From My Google Alerts- October 4, 2010

In Lantana, Florida, a pit bull was shot and wounded after it charged officers responding to a call. The officers fired two shots, injuring the animal, which was taken to a veterinary emergency clinic. The dog has reportedly been a chronic problem in the neighborhood.
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A German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix aka a MUTT bit a 2-year-old Trenton boy as they were playing together on the floor. Police stated that the boy was possibly too close to the dog’s face. Gee… You think. The child was airlifted to the hospital; however, he is expected to recover. No dog breed is mentioned in the article headline.
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A Tulsa, Oklahoma girl was attacked by a pit bull type dog on Sunday. A witness said the attack was “brutal”; the girl remains in the hospital under serious condition. Police have not said what happened to the dog. The dog type, “pit bull,” is mentioned in the headline of the article.
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In Brookville, Ohio, a pit bull was seen wandering the area and AC was dispatched. The dog was found wandering a bike path. At that time, a woman happened by and she was asked if she knew the dog. Of course, she did; she had given the dog to a man a few weeks prior. She didn’t know the guy’s name, but speculated the dog returned to familiar surroundings. She also didn’t want the dog back and it was taken by AC. So who knows what the fate of this poor dog will be. Its first irresponsible owner gave it away to an even more irresponsible owner, which is exactly why some people should not own any type of dog. This irks me deeply; however, I hope that if the dog is deemed adoptable it will find its forever home.

From My Google Alerts- September 14, 2010

A bulldog has mauled a five-year-old girl southwest of Brisbane. The dog is also described as a bullmastiff cross and it was not registered. She was bitten on her face and upper arm; her lip was torn as well in the incident. The family wants the dog euthanized.
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The owner of the two pit bulls that killed a Mountain Ranch man last month will be arraigned in court today on felony charges of knowingly having a mischievous animal, letting it be at large or keeping it without ordinary care, resulting in the death of a human being. Sheryl Sellers had left her two pit bulls in a fenced yard Aug. 22 when they escaped, attacked, and killed Jerry Yates, 69, while he was working on his property. Information has since surfaced chronicling a long history of aggressive and problematic dogs owned by Sellers. This story is rather disturbing as this woman was a documented irresponsible owner since 2005; the county failed to do anything about her roaming pit bulls for six years. That is iunacceptable.
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Jasmine Bailey, 19, was sentenced to jail for a probation violation after her three pit bulls attacked six-year-old Tyah Norris. Both Bailey and her boyfriend, Brian Nace, 35, were charged with keeping a dangerous animal that caused serious injury, a felony punishable by a maximum of four years in prison, 500 hours of community service, and a $2,000 fine. Pictures taken of her face after the attack are gruesome. The first police officer to come to her aid earlier testified he could not distinguish any of her facial features. The judge sentenced her to jail for being charged with a new felony while on probation and sentenced her to 333 days in jail for violating her probation. The judge said he gave Bailey the harshest possible jail sentence because she was charged with a new felony, and there was evidence presented or testimony given at a hearing Tuesday that she had been drinking. Drinking alcohol is not allowed while on probation.
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The Denver City Council on Monday delayed a vote on whether to create an exemption to the city's pit-bull-terrier ban that would allow the disabled to use the dogs as service animals. Council members sent the issue back to committee for further discussion, saying they feared the exemption would weaken the city's ban and make it virtually impossible to enforce. The issue is scheduled to come back before the full council Oct. 25 for a vote.

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In Marion, Ohio, a 17-month-old child was bitten by a Black Lab; apparently, the dog runs lose frequently. The Health Department is seeking information about the dog. Anyone with information about the dog or its owner is asked to call the health department at 740-387-2875 or the dog warden at 740-386-6150. Interesting, but not surprising, that the title of the article says “Dog Bite Child, Owner Sought.” I am sure if the dog had been a pit bull the title would have been very nasty.

From My Google Alerts- September 8, 2010

A Japanese Akita attacked a 10-year old girl in Scotland. It was not the first time the dog had attacked as the owner of the dog had already been convicted once for failure to control the dog. The girl needed 100 stitches to close her wounds.

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A young girl and an animal control officer were nipped by a pit bull, although it is reported as an attack. That is hardly an attack; furthermore, the article goes on to state that the dog might have been possessive because it had a litter of puppies in the area. Neither the young girl nor the animal control officer needed medical attention. This article is hardly newsworthy; must have been a slow day.

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A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the people responsible for dragging a black and white pit bull behind their vehicle; the dog later died. A reward totaling $$$5000 is being offered by two different groups. Anyone with information is asked to call Clark County Sheriff's Department at (859) 744-4390.

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A German shepherd attacked a man walking his granddaughter’s poodle; it knocked him to the ground. Then the GS mauled the poodle. It fled the scene with a second dog that had short, white hair.

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In DeFuniak Springs, Florida, a Red Heeler Australian cattle dog was attacked by a bear, resulting in over 50 puncture wounds. Attacks on pets are very rare and the Florida Fish and Wildlife agency urges everyone to take precautions to prevent any more attacks.

From My Google Alerts- September 1, 2010

In Lubbock, Texas, a woman was bitten by a dog last Monday. This is not news and I feel it is the stupidest article I have read this week as no information is given; however, I wanted to include it in these alerts so you can click the link and see for yourself how stupid it is. Who wastes their space with crap like this?

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In Detroit, Michigan, police accidentally shot an animal control officer Thursday afternoon during a raid at a home on the city's east side. Authorities were trying to locate several pit bulls; a police officer tried to shoot one of the dogs when a bullet struck the animal control officer. The AC officer is stable. I have no idea what kind of raid it was and why the dogs were loose. Articles like this aggravate me because they give no information and rarely follow up.
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Sarge, the German shepherd that survived six gunshots to the head has bitten another person. This incident will get Sarge quarantined for 10 days, which is protocol for dog bites. This will further delay Sarge’s trip to a Utah animal sanctuary where he was offered a home.
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In McKeesport, a police dog bit a mother, her daughter, and the K9’s handler. The 6-yr-old missed her bus and an officer offered to drive her to school. The mother opened the door to the police car after which the dog lunged and bit her hand; additionally, the daughter was bitten on the side and the officer on the hand.
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This is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the largest dog-fighting bust in history. I am not sure how I feel about how the officers went about making the bust considering they posed as dog fighters. Definitely a good read, although I do not recommend it if you are overly emotional about dogs because it gets somewhat graphic about what went on during the investigation.
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Some idiot faces felony charges now that he has allegedly ordered his pit bull to attack a police officer. Tyler Ruiz, 21, was taken into custody following a disturbance at a residence in Butte. Ruiz reportedly ran at an officer that entered the premises; another officer tackled him and Ruiz then allegedly ordered his pit bull to attack the officer. When the officer pointed a Taser at the pit bull, the dog let go of the officer's pant leg. The officer was unharmed. I hope this dog is not put down for the actions of some negligent and oh so ignorant kid.

Dog Bites, Dog Left In Hot Car, and Dog Shot In the Face By a Neighbor

Dog attack victim calling for Madison Co. dangerous dog ordinance

By Trang Do - Bio | Email

HAZEL GREEN, AL (WAFF) - A Hazel Green woman is calling for a dangerous dog ordinance in Madison County after she says she was attacked by a neighbor's pitbull.

She says the dog has still not been taken because there's a protocol that needs to be followed before the dog can be taken and quarantined.

So for now, Carolyn Hopkins says she's terrified to walk around her neighborhood.

Hopkins says she and a friend were walking by a neighbor's house Tuesday night, when she says the pitbull ran off the porch and attacked her.

Hopkins was treated at Crestwood Hospital for multiple cuts and puncture wounds.

She says sheriff's deputies came out and took a report that night, but she was told animal control can't come out at night.

Hopkins says she was also told animal control has to wait on the health department before it can act.

The health department sent Hopkins a letter Thursday informing her that the dog is not up-to-date on its rabies shots.

She's calling on county leadership to pass an ordinance to protect the community from potentially dangerous dogs.

"If you're going to own a dog like this, number one, I know pitbulls that are not vicious, but they keep them penned up and they keep them chained up," she said. "A tall enough fence like in Tennessee law, I think it's six to ten feet tall fence, that's acceptable to me."

Animal control could not be reached for comment on Sunday. 

The owner of the dog was also not home to speak to WAFF 48 News.

Hopkins says she is planning to attend the next county commission meeting to see what can be done.

©2010 WAFF. All rights reserved.

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First, I want to say to the newspaper that published this article

a)    The vicious picture of a dog showing its teeth is unnecessary

b)   It is spelled pit bull, not pitbull

Second, I am sorry the woman was attacked and I think it is asinine that no actions have been taken t o quarantine the dog. It should be put down as it attacked a human.

Third, I want to express my disdain for the dog’s owner. Thanks for being irresponsible and allowing your dog to attack a person. You just put another nail in the coffin of this wonderful and loyal breed. I am sorry the dog was put in an inappropriate situation by being left unattended on a front porch; furthermore, the owner should be punished for not having the dog up to date on its vaccines. This person shouldn’t own a dog of any breed.

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Dog shot in face by neighbor

by Adam Ghassemi

WOODLAND, Wash. --  A local man shot his neighbor's dog in the face after saying it went on his property and got aggressive.

The owner of the dog, Brian Morris, said that’s impossible because his Yellow Labrador  -- Ollie -- is mild-mannered and very calm.
But something happened earlier this week that's leaving Ollie with several wounds, a missing eye and in pain after suffering the shotgun blast. Three  pellets took out his left eye and wounds cover his face and body.

"You can tell it's kind of like at somewhat of an angle,” Morris said as he examined the angle of the shot gun blast to the dog. “More head on."

Morris admitted his dog got out of the Morris family's backyard July 13 and made it to a neighbor's home. That neighbor said Ollie tried to attack him while he was unloading groceries. It’s a claim that Morris said sounds nothing like his dog.

"This is the most well-mannered dog that I've ever been around,” Morris said. “It's unbelievable.  Is Ollie the type of dog that would attack a stranger? Absolutely not.  Absolutely not."

The neighbor who shot the dog, Ken Smith, didn't answer his door Saturday, but said by phone that another neighbor claimed a yellow lab got aggressive just a week prior. Smith said when Ollie showed up on his property, he shot his 12-gauge shotgun before Ollie could attack.

Morris simply can't believe it.

"If the dog is going to attack you, you think you'd go inside your house and stay there or call the sheriff or animal patrol or something, you know,” Morris said.

Morris said Ollie’s veterinarian bills are already in the thousands, but with hair expected to re-grow in just a few weeks,  Ollie should survive.

"He's a young dog,” Morris said. “They said he'll adapt well to just one eye, but I'm just glad to have him around still. He's a great dog."

Now the neighbors will have to figure out if this crosses the line – all while Ollie gets used to life without an eye.

"I'm absolutely disgusted and very upset,” Morris said.

There are no charges in this case, but Morris says he is considering getting an attorney.

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I question the neighbor’s story; if he was unloading groceries when the dog approached that means he would have had to have a loaded shotgun right there with him. Otherwise that means he went back inside the house to grab the gun and if that’s the case then he should have done the smart thing and stayed inside if he felt so threatened by the dog.

I feel so bad for the dog having to suffer through his injuries; however, if his owner had properly secured him and made sure he could not escape, then none of this would have happened. Responsible owners do not allow accidents to happen; they are smarter than their dog.

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Woman charged with leaving dog in hot car while she shopped
Originally published July 20, 2010
By Kate Leckie

Before she left the state of Washington to relocate to West Virginia, Cathryn Cordyack Washington had a veterinarian give her 14-year-old dog the OK to fly.

For Delta, a yellow Labrador retriever, the cross-country airplane trip wasn't a problem. It was the hot car she was left in after arriving that killed her.

According to charging documents filed in Frederick County District Court, Washington's retriever died of heart failure brought on by the stress of hyperthermia, suffered July 6 in the Costco parking lot as her owner shopped.

Returning to find Delta dead about 11:15 a.m., Washington immediately went back into Costco to return some of her purchases: a 40-pound bag of dry dog food, dog biscuits and two dog beds, according to court documents.

She told a clerk "she was returning the items because her dog had died," Animal Control Sgt. David Luckenbaugh wrote.

Alarmed, a Costco employee canvassed the parking lot and found what looked like a dead dog in a car. The temperature in Frederick that day was 104 degrees.

Costco staff dialed 911 about 12:30 p.m. The woman with the dead dog had already left.

Dispatchers notified Frederick police and county sheriff's deputies to look for a silver Chevrolet Malibu with Virginia tags.

Further, they described the heavyset woman driving to be in her 60s. She was wearing a purple sundress.

The search for the driver soon ended when a woman matching her description walked into the Animal Control Center in Frederick about 1 p.m.

The woman, identified as Washington, said she wanted to drop off a dead dog for disposal.

A temperature reading of the animal taken during a rectal exam was 110 degrees, a fatal level, a veterinarian later said.

The dog "was severely stressed as it died," the veterinarian told authorities.

Washington told animal control authorities she had no choice but to leave Delta in her car unattended. "She had to get her shopping done and there was nowhere else she could leave the dog."

A summons has been issued charging Washington, of Fairmont, W.Va., with two cruelty charges for failing to provide adequate food, water and shelter and infliction of unnecessary suffering and pain, documents state.

The misdemeanors each are punishable by 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, Animal Control Director Harold Domer said.

An Aug. 31 court date has been scheduled in District Court.

Washington could not be reached for comment.

Domer said pet owners need to be mindful of their animals at all times, but particularly when temperatures reach 85 degrees in the summer.

Pets can become distressed in the heat anywhere -- not only when they are in vehicles. Animals need access to shade and shelter, and water and food, whether they are inside or outside, he said.

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I do not understand how a woman could be so detached about losing her 14-year-old dog. She flies the dog all the way from Washington to the East Coast after getting the OK for the dog to fly and then just leaves her in the hot car to go buy dog food. I would like to know the time frame of this whole thing. When did she leave Washington State? How long had she been in West Virginia? Why didn’t she leave the dog at her home? This must have been an awful death for this poor dog and it is scary how the woman went about everything from returning the dog food immediately upon finding the dog dead to just nonchalantly asking AC where she could drop a dead dog off for disposal. This story sickens me; something is missing from this story. RIP Sweet Delta! I hope they make an example out of your owner.

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Police respond to dog bite in Hannibal

HANNIBAL, MO. --  News release from the Hannibal Police Department:

The Hannibal Police Department, Animal Control is investigating a report of an alleged dog bite in the 1600 Block of Fulton Saturday. The Hannibal Police Department were notified at approximately 3 p.m. of an alleged dog bite that had occurred inside a residence. Animal Control responded and located a 27-year old Hannibal female had sustained injuries as a result of an alleged dog bite. Marion County Ambulance was summoned to treat the female who had injuries to an arm as well as injuries to her face.

As the female was receiving treatment and officers were investigating the alleged bite it was found that the dog had been confined in a room inside the house. Hannibal Police Officers were called to assist in taking the animal into custody. Animal Control assisted by Hannibal Police were able to capture the animal, which was aggressive toward officers. In order to capture the dog officers had to use a tranquilizer gun as well as a tazer. After a short time the dog was able to be controlled by the use of a catch pole and taken to the NEMO Humane Society. The dog sustained minor injury. No other persons were injured during the capture.

The female was transported to Hannibal Regional Hospital where she received treatment for her injuries. The Hannibal Police Department is currently investigating the dog bite and is seeking the owner of the dog reference to pending charges. The victim of the dog bite was temporarily staying at the residence were the bite occurred and that residence is the residence of the dog.

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Do you know what I like about this dog bite report? It does not identify any breed of dog; it strictly refers to the incident as an alleged dog bite by a dog. Granted it is a copy of the police report but I wish that all media reports on dog bites looked something like this. It would greatly reduce the hype surrounding not only pit bulls but other breeds as well.

From My Google Alerts- July 7, 2010

A mixed Breed Labrador named Blue was stabbed and beaten to death while chained to his doghouse at the junkyard he called home. The junkyard had been burglarized and the cash drawer as well as $20 in change was stolen. Police discovered a white thread between Blue's teeth that may help solve the crime. The burglar made a getaway by climbing onto a parked car to jump over the junkyard fence, according to a search warrant filed Tuesday in Roanoke Circuit Court. Officers found blood and shoe prints on the vehicle, the document said. The search warrant names Otis Larry Whorley III, 26, of Roanoke, as a suspect in the burglary and in Blue's killing. No one has been charged. Whorley was treated for a dog bite at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital Thursday morning, the search warrant said. He claims a pit bull attacked him while walking home from his girlfriend’s house. Blue was laid to rest in the junkyard.

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In Syracuse, New York, Peggy, the pit bull mix recovering from injuries received during a four-story fall from a Syracuse apartment building, is being given up for adoption by her owner, officials said. Finding her a new home shouldn’t be any problem seeing as the hospital handling the adoption has received 100 applications; they refuse to accept anymore. The dog is doing well, but hospital officials want to give her more time to recover before letting her move into a new home where she will have to meet new people and, perhaps, new fellow pets, Wilcox said. He said an announcement about her future might come next week.

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In Cyprus, a ten-year-old Paphos boy was mauled yesterday by a pedigree dog, which jumped out of the yard of a house in the village of Emba to attack the child, one of a group of youngsters playing in the street outside. Police spokesperson Nicos Tsappis told the Cyprus Mail: “The dog is a Japanese Akita, which is a pedigree breed and is two-and-a-half years of age. It attacked the boy and bit him on his face.” I just love how they choose to use the term “pedigree dog.” The 32-year-old owner of the dog, Chrystos Chrystou, was called into the local police station, where he was informed of the incident, given a caution, and released.

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The pit bull that took part of three attacks inside Golden Gate Park will likely be put down. Nobody has claimed him or the female dog said to have been with the male dog during the attacls. In all likelihood, the pit bull will be euthanized after Sunday, a police official with the department’s vicious and dangerous animals unit said.

UPDATE: South Bend animal control seizes pit bull after it bites man's face

From My Google Alerts- June 28, 2010

A 12-year old boy killed two of the three Chihuahuas owned by his foster father in Atwater, California. He was taken to juvenile hall. Apparently, the dogs tried to bite the boy so he tossed two in a small irrigation pipe, drowning them by throwing a cement block on top of them. The third washed into a canal from a larger irrigation pipe and survived. He is a sick kid and this is a precursor to something for atrocious.

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Matthew Havern was sentenced to one to twelve months in prison after his dog mauled his niece. Apparently, it was not the first time the dog attacked a toddler. The dog should have been put down the first time.

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In Jacksonville, Florida, a woman is being held prisoner in her own home by stray dogs. She claims one of the dogs is a pit bull and it killed a dog across the street from her; yet, AC wouldn’t remove the dog’s body because they were called by police. Evidently, AC is understaffed and stray dogs killing others aren’t priority. Once someone is bitten or killed then AC can respond as a priority call. The strays are too fast to catch so AC says they will have to set up a trap on someone’s property, but that will take the owner’s permission and cooperation. It sounds to me like Animal Control doesn’t really give a shit.