Report: Elderly woman hospitalized after Anderson pit bull attack

SOUTH CAROLINA -- The Anderson Police Department said an elderly woman was transported to the hospital after a dog attack on Thursday.

Officers said they were called to Osborne Avenue after receiving a call about three dogs attacking a woman.

When they arrived on scene, officers said they found the 75-year-old victim lying in the roadway with blood coming from her legs, arms and back.

  

 

According to the incident report, the victim told police she was walking down the street with a friend when the dogs came out of nowhere and started to attack. The women tried to defend themselves with an umbrella.

Officers said the dogs stayed on the attack. The victim's friend was able to run to her home and call 911, police said.

The victim continued to try to fight off the dogs, but said there were too many of them.

Officers said they located the three dogs and they taken by city Animal Control officers. The owner of the dogs said one was up-to-date on rabies vaccinations, but the other two dogs were not.

 

 

Police said they learned one of the dogs involved in the attack was picked up in February by Anderson Police for running at large.

The owner of the dogs is charged with two counts of inoculation for rabies, three counts of mean and vicious dogs and three counts of dogs running at large. Officers said the fine $1092 per fine and the dogs will be held for ten days at a local shelter.

The victim of the attack was transported to the hospital via EMS and later released.

The incident report did not indicate the breeds of the dogs, but the victim described them as pit bulls.

(WHNS Greenville - July 3, 2015)

Family of Pierce County pit bull victim wins judgment

WASHINGTON -- The family of a Pierce County woman who died of injuries suffered during a 2013 dog attack won a bittersweet victory in court Friday.

Superior Court Judge Stan Rumbaugh ruled that Santiago Quezada, who owned the two pit bulls linked to the attack, owed Nga Woodhead’s family $1.12 million.

Santiago Quezada

Attorney Jason Whalen represented Charles Woodhead, Nga’s husband. Whalen noted that the family probably won’t be able to collect the debt. He said it becomes part of an official record and sends a message to owners of dangerous dogs who do not take proper steps to restrain them.

“We’re ensuring that some sense of justice was done for an owner of vicious dogs that failed to take responsibility,” Whalen said. “Knowing this would be an uncollectable judgment, we’ve still established that those who own dogs that cause damage to another within a public right of way are liable for the harm.”

Quezada appeared in court without an attorney. He was never charged with a crime. The Medical Examiner’s Office concluded the dog attack caused Woodhead’s death. Prosecutors reviewed the case for three months, but could not build sufficient evidence to support a criminal charge; it was too difficult to prove Quezada knew his dogs were dangerous before they escaped.

Nga Woodhead

Woodhead, 65, was walking along Pacific Avenue South on Oct. 30, 2013, when the dogs attacked. She tried to fight them off with an umbrella. A passerby rushed to help and shot one of the dogs.

Sheriff’s deputies responding to the scene shot the other dog.

According to media reports at the time of the incident, Quezada said his dogs were “nice,” and added that he did not know how they escaped their enclosure at his residence.

Woodhead suffered multiple contusions, lacerations and fractures from the dog bites. Taken to St. Joseph Medical Center, she was treated for those injuries, but suffered a heart attack a week later and died in front of her husband.

The couple had been married for 41 years.

(TheNewsTribune.com - Jun 7, 2014)

Earlier:

• Spanaway woman rescued from vicious pit bull attack

Spanaway woman killed by pit bulls remembered as "most wonderful"

WASHINGTON --  Nga Woodhead was waiting to sign papers discharging her from the hospital Tuesday when she suffered a heart attack and died, about a week after being attacked by two pit bulls in her Spanaway neighborhood.

An autopsy showed the dog attack caused Woodhead’s death. Pierce County prosecutors have not yet determined what, if any, charges to file against the dogs’ owner. Both pit bulls were fatally shot after the incident.

The 65-year-old woman’s family is distraught and angry, but they are focusing on happy memories of the woman who walked six miles every morning and refused to let anyone else step inside her kitchen.

“She’s one of the most wonderful persons that ever walked this earth,” said her mother-in-law, Betty Woodhead, 90. “She cared about everybody more than herself. You’d have to go a long way to find anybody as sweet and nice as she was.”

Woodhead met her husband, Charles, in 1970 when he served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in South Vietnam during the war. Wednesday would have been the couple’s 42nd wedding anniversary.

He was sitting next to his wife in her room at St. Joseph Hospital Tuesday, watching “Dr. Phil” on television, when Woodhead suddenly slumped over. He ran for help from the nurses but they weren’t able to save her.

“The attack and the trauma triggered the heart attack,” Charles Woodhead told The Seattle Times.

“I’m sad and mad. I’m mad at an owner who has two pit bulls who should have known better. Now my wife is gone because of that.”

Woodhead was walking Oct. 30 in the 16200 block of Pacific Avenue South when the dogs ran up from behind and attacked without provocation, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

She used an umbrella to try and fend off the attack. A passerby stopped to help her and a neighbor offered another passerby a handgun to shoot the dogs. He shot one of the pit bulls, which ran off.

Deputies shot and killed the second dog when they arrived and it displayed aggressive behavior, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said. The wounded dog was later tracked down and fatally shot.

(thenewstribune.com - Nov 7, 2013)

Earlier:

• Pit bulls shot after attacking woman, rescuer in Spanaway
• Spanaway woman rescued from vicious pit bull attack

Spanaway woman rescued from vicious pit bull attack

WASHINGTON -- An elderly Spanaway woman is recovering from severe bites after being mauled by two pit bulls.

And the attack could have been even worse, but strangers stepped in an stopped it.

Witnesses say the woman was walking alone down the sidewalk at 162nd and Pacific as the two free-roaming pit bulls went for her.

"They like grabbed her arm," said one woman who didn't want her name used. "She had an umbrella, they grabbed the umbrella and it was gone. Then they both jumped on her and knocked her in the ditch."

People stopped in the middle of the busy street and came rushing to help fight off the dogs. A Marine vet jumped right in to grab the dogs and got attacked himself.

"The man that helped her I think is a hero. He got in there. Got bit," the witness said.

Alana Hall watched in horror as people came to the rescue.

"One dog was hanging onto one person's arm and then onto one person's leg," she said.

Another man who wanted to remain anonymous was next into the fight.

"The dog started coming after me," he said. "A guy handed me a baby stroller and I used the baby stroller to get the dogs off the woman."

But witnesses say the dogs remain a threat, so a third man was handed a gun and shot one of the dogs. Sheriff's deputies arrived and shot and killed the second dog.

The owner of the dogs lives just down the street and said he awful about the attack.

"I just want to say I feel really sorry about the people," said Santiago Quezada. "And we're going to fix things, you know."

Quezada has a fenced yard and said he doesn't know how the animals got out.

"They're really nice dogs," he said. "They were raised with a family, with kids."

But now those dogs are dead and police say Quezada faces stiff fines and possible criminal charges. Police say the woman went through surgery to have a titanium rod placed in her arm. The man who helped her was treated and released.

(KOMO - Nov 1, 2013)

Pit bulls shot after attacking woman, rescuer in Spanaway

WASHINGTON -- Pierce County sheriff's deputies shot and killed two pit bulls after they attacked a woman in Spanaway Wednesday morning, then went after another man who tried to help.
The 65-year-old woman suffered extensive injuries to her arm and was taken to an area hospital for treatment, The Tacoma News Tribune reports. The man also sought treatment for dog bites.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Office says the woman was walking along the 16200 block of Pacific Avenue South in Spanaway about 9 a.m. when the dogs attacked without provocation.

The dogs were "tearing into the flesh of the woman as she was screaming," one witness told investigators.

The woman tried fighting the dogs off with an umbrella.

The dogs also attacked a 52-year-old man who saw them going after the woman. He suffered bites to his right arm and also needed medical treatment.

Another man who saw the attack got a gun from a nearby resident and shot one of the dogs, but it ran off, Detective Ed Troyer said.

Deputies found the second dog nearby and shot and killed it because they feared it was a danger, Troyer said.

The deputies ultimately found the other dog wounded and shot and killed it as well.

The Pierce County Prosecutor's Office is looking into whether any charges should be filed against the owner.

(MyNorthwest.com - Oct 31, 2013)

Couple fined for not getting treatment for dog that ate an umbrella

UNITED KINGDOM -- A couple from Kent have been fined and told to do unpaid work [community service] after failing to get treatment from a vet after their cocker spaniel ate an umbrella.

The dog, Paddy has since been treated and is now on the road to recovery.

(ITV - Oct 26, 2013)

Staten Island man files $2 million suit against owner of pit bull that fatally mauled his Shih Tzu, Fluffy

NEW YORK -- His parents seemed blue last year, so Albano Rembeci tried this approach to bring them out of their funk: He bought them a cute little Shih Tzu puppy named Fluffy.

It worked.

For the next 10 months, Dionis and Luljeta Rembeci showered the tiny dog with love and affection, getting as much in return as they gave. They proudly walked the pooch around their West Brighton neighborhood every day and even spoon-fed him.

But the Rembecis' world came crashing down two weeks ago when a pit bull, that was part of a pair running loose on Delafield Avenue, allegedly attacked and killed their beloved pet.

Dionis Rembeci, who was walking 1-year-old Fluffy, was allegedly hurt in the incident.

Rembeci now seek legal redress for his loss and has sued the pit bulls' owner, identified in court papers as James Caricola, for $2 million.

"They're very emotionally upset over it," said David Jaroslawicz, the couple's Manhattan-based lawyer, "[Fluffy] was sort of a comfort dog. It was a traumatic incident. It's really outrageous."

The suit was recently filed in state Supreme Court, St. George.

In a telephone interview with the Advance, Caricola who lives down the street from the Rembecis said he remains extremely upset over the incident.

"This is a terrible situation. I'm heartbroken over the loss of their dog." said Caricola, who was at work when the episode occurred. "This is taking me for quite a loop."

Caricola said his 4-year-old dogs, "Brett," a male, and "Luna," a female, had apparently escaped from his fenced-in backyard when a landscaper left the gate open. He said his father had let the blue-nose pit bulls out into the yard.

Caricola said he spoke with Albano Rembeci several times after the incident and offered to help in any way he could, but was flatly rejected.

"I want to make it better ... but I can't bring the dog back," he said. "I will pay for anything my dogs did."

The episode occurred Sept. 27 about 2:30 p.m.

According to Advance reports, a witness said two pit bulls came "flying up" Delafield.

Brett attacked Fluffy, ripping it from its collar and leash, said witnesses. Luna knocked his father to the ground, said Albano Rembeci.

The senior Rembeci, 62, managed to fight off Luna with a rock and rushed to Fluffy's aid, his son told the Advance.

But he couldn't save his overwhelmed pet, which, one neighbor said, was being shaken by the neck like a toy.

Court papers said Rembeci suffered left shoulder injuries, including a possible fracture, as well as leg injuries.

His son and neighbors said Rembeci succumbed to shock and fainted after the incident. He was taken to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, and later released.

But his son later said the real pain was emotional.

The senior Rembeci did not immediately respond to messages left at his home seeking comment.
Caricola disputed the accusation that Luna attacked the elder Rembeci.

He said in their initial conversations after the incident, Albano Rembeci said his father was physically fine, but emotionally distraught. The younger Rembeci, who was at work when the attack occurred, never said then that Luna, the female dog, had gone after his dad, said Caricola.

"It's all-out lies. They're not people-aggressive," Caricola said of his dogs, who play with his young nieces.

In court papers, Rembeci alleges Caricola knew the dogs had vicious tendencies.

The animals had attacked a woman and her dog two weeks before the deadly incident, allege court documents.

Caricola denied those allegations.

Levi Fishman, a spokesman for the city Health Department, which investigated the incident, said "Brett," the pit bull which attacked Fluffy, had no history of biting people or other dogs.

Fishman said Caricola was issued a summons for failing to have the dog properly vaccinated for rabies. Even so, the dog was not rabid, said Fishman.

The spokesman said Brett was licensed, neutered, vaccinated against rabies and micro-chipped at Caricola's expense and was in the process of being released to Caricola.

Caricola could face further enforcement action if the dogs are involved in another biting incident, said Fishman.

(SILive - Oct 11, 2013)

Earlier:

• Hellhounds kill Shih Tzu, put Staten Island dog walker in the hospital
• Update: Pit bull that killed Shih Tzu is being held by Animal Care and Control

Update: Pit bull that killed Shih Tzu is being held by Animal Care and Control

NEW YORK -- A pit bull that mercilessly attacked and killed a young Shih Tzu Friday afternoon is being held by the city's Animal Control and Care.

Though there were two unleashed pit bulls roaming Delafield Avenue Friday afternoon, only one was involved in the attack, according to Richard Gentles, a spokesperson for the agency.

"That dog is being held by AC&C on a ten-day rabies observation hold as required by law while the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene conducts an investigation," Gentles said.

The shocking assault happened about 2:30 p.m., as Dionis Rembeci, 62, was walking 1-year-old Fluffy. Two roving pits bulls suddenly attacked the helpless dog, ripping it from its leash, according to neighbors.

RIP Fluffy

Dionis Rembeci, who suffered a scrape on his leg and an arm injury while trying to defend his dog, succumbed to shock and fainted, said his son and neighbors. He underwent treatment in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, and is now recuperating at home.

(Staten Island Live - Sept 28, 2013)

Earlier:

• Hellhounds kill Shih Tzu, put Staten Island dog walker in the hospital

Hellhounds kill Shih Tzu, put Staten Island dog walker in the hospital

NEW YORK -- A pair of unleashed pit bulls that were roaming West Brighton mercilessly attacked a young Shih Tzu Friday afternoon, leaving the small dog dead and its owner in the emergency room.

The shocking assault happened about 2:30 p.m., as Dionis Rembeci, 62, was walking 1-year-old Fluffy. Suddenly, the two pits bulls, which had been roving Delafield Avenue, attacked the helpless dog, ripping it from its leash, said neighbors.

"The two dogs came flying up the street. They literally ripped [Fluffy] off of his collar and leash and wouldn't let go," said Maureen Doyle, who was visiting her sister on Delafield.

RIP Fluffy. Unfortunately, you will not be the last beloved pet to be
attacked and mauled to death by pit bulls

 

"I tried to beat [one] with an umbrella, but it didn't work. [The larger pit bull] had the poor dog by the neck and it was shaking it like a toy."

Later, the umbrella could be seen about 25 feet from the driveway across the street from the Rembeci residence.

Albano Rembeci, 30, said the dogs -- "one of them was huge" -- pounced within moments of his father's crossing the street.

"They threw [my father] to the ground. He used a stone to hit the big one to let him go. He somehow escaped," said the younger Rembeci, who was at work when the incident occurred. He said his father tried desperately to get the savage beasts away from the little Shih Tzu.

Dionis Rembeci, who suffered a scrape on his leg and an arm injury, succumbed to shock and fainted, said his son and neighbors. As of Friday night, he was undergoing treatment in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze.

Police have yet to comment on the incident.

Dionis made a gift of Fluffy to his parents, Dionis and Luljeta Rembeci, 66, last November.
"My parents were going through a depression, so I got him for them," said Albano Rembeci. "They were getting older. They needed some sort of excitement in their life. They pretty much treated him better than a human being. No joke: The dog would eat with a spoon."

Joel Rivera, who lives opposite the Rembecis, said he saw Mrs. Rembeci walk the dog each day.
"She's always with that dog," he said.

Rivera also saw the attack.

"The big [pit bull] was very vicious. He destroyed the poor Shih Tzu," said Rivera, adding he'll exercise more caution leaving and entering his Delafield Avenue home from now on.

"[Mrs. Rembeci] was screaming. I feel sorry for the lady and the dog. I was trying to do something, but then I said to myself, 'If I hit this dog, what's going to happen to me? They're going to attack me.'"

Julio and Nicole Saldana, who live across the street, said the owner of the two pit bulls pulled up to the site and tied his dogs to a fence next to where Fluffy was killed.

The umbrella which was unsuccesfully used to try to beat the pit bulls
off the little Shih Tzu still lies in the street

"He was an older man, too. He had gray hair," said the Saldanas, adding they don't know where he lives.

Albano Rembeci said he believes the NYPD came and took the pair of pit bulls away. As of Friday night, the city's Animal Care and Control did not have any information about the dogs' whereabouts.
Speaking outside the University Hospital emergency room, the son said he's heartbroken.

"There's nothing I could do at this point," he said. "I just wish it never happened. I feel worse for [my parents] than myself. They looked at it as if [Fluffy] was another child to them."

(Staten Island Live - Sept 27, 2013)

Pit bull attack case in Bristol park bound over to grand jury

VIRGINIA -- The case of a city man charged with failure to care for a pit bull that attacked a mother and daughter at a city park in June was bound over to a grand jury Thursday.

Damon Lamont Alexander, 37, was charged with one count of failure to care, contain or control a dangerous canine. The charge was certified by a General District Court judge Thursday morning and sent over to Circuit Court, according to court officials.

Alexander and Amanda Leigh Wilson, charged with the same felony count, were dog-sitting a male pit bull named Hitler for owners Adam Geiger and Stephanie Worley of Bristol, Tenn., when their neighbor Lisa Manis asked to walk the dog while taking her daughter and son to Moore Street Park on June 14.

Once they arrived and the girl began to play on a swing-set, the dog grabbed the child by the leg and dragged her to the ground, according to a report filed by Animal Control Officer Deena Bouton.

Manis then grabbed the jaws of the dog to free the child and was mauled by the animal, suffering severe injuries to all four limbs.

Manis remained in the hospital for two days and continues physical therapy for her injuries.

Two men managed to pull the dog off Manis and hold him until Bouton arrived. The dog was euthanized hours after the attack once the officer conferred with the owners.

A police report revealed that Alexander’s two children were attacked by the dog at Observation Knob Park on May 25, a month before the second attack.

The dog was quarantined at SBK Animal Shelter in Blountville and then released to Alexander, just three days before the June attack, according to shelter records.

Police said Alexander and Wilson were charged because they failed to inform Manis that the dog had been involved in a previous attack and they allowed her to take the dog without knowing it was vicious.

Wilson appeared in General District Court last month on her felony charge and pleaded guilty, according to court records. She is currently serving a 42-day jail sentence and will pay $561 in court costs.

The case will likely be taken up at the next scheduled grand jury session Nov. 26.

(TriCities.com - Sept 27, 2013)

Earlier:

• Dog that attacked mother, daughter at Bristol park euthanized
• Neighbor speaks out about dog attack
• Victim describes dog attack at Moore Street Park
• Two arrested, charged in pit bull attack in Bristol

Dogs attack Raleigh woman, Golden Retriever on morning walk

NORTH CAROLINA -- Julie Pribyl says she is thankful for two people who intervened Tuesday morning when she and her 5-year-old golden retriever, Daisy, were attacked by two other dogs in the Wood Valley Drive neighborhood in north Raleigh.

"One went immediately for her neck, and the other attacked her from the side," Pribyl said
Wednesday. "They pulled me onto the ground onto my stomach and were pulling me into the woods."

"They relentlessly would not stop attacking her. I kicked and screamed," she added. "I yelled 'Help me! Help me! Help me!' at the top of my lungs. I knew I couldn't let go of her leash, and I had to pull very hard."

That's when an employee with the North Raleigh Tree & Bucket Truck Services who was working in the area heard Pribyl and came to her rescue.

The worker, who did not want to be identified, grabbed a shovel, and a neighbor who also heard the commotion used an umbrella to get the dogs – a pit bull-mix and a foxhound – away from Pribyl and Daisy.

Pribyl was scraped up a bit but wasn't seriously injured. Daisy, however, has months of healing ahead from injuries she received to her ear, several puncture wounds to the neck and elsewhere on her body.

"It would have been a different story had they not showed up," Pribyl said of the two men.

"I have nothing but the utmost respect for that man," Kevin Kenny, who owns the tree removal company, said of his employee. "There's a guy who had everything to lose, and he didn't even stop to think. He just ran into harm's way and saved that woman."

The dogs, which Pribyl said she has never seen before, ran off, leaving Wake County animal control officers to search for them and their owner.

But the story doesn't end there.

After WRAL reporter Amanda Lamb and photojournalist Chad Flowers interviewed Pribyl Wednesday morning, a neighbor flagged them down after finding a stray dog.

Lamb called the owner, Shep Wells, and also Pribyl, who identified the dog as one from Tuesday's attack.

Wells admitted to letting the dog, Crosby, run free Tuesday and Wednesday, along with another dog. He said he had let them out to go to the bathroom and that he got distracted.

Animal control officers ended up charging Wells with two misdemeanor counts of creating a nuisance – charges that each carry a $200 fine.

 

Wells said that although his dog has been involved in "scuffles" with his other dogs, he was surprised to hear that they attacked Daisy and Pribyl.

"I'm really sorry about the whole thing," he said. "I'm willing to make it right, whatever needs to be done."

(WRAL - Aug 30 2013)

2 Pit Bulls on the Loose After Attacking Puppy

CALIFORNIA -- Cortney Gomez and her grandfather were taking 4-month-old Molly for a walk when two dogs believed to be pit bulls came out of nowhere and attacked.

One of the dogs had the puppy locked in its mouth and was jerking it back and forth, Gomez said..

Gomez tried to fight off the dogs, but they wouldn’t let go.

Just when she thought Molly would be killed, a pair of good Samaritans stopped to help.

 

One of them was able to pry the dog’s mouth open with an umbrella, freeing the puppy, Gomez said.

Molly suffered four severe lacerations, but after undergoing surgery was expected to recover.

Gomez’s grandfather and the man who stopped to help received minor bite wounds.

Animal control officers searched for the dogs, but were unable to locate them.

(KTLA - July 18, 2013)

Virginia: Damon Alexander and Amanda Wilson arrested, charged in pit bull attack in Bristol

VIRGINIA -- A man and woman who were dog-sitting a pit bull that attacked a mother and daughter last week at Moore Street Park have been arrested on felony charges, police said Thursday.

And a police report revealed that an earlier attack by the dog last month involved the two children of the man charged, Damon Lamont Alexander, 37. He and Amanda Leigh Wilson, 28, were arrested Wednesday evening and both were charged with one count of failure to care, contain or control a dangerous canine, a felony, according to a report issued by the city's Police Department.

Alexander and Wilson, who live next door to the dog attack victims, Lisa Manis and her 6-year-old daughter, in the Rice Terrace apartment complex, were being held late Thursday in the Bristol, Va., Jail, Alexander under $5,000 bond and Wilson under a $2,500 bond.

 Damon Alexander, 37, and Amanda Leigh Wilson, 28, both of
Bristol, Va.,  have been charged with a Class 6 felony in connection
with the June 14 attack by a pit bull against Lisa Manis, 36, and
her 6-year-old daughter at Moore Street Park.

The couple was taking care of the dog -- named Hitler -- for his owners, Adam Geiger and Stephanie Worley of Bristol , Tenn., police said.

According to Virginia Code, because Alexander and Wilson were the custodians of the dog, they are charged in the case rather than the owners.

The second attack happened June 14 after Manis asked to take the dog for a walk with her daughter and son. The little girl climbed onto a swing and began to play when the dog grabbed her by the leg and dragged her across the ground. Manis told the Bristol Herald Courier that she pulled the dog’s mouth open to free her daughter and told her to run and get help while the boy stayed in a slide tower in the playground.

[OK, look at their arrest photos and now ask yourself why this woman, Manis, would be associating with these two boneheads -- and exposing her children to them?

"Hi. I was telling my kids what a nice neck tattoo you had and they wanted to see it themselves. See, kids, that's a swastika. Remember it from the 'Indiana Jones' movies? Well, anyway, we are going to the park and wanted to see if we could bring "Hitler" along with us. He's such a nice dog - with such an interesting name!"

I have lost all sympthathy I had for the mother and now just feel sorry for her child.]

Manis, recovering from the attack, has a lot of explaining to do

Manis was then mauled by the dog, suffering severe bites to all four limbs. The dog was pulled off by two men from the complex who held the animal until an animal control officer arrived.

Manis is now recovering at home, still in severe pain and suffering from night terrors, her husband Harry Dunn Jr. said. Their daughter is doing well, the family said.

The pit bull was euthanized hours after the attack after the owners gave consent.

Officer Jason Wilson of the SBK Animal Shelter told the Herald Courier Thursday that the pit bull attacked Alexander's two children at Observation Knob Park in Bristol , Tenn., on May 25. Wilson said Alexander told him then that the dog was not up to date on vaccinations and the pit bull was immediately taken to SBK’s shelter in Blountville, Tenn., where he was quarantined for 10 days under state regulations.

After the incubation period, the dog was examined by a representative of the Sullivan County Health Department and released into Alexander’s custody last week, Wilson said. The second attack took place just three days after the dog was released.

[It says that Adam Geiger and Stephanie Worley are the 'actual' dog owners. So, why would Animal Control release the dog Alexander? Why is Alexander picking up a dog which had attacked his two children? Why is Alexander then taking someone else's dog to Virginia to the public housing complex where his girlfriend lived? None of this makes sense...]

The day before Manis was attacked, she said she took the dog for a walk and said he did not show any signs of aggression.

Bristol Police Capt. Maynard Ratcliff said in the report that the charges stem from Alexander and Wilson failing to advise Manis that there had been a previous attack and allowing her to take the dog without any knowledge of the dog being vicious.

Police said the dog was at Alexander’s apartment at various times. A dog of that size and weight is not allowed in the complex, according to Bristol Redevelopment Housing Authority President and CEO David Baldwin. Rice Terrace residents are allowed to have one pet, either a dog or cat, that cannot be more than 15 inches tall and weigh more than 25 pounds, Baldwin said.

Alexander has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions on charges of domestic assault, aggravated assault, probation violations, aggravated burglary and being a fugitive from justice, according to Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Leslie Earhart.

(Bristol Herald Courier - June 20, 2013)

Earlier:

• Dog that attacked mother, daughter at Bristol park euthanized
• Neighbor speaks out about dog attack
• Victim describes dog attack at Moore Street Park

Victim describes dog attack at Moore Street Park

VIRGINIA -- The woman attacked by a pit bull Friday evening is home recovering after hours of surgery; a woman and her six-year-old daughter were attacked by a dog they were walking.

Every time Lisa Manis looks at her bandages she's reminded of two things -- a vicious dog attack and how thankful she is for her children's safety. "I would do anything for my babies, I really would. My life is less important than theirs," says Manis.

Manis proved how much her children mean to her when a pit bull they walked to the park attacked her daughter. "He about ripped my arm off because I had the leash wrapped around my arm and he literally just got away and took off toward her," adds Manis.

Manis tells us she took off running for the swing set when she saw the dogs running for her child. "He latched onto her calf muscle and jerked her off the swing. Immediately I was on his back and somehow or another I jerked his jaws open," says Manis.

When Manis finally got the dog's jaws open, she told her daughter to run. That's what she did; she ran for help and called 911.

 

 

Her daughter was free but Manis was the next victim. "He immediately turned around and latched onto me. I pulled him off but he was so quick he would bite into another spot," says Manis.

Manis tells News 5 she fought the dog for 10 minutes until she couldn't fight anymore. “I was about to give up. That's when [the dog] grabbed hold of my foot and he just started jerking me around in circles, basically trying to pull my foot off. I just couldn't fight him anymore," says Manis.

Just as Manis had given up, some people at the park came to her rescue and were able to pull the dog off of her. Click here to read more about that story.

The battle wasn't over when she arrived at the hospital -- she was in surgery for four hours. "There was no skin basically on my legs to put them back together," adds Manis.

Now Manis is healing at home and not able to walk, but thankful she was able to save her daughter.
We're told the dog's owner was out of town on Friday. Someone else was watching the dog at the time of the attack.

The dog was put down after the attack.

Police do not expect anyone to be charged.

(WCYB - June 17, 2013)

Earlier:

• Dog that attacked mother, daughter at Bristol park euthanized
• Neighbor speaks out about dog attack

Neighbor speaks out about dog attack

VIRGINIA -- A dog attack in Bristol Virginia leaves a mother and her 6 year-old child recovering tonight. The attack happened Friday afternoon at Moore Street Park. The park is usually filled with kids laughing and playing, but Friday it was filled with screams, "We all came running but you're almost paralyzed as what to do with this dog," adds neighbor Brenda Otis.

Otis' describes to News 5 what she heard as Lisa Manis and her daughter were being attacked by a dog they brought with them to the park, "There was a dog on this woman and she was just rolling all over the ground it was just absolutely mauling her," says Otis.

Otis tells us when she got outside she saw someone laying underneath swings that's when she ran inside and called for help, "I ran back out here and was screaming to the lady that help is on the way. To still hear her just keep begging for someone to get the dog off her was just really emotional, and not knowing what to do to get the dog off her was really hard for me," adds Otis.

As they waited for police to arrive Otis and another lady tried to figure out how to get the dog off Manis. So they grabbed an umbrella and handed it to two men running up to help. "We screamed at them to take the umbrella and start beating the dog. That's what distracted the dog and got the dog off her so the second fellow could actually pull the dog away from her," says Otis.

The second guy who came to the rescue knew the dog's owner and the dog. He pulled the pit bull to the sidewalk until help arrived, "If those two men had not come in the park when they did I don't know how long it would have taken to get the dog off her. They were the ones that really saved her," says Otis.

Otis says she learned a valuable lesson to be careful around dogs she doesn’t know very well because you don't know how they will respond to you.

News 5 learned as of now nobody is facing any charges. The dog’s owner gave consent to have the dog euthanized immediately. We've also learned Manis was discharged from the hospital Saturday afternoon.

(WCYB - June 16, 2013)

Earlier:

• Dog that attacked mother, daughter at Bristol park euthanized

Virginia: Pit bull that attacked mother, daughter at Bristol park euthanized

Pit bull had previously attacked a child in Sullivan County, Tennessee

VIRGINIA -- A pit bull that seriously injured a mother and daughter inside Moore Street Park on Friday afternoon has been euthanized after the owner gave consent to put the dog down because of its “vicious” nature, police said.

A Bristol Virginia Police Department report issued late Friday evening said Lisa Manis, 36, of the 600 block of Mary Street went to an adjoining apartment where a resident was keeping a male pit bull terrier for the owners who were identified as Adam Geiger and Stephanie Worley of Bristol, Tenn., and asked to take the dog for a walk.

Manis’ 6-year-old daughter accompanied her while she walked the dog. The two then entered Moore Street Park, located in the Virginia Hill Historic District at the corner of Moore and Edmond streets, just after 2 p.m. where the girl starting playing.

Police said while the child was on a swingset, the dog attacked the girl, grabbing her by the leg and inflicting puncture wounds, the report said.

Manis then tried to get the pit bull off her daughter when the dog started attacking her, according to the investigation and to eyewitnesses.

Brenda Otis of Bristol, Va., whose home is just a few feet from the playground where the attack started, initially discounted the screams coming from the park as children playing but realized seconds later that something tragic was taking place.

“I found a woman rolling around on the ground with this dog absolutely chewing her up,” Otis said.

“I ran back and called 911. I than ran back to the park, feeling totally helpless as to what to do. I screamed to the women that we had help coming, but she was begging and begging for someone to help her. We were reluctant to run over and grab this dog, but finally two young men came into the park and a lady who pulled up got out of her car and got an umbrella out of her car.”

Otis, who noticed the dog was wearing a halter and restraining leash, said the victim continued to be bitten all over her body by the pit bull, including between the thighs, around her head and on her ankles while the men attempted to wrestle the dog away from the victim and began hitting and stabbing the dog with the motorist’s umbrella to stop the dog’s attack.

The eyewitness also said that the woman’s young daughter had already ran from the scene once her mother had gotten the dog off of her, along with two other playmates, and went to a nearby home to get help.

Another eyewitness said that the dog was actually dragging the victim on the ground during the attack.

“She was covered with blood and mud from where she had rolled (on the ground),” Otis said. “They were able to pull the dog off, but the dog went back to (the victim) and they began hitting it again.

The dog started biting the umbrella at that point and was eventually able to get the dog off and contained to another part of the park.”

The owners also told police that the pit bull had recently bitten another child in Sullivan County, Tenn.

Otis said the men kept the dog under control until Bristol Virginia Animal Control Officer Deena Bouton came and collected the dog. Both victims were taken to Bristol Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Wellmont Health System Media Relations Coordinator Jim Wozinak said Manis was listed in good condition Friday evening. He noted that for policy reasons the condition of Mains’ daughter could not be released.

Virginia Department of Health Environmental Health Specialist Travis Holt said Friday afternoon that Bristol Virginia Animal Control had contacted his office and inquired about euthanizing the dog so that the animal could be tested for rabies.

“Our primary concern is the possibility of rabies exposure,” he said.

Holt said that once the dog was euthanized, the head would be sent to the Department of Consolidated Laboratory Services in Richmond where rabies testing could be conducted.

Bristol Virginia Police Department’s Captain Maynard Ratcliff said that no charges were being placed against the owners of the pit bull at this time and the investigation was continuing.

Virginia laws that deal with “dangerous or vicious dogs” can punish the owners with charges that range from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony. Both charges contain substantial fines that can go up to $2,500 and could require the owner to serve jail time.

(Bristol Herald Courier - June 14, 2013)