Owner of dog who attacked man found, no decision on euthanasia

CANADA --The city now knows who owns the dog that attacked a Hamilton man before he died screaming in the street last week, but it wont make a decision on whether or it will be put down until next week.

"We know the owner and still have the dog in quarantine," city spokesperson Ann Lamanes said in an email. She would not release the owner's name, citing legal issues.

 

Lamanes told CBC News that the city and animal control are waiting until after July 19 to make a euthanasia decision and release more information about the dog.

That's the last day the provincial Ministry of Health has instructed the city to keep the dog for rabies observation.

There have been conflicting reports about Matthew Brigmantas' death on July 9. Many presumed at the outset that the dog attack killed him, but police announced the day after he was found that that wasn't the case.

The dog didn't kill Brigmantas, regional coroner Dr. Jack Stanborough previously told CBC News, but it definitely did attack him, he said.

"There obviously was a dog attack," Stanborough said. "There are some injuries." Multiple eyewitnesses also reported that the dog attacked Brigmantas and several people tried to stop the attack.

An autopsy did not reveal an obvious cause of death, so now the coroner is waiting on toxicology reports to figure out what killed him. That could take up to six weeks.

The dog – which is a Shar Pei/Fila mix – could still be put down even if it didn't kill Brigmantas, as it did attack and injure him.

Euthanasia in cases like these is determined, in part, on a five-point bite rating scale.

The scale has a ranking from one to five, and anything above a three, when coupled with other factors such as ownership or biting history, could lead to the dog being put down, Lamanes said.

That means that if the dog punctured skin longer than the length of a canine tooth, or the dog bit and shook his head, there's a possibility for euthanasia.

A [ridiculous] online petition to save the dog now has over 5,000 signatures.

(CBC - July 17, 2015)

Earlier:

• Coroner says man not killed by dog; neighbors who beat dog off with baseball disagree
• Animal Services closer to finding owner in Matthew Brigmantas dog attack

Animal Services closer to finding owner in Matthew Brigmantas dog attack

CANADA -- Hamilton Animal Services are still taking leads from the public, but the city service believes they have found the potential owner of the dog involved in an attack that happened in association with the death of Hamilton man Matthew Brigmantas last week.

Matthew Brigmantas

Brigmantas died shortly after the attack Wednesday night in central Hamilton. Two men were walking the dog, and the dog began to attack one of the men. The other man used a baseball bat to fend off the dog. Brigmantas would later be declared dead at the scene.

   

 

Since the attack, the dog has remained in quarantine. The Shar Pei Fila Brasileiro mix with an apricot brindle coat remains in confinement for 10 days after a bite, part of ministry guidelines, said city spokesperson Ann Lamanes.

She cautioned that the city is "carefully approaching" the euthanasia question, and that it is waiting on key pieces of information, including the owner history, and the details and severity of the bite or bites, photos of which are currently in possession of the coroners' office.

Without the photos or remarks from the coroner, Lamanes said they are unable to grade the dog on a five-point scale used to determine if an animal should be euthanized.

"We have no immediate plans to euthanize this dog. We are being very sensitive in this matter," Lamanes said.

She added that the mandate of Hamilton Animal Services differs fundamentally from organizations like the local Society for the Prevention of Curlety to Animals (SPCA).

"Hamilton Animal Services' primary mandate is protection of the public against wildlife, including domestic animals (key distinction from SPCA, which is reverse). That said, our handling of all animals in our care is humane and we make every effort to avoid euthanization," Lamanes said.

The dog is a Shar Pei mixed with Fila Brasileiro, a Brazilian Mastiff known to be bred for aggression.

It is one of four dogs banned in the United Kingdom. Lamanes said the breed is not banned in Hamilton, and that the city does not believe the dog is licensed.

(CBC.ca - July 13, 2015)

Earlier:

• Coroner says man not killed by dog; neighbors who beat dog off with baseball disagree

Coroner says man not killed by dog; neighbors who beat dog off with baseball disagree

CANADA -- The dog that witnesses say attacked a man in central Hamilton Wednesday night did not cause his death directly, said the regional coroner, and it is unclear what role the dog played in the incident.

"There's no credible evidence that a dog attack is material in the death process," said Regional Coroner Jack Stanborough after a post-mortem examination Thursday. "We don't know what role the dog played."

So what did happen? It may be months before further tests can reconcile the medical findings with the dramatic witness accounts of a vicious attack.

 

  

Stanborough told CBC News additional testing, including toxicology and microscopy, will be done to determine the exact cause and manner of the death, adding that it might take weeks, if not months, to get the results back.

Hamilton police said the incident happened at 11:15 p.m. ET when two men were walking a dog along Burton Street, in central Hamilton.

"The dog began to attack one of the men and he collapsed," according to a police news release. "A passerby intervened and using a baseball bat, attempted to fend off the dog."

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The mauling of the man in his thirties led to desperate efforts by others to try to pull the dog off the screaming victim.

Witnesses recall apparent attack 

Earl Secord said the man's screams brought him outside.

"I've never heard anybody scream like that before," he said.

After witnessing the apparent attack, he went back inside his home to grab a baseball bat to join a group of people trying to fend off the dog, which was attacking the man's torso and neck areas, Secord said.

"It just looked like, for whatever reason, he was gonna take out that guy and that was it," Secord said. "And there was no stopping."

Secord added that the dog wasn't attacking anyone else and seemed to be focused on the man on the ground.

Secord said he has witnessed dog attacks before, but this incident has been a particularly heavy one.

"Nobody wants to see somebody get ripped apart by a dog," he said. "I never knew a dog could do that and just keep going."

Victim 'hurt bad'

Another neighbour, Bert Stoner, said he called 911 just after 11 p.m. ET.

"I went outside — that's when I see the guy on the ground with the dog on top of him."

Stoner said he saw two or three people trying to get the dog, which he described as "fair-sized," off the man.

"He was hurt bad," Stoner told CBC News.

Several witnesses said they saw police point their guns at the animal but did not fire any shots.

There is a disconnect between the witnesses' reports and the coroner's investigation, said Stanborough. However, it is not unusual for the witnesses to take things out of context during a fast-paced, traumatic event, he added.

"It's a lot more difficult to gain perspective," he said.

Further investigation 

The city's animal control department now has possession of the dog, police said.

Hamilton police spokesman Const. Steve Welton said it is unclear if the dog belongs to the people walking him. Police will be working with animal services to determine who the owner is, he said.

Residents initially described the dog as a pit bull, but city spokeswoman Ann Lamanes said municipal animal control officials have confirmed it is a Sharpei Fila mix and weighs about 20 kilograms.

The dog will likely be put down because of the "nature of the incident," said Lamanes. Officials are now checking to see if the dog was licensed and trying to find its adoption history.

Fire crews were called to the scene as well, but were called off before they had any contact with the man.

"We had the information that it was a dog bite," said fire department spokesperson Claudio Mostacci, adding that they were told the man had no vital signs.

(CBC.ca - July 9, 2015)

Wow, finally someone with some level-headed advice

[As I said in an earlier post, there seems to be a wealth of information on these forum websites. The woman who posted this thread seems to be one of those people who is in denial about her dog. She dismisses the dog's growling, its 'nips' on other people and just wants to love it and make it happy. Thank God she is asking for advice from others familiar with the breed before something horrible happens.]

Thread: Please Do Not Berate Me.
Winterspring posted:
So, my whole life, I've been wanting a dog. A BIG dog. I didn't want a little frou-frou lap dog. I have three cats. If I wanted something small and floofy, I would have gotten another cat. Especially since my 13.5 year old tortoiseshell cat is a bit...crabby and would probably put the poor thing's eye out.

After searching shelter after shelter, we looked at craigslist on a lark. There he was, a beautiful dog that looked cheerful and silly, cuddly and enormous. ..
They were getting rid of him because he'd developed some aggression towards their other dogs (Huskies) after having sired an illicit litter with one of the Husky females. We have no other dogs, and I figured after a good neutering and some training, we could get him to settle down. Again, I thought she was blowing smoke up my rear, and we went to see him. Yes, he was initially distrustful. I didn't mind. I liked that he was protective. They had a baby in a walker and he practically put the kid's head in his mouth, wagging his tail while the baby giggled and patted him. He seemed a bit shy, but as soon as she touched my hand, he seemed okay with me petting him. I didn't care what kind of Mastiff he was. He was beautiful, with a dark coat and silly ears, and what seemed like a calm, floppy disposition. He didn't display any of the traits I later read about.

When got him home, THEN I did the research. I wondered if she really WAS having me on. She wasn't. Hunting. Guarding. Wonderful with family, but hackles rise with strangers. Herding. Was there anything this dog didn't do? But the aggression. The fact that he was banned in at least ten countries, and that it was illegal to import them to others. National Dog of Brazil. "Faithful as a Fila". There, at my feet, lay a $2000 dog, the National Treasure of a major country, drooling at my foot and looking up at me with one ear folded inside-out. Dear God, what had I done?? This was NOT a dog for a first-time dog owner! It's one of the reasons I didn't get an Akita! And now I have him.

I WILL adjust. I WILL not give him up. I WILL be a good Mama to him, come hell or high water. I took on the responsibility, and my whole family (four adults and three cats) WILL pitch in to help meet his needs. Where would I send him? How could I trust someone? How could I possibly toss someone into the fire of a dog this incredible, this remarkable, and be satisfied that they would take proper care of him?? He's our "youngest" now, and I REFUSE to be any more irresponsible than I already feel I am. Especially since he's almost everything I wanted in a dog.

But I need advice. I know this is a long post, but I felt you needed some background on how I acquired him, and that I now know that people need to be more educated about the rarer breeds. His name is Taurus.

What We Have Observed:
He sticks close to Mama and if I'm having an argument with my boyfriend, he'll bark and growl at him, standing between the two of us, defending me, tail still wagging as if to say, "I still love you, but don't you dare hurt my mommy".

He's only nipped twice at people. Once at my boyfriend, who was trying to give kisses while Taurus was growling (idiot....) and once at my friend, who was trying to pet Taurus while he was...you guessed it....growling. (idiot....) I think Taurus was perfectly justified.

He snores. And it's hilarious. And he pouts.

Any and all advice and assistance is appreciated. I refuse to let my dog, who I've been waiting for all my life, suffer because of my initial ignorance. I love him, even when he's hogging the bed, and every time I look into those gorgeous yellow eyes, I fall in love all over again.

Questions I Have
1) He's just a year old. I know that giant breeds mature more slowly. We've been operating under the assumption that he's still a puppy. Is this correct?

2) I've been told by some (none of them veterinarians) that I should wait to neuter him until he is at least 18 months - 2 years old because I would have to introduce foreign testosterone into his system to continue his growth. I do not like the idea of introducing something into his body that it didn't create on its own, unless it's medication for an illness. He absolutely must be neutered. Yeah, I realize I could probably make a mint off stud fees, but his coloring is wrong, I think, being a dark sable color that's a little peppery, as if in utero, he couldn't decide if he wanted to be black or brindle, and ended up kinda both, and all mixed up. I like it, but I don't think it's breed-correct. Plus, I think he's cow-hocked, which isn't good for anything. Except cows. And even if I wasn't able to be as responsible as I would like to have been, I would like to think I wouldn't breed a dog that wasn't breed-sound.

3) Is what I've been doing for him good?

4) How do I encourage him to play more? Seems whenever we try to run around with him or play "tuggies", he looks at us like we're dopes.

5) CAN the ojizera be toned down some? I don't want it ALL gone. I know it CAN'T be all gone. I just want to be able to have people over without an incident, or sticking him elsewhere in the house or outside. He's such a good boy. I want everyone who sees him to be as impressed as I am with him, and to adore him as much as I do.

[And this is what I really like. Someone who is familiar with a certain breed who makes no bones about telling this woman that she needs to recognize the traits which were bred into this type of dog and always take precautions rather than insisting that all dogs are the same]

ruthcatrin posted:

Its going to require some changes to how you percieve dogs, not just conciously, but unconciously, and not just you, but every person (adult and child) who enters your house.

1: yes, he's basically still a pup though he's old eough to have some adult temperment and stubbornness.

2: if you are SURE you can keep him from taking off after a bitch in heat then yes, for his sake please wait till he's at least 1.5 before neutering. 2 would be better. This means no off leash outside of a secure fence, even if you're right there. No assuming he'll be good. Dogs will travel miles to get at a bitch in heat. And no, neutering won't affect his protection drive.

3: I don't think you've done anything bad, but heed Chuck's advice about him with strangers and staying away from his face. Honestly, NEVER EVER do "kissies!" with a dog that you don't know 100%, regardless of the breed and how well someone else insists the dog is fine, its an aggressive move and even sweet tempered dogs will take offense at it.

4: some dogs don't play much

5: not really. You can social the HECK out of him, and expose him to as much as possible and hope that he'll learn from it, but many Fila's don't give a care, the person is not FAMILY, therefor they are a potential threat. I highly recommend having him always on a leash ( and a family member adult HOLDING the leash) ANY TIME there is a non family member in the house or on the property. He MAY tolerate non-family, he may not. As he matures you may have to crate him when ever you have someone over. It doesn't mean you failed, its just him, and trust me everyone will be happier you did so. Understand that as he matures he's likely to he less and less accepting of stranger interaction. I highly recommend buying a muzzle and training him to wear it now. You'll likely need it for vet visits if nothing else.

Keep in mind when I say "family" in reference to a Fila, I mean the people, adult and child, who live in his household. THAT is his family, regardless of blood bond. His family will NOT include any extended family who don't live in the same house, and it won't include the friends of your kids.

(Fila Brasileiro Forum - June 24, 2013)