Canada: After Kevin Newman's Pit Bull crushed a little Sheltie mix to death, he ran off with his dog - and is now blaming the Sheltie's owners for his death

CANADA -- A horrifying incident in Coal Harbour has left a Vancouver dog owner shattered.

Security camera footage from a balcony overlooking a stretch of the Seawall in Coal Harbour shows an unleashed Pit Bull locate its target, a Sheltie American Eskimo dog being walked on a leash. The Sheltie owners pause (first mistake) while the Pit Bull and the Sheltie sniff each other.

 

 

Suddenly the Pit Bull launches an attack on the Sheltie. Its owner, Farshid Tabari, swings his dog by its harness up into the air with the Pit Bull jumping up and grabbing the smaller dog. It yanks the poor dog right out of its harness and begins crushing it with several bites.

You see them finally separate the Pit Bull from the Sheltie and the owner casually walks off with his dog.

Update: He has been identified as KEVIN NEWMAN

“As soon as I put him down, he dropped down and did not move at all,” Farshid Tabari, the owner of the injured dog, said.

The injured dog was rushed to a vet but died from its injuries over the weekend.

The attack happened a week ago Sunday.

"PIT AN RUN"
Animal control officers are trying to locate the attacking dog and its owner, who left the scene.

The owner is believed to have been wearing a grey-and-white patterned jacket and had a neck tattoo behind his left ear.

Note: He has been identified online as KEVIN NEWMAN.

An online fundraiser to cover the cost of Tabari’s veterinary bills.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP #1:

This video irritates me. Yes, these people are victims but they don't have to have a victim mentality. YOU DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PROTECT YOURSELVES, YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR PETS. They have the mannerisms of victims. This damn dog comes by... why would you ever let your dog near it? 

You tell yourself you'd stab the pit bull with a pocketknife or that you'd put it into a chokehold and strangle it to death. But this little Sheltie is, as they say "dead man walking", AFTER THE FIRST BITE. It only took one bite for the Pit Bull to crush the internal organs of this Sheltie. Once the Pit Bull jumped into the air and grabbed the Sheltie, the fight was over before it had even begun. 

Despite what Pit Bull apologists claim, Pit Bulls have incredible bite strength. This Pit Bull leapt into the air and grabbed hold of the Sheltie. For a split second you can see the Sheltie in the air with the Pit Bull, also completely in the air, hanging onto the Sheltie. 

That was enough to mortally wound the little Sheltie named Max. When they land onto the ground, the Sheltie doesn't move and the Pit Bull releases it.

They're busy grabbing and leashing the Pit Bull while the Sheltie never moves. He's a dying lump on the ground. The owner picks up her Sheltie and cradles him in her arms. 

Then after their dog has been mortally wounded, they appear to attempt to talk with the Pit Bull owner who simply walks off with his dog. They put their dying Sheltie onto the ground and then stand there, looking confused.

I am NOT blaming the Sheltie's owners. They were naive - and Max paid the price for their naivety.

Follow your laws, but prepare yourself. Think like military and law enforcement -- have a winning mindset. You and your loved ones will make it home safely. Legally carry a taser, pocketknife, firearm. Plan for what you will do if something happens. DO NOT BE A VICTIM!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

UPDATE:
Tabari told CTV News the owners of the other dog acted aggressively towards him before walking away.

"He didn't offer help or say, ‘How's your dog doing?’" Tabari said.

"CTV Vancouver reached out to the other person in the video, Kevin Newman, who says CLAIMS he hung around for 10 minutes after the attack, but the security video shows him and a woman leaving after just one minute.

“I would never wish any dog to be hurt,” Newman said over the phone. ”I'm a dog lover.”

“I tried to give my information. I told them to call the cops.”

Animal Control is now investigating the incident while the British Columbia SPCA says one way to prevent such attacks is to keep your pet on a leash.

BLAMING THE VICTIM
Newman, on the other hand, is at least partially blaming the leash for Max’s injuries.

“He had a little rope harness on the dog, that's probably what made the internal bleeding,” Newman said.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

This was their GoFundMe page:

On January 21st, our poor little Max was attacked while walking on the Coal Harbour seawall with his mom and dad. Max was leashed, but the attacking Pitbull was not. Max was tossed through the air and pinned down before his owners could separate them.

Max was seen by a veterinarian immediately with bills exceeding $2000. Over the course of the next week, Max’s condition worsened and he was rushed back to the hospital with further bills reaching $5000.

On Saturday evening, after discovering internal bleeding, Max’s family had to make the difficult decision to euthanize him. We’re seeking funds to assist Max’s family pay for the cost associated with the veterinary care.

GoFundMe: Max's Vet Bills :(
Created January 29, 2018
RC
Rob Cimaglia
  Animals
  Vancouver, BC

(Global News CA - January 30, 2018)

Deceased pets found in filthy home; Stephen Botelho and Nicole Botelho charged with animal cruelty

CONNECTICUT -- A call about a flea infestation at a Sanford Road home led police to a house of horrors, filthy with decaying animal feces, two dead dogs and a dead lizard.

Westport police have seen cases of animal cruelty but “not as bad as this,” said Detective Sgt. Antonio J. Cestodio. “They had abandoned the house and it was absolutely disgusting.”

 

Police said they arrested Nicole Botelho, 45, with a current address of 481 Briggs Road in Westport and her estranged husband Stephen Botelho, 52, 68 Anthony Ave., Swansea on Oct. 13. They were arraigned in Fall River Wednesday on six counts of animal cruelty. A 17-year-old juvenile relative was summonsed to court for the same six criminal charges, police said.

 

  

 

Police and Animal Control Officer Donna Lambert responded to 644 Sanford Road on Sept. 25 to look for several cats that were thought to live there, after Nicole Botelho called about a flea infestation. Instead, they said they found a stinking house in deplorable condition, the floors covered with feces, fleas and large amounts of wet and dry clutter.

 

Boston Animal Rescue League and a forensic veterinarian consultant responded to what police said was “a severe case of animal cruelty” and found two dead American Eskimo dogs, one in a trash bag and another lying in a closet with a partially consumed paperback book in its mouth. A bearded dragon was also found dead in a filthy terrarium in a bedroom, police said.

 

Some of the animals might have been saved if police had responded earlier, according to Cestodio, who said they suspect at least one of the dogs had been dead for a long time.

 

“The smell was overpowering,” Cestodio said. “The house was so bad we didn’t let anyone else in.”

Malnutrition, starvation and dehydration are among the most painful methods of animal cruelty, said an animal consultant who assisted investigators.

 

Investigators did not find adequate food or water for the animals in the abandoned house. They estimated one of the dogs was about 12 years old and the other about 6, police said.

 

The dog in the closet had a choke chain on that had moved to its midsection. It had such a bad infestation of fleas that officers initially thought the dog was breathing and alive, Cestodio said.

 

The dog was initially hidden from view due to piles of garbage bags stacked high inside the bedroom. But the smell of the decaying animal quickly led investigators to the body, police said.

 

Investigators found a cat litter box in one of the bedrooms that was overflowing with cat feces. They saw a broken cellar window and wet paw prints in the basement caused by a leaky water pipe. It was believed the cats were transient, entering and exiting the basement time to time, police said.

 

 

The kitchen floor area was almost entirely covered with decaying animal feces and household trash.

 

The stench inside was overwhelming to investigators even with protective equipment and face masks on. When one of them took off the white suit, it was found to be crawling with fleas, Cestodio said.

The town's Board of Health responded to the scene and deemed the house unfit for human or animal habitation and have ordered a clean up, he said.

 

Health officials did not return a call for comment but housing websites noted it is a two-bedroom single family house, built in 1952. It is valued at $212,300, according to the assessor’s database.

Cestodio urged residents to notify police if they observe any signs of animal abuse.

 

“If you think something like this is happening ... please contact your animal control officers. They can help these animals before they die,” he said. “It’s terrible. Hopefully people will call before it gets to this.”

 

(South Coast Today - Oct 15, 2015)

Dog sitter charged in death of two elderly dogs allegedly left in hot car

NEW YORK -- Police have arrested a Warwick pet sitter who allegedly caused the death of two elderly dogs in her care after she left them in a car outside her home.

Nancy Evans, 67, of Magnolia Lane, was arrested Friday.

She was charged with two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and two counts of confining them in a vehicle in extreme temperature, a violation.

“We conducted many interviews and this is a result of it,” said Lt. John Rader of the Warwick Police Department.

The two dogs, Cody and Lola, were owned by Sandi Maddock of Warwick.

Cody, 15, was an all-white rescue Jack Russell terrier and poodle mix. Lola, 11, was a Westie and American Eskimo Dog mix.

(Pocono Record - Aug 2, 2014)

Officials remove nearly 20 dogs from Omaha home

NEBRASKA -- A woman attacked by a group of poodles leads the Nebraska Humane Society to a home filled with 18 dogs.

With a warrant in hand Tuesday, animal control officers raided the home near 244th and Crown Point.

The woman living there told investigators the dogs are her "children."

On Sunday, the woman's neighbor said five dogs running loose chased her and at least one of them bit her on the leg.

The Humane Society made contact with the dog owner as it investigated the attack.  An animal control officer described conditions inside the dog owner's house as cluttered and filthy.

The Humane Society seized six poodles, three poodle-mix puppies, one American Eskimo-type dog and seven puppies, plus a black Lab.

(KETV - ‎Mar 12, 2014‎)

Dog beaten and in "a lot of pain" left without vet care

PENNSYLVANIA -- A dog was badly injured during a dispute between neighbors in the North Side Saturday.

Police said Tairon Luster, 22, egged Rosalyn Reed’s car and threatened her with a 2-by-4 after a verbal disagreement.

 

Authorities said Luster then went into Reed’s yard holding the piece of wood and attacked Reed’s dog.

“I didn't hear him barking. I saw her hit him. She hit him with the 2-by-4 as hard as she could. She's a big woman. My dog is 20 pounds,” said Reed.

The small white dog, which was on a leash in the yard at the time of the attack, went into a seizure and was taken to a veterinary hospital, said Reed.

According to police, two loaded handguns and marijuana were discovered inside Luster’s apartment after the attack, where she was found with two young children.

She's previously been convicted of involuntary deviant sexual intercourse and unlawful restraint.

Luster is facing charges including simple assault, cruelty to animals and endangering the welfare of children. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13.

Reed said she is caring for her dog, Saki, at her home because she cannot afford the cost of treatment.

Animal Advocates has set up an online fundraiser, Saving Saki, to assist in Saki’s care.

[Wait a minute. Needed veterinary care is something required BY LAW. I'm sorry if this woman cannot afford the vet care for her dog, but if she can't, she needs to surrender the dog to a humane society or shelter. Letting the dog suffer at her home is unacceptable.

This group is apparently trying to raise money for the dog's care, but what about the care it needs NOW?!]

(WPXI - Sept 1 2013)

Earlier:

• North Side woman jailed for beating dog

Best reason to adopt your next pet from the shelter... they're full of dogs like these

"It’s not that I don’t love my dog. It’s just that I don’t love my dog."

(A recent essay on Slate tells the story of one young couple who ended up having three children in the span of four years and how their once much loved and doted upon pup became not only background noise, but an annoyance. - Pets360.com)

When I first met Velvel, he was peeking out from a cardboard box in the back seat of my boyfriend’s Saturn wagon. I was just back from a weekend away, and John had come to pick me up from the train station with the best surprise a man can give to a woman he loves: a puppy.

A puppy! Man, I loved this puppy. A border collie–American Eskimo mix (basically a shrunken border collie, but cuter), we named him after my dad’s Hebrew name, which is actually Yiddish and means “wolf,” though we didn’t know that at the time. He just looked like a “Velvel.” You know what I mean. (We get a lot of: “Volvo?” No. “Vulva?” No. Do you think we’d name our dog Vulva? It’s VEL-VEL.)

Velvel quickly became the center of our lives. Weekends consisted of taking him to the dog run or the dog beach or the dog park. I developed a very specific, high-pitched, raunchy voice for Velvel, because he had a lot to say. Remember when there was that big dog food scare? We freaked and started spending Sundays cooking huge batches of homemade dog food that filled our apartment with the disgusting aroma of chicken livers, broccoli, and bone meal.

Velvel watched TV on the couch with us every night and slept on our bed. Sometimes I let him sit in the front passenger seat of the car and I took the back. We had a multistep system for brushing him out, which we did regularly and with discipline. We gossiped about the other dogs in our neighborhood and marveled at what a better and cuter and smarter dog Velvel was compared to them.

Then I got pregnant. Actually, pregnancy was fine. I still loved Velvel when I was pregnant. The night before I was to be induced, I thought more about how bringing a baby home was going to impact Velvel’s life than my own. “This is going to be very hard for him,” I told John. We’d have to be sensitive to his needs, we agreed. After the baby was born, we did exactly what “they” say to do: John took the newborn hat from the hospital for Velvel to smell, to prepare him for the tiny human heading his way. That was probably the last nice thing we ever did for him.

A friend of mine once told me that before he had a kid, he would have run into a burning building to save his cats. Now that he has a kid, he would happily drown the cats in the bathtub if it would help his son take a longer nap. Here is how I feel about that statement: Velvel, avoid the bathroom.

It’s not that I don’t love my dog. It’s just that I don’t love my dog. And I am not alone. A very nonscientific survey of almost everyone I know who had a dog and then had kids now wishes they had never got the dog. This is a near universal truth, even for parents with just one child, though I have more.

Here is a regular sequence of events at my house: I pick the baby up and he pukes on me. I run from the living room to the kitchen with the baby in one arm, trying not to touch his milk-dripping mouth to the left side of my shirt while I grab a paper towel to wipe off the milk-covered right side of my shirt, when I hear the sound of exactly 2,459 tiny fucking Legos crashing to the floor. My middle son has dumped out the Lego bin again. And my eldest (who is now 4) is yelling “ready for wipe!” from the bathroom. I think, “I’ve got to start trusting that kid to wipe himself,” just as the middle son, who is now sitting in a sea of Legos smearing Desitin all over his face, screams: “Velvel threw up!”

Don’t get the wrong idea: My life is not boring. There are variations to this lineup. Sometimes Velvel just whines. (I’m no dog whisperer, but this might be because he’s not getting any attention.) Other times I take him for a walk—it’s such a nice night for a stroll! You actually are a pretty good dog, Vel!—only to have him poop on himself. Like, he poops, and some of that poop gets stuck on his fur. Before we had kids, this was at least an occasion to give him a nice, calming sponge bath. Some warm water, a wash cloth, and soap would do the trick. Now I grab a pair of scissors and hack off a clump of his hair. All clean!

Did I mention he sheds? This is not his fault, exactly. But who else to blame when the new baby is covered in dog hair, or the older kids are making gagging noises while watching Jake and the Never Land Pirates because “there’s something in my mouth.”

There’s also all the other stuff, like having to walk him every day, and the fact that he loves to start a manic barking fit just as one of the kids is about to fall asleep. (We bought one of those collars that shoots “a harmless burst” of citronella at his face every time he barks. It worked for two days.)

Recently I took Velvel for his annual checkup. He’s 13, does not get enough (any) exercise, and has gained a fair amount of weight in the past few years, as we’ve started doling out the dog treats quite liberally because it’s the only thing that shuts him up.

The vet ran some blood tests and called with the results a few days later. Velvel’s liver levels are a little off, she told me, but why don’t we try medicine first before discussing other options. The vet delivered the news gently, as if I might start sobbing at any moment. All I could think was, “I can’t remember if she said liver or kidney.” And then the baby spit up and I had to go.

There are many lessons I’ve learned from my parents, but one in particular I wish I had followed. They didn’t get a dog until my sister and I were grown. They loved him like a dog should be loved until the day he died. He never got less cute to them. I never heard them yell, “GOD WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS UNDER FOOT?” They never regretted him.

I cannot in good conscience tell you every thing I think on the subject of my dog Velvel. Yes, there’s more. I can only say this: To all you young couples, thinking, “We should get a dog!” “I love you, let’s get a dog!” “We’re not ready for kids, but what about a dog?!”—don’t get a dog. Or, if you do get a dog, don’t have kids.

(Slate - July 29, 2013)

19 animals in deplorable conditions rescued from home

FLORIDA -- A couple who was arrested on animal cruelty charges was released from jail after posting bail late Monday night, Orange County authorities said.

A call to animal services turned into an animal cruelty and child neglect case, investigators said.

Animal control officers said the home's condition where the family and 19 animals were living was the worst they've ever seen.

Authorities said the animals are alive, but in bad shape. One animal was near death and had an emergency visit with the vet.

Jessica Ankiel and Abrhamam Israel were arrested after animal services was called out to the home for animal cruelty.

A couple who was arrested on animal cruelty charges was released from jail after posting bail late Monday night, Orange County authorities said.

A call to animal services turned into an animal cruelty and child neglect case, investigators said.

Animal control officers said the home's condition where the family and 19 animals were living was the worst they've ever seen.

Officials said the home where Ankiel operated a dog rescue was in such disarray, the county condemned it.

"The officer said it was a very severe case," Diane Summers with Orange County Animal Services said.

Seventeen dogs and two cats were found in deplorable conditions, animal officials said. The dogs are emaciated and their coats are badly matted.

"They do have some ear infections, hair loss, things like that, emaciated," Summers said.

Ankiel was running Ohana Animal Rescue, but neighbors said they had no idea.

One man who didn't want to be identified said he never saw the animals outside.

"Did you know he had that many animals?" WFTV asked.

"No, I don't think anybody knew, they weren't out," the man said.

 

Animal services said Ankiel only adopted four animals from them, the rest were originally adopted by Dogs Rock and Cinagro Rescue.

"These animals originally from our shelter were in a rescue group, and this was a foster for the rescue group," Summers said.

Cinagro's founder told WFTV an initial inspection of Ankiel's home was done last year and the home was fine.

The runner of Dogs Rock said Ankiel's name came from a list animal services gave her.

Animal services adopts out 30 to 40 animals a day and said it cannot do home inspections for everyone.

"It's just not possible due to our resources and manpower," Summers said.

Two children were also taken from the home and placed with family.

Animal services said it's too early in the investigation to decide if Ankiel or the rescue groups she adopted the dogs from will be on their do-not-adopt list.

WFTV checked, and Ohana Rescue is not a registered nonprofit rescue group.

(WFTV - June 10, 2013)

'Neighbor's Pit Bull Killed My Dog'

ILLINOIS -- Nobody can be sure what happened at the fenceline between two homes at 164th and Terry Lane on Aug. 30.

One dog is dead, another is accused of attacking him, and a family is grieving the loss of a beloved pet.

Bonnie Fouts-Bell is looking for answers after her dog Powder, a 15-year-old American Eskimo, sustained injuries requiring euthanization in a confrontation with her neighbor's pit bull, Lady. 

 

That evening, she called for her dogs Powder and Aspen, both American Eskimos, to come inside.

Only Aspen obeyed. Fifteen-year-old Powder was nowhere in sight. It wasn't until her husband Otis peered over the fence, that he spotted Powder, injured and bleeding in the middle of the neighbor's yard.

"I started yelling, 'my dog is dying!'" Fouts-Bell said, recalling her panic as Otis tried to get into the yard to reach Powder.

The dog was rushed for emergency veterinary treatment, where the extent of his injuries pointed to euthanization as the most humane choice, Fouts-Bell said. Powder suffered a broken leg and broken neck, among other injuries. The vet told the family that Powder's injuries looked consistent with the dog having been dragged under the fence, into the neighbor's yard.

Fouts-Bell called police and filed a report. The watch commander on duty issued a temporary vicious order to Raul Bustos, the owner of the 1-year-old pit bull. He recommended that Bustos try to keep the dog indoors.

Fouts-Bell wished to see the dog taken for observation, or the owner cited. She wondered if euthanization was a possible repercussion for a dog who attacks another. Bustos refutes the claim that Lady dragged Powder under the fence, saying instead that Powder dug a hole under the fence and into his yard. In Powder's 15 years, Fouts-Bell said, he never tried to dig under the fence or flee the yard.

A follow-up call with Oak Forest Police Chief Greg Anderson on Sept. 5 yielded few answers, Fouts-Bell said. Oak Forest Animal Control and Oak Forest police conducted an investigation into the incident and the dog's nature, consulting with other neighbors in the area. One neighbor told Anderson that their small terrier had escaped the yard, into the Bustos's yard, and the two dogs had played together peacefully. Bustos said Lady was subjected to stress tests, and "passed with flying colors." The Bell family's vet also declined to confirm, to police, that it appeared Powder had been dragged.

Based on the findings and other information gathered, Anderson could not deem Lady "dangerous" or "vicious" by Oak Forest standards. Under Oak Forest ordinances, a dog with a "known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack unprovoked, or to cause injury or to otherwise threaten the safety of human beings or domestic animals" can be declared dangerous. The ordinance closely resembles the state's, Anderson said.

From what he has learned about Lady, Anderson said she does not fit that description.

"We have a one-instance attack, in the dog's own yard," Anderson said. "That does not deem it a vicious dog. If a dog is on its own property, it makes it much more difficult to declare it a dangerous animal."



Bustos describes Lady as a family dog who sleeps at the foot of a 10-month-old baby's crib. She has never displayed aggression toward other dogs or people.

"Her dog dug a hole, came into our yard," Bustos said. "My dog was just protecting her yard."

Anderson will issue a letter with recommendations for Bustos, suggesting that the family keep a close eye on Lady, keep her chained while outside, or keep her inside the garage. If a similar instance occurs again in the future, this encounter could be counted against Bustos—and Lady.

The Bell family, who have lived at the address for 15 years, was also encouraged to reinforce their chain link fence, to help prevent another encounter between her remaining dog and the pit bull. But, Bonnie said, she is also concerned about the safety of her 9-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son.

"There's a spot where that dog has bitten through the privacy slats," Fouts-Bell said. "The dog has been seen peering through the fence. I have to worry about my children now."

Bustos said he is sympathetic to the Bell family's situation, but worries about having to find a new home for Lady in order to prevent further escalation. He also said that on occasion, Bell and her husband had antagonized Lady by spraying both dogs with a hose in order to break up a barking match. Powder's owners confirmed the hose incident, saying it was a harmless attempt to quell the barking. Regardless, Bustos said, he realizes the pain in losing a pet.

"It's a tragedy for both families."

(Oak Forest Patch - September 6, 2012)