Cactus Patch Puppy Rescued and Adopted

ARIZONA -- Meet Cactus Jack, the scared little puppy who got mercilessly pricked after becoming trapped in a cactus in Arizona.

Fortunately for Jack, one Good Samaritan was in his backyard last Friday when he heard the 9-week-old puppy’s frantic cries for help and called the Arizona Humane Society.

The Humane Society soon showed up with emergency rescue personnel but the anonymous hero had already freed Cactus Jack from his prickly prison.

Not content with merely a rescue, he had also removed nearly an entire bucket’s-worth of cactus spines from the distressed dog.

Cactus Jack was then transported to Arizona Humane Society’s Second Chance Animal Hospital, where the rest of the spines were removed.

According to Britta Nelson,  the society’s public relations manager, the dog’s “good disposition never wavered,” and, “his tail never stopped wagging.”

Despite the spines all over his face, Cactus Jack’s eyes were not damaged and after a course of antibiotics he was returned to the Humane Society with a clean bill of health.

The brave, if unfortunate Yorkie/terrier mix was adopted today at Arizona Humane Society Sunnyslope, where he repaid his rescuers in spades.

The amount of attention brought to the case led numerous potential adopters to come forward and, although not all of them could take home Cactus Jack, many took home other furry friends, instead.

The society estimates that at least eight other adoptions have taken place all because of a little puppy who got stuck in a cactus patch.

(ABC News - April 26, 2012)

Dog attack leaves man hurt, neighbors scared

TEXAS -- A northeast Houston man was injured and his neighbors terrorized after stray dogs lunged and attacked on Tuesday.

Police and paramedics were called to the neighborhood on Sunny Drive, near the Hardy Toll Road and Hopper, after the dogs chased one woman and then rushed toward Rigo Cruz, biting his hand and wrist around 11 a.m.

"I threw my Coke bottle," said Cruz, adding, "I was scared, man."

He said the dogs had their tails up and teeth bared as they charged toward him near his front porch. 

As he tried to escape, he tripped and fell back against his house, saying he feared the dogs would clamp their teeth down on him once he hit the ground.

"They were trying to grab me by my leg, but I kept swinging at them and I hit him in the nose, told him to get off me and he got off me," said Cruz.

Next door neighbor Elly Barrientez said she was trembling as the pack of dogs rushed her on her front porch.

"I got a stick and I hit the pole there, but nuh uh, that didn't do it.  So I had to run inside because he would have bit me," she said.

Neighbors report that stray dogs often cause trouble in their area of northeast Houston, but Barrientez said clanging the board on her loud porch post usually frightens the dogs away from her. This time, she said, they were too aggressive to be fazed by her tactic.

"I had to run into the house and shut the door as quickly as possible," she said.

Barrientez was not bitten, but paramedics checked out the broken skin on Cruz' wrist and hand.  He declined a trip to the hospital, and he said he was glad that his girlfriend opened the door for him to rush off his porch and cause the dogs to scatter. 

"She opened the door and they were gone," he said.

Girlfriend Nani Rosas said she had no idea that Cruz was in such a struggle on their porch, but she was happy with the ending.

"Ain't nothing wrong with him. He's alright. That's a good thing," she said.

Neighbors called animal control officers from the Houston Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC), but no progress was reported in catching the dogs.  Sky 2 flew over the area shortly after the attack and spotted a pack of dogs roaming the street nearby as neighbors stayed near their porch and out of harm's way.

When Barrientez called her district council member's office to report more dog trouble, she said a staff member asked if the dogs had tags.  She replied that she was too busy rushing away from the aggressive animals to notice whether they had tags.  Cruz said he saw no tags on the dogs, which would indicate they are the same strays that frequently cause trouble in the neighborhood.

(Click2Houston - April 24, 2012)

Dog declared ‘vicious’ after attacking girl in garage

GEORGIA -- A dog that attacked a Peachtree City girl in her garage April 7 has been moved to a residence in Coweta County after it was declared a “vicious dog” by Fayette County Animal Control.

Madeline Conner suffered a deep gash in her knee and several cuts on her hand and wrist areas during the attack that took 17 stitches to close, said her father, Lee Conner.

Madeline’s dog, Gracie, [fought off] the pit bull and her human friend, also named Gracie, struck the white pit bull dog on the back, which freed Madeline so she could get back in the house to safety, Conner said.

“Our dog was definitely a hero, as was Madeline’s friend Gracie,” Conner said.

The dog’s owner has been cited for allowing the pit bull, known as “Cassie,” to run loose, officials said. It is believed Cassie was seeking to attack Madeline’s dog, a 110-pound German Shepherd.

The vicious dog declaration means that Cassie is required to wear a muzzle and be on a six-foot lead when outside of the house, said Fred Sisson, director of the Fayette County Animal Department. The dog can be allowed to be in a fenced-in area, Sisson said.

Animal control recommended that the dog be put down because of the liability now attached with owning the dog, Sisson said.

And since the dog was transferred, animal control has gone by the dog’s former home in Peachtree City several times on surprise spot checks, Sisson said.

 “It really is a huge liability,” Sisson said. “You really need to take every step to make sure the dog can’t possibly do anything like that again.”

Sisson said Cassie was going after Madeline’s dog and that Madeline stepped in the middle as a protective measure.

“This dog wasn’t human aggressive, it was an ‘other dog’ aggressive,” Sisson said.

[see below for response from Madeline's mom about her daughter having 'stepped in the middle']

Cassie’s new owner was aware of the restrictions, which will still be required even though the dog now lives in another county.

Conner said he was upset that the dog owner did not have the animal put down.

“If roles were reversed and it was our dog, we would have made the choice to euthanize the animal,” Conner said.

Conner said he will work towards getting reimbursement for his daughter’s medical bills, although they won’t “ease the pain she’s had to endure or inconveniences we’ve been through since the incident.”

Conner said he is hopeful his daughter’s story will increase awareness of the issue “that dogs are animals that react based on instincts and in the hands of irresponsible owners, these types of incidents will happen.”

“The dog had been loose several times in the weeks leading up to the incident and I’ve been told by the owners and other neighbors of other incidents of aggression that went unreported,” Conner said.

Post by "Madeline's mom"

"First of all, I would like to say that we are very thankful that Madeline's injuries were not more severe. What the article does not say is that she was simply stepping into our garage from our house when "Cassie" charged in and grabbed her by the knee. She did not step between the dogs, there wasn't enough time for that. Our dog was behind Madeline on a leash and had not stepped out of our house yet. Also, Madeline had just taken Cassie home not even 5 minutes before this incident occurred and yes she was already back out roaming the neighborhood. This never should have happened! Clear negligence was involved."

(The Citizen - April 29, 2012)

Man shoots dog attacking his cat

FLORIDA -- A man heard his cat screaming and found it dangling from a pit bull's mouth so he shot the dog dead, sheriff's deputies said.

Mark Ramirez, 38, was sitting in his home when his wife came inside Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. and told him their cat was being attacked in the front yard by a pit bull, a report states.

Ramirez heard the cat screaming and saw it in the mouth of a light brown pit bull in his yard at 1473 Keeling Drive. The cat was being shaken violently from side to side, deputies said.

The dog growled and stared directly at Ramirez, who felt the dog would attack him, so he grabbed his semi-automatic 9 mm pistol and shot the dog between the shoulder blades behind the head, the report shows.

A neighbor said Ramirez shot the dog at point blank range, deputies said.

As a deputy went looking for the owner of the pit bull, he heard Rosilda Gonzalez, 57, calling out for a lost dog, the report said.

Gonzalez said she let her dog out at 8:30 pm for a walk in her backyard and returned 10 minutes later to put it back in the house. Her dog had never escaped before, she told deputies.

Gonzalez described her pit bull and the deputy told her it had just been shot. A hysterical Gonzalez filled out a witness statement, deputies said.

A Deltona Animal Control Officer who responded to the scene found both owners at fault because "both animals were unrestrained." The owners agreed to resolve the issue between themselves and were not cited, said Deltona spokesman Lee Lopez.

The cat died, Lopez said.

(News-Journal - April 26, 2012)

Pit bull climbs six-foot privacy fence, kills family pet

TEXAS -- The Colony resident Terrie Gregory returned from work to her home on Norris Drive about 5:30 p.m. on March 12, just like any other day. The first thing she did was let her two Pomeranians out the back door into the yard.

But not long after that she heard the smaller, younger of the two dogs barking more than normal, said her husband, Ron Gregory.

RIP Elvis

"She went to the back door to get him to stop barking," Ron said. "She looked out, and it took her a second to realize that there was a dog back there that wasn't one of ours. She realized it had something in its mouth, and then she realized it was Elvis, our dog. Not even thinking, she just ran out into the back yard."

The stranger dog, later identified as a pit-bull mix residing at their next-door neighbor's house, dropped Elvis and started scrambling over the Gregorys' 6-foot fence into the alley, Ron said.

But the damage was done. Terrie rushed Elvis to The Colony Animal Clinic on Paige Road but there was nothing the veterinarians could do to save him.

Ron, who is a firefighter/EMT with the Plano Fire Department, was on duty at the time of the incident.
"[Terrie] called me at work. I couldn't understand her. She was screaming," Ron said. "I met her at the veterinarian's office ... where she was sitting in Dr. [Sharon] Wild's office, crying. Her hands, sweater, and pants were soaked in blood."

The Gregorys called The Colony Animal Control Center from the veterinarian's office to inform them what had happened. Ron said Animal Control already had officers in the area because they'd received a report of a loose pit bull.

"When we got back to the house we went looking around. There's a lot of small kids in this neighborhood," Ron said.

Animal Control Manager Patricia Barrington said her office received the initial call reporting the incident about 7:20 p.m., and that officers had been dispatched to the scene in less than 20 minutes.

 When officers located the offending animal, it was already back in its enclosure next door to the Gregorys' home, Barrington said. The dog's owner cooperated with Animal Control and turned the dog over to the officers, who took it to their facility to be euthanized.

"Fortunately they were cooperative. Sometimes it can be drawn out and have different results," Barrington said.

Incidents like this happen a few times a year, she said, and have involved a variety of breeds, including Rotweillers, Labradors, Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, and Pit Bulls.

"But we don't generally have situations like this," Barrington said, where an animal breaches a board-on-board privacy fence with no visible flaws in the structure.

"If you have dogs next door that could be a threat, call us and we'll gather an assessment," she said. "There may or may not be any action we can take."

But for the Gregorys, the call came too late and at the cost of a family pet.

"More than what happened to our dog, it's about what could've happened to my wife," Ron said. "If that dog had turned on her, she could've been laying there for hours."

(The Colony - April 4, 2012)

Black Lab declared potentially dangerous after biting a child

TENNESSEE -- City Judge Sherry Paty on Thursday declared a black labrador named Abby a potentially dangerous dog after hearing testimony that she bit a five-year-old child at the North Chattanooga Recreation Center.

But she said owners Vicki and Lauren Cain can retrieve Abby from the McKamey Animal Trust, where she has been held since the March 29 dog bite incident. The cost to reclaim will be $250. Most of that amount is the $10-per-day boarding fee.

Judge Paty admonished the Cains that they can't let Abby slip out of the house and go over to the park unrestrained any more.

She said if there are no further problems for 90 days that the dog can go off the PDD list.

The owners will have to take Abby to two dog obedience classes within six months.

Javid Sulman, uncle of the five-month-old who was bitten, said Vicki Cain stated that it was OK because the dog had gotten all the required shots.

He said he was especially concerned because the dog was jumping up on his wife who was holding their-month-old.

He also said Ms. Cain advised him, "The dog won't listen to me."

Mr. Sulman's wife, Maryan, said she often sees the dog running at large. She said that day Vicki Cain came out after the dog, but was slow to get it under control.

"She was just standing there," she said.

She said she was not able to protect the five-year-old because she was having to guard the baby in her arms.

She said the five-year-old was bitten three different times. She said she pulled his pants down and saw that he was bleeding. He was then taken to a doctor for treatment.

Vicki Cain said, "We love that dog. She's not mean or vicious. She thinks the children are playing with her."

Of the bite, she said, "There was a little mark."

(Chattanoogan - April 19, 2012)

1-year-old killed at his birthday party by family’s 120-pound dog identified

NEVADA -- The 1-year-old boy who died after the family’s pet dog attacked him at his birthday party has been identified by the Clark County coroner's office as Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan.

The boy was at his grandmother’s Henderson residence on Navarre Lane near Arroyo Grande Boulevard celebrating his birthday on Friday when he crawled toward the family’s 6-year-old, 120 pound Mastiff/Rhodesian mix to pet the dog, Henderson Police said.

The dog latched onto the boy’s head and began to shake him as the grandmother tried to pull the boy away from the dog, police said.

Henderson Fire paramedics took the toddler to St. Rose Dominican Hospital–Siena Campus where he was transported by helicopter to University Medical Center’s Trauma Unit.

The boy died at the hospital Saturday. The family turned the dog over to Henderson Animal Control.

Chris Shahan says he can't understand why his dog attacked his son, Jeremiah.

“He's been around him since he was born, and they played with each other all the time. And they kissed each other all the time, they slept together," Shahan says.

He says his dog, a 6-year-old Mastiff Rhodesian mix named Onion, had been a staple in his family. And the animal was never vicious in any way.
“The dog was licking the baby. They were opening presents together," he says.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

(Las Vegas Sun - April 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• First birthday ends in tragedy when family dog attacks and kills boy

Woman with unlikely weapon fights off attacking pit bull

‎MICHIGAN -- Two pit bulls were on the attack in an east Detroit neighborhood.

A man was the first victim and 81-year-old Alberta Phillips was the second.

"They came charging at me," she said. "I thought this was it."

Police were called and the dogs were captured, but only after Phillips was attacked by one of the dogs.

One dog went after her and all she had to protect herself was a bag with a bottle of hand sanitizer inside. That quickly became her weapon.

"I got the bag and went to hitting them, you know, trying to fight them off," she said.

A man driving on 8 Mile Road saw Phillips struggling with the dog. He pulled over to help.

"The man came to my rescue and opened up his van and let me sit in there," Phillips said.

Her leg was left bandaged. The dogs were tough but Phillips was tougher.

"I guess I'm just a fighter," she said with a chuckle.

The pit bull was captured and is being held by Animal Control.

(WDIV Detroit -Apr 30 2012)

Louisiana: Town utility clerk writes letter authorizing woman to pick up pit bulls - in violation of the law

‎LOUISIANA -- Last Thursday Washington Councilwoman Mona Wilson obtained a letter signed by the town clerk authorizing her to pick up her families pit bulls as long as she didn't bring them back into the town limits.

"When I'd gone down to the town hall to pick up a letter or see how could i get my children's pits released this was the letter that was given to me. A letter that they were not to return to the town of Washington."

Who authorized the letter? According to the signature on the bottom, it was the town clerk.

"I thought it was a little unusual for the town clerk to have signed such a letter."

Police Chief Ronelle Broussard says the ordinance doesn't allow for owners to claim their dogs unless they've met the requirements.

"It seems like we're making rules as we go."

He's all for pit bull owners getting their dogs back, but wants the chain of command to be clear.

"I disagree with the town clerk having that much authority to sign the letter to release these dogs.

The chief says he and the council need to be on the same page. as for the ordinance, he'd like the council to reevaluate it yet again saying requirements are too harsh.

"We need to come up with a solution. We need to come up with something to help these dog owners."

(KATC Lafayette News - Apr 30, 2012)

Ohio: 6-Year-Old Attacked By Pit Bull

‎OHIO -- A 6-year-old boy refused to go outside after being attacked by a neighbor's pit bull on Friday.

Lamar Spikes only moves from the couch if his mother carries him, and he hasn't spoken much since the attack.

 Lamar said his legs and back hurt the most, but he has cuts in several places. When a dog came charging at him in Avondale, he ran and watched his brother hide.

 "He jumped in a tree," he said.

"That is the worst feeling ever, to get that call," his mother, Amanda Spikes, said.

 Her cell phone rang while she worked. Friends told her to rush to Ridgeway Avenue. They said her son had been attacked by the neighbor's pit bull.

 Lamar's family says an abandoned house on the block is guarded by several dogs.

 "They are trying to torture this dog. They're making the dog vicious. A pit bull in a house with no lights, in an abandoned place. What do they expect?" Spikes said.

 The attack happened Friday, just as City Council moved a step closer to making its vicious dog ordinance breed-neutral. The city banned pit bulls 11 years ago, leaving some dog owners angry.

 "They're definitely misunderstood," claims pit bull owner Brandon Turner.

Turner said a dog's behavior behavior reflects its owner.

"They're really smart. She is super-smart. They catch on to the way the people they're with act, and they pick up their traits. If people train them to be mean or aggressive to protect their property, they're going to do it because they obey their owners," Turner said.

The new legislation would remove references to pit bulls but would stiffen penalties against owners of dogs that bite. This is something Spikes said she agrees with.

 "I will not stop until this dog is dead and this lady's in jail," she said.

Police said they are investigating the incident. There are currently no charges, but it is still an open case. Police said they believe the dog is still with its owner.

(WLWT Cincinnati - April 30, 2012)

Nearly 80 Rottweilers Found At Woman’s Home In Orange County

NEW YORK -- Police in Orange County arrested a woman in Wallkill on Monday afternoon for animal cruelty after finding nearly 80 Rottweilers at her home.

Sylvia Panetta, 64, was arrested and charged after the situation was brought to the attention of police by a worker, possibly a utility worker or cable man, who was working near the Derby Road home, police told CBS 2.

Of the nearly 80 animals found, police said about 20 needed medical care and were immediately removed and brought to various shelters.

The remaining dogs were allowed to stay at the home — mostly in outside cages — for the time being as police continued their investigation.

Sylvia Panetta

Panetta was released on her own recognizance and was allowed to return to her home.  She is scheduled to appear back in court on May 29.

Police and volunteers were to remain on scene around the clock to monitor situation and make sure the dogs are being taken care of as they try to figure out what to do with all of them, police told CBS 2.

Kerry Clair, Director of Pets Alive, told CBS 2 that the first tip about conditions at the home came in about a month ago. She said her organization took in two of the animals that needed care immediately.

Three of the most seriously neglected animals were taken by Pets Alive and then to the animal hospital, 23 puppies were taken to Middletown Humane Society and five pregnant dogs were taken by Middletown Humane Society, Clair said.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The owner, 64-year-old Sylvia Panetta, was breeding the dogs and selling them online as Karousel Kennels, said police Chief Robert Hertman.

Police and animal rescue workers described dangerous conditions. The dogs were living in open pens, with igloo-style doghouses with dirty interiors. Some of the pens contained decaying wood palettes for the dogs to stand on when it rained, Hertman said.

"There's holes, there's pieces of wood with nails sticking out," said Jamie Gaebel of the Monticello-based Mountain Rottie Rescue. "A lot of the pens were falling apart."

Some of the animals were malnourished; rescue workers found bread in the food bowls, and the water was infested with insects. They described the dogs' many health problems.

Some are bow-legged, or have slight deformities that may be due to walking on the hard-packed earth in the pens all their lives. Some have tumors or visible injuries from wounds that were infected or that never healed properly. A few have more serious issues — one has a missing eye, and a couple of them had broken toes or injured limbs that had to be amputated.

(CBS Local - April 30, 2012)

BC woman suffers vicious dog attack at Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre

CANADA -- A BC woman is recovering in a Calgary hospital, after a vicious dog attack.

The attack happened last week, in Golden, B.C. at the Northern Wildlife Wolf Centre.

The victim, Isabelle Simard, works independently for the wolf conservation company as their accountant.

She was at the facility after-hours on Wednesday evening doing some work.

As she went to leave, the single mother of two suffered bites to various parts of her body after the company's two pet dogs went towards her, breaking their leash.

Simard is now about to undergo reconstructive surgery to repair some of her wounds.

The dogs are Kareilian Bear Dogs and are trained to be disciplined, but are aggressive in certain situations. They are used to prevent human and bear conflicts.

It's not known what triggered their behaviour that night.

Fiends of Isabelle say she will be suffering for a long time.

RCMP say they are investigating along with the SPCA and aren't sure if any charges are being considered.

The owners say this was an unfortunate accident, and are sorry for what's happened. They say they've voluntarily put one of the dogs down.

(Global Edmonton - April 30, 2012)

'It's been three years of hell and smell' -- Neighbors relieved Waterford house being cleared of cats

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Wendell Evans and his wife Pam spent the weekend watching the cleanup going on at his neighbor's filthy house where officials removed more than 25 cats and some dead ones on Friday.

"It's been three years of hell and smell and flies," said Wendell, who has lived next door since 1976.

The home in the 3000 block of Airport Road contained feces, mold, trash and "there appear to be dead animals, thousands and thousands of flies and possibly dead rodents," said Waterford Police Chief Daniel McCaw.

Township officials said the house is condemned and no one is permitted to live there. Oakland County officials secured a warrant through the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office to remove the cats Friday afternoon, said Doug Bradley, Waterford's director of building and engineering.

Pam Evans said Oakland County Animal Control staff set live traps to capture more cats inside the house Saturday and Sunday.

"They have more than 30 now," said Pam.

She said officials have to wear Haz-Mat clothing -- covered head to toe -- to go into the basement.

Pam is glad to see something done at the house, which is 30 feet from hers.

"It's best for the animals, and in the long run best for Kim (the woman who had been living at the house)," she said.

"The cats needed medical care. They don't deserve to live in that."

Officials are seeking a warrant for the cat owner's arrest on felony animal cruelty charges, McCaw said.

Pam Evans watched the 50-year-old resident she calls Kim leave in a police car Friday. "She put on a Haz-Mat suit before she got into a police car," Evans said. The suit was needed because of the cat urine odor, she said. "We always noticed it when she came here (to Evans' home)," she said. "She always stayed outside."

Police also mentioned the cat urine smell on the woman in their reports.

Wendell Evans said he complained to police about Kim a year ago.

"She'd get belligerent and nasty," he said. A township official would "write her up," said Evans, for the appearance of the home's exterior.

Evans said Kim even threw feces at a trailer he keeps in his yard.

"Our house has flies, we can't use our patio or cook outside because of the smell."

 Township officials said the next task is to get the interior of the house cleaned so the house's structural integrity can be evaluated, said Doug Bradley.

"Then a complete list of the work that is necessary to lift the condemnation order can be prepared," he said.

"The property owner, who does not live in Waterford, has committed to doing what is necessary to cleaning up the property."

(NH Register - April 30, 2012)

Texas: Victoria animal control responds to 3 separate pit bull attacks in 3 days

TEXAS -- A pit bull attack Monday on Rosebud Street was the third attack in three days in Victoria.

Monday's victim Shawna Bohnstengel was walking in the neighborhood when the loose pit bull attacked her, said Victoria Police Chief JJ Craig.

She suffered a bite on an upper thigh and was taken by ambulance to Citizens Medical Center, where she was treated and released, said Shannon Spree, hospital spokeswoman.

Victoria police question pit bull owner Joe Baldez
following a dog attack outside his home on the
1700 block of East Rosewood Avenue.
Photo: Todd Krainin, The Victoria Advocate

At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, a 14-year-old boy in the 1900 block of Melrose Street was bitten in the groin by a friend's pit bull. He was taken by private vehicle to a local hospital.

At 7 p.m. Sunday, Juan Tijerina, 57, was bitten on the arm above the wrist while in the 3400 of Mulberry Street.

He walked too close to a neighbor's pit bull on a chain, Craig said.

Tijerina refused medical treatment at the scene.

"I don't have an explanation," said Craig. "In most of them, the pit bull escapes from the owner somehow. They manage to free themselves."

"It is the owner's responsibility to keep their dog detained," Craig said. "From our perspective, if you are going to have a pit bull, it is your responsibility to maintain and secure it in a safe manner."

Monday's incident took place at 8:30 a.m. as Bohnstengel walked near the corner of Rosebud and Greenwood streets.

Victoria Patrol Officer Candy Pratt was patrolling the area and Bohnstengel flagged her down for help.

"The dog then charged our officer, who fired one round, but did not strike the dog," Craig said. "The dog ran inside a house."

The dog ownerJoe Baldez refused to hand the dog over to police  until animal control officers arrived. At times, profanity-filled shouts could be heard coming from the home.

When a Victoria County Animal Control officer arrived, dog owner Joe Baldez carried the Pit Bull named Bud Light, out of the home and to the animal control vehicle.

"I didn't want to give them my dog. They are going to kill him either way," said Baldez, who was cited by police for allowing the dog to roam free. "He's a good dog."

Joe Baldez is a moron.

So far this year, the animal control department has issued 30 citations for animals running at large, said Heather Kern, assistant supervisor in the department.

In 2011, animal control issued 25 citations and seven written warnings to animal owners. The agency issued 31 citations and 10 warnings in 2010. Most of the citations were for running at-large

All dogs involved in biting incidents are quarantined 10 days, said Dr. Bain Cate, executive director of the Victoria City-County Health Departments, which oversees the animal control department.

PIT BULL ATTACKS
The dog attacks during the last three days are at least the seventh in Victoria since mid-March. The attacks include the death of a toddler and three of the dogs being killed in separate incidents.

On March 26, 4-year-old Skylar Johnson was mauled and killed when he wandered into a neighbor's yard and was attacked.

In separate incidents, two pit bulls were shot to death by Victoria police officers on March 12 and another shot to death following an attack on March 16.

PIT BULLS BITING TWICE AS OFTEN AS OTHER BREEDS
So far in 2012, Victoria County Animal Control has quarantined 36 dogs following reports of bites. About 28 percent of those, 10, were pit bulls, twice as many as any other breed. Another 21 dog bites have been reported this year, that were allowed quarantine with a veterinarian or at home.

Breeds quarantined for biting in 2012:
Akita 1
Bassett Hound mix 1
Boston terrier 1
Boxer 1
Chihuahua 3
Chow mix 5
Corgi mix 1
Dachshund mix 1
Labrador retriever mix 5
Pit Bull 10
Poodle 1
Shepherd mix 2
Spaniel mix 1
Terrier mix 3
Total 36
SOURCE: Victoria County Animal Control

(Victoria Advocate - April 30, 2012)

Parents want Gov. Deal to sign vicious dog law

GEORGIA -- A father in Peachtree City said he is urging Gov. Nathan Deal to sign House Bill 685 into law.

Lee Conner said his 15-year-old daughter was attacked by a dog on April 7 and had to have 17 stitches in her left leg.

"That was our biggest concern is the fact that it was really right there and there is no other way to describe it, it was a vicious attack and it was very scary," said Lee Conner.

Lee Conner was watching his son play baseball about five minutes away when he got the call that his daughter needed to go to the emergency room.

During the attack, Madeline Conner said she never made it out of her garage when the dog rounded the corner and attacked.

"When I saw the dog running up, I knew it was going to do something bad," said Madeline. "It looked like it didn't even see me. It just looked at my dog came up and grabbed my knee and started shaking it back and forth."

Madeline not only suffered bites on her leg, but also had puncture wounds to her wrists and both hands.

Madeline believes the pit bull mix was trying to attack her 110-pound German shepherd. During the attack, "Gracie" actually bit the other dog on the neck and the neighbor's dog let go, explained Madeline.

"I think anytime you have a dog like that has caused liability to you that would be the fairest thing to do for you and the animal because the transfer to someone else is transferring that liability is to put the dog down," said Director of the Fayette County Animal Shelter Fred Sisson. "I was disappointed that the owners gave the dog away to another family in Coweta County because the dog is vicious to other dogs and could attack another dog or person again."

Lee Conner was also upset at his neighbor's decision not to euthanize the dog.

"The dog is out there, it is very aggressive towards other animals," said Lee. "People are always walking their dogs, especially around neighborhoods, and there is the potential that something else could happen and that is really not fair to the other people."

The owners of the dog that attacked Madeline, Bill and Beth Davidson, could not be reached for comment.

Deal's office said they would not "comment on legislation until it is signed or vetoed. We have not gotten to that one yet," according to spokesman Brian Robinson.

(WBCL - April 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• Dog declared ‘vicious’ after attacking girl in garage

Alabama: Bonnie Lieberman has 4 children removed by authorities after dead dog left to rot in yard

ALABAMA -- The Shelby County DHR has removed four adoptive children from their Helena home due to unsanitary living conditions.

In addition, 13 poodles -- four of them puppies between the ages of 1 and 3 weeks -- were taken from the home by an area animal rescue.

Three of the children were removed Friday, according to Department of Human Resources spokesman Barry Spear. The fourth child had been taken from the home earlier, Spear said. All four, three girls and a boy between ages 8 and 15, are now in foster care, he said.

Bonnie Liberman, 56, of 151 Oak View has been charged with animal cruelty in the death of a dog, failure to properly dispose of a deceased animal, operating a business without a license and domestic violence, according to Helena Det. Sgt. Chris Rollan. She is scheduled to appear in court May 8, he said.

"She has been very cooperative," Rollan said of Liberman. "I think she has just bitten off more than she can chew."

Rollan said he visited Liberman at her home on Feb. 10 after neighbors complained that a dog carcass was on her property. The officer said he asked her to bury the dog. He returned a week later, and the carcass had not been moved.

"That's when I made the three charges against her," Rollan said, adding the domestic violence charge occurred at a later date. He would not elaborate on that charge.

On Friday, Rollan said he and a DHR representative visited the home and found it filthy.

"With the smell and the feces all in the house, the children just couldn't stay there," he said.

Rollan said he called Two by Two Rescue to help with the dogs.

Liberman has been operating as an American Kennel Club-approved breeder, first of Dobermans and most recently poodles. The dog that died in February was a Doberman.

Efforts to reach Liberman were unsuccessful.

(AL.com - April 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• Alabama: AKC breeder Bonnie Lieberman charged with animal cruelty after leaving dog carcass in yard

Dog injured in attack

OHIO -- A dog, believed to be a pit bull mix, was taken from an Atlantic Street N.E. home Sunday after it broke its chain and viciously attacked another dog at the home.

The resident, Joseph Goetz, 33, of 529 Atlantic St. N.E., was not home at the time, but police at the scene said six young children were home. None were injured.

Goetz was not cited, but Animal Control Officer John Onatz took the dog to the pound and said a decision would be made today on what to do with the dog. Onatz said it likely would be euthanized.

A call came into police dispatch about 6:40 p.m. requesting an officer with a shotgun. It was unclear where the call originated.

Officer John Wilson arrived, bringing a gun from his cruiser, but neither dog was put down at the home.

The dog that was attacked, possibly a lab mix, appeared to sustain injuries to its hind legs and rib cage.

When police arrived, they said, there was blood everywhere and the attacking pit bull had the other dog by its rib cage and was thrashing it around.

Officers originally believed the dog was dead.

[What about the injured dog that was bleeding everywhere, being thrashed around by its rib cage and which officers 'originally' believed was dead???]

Goetz, according to a search of court records, pleaded guilty or no contest to a dogs running at large charge in 2010. He was fined $170.

One block away, five small children played football in their front yards while two small dogs looked on.

Neighbors Jim and Therese Campbell said they were alarmed by the notion that a vicious dog attack occurred nearby, especially because they had been watching their grandson and granddaughter until March.

"What if one of their kids were outside?" Therese Campbell said. "There's a lot of kids that live around here. That's set up for a disaster.''

Therese Campbell said she was taking her dog, a miniature Schnauzer, out when officers told her about the incident.

Jim Campbell said officers ordered a group of kids inside their homes because the dog was not yet secured.

"When you see a dog like that one, what else is going on with it?" Jim Campbell said. "Those kinds of dogs should not be allowed in houses. It's ridiculous."

(Tribune Chronicle - April 30, 2012)

Dog Owner Upset Over Police Shooting Pit Bull

PENNSYLVANIA -- An Aliquippa resident said she's upset her pit bull was shot by police Monday morning because the dog has never been a problem.

"My dog is laying shot in the head in the middle of the street right in front of my house," Manda Tyson told Channel 4 Action News' Sheldon Ingram.

"He's never been out of the yard, except for with the owner or in the ballpark, playing with the owner," said neighbor Regina Falk.

Tyson said she let Blue out in her family's fenced-in back yard, but the dog got out and roamed the neighborhood, prompting a resident to call police.

Tyson said while she was out looking for Blue, the dog returned home to find police there.

Neighbors said the dog followed an officer off the porch and lunged at him.

"The dog went towards the officer. The officer kept backing up. The dog came again; he kept lunging. The dog was about 18 inches from him, and the officer shot him. He had no choice but to shoot him," said Falk.

Tyson said the dog probably reacted that way because it felt threatened by the officer on the home's porch.

"Even if he was remotely aggressive, you're on his property. That's what a dog does. They protect their property," said Tyson.

Aliquippa's police chief said it was an unfortunate incident, but the officer had to take immediate action.

The department later released dash cam video of the incident. The police chief said officials showed the video to Tyson's husband. The family is divided on whether the shooting was right or wrong.

Family members said they want to know why the officer didn't try to use a Taser or another option on the dog before resorting to deadly force.

(WTAE - April 27, 2012)

Pit bull killed by police after attacking woman

‎CONNECTICUT -- A 40-pound pit bull that attacked a woman Tuesday night was shot and killed Wednesday morning after it showed aggressive behavior to police and animal control officers who were trying to capture it.

Police received a report of a dog attacking a woman -- at about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday -- as she was getting into her vehicle at an office building at 1 Forest Parkway, according to Detective Sgt. Kevin Ahern, police spokesman.

Police officers and EMS responded to the scene, he said.

The woman told police the dog kept jumping at her and bit her four or five times in the right arm and then bit her leg as she tried to run away, said Ahern.

She was treated at the scene and then transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital, he said.

Police officers tried unsuccessfully Tuesday night to capture the animal.

Wednesday, about 8 a.m., police and animal control officers returned to the scene and cordoned off a wooded area where the dog had been spotted the night before. After numerous sightings, the dog was found in the woods around 11:15 a.m. "The dog showed aggressive behavior towards the officers," said Ahern. And based on the incident the night before -- because it had already bit someone -- the dog was shot, he said.

The animal was taken to a local veterinarian where it was determined to have a micro chip. Ahern said information has been obtained from the chip and they will be following up to locate the dog's owner.

(CT Post - April 25, 2012)

New York: Pit bull mix attacked, mauled and killed smaller dog at Putnam Valley obedience school

NEW YORK -- Going to a Putnam Valley dog-training camp was supposed to cure Coco the Cockapoo of her issues. Instead, it killed her, according to a lawsuit filed this week by her owner, and in the way Coco apparently feared the most: at the jaws of another dog.

“Without provocation, the pit bull mix sunk his locked jaw through Coco’s skull causing Coco severe pain, lacerations, blood loss, skull fractures, brain damage and ultimately lead to her painful death,” Susan Kahn of Greenburgh asserted in her court papers filed Wednesday in state Supreme Court in White Plains.

The dog-on-dog violence sparked Kahn, who also lives in Manhattan, to hire an attorney and a press agent. While Kahn posted her story of Coco’s demise on several pet web sites shortly after her death last month, she wasn’t giving interviews this week, according to her publicist Nina Reeves.

In an email to The Journal News on Wednesday highlighting her lawsuit, Kahn spoke of Coco “being senselessly and brutally killed at a dog training and boarding facility in Putnam Valley.” The suit also said the same dog that attacked Coco later assaulted a child — a possibility supported by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

“It is my hope that no other family should have to suffer a tragedy as bad or worse than ours,” Kahn, a mother of two, wrote.

Known as Dog Obedience Girl, the Putnam Valley camp is owned by Joanne Willard, according to the suit, and the smaller dog was sent there for three weeks. At the end of that period, “Coco would no longer be afraid or anxious about other dogs and that Kahn would be taught how to keep Coco that way,” the suit states.

Willard on Thursday expressed regret over Coco’s death and said she had yet to be served with the lawsuit, which seeks legal, medical and dog-training costs plus $100,000.

Kahn dropped Coco off on March 15 and “went on vacation for a few days with members of her family and friends.”

On March 27, while still on vacation, Kahn said she received a phone call telling her a 40-pound pit bull mix attacked the 17-pound cockapoo and “it doesn’t look good.”

Coco later died at the Animal Medical Center on the Upper East Side.

PIT BULL HAD HISTORY OF VICIOUS BEHAVIOR

The larger dog, the court papers said, more recently harmed a child.

Capt. William McNamara of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said a pit bull mix owned by Willard jumped over a fence and into a children’s birthday party on April 4, where she grabbed the wrist of a 4-year-old girl.

The dog “left light marks on the child’s skin,” the police report said. The pit bull mix was found to have all its vaccinations and was returned the next day to Willard.

The matter, McNamara said, was turned over to the Putnam Valley dog-control officer.

Neither Willard nor Patricia Smith, the Putnam Valley dog control officer, responded to telephone messages Friday.

(The Journal News - Apr. 28, 2012)