Washington DC: French Bulldog named Ralphie attacked by a Pit Bull

WASHINGTON DC -- GVW French Bulldogs posted on Facebook December 17, 2017 ·

one of my pups was attacked by a pit bull tonight.

Poor Ralphie, look at that cute face

the pit was just adopted to a guy that was going to give the dog to his mother. the rescue group stated the dog was good with cat and dogs. the new owner had him for one day.

Ralphie is at the vets now. the pit had his whole head in his mouth. we're waiting for an update from owner.

so...these are the new rules for GVW....if you plan on taking one of my pups/dogs to a dog park, you will NOT be allowed to adopt one of my dogs......period.

GVW French Bulldogs posted December 18 at 10:52am ·
Kalli's report on Ralphie this morning......He is doing well, licking more and drinking water and eating some cottage cheese with raw turkey mixed in. Still slow and medicated but resting lots and still has an appetite

    

  

Washington DC: Puppies rescued, Brenda Bullock arrested for animal cruelty

WASHINGTON DC -- A D.C. resident is under arrest Wednesday, a month after Animal Control officers rescued three chronically ill puppies under her possession.

An investigation now has metropolitan police charging Brenda Bullock with three counts of animal cruelty.

 

The three pit bull puppies were just four months old when Animal Control officers found them with a severe skin disease, the Washington Human Society/ Washington Animal Rescue League (WHS/WARL) said in a statement Wednesday. Veterinarians said the puppies had the disease for months before Animal Control found them.

Humane Law Enforcement Officers took puppies Chase, Haagan Dazs and Klondike to Dogs and Cats Veterinary Referral & Emergency Hospital in Bowie, Md.

“By the age of four months, Chase and his two siblings had experienced more suffering than any living being should be subjected to in a lifetime,” WHS/WARL President and CEO Lisa LaFontaine said.

Chase had the most severe conditions, and could barely walk on his own. He was hospitalized for almost two weeks, WHS/WARL Senior Director of Communications Matt Williams said. Chase is still getting treatment at a medical foster home.

Klondike is now in foster care and Haagan Dazs is with an adoptive family.

Members of the community who are interested in offsetting the cost of care for Chase and other animals in need of emergency medical assistance, are encouraged to donate WHS/WARL’s Sophie’s Fund by visiting www.washhumane.org/savingchase.

(WUSA9 - May 11, 2016)

Washington DC police officer fatally shoots pit bull

WASHINGTON DC -- A D.C. officer shot and killed a pit bull in Northwest Washington after it charged at the officer.

The shooting happened at around 3 p.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of Gallatin Street.

Police arrived at the scene after the woman riding through the area on a bicycle called them as she was attacked by the pit bull and another dog. Police said an officer fired one round striking the pit bull after it charged towards the officer.

 

According to police, the second dog was the one who bit the female victim. That dog was taken into custody by animal control.

The woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital.

Pit bulls are allowed in D.C., but with all dogs, they must be on a leash. Owners who neglect to prevent their dog from straying could face serious consequences, including fines.

D.C. police said the incident remains under investigation.

(FOX 5 DC - ‎Apr 6, 2016)

Washington DC: Authorities looking for suspects who abandoned emaciated dog

WASHINGTON DC -- The Prince George's County Animal Management Division is looking for suspects who dumped a severely emaciated dog in Clinton, Md.

The dog, a female Mastiff, was found on Gallahan Road. Authorities believe she was dumped sometime on February 8.

 

Mastiffs normally weigh between 140 and 150 pounds, but the dog, who has been nicknamed "Violet," weighs just under 57 pounds. She was the victim of cruelty and the department of Animal Management wants to prosecute the perpetrator.

Anyone with information regarding Violet is asked to contact Prince George's County, Animal Management Division at (301) 780-7241.

(Fox5DC - Feb 13, 2016)

Saving Violet (Facebook)

Washington DC: Secret Service agent mauled and cat killed by dangerous dogs on the loose in Northwest D.C.

WASHINGTON DC -- Three separate pairs of dogs have attacked residents and pets in Ward 4, leaving residents frightened that the vicious dogs might hound their neighborhoods again.

Officials addressed the spate of dog attacks — including one that wounded a member of the Secret Service — at an Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting at the Fort Stevens Recreation Center on Tuesday night.

City authorities told anxious residents that they were taking steps to require that the owners safeguard their dogs. But several people who had been victimized, or had endured frightening walks with the menacing dogs following them, said the city is not doing enough to put an end to the problem.

“I’m not sure what everybody’s waiting for,” said Margery E. Goldberg, who witnessed an attack by one pair of pit bulls during the summer. “Are you waiting for them to maul some children? Is that what it takes?”

Secret Service agent Ross Yerger, 44, spoke to the committee with his arm wrapped in a hot pink bandage. On Sunday, he said, he was walking his own large dog — 142 pounds, and sweet enough that local elementary school students rush to pet him, Yerger said — when one of the loose dogs attacked his pet.

He saw his pet being injured and struggled to fight off the vicious dog, suffering serious bites himself. He said he was supposed to be on duty with Hillary Clinton this week, and is instead on sick leave for two weeks while he gets rabies shots.

Yerger was the latest victim in a string of incidents that began during the summer with an attack that sent a man to the hospital. That one, which Goldberg saw on Hemlock Street NW in the Shepherd Park neighborhood, brought police to the neighborhood to chase the two loose pit bulls, Raymond Noll, the city’s director of animal control field services, said at the meeting.

Noll said that officers shot one of the dogs twice and hit the other one with a police cruiser. But both kept running.

He said the officers eventually captured one dog and chased the other to its owner’s home, where the owner agreed to hand both dogs over to be euthanized.

But then the man bought two more six-month-old pit bull puppies, Noll said. And soon after, those puppies also escaped, again running loose and acting menacingly toward neighbors.

He said the owner has an elderly grandmother, who was accidentally leaving the back door open.

Once the puppies escaped, animal control officers deemed them potentially dangerous dogs — a designation that requires the owner to register them, get microchips for them, neuter them and keep them secured. In this case, the owner put in a new fence so that his grandmother can’t let the dogs out again, Noll said.

If they do get out, the owner could face criminal charges.

Shakira Richardson, who works on animal control at the D.C. Department of Health, said at the meeting that the District is now dealing with yet another pair of dogs in Ward 4, one pitbull and one German shepherd, owned by someone in the Crestwood neighborhood.

Several residents said that they have seen that pair rampaging on the loose in recent weeks, barking at them as they darted, frightened, to their own homes.

“The Crestwood community has been terrorized,” resident Dorothy McGhee said. She spoke about one dog, which killed her pet. “It tore to shreds the beautiful black cat that my son brought home from Beijing.”

After the death of McGhee’s cat, Richardson said, the attorneys who work on animal control for the District added the Crestwood dogs to their caseload. She said that they are overburdened by cases, but she expects them to put out an order on the Crestwood dogs by Friday.

If they deem those dogs to be potentially dangerous, the owner will have 15 days to take the required steps like registering and neutering them. If the owner does not comply, animal control officers can go to court to request a search warrant to seize the dogs.

Several residents said they feared waiting perhaps almost three weeks before the District can assure them that the dogs are securely locked away. They asked why officers could not seize the dogs as soon as they acted viciously.

"Dogs are considered property, just like your car, just like your TV,” Noll said. “I can’t just go into a home and take someone’s dog because they did some horrific act on the streets. I’m violating their Fourth Amendment rights.”

He added, “The same rights that protect you are hurting you.”

Richardson said the city is working on new regulations that will give animal control officers more leeway to act. “I do agree that those laws do need to be changed. And they are currently being rewritten. Writing laws does not happen overnight.”

Sherryl Newman, chief of staff for Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, said the Councilmember was aware of the attacks. “If there are things the Councilmember needs to do, legislatively, he’s prepared to work with the community to make sure those things happen.”

But in the meantime, Yerger, the Secret Service agent, said that he and his neighbors are still fearful on their streets.

“Forget about nightmares. I have them in broad daylight, wondering what a trained fighter who’s used to putting himself in harm’s way could have done differently, what I could have done.”

(Washington Post - Feb 2, 2016)

Grandmother, Annie Petty, attacked by 2 pit bulls in Northeast DC

WASHINGTON DC -- The attack was so vicious that there is only one picture we can show you of Annie Petty in the hospital. She suffered injuries to both of her legs, her arm, and one of her fingers even required plastic surgery.

Neighbors say they heard her 58-year-old grandmother screaming for help down the street, saying that two dogs had attacked her.

 

Petty’s daughter says her mother went out for a walk in the neighborhood with her nine-year-old grandson when two dogs came out of a yard just down the street and violently attacked her. She says that her son is now traumatized.

Neighbors who tried to help told us that they have never seen injuries that horrific in person. Angry and frustrated, Petty’s daughter now hopes both dogs are put down so that it never happens again.

Police were called to 3913 Ames Street in Northeast D.C. at 7:06 p.m., and Petty remains hospitalized on Tuesday.



The pit bulls ran out of this yard after her.

The pit bulls were taken into custody by Animal Control investigator and "both were humanely euthanized in order to be tested for rabies," said ChristieLyn Diller, spokeswoman for the Washington Humane Society.

(WJLA - July 8, 2014)

D.C. pit bull owner sentenced in dog attack on boy

WASHINGTON DC -- A D.C. man whose three pit bulls escaped his Brightwood home and mauled a neighborhood child until a good Samaritan shot the dogs was sentenced to eight days in jail and three years probation.

Judge Richard H. Ringell on Monday ordered the animals’ owner, Alan Paige, not to possess any dogs during his three-year unsupervised probation after hearing prior complaints had been made about animals in his care.

“People know the nature of the dogs they have,” Judge Ringell said. “If it was isolated, it would be a little bit easier to understand.”

The sentencing closes the book on a controversial incident that had gun rights advocates up in arms.

In January, 12-year-old Jayeon Simon was mauled by the three pit bulls as he rode his bike through his Northwest D.C. neighborhood. Neighbor Benjamin Srigley saw the attack and, alongside a D.C. police officer, used his Ruger 9 mm pistol to shoot the dogs in an effort to save the boy. Jayeon, who suffered several bites, was hit in the ankle by the gunfire and had to undergo multiple surgeries as a result, prosecutor Brittany Keil of the Office of the Attorney General said. The three dogs were killed.

Mr. Srigley subsequently faced charges for possessing an unregistered firearm, but prosecutors agreed not to go forward with the case as long as he paid a $1,000 fine and stayed out of trouble. The charges were dropped in July.

At the Monday sentencing in D.C. Superior Court, Ms. Keil said neighbors had previously complained that Mr. Paige’s dogs ran freely through the neighborhood. An animal control officer had previously met with Mr. Paige to check on the care and welfare of his dogs after one of his animals was mauled so badly by another that it had to be euthanized, Ms. Keil said.

“Mr. Paige was on notice about the dangerous nature of his dogs,” she said.

In court, Mr. Paige said he installed a fence to keep his dogs on his property and he contested accusations that his dogs had been a threat, referring to them as “friendly.”

“They got out. He doesn’t know how they got out,” said his defense attorney, Jennifer Conner.

Mr. Paige said the dog that mauled his other dog had been handed over to animal control and was not one the three dogs that got loose and were involved in the attack on the boy. He also said he hadn’t meant to have so many dogs. He said after one got pregnant he found homes for three of the puppies but was left with three others.

“This was a very unfortunate situation,” he said of the attack.

Judge Ringell said Mr. Paige could serve his eight-day sentence on his days off his job working security at an area bar and also ordered him to pay a $250 fine.

Neither Jayeon and his family nor Mr. Srigley were in court for the sentencing Monday.

“There is one young boy who is going to live with the horror of what happened to him for a long, long, time,” Judge Ringell said.

(washingtontimes.com - Oct 28, 2013)

Earlier:

• D.C. man who shot pit bull mauling boy refuses legal aid; asks donors to help kid

Bald eagles tangled together in parking lot are recovering; 1 to be released Saturday

WASHINGTON DC -- Loudoun County Animal Services has an update on the two bald eagles that were found tangled together by their talons in a parking lot last week.

According to animal service officials, two bald eagles had been fighting and their talons were stuck together.

Officers were able to separate them but found that the birds had significant injuries, say officials. They were taken to a veterinarian and then a wildlife rehabilitation facility for treatment.

Now, officials say one bird will be released at Elizabeth Mills Park in Lansdowne at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The other bird is expected to be released in a few weeks.

(wusa9 - Oct 18, 2013)

Police Shoot, Kill Pit Bull in Northeast D.C.

WASHINGTON DC -- Police fatally shot a pit bull after it and two others apparently attacked a poodle in Northeast D.C. on Friday morning.

It happened in the 2500 block of Benning Road NW, where the poodle's owner was taking it for a walk. Three pit bulls apparently got loose and began attacking the smaller dog, authorities said.

Police arrived on the scene where they shot and killed one of the pit bulls.

The poodle was taken to Friendship Animal Hospital, where it's in critical condition, said Dr. Ashley Gallagher. The poodle will undergo surgery.

A good Samaritan is paying for part of the surgery, and the hospital will cover the rest, Gallagher said.

(NBCWASHINGTON - Sept 20, 2013)

Goats gorge on weeds at Congressional Cemetery

WASHINGTON DC -- In the next week, the goats are supposed to eat more than an acre’s worth of poison ivy and English ivy, which are imperiling the historic cemetery’s trees and endangering the gravestones.

Photos Linda Davidson/The Washington Post

Goats mow down weeds and grass on the exterior perimeter of Congressional Cemetery. Cemetery officials hired about 100 goats from the Maryland-based business Eco-Goats to eliminate poison ivy, other vines and ground cover while fertilizing the historic property.

D.C. animal control officer Ray Noll watches as goats are released on the exterior perimeter of Congressional Cemetery. In the next week, the goats are supposed to eat more than an acre’s worth of poison ivy and English ivy, which are imperiling the historic cemetery’s trees and endangering the gravestones.

Onlookers and journalists watch as goats eat foliage at Congressional Cemetery. The public is encouraged to visit the project, the first of its kind in the region, which runs until Aug. 12.

 

A goat feeds on grass at Congressional Cemetery. Instead of using chemicals, the cemetery decided to take a green approach to curbing aggressive plant species that threaten mature trees in the cemetery’s wooded area — trees that if killed could fall into the burial area and damage historic headstones.

For the cemetery, the $4,000-a-week cost of employing the goat herd — which grew to 55 after 30 goats arrived in the afternoon — could solve an expensive problem. The more ivy that smothers trees, the heavier the trees get and the more susceptible the become to crashing down. The ivy’s leaves also can interfere with the trees’ photosynthesis, killing them.

The Goat Gorgefest is the latest tactic in the cemetery’s effort to upgrade its image. Until at least the late 1980s, the cemetery was overrun with weeds, dead trees and drug users, said Paul Williams, the president of the Association for the Preservation of the Historic Congressional Cemetery, which leases the site from Christ Church of Washington.

A goat stares at the crowd. Initially spooked by a herd of reporters and photographers, the goats eventually got to work gorging on unwanted vines.

(The Washington Post - Aug 7, 2013)

Dog attack in NE leaves one injured

WASHINGTON DC -- Police say two pit bulls attacked several people at the Hechinger Mall in Northeast Washington Saturday. One man was bitten in the face and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Witnesses describe a sudden and violent attack behind the mall around 11:15 a.m. They say the pit bulls came out of nowhere and moved aggressively toward a woman.

Moments later, a Metropolitan Police officer shot both dogs, stopping the attack.

 

"They were vicious," says Kelly Booker, a witness. "They were big pit bulls, unleashed."

"It was strange," says Dvonne Harris. "These dogs coming up in the park without no reason. Nobody knew who the owner was."

Harris' friend used a cane to swing at the dogs.

"[The woman] was hollering and the friend of mine was coming to get the dog away from her and he got bit," he says.

"One of the guys was bitten in the chin, arm and the leg," says Booker.

Both dogs ran away wounded after they were shot, but officers grabbed them blocks away.

The dogs - Bear and Strongdog - are back in their L Street home, in the custody of their owner, Devita Lewis, on a 10-day quarantine.

Lewis tells ABC7 she's sorry about the attack.

Lewis says she doesn't know how the dogs got out. She and her family are emphatic that the two pit bulls have not been trained to attack, and are not aggressive.

"The dogs got out the back door," Lewis says. "I could've swore I close the back door."

"You shouldn't have your dog running around because police have the right to shoot them and kill them," says Courtney Shackleford, who lives nearby.

But it's not always pit bulls that attack. Other breeds, like German Shepherds, have been put down by authorities in recent years.

"There's no excuse for it," says Lawrence Davis, who owns a pit bull.

Davis says the breed can be tricky, but that in the end people should be held accountable for their pet's behavior.

“I don’t see it just attacking a lady for no reason,” he says. “It would attack anyone who steps in the way, so it could have just as well been confused what was right and what was wrong.”

(WJLA - Jul 28, 2013)

D.C. man who shot pit bull mauling boy refuses legal aid; asks donors to help kid

WASHINGTON DC --- A D.C. man who faced criminal charges for using an unregistered gun to kill a pit bull as it mauled a neighborhood boy is now raising funds for the 11-year-old victim to help him cope in the aftermath of the vicious attack.

The effort comes amid an outpouring of support from gun-rights activists offering to raise money for Benjamin Srigley, 39, who was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine as part of an agreement he would not be charged with a crime.

“People asked ‘Is there a hero fund or something we can do?’ I looked around and didn’t find anything,” said Peter Upton, who runs the Second Amendment Check website and decided to start a fund for Mr. Srigley.

But as Mr. Srigley learned about the campaign that was registered on the fundraising website Pledgie.com in his honor, he urged those who wanted to support him to instead donate money to his neighbor, 11-year-old Jayeon Simon.
“I am truly touched and very grateful for all the public support that I have received.” Mr. Srigley wrote on the campaign website. “If you can only afford to make one donation, I would prefer that you give the money to Jayeon.”

As Mr. Srigley’s case is still active in court, he has declined to talk publicly about the incident but did verify the authenticity of the fundraising campaign for Jayeon.
Three pit bulls attacked Jayeon as he and a friend rode bicycles in their Brightwood neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon in January. Witnessing the attack on his neighbor, Mr. Srigley went inside his home to retrieve his Ruger 9 mm pistol. He came out and began firing at the dogs as they mauled Jayeon in the alleyway behind his Northwest D.C. home. Mr. Srigley’s gunfire struck and killed one of the dogs and attracted the attention of a nearby Metropolitan Police Department officer, who responded to the scene and shot the other two dogs.

Jayeon’s family and authorities credit Mr. Srigley with saving Jayeon’s life. But because Mr. Srigley’s handgun, and two others he owned, were not legally registered in the District, he potentially faced criminal charges.

Prosecutors struck a deal this month, agreeing not to go forward with criminal charges as long as Mr. Srigley, who has no prior criminal record, paid the $1,000 fine and avoids getting into any trouble for the next two months.

“It’s just not fair that a hero be punished like that. There’s a lot of people in the Second Amendment community that want to support him,” said Mr. Upton, 38, of Fairfax County. “I would like to see the Second Amendment community stand up and expand upon Ben’s wishes for Jayeon.”

Though Jayeon’s wounds from the attack have healed, leaving deep scars on his elbow, torso and leg, his family said he hasn’t been the same since then.

“He’s coming around, but he’s still not himself,” said Chris Speight, 45, a cousin who helps care for Jayeon.

The boy who Mr. Speight said was once eager to play with his siblings or other children in the neighborhood, sat on his front stoop passively watching the others on a recent afternoon. Quietly responding to a reporter’s questions about the incident with timid “yes” and “no” answers, Jayeon said he no longer rides his bike in the neighborhood. It’s not because of the dogs, he insists. Rather his bicycle chain is broken, he said.

The family is investigating whether the dogs’ owner had any form of insurance that would help pay for counseling.

“If the guy wanted to start a fund for Jayeon, that wouldn’t hurt. It would only help,” said Mr. Speight, who was unaware of the fundraising effort that began Friday.

As of Tuesday, the fund for Jayeon had raised $350.

“If ultimately Jayeon’s medical bills are taken care of by DC, or by an award or settlement with the owner of the dogs, I will place any monies collected into a college fund for Jayeon,” Mr. Srigley wrote on the Pledgie.com website.

The dog’s owner, Alan Paige, faces nine criminal charges — including three counts of possession of a dangerous dog, three counts of having an unleashed dog, and three counts of allowing a dog to go without a collar — and is due in court in June.

(The Washington Times - May 28, 2013)

2/12/13: Dog Attacked at Warder and Columbia Road

WASHINGTON DC -- Dear PoPville,

Yesterday evening I was walking my dog on Columbia Rd NW near Warder St when all of a sudden a pit bull came bounding across the street in front on traffic and attacked my dog.

The scene was horrible, it had my poor Lu by the neck and would let go. I was pounding it on its head and body, the owner quickly came over and tried to pry the dogs jaws from my Lu’s neck, but the pit bull would not let go.

By this time, people had stopped their cars and one gentleman came over to see if he could help. the pit bull’s owner asked if he had any kind of spray he could spray the dog. He went into his car and got a can and started to spray the dog in the face. Meanwhile I kept pounding the dogs head and the owner was still trying to get its jaws apart. Finally the dog released my Lu.

I had to rush her to the vet where I was told she had a hole a bit larger than a silver dollar and a puncture wound on the neck. Both the dog’s owner and I suffered cuts, bites, and contusions on our hands. One thing I have to say is the owner took full responsibility and called Animal Control. We have a report in and hopefully an officer will come today to inspect Lu.

We had a horrible night, Lu couldn’t stop shaking, and today she is sullen with little appetite, and obviously pain. My hands are sore and swollen. We are two tough ladies and will get through this.

But to your readers I just ask please keep your dogs leashed, especially with these large unpredictable dogs, as you never know when your dog will decide to attack. This was unprovoked, and as I said the dog crossed the street to get to mine.

I know people say it is not the dog its the owner and how she/he trains the dog, but I sincerely think that this owner is a good owner… something just snapped in her dog.

(Popville - Feb 12, 2013)

Dog Attacked at Warder and Columbia Road, NW

WASHINGTON DC -- Dear PoPville,

Yesterday evening I was walking my dog on Columbia Rd NW near Warder St when all of a sudden a pit bull came bounding across the street in front on traffic and attacked my dog.

The scene was horrible, it had my poor Lu by the neck and would let go. I was pounding it on its head and body, the owner quickly came over and tried to pry the dogs jaws from my Lu’s neck, but the pit bull would not let go.

By this time, people had stopped their cars and one gentleman came over to see if he could help. the pit bull's owner asked if he had any kind of spray he could spray the dog.

He went into his car and got a can and started to spray the dog in the face. Meanwhile I kept pounding the dogs head and the owner was still trying to get its jaws apart. Finally the dog released my Lu.

I had to rush her to the vet where I was told she had a hole a bit larger than a silver dollar and a puncture wound on the neck. Both the dog’s owner and I suffered cuts, bites, and contusions on our hands. One thing I have to say is the owner took full responsibility and called Animal Control. We have a report in and hopefully an officer will come today to inspect Lu.

We had a horrible night, Lu couldn’t stop shaking, and today she is sullen with little appetite, and obviously pain. My hands are sore and swollen. We are two tough ladies and will get through this.

But to your readers I just ask please keep your dogs leashed, especially with these large unpredictable dogs, as you never know when your dog will decide to attack. This was unprovoked, and as I said the dog crossed the street to get to mine. I know people say it is not the dog its the owner and how she/he trains the dog, but I sincerely think that this owner is a good owner…something just snapped in her dog.

[I thought it was all about how you raised them??]

(Popville.com - Feb 2, 2013)

Pit bulls attack woman in NE apartment

WASHINGTON DC -- Four pit bulls attacked a District Heights woman Saturday in a Northeast apartment, according to a D.C. police report, sending her to the hospital with “multiple bite marks, scratches, and bruising.”

The attack sheds more unflattering light on a breed that has caught the attention of advocacy groups and legislators for reports of bad behavior.

The attack occurred at about 5:15 p.m. in an apartment in the 1200 block of 16th Street Northeast. The 30-year-old victim told police that she was alone in a bedroom when she opened the door.

According to the police report, four pit bulls entered the room “and attacked her by biting and scratching.”

The woman fell to the ground and fought off the dogs, but not before her legs and upper body were injured, according to the report. She was found conscious, but bleeding. She was able to walk to the ambulance. The dogs were taken into custody by animal control officers.

A phone number listed for the victim was out of service, and the owner of the dogs was not at home at the time of the attack.

The pit bull attack was one of several reported in the D.C. area this year.

In October, a cocker spaniel mix was attacked by two unleashed pit bulls in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest. A 10-year-old boy and his puppy also were attacked last month by a pair of pit bulls.

Early this summer, a 74-year-old man was attacked by two pit bull mixes as he walked past a towing company’s chained parking lot in Northeast. In the spring, several children were menaced by a pit bull while they waited for their bus in Chesterfield County, Va.

The District is one of more than 30 states that enforces strict liability for dog attacks, but it was in Maryland this year that a decision handed down by the Maryland Court of Appeals that deemed the breed “inherently dangerous,” that spurred pit bull advocates into action and has kept the breed in headlines.

“People are looking at pit bulls and so consequently you’re going to hear about everything that happens with pit bulls. [This weekend’s attack] is not helping anything,” said Frank Branchini, a member of the Maryland Votes for Animals board of directors.

In Maryland, legislators have been working to put together legal guidelines regarding pit bulls as pets and the potential liability of their owners if the dogs attack.

Maryland Votes for Animals is one of several advocacy groups that have taken a stand against what they say is unfairly labeling a breed, burdening not only the dog, but owners who could find themselves choosing between their dog or home because of expensive insurance policies mandated by landlords or apartment management.

As the Court of Appeals ruling stands, only pure-bred pit bulls are considered “inherently dangerous,” meaning that regardless of a pit bull’s temperament or history of biting, an owner is liable if his dog bites someone.

The problem with the ruling — which was amended by taking pit bull mixes off the list of dangerous dogs — is that “there is no legal definition of a pit bull,” Mr. Branchini said. “There are seven pit bull types recognized. The revised decision didn’t specify which of the seven breeds they are talking about.”

Regardless of the type of pit bull the court was referring to, Mr. Branchini said, the problem now is that pit bulls are in the news and “people are saying they have a questionable temperament.”

“If something happens, people go, ‘Was it a pit bull?’” Mr. Branchini said. “The real issue here is that dogs are capable of seriously injuring people, and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed in a more productive way.”

The skepticism surrounding pit bulls is not lost on Adrianne Lefkowitz, executive director of the Maryland Dog Federation, who explained that “there is no over-arching breed trend or issue,” but rather, the blame for a dog’s behavior lies with its owner.

“If you allow a dog to behave inappropriately or not respect people, that’s what you’ll have,” Ms. Lefkowitz said. “If you teach it what is expected, you’ll have a mannered dog. It has nothing to do with the breed. A dog is ultimately its owner’s responsibility and not a reflection of other dogs.”

(Washington Times - Nov 11, 2012)

Washington DC: Cocker Spaniel nearly killed by a Pit Bull is reunited with owner after violent attack

WASHINGTON DC -- A cocker spaniel nearly killed in a pit bull attack was reunited with his owner, Doris Waller, Thursday. Doctors credit fast-acting neighbors for saving the dog’s life.

“He is a very lucky dog,” says Waller.

Neighbors Waller had never met came to Sian’s rescue.

“I am really just so grateful because Sian would be dead if they hadn’t stopped the attack,” she says.

Sian’s body is covered with puncture wounds, including his neck.

“The major concern was the laceration across his belly, the underside here,” she says.

Several witnesses say two unleashed pit bulls attacked Sian at 7th and Ingraham streets NW. Sian was with a dog walker at the time because Waller was out of town.

“When I look out the window the two dogs were on top of her dog,” says Dakota Pernell.

Yesterday ABC7 spoke with Pernell and her neighbor, Cecil Bolton, who both raced in to stop the attack.

“You know when a dog grabs a teddy bear and they shake him? That’s what it looked like,” says Pernell.

“He’s 32 pounds. Just to think of being of that being flung around, I didn’t want to imagine,” says Waller.

 

“I was trying to save a life," says Bolton.

Bolton, 74, beat one of the pit bulls with a stick and it was finally over.

After one surgery, Sian is covering and waiting to go home.

“You now it brings fear into me because we are going back. I live there so Sian is going to have to be walking there in the future so I don’t know how I am going to do with it, but I will deal with that when the time comes,” says Waller.

(WJLA - Oct 18, 2012)

Earlier:

• Sian the Cocker Spaniel critical after pit bull attack

Sian the Cocker Spaniel critical after pit bull attack

WASHINGTON DC -- A dog needs serious surgery tonight after being attacked by two pit bulls in Northwest.

Police say Sian, a 32-pound Cocker Spaniel-Springer mix, was rushed to the animal hospital in critical condition after he was attacked by two loose pit bulls at 7th and Ingraham Streets in Petworth.

“I heard screams and a dog,” says Dakota Pernell.

 

Pernell, 18, lives across the street and was hurt in the attack.

“I notice the lady is trying so hard to get her dog from underneath two dogs, two bigger dogs,” says Pernell.

She says the dog walker couldn’t break Sian free.

“The pit bull had the dog in its mouth like it was a toy,” says Pernell.

She ran out and says some neighbors did nothing.

“They were watching it like a movie,” she says.

But two doors down, 74-year-old Cecil Bolton sprang into action.

“I run out with a piece of stick,” he says.

Pernell ran out and says some neighbors did nothing.

“We said ‘oh no no no, don’t go because it could change direction and attack him, but he kept running,” says Anne Bolton.

“I had to save a life,” says Pernell.

Neighbors say Sian was locked in the pit bull’s jaws. They say the dog was violently shaking Sian like a rag doll.

“I had to beat him like hell to get him off the other one,” says Pernell.

He says a driver pulled up and also tried pepper spraying the pit bull.

Heroes

 “The dog came after me and jumped on me and I slipped and fell,” says Bolton.

She says she is OK and so is Cecil. Thanks to them, the attack on Sian ended.

Sian had surgery at Friendship Animal Hospital Wednesday afternoon for extensive wounds to the abdomen. His owner was out of town, but quickly caught a flight back to D.C.

Police say the owner of the pit bulls has been cited with having unleashed dogs. One pit bull was taken into custody by Animal Control.

(WJLA - Oct 17, 2012)

Ripped kitten paws lead to animal cruelty charges

WASHINGTON DC -- A District man has been arrested on cruelty to animal charges for allegedly ripping the claws from the feet of young kittens in a "home de-clawing."

One of two kittens euthanized because of mutilation of its claws.

Law enforcement officials found that neither of the two kittens could walk. The bones to the toes had been clipped off, and the bones of the feet had been crushed, likely as the eight-week-old animals struggled to escape, officials said.

Officials of the Washington Human Society called it one of the worst cases of animal torture in decades.

"The screams of these animals must have been horrible," said Scott Giacoppo, of the Humane Society. "The bones were ripped from their body, one-by-one. It's the equivalent of holding someone down and cutting their toes off one-by-one and breaking their limbs to keep them from struggling."

Officials said the bones could not be repaired. Due to the extent of the injuries and the poor prognosis for recovery, both cats were euthanized, officials said

Eric Felipe Gaskin, 39, was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty. He faces up to five years in jail and a $25,000 fine.

Police said it is not Gaskin's first arrest for hurting animals, officials said. In 1998, Gaskin was charged with cruelty to animals, but those charged were dropped, Giacoppo said. The details of that case were not immediately available.

According to charging documents in the recent case, Gaskin's sister brought the kittens to D.C. Animal Care and Control shelter in May after she found the injured kittens in her basement, where Gaskin was temporarily living with his young daughter.

The sister told authorities that she only learned of the kittens that day after Gaskin's daughter mentioned that she needed to take the animals to the litter box because they could not walk.

After seeing the condition of the kittens, Gaskin's sister took them to the shelter for care.

(Washington Examiner - Sept 17, 2012)

Large Dog Kills Chihuahua, Owner Walks Away

WASHINGTON DC -- A large dog on a leash bit and killed a five-pound Chihuahua on Tunlaw Road, in Northwest, D.C., Tuesday night. According to the Chihuahua's owner, the man walking the attacking dog then strolled away without saying a word.

RIP Freckles

On Tuesday night around 10:30, Yates Baroody and Freckles, her nine-year-old Chihuahua, were sitting on the front porch of Baroody's home on the 2400 block of Tunlaw.

Sometimes, said Baroody, when another owner would walk a dog down Tunlaw, Freckles would run off the porch (to the edge of the wall supporting the lawn), and bark.

On this occasion, the other dog, which was very large, did not react well.

"I looked up, and she was in the dog's mouth," recounted Baroody tearfully. "I started screaming hysterically. I ran down there. I wrestled for about 20 seconds to get the dog -- to get [Freckles] -- out of the dog's mouth. And he was just shaking her around in her mouth. The owner didn't do one thing. [The owner] didn't move. He didn't pull his leash back. He didn't try to help me free her from his mouth."

Nine-year-old Freckles was dead. The man, without saying a word, continued walking his dog down Tunlaw Road, a neighbor told Baroody.

"I don't know how he watched me hold my dead dog in my arms, and he just took his [away]," said Baroody, shaking her head.

D.C. Police confirm they, along with animal control, are investigating the violent death of Freckles, but because their reports are incomplete, they cannot yet be made public.

 D.C. law permits sanctions against "dangerous dogs" and even "potentially dangerous dogs", but the law clearly states that any menacing, injury or death from a dog must occur "without provocation."

If the man and the large dog are identified, "provocation" could be a key issue, since the unleashed chihuahua did run up and bark at the pair.

Yates Baroody wants a complete investigation to determine whether the large dog is dangerous.

So far, no one has been issued a citation.

(Fox5 - May 14, 2012)