NORTH CAROLINA -- Some Gaston residents have managed to find a “little piece of heaven” on Cramerton Road, right between the city limits of Gastonia and Cramerton. But the peaceful farms that dot the countryside have been threatened lately by the lashing teeth of a large, reddish pit bull on the loose. John Simonds, 69, lives on a 35-acre farm at 453 Cramerton Road and frequently has his grandchildren over to visit and allows them to explore nature. The kids enjoy petting the farm animals. Around 1:30 a.m. Monday, Simonds heard his horses and cattle “hollering” and went outside to find his 10-year-old pony, Bear, being attacked by the pit bull. Simonds heard the pony’s shrills of pain and went down to it in attempt to pull the dog off of the pony’s nose. Simonds tried to take a shot at the dog but as he was trying to get a flashlight lined up under the gun, the family dog ran between him and the ailing pony. The pit bull eventually disappeared into the night but it was too late for the pony.  |
| John Simonds talks about the problems he has had with pit bulls attacking some of the animals on his farm. |
It became the latest victim in an ever-growing list of Simonds’ barnyard animals that have lost their lives in their own pens.
Simonds doesn’t know where the pit bull comes from or if it is owned by anyone. It strikes at night and has already killed six goats, injured numerous cows and bitten a donkey.
“I think he’s a local dog that gets out at night,” Simonds said. “The animal control left a cage down here (to catch him) but all it caught was my own dog twice, two coons and a possum.”
He says that Gaston County Animal Control officials have been notified and at first thought it was a coyote preying on the farm animals he and his family have become attached to.
But two months ago, Simonds saw a dog attacking numerous goats. That’s the same incident that left the family donkey wounded.
Simonds shot the dog that was attacking his goats. He heard the dog yelp and then saw it scurry away.
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| John Simonds donkey "Hank" survived an attack by stray pit bulls on his farm near Cramerton. Simonds has had a pony and six of his goats killed by the dogs. |
He doesn’t know if that was the same dog that attacked the pony on Monday but they bear resemblances.
But there’s one thing that concerns him – the pit bull that attacked early Monday is brave and he’s afraid that it’s only a matter of a time before it returns.
Blood thirstyGaston County Animal Control Sgt. J.F. Phil says that when officers respond to a call, they go out to the residence and try to find the dog that’s causing trouble.
If they’re able to find it, the owners are notified. If not, a trap – in the form of a cage – is set.
Simonds said Animal Control officials thought the culprit in the case of the dead farm animals was a coyote but now he knows it’s a pit bull.
“(The dog) pulled one goat’s tail off. Somebody’s going to get hurt before it’s over with,” Simonds said. “We’ve got to get (the dog). We’ve got to stop this.”
The pit bull literally tears the animals apart and viciously attacks them, often leaving them bloodied and gravely injured. It’s choosing to attack some animals on the neck and others all over their bodies.
Jud Spargo, 72, spends a lot of time at the home of his girlfriend at 459 Cramerton Road.
He describes the property near Simonds’ home as “a touch of heaven” and the infamous pit bull has been such a nuisance that they’re afraid to let small dogs out in the yard.
“There’s a disturbance here in a little touch of heaven,” Spargo said. “We’ve got a real problem here. Everyone’s scared for the horses. We have a fear that there might be something drastic happen out here.”
But until the pit bull strikes again, Simonds and Spargo are on the lookout so it doesn’t harm any more animals. They’re concerned that the pit bull will strike a human.
“He’s got a hunting party after him,” Spargo said.
(WCNC - Nov 16, 2011)
