Connecticut: Woman upset with police response during Pit Bull attack at bus stop

CONNECTICUT -- Sandra Regis reviewed New Haven Police Department's Facebook page — 1 star, December 13 at 8:15pm ·

All these police sitting in their cars in New Haven corners,along with all the substations on Whalley Ave.

You would think they would respond to emergencies they are literally 4 minutes away and took an 30 mins after calling 4 times about my mom and her dog being attacked by a pit bull and where kids were getting off the bus. 

The officer said I didn't have a right to be upset as I'm screaming for help cause the dog is in my apartment. 

They were so nonchalant as they casually stroll and giggled in the driveway.

New York: Twelve-year-old girl mauled by two pit bulls while waiting for her school bus

NEW YORK -- A 12-year-old Herkimer girl was violently attacked and injured by two pit bulls recently as she waited for her school bus on North Main Street.
Herkimer Police are just releasing details of the early morning incident which happened on May 31.

Police say at no time did the children who had gathered at the bus stop ever approach or antagonize the dogs, but they say the two pit bulls became aggressive with the young girl and one latched onto her arm and flung her into the air.

The child suffered two broken bones in her arm and severe puncture wounds. She had to undergo emergency surgery and will likely have to do so again in the future, police said.

The owner of the dogs, 25-year-old Aaron Brown who lives at 424 North Main Street, let his dogs out, unleashed at just about the time the kids were gathering at the bus stop, police said.

 

He is facing charges for violating statutes under the state department of Agriculture and Markets for failing to restrain and register the dogs, among other things. Police also charged Brown with reckless endangerment in the second degree, a misdemeanor.

Additionally, police said Brown was wanted on an active arrest warrant for a charge of criminal trespass in St Johnsville. After being arraigned on the incident connect with the dogs attack, Brown was turned over the St. Johnsville authorities, police said.

No other children were hurt in the incident, Police Chief Michael Jory told WIBX.
The dogs remain in the possession of the town’s Animal Control Officer, Jory said.

PREVIOUS ARREST:

Herkimer man charged with assault, synthetic susbstance possession
February 17th 2017
A Herkimer man is facing several charges after police responded to reports of a domestic disturbance, according to village of Herkimer police.

Aaron Brown, 25, is charged with third-degree assault and possession of a synthetic substance.

Police say around 2:15 p.m. Thursday, they responded to 424 N. Main St. for a report of a domestic disturbance. Upon investigation, police found that Brown, who lives at that residence, had assaulted a female in the home.

Brown was found a short time later on North Main Street and was then arrested. At that time, Brown was found to be in possession of a synthetic substance.

Brown was arraigned in the Village of Herkimer Court and sent to the Herkimer County Correctional Facility on $500 cash bail or $3,000 bond.

(WIBX - June 6, 2017)

Indiana: Young girl attacked by pit bull as she gets off school bus

INDIANA -- A young girl was attacked by a neighbor's dog as she got off the school bus Friday afternoon, and her family says they had reported the dog in the past.

Jordyn Coleman, 11, was just trying to get off her bus and walk a half block home, when the dog attacked. A neighbor said she witnessed the dog repeatedly knock Coleman over and bite her as she tried to get away.

"I didn’t know what to do, I was like, 'Is this happening to me?'" Coleman said.

Neighbors stepped in, and eventually the dog's owner was reportedly able to get the dog off of Coleman. It had bit her in the face, stomach, leg, and hand.

"She said, 'I tried to be brave mommy, I tried, I tried, I just couldn’t, I just couldn’t,'" Coleman's mother, Sharanda Carr, said.

Coleman is going to be okay, but her face had to be stitched up and it's unclear yet what the scarring will be like, or if she'll need further surgery.

Carr said that, on top of the shock of seeing her daughter in distress, she had a sinking feeling after the attack.

"We’ve called the police at least twice, we’ve called animal control at least twice," Carr said.

Neighbors also told FOX59 they had reported the dog, which is a pit mix, as well as another, which is a chihuahua mix, and their owner for years. They said the dogs would frequently roam the neighborhood and chase both adults and children.

"It wasn’t until now that something’s actually being done," Carr said.

The dog's owners did not want to comment for this story. Both dogs have been surrendered to Indianapolis Animal Care Services.

Carr said that the owners did apologize, and that they're not the only ones she blames for the terrifying ordeal.

"It’s my fault too, as a parent. ... If animal control didn’t do something the first time, then I should have, I don’t know, maybe just stayed on them or something," Carr said. She said she hoped that IACS would do more to respond to neighbors' concern over loose dogs like these.

As for Jordyn, she's most upset that she has to miss her year-end dance recitals, and said she hopes the dogs are gone from the neighborhood for good.

"I hope that I get better and that the dogs stay in the pound," Coleman said.

IACS told FOX59 that the dogs are currently in quarantine and the owners have been cited into court, where a judge will decide what to do with them.

"IACS has been in the area for complaints on nearly a monthly basis since February 2016. We have attempted contact at various addresses in the area and sent letters of education to various addresses in the area. IACS did not observe the animals at large during any of our attempts to locate them in the area. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until this incident that we were able to interact with the animals or the owner," a spokesperson said.

Carr has started a Gofundme to pay for her daughters surgery and counseling. You'll find it at the link here.

(Fox59 - Dec 19, 2016)

Alabama: Russell County mom calls for tougher large dog laws after children terrorized at bus stop

ALABAMA -- One Russell County mother is advocating for tougher laws for owners of large dogs. She wants to see Alabama get tougher on those dog owners in order to protect kids at bus stops.

Mia Upshaw’s children ride the bus each day. She worries that a neighbor’s dog, a Rottweiler, will hurt, attack, or kill her children.

“My kids’ lives are more important than a dog. I’m sorry. He’s beautiful. Don’t get me wrong. He’s well-groomed and beautiful. But he’s huge, and he will swallow my ten year old up in a matter of minutes, and I know it,” says Upshaw.

That’s why Upshaw says she’d like to see Alabama’s law changed to offer children greater protection during the hours they board and depart the school buses.

“I’d like to see Alabama have something in place for owners to have the vicious type of dogs tied up, locked up during school bus hours, morning and afternoon,” says Upshaw.

But what should a child do if he or she encounters an unfamiliar dog? News 3 spoke with Columbus veterinarian Dr. Lena Harris. She has suggestions. First, she says tell your child not to act scared.

“Ignore it. And if comes near you, don’t stiffen up and freak out. Just relax and ignore the dog’s presence,” says Dr. Harris.

Also, tell your kids to avoid eye contact. Dogs see it as a challenge. And perhaps most importantly, tell your kids not to run.

“If you run, then the game is, get the object that’s running and take it down because that’s the game they play. And it may not be that he’s real aggressive, but it’s going to end up that way if you’re fighting him back,” says Dr. Harris.

Dr. Harris adds that dog owners have tremendous responsibility when it comes to protecting others from their pets. She says if an owner knows a dog has vicious tendencies, an owner should take precautions to restrain it.

Mia Upshaw says she loves animals and understands dogs need to exercise. She explains that she even thinks the Rottweiler is beautiful. However, she would just like to see a change in Alabama law that holds dog owners responsible for extra restraint of their animals during hours kids get on and off school buses.

(WRBL - Nov 15, 2016)

Father says bus driver didn’t call for help after dog attacked 7-year-old son

TEXAS -- A 7-year-old boy is on the mend after a scary dog attack at his neighborhood bus stop in Porter last month.

It happened on Jan. 15 at the corner of Ravenwood Lane and Fawn Lane.

Hunter Moffett said the dog nipped at one of his classmates before sinking its teeth into him. He suffered nine puncture wounds that required 20 stitches.

 

 

You can hear Hunter screaming in video recorded by school bus video cameras. The footage also shows a portion of the attack outside the bus.

His father claims the bus driver proceeded on with his regular route instead of calling for immediate help.

“You think when you have a child this small that’s been mauled by a dog, you call 911. That’s what you do,” said father Ian Moffett.

Ian Moffett said his wife received an urgent call from the nurse at Bens Branch Elementary School 28 minutes later.

“It couldn’t been so much worse, punctured an artery, put him on the bus, drove him around for 28 minutes and arrives at school dead,” said Ian.

The video from the bus and photos of Hunter’s wounds were presented to a judge in Montgomery County court on Wednesday.

 

 

“This is just horrible what this child had to go through,” said Judge Metts.

The judge decided that the dog is dangerous and will be euthanized.

“I think the dog loses. Human and dog, as sad as that is, the dog’s going to lose,” explained Ian.

 

 

Moffett believes the dog’s owner and the school district should be held accountable too.

KHOU contacted New Caney ISD after school hours on Wednesday evening. Their response will be posted as soon as it comes in.

Montgomery County Animal Control reportedly tried to serve the dog’s owner court paper five times regarding Wednesday’s hearing. Officers were never able to find him.
(KHOU - Feb 13, 2014)