Georgia: Lawsuit filed against Rosa Garcia after her Pit Bulls nearly tore off this man's leg

GEORGIA -- The owner of a pair of pit bulls that attacked three people in the Five Forks Trickum Road area near Lawrenceville earlier this month is now facing a lawsuit from one of the victims.

Personal injury law firm Zagoria Law announced Thursday that it filed the lawsuit against Rosa Garcia on behalf of Zhongkai Mao, 77. The suit says Mao was attacked because Garcia did not keep the dogs restrained so they wouldn’t leave her property.

The attack left Mao with deep wounds on his leg and his family previously told the Daily Post that he, at one point, faced the possibility of having his leg amputated.

“Mr. Mao is suffering severely and, according to doctors, will possibly need years of rehabilitation,” attorney Brooks Neely said in a statement. “At Zagoria Law, our priority in every dog bite case is to ensure that dog owners are held responsible for the actions of their pets when those actions cause injury to others.”

The filing of the lawsuit came as Mao began vacuum therapy on his leg. His son-in-law, Robert Davis, posted an update on a GoFundMe page Tuesday, in which he said Mao began the therapy at the hospital this week.

“If successful, he will continue long term vacuum treatment at home, which according to the social worker he will be on his own to pay for,” Davis wrote in the update. “After several weeks of treatment, skin grafts may be necessary.”

Mao’s family has been raising funds for his recovery through their GoFundMe page. He immigrated to Georgia from China earlier this year, and did not have a job or insurance to help cover his medical costs. So far, $4,255 has been raised, with a goal to raise $300,000.

In his update, Davis said the family is limited to going after Garcia’s homeowners insurance liability coverage and they expect that will be split between Mao and the other two victims in the attack.

Zagoria officials said they were not aware of any lawsuits being filed yet by the other victims.

The dogs attacked a 16-year old girl near the intersection of Five Forks Trickum Road and Emerald Forest Court on April 2. After a passerby pulled her into their car to get her away from the pit bulls, the dogs attacked Mao.

His leg was bleeding uncontrollably afterward and a tourniquet had to be applied, according to a Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement report.

The dogs then wandered into a neighborhood and severely attacked another man in his backyard.

All three victims had to be taken to local hospitals. The Animal Welfare and Enforcement report also said a car crashed on Five Forks Trickum because of the attack on the first victim.

Garcia surrendered the dogs to Animal Welfare and Enforcement officers once they discovered who the pit bulls belonged to. County officials said the dogs were later euthanized and their bodies were sent off to a lab for rabies tests, which came back negative.

(Gwinnett Daily Post - Apr 12, 2018)

Earlier:

• Georgia: Pit Bulls maul 16 year-old girl, a man in his backyard and a 77-year-old man who may lose his leg

Georgia: Pit Bulls maul 16 year-old girl, a man in his backyard and a 77-year-old man who may lose his leg

GEORGIA -- Xiaohong Davis was searching frantically for her father Monday when she got the call telling her that he was in the hospital and had been severely injured after he was attacked by a pair of pit bulls earlier in the day.

Zhong Kai Mao, 77, had been at Ronald Reagan Park and was walking home afterward. When he didn’t arrive home, his daughter went to the park but couldn’t find him. Mao immigrated to the U.S. from China two months ago and speaks little English.

Davis began to panic.

“I was waiting for him for dinner and I couldn’t find him,” Davis said. “So after I found out where he went, we looked all over, all over and then got the call from the emergency room so you can imagine what kind of a shock that is.”

Mao was one of three people attacked by pit bulls on or near Five Forks Trickum Road in unincorporated Lawrenceville on Monday. The dogs had escaped from the home of their owners and began roaming the area.

A Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement officer wrote in a report that Mao’s left calf was bleeding uncontrollably after the attack. A police officer had to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, the report said.

“When he was brought in (to Gwinnett Medical Center’s emergency room), he was in critical condition,” his daughter said. “He’s been in ICU for a few days.”

On Wednesday, Mao began having heart issues and doctors had to do a cardioversion on him to get his heartbeat back to a normal rhythm.

Now Mao faces an uncertain future. He has large gaping wounds on his leg with muscle and other internal tissue visible. The wounds are so large, in fact, that doctors told his family he will need skin grafts once it’s possible to safely do the procedure.

In the meantime, doctors and family members have to wait and see what will happen. His leg may still have to be amputated. Initially, doctors told the family that amputation would be needed, but they then began trying to see if that could be avoided.

“They’re still observing and trying to treat the wounds to make sure they’re not infected because if they get infected, then they’ll still have to cut that leg off,” Davis said.

One issue complicating matters is that because Mao only recently immigrated to the U.S., he doesn’t a job to provide income or insurance to cover medical costs. Family members have set up a GoFundMe account so they can raise $300,000 to help pay for his medical expenses.

The GoFundMe page is located at www.gofundme.com/elderly-man-critically-injured.

The severity of the attack has Mao’s family upset over the fact that the dogs were able to escape from their owners’ home and attack people.

In addition to Mao, the dogs also attacked a 16-year-old girl who was also walking along Five Forks Trickum Road. After they attacked Mao, they headed up Rosa Drive and attacked another man who was in his backyard.

The family that owned the dogs surrendered them to the county’s Animal Welfare and Enforcement Division, which had the dogs euthanized and sent to a state lab for rabies testing. The dogs tested negative for rabies.

“I feel that this should be equivalent to assault with a deadly weapon and they should be prosecuted as such,” said Robert Davis, who is Xiaohong’s husband and Mao’s son-in-law. “It’s just that bad. If you take one look at my father-in-law’s leg, he’ll be lucky if he can walk on that leg again, and if he does, it’s going to require a lot of treatment and a lot of expense.

“Think about what you’re doing to somebody else’s life when you let these dogs get loose.”

Meanwhile, Mao’s daughter said she doesn’t consider pit bulls to be safe enough to be owned as pets. She said Georgia should pass a law addressing pit bull ownership. Other states have similar breed-specific laws, she said.

“I want to really, really advocate that Georgia pass the same law, like those other states, so that people cannot own this type of dog,” she said.

(gwinnettdailypost - April 5, 2018)

North Carolina: "One of My babies was bitten by a pit bull mix"

NORTH CAROLINA -- Angel Brockman posted on Facebook March 23, 2018 ·

One of My babies was bitten by a pit bull mix who runs around periodically in my mom’s neighborhood spraying territory. We were on our property and the dog just lunges out of nowhere and picks my dog up by the tail.

I was able to get the dog to leave her alone but the damage was already done. There have been many calls made to get someone to put him up but nobody wants to claim him as theirs, many ppl would’ve shot the dog but I am an animal lover. I respect all life and I value peace.

I took her to the vet but they wanted to euthanize her or do emergency surgery (which would result in more blood loss and was still not guaranteed). You don’t know how much you love your pets until something like this happens. she had already lost so much blood but I would’ve had to make it to their emergency clinic in rush hour traffic ( in 10mins)

..needless to say it was a hard decision but as I sat in traffic I felt her getting limper and limper so I made the decision to just go home.God gave me the wisdom to stop the bleeding and nurse her back to health. Some of you may not believe it but God Loves animals too, I’ve seen Him heal. Happy #NationalPetDay I love animals like I love ppl!

You can’t trust every vet, some of them just want money and they don’t do all they can to help animals before suggesting killing them. Use your gut! If you have a vicious dog who has bitten anything or anyone, put them up it’s not cute to have a dog who attacks, they should never be off the leash bc if they bite small animals, they I’ll eventually bite small children!

I didn’t post all the blood bc it’s too graphic just know it was enough to be life threatening. If you are reading this and you know who’s dog it is just let them know if the dog comes in the yard again he will be picked up by Animal Control. Enough is enough!

 

This dog doesn't really look like  Pit Bull mix in this blurry photo

  

 

(February 2018) Kentucky: Two Pit Bull spend their morning mauling the faces off of baby and miniature horses

KENTUCKY -- Mid-morning on November 4, 2017, two pit bulls came into our front paddock and attacked our four recently weaned foals and our miniature pony mare.

All five, sustained bite wounds to their faces, legs, necks, and bellies. One foal's injuries were so severe and life threatening that he was transported to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY where he stayed for 10 days and underwent multiple surgeries to piece back the lacerations and bites.

All five horses, survived their wounds, but the vet bills to help save them multiplied quickly. Our current goal of $15,000 will be able to cover the vet expenses. We hope to raise money to help pay for the vet bills and also help pay for the attorney fees to take the dogs' owner to trial. We want to ensure that this will not happen again.

Please help spread the word!

 

 

 

GOFUNDME: Foal Dog Attack
Created February 25, 2018
Missy Jo Hollingsworth
  Medical
  MELBOURNE, KY

COMMENTS:
Michaela Morrison Ward - Good luck getting any money out of them!

We had the dog attack in Butler County a couple months ago and pit and 2 other dogs killed 3 minis and basically the owner got off with a slap on the hand and he apparently was even a known felon! I had a mini attacked and mauled 25 years ago and the judge had the owners pay the 1500 vet bill and the 3000 for cost of filly. That was before judges got weak!

Best of luck for recovery of minis and good luck in court! Hopefully, Hamilton County will have stiffer sentences!

Illinois: Waukegan's city council doesn't care that citizens' pets are being mauled by vicious Pit Bulls

ILLINOIS -- No changes to Waukegan's animal control ordinance are on the horizon despite a review following an attack by two pit bulls that left a smaller dog with severe injuries.

That decision was disappointing to Hailey Schueneman, who has pushed for the city to tighten up its ordinance following a January attack on her grandparents' dog.

THIS IS GUS BEFORE THE PIT BULL ATTACK

THIS IS GUS AFTER THE PIT BULL ATTACK

The situation "feels so unjust," said Ald. Lisa May, 9th, whose ward includes the Schueneman's home and who also chairs the City Council's judiciary committee.

But after speaking to the city's attorney, the police chief and the sergeant who runs the animal control division, she said they reached the conclusion that the the code is sufficient.

May said she plans on setting up a meeting with Schueneman and the police chief to discuss the incident further, but at this point, she doesn't see what changes could have led to a different outcome in this case.

"Everyone feels horrible about what happened to Gus, the poor dog that got pulled from his yard," May said, referring to the Schuenemans' dog.

The incident occurred on Jan. 2 when Gus, who is owned by Greg and Jamie Schueneman, ran to the edge of their fenced yard on the city's north side, as a man who lived nearby walked past with two pit bulls on leashes.

The small dog was apparently pulled underneath the picket fence onto the sidewalk, where one of the big dogs started to maul the smaller dog, Jamie Schueneman told the News-Sun.

"My husband tried beating (the larger dog) in the head to release Gus, and my granddaughter screamed," she said. Her husband's hands were cut from trying to get the big dog to release Gus.

The dog was treated by a veterinarian in Grayslake, where he underwent surgery and was racking up medical bills of $12,000, according to a Gofundme page set up by the family.

The family has filed a civil lawsuit against the pit bulls' owner, Hailey Schueneman said.

CITY BLAMES VICTIM FOR $12,000 IN INJURIES
An investigation by the city found that the smaller dog "provoked" the Pit Bull before the attack by barking at it and running to the fence, according to police Sgt. Dennis Rosch.

The question of whether the pit bulls would be deemed dangerous came down to whether they were provoked by the smaller dog.

 

The city's ordinance is "very vague" in parts, said Hailey Schueneman, pointing in particular to a lack of definition for what constitutes provocation.

She said she doesn't think a dog in its own yard and with its owner present rushing to the fence should be considered provocation.

First of all, the owner is required to control their dog while leashed. The little dog was inside its own fence. Obviously the Pit Bull owner cannot control their mauler; otherwise this little dog would not have been grabbed and pulled underneath the fence.  These people are morons.

PIT BULL OWNER BLAMING VICTIM
She also disputes that the dog poked his head through the fence's slates, which she said contributed to the finding that the pit bulls were provoked.

Hailey Schueneman said after the meeting she would like the ordinance to also include more guidance about how animal control conducts its investigations, because she felt the investigation into the January attack, "was not conducted thoroughly" and relied just on the accounts of the two owners.

"I know why the dogs were found to be not dangerous, but I also feel like there has to be something more," she said.

(Chicago Tribune - March 7, 2018)

Earlier:

• Illinois: This is Hailey’s (my daughter) Instagram with prayer requests for her best friend and companion who was mauled by a Pit Bull
• Illinois: Havanese named Gus is pulled underneath his fence and mauled by two Pit Bulls

Arizona: Two Huskies get loose, go on rampage in neighborhood attacking and killing every pet they can catch. Animal Control hands them back to their owner

ARIZONA -- Two Siberian Huskies who attacked three dogs and a cat Monday morning, killing three of them, were released to their owner overnight until town attorneys were sure they had standing to seize them.

Sahuarita Animal Control Officer Andrew Vargas seized the dogs around 2 p.m. Tuesday after he was given the OK, Sahuarita Police Lt. Sam Almodova said.

Sahuarita police received a call about 9:40 a.m. Monday about two Siberian Huskies running wild and jumping into backyards in the 14000 block of Camino El Foso in central Rancho Sahuarita, Almodova said.

“Once the officers and animal control officer got in the area, a resident flagged them down and said the dogs were in his backyard,” Almodova said. “The dogs were friendly toward our animal control officer and they were able to be captured.”

This means they're extremely animal aggressive with an inherent prey drive that cannot be 'fixed'. There are many dogs, including Pit Bulls, that don't necessarily select humans to attack but if they get in the way of them trying to kill another animal, that human will also be attacked. Their desire to attack and kill overrides anything any owner can do - except never let it around other animals. Most owners are too lazy to ensure the safety of others. 

A short time later, Almodova said police received another call indicating two poodles and a cat had been attacked and killed earlier. 

Officers determined the Huskies were responsible for jumping into other people's fenced yards, chasing, attacking and killing the animals.

Demetrius Kavathas, 30, was cited on two counts each of Prohibited Acts for the bites, vaccinations required, license required and dogs at large, police said.

The dogs were taken to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona on Monday then released to an owner before the end of the day, Almodova said.

When property is seized, the town wants to ensure they are on solid legal footing, so the decision was made to allow the Huskies’ owner to retrieve the dogs while attorneys reviewed the case, Almodova said.

“This was the first incident we’ve had in town (under new policies) and it’s taken a while to make sure no one’s rights were being violated and that we’ve done everything correctly,” Almodova said Tuesday afternoon.

Babies and Huskies do NOT mix

Sahuarita signed a three-year contract with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona last year to shelter animals, and hired Vargas as the town’s first animal control officer. It severed ties with Pima County last May, citing soaring costs.

A hearing to determine the dogs’ fate will be held before the town magistrate in coming days, Almodova said. The owner can pay a bond of $500 for each dog to retrieve them before that.

WHY AREN'T THEY BEING EUTHANIZED???

On Monday, Kavathas had to have the dogs vaccinated and licensed to keep them, the lieutenant said.

A woman who answered the door at the Kavathas home declined to speak with a reporter Tuesday morning.

Likely, the "woman who answered the door" is Adrianna Kavathas, wife and co-owner of the killer dogs.

Hearing screams

Nadia Pischanski was sound asleep when she was awakened by her mother’s screams on Monday.

She discovered two Siberian Huskies in her backyard on Camino El Foso. The dogs were on either side of her dog, Tigre, tugging on the Chow/Husky mix’s ears, she said.

Pischanski grabbed a broom and joined her mom in screaming at the dogs. The dogs would retreat for a few seconds only to return to harass Tigre, who is 14.

“We kept protecting our dog,” Pischanski said. “We’d take turns yelling at them. My mom protected him while I called 911.”

Eventually, the dogs wandered out of her view, she said. She soon overheard a neighbor speaking to police. After several minutes, she flagged down the officers as they were leaving to tell them her dog had been injured. Tigre had a puncture wound on his head.

On Tuesday morning, Pischanski said Tigre appeared exhausted from the ordeal.

“He can barely walk,” she said.

While speaking with the officers, Pischanski said she learned the Huskies are suspected of killing the poodles and a cat.

“When I went to bed (Monday night) I could hear horrible noises, but I thought my dog had killed a bird,” she said. “I didn’t go out because I didn’t want to see that.”

(Sahuarita Sun - March 6, 2018)

(February 2018) California: "An off-leash pit bull just came and attacked Harmony basically as we were still right by our front door"

CALIFORNIA -- Melody Alvarez posted on Facebook February 25, 2018 ·

An off leash pit bull just came and attacked harmony basically as we were still right by our front door and I want to follow them and snap the necks of the girl who didn't care, and the dog with my bare hands I'm SO PISSED!

Harmony is fine, I'm just angry.

Elizabeth J Stafford - I would be the same way! Can you call the police and report them? Or better still, go attack the pit and bite it!

Melody Alvarez - I almost kicked it. No bites though and that girl shrugged LIVID

Erin Eliza - You need to report them both !!! The next dog it could kill !!!

Melody Alvarez - I don't know where they went, was checking harmony and I think they headed for the beach. 3 girls and a pit and they barely looked back. Dog came on Koto property like... we hadn't started the walk yet!
THIS is why students catch a bad rap for having animals.

Florida: "Pepper was attacked by a pit bull. He was on his own porch"

FLORIDA -- Patricia Johnson-Lawson is feeling sad. Posted on Facebook March 7, 2018 ·

Pepper was attacked by a pit bull. He was on his own porch.

(February 2018) Home Invasion in West Virginia: Pit Bull breaks into home to attack their dog

WEST VIRGINIA -- Linda Hoffer posted on Facebook February 22, 2018 ·

This is what happened to Wrangler, Eddie and Crystal's dog after he was attacked by a pit bull that broke into their house to get him.

His leather collar and shock collar saved his life the dog could not get a good bite around his neck but he lost a big piece of his ear.

The Pit bull is in the pound right now and they're trying to find out who owns it and yes it happened in front of Crystal and Roslyn.

The neighbor helped to get the dog dragged back outside.