Texas: Judge orders Pit Bull mix that mauled little boy at adoption event to be euthanized; Dallas Pets Alive rescue group says they're appealing the order

TEXAS -- The dog that mauled a toddler at Klyde Warren Park last month will be put down. That ruling came down Friday afternoon after a hearing over the dog’s fate.

In court, Luca Romero’s mother, Allis Cho, recalled how the little boy was walking around the dogs that were on display at the Dallas Pets Alive adoption event when he was viciously mauled by the pit bull mix.

In an interview, the family said that the child suffered two puncture wounds and needed five stitches.

Rusty was seized for causing “serious bodily injury” to the boy. The court ruled the dog will be put down on January 16 at 4:30 p.m.

“Because of the nature of the bite. It wasn’t a just simple bite and release thing or we wouldn’t be here. And I believe that because of the lack of inhibition and warning signs is extremely dangerous. I feel that dog needs to be put down,” said Luca’s mother, Allis Cho, on the stand.

Witnesses to the dog attack and workers with Dallas Animal Services testified during the hearing.

Rescue organization Dallas Pets Alive say they are planning to appeal the decision. The local rescue organization Keep Dallas Dogs Alive had asked that Rusty be placed into a sanctuary home located in another state, where he would not have been put up for adoption.

Dallas Pets Alive released the following statement Friday evening:

Today, Dallas Pets Alive offered the City of Dallas a positive solution that met the needs of all parties and are very disappointed that Judge Robinson has ordered Rusty to be killed on Jan. 16, 2018.

 

 

A sanctuary in New York with extensive expertise in managing and caring for dogs like Rusty has agreed to take Rusty at no expense to the City of Dallas or its residents. Once at the sanctuary, Rusty will NOT be adopted out, but will live out the remainder of his life in a safe and positive environment. This solution meets the needs of all parties involved and we will be appealing Judge Robinson’s decision to kill Rusty on Monday.

And when that sanctuary goes out of business where would this dog end up? Or when this dog escapes and no one is told that it's running at large? What then? There have been cases of vicious dogs handed off to so-called sanctuaries and then 3, 4, 5 years later, the dog is gone and no one knows what they've done with it. What's to stop them from changing the dog's name and shipping it off to another rescue to be adopted out? Do the neighbors in New York that live near this "sanctuary" know that vicious dogs are being housed there? Has anyone bothered telling them? Who would legally be on the hook for returning to this 'sanctuary' year after year -for possibly the next 10 years- to ensure Rusty the Pit Bull Lab mix was still there???

 

 

"This was a full-on mauling. The dog grabbed him, 

drug him to the ground and wouldn't let go," Cho said.

Dallas Animal Services is a trusted partner of Dallas Pets Alive and we are grateful for the hard work they do to keep both our community safe and manage the constant influx of companion animals that they receive every day. We are continuing to work hand-in-hand with Dallas Animal Services to save animals, while we also fight for Rusty.

We strongly believe that this was an isolated incident as Rusty had been in the care of our foster team for a year and had shown no signs of aggression/biting and interacted positively with children. We have already started implementing additional policies regarding children and our rescue animals in an effort to even further minimize the likelihood of this happening again.

The outpouring of support for Rusty from the Dallas community and beyond has been overwhelming. There are two petitions set up in support of Rusty (one from Dallas Pets Alive and one from an outside group) and combined they have received nearly 70,000 signatures over the course of a week. We want to thank the community for their continued support in our mission to end the killing of companion animals in Dallas and helping us rescue Rusty.

Dallas Pets Alive has zero credibility at this point. 

 

 

READER COMMENTS:
Mary Ann Redfern (@Carlaumol) January 5, 2018 at 4:42 pm
Kill the damn pit bull already. He should have been euthanized the same day he mauled the little boy.

Anita Christy January 5, 2018 at 5:31 pm
I agree with the Court’s decision and with the mother: “The injured boy’s mom told the court that Rusty should be euthanized — and not simply sent away — because he would continue to be a danger to others, regardless of where he lived.” Dallas Pets Alive used very poor judgment when they made a conscious decision to allow Rusty to be around children. There is no compelling reason to keep a dangerous animal “alive.” I love dogs and feel compassion for Rusty, but it is in his nature to attack. Euthanasia is compassionate.

(CBS DFW - January 5, 2018)

Earlier:

• Texas: Dallas Pets Alive brings Pit Bull to adoption event; it immediately selects a small victim and attacks
• Texas: Animal rescue group Dallas Pets Alive does damage control after Pit Bull mix attacks toddler at adoption event
• Texas: Dog rescue group DALLAS PETS ALIVE continue to make excuses as to why their Pit Bull mix named Rusty attacked a toddler at their adoption event
• Texas: Dog Nuts Got One Child-Biter Spared; Now They Want the Next One Saved, Too

Texas: Dog rescue group DALLAS PETS ALIVE continue to make excuses as to why their Pit Bull mix named Rusty attacked a toddler at their adoption event

TEXAS --  A formal hearing has been set for a rescue dog that attacked a 2-year-old boy at Klyde Warren Park earlier this month.

Animal rescue group Dallas Animal Services said the case of "Rusty" will be presented next Friday after the dog caused "serious bodily injury" when it went after a toddler at a pet adoption event.

On Thursday, the operators of that event, Dallas Pets Alive, released a new statement in which they said CLAIMED the animal "...most likely bit the child out of fear" because the child was "unattended."

The boy's mother vigorously disputes that account.

"He was not unattended at all. I was with him the entire time he was there. I was literally a few feet away when it happened," said his mother, Dr. Allis Cho.

 

 

As Cho explained in an interview with WFAA last week, her family was at the park two weekends ago when they came across the event. She said they received permission from a volunteer to pet Rusty, one of the rescues that was leashed.

They did so without incident and moved on, but when Cho and her son Luca returned to Rusty's area, Cho said the dog attacked.

"This was a full-on mauling. The dog grabbed him, drug him to the ground and wouldn't let go," Cho said.

Photos of the incident show puncture wounds to the boy's upper torso and arm. Several men nearby rushed to get the dog off the crying child.

"[It took five grown men with] their hands in the mouth for several minutes trying to pry it open," Cho said.

Dallas Pets Alive claims the toddler approached the dog on his own and was attacked. Actually, they minimize it saying he was bitten. However, if you look at the photos of the child, you can clearly see that the child was attacked from the side. If, as Dallas Pets Alive claims, he was approaching the dog which bit him "out of fear", the toddler would've been bitten in the face. 

Dallas Pets Alive said it thinks the animal can be rehabilitated given it had "...no history of aggressive behavior or biting," according to the statement.

The hearing will determine if the dog, claimed by DALLAS PETS ALIVE to be a labrador and pit bull mix, is euthanized -- something Dr. Cho is still pushing for.

"We would feel guilty if he went on to attack another kid," she said.

Luca is recovering well, but there are concerns about the emotional toll.

"Obviously, he's traumatized. We have a larger dog at home," she said. "My husband's family has three large dogs, and he definitely runs away from them now."

  

Luca's family has a German Shepherd; this little boy 

knows how to behave around large dogs

Dallas Pets Alive declined an interview but said it has now "re-evaluated policies" at its open adoptions.

 

 

Dallas Pets Alive CLAIM changes now include:

• A new easy-to-identify color-coded system. For example, a "green" animal can attend all events: Good with kids, other dogs and very social. A "red" cannot attend events. 
• A formal written behavior assessment form will be kept in the dog's file to ensure that everyone in the organization knows, at all times, the behavioral needs of our adoptable animals.
• The final list of all event attendance will be approved by both behavioral and medical team leads.
• No alcohol consumption at events for anyone handling an animal (many of the adoption events are at local breweries).
• Required dog handler training for volunteers, organization leaders, and fosters. Volunteers will not be allowed to handle dogs at events without prior training.

It won't matter, though, because they claimed Rusty the Pit Bull / Labrador Retriever mix was great with people, other animals, very friendly and ready to come home to your family. So this changes nothing.

If Dallas Pets Alive wants to put their money where their mouth is, they will agree to sign paperwork accepting ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ONE YEAR FOR ANY PIT BULL (MIX) THEY ADOPT. If they were held to that standard, they would be much more selective in what dogs they were declaring "lovable, friendly" and ready to come home to your family. 

 

DALLAS PETS ALIVE would be able to save a shred of their reputation if they simply agreed to allow this dog to be put down and admitted that Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes are unpredictable. Yes, true "old school" dog fighters would only breed and fight dogs that were animal-aggressive and not human-aggressive, but once more and more people began fighting dogs, they didn't care about that trait so they simply bred Pit Bulls that were aggressive. This lax breeding means dogs were inbred, dogs that would attack anyone and anything were bred... making Pit Bulls unstable, prone to 'trigger' and attack at any time: other pets, other animals, children, adults, even owners aren't safe. 

This is why there are so many articles of owners being attacked by their Pit Bulls. Owners who raised their dogs with love, had them inside the home with children and other pets, socialized them... did everything they "thought" they needed to do and then that beloved pet "snapped" and tried to kill them, leaving them to wonder what they did 'wrong'. They didn't do anything wrong other than choose this particular dog; it's akin to buying a tiger cub, raising it with love and then wondering why, once it became sexually mature, tried to kill them: it's in their nature. It's inherent in them to do this.

Story of the Scorpion and the Frog:

One day a scorpion asks a frog to carry him across the river. The frog, afraid of being stung during the trip declines helping the scorpion.
The scorpion argues that if it stung the frog, both would sink and he would also drown, so for his benefit he would never sting him. 

The frog eventually agrees and carries the scorpion across the river until midway, the scorpion does indeed sting the frog, dooming them both to drown.

As they slowly sink into the water asks why he had stung him, crying out, "Now we shall both die!". 

The scorpion simply points out that, “I had no choice; it's in my nature“.

DALLAS PETS ALIVE needs to do the responsible thing and authorize this dog to be put down. Yes, it's sad and a shame and I guess you could say it's not the dog's fault but for the safety of society - every child, adult, pet - it needs to be done. To do otherwise is irresponsible and cowardly, especially when there are Pit Bull mixes as well as MILLIONS of other dogs in shelters around the country that have never bitten anyone which are at risk of being euthanized. 

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(WFAA - Dec 29, 2017)

Earlier:

• Texas: Dallas Pets Alive brings Pit Bull to adoption event; it immediately selects a small victim and attacks
• Texas: Animal rescue group Dallas Pets Alive does damage control after Pit Bull mix attacks toddler at adoption event

Texas: Animal rescue group Dallas Pets Alive does damage control after Pit Bull mix attacks toddler at adoption event

TEXAS -- After a Pit Bull Labrador mix that DALLAS PETS ALIVE swore was a great, friendly lovable dog and perfect for your family attacked a little boy at one of their adoption events, DALLAS PETS ALIVE has gone into full damage control -- 

• they claim the toddler approached the dog (the mother of the boy says they were merely walking by when it grabbed him. I'm inclined to believe that because of the location of the bite. The dog grabbed him from the side. If the little boy were approaching the dog he'd have been bitten right in the face)
• they're now claiming the dog they described on their adoption pages as a Pit Bull-Lab mix is now NOT a Pit Bull-Lab mix
• they're practically begging for people to try to persuade authorities not to euthanize this dog, that they'll spend their entire budget to 'rehabilitate' it... leaving how many dogs to die b/c they've spent all their money on "Rusty the rescue dog"? 

These people are ridiculous and this tells you their mindset. Blame the victim, insist there is no such thing as a "pit bull" and then spend all your money to save one dog when you could have saved 10 dogs. Durrr.

*  *  *  *  *  *

An update regarding the incident at Klyde Warren Park
Dec 28, 2017

As you know, there was an incident at one of our adoption events earlier this month where a rescue dog bit a child. After taking the time to perform a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, we have come to the conclusion that Rusty (the rescue dog), who has no history of aggressive behavior or biting, most likely bit the child out of fear.

Or possibly Rusty "the rescue dog" selected his target and waited for the opportune time to attack...

 

 

While the child had been in the area prior to the incident with his mother, at the time of the incident he had approached Rusty on his own. Rusty was on a leash and in a seated position and had shown no signs of aggression at the event. This leads us to conclude that when the unattended child approached Rusty, the dog likely reacted in fear. Unfortunately, although Rusty was on a leash, he bit the child once in the upper arm and chest area.

Uh, no. The dog attacked this little boy, latched on as Pit Bulls are wont to do, and it TOOK FIVE GROWN MEN beating on Rusty the rescue dog to release its tiny victim. His mother, obviously being more honest than Dallas Pets Alive, said:

“The [Pit Bull] lunged out and grabbed him in the right arm and chest, pulled him to the ground and was like flailing him around,” Cho said.

"Four to five large men had to come in and literally pry the dog off of him," Cho said. "One of the guys was punching the dog and the dog wouldn't let go of him. It seemed like forever, but I'm sure it was just a minute or two."

 

 

The American Veterinary Medical Association states that dogs bite as a reaction to something (stress, fear, protection, etc.) and in Rusty’s case we believe it was an isolated incident given the exciting, but still stressful, environment of a busy park with strange noises/smells and an unknown person on his level reaching for him. Medical providers, park personnel and the police were immediately contacted and have completed reports as well. Although Rusty was current on all vaccinations, Dallas Animal Services was also contacted to initiate the mandatory 10-day quarantine after such an incident.

We have now been notified by Dallas Animal Services and the City of Dallas that Rusty is being seized for having caused “serious bodily injury” under Texas Health & Safety Code 822.001 – 822.004. This would allow a court to order Rusty be killed. While we agree that all dog bites need to be taken seriously, we firmly believe that the death of an animal should never be a first step.

Given the lack of any prior aggression or bite history (either at Dallas Animal Services or since Rusty has been in the care of Dallas Pets Alive) we believe that rehabilitation offers a positive solution to ensure that our community remains safe and that Rusty is given a chance at life.

WHY DOESN'T DALLAS PETS ALIVE FOCUS ON SAVING THE FRIENDLY DOGS ON DEATH ROW THAT HAVE NEVER SHOWN AGGRESSION, NEVER ATTACKED ANOTHER PET, NEVER ATTACKED A HUMAN BEING?

There are TENS OF MILLIONS of perfectly adoptable dogs that are euthanized every single year in the United States - dogs that have NEVER shown aggression, NEVER bit any other animal, NEVER bit a human being. Why not save them instead of putting your money and resources into this one, a known attacking dog? Don't their lives matter???

While we are committed to putting an end to the killing of companion animals in Dallas, we would never intentionally sacrifice the safety of our community in favor of a knowingly aggressive animal. We strongly believe that there is a positive outcome available that ensures both the safety of our community and Rusty’s well-being. We hope that the City of Dallas will work with us toward an agreement that addresses the concerns of all involved parties.

They say they care about safety of the community, but if "Rusty the rescue dog" is allowed to be rehomed (aka sold), will every single member of this rescue group sign off on a liability release AGREEING TO PAY ANY AND ALL DAMAGES TO ANY AND ALL VICTIMS AND VICTIM OWNERS OF PETS INJURED AND/OR KILLED BY "RUSTY THE RESCUE DOG"? Yeah, I didn't think so...

Our first priority always is the safety of potential adopters and children who attend our events and this is the first time we have experienced an incident such as this. In the course of our investigation we reviewed our existing policies and procedures for adoption events and have implemented additional policies regarding children and our rescue animals in an effort to even further minimize the likelihood of this happening again. We are very glad that Luca (the child who was bitten by Rusty) is doing well and recovering quickly.

 

DALLAS PETS ALIVE ADVERTISED THIS DOG AS A PIT BULL - LABRADOR MIX. NOW THEY'RE CLAIMING 'YOU CAN'T REALLY SAY WHAT HIS TRUE BREED IS'

Finally, we want to clarify that Rusty’s true breed is unknown and without a DNA test there is no way to definitively confirm his breed mix. It would be irresponsible to guess at his breed mix or claim he is a specific breed without confirmation especially given that breed is not an accurate predictor of whether or not a dog will bite. More than 30 breeds of dogs and mixes are incorrectly identified as “pit bulls” in dog bite incidents, attributing the pit bull with an unfair and overstated number of incidents.

Unfair? Overstated? Seriously? These people have destroyed whatever shred of credibility they still had. 

If they don't know Rusty's true breed, why did they advertise him as a Pit Bull Labrador mix???

"He’s a russet-colored Labrador Retriever/Pit Bull Terrier mix with a loving disposition looking for a fur-ever home this Autumn.  Meet Rusty!" -- Dallas Pets Alive Dog of the Month for October 2017 listing

 

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

Earlier:

• Texas: Dallas Pets Alive brings Pit Bull to adoption event; it immediately selects a small victim and attacks

Texas: Dallas Pets Alive brings Pit Bull to adoption event; it immediately selects a small victim and attacks

A Colleyville couple says their 2-year old son was viciously mauled by a pit bull mix named Rusty during a pet adoption event in Klyde Warren Park last weekend.

Luca Romero’s mother, Allis Cho says the little boy was walking around the dogs on display at the Dallas Pets Alive adoption event.

Cho said she was told the dogs were friendly and that they were welcome to pet them. She said her son, who loves dogs and is used to playing with their German shepherd, pet several dogs, including the one that later attacked him. It had been friendly toward him at first.

But as Luca was walking back toward the leashed pit bull mix, the dog lunged at him and attacked. Cho said the dog pinned her son to the ground by sinking its teeth into his right arm and chest and wouldn't let go. Bystanders rushed in to help, she said.

Here's Luca with his family's German Shepherd. This

little boy knows how to behave around dogs

“The dog lunged out and grabbed him in the right arm and chest, pulled him to the ground and was like flailing him around,” Cho said.

"Four to five large men had to come in and literally pry the dog off of him," Cho said. "One of the guys was punching the dog and the dog wouldn't let go of him. It seemed like forever, but I'm sure it was just a minute or two."

 

Her husband, Alan Romero, was at the food trucks nearby when it all happened.

“I never got the names of the guys that helped out, but ‘wherever you are, thank you’,” said Romero.

 

 

The boy suffered puncture wounds and cuts in his chest and arm and was rushed to the hospital where he received numerous stitches.

His parents say he is still traumatized by what happened, but he is getting better.

Leslie Sans, executive director of Dallas Pets Alive, declined to comment on the specifics of the incident due to a pending investigation but said the rescue agency is reviewing what happened to prevent it from happening again. She said the volunteer-based organization screens all of its animals before bringing them to adoption events and before they are adopted out.

Dallas Animal Services has now taken custody of Rusty and placed him in a 10-day quarantine for evaluation.

At the end of that time an expert will render a final recommendation on what should happen to Rusty.

However, Luca’s parents believe the dog needs to be euthanized.

 

“We just don’t want anyone else to get hurt, and if someone adopts this dog and gets hurt than whose fault is that,” said Cho.

"At this point, we don’t know if the dog will go back to the rescue," Ed Jamison director of Dallas Animal Services said. "They could surrender it or dispute a 'dangerous dog' finding. But we have until the middle of next week to finish the investigation."

Dallas Pets Alive, the rescue group that put the adoption event, is made up of volunteers who foster the animals.

A spokesperson for the group acknowledged the dog attack and said in a statement:

We are aware of the incident that happened over the weekend and have been working closely with authorities (a police report was filed and we are awaiting a copy of the report at this time) and the family involved so we can gain a full understanding of what took place. Our first priority is always the safety of potential adopters and children who attend our events.

All of our adoptable animals have been thoroughly vetted prior to attending adoption events or being adopted out. We are a volunteer-based organization and all of our rescue animals live with foster families across North Texas.

We are currently in the process of reviewing what happened and cannot share additional details until our investigation is complete. This was an isolated incident and we are reviewing all of the factors at play to prevent this from happening again.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Dallas Pets Alive's description of Rusty, when they announced he was their Dog of the Month for October:

DPA’s Dog the Month – October: Meet Rusty!
by Susan Henrich | Oct 8, 2017 | Blog, Pet of the Month

He’s the color of a fall leaf.  He’s a russet-colored Labrador Retriever/Pit Bull Terrier mix with a loving disposition looking for a fur-ever home this Autumn.  Meet Rusty!

Whether you are making dinner, taking a walk in the leaves, working in the yard or curling up with popcorn and a movie on the sofa, Rusty will be there to be your comfort.  He’s a cuddle-bug who enjoys putting his head in your lap or laying next to you.

Friendly and even-tempered, Rusty can also be a great companion to other dogs and hasn’t met a person he doesn’t like, including the mailman who has been trained to scratch Rusty behind the ears:)  He’s been socialized to live with another dog and seems to be the perfect canine gentleman, knowing when to play and when not to.  He even greets his foster mom with a cute happy howl when she comes through the door each day!

 

Rusty would love to go for a daily walk, play tug-of-war, chase a squeaky toy, go to the dog park or play with another dog.  Here’s a pup who will help you take a walk on those crisp fall days!  If you can’t get out, he is happy to adapt and play with his favorite toys at home.

Rusty’s clever foster mom has taught him to stay in a crate, sleep on a dog bed, go potty outside, sit, heel, stay, wait for a command before doing his favorite activities and even shake hands — which he learned in a week!  And she thinks he’s capable of a lot more! 🙂  He’s an intelligent dog with a lot of potential.

Are you looking for a lovable friend who will keep you company this fall?  Rusty may be your dog! Apply to adopt him here. Plus, now through the end of the month his adoption fee is half off!

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(DFW CBS Local - December 21, 2017)