Guilty plea entered in Jonesborough dog torture-killing

TENNESSEE -- The man accused of killing Honey, a four-pound Yorkshire Terrier mix that was his family’s pet, told a judge Wednesday during a plea hearing he had no excuse for his behavior but revealed he was using drugs and alcohol at the time.

Dustin Ricky Harrell, 22, 1125 Old Stage Road, pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty with no agreement from state prosecutors on his sentence.

Harrell’s attorney, Jim Bowman, told Criminal Court Judge Robert Cupp his client is eligible for judicial diversion. Assistant District Attorney General Erin McArdle said after the hearing that she intends to seek a jail term for Harrell because of the magnitude of the crime.

[NOTE: Judicial diversion means that as long as he doesn't pick up any new charges while he's on probation -- misdemeanors, felonies -- at the end of his probation period, it will be wiped clean of his record as if the torture and death of the little dog had never happened. It will not show up on any background searches, he will not be a convicted felon. It will be as if IT HAD NEVER HAPPENED.]

The incident happened Nov. 3, apparently during the night as Harrell’s family slept.

McArdle said statements from family members indicate Harrell retrieved Honey from his mother and stepfather’s bedroom that night, saying she needed to go out.

Four hours later, he told them the dog was dead after being hit by a car. But Honey’s ordeal didn’t happen outside. It occurred inside the house where she lived.

In his description of what happened, Harrell told Cupp that he repeatedly tortured, then comforted, the scared, injured family dog named Honey.

Harrell told Washington County Sheriff’s Investigator Jeff Miller that he first threw the dog down the stairs at his house, then comforted it, then threw it down the stairs several more times.


“He later filled the bathtub up with water and held the dog under the water for approximately 20 seconds at a time” and did this three times, Miller wrote in the court record.

After the bathtub incident, Harrell said he dried the dog off with a towel, then put the dog in the clothes dryer — with nothing else in it — and turned the machine on for four minutes.

That’s when Harrell told investigators he looked up “dog in the dryer” on the computer. After that, Harrell threw the dog down another time, which broke the Yorkie’s leg.

That injury caused Honey to cry in pain, so Harrell used painter’s tape around the dog’s mouth to keep her quiet and used an Icy Hot sleeve on the dog’s broken leg.

When the Yorkie stopped crying, Harrell told police he removed the tape and the dog began bleeding from the mouth. Harrell said he held Honey and she died in his arms.

An investigator said the little dog's torture and subsequent death occurred over a four-hour period.

“I killed and tortured my family dog,” Harrell said. “I could tell you what I did to cause my actions, but everything was a choice.”

Cupp asked Harrell “what could possess you?” to hurt and kill the dog in that manner.

Harrell said he was using heroin, bath salts, pain pills and alcohol.

Since killing the dog, Harrell sought alcohol and drug treatment and through that learned how abuse at the hands of a family member led him down a path of destructive behavior.

The abuse occurred when Harrell was a child and was not committed by his mother or stepfather.

Animal rights supporters were in court to hear Harrell admit to killing Honey and said he still needs to be punished for his actions.

Regina Isenberg, founder of The Bridge Home No Kill Animal Rescue, located in Blountville, said she was glad to see Harrell plead guilty, but “what else can you do when you’re charged and (they) have pictures?”

“We do not tolerate animal abuse in our area. We will stand up for all the animals. This is our responsibility as caring, compassionate citizens,” Isenberg said.

She also said her support for animals should not be mistaken for not caring for children who are victims of crime.

“There are many organizations that represent children. I worked for many years with children,” and child abuse “is not acceptable,” she said. “If I had more than 24 hours, I would sit for all the kids.”

Harrell is now scheduled for a sentencing hearing July 10 at 9 a.m.

(Johnson City Press - May 30, 2012)

Valley Men Arrested on Animal Cruelty Charges

CALIFORNIA -- Two Porterville men are behind bars on animal cruelty charges after sheriff's deputies say the two were caught abusing a horse.

Authorities say Maximo Rodriguez, 59, and Martin Padilla, 50 were reportedly striking a horse in the head with a sledghammer in the area of 800 E. Date in Porterville. The horse was tied down to a flatbad trailer in the driveway of the residence there.

Martin Padilla, 50 and Maximo Rodriguez, 59

When sheriff's deputies as well as Tulare County Animal Control responded to the scene, the horse was still alive but the injuries were severe enough that the horse had to be euthanized.

UPDATE: An article in the Fresno Bee says the owner of the horse is using the excuse that the horse was sick, couldn't stand and that they were simply trying to euthanize it.

euthanasia /eu·tha·na·sia/ (u″thah-na´zhah): an easy or painless death

Exactly how did these two morons think that repeatedly beating a tied horse in the head with a sledgehammer accomplish "an easy or painless death"??

"Lupe Valadez, the horse's owner, said he was in Sacramento over the holiday weekend when his son called and told him the horse had fallen down. The horse had been losing weight for several months, Valadez said.

"Valadez said he telephoned a friend and asked him to check on the horse. The friend sent Padilla, who allegedly hit the horse with the sledgehammer.

"'Padilla exercised his own judgment,' Valadez said. 'That's not the way you handle things.'"

Also, the owner blathers on about how this horse "like a pet" and that he owns four other horses. If that were the case, why didn't he have a veterinarian come out to euthanize the horse correctly? And if this horse was so sick that it couldn't stand, how did they drag it onto a flatbed trailer and tie it down?

(KSEE - May 28, 2012)

Owner lies about identity after pit bull mauls other dog

CALIFORNIA -- An off-leash pit bull’s owner might be more of an animal than her pet.

After the woman’s dog mauled another dog, she reportedly lied about her identity and paying for veterinary expenses.

The incident happened about 3:25 p.m. Monday in the 3100 block of San Bruno Avenue, police said.

A woman was walking her dog when a pit bull suddenly appeared and bit the other dog on its back before dragging it into bushes and mauling it. The pit bull was off-leash.

The pit bull’s owner came out of a nearby house and gained control of the dog, police said.

Meanwhile, the other woman’s dog was cowering under a truck.

A witness helped the victim by wrapping the injured dog in a jacket, police said. At the vet, the dog had to be euthanized due to its injuries.

The pit bull’s owner said she would take care of the vet bill and provided the victim with her contact information, which turned out to be false, police said.

Police returned to the scene, but were unable to locate the owner. The witness who had helped the victim told police the suspect’s true identity, but she had not been located as of Thursday.

This is the latest incident to draw attention to problems with off-leash dogs.

In February, a 12-pound poodle was mauled by a much larger off-leash dog in Huntington Park in Nob Hill. In January, an unneutered pit bull killed a Yorkshire terrier in front of its owner while also off-leash.

Pacifica police had to shoot a pit bull in March — the second time in seven months — after the dog stormed into a home and attacked a Corgi, which survived.

And in August 2011, a pit bull attacked and killed its owner, a 32-year-old pregnant woman.

(San Francisco Examiner - May 31, 2012)

Greyhound mauled by Staffordshire terrier

UNITED KINGDOM -- Corinne King’s dog, Strongbow, needed four hours of surgery following a vicious attack in Martens Grove Park, Bexleyheath, which also houses a children’s playground.

The 48-year-old of Martens Avenue, Bexleyheath said: "There are lots of children who use the park.

 

"I’m convinced that if it had been anything else, like a child, they would have been killed."

The incident happened on the morning of May 17 around 7am when Mrs King went with friends to give Strongbow, an ex racing dog, his walk.

The mother-of-two said: "While we were in the park, a woman came from the shop with a bottle of whiskey and a loaf of bread and came into the park.

"The Staffie, which was white, was on a lead but she let it off.  He ran towards my dog and then ran off.  Strongbow did the same thing - they were playing."

It was then that Mrs King says her dog, who was wearing a muzzle at the time, encountered some trouble.

She said: "I didn’t see what happened next but I could hear the woman who was with the Staffie screaming hysterically.

"I ran to Strongbow and found him lying on the floor with her dog attached to his leg. The amount of damage it was doing was awful- it was savage."

Mrs King, who works for a marketing company, says she then tried to get the Staffie off her dog.

She said: "I went hysterical.  I was grabbing his jaws and trying to get him off but nothing happened.
"It was only when another dog owner grabbed its bits that it stopped."

Her friend then grabbed the dog’s collar and appealed to its owner to put it back on its lead.

Mrs King said: "I don’t remember what happened afterwards but apparently the Staffie just sat there totally calm as if nothing had happened.

"It made no attempt to attack anyone else.

"My friend asked for her mobile number, she said the dog wasn’t hers and that she was just walking it, but she gave us a couple of numbers."

Mrs King then took Strongbow to the vets, where he spent four hours in surgery getting stitches to his inner leg and a bite on his back leg dressed.

She said: "If it was not for my friend saying I had to get him to the vets, he would have died through loss of blood.

"I’ve had to take a week off work to look after him as I can’t leave him on his own."

Mrs King tried to call the owners of the dog after the incident, but when she called them, she was told she had the wrong number.

She is now appealing to people to be on the lookout for the dog. She added: "It’s not every Staffie that is like this but I want people to be aware that these dogs do turn."

A Bexley Police spokeswoman said: "Details of the incident have been passed to the safer neighbourhood team for their information and to follow up."

(This is London - May 31, 2012)

Pit bull attacks Norco child; neighbor intervenes

CALIFORNIA -- A 19-month-old toddler survived an attack by the family pit bull in her home on 6th Street and Hillside Avenue in Norco.

Elizabeth Peak says she was babysitting her friend's 19-month-old daughter when the family's pit bull "Diamond" suddenly attacked and clamped down on her leg.

Peak, who is deaf, but reads lips, showed how she struggled to pull the child locked in the dog's powerful jaws. She tried to kick the dog, but it did not let go. She then began screaming for help.

"He pulls back and I see the baby going like this all over the yard, and I'm kicking the dog as I am running and hitting the dog I start screaming for help," said Peak.

Next-door neighbor Larry Gordon was at home when he heard the screams for help.

"I saw the lady, the young lady screaming and the dog running back and forth with something in its mouth, and I thought, 'I know they have a baby. They have only lived here for a week or two,'" said Gordon.

Gordon says without thinking he vaulted over the 5-foot fence and charged the dog with a stick. He says despite repeated blows and kicks the dog wouldn't let go.

The dog flung and dragged the child across the yard. Gordon then grabbed the pit bull and wrestled its jaws open to release the child.

"The baby would look at me and she would scream, and then she would be quiet. She had dirt in her face. I didn't see any marks on the face, but I could be wrong," said Gordon.

"I grabbed the dog with my hand, both hands, one hand on its jaw and the other the top of the jaw, and pried it loose," said Gordon. "I yelled at the lady to come and get the baby and take it away."

Emergency crews rushed the toddler to Corona Regional Medical Center. Her condition was not released.

Peak said the dog has been with the child's mother for three years, and this is the first time she's seen the dog act out.

"Honestly, that dog turned," said Peak. "I've never seen it bite ever."

Norco Animal Control Services was called in to to take the dog and quarantine it. Peak says she had concerns about the dog, but felt sure the pit bull had been well-trained by the child's mother.

The shelter was unavailable for comment on the future of the dog due to the Monday holiday.

(KABC - May 28, 2012)

2 pit bulls use hole in fence to attack, kill cat

CALIFORNIA -- One of two pet cats was mauled to death in an attack by two pit bulls in the 1200 block of Yorkshire Way early Wednesday morning that neighbors said have routinely been getting out of their back yard through a hole in the fence.

Wendy Erickson said her cats normally sun themselves in the morning in her front yard after they have been fed.  She added that “Charlie,” the cat that had been killed would follow her family members on their daily walks through the neighborhood.

“Charlie was really like a dog,” she said.

Erickson said she was in her bathroom getting dressed when she heard screams from her cats and looked out to see the two pit bulls attacking them – one cat ran to the back yard and hid,  but Charlie was badly injured and died on the way to the Animal Clinic.

“I must have screamed for five minutes,” she said, “but nobody came out of their homes.”  With one exception, she said. The woman who owned the dogs was there and attempted to help her pull one dog away from the cat.

Animal Control Officer Peggy Miller responded to the scene and took the two pit bulls into custody and is planning to cite the dogs’ owners with the possession of vicious dogs within the city limits.

Erickson said the dogs had killed a stray cat in the past months, noting that the dog owners pleaded with her at the time not to call the animal control officer.  They said they would promise to keep the dogs in their back yard.

“If I had called my (5-year-old) cat would still be alive,” she said. The second cat “Baby Kitty” is 11 years old.  Erickson noted that she had bought wood for her neighbors to fix the hole in the fence, saying it had never been used to repair it simply because the dogs were usually kept on chains.

Officer Miller said the dogs would not be released to the owners until the city attorney has ruled on the charges, saying the incident will probably have to be decided in a courtroom.  A similar pit bull assault charge in Manteca took over a year to be heard by a judge and the suspect animal was kept at the pound the entire time it took for the court process to unfold before it was finally euthanized.

Neighbors said the pit bull owners have a total of five dogs in their backyard.

Miller said the dogs did not react to other dogs that walked by explaining that they apparently just don’t like cats.

She said the one dog was adopted as a puppy from the pound and was originally licensed, but noted that the license had expired.  The second dog had not been licensed, she added.  Both dogs had been altered.

Should the owners of the dogs win their eventual release, they will have to pay back boarding costs and the licensing of both dogs, Miller added.

(Manteca Bulletin - May 31, 2012)

Additional info:
Pit bulls at The Petition Site
Target: Tim and Janet jacques and their two pitbulls
Sponsored by: Wendy Erickson
"On Wednesday 5/30/2012 my beloved cat Charlie was sleeping on my front porch when the Jacques 2 pit bulls came onto my property and attacked Charlie. I tried to fight them off until the neiighbor heard my screams. The dogs ripped open my cats stomach........he died. The dogs were taken by animal control. The Jacques want to fight to get their dogs back. Let's stop this ....it could be your pet they get next. Please help!!!"

Riverside cop wounds charging pit bull

OHIO -- Police said they didn’t want to shoot a roaming pit bull mix on Thursday morning, but officers had no choice when the animal charged at them after they said it charged at a woman and her child.

The dog, hit in its hindquarters, will survive. But Riverside police Chief Mark Reiss said he wishes it hadn’t happened.

“They certainly don't set out for that and they were following it until they could put it in residence where it came from, but circumstances didn't work out that way,” Reiss told News Center 7’s Mark Bruce.

Police were dispatched when someone called to report that a large dog was roaming the area along Oakdell Avenue. The situation escalated when the officers arrived and ended with a dog wounded by gunfire.

Police said they found the roaming dog and neighborhood resident Amanda Easter told the officers where the dog belonged. She said she went back inside the house as the officers tried to corral the dog back into its yard.

Police said the dog charged at a woman and her daughter who had come out of a different house down the block. The officers said they distracted the animal to take its attention off the woman and child.

Reiss said at that point, the dog charged officers and one of them fired a round that struck the dog in its hindquarters.

The dog’s owner will be cited because the animal got out of its fence, said police, who noted that other violations could be filed.

On March 28, police in Riverside shot and kill a pit bull mix that attacked a man and was so aggressive that they had to shoot it several times, finally with a shotgun.

Responding officers said a large dog had a man on the ground on Rondoah Street and was attacking him. When they tried to get the dog away, it charged at them and went back and forth between the officers and the victim.

Reiss said an officer shot the animal twice with his gun, but the dog did not die. So, another officer got a shotgun and put the animal down.

The victim was taken to a hospital suffering from severe cuts to his hand.

(WHIO - May 31, 2012)

Bakersfield toddler in critical condition after family pit bull attacks him

CALIFORNIA --  A 3-year-old Bakersfield boy was in critical condition with wounds to his head and torso Wednesday after being attacked by the family's 125-pound pit bull.

The Kern County Sheriff's Department was investigating Tuesday evening's attack because of the severity of the boy's injuries. He was airlifted to Madera, where he was undergoing treatment at Children's Hospital.

The boy's parents were bitten by the dog while trying to stop the attack, said Kern County Animal Control spokeswoman Kim Rodriguez. They were able to free the boy but suffered hand injuries.

The family had the dog since it was a puppy, and Animal Control estimated it is now 3 to 5 years old.

"The message we're trying to get out is about responsible pet ownership, and it's not just about food and water and medical needs," Rodriguez said. "It's imperative to maintain control of your animals, not just for your family but for the community as a whole."

Investigators said the boy was alone with the unneutered dog and they do not know what prompted the attack.

Animal Control is keeping the gray and white dog under a 10-day quarantine while its future is decided.

(The Republic - May 30, 2012)

Pit bull that attacked Whitman man expected to be put down

MASSACHUSETTS -- The pit bull that attacked a Whitman man is expected to be euthanized.

The dog is being quarantined for 10 days at the Whitman Animal Shelter after attacking a 21-year-old man, said Animal Control Officer Bob Hammond, and the dog is then likely to be killed.

Allegedly owned only two days before it went
on the attack

The 1-year-old pit bull, Rocko, belonged to the victim’s friend, a Brockton man who got the dog just two days before the incident. All the dog’s shots are up-to-date, said Hammond.

The dog owner’s girlfriend lives at 555 Harvard St., where the dog’s owner and the victim were visiting on Monday at 2:30 p.m. when the incident took place, said Deputy Chief Scott Benton.

Police believe the victim was holding a small dog, which may have caused the pit bull to attack.

When police and fire officials responded, the dog was loose in the yard, acting aggressive and covered in blood, said Benton.

The 40-pound pit bull ran at police officers and a firefighter causing the officers to draw their weapons. Benton called it “fortunate” that they did not have to fire at the dog.

They trapped the dog on a porch, where Hammond was able to remove it.

The pit bull injured the the victim’s arm, which was bandaged at Good Samaritan Medical Center. The victim, whose name is not being released, is expected to recover, said Benton.

Whitman has 2,047 registered dogs, including 22 pit bulls, nine of which are unlicensed, according to the town clerk’s office.

This incident is the third in the area involving a pit bull in the past several months.

An 8-year-old boy was attacked by a pit bull in Brockton last week. That dog is quarantined at the owner’s home.

A 71-year-old woman had part of her face ripped off by a pit bull in December in Bridgewater. The woman’s nose and part of her mouth were recovered from the dog’s stomach after it was killed and they were reattached to her face at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Hammond, who has been working in Animal Control since 1972, said he responds to about three dog attacks a year, but says it is not always pit bulls that attack.

“There’s other dogs out there who are as bad,” he said. “You never know. It’s all how they’re bred.”

The owner of the pit bull involved in Monday’s incident was unable to tell Hammond who the previous owner was because he got the dog through a friend.

[Um, well, OK. Then give the police the name of this 'friend' who gave you the dog and the police can question him as to the previous owner's information -- or deal with the police. Sounds like they're giving the police the runaround.]

(Enterprise news - May 30, 2012)

Godfrey pit bull only quarantined after 3 confirmed attacks

ILLINOIS -- A Godfrey pit bull has attacked three people and sent its latest victim to the emergency room with severe injuries. But this weekend, the dog is headed back home, without any restrictions or punishments.

Madison County has the dog quarantined. But that quarantine expires on Saturday. That doesn't sit well with Mallorie Vest.

Last Wednesday night, Vest just wanted to end her day with a quick run, but no day should ever end like that.

"That's my blood," Vest said as she pointed out several spots along the sidewalk.

She was jogging past a man who was walking his dog along Homer Adams Parkway in Godfrey when the dog lunged at her.

"It grabbed my back thigh," Vest said. "It took me down. It scraped my knees and dragged me back on the sidewalk."

And then it took a chunk out of her leg. That's when Vest was finally able to get free. She called her dad, who just happened to be the on-call surgeon at the nearest emergency room.

"I was horrified at the bite," Dr. Vest said.

It turns out the dog has bitten two others before.

"I can guarantee that this dog will bite someone else," Vest said. "There's just no doubt about it."

Animal control director David Hall says under the current state law, there's little they can do, other than quarantine the dog. He says they can't put it down or force the owner to keep it locked up without a judge's order. Hall agrees the law needs to be changed.

NewsChannel 5 contacted several local lawmakers, but did not receive a response.

Vest says the thought that this dog could attack again just makes her sick.

"It makes me feel helpless and emotionally vulnerable," Vest said. "Because I am emotionally scarred by this."

Animal control and the Sheriff's Department have both referred this case to the state's attorney.

(KSDK - May 31, 2012)

Man pleads guilty, sentenced after little girl killed in pit bull attack

NORTH CAROLINA -- A Waxhaw man was sentenced to two years in prison after changing his plea to guilty Friday in the death case of 5-year-old Makayla Woodard.

Michael Brandon Gordon changed his plea from not guilty to guilty during jury selection on Friday, according to a news release from the Union County District Attorney's Office.

Gordon was sentenced Tuesday to 20-24 months in a N.C. Department of Corrections facility.

The crime occurred on January 12, 2011 at the home of 5-year-old Makayla Woodard, the victim in the case. The defendant owned two full grown pit bulls who were not properly restrained pursuant to Waxhaw Town Ordinance.

According to witnesses, several people had warned the defendant that the dogs were dangerous. On the morning of January 12, Makayla went out to play in the snow in her yard and was attacked by the two pit bulls, suffering injuries covering her entire body and a fatal injury to her throat. According to Makayla’s family, the dogs bit the young girl more than 200 times.

Nancy Presson, Makayla's great-grandmother and guardian, rushed to Makayla's aid and was also severely injured by the dogs.

The defendant was not home at the time of the attack.

Investigators said Gordon was more worried about his pit bull than the little girl when it happened.

"The loss of Makayla Woodard is an unspeakable tragedy, and it is my hope that this case can be a reminder to our community to act responsibly and not act in a manner which puts our neighbors in danger," said District Attorney Trey Robison.

(WBTV - May 29, 2012)

Earlier:

• NC girl dies after pit bull attack, grandmother severely injured

Police kill dog that attacked pregnant Alberta woman

CANADA -- A dog that attacked a pregnant Alberta woman was shot and killed on Wednesday, one day after it escaped from quarantine in a kennel east of Edmonton.

The woman, who is eight months' pregnant, sustained bite marks on her arms and upper body in the attack at a home in Fort Saskatchewan on Monday afternoon. She has since been released from the hospital but continues to receive medical care. Police say her baby is fine.

The victim is in her 20s and lives with a group of people in the house. The dog, which police believe was a pit bull terrier, was owned by one of her roommates and was known to her, said RCMP Const. Wally Henry.

"The victim had been around this dog lots," he said. "She wasn't scared of this dog. It wasn't a concern for her."

The dog was removed from the house and then placed under quarantine at a kennel in a rural area of Strathcona County.

RCMP were alerted Tuesday morning that the dog had escaped.

Both RCMP and Strathcona County enforcement officers started to search for the dog because they were concerned it would attack again.

The dog was located around 1:30 a.m. MT Wednesday after a motorist called about an aggressive dog that was roaming the highway outside of Sherwood Park.

"The motorist was actually fearful to get out of their vehicle," Henry said.

Officers had to shoot and kill the dog because it tried attacking them.

Henry says tests are now underway to determine if an underlying condition caused the dog to become so aggressive.

(CBC News - May 31, 2012)

South Carolina: Pit bull attacks Rock Hill boy, bites off part of scalp

SOUTH CAROLINA -- A Rock Hill boy was airlifted to a Charlotte hospital after a pit bull mauled him Wednesday night, biting his arms and tearing off a part of his scalp.

Deputies responded to 2060 Ridgecrest Road around 6:30 p.m. after Kenny Allen, 11, went to his neighbor’s house to borrow a [blender to make a milkshake], according to a York County Sheriff's Office report.

The neighbor’s 2-year-old pit bull, named Dallas, broke the clamp on its cable and attacked Kenny, severely biting him on the right hand and arm. It also tore off a large section of the boy’s scalp from the back of his head, the report states.

Officials found 4 inches of Kenny’s scalp in the yard and gave it to EMS in case it could be reattached.

EMS transported Kenny to the Bethesda No. 2 fire station. He was then flown to Carolinas Medical Center. His condition is unknown.

A deputy said that when he arrived on the scene, Dallas lunged at him and it took some time to get the animal under control.

The dog's owner, Angela Marie Oneppo, 31, told officials that Dallas normally stayed in the residence, but that she left it outside on its cable because the weather was nice, the report states.

She signed over the dog to York County Animal Control and he was euthanized this morning, said Steven Stuber, animal control director.

"It was unclear if it had been vaccinated," Stuber said, adding it will be tested for rabies.

Oneppo was charged with violating the county's nuisance ordinance, which Stuber explained allows Animal Control to issue fines if a pet attacks people.

Dallas was housed in Oneppo's backyard, Stuber said, and situated on a cable rigged with a clamp and pair of pliers. The cable, which Stuber said owners probably thought would hold the animal, was covered in plastic, making it easy for the dog to slip out if it had a running start.

"I can't imagine why (the owner) thought that cable could hold that animal," Stuber said. "That is not going to hold a plastic covered cable."

From what he can determine, the cable was "slippery," Stuber said.

Officers on the scene took pictures of the child's injuries that will be used in court, Stuber said.

Officials did not take pictures of the dog.

"It was as bad as I've ever seen," he said.

Stuber expressed sorrow for both the victim and the dog's owner.

Doctor bills, court hearings and other legal ramifications are sure to follow, Stuber said.

The situation may lend itself to a "long and drawn out" affair, he said.

"They just all need to be together on this," Stuber said. "I just hate it for both the victim and the owner. It's unfortunate. Nobody wins in this situation."

Years to recover

For the next several years, Kenny will have to undergo extensive skin restructuring and skin grafting while also receiving hair implants to repair the damage, said his father, Kenneth Allen.

Hours after the boy was attacked, "he's doing a lot better," Allen said. "He's in good spirits."

Now, Kenny lays in a hospital bed with a vacuum attached to his head. The vacuum suctions all the excess blood and skin from the boy's head, Allen said, so the blood vessels can begin repairing.

Though he thanks God for his son's imminent recovery, Allen recalled the situation with precise detail.

At around 6:30 p.m., Allen was preparing to go to church. He realized that the battery to his van wasn't working, so he told his youngest son, Kenny, that a friend would ride by and take the boy to church.

Kenny decided he'd stay home with his dad that night.

"If he would've went to church...," Allen said.

Some minutes later, Kenny decided he wanted to make a smoothie. The family was preparing to leave for a weekend trip to DeLand, Fla., to visit Allen's mother who fell into a coma. Allen told his son not to make a shake as he would "dirty up" the house before his wife -- Kenny's mother, Becky Allen, -- returned home from work.

Kenny said: "No I won't."

He ran out of the house and crossed the street and a couple of yards to borrow a blender from neighbor Oneppo, a family friend.

Before the boy could knock on the door, Dallas leaped at the boy from behind some bushes, latched onto the back of his head with teeth and began biting, Allen said.

Allen, only a few feet away, could hear his son's screams for help.

"I thought someone was beating him up, or trying to kidnap him," he said.

He ran outside and saw Kenny running his way, holding his head. Kenny didn't stop and just ran into the house. Allen turned around and saw that a part of the back of his son's head was gone.

"I'm glad that my wife didn't see it," he said.

Kenny sat on a couch, pressing a towel on his head. Allen called 911. A neighbor, who was a nurse, came over to the house and helped Kenny apply pressure to his gaping wound.

EMS stationed at the top of the street and would not come down to the Allen's house until the dog had been kenneled, Allen said.

Once a dog catcher secured Dallas, EMS placed Kenny in the ambulance and rushed him to the Bethesda fire station.

Inside the truck, Kenny remained strong, his father said. He cracked jokes and told everyone it was going to be OK.

A med-evac copter from Carolinas Medical Center arrived at the fire station and airlifted the boy to Charlotte.

Six hours of intensive surgery later, doctors told Allen and his wife, Becky, that the discarded piece of the boy's scalp would not "take" back to his skin.

Now, surgeons are onto "Plan B," Allen said, which includes months-to-years of extensive rehabilitation.

Allen remains hopeful.

"We serve a mighty God," Allen said. "God saved him (Kenny) for us. He made him a living witness. God is not dead. He is still saving souls"

Modern day Job
Allen compared his family to a modern day version of Job, a Biblical figure who underwent a series of brutal tests to validate his devotion to God. Included in Job's tests were the death of his children and chronic illness.

Last Wednesday, Allen clutched his chest in pain. With a job at U.S. Foods and the owner of his own lawn-care business, Allen assumed he was just suffering from work exhaustion.

Around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, his brother called to tell him that their mother had been found on her bathroom floor. She died for 10 minutes before "coming back," Allen said.

Hours later, the pains in Allen's chest didn't subside. He drove himself to Piedmont Medical Center, staggered inside and learned from doctors that he was having a heart attack.

After surgical balloons and stints were planted in his chest, Allen and his family planned to go down to Florida on Thursday and visit Allen's mother, who later slipped into a coma.

That same week, someone hit Becky's new car.

"We've never had anything brand new in our lives," Allen said.

That same week, Allen's application for entering the prison ministry was declined due to offenses stemming from 18 years ago, he said.

All the heartache was a "wake up call" from God, Allen said.

Allen remarked that, in the course of the trials, he told himself he wasn't like Job at all — his three children were still alive.

Then on Wednesday night, Kenny was attacked by a dog.

"God is a loving God," Allen said with a smile. "He's (Kenny's) alive. He's not paralyzed. He's alive."

On Thursday afternoon, Allen returned home after spending the night at the hospital to clean up a bit.

Drops of dry blood are splattered on the living room floor. A towel with Kenny's blood still sits in the front yard. A balled-up bloody towel sits on the couch where Kenny spent minutes crying and waiting for the ambulance.

Standing in his front yard, Allen said he never lets Kenny go too far out of his sight.

"I always keep my eye on my son," he said.

The one time he looked away for a little bit, "this happens," he said.

'Friends'
Angela Oneppo was working a double shift on Wednesday when her dog attacked Kenny, said Anthony Smith, Oneppo's boyfriend and the dog's main owner.

"Dallas" has never been violent, said Smith, who added that he's raised pit bulls for 13 years.

One of them is Gabriel, a pit bull Smith bred. Dallas was the offspring of that breeding.

More than that, there weren't any clamps or pliers attached to Dallas' cable, Smith said. Instead, the dog was tethered by a cable Smith said he purchased only a week ago. The cable was advertised as weighing 100 pounds.

"Dallas weighed 60 pounds," Smith said. "In my mind, I think I'm doing the right thing."

In the years he's had his pits, Smith said Dallas has never been violent or aggressive.

"I never had this happen -- not once," he said.

Even Kenny's father confirmed that Dallas never seemed to be violent.

On Thursday, Smith drove to Allen's yard where he embraced and cried with the grieving father.

"We're friends," said both Allen and Smith.

With tears falling from his eyes, Smith apologized to Allen for the incident.

"I love that boy (Kenny)," he said.

Allen assured Smith that his son would be all right.

He also told Smith something Kenny would most likely tell him once he went to the hospital.

"I love you."

(Herald Online - May 31, 2012)

Mother calls for dog to be put down following attack on her son

UNITED KINGDOM -- A YOUNG boy was left with his nose "hanging off" after he was bitten by a dog.

Daniel Scott-Wright suffered serious facial injuries, and his mother says he has since been struggling to cope with regular nightmares.

The four-year-old underwent a 30-minute operation at Queen Victoria Hospital, where he received stitches to his cheek and eye.

Strips were also placed on his nose to keep it intact.

His mother Rosie Scott said the dog, believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier, had to be prised from Daniel's face during the ordeal in the kitchen of a friend's home in East Grinstead.

"We popped in for a quick coffee and we had only been there about ten minutes when it happened," she said.

"Daniel was throwing toys for the dog, but it wasn't going to get them. Daniel stroked the dog twice, then all of a sudden it went straight for his face. It all happened so quickly.

"At first, all we saw was blood pouring from his eye, then we noticed his nose. My partner had to hold it on until the ambulance arrived. I was getting really worried, because you could see it was barely hanging on."

The incident took place on March 17 but, two months on, his mother says Daniel is still struggling to recover from the attack.

Rosie, 20, of Woodbury Avenue, East Grinstead, said: "He has had a lot of nightmares over it. He woke up the other night, jumped out of bed and was shaking his leg saying 'put my leg back on'.

"He says he keeps dreaming that the dog is eating him. No matter how nice a dog is, he will not go near them now, he's too shaky. It's really upsetting."

Rosie, also mother to 18-month-old Callum, wants the animal to be put down.

"We've found it all quite traumatic," she said. "If I was to come face to face with that dog again, I don't know what I'd do.

"Daniel has been really shaken up, I'm just happy he looks the way he does, because it could have been a lot worse."

Sussex Police confirmed they received a report of a dog biting incident at a home in East Grinstead on March 17 and are continuing to investigate.

The dog owner declined to comment when approached by the Courier & Observer.

(This is Sussex - May 31, 2012)

Man gets 6 months in horrific dog cruelty

IDAHO -- A Post Falls man who beat his dog with a hammer as his neighbor watched in horror has been sentenced to six months in jail.

 Calvin Franklin Palmer, 53, who served 33 years in prison in Arizona for murder, apologized at his sentencing Friday and said the death of his Akita - Pit Bull even “traumatized him,” according to court records.

“I was the only one who treated her nicely,” Palmer said.

He told police he killed the dog after she attacked a cat and he feared she would attack him.

“I'm sorry that someone saw me do that,” he said in court Friday, according to a transcript. Palmer was booked into the Kootenai County Jail that day to begin his sentence.

Palmer's neighbors in the 300 block of North Columbia Street in Post Falls called police Dec. 10 and reported the horrific attack.

Tammi Nichols, 40, said her 18-year-old daughter, Carmen Murphy, told her she'd seen Palmer beating the dog with the hammer.

Nichols said she told Palmer “You just traumatized my child,” but Palmer “looked at her with a blank look on his face, then swung the hammer at the dog four more times, striking it in the head,” according to court documents.

Post Falls police arrived to find the dog dead in a trash can, badly beaten with its throat slit.

Palmer initially lied to police and said he didn't own a dog, according to court documents. When they asked him about dog food at the home, he said he fed it to his cats because he can't afford cat food.

Palmer has been out of prison for about three years after being convicted of robbery and murder in Arizona, according to court records. He works at the Sweetgrass Cafe in Worley, Idaho, according to testimony at his sentencing.

His public defender, Megan Marshall, called for him to serve no jail time for the animal cruelty conviction, saying he'll lose his trailer if he can't work. She said his murder conviction “is following him for the rest of his life,” according to court records.

Judge Penny Friedlander instead sentenced him to 180 days in jail but allowed for work release. Friedlander said it was “stunning to the court how anyone could do an act like that to an animal.”

(Spokesman.com - May 31, 2012)

Dog dies after police department receives compaints

KENTUCKY -- Thursday morning a complaint came into the Benton City police department of a vicious dog on the run. That call turned deadly when a Benton City police officer shot a dog that was coming after him.

Kentucky law reads, 'any vicious dog found at large may be killed by an animal control or peace officer'. However, the dog owner, Donny Moore and his family is upset.

"I'm sure he's upset about it and I'm upset about it but we're just going to have to move on now," says Moore, Lady's owner.

Their 3 year old collie, named Lady was dropped off on their street 2 years ago. They took her in and she remained an outside dog. The family says she's a loving dog that would never attack but the city police office has several complaints about Lady and several other dogs in the neighborhood.

Gerald Whestell walks the neighborhood everyday for exercises, he carriers with him an arrow for protection.

"Last week we encountered 2 dogs at the same time and they were quite aggressive, threatening," says Whestell.

The dog was disposed of by animal control.

Chief Watwood says they will investigate the incident, but preliminary checks show the officer had every right to shoot the dog.

(WPSD - May 31, 2012)

Mom is at center of abandoned dogs case, son says

CALIFORNIA -- A man accused of leaving 30 dogs at a Laguna Hills park a week ago told investigators he was taking them from his mother, who appeared to be hoarding them, officials said.

The man, who witnesses said left two kennels stuffed with the dogs – one with 14, the other with 16 – under trees at San Remo Park on May 20, was tracked by Orange County Sheriff's Department investigators after he abandoned a Toyota truck nearby. The dogs were left under two trees. One kennel held 14 dogs; the other held 16. Dogs were stacked upon atop each other. There was no food or water in the kennels.

Investigators first tracked the truck to a Huntington Beach address but learned the man was no longer living there. They continued their efforts and on Friday located the man who was connected to the truck, said Lt. Tom Behrens, chief of police in Laguna Hills.

The man told investigators he had taken the dogs from his mother's Rancho Santa Margarita home with plans to take them to an animal shelter, but his car broke down in Laguna Hills and he unloaded the dogs there, Behrens said. He told investigators that his mother had had them for a long time and there were many dogs.

According to OSCD Sheriff's Department records, there had been no calls for service to the home in question. The home is in the northern part of the city in a residential neighborhood near the 241 toll road. The man told police his car broke down in Laguna Hills and he unloaded the dogs there. It's unclear whether the man had planned to return and pick up the dogs, he added.

[An earlier article says that after dumping the dogs on the sidewalk the man and two women drove away in a Mercedes Benz. Clearly, they were abandoned. Otherwise, why not load the dogs into the Mercedes?]

According to Sheriff's Department records, there had been no calls for service to the home in question. The department is submitting a report to the county District Attorney's Office to see if charges involving animal abandonment and animal cruelty can stand.

The dogs, identified as Lhasa Apso Chihuahua mixes, have been kept in isolation at OC Animal Care's Orange County shelter. They range from 6 months to 6 years old; most are adult dogs, said Ryan Drabek, director of the animal care agency. The dogs are generally in good health, though some are matted and have ingrown nails.

Animal rescue groups have posted on Facebook and Twitter in hopes of helping to find homes for the dogs. Drabek said that while he appreciates the outreach, the dogs can't be adopted yet.

"There's a whole new angle now, and we are trying to obtain owner information," he said. "We need to determine if the owners can get the dogs back.

Assuming the dogs will be available, we have to do our due diligence to assure they are out property."

Drabek said the shelter follows a protocol on all animals. If a stray comes in with no identification, the dog has to be held for four days before it can be adopted. If animals come in as stray with identification, the shelter has to hold the dog for seven days. Even if an owner surrenders an animal, they still have to be kept for four days before they are available for adoption.

Animal control officers are routinely asked to check on situations where people have more animals than permitted by their cities, Drabek said. Most Orange County cities allow a maximum of three dogs and three cats, some cities allow only three animals, and in all situations anything over the limit requires a permit.

Animal hoarding situations such as 30 or more animals are unusual, Drabek said.

He also emphasized the difference between animal hoarding and animal cruelty. If animal control officers find multiple animals that are well cared for, they will usually work with the owner to reduce the number of animals to a legal limit over time.

If animal cruelty is found, animals are impounded. A case in Stanton in March involved animal cruelty and property that was deemed uninhabitable, Drabek said. The animals were seized.

In Mission Viejo in October 2008, Orange County sheriff's deputies found 70 dachshunds in a home owned by a Karen Stone, who had been breeding the dogs. Most of the dogs' vocal cords had been cut. Most neighbors had no idea Stone had all the dogs. The Mission Viejo Animal Shelter worked with Stone over nearly two months removing the dogs.

Drabek, whose agency oversees 17 Orange County cities (including Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills) and the unincorporated area, said taking in the 30 dogs brings extra burden to an already overburdened shelter. The shelter can house up to 380 dogs, 300 cats, 50 rabbits and numerous exotics.

Once custody of the dogs is likely released to OC Animal Care, Drabek said a special adoption event might be held.

"We want to heighten attention for shelter animals," he said. "Not only for these dogs, but to help increase adoptions in all the shelters."

(ocregister.com - May 30, 2012)

Earlier:
Police identify suspects in 30-dog dumping case

Somerset woman accused of animal cruelty speaks out

PENNSYLVANIA -- A couple from Somerset is facing dozens of animal cruelty charges. Neighbors claim it's still a problem, but the people who live in the home contacted 6 News and said there is more to the story.

On Wednesday, 6 News talked with neighbors who said they were upset the couple had more animals.

But on Thursday, Angela Bartels said all accusations against her are false, and the neighbors are just causing problems.

6 News went back to the couple's Fuller Street home Thursday afternoon and was greeted by Bartels' 2 1/2-year-old dog Gabby.

Neighbors said they're upset Bartels has another dog after several animals were seized from the home just last month. But that's something Bartels said should have never happened.

"I have all the vet records, and I know that when those animals left here, they were healthy," said Bartels. "They were fine and absolutely nothing was wrong with any of them."

She said she's still fighting to get those animals back.

"I love animals," said Bartels. "I'm really upset that people have this image of me that I'm this terrible person"

Authorities said they found one dead puppy infected with the parvo virus. Bartels says that wasn't her fault. She did admit to tossing four other infected puppies in a Dumpster, but said she had no other option.

"Everybody around me here was worried about contracting this disease, so I figured well if they go into a landfill, that would probably be the safest place," said Bartels. "I didn't know what else to do with them."

As for her neighbors, Bartels said she's sick of them turning her in for nothing.

"I'm very fed up," said Bartels. "I'm very upset and tired that people can't mind their own business."

In fact, she said her family is looking to move away.

"I'm getting accused of things not going on, and after you hear it so much, it's just something that you can't deal with anymore," said Bartels.

Documents 6 News received from police on Tuesday show that Bartels and her boyfriend, Jesse Shay, are facing nine counts each of animal cruelty. Bartels claims she hasn't received anything from police to tell her she's been charged. In fact, she said she's been calling them and has not received any response.

(WJAC - May 31, 2012)

Earlier:

• Somerset Borough couple facing new animal cruelty charges

Firefighters rescue dog from Coon Rapids townhouse fire

MINNESOTA -- Coon Rapids firefighters rescued a dog from a townhouse fire yesterday (Tuesday, May 29) afternoon.

The department received a call just after 12:30 p.m. of a possible townhome fire on the 12400 block of Eagle Street N.W., and a dog still inside.

According to the fire department run report, on arrival firefighters found moderate smoke coming from the middle of the two-story townhome unit.

A small fire that was found in a large fish tank unit almost self-extinguished when the heat from the fire cracked the tank glass causing the water in the tank to gush out, the run report states.

But the fire was very sooty and there was a large amount of trapped black smoke upstairs, according to Capt. Tim Gilsrud of the department.

When fire crews went upstairs they found a large, 130-pound dog hiding in a closet, Gilsrud stated in his report.

The dog was breathing, but firefighters had to get a leash from the owner to remove the dog, he said.

The homeowner, Jeffrey McCann, and waiting Allina paramedics, who were both basic animal rescue training certified, used blow-by oxygen to treat the dog and a trickling fire hose to wash the soot off the dog.

According to the fire department run report, McCann had been gone for about an hour to take one of his two dogs to the vet and he found the smoke in the townhome when he returned and opened the garage door.

The fire started when halogen lamps on top of the fish tank malfunctioned, Coon Rapids Fire Marshal Todd Williams said.

The smoke and soot left the townhome uninhabitable, he said.

(ABC Newspapers - May 30, 2012)

Mum calls for law change after dog bites daughter

UNITED KINGDOM -- A toddler could be scarred for life after being attacked by a dog.

Mum Kelsey Scutt is calling for a change in the law after her daughter Kenzy was bitten in the face by west Highland white terrier Boots.

The 16-month-old was left bleeding and needed nine stitches.

But the dog’s owner does not face criminal prosecution – as under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 it is not a criminal offence for a dog to be dangerously out of control on its own property.

Owner Tina Jones, 45, apologised after the incident, which happened at her home in Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth.

Mum Kelsey Scutt, 19, of Wayte Street, Cosham, said: ’I asked if I could put Kenzy down next to the dog. All of a sudden it just bit her in the face. It just went for her. There was quite a lot of blood.

‘The dog just bit her and ran off.

‘She was crying for a good hour. She was screaming – it was horrible.

‘At the end of the day it could have taken her eye out.

‘What if it does it again to another child? I want to see the dog put down. I think the law needs to be changed.’

Miss Scutt took Kenzy to Queen Alexandra Hospital after the incident, which happened at about 3pm on May 21st. Kenzy later received nine stitches above her left eye. Miss Jones said: ‘He’s never done anything like this before. Unfortunately the bite mark was where he snapped at her. Nobody saw what happened – it was just a matter of seconds.

‘It’s totally got out of control. The dog can’t be put down because it was in its own territory. If he went off and bit lots of kids, obviously he would have to be muzzled or put down. He’s not a rottweiler. It was a total, one-off accident.

‘I was very apologetic when it happened. It was an unfortunate accident, it was awful.’

Hampshire police are now considering whether there are grounds for a civil complaint for an order for the control or destruction of Boots under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1871, which can apply to dogs at home. A spokesman said: ‘In this case officers met with the mother of the injured child as part of enquiries to establish the full circumstances that prompted this dog to bite a child.

‘Advice was given to the dog’s owners about checking on its whereabouts when any children are nearby.

‘There was no evidence to confirm the dog’s behaviour was usually aggressive, or that any criminal offences had been committed under the Dangerous Dog Act 1991.

‘However, police are keeping an open mind and considering whether a complaint under the Dogs Act 1871 would be appropriate.’

(Portsmouth UK - May 31, 2012)