Not particularly. Baldwin has only one recommendation on his Linked In page, someone from this period. She refers to him as an "exuberant Development Director." 

In 2008 Baldwin comes to Ohio for a position as Executive Director of the Union County Humane Society, a private Humane Society with more members on the Board of Directors than actual employees.    Baldwin quit this job in 2013 stating that his heart was in the field and with Humane investigations 

According to a post on his Facebook page dated March 10th the resignation was not that simple. He had been written up for what his board of directors considered to be inappropriate use of time "spending too much time on animal cruelty investigation work" and described that write up as "humiliating." In response he incorporated his own private humane society, ACT Ohio.  Baldwin lists himself as founder and CEO. ACT Ohio has two full time employees, Baldwin and an office manager.  Be clear about this, Baldwin considers ACT Ohio a business, he refers to the ACT Ohio facebook page as his "business page."  Checking Guidestar for ACT Ohio tells us that the organization does have 501c3 status (the ACT Ohio website does not include this information) and files the 990N tax form for non profits.  This tells us a bit about the financial side of ACT Ohio, less than $50,000 a year in gross receipts. 

Baldwin has not removed or updated the status of his failed  consulting business from his Linked In resume.  His failed tattoo parlor, Lions and Lambs, in Marysville never made the resume.  A PDF of the Linked In resume has been saved.

Baldwin was interested in joining the staff at Franklin County Shelter as Director very recently. He did not get the job.
   

 Resumes are submitted for jobs and background checks are done.  Even the most casual review of Baldwin's resume turns up what we have looked at here.  Resumes that have gaps and obvious overstatements of qualifications are do not bring job offers.  Mr. Baldwin found this out. 

But cheer up Steffen, life is about to get better.  You have aligned yourself with Best Friends Animal Society (motto - Bullying City Councils and State Legislatures in Order to Deny Home Rule Rights for Self Determination and Public Safety Everywhere) for assistance in fighting Newark Ohio's pit bull regulations. (Baldwin also lobbied in St. Marys Ohio after city council voted to regulate pit bulls. St. Marys is in Auglaize County, Baldwin has no business here either).  Why is it Baldwin's calling to negotiate with an out of state PAC to change law in a community where he does not reside in a county where he does not  reside?  It is not legal for Baldwin to act a Humane Officer in another county but he feels comfortable in continuing attempts to change law there even after the city councils have voted no on the proposal?

 Best Friends Animal Society is the out of state animal rights PAC that wrote HB 14, the epic fail bill to deregulate pit bulls in Ohio and "finally give dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs."  Not so much. Nine Ohio residents were killed by dogs of several breeds in the first two years after passage of HB 14.  Deaths in the previous DECADE?  Six.  The bill protects violent dogs and their owners at the expense of the peaceful public. At least two bills are expected to be introduced into the new General Assembly to clean up the mess left by HB 14.  Best Friends is also pushing for bills to be introduced in multiple state legislatures to prohibit BSL, denying the home rule rights of cities fed up with pit bull attacks and fed up with tax supported shelters housing unplaceable pit bulls for months to years.  So far this year Best Friends attempts to pass laws to prohibit BSL have failed in Arizona, Montana, Kentucky and Washington State.  An additional fact - Rhode Island has a bill to reverse the anti-BSl bill passed there last year.

Money comes with partnering with Best Friends and pit bull advocacy is all about donation dollars.  Best Friends Animal Society shamelessly and boldly promotes pit bulls in complete denial of the reality of pit bull violence, spending endless streams of cash on lawyers and lobbyists.  Why do pit bulls require this level of advocacy?  If pit bulls are what Best Friends Animal Society claims they are shelters would have no problem placing them.  This Facebook post made by Steffen Baldwin has already been removed but a screen shot was saved.  Apparently someone at Best Friends advised Mr. Baldwin to hide the evidence.

Lee Greenwood is a Massachusetts based legislative attorney for Best Friends Animal Society headquartered in Utah.  Greenwood began his employment with Best Friends in 2014 and is already active in Kentucky, Georgia, and Delaware that I know of and probably more than that.  Greenwood is only one of many lawyers and lobbyists employed by Best Friends, Best Friends has lobbyists in all states.  Is there a comparable coast to coast cabal of consultants, lawyers, and lobbyists for Collies or Corgis?  For Poodles or Pugs?  Beagles or Bichons?  No, normal dogs do not require this level of advocacy.  

Expect more of Steffen's story in a self published book expected this summer.  Baldwin's words "so stay tuned for that in a few months and thank you to everyone who has followed either the business page or my personal page in the past two years"

I suspect that Baldwin may be a genuinely kind and altruistic person but he has made self promotion a life's work.  I am genuinely sorry for his troubles but he is blind to opposing points of view, like those of the victims of his beloved dogs.

Back to where we started with this detour, West Point has a cadet honor code, "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do."  Wise words and a valuable policy.  Mr. Baldwin, I suspect you find this post eventually, the section at the bottom was written for you. 
 

Back to Newark and the end of the detour. If you can get through Baldwin's remarks to the city council on the video, the next speaker is another non-local, a representative of another out of county Humane society who is anxious to place pit bulls with families in Newark.  It is to the shelter's advantage to have the dogs unregulated and without insurance requirements. 

                                                        * * *

This is information that has apparently been missed by Steffen Baldwin and other breed specific advocates. Possibly missed because these breed specific advocates are on the road constantly to make speeches defending the breed not at home reading the news.  If there is a similar list featuring Beagles adopted out of shelters, or Poodles, or Pugs I would like to see it.  This section is mostly a personal message to Mr. Baldwin.  When he speaks in public he admits that there are large differences of opinion on pit bulls but gives little credence or consideration to victims.  I would like him to see the other side of the pit bull problem.

Pit bull mauls the family that adopted it from a Philadelphia shelter on day two in the adoptive household.   The shelter's original response was that the dog "was very friendly that's why it was allowed to be adopted by the family "   Don the pit bull was a half price special at the shelter's "St. Pitty's day adoption event.


But wait, Don the pit bull has a bit of history.   The shelter had previously placed Don with a foster who returned Don the very next day because he attacked another pit bull in her home causing injuries that ran up a $700 vet bill. The foster responsibly reported the attack and she spoke to a reporter of her conversation with a representative of ACCT"I said to her, 'That dog attacked my dog, what if it attacks a kid?' She said, 'Don't worry about it, he won't do that,'" "I couldn't believe it. That poor family, the kids - it could have been my kids. How can someone sleep at night knowing that they adopted that dog out knowing that it viciously attacked my dog,"  

Note, the people in the photo with Don are volunteers at ACCT who promoted the dog relentlessly.
Did rescue by the shelter and TWO attempts at rehoming change Don?  No. 

                                                                    * * *

Pappy, the  Albuquerque pit bull and a known biter was given another chance and released into a new home in the community where not surprisingly he killed another dog.  Did putting Pappy in new surroundings change him?  Absolutely not. 

                                                                * * *

Rita Woodward AKA Rita Ross suffered a heart attack as she was being mauled by dogs she was fostering for a local rescue group.  Ross's  skills as a foster were well thought of by others in the group and she specialized in pit bulls.  When police arrived the dogs were actively feeding on Ross's body.    Were these dogs transformed by their improved living conditions?  No.

Eugene Smith was killed by his own pit bull as he took down his Christmas tree.  Smith adopted the pit bull from a rescue group last May.  Did an improved living situation change this pit bull?  No. 



                                                                    * * *

Rita Pepe was attacked by a neighbor's pit bull as she was walking in her neighborhood.  Mrs. Pepe's injuries were severe, she died several weeks later.  The pit bull had recently been adopted from a local shelter and had escaped from the new owner's home.  Did an improvement in his living situation change Booker the pit bull?  No. 
 

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Child attacked by her new neighbor's rescued pit bull. The pit bull owner warned neighbors up front that the dog was a problem.  The child's mother told a reporter "The one who attacked her was adopted and it was abused previously," "And it had issues with women. He told us not to approach it, pet it, anything like that."  Did a change in the environment  change the dog?  No.

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An Ohio rescue group sent a pit bull to a family to foster.  Jada the pit bull spent two days in the foster home  before the father was attacked by Jada causing thousands of dollars in medical bills and a three day stay in the hospital.  Here is a quote from a news story on the attack " After the attack, the Montjoys learned Jada had been in another foster home where she had bitten. The organization retrieved Jada from the house and the next day she was put down.  “I know there is assumed risk taking a pit bull into my house,” said Greg. “But at the same time, I have the head of the rescue assuring me that this is a great dog that has been fully evaluated and is perfectly safe in my house."

Did two re-locations and two opportunities for a new life change Jada?  No they did not.

                                                               * * *

 A four year old child attacked by a pit bull adopted by his family just 4 weeks previously.  The child required airlift to a major medical center for treatment of the injuries to his face.  Below  is a photo of the pit bull, that is the child's blood still on his face.  The dog was given to the family by a friend of a neighbor.  Watch the video with the link.  The child is in the hospital on a vent and his mother is telling a reporter that a great dog Smash was.  Smash's previous owner is interviewed and he states that Smash was dog aggressive but not human aggressive.  Classic.

Did relocation change this dog? Apparently not.

Do you wonder what the four year old boy's injuries might look like?  This might help.  Let me introduce a little girl named Naty, first photo is prior to her attack, second photo is a hospital photo taken after her attack in 2009.  This courageous child has a personal motto  "It's OK not to be perfect."  Remarkable.

Another before and after.  This is Kara  
Please click here to read what Kara's mother wrote about Kara's death. Kara was killed by the family pit bulls. Or you could click here to watch Roxanne Hartrich speak about Kara's death.

                                                                             * * *

I'm on a roll now with video.

Here is Dax Borchardt in the arms of his father, Jeff Borchardt.

Click here for an interview with Jeff speaking about the death of his son.

This is the after photo, how VERY sad.

Pit bull advocates might consider a donation to Daxton's Friends for Canine Education and Awareness.
                                                                             * * *

Here is Beau Rutledge.


Here is a link to video of Beau's father Jeremiah speaking of the loss of his son.  Beau was killed by the family pit bull. 

                                                              * * *

I'm going back a few years for this one but it becomes timely, follow along please. 

On April 16, 2009 five year old Frankie Flora was attacked and mauled by his aunt's pit bull as they were playing in the yard.  The pit bull was a rescue from Out of the Pits, a New York state pit bull rescue group.  Per the Out of the Pits website " "Out of the Pits, a non-profit organization founded in 1996, is dedicated to the rescue of those Pit Bulls that have been abandoned and abused. We seek to educate the public about the true nature of the Pit Bull and to restore the breed to its former position of esteem in the hearts and minds of people everywhere."

Here is the "true nature of the Pit Bull"

Before and after photos of Frankie Flora

Frankie's courageous fight for recovery led him to be named a 2010 Children's Miracle Network Ambassador and even brought Frankie a visit to the White House.
 
Here is a link to a great deal of information on Frankie, please read and remember this when you speak to city councils on your personal desire for deregulation of pit bulls. 

Here is a link to information on the Frankie Flora Bill introduced into the New York State legislature.

Frankie, his mother Maria, and state Senators Gipson and Breslin, sponsors of the Frankie Flora bill.

The New York Post has just written an article on pork-barrel grants found in the state budget.  Per the Post "Even pit bulls got love from Albany, with the budget appropriating $5,000 to Out of the Pits, a group that aids stray dogs of that breed."  What are lawmakers thinking here?  The Frankie Flora bill is still in the legislature and the legislature has awarded a grant to Out of the Pits?  

Was the pit bull rescued by Out of the Pits and placed with Frankie Flora's aunt changed by the  rescue experience?  Apparently not.  Did lawmakers in the state of New York learn anything here?  Apparently not, they awarded a grant, this is taxpayer money here, to the very organization responsible for Frankie's injuries.  It should be recognized that the all powerful and extremely well funded Animal Farm Foundation, a pit bull advocacy organization (motto - Securing Equal Treatment and Opportunity for "Pit Bull" dogs) is owned by wildly wealthy New York state heiress Jane Saul Berkey is based in New York State.   Coincidence or political pull?  

                                                                        * * *



Mr. Baldwin, if you make the choice to take risks with you and yours, that is your decision.  The communities that have voted to keep their proactive pit bull regulations have done so thoughtfully and lawfully with the intent to protect their residents from the losses suffered by these families and many others. 

I promise, this is the last one.  Consider the future of this pit bull owner, mauled by her own pit bulls, she was physically normal prior to the attack..

Click here for video of Linda Henry, she has changed her mind about pit bulls and now favors regulation.  I can give you the result of the effort to regulate pit bulls in this town.  The councilman who introduced the proposal dropped it because of death threats he received from pit bull owners.

Linda Henry

* * *

Here is a link to a recent story about a problem surfacing in Shelters and rescues in American cities, recycling known biters back into the community.  Don't miss the letter of complaint dealing with the known own biter pit bull Pappy.

This quote on the dog that attacked a child comes from Merritt Clifton's Animals 24/7

 “A pit bull named Mugsy Malone was officially declared dangerous even before he attacked a 3-year-old girl. The dog has twice come and gone from our animal shelters. The attack on the child was not enough to warrant euthanasia under our practices. Neither was the fact that Mugsy Malone killed a small dog, and also bit a man in our own facility. Mugsy Malone went on to injure a shelter volunteer, but was transferred to Fur & Feathers Animal Assistance of Pie Town. There he injured the two founders of the organization.”
This is outrageous!  Who is looking out for the safety of the public?

Apparently nobody is looking out for the safety of the public. 
3/3/15  A spokesperson for Fur and Feathers Rescue feels Mugsy Malone isn't ready to adopt out right now but she believes that he may someday be ready to go back into the community.  You can't make this stuff up.

This last article was published in 2013 but it has bearing on our topic, shelters and rescues that are committed to saving known dangerous dogs at the expense of public safety.  The Longmont Humane Society was ticketed by police on suspicion of keeping a dangerous dog, Bridgette the pit bull.  This was big, Humane societies are seldom ticketed.  The pit bull was being fostered for the Longmont Humane Society and attacked a neighbor and the neighbor's leashed dog. The ticket was the result of police awareness that a "disproportionate number of dog bite reports in the city were coming from animals adopted out of the Humane Society". Investigation into the record of Bridgette, the attacking pit bull, revealed that she had a history of biting animals and humans and had been declared dangerous in another county.  Bridgette also got into a fight at the shelter. Bridgette was in training for control of her aggression while at the shelter and shelter trainers "determined that she was progressing well" this allowed her to go to the foster (who was a shelter volunteer).  Bridgette attacked the neighbor four days later.  Did any of these changes in environment or training attempts change Bridgette? No. 

Investigation revealed that in 2012 nearly 16% of dog bites in Longmont were traced to dogs adopted out of the Longmont Humane Society.  At the time this article appeared in October of 2013 13% of dog bites in Longmont were traced to dogs adopted out on the shelter. 

Did relocation of these dogs change them?  The answer here is no. 
     

                                                            
                                                                       * * *

These are  recent attacks, required no effort to find and are just a few examples of the problem.  Pit bull advocates refuse to acknowledge the danger of the breed/type.  Denial leads to more suffering and death.  Advocates have the right to their opinion but they do not have the right to appear before lawmakers and state that absurdity is fact.  Those who get their news from actual news sources know better.  A better use of time and resources would be working toward laws mandating neuter and spay of pit bulls and their mixes.  The dogs suffer, they are abandoned on the streets or surrendered to shelters primarily due to aggression issues.  Pit bulls languish for months or years in shelters with no hope for placement because the public reads the actual news and they want safer family dogs.  Roughly a million pit bulls are euthanized in shelters in the United States EVERY YEAR, 

Those who claim to love the breed are the only ones that can solve the problem.  Those who claim to love the breed must to stop breeding dogs destined to suffer and die, and cause suffering and death in the community as well. Without the tremendous numbers of pit bulls in shelter cages there would be none of the current hysteria to rescue and place them.  Pit bull rescue groups could relax, organize picnics, enjoy life. 

Steffen Baldwin includes this phrase in every Facebook post he makes "#don't bully my breed #stop BSL."  Here is a suggestion, don't bully peaceful communities that place a higher value on the safety of residents than on the personal choices of breed specific advocates who do not live in the community.

We will conclude this post with a photo of Mr. Baldwin wearing a shirt that sums up his thought pattern. It is a pity that he can't see the other side of the problem.



Much more to come.

Pit bull roundup 3/9/2016. Pit bull owners go to jail, pit bulls held by the Cincinnati SPCA die of negligence, pit bull holds Dayton residents hostage, pit bulls attack children, adults and police, Bosco the Biter declared dangerous.

1/20/2016
Lima Ohio
Allen County

The owner of the pit bulls that attacked an off duty Lima police officer in October has been found guilty on seven counts, including harboring more than one pit bull per residence (Lima regulates pit bulls), and failure to leash or muzzle the two pit bulls involved.  Officer Mark Link has been off work for three months and has endured five surgeries.

A victim's Statement was read in court "Unprovoked and irresponsible attack from the defendant's two pit bull dogs. My wife and children have suffered, and the city of Lima community has suffered," 

Douglas Jackson, the pit bull owner faces a maximum of 180 days in jail for each count plus a $1000 fine for each count.  I will do the math for you, that is 1260 days in jail and $7000.




Allen County Commissioners honored mail carrier Scott Eversole with a resolution of appreciation for his quick actions stepping in to assist officer Link.  Per LimaOhio.com"Scott Eversole was delivering mail in the 900 block of North Elizabeth Street on Oct. 19 when he noticed two pit bulls playing in a yard. He was originally going to leave and complete delivering mail on that part of his route later when he noticed out of the corner of his eye a man leaving his house and going to his car. The man, Lima Police Patrolman Mark Link, was then attacked by the two dogs, who knocked him to the ground and began biting his face.

“I saw that they hit him and were going after him as hard as they could, and he was struggling to get back on his feet,” Eversole said. “It was then I went over with my bag, the best weapon I had, and I took it off my shoulder and began to swing it as hard as I could and knocked them off him enough for him to be able to jump on the car.”

Allen County commissioners present a resolution of appreciation to mail carrier Scott Eversole.  Dog warden Julie Shellhammer thanks him for saving the life of a police officer.  The appreciation is well deserved, mail carriers are too often the victims of pit bull attacks and Mr. Eversole was well aware of the risks but took action anyway.  Well done!

Late update - Douglas Jackson, pit bull owner goes to jail.  


                                                                    * * *

1/20/2016
Cincinnati Ohio
Hamilton County

The wildly pit bull centric Cincinnati SPCA was transferring a pit bull mix between two facilities when a staff member did not follow protocol, leaving the dog alone in a van for 16 hours, in January.  The dog was found to be in a hypothermic state and was euthanized.  Four staff members were disciplined but have kept their jobs.  The Cincinnati SPCA transports 7000 dog a year per WLWTnews.  Why were they moving it?  The Cincinnati website SPCA shows roughly 130 available pit bulls.   There are plenty to go around. 



                                                              * * *

1/21/2016
DAYTON Ohio
Montgomery County

A stray pit bull turned up on the doorstep of  a Dayton apartment, parked himself there, menaced residents and did not allow residents to enter or leave their apartments. One resident was forced to delay his trip to the local store, needing formula for his baby and food for his young daughter, to watch a 30 minute ordeal by local police to control the thing.  The resident described the dog as a pit bull complete with dog fighter ear trim.  Video of the dog backs up this breed identification.  The WHIO reporter identified the dog as a Cane Corso.  Why?  Who can say? The cage card on the pit bull's cage at the Animal Resource Center also identified the thing as a pit bull.  The short legs identify the dog as a pit bull.  Checking the AKC website, the only markings noted for the breed are masks, not the classic white pit bull chest we see on the dog in the ARC cage.  Why play games?     

                                                           * * *

1/26/2016
Mansfield Ohio
Richland County

A ten year old girl was attacked by dogs that witnesses describe as pit bulls.  The girl was walking with friends when the two pit bulls began to chase her, knocking her to the ground and biting her.  The girl was able to run home, witnesses chased the pit bulls away with a shovel.  The child required hospital treatment for her injuries.  

Police were called, a sergeant with the sheriffs department attempted to tase one of the pit bulls but was unsuccessful.  The County dog warden's department was able to locate the owner, she is 19 years old.  Think she has insurance to cover the little girl's medical bills?  

Raina Drescher, pit bull owner stated she owns one of the pit bulls but she "cares for" the other pit bull claiming that it is a neighborhood stray.  Per the NewsJournal " (County Dog warden) Jordan said under state law, Deschner qualifies as a keeper and harborer of the stray dog because she admitted to allowing it into her home and feeding it and she never reported the dog to the warden's office." The county dog warden charged Drescher with two counts of having a dog at large and one count of failure to vaccinate.  Sounds like the dog warden was not much impressed with the denial of ownership of the second pit bull.  Drescher's pit bull was declared a dangerous dog.  Insurance, confinement, warning signs, microchip requirement and a special dog license go with the dangerous dog designation.  

From the NewsJournal " Jordan said Deschner was surprised to hear her dog acted aggressively as it does not act that way in her home, where she has children.

The warden advised Deschner it is not uncommon for dogs to act differently out of the home and warned her of the dangers of letting the dog loose again. While the charges for a first offense are minor misdemeanors, the severity of charges increases on the second offense."

Checking Mansfield Municipal code I find this information

(4)    A.   "Vicious dog" means a dog that, without provocation and subject to subsection (a)(4)B. hereof:

            1.   Has killed or caused serious injury to any person,

            2.   Has caused injury, other than killing or serious injury, to any person, or has killed another domesticated animal,

            3.   Belongs to a breed known as the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or Staffordshire Terrier, or any mixed breed of dog which contains as an element of its breeding the breeds aforestated so as to be identifiable as partially of any one of such breeds...

   (b)    Vicious dogs are hereby prohibited within the jurisdictional limits of the City.

Mansfield bans pit bulls.  There is a reason that communities ban pit bulls and this pit bull owner needs to be charged with violation of local law.   

  

                                                               * * *

1/27/2016
Cleveland Heights Ohio
Cuyahoga County

A pit bull was shot and killed by a Cleveland Heights police officer as it attacked a woman.  Per NewsNet5 " An officer said that he responded to a 911 call from a woman who said she was being attacked by a dog.

When the officer arrived, he said she was screaming and a dog was biting her arm. The officer told the woman to drop on the ground and try to separate herself from the dog. The officer tried to separate her from the dog, as well, but they could not.

The officer shot the dog in the neck and it retreated, but then circled back and the officer shot it again, this time in the eye.

The officer called for an ambulance and the woman was hospitalized. The dog died."

The pit bull involved in this attack was on home quarantine for biting a child earlier this month.  The pit bull owner was cited for harboring a vicious dog and for failure to insure a vicious dog.  Yet again, both victims pay their own medical bills.

Click here for the officer's body cam video.

For more on this attack click here,  and here.  For video of the attack victim and her mother making a call at the police department to thank the police officer who saved her, click here. Watch the victim's reaction as a police dog is led through the room.  It is never over for the victim.

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2/29/2016
Newark Ohio
Licking County

A Newark police officer was bitten by a pit bull mix while responding to a call from a citizen about the dog.  The complainant stated the pit mix was acting aggressively and apparently made an accurate assessment of the animal's behavior.  As the police officer was speaking with the pit mix's owner the officer was bitten by the pit mix.  The officer was treated and released at Licking Memorial Hospital. Here is a shocker, the pit mix was not in compliance with Newark's law requiring liability insurance and special dog tags for pit bulls.



                                                                  * * *

3/8/2016
Cleves Ohio
Hamilton County

An unlicensed pit bull, harbored very near a school, has bitten two people in a week. The first victim was a girl walking home from school. The second victim was a man walking past Worthington's home.  The pit bull owner, Vicki Worthington, has offered to pay the medical bills for the victims. I would not hold my breath waiting for a check..She has been cited by the SPCA in the past. Worthington was allowed to keep her two time mauler and she paid her fines.  In the first attack the pit bull crawled under a gate to atack the teenager, in the second attack the pit bull burst through the gate to attack the male passerby.

Did anyone learn anything here?  


Photos show the male victim's injuries.

For a complete report on this, plus video, please click here.  Please note, the linked fox19 article mentions a fatal pit bull attack in the Cleves area.  The fatality was not a human, it was a pit bull, with three other pit bulls shot by police.  Here is what I had to say about it at the time.


Cleves Ohio

In a story posted August 26, 2013 Fox19 reports that three pit bulls were shot by police, one fatally.  This attack did not make local news at the time of the attack but surfaced a week later due to contact between the family of the pit bull owner and Fox 19.  The dog owners were looking for support but refused to speak with reporters.  The story is pretty outrageous.  Per reports, the three pit bulls were at large in the neighborhood and menacing neighbors.  A woman who was unable to leave her home due to the dogs menacing presence called the SPCA.  SPCA officers responded with police back up.  The SPCA  officer attempted to collar one of the pit bulls with a "control bar" which was attacked by the remaining two pit bulls. Hang on,  there is a lot of story to go here.  An elderly man approached and stated that he was the owner, without stating if he owned the dogs or the property.  SPCA officers report that they were threatened by the man.  I can't improve on this so I will just quote Fox19 " The man allegedly told the officer to leave and said several times he would "bust" the SPCA officer's head. After trying twice to control the dogs with a stick, according to paperwork, that man was then attacked by the dogs.

"At that point, the gentleman picked up a stick and started hitting the dogs or threatening the dogs, or whatever, and the dogs turned on him," Rutzlaff told FOX19.

SPCA officer John Sturgill said in his statement that that man then started screaming "save me" and "help me."

After screaming at the dogs to move along, Sturgill says they charged himself and a deputy, who opened fire. 

Screaming for law enforcement to shoot your own pit bull as it mauls the hand that feeds it is not uncommon. A change of heart after the fact is not uncommon either.  Here is a Facebook page set up to create sympathy for the maulers.  The family wants "justice" for their dogs.  Has there been any consideration of justice for the neighbors?  In statements to police, neighbors have complained that they are afraid to walk outside and one neighbor stated that "the dogs have charged me and my family several times."  Per the video report, the SPCA responded same address in July for a complaint that the same dogs were running loose.


For more information please click here.

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3/1/2016
Wauseon Ohio
Fulton County

I have to admit to being completely bored with the continuing drama surrounding Bosco the Biter, harbored by the Lucas County Pit Crew.  I was pleased to see that a Fulton County judge has ruled Bosco the Biter dangerous.  For more information on this attack click here.

Under current Ohio law a dangerous dog is a dog that has caused injury other that serious injury to a person without provocation, Bosco's bite fit the parameters of the law. Judge Jeffrey Robinson stated "The statute doesn't provide a lot of leeway."  The dangerous dog designation brings regulation to the care and placement of Bosco the Biter.

Reading through the Blade article you will come to this clueless quote from Keating speaking about Bosco the Biter " He's been around all kinds of people and all kinds of situations and not once has he shown a bit of aggression."  Hellooo? Bosco was declared dangerous because he bit his new owner.

Keating and two others in the Lucas County Pit Crew face legal charges related to the Bosco affair and a jury trial is scheduled for June 24th.


This was Bosco's promotional photo publicly shared on Facebook and by 13abc.com.

For more on this affair please click here,  Previous blog posts dealing with the Fulton County/Jean Keating disagreement may be reviewed by clicking here and here.

For video of an interview with Keating please click here.  Quoted from the 13 abc.com interview   "You know when the life of an animal is at stake you have to speak up" "it is not a crime to speak up and out against an injustice that is your right as an American" stated Jean Keating.  It should be kept in mind that when the lives of peaceful people are at stake, at risk because of the thoughtless placement of dogs bred for blood sport with good-hearted people unaware of the danger, it is the right and responsibility of the knowledgeable public to speak up.

 For the County Sheriff's department statement click here.

                                                            * * *

There is a great deal more Ohio pit bull absurdity to cover but I have and enough for the day.  I will end with a Florida story sent to this blog by a reader.  An entire neighborhood has been terrorized by a pack of pit bulls owned by a neighborhood resident.  A peaceful dog walker was forced to shoot one of the pit bulls to protect his own dog.  Nobody wants to shoot a dog but sometimes you have to take action.  A 16 year old boy was bitten by the same pit bulls.  Local law enforcement has made multiple visits to the pit bull owner's home and written multiple citations totaling thousands of dollars in fines.    Per WPTV in West Palm Beach

"Everybody around here would benefit by them being gone with those dogs," John says. "People are afraid to go out their houses."

That frustrated resident (is) getting his wish Monday.

Animal control stepped in - opening up an investigation and removing 5 pit bulls from the home. 

"We've been out there, we've issued thousands of dollars in citations, civil fines, and they're still running loose," says Captain Dave Walesky with Animal Control. "They were running loose yesterday.  Captain Walesky says despite the fact they've been out to the home multiple times, the laws make it tough to actually remove the dogs.  "It's very hard to take someone's animal away from them when it's inside the house. In this case she was willing to allow us to come here." The owner, not wanting to talk to us camera, says two of the dogs were able to dig their way out from behind the fence. She was emotional after their removal, saying her dogs aren't aggressive.  "I'm sorry, I'm am so sorry. I don't know what to do to make it better," she tells us. "I'm so sorry. But these dogs...I love them, and they're not bad dogs."  

This particular pit bull owner was not sorry until one of her pit bulls was shot and the five other pit bulls were taken from her.  Animal control has been out on complaints on this pack of dogs many times, the owner had the opportunity to modify her behavior at any step along the way.  That is what she could have done to "make it better" and keep her dogs.  Too late for that now.    

Why are the owners of dogs so problematic that an entire neighborhood is held hostage completely unable to view their animals as they exist, dangerous, menacing, biting creatures.  The owner of the pack stated "these dogs, I love them... and they're not bad dogs."   What might be her definition of "bad dogs" be if hers don't qualify?  This is reminiscent of the claim made by Ohio breed advocate Keating  speaking of Bosco the Biter"not once has he shown a bit of aggression"  in an interview dealing with the legal issues surrounding a bite by the very dog she is talking about.  Why can't pit bull owners and advocates connect the dots?

God help us all, this is the problem.  In Florida, in Ohio, in every state.  The peaceful public has the right to walk their dogs, walk to school, stroll to the mailbox,  get in their car to go to the store,  and any other peaceful task without being mauled by violent dogs, most often pit bulls. 

Pit bull roundup 1/19/2016 Dayton pit bulls attack, mauling toddlers, cats, and adults. Kent State University falls victim to ADA lunacy. Cincinnati pit bull owner plays the old shell game with his vicious pit bull, and gets caught.

1/7/2016
DAYTON Ohio
Montgomery County

Dayton police answered a call regarding a loose dog.  A 49 year old man reported that he was leaving his home via the front door when he was attacked by a brown pit bull. The victim was taken to Grandview Hospital with a three inch laceration to his buttock.  At roughly the same time a couple living nearby stated they heard a commotion in their yard and looked out to see the lifeless body of a stray cat they care for in the pit bull's mouth. Police located neighborhood resident Glennee Cole who stated that the pit bull, named Sosa, belongs to her boyfriend but she harbors the dog at her home.  Per WHIO " Cole was issued a citation for dog running at large and failing to license a dog in a timely manner.  She was also given a summons to appear in court for Sosa biting a person and failing to confine a dangerous dog.  

Will Dog Warden Mark Kumpf follow through on a dangerous dog designation?

There is a moral to this story, never harbor someone else's pit bull. No good can come of it.



1/7/2016
DAYTON Ohio
Montgomery County

A three year old boy was bitten in the face by a pit bull as he was visiting the home of a family friend.  The child was taken to Dayton Children's Hospital for emergency treatment.  The pit bull was removed from the residence by an investigator with the  Montgomery County Animal Resource Center. 

It was reported that the child had been walking through the house swinging a piece of a trash bag when the pit bull attacked the boy's face. The boy's grandfather, Michael Carrico,  told a reporter "The dog just grabbed him by the face and shook him like it wanted to kill him.  It was all I could do to get this dog off my grandson."  Carrico said the dog ripped apart the child's face.  "His top lip has been ripped off.  Now we have to go and help my grandson heal.


 

Will Mark Kumpf designate this pit bull as dangerous?

For video please click here.

Additional  news on the attack reveals that this is not the first pit bull attack in the little victim's family.  Grandfather Michael Carrico reported that another son was attacked by a pit bull a few years ago and was treated at the very same hospital.  This was a flashback for this family.  Mr. Carrico reported that he had also been attacked by a pit bull.  Dayton is pit bull hell and county dog warden Mark Kumpf  is completely ineffective in his response to the threat to the safety of the public.


Trent after emergency surgery.


This is a very recent photograph of the victim after reconstructive surgery.  This three year old will be forced to retain the tubes for six MONTHS.

 
Normal people are horrified by the injuries to this innocent child, and to the continuing pit bull problems of his family.  How long will the Montgomery County commissioners put up this?


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1/7/2016
Warren Ohio
Trumbull County

An eight year old boy was bitten in the face, shoulder and neck by the family's American Bulldog.  The victim was taken to Akron Children's Hospital.

A little background on American Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, formerly known as American Pit Bulldogs, are a breed featuring two types, the Johnson type and the Scott type.  The breed began with an effort by a small group of rural southern men to recreate a type of dog commonly found in the rural south but out of favor at that time, the 1940s. Each man bred to his own standard and vision, with random dogs found during their travels, or traded with others in the group.  These dogs began to be registered decades later.

 An interview with John D. Johnson is found on the American Bulldog Association website.  John Johnson (Johnson type)stated that the American Pit Bull Terrier is a derivative of the American Bulldog.
"Dr. J.: "Did you ever add American Pit Bull Terrier to increase gameness?" John D.: "No. The American Pit Bull Terrier got its gameness in the first place from the American Bulldog."
Not so much, the timing is off for this claim.  Pit bulls had been bred, and fought, in the United States for a long time before creation of the American Pit Bulldog breed but they did come from the same foundation stock.

A bit more discussion on the breeds used as the basis for the American Bulldog.
"John D.: I helped Alan Scott get started back in the mid 60's. I gave him two fine female bulldogs and expected some money in return when he started selling puppies. I never did receive any, however. I do know that Alan Scott bought many dogs from around the area and into Alabama that to me were of questionable lineage. He did have one fine dog, Mack the Masher, which I did breed to. Many of the dogs he bought had cropped ears and looked like they had a lot of American Pit Bull Terrier in them. "

A bit more from the same interview
"Dr. J.: "Did you know Joe Painter?" John D.: "Yes, I knew Joe Painter and I knew that he did buy Allen Scott's dogs. Joe Painter was a dog fighter and raised and fought American Pit Bull Terriers. I know that he did have some trouble with the law but do not know the circumstances of this.
" Dr. J.: "Did Joe Painter ever cross his American Bulldogs with his American Pit Bull Terriers?" John D.: "Joe Painter told me that he never crossed them, however his neighbor said he did."

There is an interview with Alan Scott (Scott type) on the same website, interesting reading on bloodlines, rivalries, and old grudges, dog men talking about each other like dogs.

In the early days of the American Pit Bulldog, pedigree was a casual thing.  Here is what Alan Scott had to say about it
" A.S. - "We started to register them after they were approved. We tried to trace back the genealogy as best as we could. And it seemed like it was along about 1973 before I registered any dogs. I think these are the oldest papers and they are the original ones I registered in 1973. But when we got back as far as we could get on a lot of these old dogs. Then the only thing I knew to do was to put like that dog's name down, and start with what we used to call a cold pedigree; a single register or a cold pedigree. So they were wanting (the NKC) a background. I called John D. and said 'Look we need to go ahead and get some of this paperwork sent in, that's the only way I know to do it.' And he said, 'Well come over here on Saturday'. So I did. When I got over there we went in and sat at his kitchen table and he said 'Here's what I've got for a pedigree on Tiny,' which was Dick the Bruiser, and he had a filled out pedigree. It had Johnson's this, this, this and this. He said here's some old.... They weren't real pedigrees but they were made out like real pedigrees. They didn't have English Bulldog pedigrees or American Bulldog pedigrees or anything like that. They were made up like genealogy pedigrees. This one sired this and all that. So he said 'what we can do is use the names of some old dogs that I had years ago in the 1940's. They're all dead and gone and in a few years it won't make any difference anyway.' " C.C. - "So John D. Johnson didn't make any distinction between an English Bulldog and an American Bulldog?" A.S. - "Apparently he didn't because I didn't know they (fabricated pedigrees) were English (Bulldogs) either until later years. I just thought they were some that he had wrote down. We didn't do it to hurt anybody. And we didn't do it to make money with them. God knows that we weren't getting but $125.00 a piece for puppies. The reason we did that was to get their registration started and as the generations went on, that would fade out. It didn't make any difference. When you get back to 7th and 8th and 9th generations, hell, it doesn't matter what's back there, no way. But that's where those names came from."

Scott liked his dogs game, sometimes they proved to be dead game.  This did not change his practices.
"A.S. - "Every dog was tested just like he (JDJ) said in his interview. Every dog was tested as game as we could prove them up to dead game without killing one and occasionally we did kill one. A hog would kill him or a cow would stomp his guts out or something like that, or fall on him. I've had dogs cut down and lay there with the fight going on and be scratching to get to them. And I know other men have done the same thing. But I've had my dogs do that. But where John D. says that they were all tested, sure they were tested. But he wasn't able to do it, so I did it. I'd catch cows, hogs, it didn't matter. What we caught was what everybody else culled."

The American Bulldog history is a confusing one.  I forwarded my remarks here to a knowledgeable friend and the response clarifies points I did not make clear.  Thank you!

".  bulldogs predate american pit bull terriers.  They were the bull baiting dogs brought from England  BUT at the time they were just called bulldogs, not american bulldogs.  I have looked in news archives and old dog fancy magazines online.  I can find no references to “american bulldog” in the early 20th century.  (except for a pistol called “american bulldog”).

These bulldogs were used to create american pit bull terriers.  They were part of the foundation stock - mixed with terriers and bull terriers (dogs that were already bulldog/terrier mixes).  When they became rare in the south and Scott and Johnson wanted to revive them, they bred back to the pit bull terrier."

 But I digress yet again.

                                                               * * *

1/4/2016
Kent State University
Kent Ohio
Portage County

In the past Kent State University banned pets in the dorms, sensible policy. Students are at the college to get an education, their parents are paying a LOT of money for this education, distractions are not a good thing.  This will be changing very soon.  In the new world any animal can be given the title of "emotional support animal" and will be approved for dorm occupancy.  Dogs, cats, ferrets, ponies, monkeys, all will be accepted.  This policy change is part of a settlement in a civil rights lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department claiming that the school discriminated against students with psychological disabilities.

Per the Washington Post " The university would pay $100,000 to two former students who were not allowed to keep a dog in their university-owned apartment, $30,000 to a fair-housing organization that advocated for the students, and $15,000 to the U.S., if the settlement is approved in district court."
Click here for a link to the story on the Washington Post and you can read the court's decision.  Please note that on page 5 of that decision the court orders employees of the University to attend in-person  training on the disability discrimination provisions of the Fair Housing Act.

On page 3 we find that while university employees MUST receive training on the provisions of the Fair Housing act BUT in Attachment A, page 2  we find that "An assistance animal does not necessarily need to be trained, and is not limited to any specific type of animal." Employees must be trained but animals kept in the dorms do not require training?  What ??

On page 8 we find that the school has been ordered to keep records of the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of those requesting accommodation for a service animal, PLUS "The type or kind of accommodation requested AND the the type of disability that the accommodation is requested to alleviate." (emphasis mine) YOU CAN'T ASK THAT QUESTION PER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT! This documentation is to be sent to the DOJ, housing and Civil Enforcement Section.

Students will be leaving dogs, cats, ferrets, monkeys, and mini horses in dorm rooms while they attend classes.  Imagine, if you will, the barking and yowling. Imagine the smell.  Ever see pets kept by college students? I have. They were dirty, poorly fed, poorly kept, with poor veterinary care.

This will be a fascinating experiment.

                                                                * * *  

1/11/2016
Chillicothe Ohio
Ross County

Thirteen pit bulls were removed from on Rose Street.  Police reported that conditions at the home were "deplorable" unfit for either human or canine habitation. Each room was charmingly decorated with canine feces and urine.  How do people live like this?  And why?

Per the Chillicothe Gazette "Officers arrived at North Rose Street on Friday to find two pit bulls fighting inside a small makeshift kennel in the back yard. According to Chillicothe police reports, the conditions of the kennel were “deplorable” and the two dogs were walking in piles of feces and urine, and did not have clean water or food. The dogs had each other by the throats in the six-square-foot space enclosed by chicken wire, police reported. The dogs were bleeding, and covered in feces and mud. The officer was able to distract the dogs enough that they released their grip on one another, and they were removed from the kennel by the Ross County Dog Warden. They were taken to a veterinarian for treatment, but did not survive.

Four pit bull puppies and six adult pit bulls were also removed from the property and signed over to the dog warden.  A dead puppy was also found in the home.

The property owner will be charged with two counts of cruelty to animals.  Why only two counts?  Good question.  The Ross County dog warden, Waneta Wellinghof, stated this is not the first time she has dealt with this particular owner.  Lets hope it is the last time.

Wouldn't mandatory neuter and spay for pit bulls be better than this?

                                                             * * *

1/19/2016
Cincinnati Ohio
Hamilton County

A pit bull attacked and mauled a leashed medical therapy dog being walked by its owner.  The owner has Parkinson's Disease.   The pit bull, owned by Jason Dotson, was not leashed at the time of the attack.  The owner of the therapy dog was bitten while attempting to protect his dog, keep in mind     that this is a patient with Parkinsons.  Police charged Dotson with failing to confine his pit bull and ordered the pit bull to be euthanized.  He was sentenced to 30 days in jail without work release. Dotson also got one year probation.

All good so far yes?  Not so much.  The history on this, after the order to euthanize his pit bull Dotson pranced on down to the SPCA and adopted a pit bull similar in appearance to his mauler.  He then returned two days later to the same SPCA with the new mauler on a leash to turn him over for euthanization.  Per Fox19news "Officials say he tried to pass the new dog off as the pit bull that attacked the therapy dog. 

An SPCA worker spotted the red flag and took action before it was too late. The microchip was scanned and revealed the dog's true identity.   

Dotson was arrested for allegedly violating the terms of his probation. He appeared in a Hamilton County Courtroom Tuesday.

The Oct. 14 incident was Dotson’s second citation for failing to confine his animal, documents state."

 
Jason Dotson booking photo.

You can't make this stuff up.  The good news, the actual vicious pit bull has been euthanized.

This guy is so far outside the bounds of acceptable social behavior that I fail to see why we should have just one booking photo.  It was difficult to make a choice, booking photo, handcuffed in court, interacting with law enforcement, being led out of court in handcuffs?  Why choose? One photo will just not be enough.  Here is another. Please note the handcuffs in this one.


Here is another courtroom shot.  Why choose just one photo?

"American Fighter" ? * eye roll *



  Here is another, what the hell.

                                                   

Click here for video of Dotson being led out of court in handcuffs.

                                                                       * * *

We will end this post with the most recent pit bull fatality, this is Payton Lyrik Sawyers, age 15 months, here with her mother.  Payton was attacked and mauled by her babysitter's pit bulls.  She died on January 8, 2016.

Pit bull roundup, Fulton County drama continues, take this pit bull PLEASE and we will throw in a gift card, real police dogs and pit bull "police dogs"

12/30/2015
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County



Just when we thought we were done with 2015 this turned up.  another "take this pit bull PLEASE" offering.  This one comes with a $50 gift card!  Simon is waiting for you at the Cleveland City Pound.  An opportunity like this is rare, better hurry.



The Cleveland Pitties Facebook page features lots of available pit bulls.  Simon must be special because he is the only one that comes with a gift card.

                                                                            * * *

1/1/2016
Columbus Ohio
Franklin County

King the pit bull was promoted by a local TV station in November.  The cheerful video stated clearly that King is dog aggressive (And presumably other animals as well.  Got a cat?  Probably King is a poor choice for you)  and was available to an adopter without other dogs in the household.  Does the widow next door have a Poodle?  The Franklin County shelter has given no consideration to the widow's Poodle in their eagerness to get King out the door.

On January 1st the NBC4 News trots King out again.  Now King is now in the custody of the I Have a Dream Rescue.  The rescue's trainer assures the public that King  "may slowly be introduced to other dogs" and after he has had some time to decompress he will be available for adoption to someone willing to "work with him."




The rescue still promotes King as only suitable for a household with no other dogs. It is not likely that King has changed much in just a few weeks.  The desperation to place this aggressive animal increases.

On January 1st 2016 a search on the Petfinder website for pit bulls in Ohio gives us 18,497 available pit bulls, this is JUST on the Petfinder site.  Why would anyone choose a known dog aggressive pit bull picked up as a stray (failed in at least one household, that's why he was on the streets) taken to a County Shelter where he was deemed too risky to adopt out directly to the public, and transferred to a rescue to limit liability for the county?

Mandatory neuter and spay would solve a lot of problems here.

                                                              * * *

1/2/2016
Sandusky Ohio
Erie County

It is only January 2nd and the Sandusky police scanner sounds a warning "a caller advises that an attacking pit bull is running loose on E. Forrest Dr."  So much for a peaceful start to the new year in Sandusky!

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1/3/2016
Akron Ohio
Summit County

I'm stuck on "take this pit bull PLEASE" listings and I need to get over it, but just one more.  I promise.  This is Clyde.





I swear, Clyde is listed as a Basset Hound!!!! You can visit this "Basset Hound" at the Summit County Animal Control facility.  Lets change the available pit bull count to 18,498.

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1/3/2016
Cleveland Ohio
Cuyahoga County

Cleveland police shot at two Bull Mastiffs that were attacking another dog. A neighborhood resident was also attacked. Lets not even pretend that we don't know that Bull Mastiffs are 60% Mastiff and 40% pit bull.  The condition of the dogs, and the human victim were not reported.



Update - New reports indicate that the attacking dog was a "bull Mastiff mix" and it was shot while attacking a pedestrian and the pedestrian's dog.  The attacking dog was killed.  Appropriate.

                                                               * * *

1/3/2016
Medina County Ohio

The Medina County Sheriffs Department has made a $12,400 deposit on two new police dogs, both German Shepherds.  The price for each dog is $12,400, total of $24,800.  These dogs were bred in Slovakia and trained in the Czech language for tracking and narcotics detection.  The dogs were imported by Excel K-9 Services.

Please note, these dogs were bred for police work.  They are already trained for tracking and narcotics detection but will not be ready to begin working for another 14 weeks.  They will have an additional six or eight weeks of individual training plus another six weeks of training with two deputies.  Please note this is 14 more weeks of training for these two, already trained police dogs. This will be important later.

This training is normal for police dogs, they are working dogs. Congratulations to Medina County!


The new Medina County police dogs were purchased with money raised by the community.  Wonderful story!


Here is where we are going to take a look at other police dogs.  The Cities of Poughkeespie New York, and the Normangee Texas have new police dogs too.  They both have new pit bull K9 officers. This is a non traditional choice and there is an explanation for this.  That answer is the relentless promotion of pit bulls by the Animal Farm Foundation.

A bit of background here.  New York state is the home of Jane Berkey, wildly wealthy heiress and pit bull fanatic.  She owns both the Animal Farm Foundation and the National Canine Research Foundation, both are run out offices on her farm in rural New York state, in Dutchess County New York to be exact.  The money train that funds pit bull advocacy leaves the station from Berkey's farm. Poughkeepsie in the county seat for Dutchess County New York.

Some economic facts on Poughkeepsie from Wikipedia. " The median household income in the city was $29,389, and the median income for a family was $35,779. Males had a median income of $31,956 versus $25,711 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,759. About 18.4% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.3% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over."

Poughkeepsie is not a big money community and one would expect that a K9 officer (remember the purchase price of the German Shepherds in Medina County) given free of charge to the city police department would be accepted.  Especially when that gift comes from a prominent member of the community.

Enter Kiah, pit bull police dog provided to the cash strapped Poughkeepsie police department free of charge, a gift from the Animal Farm Foundation.  Kiah is expected to serve as a narcotics detection dog and as a tracking dog, AND, as a "breed ambassador."  Who could see that coming?  Kiah was a stray found in a Texas shelter, as was Wilson, a pit bull police dog given to the Normangee Texas Police department by the Animal Farm Foundation.

Background information on Normangee Texas from Wikipedia "As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 719 people, 277 households, and 185 families residing in the town. "
"The median income for a household in the town was $28,594, and the median income for a family was $34,444. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $16,042 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,336. About 16.1% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over."
A very small town with economic challenges.

The feel good piece written about Wilson gives a bit more information on the pit bull police dogs provided by the Animal Farm Foundation.  These dogs have received all of FOUR WEEKS of training.   Video on the Normangee link tells us that the Animal Farm Foundation has provided seven of these strays-to-K9-officers-in-just-four-weeks to police departments across the United States.  Presumably these dogs were accepted by police departments with economic challenges.

Kiah and Wilson will have specialized duties, drug sniffer and tracker, not your typical police K9. These limited duties will keep Kiah and Wilson out of high stress situations where their prey drive might lead to injury to the public.  Oh, they will be "breed ambassadors" alright, lots of photo ops with the pit bulls posed in front of police cars, this is pure publicity stunt.

Click here for the thoughts of another blogger on the free pit bull police dogs, and the man behind the fraud.  Thank you to the blogger at the Sudden, Random, Unprovoked and Violent  Blog!

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1/5/2016
Wauseon Ohio
Fulton County

The drama over Bosco the pit bull continues.  Quick review.  Bosco was a stray, picked up October 18th in Toledo Ohio  Bosco was placed with a Fulton County family by the Lucas County Pit Crew, headed by Jean Keating.  Bosco bit a member of his new family just three days after placement, December 26th.  Click here for the back story, it will be found in about the middle of the post.

Bosco has been designated a dangerous dog by the Fulton County Dog Warden and is in quarantine at the Fulton County Pound.  Jean Keating plans to fight this, and goes on to state that "There is a really good chance that Bosco wasn't even involved."  By making this statement Keating, who was not present at the time of Bosco's attack, has called the victim of the attack a liar, as well as all those present at the time.  Keating speculates that since there was another dog inside the house at the time of the bite, that dog was responsible for the bite.  Keating points to a year old bite report for that dog as her proof.

After Bosco's bite, the victim's wife called the Lucas County Pit Crew requesting immediate pick up of the pit bull, The family was uncomfortable keeping Bosco because they have children.  Logical. The victim went to a local hospital for stitches.  Bosco was taken by a representative of the Pit Crew to a Pike Township foster home for quarantine. The Lucas County Pit Crew resisted efforts by local authorities to quarantine Bosco at the Fulton County Pound. Keating refused to reveal the location of Bosco and gave the Fulton County Health Department contact information for her attorney.  Dale Emich, the attorney, gave up the address a day later.  Bosco's fosters refused to turn the dog over to authorities so the county obtained a warrant and seized the pit bull.  Bosco is now quarantined at the Fulton County Pound.

Keating continues to threaten the Fulton County Dog Warden with a lawsuit and ethics complaint. Laughably, she stated "It's misuse of your public office to target an individual or a specific organization because you're angry" while she is targeting the dog warden and the county commissioners because she is angry. Keating has targeted this dog warden for an extended period of time, this is not a new behavior.  The dog warden did not bite Bosco's new owner, the dog placed by the Lucas County Pit Crew bit the new owner. That is the responsibility of the Lucas County Pit Crew.

The dog warden did exactly as he was supposed to do, per the law pushed on the residents of Ohio by Jean Keating and Barbara Sears. For a bit of background here we are going to stroll over to national blog Sudden, Random, Unprovoked, and Violent for a blast from the past video interview by Keating.  She makes this statement regarding the law written by lawyers for Best Friends Animal Society (headquartered in Utah) for Ohio. "[The new law] is much more proactive. It identifies dangerous dogs before they hurt people. That's where our focus needs to be: identifying these dogs long before these incidents occur. Dog attacks occur with every breed, in every city, and most of them are equally horrific.¹ Keating wants dangerous dogs identified before they hurt someone but she did not focus on Bosco, she passed him on with the statement that he was just "jumpy."

The Pit Crew, responsible for placement of Bosco,  did not identify Bosco as a dangerous dog prior to the December 26th bite of the new owner. They continue to deny this despite the bite report and quarantine of Bosco. Dog Warden Banister did as his job requires. After "the incident" he declared Bosco dangerous and quarantined him.  Hating and persecuting the man for doing his job is unproductive.  PLEASE click on the link to watch Keating's interview.  My favorite part of the video is Tom Skeldon getting the opportunity to say "I told you so" about the  failure of the Keating/Sears bill.  Read the thoughts of the SRUV blogger on the failure of the "proactive" Keating/Sears bill.

I digress.  A quote from the Blade "Ms. Keating said Bosco is being treated as a pawn as part of a disagreement between the rescue and Fulton County.  The group is participating in grass-roots efforts to investigate the pound's overall operations, they have been critical of the dog warden, county commissioners, and county policies."  A second quote "We have pending litigation with (dog warden Brian) Banister in another situation. We've shown the public that he doesn't do his job.  He saw an opportunity to take it out on this poor dog."

Wow, I can't imagine why Fulton County officials do not favor Ms. Keating or her Lucas County organization.

It is important to note that a county dog license is considered proof of ownership of a dog.  The Lucas County Pit Crew did not bother to obtain a license for Bosco in Lucas County or in Fulton County.  The Pit Crew did not license Bosco until the day after they picked him up, December 27th. I can't explain this but a quote from the Toledo Blade states "The tag number listed in the sheriff's report returns two different registrants in 2014 and 2015, and neither dog listed to those owners matches Bosco's description."  What tag did the Pit Crew put on Bosco?

                                                                  * * *

1/6/2016
Wauseon Ohio
Fulton County

Fulton County officials have filed criminal charges against Jean Keating, head of the Lucas County Pit Crew, and against volunteers Kevin Bauer and Andrea Walters.  All three face misdemeanor charges in Fulton County Western District Court.   Keating and Walters face second degree misdemeanor charges of obstructing official business and a minor misdemeanor charge for violating a rabies quarantine.  Bauer is facing a charge of violating a rabies quarantine.  Hearings are scheduled on February 9th.

In a first ever event, Keating refused to comment to Blade reporters.  Keating is now represented by a new attorney, Kirsten Knight, Knight did also not respond to Blade requests for comments either.

A quote from the Blade "The Pit Crew's board of directors released a short statement on the charges Tuesday afternoon.  'The Lucas County Pit Crew is an all volunteer, non profit organization that is comprised of dedicated individuals who will always stand up and speak our when they feel a dog is being mistreated.  Nobody within the organization engaged in any criminal conduct and the evidence will speak for itself.  Our focus remains on the return of Bosco to our care unharmed."

The Pit Crew will file for a court hearing to contest the dangerous dog designation given by Fulton County Dog Warden Brian Banister.

The Fulton County Commissioners have issued a statement "Upon expiration of the quarantine, the dog's owners will be responsible for the dog."  Fulton County considers the Fulton County couple who adopted Bosco from the Lucas County Pit Crew to be the legal owners.  Keating considers the Pit Crew to be the lawful owners of Bosco.  Keating claims that the couple transferred ownership of Bosco to the Pit Crew when the dog was picked up but the dog was not signed over.

Crowd funding to pay the Pit Crew's legal expenses for this fiasco totaled $3000 on the first day.  Pit bull activists have never donated a cent to a pit bull victim to pay medical bills but they donate $3000 to defend a biter, Remember, Pet Finder tells us that there are 18,497 available pit bulls in Ohio and this one, a biter, gets $3000 donated for legal expenses.
   
                                                                    * * *

After all that drama, lets remember why we are here.



This is Xavier Strickland.  He was walking with his mother in their Detroit neighborhood on the day of his attack, December 2nd.  Xavier's mother is a volunteer at the local grade school, that was their destination.  Xavier and his mother were attacked by three pit bulls, Xavier was dragged across the street and under a gate, mauled and disemboweled by four pit bulls.  His mother, and horrified neighbors were unable to reach him, the gate was locked.

This is Judge Lydia Nance-Adams listening to witness testimony at a preliminary hearing for the owner of the pit bulls.  The only possible appropriate response.



Judge Nance-Adams was asked by the defense attorney to reduce the one million dollar bond for the pit bull owner.  The judge refused.

1/7/2016 Update
The owner of the pit bulls that killed Xavier Strickland will stand trial on second degree murder charges. Per WTKG "A judge said Thursday there's enough evidence to send Geneke Lyons to trial on the murder charge and other crimes."


For more information please click here.