A man was taken to the hospital Sunday evening after a dog attack in Pittsburgh's Arlington Heights section.
"The neighbor's dog went after my boyfriend and ripped his hand apart and tore his shirt, his back; he had scratches and was bleeding everywhere," said Jessica Rieber, the victim's girlfriend. "They just left him out there, just shut the door."
A few days ago, a 6-year-old Allentown boy was mauled in the face.
Pit bulls were blamed in both incidents and the perception may be that Pittsburgh is being overrun by them, but that is not the case.
According to Animal Control, only 5.2 percent of dog licenses are sold to pit bull owners in Pittsburgh.
"If you look at the bites and the context in which it happened, a majority of the time it wasn't really the dog's fault," Pittsburgh Animal Control Supervisor Gerald Akrie said.
Of the 133 animal bites reported so far in 2010, about 40 percent have been from pit bulls.
Those numbers may lead some to say the breed should be banned, but the next breed on the list are Labrador retrievers.
Pit bulls can be aggressive, but Akrie said the person holding the leash is usually responsible for the dog's behavior.
"Most of the time, animals reflect their owners. I guarantee it. As many times – I've been on this department for almost 18 years, you see an aggressive dog, you talk to an owner, you got a knucklehead owner," Akrie said.
The man attacked in Arlington Heights Sunday night was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
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I thought this was an interesting article because so many people are quick to say “Ban pit bulls” after a dog attack. I particularly like how it states that Labrador retrievers are the second most responsible for dog bites in this city, which is ironic to me considering they are such “family dogs” by most people. BSL does not prevent dog attacks and dog bites. Responsible ownership is the only answer to dog bite prevention.
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. _______________________________ 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. _____________________________ 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. ___________________________
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
