(June 2017) Michigan: Chainsaw and 2x4s used to ward off dogs mauling handyman in metro Detroit. The only thing that stopped them is when a cop showed up and shot one of them. Hmm, what breed of dog is known for not stopping its attack until shot?? Hmm.

MICHIGAN -- A man is in the hospital after being attacked by two dogs at a home in Inkster.

It happened in the 2200 block of St. Michael.

Witnesses say the man was working on a backyard fence when two dogs got loose from a neighbor's house, with one of them getting under the fence to attack the man.

At one point, the victim tried to get into the house, but he was followed by one of the dogs.

The witnesses tried to get the dogs off the man, attacking them with a 2X4 and a chainsaw.

The dogs were back in the owner's yard when police arrived, but one of the dogs ran back out and tried to attack the officer. Witnesses say the officer, defending himself, shot one of the dogs. It is not clear if that dog was killed.

The handyman suffered wounds to his arms and legs and lost a lot of blood. His exact condition isn't known.

The owner of the dogs had no comment.

The owner should have had "no comment" because they were in a jail cell. But we all know this rarely happens. They'll surrender the two dogs, unnamed breed, and then they'll just go online and get another "unnamed breed" tomorrow.

FACEBOOK COMMENTS ON WXYZ:

Mary Foster - Media sensationalism at its best on the assumptions that it's pit bulls. Who cares the breed the focus should be on the human.  I hope he's okay. People need to learn to take care of the dogs. FYI my shitzu would bite you way before my pit bulls... repeatedly proven.

Nneka Bechi - Difference being when a shitzu bites someone, they end up with a bandaid or light first aid. When a pitbull attacks someone, they end up in the cemetery or ICU (if they're lucky).

Kara Werner - Or a german shepherd. Or a boxer. Or a Labrador. It's always one extreme or the other.

Sharon Bell - HOw is it media sensationalism? The media (this article) never said anything about what kind of dogs they were.

Audrey Lyn - The op just wants attention bc she didn't read the story past the headline

Renee McLaughlin - No Audrey Lyn, the op knows that it will assumed pits before any information is even given and the pit bashing will start as Nneka Bechi has already shown. Small dogs can rip your face off too you just don't hear about it in the news because pit attacks generate clicks.

Kim Wells - The breed matters too...

Sharon Bell - Renee McLaughlin The general public may assume that, but it's not media sensationalism. If it were media sensationalism the media would have said pitbull or said a witness, neighbor, etc believes it was a pitbull. The media said nothing at all about the breed.

Dudley Mills - Well maybe you need to get rid of your dog!

Craig Brown - Of the disfigured dog attack victims in 2016, 576 (91%) were disfigured by pit bulls.

Altogether in 2016, a record 356 children were involved in dog attacks in which at least one human victim was killed or disfigured. Of those children, 235––more than in any other year except 2014, and two-thirds of the total––were attacked by pit bulls.

William Eardley - no it should be on the breed, it is ALWAYS pitbulls.

Cathye Cook Bordwell - Renee McLaughlin personal experience, amongst family and friends...two year old severe attack requiring hospitalization "pit" family pet. Eight year old severe attack requiring hospitalization "pit" friend pet. Six year old bite...stitches "lab" family pet. Local girl age 5 severe...hospitalized "pit" friends trusted pet. All unprovoked attacks. Pit 3 versus Lab 1. All 3 children attacked by the "bully breeds" required hospitalization and reconstructive surgery, the Lab bites then released owner able to control immediately.

Pean Jierre - Probably pit bulls, but let me guess they used to be nanny dogs and it's all how they're raised?

(WXYZ - June 27, 2017)

California: Jack Ziniuk, Charged with Decapitating His Horse, Saves California Money By Dying Before Trial

CALIFORNIA -- Jack Mark Ziniuk had a lot to learn about hiding evidence. Police say the Anza, California man decided to beat his horse to death with a sledgehammer in April, then decapitate it with a chainsaw and feed the head to his 40 dogs.

He then called police to report the dogs had attacked said horse. But deputies quickly deduced that the evidence didn’t indicate a canine attack, since dogs are generally incapable of operating chainsaws.

Ziniuk pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty charges.

At the time of his arrest, he owed thousands of dollars in fines for violations at this unlicensed kennel.

Fortunately, he died over the weekend, saving the broke state of California the expense of trying his sorry ass.

(True Crime Report - Sept 1, 2009)

Earlier:

• California: Jack Ziniuk, 64, beheads his horse and feeds its head to his dogs, police say
• California: Horse killer Jack Ziniuk, 64, forced pets to live in deplorable conditions
• California: Jack Ziniuk, 64, will stand trial in horse beheading case

California: Jack Ziniuk, 64, will stand trial in horse beheading case

CALIFORNIA -- A Riverside County man suspected of decapitating his horse with a chain saw has been found mentally competent to stand trial.

Sixty-four-year-old Jack Mark Ziniuk was charged with felony animal cruelty in April.

Officials said he hit the horse over the head with a sledgehammer - which couldn't have killed it immediately, decapitated it with a chainshaw, then fed the head to his dogs on his property in the remote mountainous community of Anza.

A judge on Friday said psychiatric analysis showed Ziniuk, who has pleaded not guilty, was mentally fit to stand trial.

Ziniuk had called authorities to his property, telling them his horse was having seizures after being attacked by dogs and needed to be put down.

Prosecutors have said he neglected the horse before killing it.

(Ventura County Star - June 13, 2009)

Earlier:

• California: Jack Ziniuk, 64, beheads his horse and feeds its head to his dogs, police say
• California: Horse killer Jack Ziniuk, 64, forced pets to live in deplorable conditions

California: Jack Ziniuk, 64, smacked a horse in the head several times with a sledgehammer and then decapitated it - alive - with a chainsaw

CALIFORNIA -- Inside a dark, cramped trailer with food and indescribable garbage just laying about, Jack Ziniuk slept. Joining him inside the trailer were around 20 dogs, cats and birds.

He owns an Anza ranch on Upper Tule Road.

Dogs are bred here. They lived in these cages. The two employees here say it all started off well. But, with age, Ziniuk couldn't afford to pay for this place. The dogs went hungry.

When a horse of his suffered malnutrition, sheriff's deputies charged Ziniuk with trying to put the horse down with a sledgehammer.

"He didn't even have enough strength to get that accomplished for one. Two, the way he was wielding it, he missed a couple of times. It missed the body. You could hear the thumps. 

"I knew it was alive at this point because I could still see its tail clearly moving. It was terrible. 

"When he realized that he wasn't going to be able to do it that way, he told John, go get the chainsaw," said employee Phillip Thomas.

Deputies arrested Ziniuk. The 64-year-old could face five years if convicted. He pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges.

We asked Thomas, "If you worked here, why didn't you tell the cops?"

He answered, "Well, animal control has been here. They've know all this stuff. They've been trying to shut him down for so long. I don't know the legalities of that, what held this up for so long.

We asked Thomas another question, "So, you would see Animal Control but they did nothing?"

Thomas' answer was, "Nothing. They came here many times. They wrote him tickets that he was never intending to pay anyway."

Stephanie Weyls now has 13 of Ziniuk's dogs. She says many of these breeding dogs were found in various states of neglect.

Weyls said, "I received a call from a friend of mine in town that has a veterinary supply place and she told me the situation about Jack that he had been arrested and that the authorities, the animal control, were telling them to disperse the animals and find them safe places to go."

 

Anza residents came in and rescued many of Ziniuk's dogs. Now, animal control wants to take them to a county shelter where they may be euthanized if deemed "unadoptable."

"They allow people like Jack to continue to make puppies and abuse his animals and breed indiscriminately. The small private rescue that care about animals are the ones that are taking the hits," said Weyls.

Animal control says people took these dogs illegally and anybody who has them is breaking the law. But, Weyls and others say they will not hand over these dogs. Late Thursday afternoon, animal control confronted Weyls and told her may forward information to the District Attorney's office for possible theft charges.

(KESQ - May 7 2009)

Earlier:

• California: Jack Ziniuk, 64, beheads his horse and feeds its head to his dogs, police say

California: Jack Ziniuk, 64, beheads his horse - while it's still alive - and feeds its head to his dogs, police say

CALIFORNIA -- A Riverside County man was arrested on charges of felony animal cruelty after police say he bludgeoned his horse with a sledgehammer, decapitated it with a chainsaw - WHILE IT WAS STILL ALIVE - and then fed it to his dogs.

Jack Ziniuk, 64, of rural Anza called authorities Sunday morning to say his horse had been injured by dogs, was having seizures and needed to be put down,  Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Bill Roach said.

But when officers arrived they found a headless horse. A bloody sledgehammer was submerged in a bucket of water and a chainsaw sat nearby. The animal’s head was lying in a dog run where Roach said it was serving as food for Ziniuk’s dogs.

“He told us he was having an argument with his neighbors and some dogs had attacked his horse but when deputies got out there they found the horse already dead,” Roach said. “He essentially admitted that he did it and that no dogs had attacked the horse.”

Roach said he didn’t know why Ziniuk would call police saying his animal was ill and then behead it before they arrived.

The Riverside County Department of Animal Services has been to Ziniuk’s property numerous times because of his animals' living conditions, said John Welsh, department spokesman.

“We have been keeping an eye on this guy for a long time,” he said. “We have cited him for having too many dogs and not having dog licenses. We have cited him for everything we could cite him for, but he has done just enough to avoid seizure of his animals.”

Court records show that Ziniuk has faced multiple kennel violation charges along with failure to get his animals properly vaccinated.

Welsh said Ziniuk had at least 33 dogs, eight puppies, 10 goats, peacocks and geese. Two other men on the property will care for those animals while Ziniuk is gone.

The horse’s remains have been sent to a state lab, where a necropsy is being done to determine the cause of death and whether it was alive when decapitated.

“It appears this horse did not receive the vet care it needed prior to its death,” Welsh said. “This is common sense. If you have an animal that is suffering, get it the help it needs.”

Ziniuk is being held at the Robert Pressley Detention Center.

(LA Times - April 20 2009)