(April 2018) Pennsylvania: Owner complains after her Pit Bull is shot while attacking another dog; sets up GoFundMe to sue the victim

WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA -- Owners of the pit bull that was shot and killed after attacking another dog in Wilkes-Barre are grieving the loss of their pet.

The pit bull's owner says he tried to stop the attack and feels lucky that he wasn't shot.

"I had to bury him myself. I couldn't stop crying. I teared up."

Alejandro Loria still can't believe that he had to bury his pit bull named Batman in his backyard.

Sunday morning, Loria was taking Batman for a morning walk around his neighborhood in south Wilkes-Barre. Batman broke away from his leash and started attacking a couple's dog.

"I'm trying to pull my dog away from their dog and I hear the woman saying 'Shoot the dog!' I'm screaming 'No! No!' My girlfriend comes out the house because she hears me screaming. The guy shoots the gun. I'm maybe three feet away. I can't even hear what happens afterwards," Loria recalled.

Wilkes-Barre police report that a woman fired two shots, but Loria says it was her boyfriend who had the gun and shot Batman. Loria's girlfriend initially thought he got hit.

"I heard my boyfriend screaming, 'No, don't shoot, don't shoot!' and I heard a gunshot and I went outside. I thought they shot my boyfriend and I saw my dog and my dog was bleeding pretty bad," said Courtney Rivera.

BLAMING THE VICTIM

"They acted too quick. Right there, what I did as soon as I saw my dog's leash and collar broke, I ran after him and I got on top of him. I attacked my dog just so he could stop attacking their dog. He was just standing there in shock. He should've jumped on his dog as well," Loria added.

Batman was taken to a veterinarian but did not survive.

Loria says he will also have to pay a fine for letting Batman get loose.

Alejandro's girlfriend Courtney Rivera set up a GoFundMe saying:

my dog was shot and killed by a neighbor. And my boyfriend is the only one being charged please help us raise money to take the people to court for shooting my dog.

Courtney had a previous GoFundMe page listed, trying to raise money to "get my baby back". I'm assuming the state either took him or placed him with a relative until she got her s*** together... SMH

COMMENTS FROM THE NEWS ARTICLE:

  

 

(WNEP - April 24, 2018)

Earlier:

• Pennsylvania: Woman shoots pit bull to stop dog attack on her dog

Washington: Pit bull mauled man in a car, then jumped out car's open window to continue attack

PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON -- A man is recovering from a brutal dog attack in Pierce County.

Pierce County Sheriff deputies said the victim had several deep bite marks on his face, arms, and legs.

The department said on Wednesday, a deputy responded to a 911 call reporting a dog attack in progress in the 15500 block of 119th Ave. Ct. E. in Puyallup's South Hill neighborhood.

When the deputy arrived on scene, deputies said the victim was on the ground covered in blood and neighbors, like Jon Zemanek, were trying to help the victim.

Zemanek said he heard screams for help and ran outside thinking it was his dog thatwas loose, but he saw the pit bull attacking the man by his front yard and he didn't hesitate to help.

"The first thing I could think of was to grab his jaw and try to pull,” said Zemanek.

Zemanek still has the punctures from the pit bull's teeth sinking into his fingers.

He tried to pry the dog's jaw off a man's arm before grabbing a metal pry bar.

“Lot of shaking myself,” said Zemanek. “I couldn’t believe I did what I did."

Deputies said the victim and a woman had been "playfully" arguing in a car when the dog lunged at the man and bit him in the face.

They pulled over by Zemanek’s yard, the man ran out but the dog went after him.

At one point neighbors said they helped the woman get the dog back into her car, but it jumped out of an open window, ran after the man again, caught him and began mauling him a second time.

"There was a lot of blood, there was a lot of blood all over,” said Zemanek.

A responding deputy finally fired shots at the dog, killing it after it let go then started circling the man, ready to attack again.

Neighbors said the whole situation was so frantic and uncontrollable; they don't think there was any other way to stop the dog.

“I never like to see an animal get put down unless it absolutely has too,” said Zemanek.

(KOMO News - May 4, 2018)

(April 2018) Pennsylvania: Woman shoots pit bull to stop dog attack on her dog

WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA -- A woman shot a pit bull that attacked her dog as they walked in South Wilkes-Barre on Sunday morning, according to police.

Officers responded to a report of gunshots in the area of Regent and Brook streets at about 8 a.m. Sunday, police said in a news release.

A woman told police that as she and her boyfriend walked their dog, it was attacked by a pit bull that broke free of its owner, Alejandro Loria.

After unsuccessful attempts to stop the attack, the woman fired two shots from her firearm, striking the pit bull, police said.

The woman legally possessed the firearm, according to police. The injured pit bull was taken for treatment, police said.

Alejandro Loria, 27, the owner of the pit bull, was cited by an animal enforcement officer, police said.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Meanwhile, here's the sob story article from WNEP:

Pit Bull Shot, Later Dies
A pet dog was shot and killed on a city street, and neighbors now question why it had to happen.

Neighbors in Wilkes-Barre are trying to wrap their heads around what happened early Sunday morning. A massive pit bull that was known in the neighborhood for giving sweet kisses was shot and later died.

Seriously, in the video, the newscaster says, "A massive pit bull that was known in the neighborhood for giving sweet kisses was shot and later died". What kind of ridiculous one-sided reporting is that? GIVING SWEET KISSES???! 

Morons.

That pit bull went by the name Batman, and he's now buried behind his owner's house a day after being shot for allegedly attacking a couple and their dog. The woman who shot Batman tells police she feared for her safety.

Blood stains remain at the intersection of Brook and Regent Streets in Wilkes-Barre. Nearby, a freshly dug grave sits in the backyard of an apartment building with a grave marker that reads: "Batman."

 

 

It should say, "Here lies a vicious dog that was shot

while trying to kill another dog and its owners"

Batman is the large, gray pit bull that police say was shot around 8 a.m. Sunday.

A woman told police that while she and her boyfriend were walking their dog, Batman got away from one of its owners and started attacking. The victim, who legally owned her gun, fired two shots, hitting Batman once.

People say Batman was well known in the neighborhood.

"Very friendly dog, but it was a big dog, so people were afraid of it. I had seen it in this area a couple of times and it was friendly, but because of the size, people were afraid of it," Greg Winslow said.

Batman is now buried behind the apartment. His leashes are on top of the marker. Originally, animal enforcement responded to the incident and brought Batman to a local animal hospital.

"When we got there, they said the dog lost so much blood that it's best that we just put it down," Winslow said. "Stuff like this should never happen in this area. We have enough problems with people just dumping animals and not wanting to take care of them, let alone killing them."

Animal enforcement tells Newswatch 16 the owner of the dog faces a citation for the dog not being under control. Police say there was no violation of the law when the woman fired shots.

 

 

 

(Citizens Voice - April 23, 2018)

Illinois: Authorities close out the case of Dorothy Ford, 76, who was attacked and mauled to death by her own Pit Bull back in December

ILLINOIS -- The death of a woman who was mauled by a pit bull last year in south suburban Alsip has been ruled an accident by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Officers were called about 3:30 p.m. Dec. 11, 2017 when someone reported the woman was being attacked by a dog in the backyard of a home in the 11600 block of South Komensky, according to Alsip police.

Dorothy Ford, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering multiple injuries during the attack, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

On Monday, the medical examiner’s office announced her death had been ruled an accident following an investigation by the agency.

Both Ford and the dog, which was described as a pet, lived at the home, authorities said. The dog was killed by officers when they arrived and found it acting aggressively.

At the time of the attack, police said no complaints involving the dog were previously reported to authorities.

No charges or citations were filed in the case.

 

 

 

(Chicago Sun Times - March 12, 2018)

Earlier:

• Illinois: 76-year-old woman mauled to death by her own Pit Bull

Wisconsin: Family starts fundraiser for their newly adopted dog that was being mauled by two Pit Bulls until her owner shot them

WISCONSIN -- We adopted our sweet Pepper a little over a month ago from the Humane Society.

My husband, Mike, was taking Pepper out for her evening walk on Saturday, March 3rd, when just a few steps from being in our yard, the neighbor's pit bulls viciously attacked Pepper.

Mike tried to fight the pit bulls off of Pepper, as they both latched on and wouldn't let go.  He fought and screamed for help for almost 5 minutes, but no one came.

As a last resort, my husband left Pepper to run get his gun.  The pit bulls still wouldn't let go. Mike fired 3 shots. The first pit bull released her once it was shot. The other (larger) pit bull wouldn't release her until Mike had fired 2 shots into his chest.  They were relentless!

Pepper had to have emergency surgery for the crushing injuries.  10 lacerations that had 2 to 12 stitches each (estimated about 75 stitches).  She has 2 drains, one internal, and one external.  She's in a lot of pain and on a regimen of pain medication and tranquilizers, plus a few others.

In the past few days, she's lost some stitches and we've found that she has an infection, even though she's on antibiotics.  Her extermal pump isn't functioning because of the popped stitches.  She has to see a specialist and have surgery again to remove the dying skin around the stitches.

 

 

We aren't able to afford to pay for another surgery, but we don't want to lose our sweet little puppy.  We didn't rescue her so she could die a violent death.

The news covered the story (see linked story), and we are asking for everyone for help with this. Despite all of the pain she was in, Pepper still wags her tail when we pet her. She loves us and we love her.

Update 1
The skin has died around the original stitches. She’s in surgery now to get restitched and have the drains put back in. In these crushing injuries, it’s a hard thing to deal with.

Update 2
Pepper is doing a lot better after her 2nd surgery. We are at the vet getting her bandages changed. Her stitches are holding now, great sign. She has extra fluid building up near the current drains, but the vet says it’s not cause for concern.

We come back on Monday to have the current drains removed. If needed, they will put another in then to help with the fluid building up.

Even just looking at Pepper, you can tell she’s better. She still has to remain calm and sedated, but she’s strong and she’s pulling through.

 

Thank you to everyone for the support, kind words, and prayers. It’s a very stressful situation for everyone in our family, but knowing we have support of family and friends, friends of friends, or strangers makes this a lot easier.

Update 3
We went to the vet tonight. Pepper had her bandages changed and the drains removed. She has some fluid building up in her neck still, but the stitches are still holding and she’s mending.

She may have to have one more surgery to relieve some of the fluid. We go back every other day to get her bandages changed and the vet is monitoring the fluid. If she continues to mend, she should get the staples and stitches removed next week Thursday.

Overall though, she’s doing so much better. I cannot begin to express the gratitude we have for everyone that has donated, sent cards, prayers, or just kind words through social media. We are so very grateful for all of the love during this tough situation.

Update 4
Good news! The fluid is going down. If Pepper continues like she is, she won’t need a 3rd surgery, and she will get her stitches out next Thursday. We don’t have to go back for a bandage change until Saturday now. So things are looking up.

She’s been trying to alligator roll to scratch her stitches, so that means she’s healing!! The doctor was happy with how everything looks.

I can’t thank everyone enough for all of the love and support!! When I started this go fund me campaign, I honestly thought we’d raise maybe $50 after a few weeks. But we were close to our goal within a few days!! We have been truly blessed in the midst of this unfortunate event. The donations were a huge stress relief for us, and we were able to focus on helping Pepper recover quickly.

Update 5
Pepper got her stitches out today! She’s still tender, and we have to wait another week to give her a bath (trust me, she needs it). But she’s healing well. She doesn’t have to wear bandages anymore, but we still need to keep her back covered with a T-shirt.

She doesn’t have to be sedated anymore, obviously no rough housing though. Her hair is growing back, and I don’t think you will be able to tell she went through all of this once it’s all back in. She has some fluid still around her neck, but the doctor said it should start to reabsorb into her body soon.

I want to thank everyone again for all of the love. We can’t begin to express just how much we appreciate everyone.

  

GOFUNDME: Save Pepper's Life
Created March 8, 2018
Shonda Denise Webb Fay
  Medical
  MILWAUKEE, WI

Earlier:

• Wisconsin: Man shoots and kills two Pit Bulls that were mauling his dog

Wisconsin: Man shoots and kills two Pit Bulls that were mauling his dog

WISCONSIN -- A West Allis man over the weekend shot and killed two other dogs who had his one-year-old pup in their deadly grip.

"I had to shoot the other dogs, unfortunately, to get them to stop the attack," Mike Fay told WISN 12 NEWS on Monday in describing the Saturday afternoon attack near South 59th and West Burnham streets.

Fay said he knew the dogs lived near him but said he never had any problems with them.

On Saturday, however, the larger animals that police described as pit bulls were running loose and set their sights on Pepper.

Fay, a concealed carry permit holder, said he tried to break up the attack, but ran back to his house to get his gun.

"It was a last resort, not something I'd typically just jump out and do," he said. "I wish things had happened differently. ... I was afraid that they were going to kill my dog eventually."

It was in this alley that the two Pit Bulls attacked

Responding officers later gave Fay a ride to a nearby veterinary hospital, where Pepper was already being examined and stitched up in nearly a dozen places.

She was back home Monday, resting on medication with her head in a cone to prevent her from giving attention to her wounds.

PIT BULL OWNER DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW HIS IDENTITY

Fay's neighbor, who asked to not be publicly identified, said "it was a very unfortunate incident" and that he had no hard feelings against Fay.

Fay said the two men have spoken and said there doesn't seem to be "bad blood" between them.

"He's been very helpful," Fay said. "Everything's working out."

Really? He's not going to be criminally charged at all... so he's free to go buy two more Pit bulls this afternoon. Greaaaaaaaat.

  

(WISN - March 5, 2018)