(May 2017) Hawaii: Pit Bull rips the skin off woman's arm in horrible attack

HAWAII -- My friend Richard Smith's daughter, Renee is a traveling nurse who is currently working in Hawaii.

 She was attacked yesterday by a pit bull and is in the hospital with severe lacerations and bites.  She has over 50 stitches from this brutal attack.

I am starting this account to raise money for Richard so that he can take off from his job and fly there to be with her.  Not only is the flight almost $1500, but he would also need money once he is there to get back and forth from the hospital, but he would be missing work.  Like most of us, he can't afford to miss a day, let alone a week.

If you know Richard, he is always there to help his family,friends and church, never expecting anything in return. Let's all show him the same generosity and get him to his daughter!!

Please donate whatever you feel led to give and know that no amount is too small.

Thank you in advance for your donations and your prayers.

GoFundMe: Vicious dog attack!
Created May 25, 2017 by Debby Cunningham Oliverio
  Medical
  SALEM, WV

(May 2017) New Mexico: Man raising money for his mom after her Corgi was mauled by a Pit Bull tells us, "I have nothing against Pit Bulls"

NEW MEXICO -- My mother's dog was attacked by her neighbor's Pit bull.

Please understand that I have nothing against pit bulls, just so happens that was the breed.

Does he think he'll get more donations if he apologizes for mentioning it was a Pit Bull that attacked? When loved ones are in car accidents, do their relatives tell us, "Please understand I have nothing against Toyotas, just so happens that was the car that slammed into her"??? 

Please do not EVER give people like this your hard-earned money. Find someone else who won't be an apologist. On the other hand, the money is going to his mother, who probably doesn't have the same apologist attitude after seeing her beloved Corgi nearly mauled to death.

She lives in a rural area South of Albuquerque, NM. Her neighbor's are total piles of sh**. She is trying to move to Colorado to be here with her sons and grandson. This very expensive event has set back her home renovations, which need to be done to sell the house. Her neighbors don't care about what happened and are not going to do anything about it. She spends so much time and money rescuing animals and helping everyone around her, please show her that what she does matters and doesn't go unappreciated.

Update:
Gidget is doing better. Still having a hard time eating any food. There have not been any set backs, so that's wonderful. Thank you to everyone for your help and support!!

GoFundMe: Welsh Corgi brutally attacked
Created May 6, 2017 by Dave Nelson
on behalf of Catherine Neumann
Animals
PERALTA, NM

(May 2017) Woman devastated after her neighbor's Pit Bulls maul her little dog to death

SOUTH AFRICA -- When Margaret Lebea saw her lovely dog, Scoopie, being mauled by her neighbor’s two pit bulls, she tried to rescue the smaller dog.

The grandmother bravely tried to fight off the dogs. When she lost her balance and fell during the scuffle, she knew right away that she had lost the battle. Scoopie was savaged to death.

Scoopie was popular for playing soccer with kids in the streets of Soshanguve, Tshwane.

The 64-year-old told Daily Sun the tragedy happened on Thursday.

“When I got home on Thursday afternoon, I found my neighbor’s dogs attacking my Scoopie. I intervened but I couldn’t stop them. I even called the dogs by their names but they ignored me,” she said

Lebea said neighbors also failed to stop the fight.

Sad Margaret Lebea holds Scoopie’s food. Photo by Samson Ratswana

With tears rolling down her face, Margaret said: “This is the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. By the time these evil dogs let go of Scoopie, he was already dead. There was blood everywhere.”

Margaret wants the dogs to be put down.

“I want those dogs dead. We don’t want to see a repeat of the massacre. They took away the love of my life. They must be put down.”

Neighbor James Bokaba said they have lost a good companion in Scoopie.

The owner of the pit bulls was not home when the incident occurred, and all attempts to obtain his comment failed.

SPCA inspector Mishack Matlou said they took the pit bulls away.

“We took them away for their own safety,” he said.

(Daily Sun - May 23, 2017)

(May 2017) California: Even after being shot, Pit Bull continues attack on woman's German Shepherd, which is screaming in pain

CALIFORNIA -- Cell phone video taken by a neighbor captured the gruesome attack of two pit bulls on a German Shepherd in the backyard of the shepherd's home last week.

"They were in my backyard", says Rene Guenthart who raced home from work to try and save her dog Bella from the two attacking pit bulls.

"I got the gun out and went in the backyard and took two shots, I knew I didn't have much time with the way they had her down."

The gunshots freed Bella from the jaws of the attacking pit bulls, one of which did not survive the shooting.

OK so what about the 2nd Pit Bull? What happened with it? Did they simply hand it back to its owner??

Bella is slowly recovering from the unexpected pit bull attack as are her owners.

"She's been with me when I was going through cancer treatment and she's my little baby girl", Guenthart says, "I always see things about pit bulls and, um, just to be really cautious with them because I think they're a little unpredictable."

News of the pit bull attack and deadly shooting is a shock to those who own pit bulls or pit bull mixes like Braxton who we found running around at the Woof Park in Waller Park.

"I know that pits have a bad name, and they've got a bad rep", says Saul Yebra who owns Braxton, "I believe, in my opinion, that its due to the owner, they are not treating them right, they're not giving them structure."

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department says a deputy was forced to shoot and kill a pit bull while trying to arrest a man in Orcutt on Sunday afternoon on mental health and illegal drug charges as well as outstanding arrest warrants.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:


RAW VIDEO OF ATTACK:

(KEYT - May 18, 2017)

(May 2017) North Carolina: Woman, 66, recounts savage attack by her neighbor Jeannette Ortiz's Pit Bulls, one of which had attacked people TWICE before

NORTH CAROLINA -- A Fayetteville woman is recovering after being attacked by two unvaccinated pit bulls on Sunday night.

Around 6:30 p.m., police were called to the 5000 block of Higgins Street after reports of a dog attack.

  

 

Amanda Bellamy Mceachern, 66, told Animal Control officers that she was in her backyard at a gathering when two pit bulls ran toward her after exiting her neighbor's front door.

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App

"She was hollering, and I was trying to get him off me, but he would not turn me loose," Mceachern said. "And then one of them was poking him with a mop stick."

Police said one dog lunged and bit her arm, causing her to black out.

Mceachern said that before she fainted, she remembered both dogs being on top of her.

She was bitten several times on her leg, arms and hips.

"Oh Lord, Jesus," Mceachern recalled. "Ain't nothing I could do"

The two dogs, Ace and Princess, were impounded by Animal Control. Authorities said this was the third ATTACK incident for Ace.

Police said a third dog was running around but was not involved in the attack.

"He is real vicious," said Darlene New. "He don't come outside."

New said several friends were in her back yard Sunday when the neighbor yelled that her three dogs had bolted out the front door.

Jeannette Ortiz, the owner of the dogs, received a dangerous dog investigation notice and was cited for not having current rabies vaccinations for two of the three dogs, no pet privilege licenses for two dogs, and three counts of dogs running at large.

ABC11 went to Ortiz's home but no one answered the door.

Animal Control also cited Ortiz for two instances each of violating Section 3-81(e) of the county's Animal Control Ordinance, which sets the "penalty for a dog biting a human causing injury which requires professional medical or hospital treatment shall be $500.00 for the first offense."

Ortiz faces fines totaling $2,200.

Animal Control Director Dr. John Lauby said Tuesday he would not issue a dangerous dog permit for the two dogs that attacked Mceachern and said they will be euthanized once the rabies quarantine period of 10 days is complete.

"This is a savage mauling and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family," Lauby said.

Mceachern was transported to Cape Fear Valley Hospital after sustaining dog bites to her right arm and left leg. She was released from the hospital later that evening.

 

PIT BULL OWNER'S CRIMINAL HISTORY:

Full name: Jeannette Meraris Ortiz
Age: 37 (07/1979)
Address: 5003 Higgins St
City: Fayetteville
State: NC
Zip Code: 28303

Charge 1: Assault With A Deadly Weapon
Charging County: Cumberland, NC
Charge Date: 11/09/2016

Charge 2: Simple Assault
Charging County: Cumberland, NC
Charge Date: 11/09/2016

Charge 1: Fict/Alt Title/Reg Card/Tag
Charging County: Sampson, NC
Charge Date: 10/14/2016

Charge 2: Speeding
Charging County: Bladen, NC
Charge Date: 01/10/2017

Charge 1: Dwlr Not Impaired Rev
Charging County: Bladen, NC
Charge Date: 05/31/2017

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(ABC11 - May 3, 2017)

Earlier:

• North Carolina: After her Pit Bull attacked people on TWO different occasions, Jeannette Ortiz was allowed to keep it. Now it and a second Pit Bull have mauled a 66-year-old woman who was in her own backyard

(May 2017) Indiana: James McDaniel charged with animal cruelty after police say he excessively beat Canadian Goose with wiffle ball bat

INDIANA -- James McDaniel says he did what any parent would do if an aggressive animal was attacking their child. He admits to hitting a Canada goose with a plastic Wiffle ball bat after he says the bird started chasing his 4-year-old son, Ethan.

“A goose actually came from the other side of the field… and proceeded to go full wing span and chase after my son,” said McDaniel.

He says he grabbed the only thing around: his son’s plastic bat.

“So I swing one time, he [the goose] kind of topples over, I grab my son, [go gather our things] and I ran across the street,” said McDaniel.

And that swing, it seems, got feathers flying after a witness called the police.

“It was clearly attacking my son,” said McDaniel, “if anyone else had seen the whole incident, they would have known I was trying to protect my son.”

However, county law enforcement says McDaniel went too far.

EXCERPT FROM THE POLICE REPORT:

"...with James holding an orange bat was after the bird was NOT MOVING AT ALL. Rebecca stated she yelled at him to stop and this is when he finally stopped. I spoke to witness number two, Tiana McCoy. Tiana works with Rebecca and was walking out of the same building Rebecca was when Tiana stated she witnessed James hit the bird three times with an orange bat...

"James kept trying to show me a statute on Google where he has the legal right to hit the birds... he kept saying, 'It's gone from a 5 to a 1.'"

Marion County Animal Services showed up and issued McDaniel a ticket for animal cruelty. The agency was unable to comment on the case because of pending litigation, but according to the incident report, witnesses say they saw McDaniel hit the bird three times [even after the goose stopped coming towards him and was simply standing there]. 

 The report also states the officer did take the goose to a local veterinarian.

McDaniel maintains that he was only protecting his child.

“FOX59 has shown before that these birds are becoming more and more aggressive,” said McDaniel, citing a report regarding aggressive geese and the Department of Natural Resources response to them.

“This is very frustrating because why should I not be allowed to protect my child against wildlife anywhere?”

DNR officials said a person is allowed to protect themselves or others from wildlife, but can only use a reasonable amount of force based on the amount of harm a particular animal could inflict. McDaniel will go before a judge on Monday.

I can see smacking it once with a plastic bat, but repeatedly. And I imagine these were full swings by a grown man. That's excessive, especially since the witness says he continued to beat it even when it was stunned and just standing there looking at him.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(5NewsOnline - May 12, 2017)

Florida: Arrested back in January along with his 'doobie brother' Daniel Lawlor, Ashtyn Rance has additional charges filed against him

FLORIDA -- Back in January, Ashtyn and Daniel were heading down the road in their oh-so-stylish blue Mom Jeans minivan. Ashtyn was driving but apparently hit the bong a bit too hard. A cop spotted him "driving erratically" and pulled him over.

Walking up to the van, the cop immediately smelled the pot which gave him enough probable cause to yank them out of the van. Inside the van, they found more than 100 small critters destined for Emerald Coral & Reptiles Pet Store (which is apparently under investigation for allegedly purchasing non-permitted wildlife and re-selling them with possibly falsified permits or on the black market).

It didn't appear that the animals had been abused or neglected. I'm sure these two idiots got paid per animal so it wasn't in their best interests to arrive at Emerald Coral & Reptiles with a van full of dead reptiles.

The problem is: neither Ashtyn nor Daniel had the proper permits for these animals. Where did they get them? Who knows? But the cops called Florida Fish and Wildlife who came out, photographed, inventoried all the animals, and threw some initial charges at the two potheads.

The few hermit crabs and the red snake are native to Florida so they released them to live happily ever after. However, the iguanas, lizards and geckos were not so lucky.

 

NOTHING TO SMILE ABOUT
They killed this little lizard for no reason except he wasn't
native to Florida and the 2 men did not have permits for him.

Wildlife officers KILLED ALL 76 OF THE IGUANAS, LIZARDS AND GECKOS.

Why? What did they do to deserve death?

Because they're not native to Florida, they couldn't be released. So? Assign the proper permits to the animals and send them to a qualified reptile rescue. But, see, wildlife agencies don't do that. It's easier for them to simply kill the animals.

Anyway, looks like Ashtyn Rance picked up some additional charges since the January arrest and the judge slapped a $65,000 bond on him so he might still be cooling his jets at the county jail right now.

Fort Pierce man jailed in sale of pink toe tarantulas, boas, other exotics
TC Palm - June 2, 2017

A Fort Pierce man accused of improperly selling a variety of exotic animals, including pink toe tarantulas and Brazilian rainbow boas, was arrested on more than 10 charges, according to records released this week.

Ashtyn Michael Rance, 31, of the 10300 block of Orange Avenue in Fort Pierce, was arrested Wednesday on 12 misdemeanor counts of possession of captive wildlife for commercial or sanctuary purposes without a permit and a single misdemeanor count related to having a nile monitor.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation began after Rance in May 2016 was denied a license for the commercial sale/exhibit/display of so-called Class III wildlife, which includes skunks, parrots, snakes, geckos, finches, foxes and frogs.

By comparison, Class I wildlife includes lions, hippopotamuses, bears and elephants — animals “that pose a significant danger to people,” according to the FWC. Class II wildlife, which also can pose a danger, includes bobcats, howler monkeys, dwarf crocodiles and wolverines.

In June 2016, an investigator reported seeing Rance in Hillsborough County at a reptile exposition with Class III wildlife for commercial purposes.

A month after that, investigators got information “on Facebook that Rance continued to commercially sell captive wildlife without a license.” Rance also posted pictures of himself importing creatures from Guyana, records show.

Investigators said that Rance on a Facebook page stated he used another entity’s license, but investigators say that license is for a different address in Palm Bay and in Rance’s case is not allowed.

Other records gotten through a Facebook search warrant and PayPal subpoena show arrangements for payment from people via PayPal for animals including collared lizards, red foot tortoises and blue iguanas.

Rob Klepper, a spokesman for FWC, said whether the people who bought the creatures did anything inappropriate depends on the laws of their state. At least one person was in Colorado and one in Georgia.

“His violations were in regards to the sale of these animals, not necessarily the possession,” Klepper said.

One $2,720 direct deposit was for a variety of creatures including 10 Nile monitors. It’s illegal to possess those without a permit, Klepper said.

Nile monitors are non-native lizards that can grow to more than 5 feet and weigh nearly 15 pounds.

Rance was cited two previous times by FWC, and warned four previous times, according to Klepper.

Records provided by FWC show Rance in 2014 was convicted of possession of a venomous reptile without a license in Brevard County. That related to a dusky pygmy rattlesnake.

Rance was also convicted of cruelty to animals in 2006 in Palm Beach County.

“The FWC promotes responsible ownership of captive wildlife, and it is the goal of the FWC to develop the best regulations possible that provide for public safety, animal welfare, and the legitimate use of wildlife for educational, exhibition, or personal purposes,” Klepper said via email. “Florida’s captive wildlife regulations are among the most stringent in the nation.”

Rance was held Friday in the St. Lucie County Jail on $65,000 bail, a jail official said.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Ashtyn Michael Rance
Sex: Male
Race: White
Arrest Age: 31
Date: 05/31/2017
Time: 4:46 PM
Arresting Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife
Location: St. Lucie County, Florida
Total Bond: $65,000
Charges
#1 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#2 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#3 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#4 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#5 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#6 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#7 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#8 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#9 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#10 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#11 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#12 Exhibition And Sale Of Wildlife W/o A Permit. BOND: $5000
#13 Possession Of Prohibited Reptile. BOND: $5000

  

Earlier:

• Florida: Daniel Lawlor and Ashtyn Rance arrested after authorities found 114 lizards and hermit crabs in their van. Florida Fish & Wildlife KILLED SEVENTY-SIX OF THESE ANIMALS FOR NO GOOD REASON!

United Kingdom: "Rainbow Bridge has gained an Angel"

UNITED KINGDOM -- Paula Colville added 2 new photos to Facebook on May 18, 2017 ·
Rainbow Bridge 🌈 has gained an Angel 😇 and Willow is with Ollie now. He will look after her

She was attacked by a pit bull type dog that lives opposite. She tried to fight it off and lost all her claws in the process.

The vet did everything to save Willow but her injuries were too severe.

To everyone that helped...you are angels and I'm so thankful that you were there.

You deserve medals, all of you.

Rest in peace baby girl 😢
We love you
 💔💔💔💔💔

New Jersey: Young woman recognized for quietly tending the grave of Washington Township's first K9 officer

NEW JERSEY -- Washington Township Police Department added 3 new photos to Facebook on May 27, 2017 ·

We would like to thank a new friend of the Washington Township Police Department.

We recently learned that Emily Reed goes out of her way to tend to the grave site of K-9 Wicko. K-9 Wicko was the first K-9 officer in Washington Township and his human partner was Officer Frank Rossnagle.

When she is able, Emily places flowers on Wicko’s gravesite, clears snow and any other debris. We have seen fresh flowers on the grave site in the past and it was always a mystery who placed them there.

We recently met with Emily at K-9 Wicko’s gravesite to present her with a certificate of appreciation. She is a great human being and her selflessness and kindness overwhelmed the members of the Washington Township Police Department. We were honored to meet someone with such compassion.