Do pit bulls need a law of their own? (All Pit Bull News)

Pit bull bites 3 people: the dog's owner, a 2-year-old girl and a Westfield police officer

A pit bull attacked its owner, a 2-year-old girl and a Westfield police officer at a Maple Street residence on Friday, according to authorities, who quarantined the dog as required by state law.
"Dog went nuts," Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe said Monday.
All three victims suffered bites from the 7-year-old male dog, which is being kept at the Westfield Regional Animal Shelter, 178 Apremont Way.
The officer was bitten on the arm, the girl was bitten on the hand and the dog's owner was bitten on the thigh, Westfield Animal Control Officer Ken Frazer said. All three were treated at the hospital and later released, officials said.
Frazer said the girl's guardian can request a so-called dangerous-dog hearing to determine the fate of the pit bull, which is not neutered. Depending on the outcome of that hearing, the dog could be euthanized, he said.
Frazer faulted the dog's owner for failing to neuter the animal, which is widely considered to be a basic component of responsible pet ownership. Male dogs that are neutered tend to be less aggressive than those that do not undergo the procedure.
Authorities speculated that the dog may have become jealous when its owner, a woman who was not publicly identified, held the child. The owner was babysitting the little girl at the time of the incident, which occurred Friday morning at 28 Maple St.
"It's not the dog. It's the people that made the dog that way. It's how they train the animal," said Frazer, a 27-year veteran animal control officer.
The dog started acting aggressively, first biting the girl's hand, then the woman's inner thigh, Frazer said. When police arrived, an officer formerly assigned to the department's K-9 unit was bitten on the forearm, Frazer said.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/pit_bull_bites_westfield_cop_a.html

Best wishes for the recovery of the Officer and the little girl.

Add the dope who thought this was a good place for her 2YO.

Postal Worker Dies From Stroke After Pit Bull Attack



An attack by an unleashed pit bull on a San Diego-area letter carrier contributed to the postal worker's death two days later from a stroke, authorities say. The carrier, 59-year old Diane Jansen of Sun City, had been working her route for 5½ years in the northern San Diego suburb of Escondido.

Upon arriving at the intersection of Carlann Lane and East Washington Avenue last Thursday morning, Jansen was greeted by the canine, according to a report by television station KGTV in San Diego. The dog emerged from a residential garage owned by a family with several children. The pit bull "just shot out of the ... partially closed garage door," according to police Lt. Chris Wynn.
Her speech began to slur immediately after the bite and she then became "unresponsive," authorities say. Jansen was then taken to the Paloma Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage. Placed in the intensive care unit, she was taken off life support on Saturday. She died the following evening.
The dog was then euthanized with the owners' consent, according to the Los Angeles Times. The owners were not identified in local news reports, as the police concluded that no crime had been committed.
The incident took place next door to a hot spot for dog bites of postal workers. In neighboring San Diego, the 2010 total of 45 such incidents was only topped by Houston's, which stood at 62. (Columbus, Ohio, tied San Diego. Next on the list was Los Angeles, with 44.)

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/0...stroke-after-pit-bull-attack/?test=latestnews

NH woman, dog, recover from pit bull attack

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- A Manchester woman and her pet are recovering after an attack by a pit bull terrier.


Read more: http://www1.whdh.com/news/main/local/#ixzz1qJRZcOvB

Missing Texas four-year-old found dead after dog attack

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  Kylar Johnson, 4, of Victoria, Texas, was found dead in a neighbor's backyard, apparently mauled to death by a dog.

VICTORIA, Texas – A four-year-old Texas boy reported missing was found dead 14 hours later in a neighbor's yard, after apparently being fatally mauled by a dog.
The body of Kyler Johnson was found by the neighbor in Victoria, about 130 miles southwest of Houston, Monday morning after the child wandered away from his own home on Sunday night, the Victoria Advocate reported.
Authorities said it appeared a pit bull which was kept in the yard had attacked and killed the boy. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday and preliminary results expected the same day.
Kyler was reported missing Sunday night after he wandered away from his front yard as his father, Cole Johnson, cleaned his car.
Deputies began searching for him Sunday night and found his body about 10:45am local time Monday.
"This is a very unfortunate circumstance, I have to report to you today," Victoria County Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor said at a news conference.
"I was in hopes that our search would become fruitful and we found the young child alive. Unfortunately, we did not."
The dog, one of five owned by the neighbor, was quarantined after the attack.
Click here for more on this story from MyFoxHouston.com.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/26/missing-texas-four-year-old-found-dead-after-dog-attack/?test=latestnews#ixzz1qJVYjrCJ

Nevada toddler killed by family dog at birthday party

LAS VEGAS – A birthday party in the Las Vegas area ended in tragedy Saturday when a one-year-old boy died hours after he was attacked by his family's pet dog.
The boy, who was not named, was celebrating his birthday late Friday at his grandmother's home in suburban Henderson, 17 miles southeast of Las Vegas, when he crawled over to the dog and starting petting him.
The 120-pound Mastiff/Rhodesian mix latched its teeth around the boy's head and began shaking him, the Las Vegas Sun reported, citing police.
Family members rushed to the boy and attempted to free him from the six-year-old dog.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/29/nevada-toddler-killed-by-family-dog-at-birthday-party/?test=latestnews#ixzz1tQqLPABP

Nevada toddler killed by family dog at birthday party

LAS VEGAS – A birthday party in the Las Vegas area ended in tragedy Saturday when a one-year-old boy died hours after he was attacked by his family's pet dog.
The boy, who was not named, was celebrating his birthday late Friday at his grandmother's home in suburban Henderson, 17 miles southeast of Las Vegas, when he crawled over to the dog and starting petting him.
The 120-pound Mastiff/Rhodesian mix latched its teeth around the boy's head and began shaking him, the Las Vegas Sun reported, citing police.
Family members rushed to the boy and attempted to free him from the six-year-old dog.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/29/nevada-toddler-killed-by-family-dog-at-birthday-party/?test=latestnews#ixzz1tQqLPABP

What a shame.

Authorities say a baby girl has been fatally mauled by her family's dog in Las Cruces.

Las Cruces police say the child's grandmother appears to have been accidentally shot by a neighbor who was trying to stop the animal attack Tuesday afternoon.

The 16-month-old girl suffered multiple injuries to her head and chest and was rushed to a Las Cruces hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Her name hasn't been released.

The girl's 52-year-old paternal grandmother received a gunshot wound to her leg and was transported to an El Paso hospital.

Police say the family's 2-year-old pit bull attacked the young girl in the backyard of her grandparent's residence. The girl's grandmother tried to intervene but was attacked by the dog.

The neighbor later shot and killed the dog.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/0...oxnews/national (Internal - US Latest - Text)

3-day-old girl dies after dog attack inside Ohio home

TOLEDO, Ohio – An Ohio coroner's investigator said a 3-day-old girl died hours after she was attacked by a family dog while sitting in an infant swing.
The investigator told The Blade in Toledo that the baby girl, identified as Makayla Darnell, suffered head trauma at a home near Beaverdam in northern Allen County on Thursday evening.
"It all appeared to happen in a matter of seconds," Steve Kahle, investigator with the Lucas County coroner, told the newspaper.
He said the girl's parents, Audrianna Myers and Jared Darnell, were in a different room and said they didn't hear noises from the dog or the infant.
She was flown to a Toledo hospital, where she died. An autopsy was planned.
A sheriff's officer said the dog appeared to be a "pit bull" mix. It was put in the custody of the county dog warden.
Click for more from the Toledo Blade


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/18/3-day-old-girl-dies-after-dog-attack-inside-ohio-home/?test=latestnews#ixzz1vGkgC2lI

Pit bull attack sends Whitman man to hospital

Posted 1 hour(s) ago
Fire officials say a man was transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center Monday after he was attacked by a friend’s pit bull in his backyard.

Here's a grammatical abortion and an interesting turn of events.

Springfield poodle with taste for trouble attacks pitbull, its owner, 42-year-old Luis Velez, arrested after alleged knife assault

A poodle with an apparent taste for trouble got its owner into even deeper doo-doo with the law Monday night after it allegedly attacked a pitbull on Benton Street

Sgt. John M. Delaney said the incident began shortly before 8:30 p.m. as a15-year-old male walked his leashed pitbull near 48 Benton St.

“During their evening walk the pitbull was suddenly attacked by a poodle,” Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said.

The 15-year-old, along with his 14-year-old friend, tried, but couldn’t separate the two fighting dogs.

The owner of the poodle looked out his window and didn’t like what he saw,” Delaney said, adding that the poodle owner then went after the two boys with a knife.

The boys, fearing they were about to get stabbed, dropped the leash and ran, Delaney said, adding that responding Police Officers John Corey and Howard Lockwood then spoke with the youths, their parents and witnesses.

Police then went to the poodle-owner’s home at 48 Benton St. and placed him under arrest. The suspect, Luis Velez, still had the knife in his pocket, Delaney said.

Velez, 42, was charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon.

Delaney said the dogs weren’t seriously injured and did not require treatment. The pitbull was returned to the owner, he said.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/springfield_poodle_with_taste.html

Pittsfield boy mauled by pit bulls

PITTSFIELD — A 9-year-old Pittsfield boy suffered wounds to his head, arms and face and part of his scalp was torn off in an attack by his neighbor's pit bull dogs.
Jessyca Petell says she and her son, Perrin, were walking into their multi-family home at 9:30 p.m. Monday when they encountered another resident's three dogs in a common area.
She tells The Berkshire Eagle the dogs dragged her son down the steps in a "violent, relentless and ruthless" attack.
Police say two dogs were involved, but the Petells say all three participated.
The boy received 35 teeth and nail puncture wounds, and a 3 inch-by-3 inch section of his scalp was torn off.
The dogs are quarantined during the police investigation. Their owners, who could not be reached for comment, could be fined.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/pittsfield_boy_mauled_by_pit_b.html

Police chief: Dogs involved in attack 'vicious'

Pittsfield's police chief says he has ruled that three pit bulls involved in an attack on a 9-year-old boy earlier this week are "vicious animals" and must be "disposed of."


Read more: http://www.wcvb.com/news/local#ixzz1xmIuaOdJ

Updated 7 hour(s) ago
A woman was taken to the hospital and her dog was taken to the veterinarian after a fight that involved a collie and a pit bull Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Kennedy Park.

Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x269561272/Woman-and-her-dog-injured-in-a-dog-fight-in-Kennedy-Park#ixzz21dGAsXlt

Georgia woman who rescued animals killed in dog attack

Published August 17, 2012
FoxNews.com


Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

A Georgia college student who cared for abandoned animals for nearly a decade was attacked and killed by a dog, police said.
Rebecca Carey, 23, was killed at her Decatur home sometime over the weekend, MyFoxAtlanta.com reports.
Authorities said Carey, who worked with dogs since she was a young teenager, had five dogs living with her at the time of her death. They included a pit bull, which she had owned for six years, a boxer mix and a Presa, a large Spanish breed. She was also dogsitting another Presa for a friend.
Carey’s body was discovered Sunday afternoon after she failed to show up for work at Alpharetta’s Loving Hands Animal Clinic. The dogs that she was caring for in her home were euthanized on Wednesday. It was unclear which dog killed Carey.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/17/georgia-woman-who-rescued-animals-killed-in-dog-attack/?test=latestnews#ixzz23pN7y19P

Wedding celebration turns violent when guest allegedly sends dog to attack bride

Published August 17, 2012

FoxNews.com

Denver police are looking for a man accused of beating a bride on her wedding day, and then sending his roommate’s dog to attack her.

A friend of Brittany Schult-Cortez's and Jorge Cortez-Trinidad's was attending their wedding reception at a relative’s home when he reportedly became angry with the DJ and left, Fox 31 reports.

The friend, Joel Nevaraz, 21, then allegedly returned to the home around 12:30 a.m. with a dog, which according to Schult-Cortez, he instructed to “sick her.”

“I tried to talk him down, walk him home,” Schult-Cortez told FOX31. “He saw my husband jump the fence. He said, ‘Sick her Skylo. Sick her Skylo,’” she said.

“Why would someone I consider to be my brother, do this to me?” the 22-year-old told the station.

Nevarez reportedly has a history of mental illness.

Cortez-Trinidad, 21, told police he heard screaming and crying outside, and when he walked out he saw, “his wife being drug by her hair by our friend’s pit bull.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/17/wedding-day-turns-tragic-after-friend-allegedly-sends-dog-to-attack-bride/#ixzz23pOGd0WT