Family dog mauled to death in own yard by pit bull; Milwaukee animal control MADAC invites killer's owner to attend a training class

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Milwaukee, WI

Normal

Revay Wright lets his dog, Hershey Bar, into his fenced yard to enjoy unseasonably warm weather.  Next door, his new neighbor Guillermo let his dog into his own yard.  The dog finds a weak spot in the fence and enters Wright’s yard.

Not

Guillermo’s dog is a pit bull.  It attacks Hershey Bar, a small dog, and kills him. 

"He had my dog under the brush in his mouth,"

Wright and his family take their pet to the vet, but the injuries are too bad. 

"I just knew it, we took him to the vet and there was nothing they could do for him. Messed up, messed up, it's hard,"

Consequences

A small, harmless, innocent dog is killed brutally in his own yard.

A family is traumatized by the brutal killing of their pet in the yard where he should have been safe.

A pit bull has a fun time killing a dog, and gets to go home to its owner for snuggles.

A pit bull owner is cited and given 4 weeks to fix his rotted fence; he says he’ll fix it in 3 weeks, and doesn’t mention if he plans to allow his killer pit to use the essentially unfenced yard in that time period.  He also claims to have to attend a training program run by the city’s animal control commission.

Animal Control Says 

The city of Milwaukee has breed-specific legislation regulating the ownership of pit bulls and Rottweilers.

Chapter 78-22 of the City of Milwaukee Code of Ordinances places special requirements on owners of dogs that are one half or more American staffordshire terrier, staffordshire terrier, American Pitbull terrier, staffordshire bull terrier, miniature bull terrier or Rottweiler.

Any person who walks a Pitbull or Rottweiler dog must have it attached to a leash no longer than 6 ft. and must be at least 16 years old and able to control the animal. A person older than 16 who is of slight stature may not be able to control a large Rottweiler and may not walk the dog. The person must be competent to govern the dog and prevent it from annoying or worrying pedestrians or trespassing on property. In addition, the owner of the dog must attend a dog behavior class. These classes are offered by the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission. 

As underlined, the above seems to be the reason Guillermo is being required to take a training class.  However, this seems like an odd, inappropriately mild response to the violence of the pit bull’s behavior. 

Milwaukee also has a basic, overall, useful dangerous dog law which, unlike many, includes attacks on domestic pets.

PROHIBITED AND DANGEROUS ANIMALS (s. 78-23)

Any animal which, when unprovoked, bites or inflicts bodily harm on a person, domestic pet or animal on public or private property can be declared dangerous.

Any animal which chases or approaches a person in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack without provocation upon the streets, sidewalks or any public grounds or on private property without the permission of the owner or person in lawful control of the property can be declared dangerous.

An animal with a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack, to cause injury to, or to otherwise threaten the safety of humans or other domestic pets or animals can be declared dangerous.

(An animal shall not be deemed dangerous if it bites defending its owner or caretaker, protecting its young or another animal, defends itself against any person or animal which has tormented, assaulted or abused it, or is defending it's owner or caretaker's property against trespassers.)

When an animal has been declared dangerous by the Department of Neighborhood Services, a Dangerous Animal Order will be issued to the animal owner or caretaker. Within 7 days, the owner has two options:

1) to comply with Sections 78-23-1 through 7 and 10 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances, or 2) have the animal destroyed by MADACC or a licensed veterinarian as pursuant to Section 78-23-11 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances.

Sections 78-23-1 through 7 and 10 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances are as follows: Whenever an owner or caretaker wishes to contest an order, he or she shall, within 72 hours after receipt of the order, deliver to DNS a written objection to the order. The Department of Neighborhood Services then convenes the dangerous animal hearing panel.

And a separate section of the city’s animal control laws specifically addresses exactly what happened here:

PROHIBITED DANGEROUS ANIMAL (s.78-25)
An animal that is determined to be a prohibited dangerous animal under s. 78-25 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances include:

- Any animal that kills a domestic pet or animal without provocation while off of the owner or caretaker's property.
- Any animal that inflicts substantial bodily harm on a person without provocation on public or private property.
- Any animal brought into Milwaukee from another Wisconsin city, village, town or county in which it has been declared dangerous or vicious, has been banished from the city, village, town or county or has been ordered to be destroyed.
- Any dog that is subject to being destroyed under s. 174.02(3) of the Wisconsin Statutes.
-Any dog trained, owned or harbored for the purpose of dog fighting.

When an animal has been declared a prohibited dangerous animal, a Prohibited Dangerous Animal Order will be issued on the animal owner. The animal must either be removed from the City of Milwaukee within 7 days of receipt of order or destroyed. The order may be appealed in writing within 72 hours of receipt of order to the Department of Neighborhood Services.

It’s clear that animal control had ample power to pursue an appropriate response to a case where a dog escapes its owner’s yard not to run loose and bark and chase cats, but to attack and kill another dog.  Instead, they chose a response which is completely inappropriate to the situation.  A fine, probably for dog at large or lacking a license, plus a required training program, is something you do if you pick up a loose pit bull and return it to the owner.  When the pit bull has attacked and killed, you are supposed to move on to the next level of law enforcement. 

Obituary for a good dog

"He was family to us,"

http://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/milwaukee-family-concerned-after-small-dog-killed-by-neighbors-pit-bull

Milwaukee’s Rottweiler/Pit Bull rules

http://city.milwaukee.gov/DNS-360_PITBULL_English.pdf

Milwaukee’s animal laws

http://city.milwaukee.gov/Env/Animal_Control_Overview#.WK71yrczUSk

 

Man attacked by 2 pit bulls, which shred his arm and put him on a ventilator

Afternoon

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Rowallan Park, Port Elizabeth

South Africa

Normal

A 50ish man walks down a suburban street.  He is a familiar sight in the neighborhood, known to most as Marks or Pompies; he does odd jobs for locals.  Two dogs are running around in their owner’s yard. The dogs become excited at the man passing by, and escape their yard to approach him.

Not

The dogs are pit bulls; they attack the Marks.  They latch onto his arm and maul him badly. When a second man, Jannie van Schalkwyk, tries to rescue Marks, the pits attack him too, biting him in the face and back. The pits do not let go of until police arrive and fire “warning shots” to spook them.

the man, aged in his 50s, suffered life-threatening injuries to the chest and arms in the horrific attack on Saturday. His ears had also been ripped off. The victim, who does odd jobs in the area, was placed on a ventilator after he stopped breathing at the scene

Neighbor Hennie de Klerk

“I was busy with something and I just heard this terrible scream,”  

Consequences

Marks suffers life-threatening bite wounds to the chest and arms; doctors are forced to remove half his left arm. He stops breathing at the scene, and is placed on a ventilator.  He endures multiple surgeries. 

Jannie van Schalkwyk is bitten on the face and back and is treated at a hospital. 

 

The pit bulls are confiscated by police and turned over to Port Elizabeth’s Animal Welfare Society (AWS). They are euthanized with the agreement of owner Marcus van Meiring.

No charges have been filed and no citations issued for the pit bull owner.  He is said to be under investigation

... for failing to prevent injury to a person under the Animal Protection Act.

Pit bull owner says

Pit bull owner Marcus van Meiring has not commented on the attacks.   The homeowner, Christo van Meiring, waited 4 days, then filed a complaint, alleging someone had tampered with the lock on the gate to his property.  Christo van Meiring is a police officer.

Rescue Expert Says

News24 interviews Marizanne Ferreira, an animal rescuer who works with AWS.  She says the male pit has a serious skin condition, and that both wagged their tails in “greeting” when she met them in the kennels, but seemed stressed in the strange environment. She admits they should be euthanized, but she seems to think it’s more because of a lack of information that would excuse their ripping a man’s arm off, rather than because they ripped a man’s arm off. 

 

"I won't be able to find a new home for the dogs, because we don't know why they attacked."

Ferreira boasts of having worked with fighting pit bulls, and goes on to lay the blame for aggression at the feet of people who fail to socialize their pets.

 

"Dogs who are treated like ornaments become aggressive. Dogs need attention and need socialising as well as being sterilised on time."

Ferreira uses the opportunity to offer her sympathy to pit bulls - these two in particular, and the breed in general. 

“Sadly, I believe it is too late for these dogs – the damage is done. It is probably the end of the road for them... Pitbulls are the villains of the dog world because they are so often used for dog-fighting. I have rehomed pitbulls with families with small children and the elderly in wheelchairs without a problem. .. It is a great pity that their strength and loyalty are being abused.”

News links

PE man loses arm after vicious dog attack (2/20/17)

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/pe-man-loses-arm-after-vicious-dog-attack-20170220

Rowallan Park man critical after dog attack

http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2017/02/18/rowallan-park-man-critical-following-dog-attack/

Port Elizabeth man remains critical after being mauled by pit bulls

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2017/02/19/Port-Elizabeth-man-remains-critical-after-being-mauled-by-pitbulls1

Dog attack: Owner of home lays complaint (2/22/2017)

http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2017/02/22/dog-attack-owner-home-lays-complaint/

Attack Dogs Put Down

http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2017/02/21/attack-dogs-put/

 

  

Guide dog in training mauled for 20 minutes; guide dog trainer bitten

Friday, February 17, 2017

Monte Vista, north of Downtown

San Antonio, Texas

Normal

Sandy Merrill, CEO of Guide Dogs of Texas, walks her guide dog-in-training Billy.  Two loose dogs approach.

Not

The loose dogs are pit bulls; they charge and attack Billy.  As Merrill tries to drive them off with shouts and kicks, they bite and drag at Billy, biting him and shaking him.

"I tried my best to fend them off and shouted and yelled,” said Merrill, the CEO of Guide Dogs of Texas. “I started kicking them and when one would bite on one side, the other would bite on the other side."

“The pit bulls had their teeth sunk in to his stomach,”

The pit bulls attack Billy for twenty minutes, only backing off when multiple people come to her aid and use pepper spray on the violent animals, allowing Billy and Merrill to escape inside a nearby business. In the attack, they also bite Merrill on the hand. They then run off, and haven’t been found.

Billy is left with dozens of bite wounds, but survives with vet care. Merrill filed a report with Animal Care Services, which is investigating, searching the area for the pit bulls and their owners.  Locals say there is a growing problem with loose dogs in the area.

Consequences

An innocent dog being trained to help a blind person is mauled and terrorized, and his future is jeopardized. Merrill says Billy represents a $50k investment in breeding and training.

A woman who trains guide dogs for the blind is terrorized.

2 pit bulls have a fun time.

An unknown pit bull owner enjoys the freedom of choosing a violent dog breed without the financial constraints of confining them, as he/she was able to pass the costs on to Merrill and everyone in the neighborhood. 

A blind person likely has to wait longer for a guide dog, as Billy's training is either permanently ended or prolonged to deal with trauma. 

"The sad thing is, a lot of times when a guide dog is attacked by loose dogs, they don't always recover.” Merrill said. “So if this was a dog that had already graduated, that would be somebody's eyes that they cannot get around anymore."

News links

http://www.ksat.com/news/guide-dog-in-training-attacked-pit-bull-on-san-antonio-near-north-side-acs-investigating

http://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/billy-guide-dog-in-training-viciously-attacked-just-north-of-downtown

Dog tortured to death in front of elderly owners

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Canopy Walk Lane

Canopy Walk condo complex

Palm Coast, Florida

Normal

James Bennett (79) and wife Sandra (72) take their dog Gidget, a 7-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, for a walk in the grounds of their condo complex.  Nearby, Neel (60) and  Helena (58) Karnani are walking their two dogs.  One of their dogs, a young and excitable male named “Wilson” breaks free of its leash and runs around.  It spots Gidget and runs toward her.

Not

Wilson is a pit bull mix; it doesn’t run toward Gidget, it charges her.  The difference is readily apparent to Mr. Bennett, who picks his dog up to protect her. The pit bull is not discouraged by having to attack a man; it leaps up and bites down on Gidget’s back and James Bennett’s arm. When Bennett tries to knock the pit back with his free arm, it repeatedly lunges and knocks him to the ground. Gidget is thrown loose and tries to run, but the pit bull chases her down, catches her and mauls her to death. 

“And the dog may be dead! Our dog may be dead!” the yorkie’s owner screams. “Your dog?” the dispatcher asks. “Yes! A big dog attacked them! Please hurry!”

Someone calls 911, and both sets of owners are heard from during the call.  The Bennetts plead for help for their dog. The Karnanis use the call to attempt to protect both themselves and their killer pit bull.

“He's a mutt dog, but he's basically a 60 pound mixed dog, mixed breed. He got off the leash by mistake.”

Neel Karnani wrestles his pit bull off Gidget’s corpse as police arrive. As deputies sort out the events and James Bennett’s wounds are assessed, Sandra Bennett passes out from an anxiety attack. The Karnanis surrender their pit bull to Flagler Humane Society for euthanization.

Obituary for a normal dog

Neighbor Patty Snyder on Gidget:

“I knew the dog, too. It was the sweetest little thing.

Sandra Bennett

"She was just a tiny, little bitty thing, and that dog aimed to kill," Sandra Bennett said. "She loved so many people, and she just brought so much pleasure to everybody's life. It's terrible that she had to be taken away from us in such a horrible manner. And my poor husband has to suffer and think about all those things."

Links
 

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20170221/pit-bull-mix-kills-yorkie-mauls-palm-coast-man-79

http://www.palmcoastobserver.com/article/dog-attacks-79-year-old-man-kills-his-small-dog-at-canopy-walk

http://www.fox35orlando.com/news/local-news/237506688-story