United Kingdom: Gruesome images show gory aftermath of brutal dog attack that left an elderly woman with horrific leg injuries

UNITED KINGDOM -- A vicious dog attack which left a great grandmother with these horrific leg injuries is being investigated by police.

Joanne Thomson’s 75-year-old mother was savaged by what they believe was a Presa Canario as she walked her tiny toy Cockapoo Bobby, on a lead, in Bolton.

Other news sites are saying that Presa Canarios are also called Canary Mastiffs.

The dog involved has been seized by police and an inquiry has been launched.

Joanne, 46, said she believed her mum tried to shield Bobby when the huge dog lurched at them on Springfield Road, Kearsley.

She was knocked to the floor and badly bitten.

Her daughter said: "She is five foot tall and maybe nine stone. It was not letting her go. It was shaking its head while she was on the floor. It has clamped its teeth down."

The man who was walking the dog tried to pull it clear and hit it on the head with the lead, which had absolutely no effect on the giant dog.

 

 This is a random photo of a Presa Canario; to show you

just how big these dogs are. She's lucky to be alive.

A man in a van saw what was happening and pulled over to try to help.

Eventually, the man managed to get the dog off the elderly woman and the man who had been driving the van put the woman's dog into his vehicle.

The police and ambulance service were called.

People in nearby houses heard the commotion and started to come out with blankets for the woman while they waited for emergency services to arrive.

The man with the Mastiff waited at the scene and said it was not his dog but he was walking it for a friend.

Joanne, who said Bobby the Cockapoo was her mum’s ‘baby’, revealed the attack fractured her right leg in two places.

Her daughter said: "She's got bite marks, like puncture wounds on her leg. The bone was sticking out. She was traumatised.

"I can't imagine the fear that she experienced or the agony. I got a phone call from my mum's neighbour saying 'don't panic but your mum has gone to hospital, she has been bitten by a dog'.

"I just thought that a dog had bit her on the arm and I would get there as soon as I could. I got to the hospital and she was just covered in blood.

"I can't stop thinking about it. I'm just devastated."

The horrific photographs - which Joanne has posted on Facebook and allowed the Manchester Evening News to use - show the dog slashed and bit at her mum’s lower legs, leaving her with numerous puncture wounds.

One wound is too big to be stitched and she could need skin grafts.

Speaking to the M.E.N. as her mum was in theatre at the Royal Bolton Hospital, Joanne said a mystery man in a white van she only knows was called ‘Jake’ stopped and ran to help her alongside a man who was walking the presa canario.

Joanne said: “She could have been killed. She is now terrified, very anxious and scared. If it had got hold of an artery or her neck she could easily have been killed.

“If it would have been a child, they would have been dead. The police have been keeping us up to date with what has been going on and they have been fabulous.

“Officers even came back in to the hospital in their own time to give her a bouquet of flowers. They have gone above and beyond.

“I want to thank the man in the van who stopped. He picked up Bobby and threw him in the back of the van then went to help my mum.

“He was brilliant and I do not even know who he is. People were coming out with blankets and putting pressure on my mum’s wounds. I want to thank everyone for their care.”

Joanne said her mother, who is widowed and a retired NHS worker, walks Bobby everyday. The attack took place just yards from her home.

She said the Presa Canario, which was on a lead, lurched at Bobby and her mum put herself in the way.

The Presa Canario's owner wasn't strong enough to control his vicious dog as it attacked Joanne's mom.

“Bobby is the size of a bag of sugar compared to the other dog,” said Joanne. “The dog just savaged her. She fell under the weight of the dog, which wouldn’t let go despite the man’s attempts to get the dog off. My mum ended up lying on the floor covered in blood and the dog eventually let go.

“She has a massive gaping wound to her other leg and will have to undergo surgery and most probably skin grafts. This dog should have been muzzled at the very least.”

The man left his details at the scene.

Police confirmed officers and paramedics were called at 3.55pm on Tuesday to a report that a 75-year-old woman had been bitten by a dog.

A GMP spokesman said: “The dog involved has been seized pending further investigations.”

This is a random photo of a Presa Canario; to show you

just how big these dogs are. She's lucky to be alive.

(Manchester Evening News UK - December 20, 2017)

Kansas: Social worker attacked by Presa Canario owned by Kevin McGillivary, who has a history of owning vicious dogs

KANSAS -- A social worker attacked by a dog Friday in rural Jackson County was taken to a hospital in serious condition, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Tim Morse in a news release said the social worker was attacked by a Presa Canario dog when she arrived for a visit at a residence outside Delia, in southwestern Jackson County.

These are the same breed of dogs as the ones
that attacked and killed Diane Whipple in San Francisco

The woman drove herself to the Potawatomi Tribal Fire Station for help shortly after 1:30 p.m., Morse said, and the tribal fire department took her to a Topeka hospital.

He said the woman was in serious but stable condition as of Friday night.

The dog’s owner, whom Morse identified as Kevin McGillivary, wasn’t home when the social worker was attacked, but he and his dogs have a history of encounters with the sheriff’s office.

 

 

HISTORY OF VICIOUS DOGS OWNED BY KEVIN MCGILLIVARY

On Nov. 24, 2014, deputies responded to an address south of McGillivary’s residence at 10810 J. Road, where his neighbor’s chickens had been killed and the neighbor had received minor injuries from a different Presa Canario dog McGillivary owned, Morse said.

“A Jackson County Deputy was forced to shoot the dog in self-defense at that scene,” Morse said in the release.

The dog survived its injuries and was impounded, Morse said, but it was later released by the court on the condition that it couldn’t remain in Jackson County.

This is what's called NIMBY = not in my backyard. This is why jurisdictions give a vicious dog back to its owner with instructions to take it outside the city/county limits so they don't have to deal with it. Unfortunately, this does nothing to protect the public in another jurisdiction from being mauled and/or killed by this dog. And the new neighbors to this dog may never even know what happened that brought the dog to their neighborhood...

In April 2016, McGillivary was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Holton on a warrant charging him with permitting a dangerous animal to be at large.

Morse said deputies impounded the dog that attacked the social worker and that reports would be forwarded to the Jackson County Attorney’s Office for review.

(CJ Online - Sept 30, 2016)

Maryland: Former Raven DT Terrence Cody Sentenced To 9 Months In Animal Cruelty Case

MARYLAND -- Former Raven Terrence Cody begins serving a jail sentence. Cody was sentenced to nine months in the Baltimore County Detention Center in an animal cruelty case.

Cody was found guilty of negligence leading to the death of his dog, Taz. According to the vet, Cody let the dog, a canary mastiff, starve to death.

Cody paid $8,000 to purchase and import Taz, a Canary mastiff, from Spain.

Terrence Cody arrived at court Thursday morning for sentencing in the case of his dog, Taz. The former Raven nose tackle was indicted last year for animal cruelty and neglect after his canary mastiff died of starvation. It was barely breathing when he brought it to a vet.

 

“That dog didn’t deserve what happened to it.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Lippe tells WJZ this case represents the importance of caring for animals.

“His celebrity status meant just that he should have known better, that was more of his problem than anyone else’s. He was a guy that portrayed himself as knowledgeable about animals–he knew about animals, he’s trained animals, he owned animals–but he turned on this one dog,” said Lippe.

Cody was convicted of neglect, and his attorney told WJZ on Thursday the court did not find him guilty of aggravated animal abuse because his actions were not intentional.

PETA released the following statement:

PETA wonders how many times the NFL has to be asked to enroll its players in an empathy training program—and when cruelty to animals, children, and women will be grounds to be chucked out of the game? The Baltimore Ravens cut Terrence Cody over cruelty allegations last year, which is to the team’s credit, but it seems that even if Cody had been caught on tape starving his dog in an elevator, the NFL still would have welcomed him back. All eyes are on the NFL to make it clear that the gridiron should be home to compassionate players like Tyrann Mathieu, Jarvis Landry, and Stevie Johnson, not a breeding ground for bullies.

Cody’s girlfriend Kourtney J. Kelley, 28, was also convicted of neglecting the dog.

The Ravens released Terrence Cody after his conviction.

Another article said Cody and his uncle were running a Presa Canario breeding business in Alabama.

(CBS Local - March 24, 2016)

Earlier:

• Terrence Cody under investigation for animal cruelty, report says, as Ravens announce his release
• Terrence Cody's animal-cruelty trial opens with photos of emaciated dog
• Terrence Cody starved his dog to death - a "horrible, miserable death". Maryland law says it is a felony to cruelly kill your pet. However, Judge Judith C. Ensor dismisses felony charges.

California: San Francisco fatal dog mauling conviction upheld

CALIFORNIA -- Despite legal flaws in a 2002 trial, a federal appeals court this week upheld the second-degree murder conviction of a San Francisco woman whose two Presa Canario dogs fatally mauled a Saint Mary’s College women’s lacrosse coach in their apartment building.

In a three-page order, a unanimous 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected Marjorie Knoller’s latest attempt to overturn her unique second-degree murder conviction for the 2001 death of her neighbor, 33-year-old Diane Whipple, who was attacked by two dogs named Bane and Hera.

Knoller’s lawyers had urged the appeals court to overturn the conviction, arguing that the prosecutor committed misconduct during closing arguments and the judge improperly threatened Knoller’s trial lawyer with jail if she continued to raise objections. The 9th Circuit agreed that the trial was problematic, but that the mistakes did not tarnish the verdict.

“Undoubtedly, the trial judge’s threat of incarceration for further objection, coupled with the prosecutor’s inappropriate argument, rose to the level of constitutional error,” the 9th Circuit wrote. “However, Knoller has not established ‘actual prejudice or that no fairminded jurist could agree with the state courts’ (application of the law to her case).”

Dennis Riordan, Knoller’s lawyer, said Friday he will pursue further appeals on her behalf. Knoller can ask the 9th Circuit to rehear the case with an 11-judge panel, or appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Knoller is serving a 15-years-to-life term in state prison. Her appeal centers on several key issues, including the claim the trial judge muzzled her defense lawyer and then allowed the prosecutor to inflame the jury in closing arguments with remarks ordinarily barred from trials.

“There has never been a weaker murder case (of this kind) prosecuted in this state,” Knoller’s lawyers told the 9th Circuit in court papers.

The appeal revisited one of the most notorious incidents in recent Northern California history. Knoller’s trial, along with that of her husband and fellow lawyer Robert Noel, was moved to Los Angeles because of the extensive pretrial publicity.

Knoller and Noel were prosecuted because they failed to take steps to prevent the dogs’ attack on Whipple in the hallway of their apartment building, where she ultimately bled to death from dozens of wounds. Noel, convicted of involuntary manslaughter, served his prison time and has already been released on parole.

But Knoller bore the brunt of the charges, blamed for failing to muzzle the dogs — which the couple was taking care of for two former clients imprisoned at Pelican Bay State Prison — despite knowing of their potential dangerousness when she took them out in the apartment building.

When Knoller was sentenced, a San Francisco judge noted her lack of remorse and failure to take action while Whipple was under attack as reasons for the potential life prison term.

Sharon Smith, Whipple’s partner, successfully sued Knoller and Noel after the criminal trial, securing $1.5 million in damages.

In particular, the legal argument relies on the fact the trial judge eventually warned Knoller’s lawyer she could no longer object to concerns about the prosecutor’s arguments, even threatening her with jail, and then allowed then-San Francisco prosecutor James Hammer to ask the jury to imagine Whipple’s death, “to re-create Diane’s Whipple’s time in the hallway.”

The California attorney general’s office, which defended the conviction, argued there were no trial errors that improperly influenced the jury’s verdict. “The error was harmless under the circumstances and in light of the strong evidence of guilt,” the state’s lawyers told the 9th Circuit.

(Santa Cruz Sentinel - ‎Feb 5, 2016)

Canada: Toronto Animal Services downplays Presa Canario's aggressive behavior while trying to dump it into your neighborhood

CANADA -- Meet the new Boss.

Toronto Animal Services is positive he won’t be like the old Boss when handled by an experienced dog owner.

The municipal agency is attempting to adopt out a four-year-old male, black brindle, Presa Canario with a muzzle order.

Mary Lou Leiher, program manager with Toronto Animal Services, said the previous owner surrendered the dog through a court process with the stipulation that a new home be found for the canine.

“We had some issues with him guarding his owner ... he nipped a few people so we laid some charges, so there is a court order on the dog,” she said. “He will be a good dog if he’s with the right person.

“He was put in a situation that was bad for him and that affected what happened.”

The large, muscular Presa Canario breed is banned in Australia and New Zealand, and has been implicated in attacks on humans, most notably the mauling death of Diane Whipple in San Francisco in 2001.

Carmen Medaglia, of Red Rock Kennels — a Presa Canario breeder in Sault Ste. Marie, said the dog makes a great family pet if properly socialized from puppyhood.

His own dogs are around children all the time and there have never been any negative incidents, he said.

“However, in this situation, because the dog is four years old, history is not really known, and we know he had some issues with biting in the past, I wouldn’t recommend this dog be with children,” Medaglia said. “But that has nothing to do with the breed of the dog, just based purely on facts of his past.”

Boss could still make a good pet for someone who knows how to socialize dogs and who understands that animals bite out of fear, not aggression, he said.

The dog has been at the city shelter since April 23 but was only recently put up for adoption once court proceedings concluded, Leiher said.

Boss was living in Toronto with an individual who did not ensure constant supervision, and that led to bites as Boss tried to guard his companion, she said.

“They were nips, they weren’t like attacks or anything like that,” Leiher said. “He needs to be with an owner whom he trusts and whom he looks to for direction. He can’t be just sort of left unsupervised around people and put in a position where he feels he has to sort of hold down the fort because that’s what was going on.”

Shelter staff have not had any problems with Boss since his arrival, she said.

In order to adopt the dog, would-be owners must successfully pass a number of meet-and-greets with Boss in the shelter.

Presa Canarios were bred as guard dogs and it’s important to find a new companion for Boss that has some experience with strong breeds, Leiher said.

The muzzle requirement applies only if the dog is in Toronto, she added.

On the wisdom of adopting out a dog with its track record, Leiher said the shelter has successfully found companions for other Presa Canarios.

“(We’re) doing our due diligence to make sure that it’s a safe adoption,” she said.

 - - - - -

What Boss has to say for himself, as interpreted by shelter staff...

“Hi I am the Boss Man!”

“I am currently looking for an experienced owner who can meet the needs I require in my new home. I need lots of exercise, a securely fenced exercise area, personal and positive interaction as well as lots of leadership and companionship.

“I would do best in a calm, quiet adult environment where I will not become overstimulated.

“My breed is known to make great family protectors and we are bred to be family companions as well as guardians. I did have some problems in my past where I was a little overprotective and as a result I now must wear a muzzle when I am out in the public. With the right leadership and positive environment, I know that I can be a great canine companion.”

All it takes is for this dog to pull its leash from its new owners hands and take off after whatever it wants to attack and kill - child, cat, dog, mailman, woman pushing baby stroller -- and the owner will not be able to stop it. What if the gate isn't latched properly? What if the owner opens the door to accept a package from FedEx and the dog noses its way out to attack? 

There are so many adoptable dogs at shelters this very minute that are being euthanized because of lack of good homes - why are they wasting their time on this one? Put it to sleep and promote a GOOD DOG that is friendly, has never bitten anyone and needs to be saved from death row.

(Toronto Sun - Jan 17, 2016)

Convicted drug dealer Christopher Pope pleads guilty, forfeits dogs

KENTUCKY -- With a trial looming in two days, Christopher Pope pleaded guilty Wednesday to 12 misdemeanor counts of violating a city ordinance requiring dogs be kept in humane conditions.

As part of the plea deal, Pope relinquished control of 11 dogs that have been held at the Boyle County Animal Shelter since July, freeing them to be adopted.

Pope also agreed to pay $6,700 in restitution, fines and court costs, and serve 90 days in jail in exchange for dismissal of 16 violations of county and planning and zoning ordinances, and forgiveness of about $9,000 he owes the animal shelter for housing his dogs for three and a half months.

“I’m pleased with the outcome,” said Dan Turcea, director of the animal shelter.

Boyle County Attorney Richard Campbell and defense attorney Cullen Gault went back and forth much of Wednesday afternoon, leaving the Boyle District Courtroom on six different occasions to negotiate in the hallway. Each time Gault would return to discuss the latest offer with Pope.

“I’m satisfied,” Campbell said afterward. “The key was forfeiture of the dogs. He pled guilty to the biggest of the charges, which are Class A misdemeanors. The other charges were just violations.”

Authorities seized 10 Presa Canarios and a Husky belonging to Pope during a raid on a home on Old Shakertown Road in July, leading to the charges.

Wednesday’s plea deal wraps up Pope’s cases in Boyle District Court, where he has been a regular on the docket since June for charges related to his care of dogs.

Authorities took control of seven other Presa Canarios in June after a fire at a home on John Bowling Court where Pope kept them. Those dogs were later released back into Pope’s care and were moved to a kennel in Lincoln County from which they escaped and severely mauled a woman who lived nearby.

As part of Wednesday’s agreement, Pope pleaded guilty to violating conditions of his parole from the June case when he pleaded guilty to 12 counts of mistreatment of animals. That deal required him to pay $6,000 in restitution and stay out of trouble for a year, both of which he failed to do.

Judge Jeff Dotson ordered Pope to pay the remaining $3,000 in restitution from that case, plus $1,743 in fines and costs. An additional $2,000 in restitution was part of Wednesday’s deal. He has to repay all the money within a year of being released from prison.

Hashing out an agreement over the money Pope would have to repay took up much of Wednesday’s negotiations with Gault, Campbell said.

“What we had difficulty with was the money, how much and when it would be paid,” he said.

Pope is still under indictment in Boyle Circuit Court on a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun but received a plea offer in that case as part of Wednesday’s dealings.

Commonwealth Attorney Richie Bottoms said Pope would serve two years in prison and forfeit $4,000 in cash recovered in the raid on the Old Shakertown Road home in exchange for pleading guilty to the handgun charge.

“He could still change his mind on this offer,” Bottoms said. “He hasn’t accepted it yet.”

If Pope agrees to that deal, Campbell said a portion of the forfeited cash would likely go to the animal shelter to help pay Pope’s bill there, which is more than $10,000.

Pope still faces misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and harboring vicious animals in Lincoln County. He pleaded guilty in October in Fayette County to conspiracy to traffic in oxycodone and being a persistent felony offender, and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Judge Dotson set a hearing for next Wednesday in Boyle District Court to determine how Pope’s dogs, now owned by the county, will be dispersed. Turcea said he will meet with officials from the shelter and the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society to come up with a plan for the dogs to present to the judge.

Turcea previously said he hoped the dogs could be released to rescue groups who would then find them homes outside the state.

Why dump your problems on another state? WE DON'T WANT THESE DOGS!

(Central KY News - Nov 20, 2015)

Earlier:

• Fire claims the lives of two Presa Canario dogs in house with history of animal abuse and neglect
• Judge Jeff Dotson lets twice-convicted cocaine dealer Christopher Pope to get dogs back after guilty plea
• Letter to the Editor: Christopher Pope should be punished
• Developing Story: Twice convicted cocaine dealer Christopher Pope Presa Canarios escape, attack woman
• Judge orders man, Christopher Pope, accused in vicious dog attack case not to possess any dogs
• New Animal Cruelty Charges For Boyle County Man, Christopher Pope

Terrence Cody starved his dog to death - a "horrible, miserable death". Maryland law says it is a felony to cruelly kill your pet. However, Judge Judith C. Ensor dismisses felony charges.

§ 10-606. Aggravated cruelty to animals--In general
Prohibited
(a) A person may not:
(1) intentionally mutilate, torture, cruelly beat, or cruelly kill an animal;

MARYLAND -- A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge found former Alabama All-American Terrence Cody guilty of five counts of animal neglect, but acquitted him on two felony charges of animal cruelty on Monday afternoon.

Cody, who spent five seasons as a defensive tackle with the Baltimore Ravens, went to trial on Thursday after being indicted on 15 charges in February.

The charges stemmed from the death of Cody's Presa Canario, or Canary mastiff, named Taz. The condition of the dog when Cody brought it to the Main Street Veterinary Hospital in Reistertown, Md., shortly before it died in January alarmed the staff there, leading to an investigation that led to Cody's indictment.

The charges against Cody had included two counts of aggravated animal cruelty with a dog, five counts of animal abuse or neglect with the same dog, one count of illegal possession of an alligator and five counts of animal abuse or neglect with the alligator. Cody also was indicted on one count of possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia and one count of possession of marijuana.

Judge Judith C. Ensor found Cody guilty of five counts related to failing to provide care for the dog, illegal possession of an alligator and the two drug charges, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Ensor announced her decisions on Monday afternoon after hearing closing arguments in the case on Monday morning. Sentencing for Cody was set for Jan. 5.

On Thursday, Adam Lippe, the prosecutor in the case, opened the trial by saying Taz "died a horrible, miserable death" because Cody.

Dr. Martha Smith-Blackmore, a forensic veterinarian, testified the dog died of starvation after being neglected for at least four weeks. She said the dog weighed less than half of what it should have when it died.

On Friday, Cody took the stand and talked about his love of dogs. He said he thought Taz was suffering from heartworms when he took it to the vet.

Cody's girlfriend, Kourtney J. Kelley, faced the same charges and was tried at the same time. Like Cody, she was acquitted of the animal-cruelty charges and found guilty on the five counts of neglect. Kelley also was acquitted on the alligator and drug charges. Kelley's sentencing was set for Jan. 22.

(AL.com - November 16, 2015)

Earlier:

• Terrence Cody under investigation for animal cruelty, report says, as Ravens announce his release
• Terrence Cody's animal-cruelty trial opens with photos of emaciated dog

Terrence Cody's animal-cruelty trial opens with photos of emaciated dog

ALABAMA -- Two-time Alabama All-American Terrence Cody's dog "died a horrible, miserable death because of the conduct of both of these defendants," the prosecutor said as the ex-Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle's trial on animal-cruelty charges started in Baltimore County Circuit Court on Thursday.

Cody and his girlfriend, Kourtney J. Kelley, face 15 criminal counts apiece. Their bench trial started before Judge Judith C. Ensor on Thursday after final plea offers were rejected.

Cody's attorney, Joe Murtha, admitted his client had neglected the dog, but said he never intended for it to die. Murtha said Cody paid $4,000 for the dog, a Presa Canario, or Canary mastiff, named Taz, and another $4,000 to import it from Spain and was crying when he took his pet to the Main Street Veterinary Hospital in Reistertown, Md., in January. The dog died at there.

Prosecutor Adam Lippe used a slide show during his opening statements, the Baltimore Sun reported, that included photos of the dog and its dirty cage.

 

Notice the filthy cage but how neat his shoe collection is kept

 

 Witnesses for the prosecution included Dr. Martha Smith-Blackmore, a forensic veterinarian; Dr. Eddie Molesworth, a vet at Main Street Animal Hospital; and Cody's neighbors.

Smith-Blackmore said the dog died of starvation after being neglected for at least four weeks.

"It was clear that this dog had been very badly neglected for a long period of time," Smith-Blackmore told WJZ-TV outside the courtroom.

She said the dog should have weighed between 99 to 141 pounds. The prosecutor said the dog weighed less than 50 pounds when it died.

"I thought he was dead," Molesworth said of the dog's arrival at his animal hospital.

"You could see every bone" in the dog's face, the Baltimore Sun reported the vet told the court.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Friday morning.

On Feb. 2, a Baltimore County grand jury returned an indictment of 15 charges against Cody. On the same day, Cody was officially released by the Ravens after five seasons.

The charges included two counts of aggravated animal cruelty with a dog, five counts of animal abuse or neglect with the same dog, one count of illegal possession of an alligator and five counts of animal abuse or neglect with the alligator.

Cody also was indicted on one count of possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia and one count of possession of marijuana. His girlfriend faced the same charges.

The indictment alleged the abuse took place between Dec. 19 and Jan. 19 and said Cody intentionally tortured and inflicted unnecessary suffering on the dog, then "intentionally cruelly" killed it. The indictment also alleged Cody did not provide the dog with proper food, water, veterinary care, space and shelter.

The indictment charged Cody with illegally importing a live alligator into Maryland, then failing to provide the alligator with proper food, water, veterinary care, space and shelter.

The drug charges included possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia and possession of at least 10 grams of marijuana.

On Thursday, Lippe showed photos of two assault rifles and drug paraphernalia, including a gas-mask bong and a 6-foot-long bong, found in Cody's house.

Another article said Cody and his uncle were running a Presa Canario breeding business in Alabama.

(AL.com - Nov 12, 2015)

Earlier:

• Terrence Cody under investigation for animal cruelty, report says, as Ravens announce his release

Georgia: Man attacked by Presa Canario

GEORGIA -- "Presa Canario attack. This is why only alpha handlers need to own this breed. They're deadly if they choose to be."

  

New Animal Cruelty Charges For Boyle County Man, Christopher Pope

KENTUCKY -- Chris Pope made his first local court appearance wearing a candy-striped jumpsuit Tuesday, pleading not guilty in Boyle District Court to four counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.

Christopher Pope, left, 25, of Danville, waits to be taken back to the
Boyle County Detention Center following his arraignment on felony
gun charges Tuesday in Boyle District Court. Photo: Todd Kleffman

 
Pope was also hit Tuesday with new misdemeanor animal cruelty charges stemming from the raid on a home on Old Shakertown Road on July 28 when a dozen dogs — 11 Presa Canarios and a husky — in his care were found in "deplorable" conditions and impounded by authorities.

Danville police returned to the home with a search warrant later that day and found four handguns, cash and white powder residue, leading to the felony gun charges.

Boyle District Judge Jeff Dotson set Pope's bond at $250,000 cash. Pope was returned to the Boyle County Detention Center, where he has been held since his arrest Monday.

Pope, 25, of Danville, was to be arraigned this morning on the new animal cruelty charges, along with multiple violations for failing to license and vaccinate the animals, said Lynne Dean, the assistant Boyle county attorney. He is also scheduled for a preliminary hearing Friday on the gun charges.

The new charges Pope faces related to the dogs are the same ones he faced in June when a house on John Bowling Court caught fire and three of his Presa Canarios were found dead at the scene and the other dogs found on the property were impounded.

After the 12 misdemeanor animal cruelty charges were reduced to violations of a county ordinance, Pope entered a plea deal with prosecutors in July which allowed him to get his dogs back if he paid nearly $6,000 in restitution, pleaded guilty to 24 counts of failure to license and vaccinate the dogs and $2,000 in fines.

Upon regaining possession of seven dogs on July 22, Pope moved them to a kennel on Tom Hackley Road in Lincoln County, but they escaped five days later and mauled Loretta Stevens, who lives nearby. Pope was charged with harboring vicious animals and animal cruelty in that case and has a pretrial conference set for Aug. 27 in Lincoln District Court.

Danville police arrested Pope on July 28 on the Lincoln County charges at the home on Old Shakertown Road, where they found a dozen more dogs, along with guns, cash and a white substance. The dogs were impounded immediately, but no charges were filed against Pope until Danville police issued a warrant for his arrest last Thursday.

Police also arrested Pope's girlfriend, Brittany Record, and another woman, Jackie Luttrell, on charges of hindering prosecution. Record and Luttrell remained in jail Tuesday under $2,000 cash bonds. They are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Boyle District Court, Dean said.

 

The dogs involved in the attack on Stevens were determined to be vicious and euthanized in Lincoln County on Monday. The 12 dogs taken from the Old Shakertown Road home remain housed at the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society. Dean said the fate of those dogs could be discussed at today's hearing.

"There is a lot of pressure to do something. There have been some rescue groups offering to take them. I think there's a good chance the matter will come up, but I don't know that any decisions will be made," Dean said.

Pope was convicted of trafficking in cocaine in Boyle and Jessamine counties in 2010 and sentenced to five years in prison. He is currently under indictment in Fayette County on charges of conspiracy to traffic in oxycodone and being a persistent felony offender.

(Central KY News - Aug 12, 2015)

Earlier:

• Fire claims the lives of two Presa Canario dogs in house with history of animal abuse and neglect
• Judge Jeff Dotson lets twice-convicted cocaine dealer Christopher Pope to get dogs back after guilty plea
• Letter to the Editor: Christopher Pope should be punished
• Developing Story: Twice convicted cocaine dealer Christopher Pope Presa Canarios escape, attack woman
• Judge orders man, Christopher Pope, accused in vicious dog attack case not to possess any dogs

Judge orders man, Christopher Pope, accused in vicious dog attack case not to possess any dogs

KENTUCKY -- A Boyle County judge scheduled a case review for Christopher Pope on August 12 because the prosecuting attorney says more charges will be filed against the 26 year old in another animal cruelty case.

Pope is already charged with harboring vicious animals.

 

 

Police tell WKYT that he owned the seven Presa Canarios that nearly mauled his Lincoln County neighbor to death in her yard on July 27.

The Lincoln County sheriff says those dogs had been released back to Pope by a Boyle County judge after they had been seized because of animal cruelty charges.

The prosecuting attorney is now preparing to press more charges against Pope in another case.

Authorities say when they raided a home on Old Shakertown Road last week, they found about a dozen dogs that Pope was keeping in a home. The house has since been condemned because the living conditions were so poor.

The rescued dogs are in a shelter but the ones involved in the Lincoln County attack may be killed.
"The safety of the public is involved here and it's a very difficult call," said Boyle County animal control director Dan Turcea.

An animal rescue group in Kansas City is now involved in the case. They are trying to get temperament testing for the dogs to see if they can be rehabilitated and then adopted.

When Pope stepped out of the courtroom on Friday morning, WKYT's Mark Barber pressed him for answers.

"We politely said no comment but thank you for asking," said Pope's attorney. Pope then asked a nearby court officer, "Can you please assist? He's bothering, harassing."

The case is far from over but a judge did say the 26 year old can not own or care for any other animals due to the nature of the charges against him.

(WKYT - Aug 5, 2015)

Earlier:

• Fire claims the lives of two Presa Canario dogs in house with history of animal abuse and neglect
• Judge Jeff Dotson lets twice-convicted cocaine dealer Christopher Pope to get dogs back after guilty plea
• Letter to the Editor: Christopher Pope should be punished
• Developing Story: Twice convicted cocaine dealer Christopher Pope Presa Canarios escape, attack woman