Massachusetts: Pit Bull mix that attacked PetSmart groomer had previously attacked an elderly woman, BREAKING HER ARM - yet Police Chief Peter Wack refused to order the dog euthanized. I smell a lawsuit coming!

MASSACHUSETTS -- Days after a dog groomer at a Cape Cod PetSmart store was mauled by a pit bull mix, the survivor of an earlier attack is speaking out.

Bubba, a pit bull owned by Clifford Gardner, 80, and his wife Edith Gardner, attacked the 22-year-old woman who was grooming him Wednesday at the store in the Hyannis section of Barnstable, Massachusetts. She was hospitalized.

 

 

What's completely infuriating is that this Pit Bull has been menacing, attacking and mauling people and their pets for years. The owners refused to do anything about it, even blaming the victims themselves for being attacked. Neighbors didn't want it in their neighborhood, but didn't have the guts to tell councilmen they wanted it put down. Instead they whined about rehoming and rehabilitation. Animal Control officers refused to do their jobs from the get-go; leaving the vicious dog with the elderly owners because they felt sorry for them. 

It's like a row of dominoes; every single person had a hand in this woman being mauled by this pit bull and should share in the blame.

 

 

In September, Elizabeth Hiatt volunteered to walk the 100-pound Pit Bull for the Gardners [after they convinced her he could only 'lick you to death'], but when Bubba tried to break free and attack another dog, she tried to stop it.

Bubba turned on her.

"He broke both of the arm bones," Hiatt said. "It bit through both of the arm bones."

The road to recovery has not been easy for Hiatt. She attends physical therapy three times a week.

Cliff Gardner and Edith Gardner were ordered to keep the pit bull away from certain areas in Sandwhich. But Wednesday, Cliff Gardner brought Bubba into the Hyannis PetSmart wearing a muzzle, asking for him to be groomed.

The victim says she asked about the muzzle, and that Cliff Gardner said the dog had previously attacked another dog, but was "sweet as can be."

 

Gardner disputes this account.

"When she asked me what he was doing with the muzzle on, I said 'The chief of police requires him to wear the muzzle because he got in a dog fight and he bit a woman," Cliff Gardner claims he said when he spoke to NBC Boston Thursday.

Store policy required the muzzle to be removed. PetSmart says the dog would never have been allowed in for services if they knew of his history.

The groomer sustained severe wounds to her arm, wrist and upper body after being attacked by Gardner's Pit Bull.

Hiatt explained that the attack of PetSmart made her feel "Horror, knowing what she went through, and the fact that they couldn't get Bubba off of her. Horror, because at that point, you don't know whether you're going to live or not."

 

 

While Hiatt has forgiven the owner of the dog [she shouldn't; they're in complete denial], her daughter says this week's attack did not have to happen.

"It's just crazy that it happened again," Regan Sherman said. "What happened to my mom was preventable, but certainly what happened to this young woman at PetSmart, it just shouldn’t have happened."

Brittany Korsh, who tried to pull Bubba off her mother during the Sept. 5 attack on Deep Wood Drive in Forestdale, said via email that she was "heartbroken" for the PetSmart employee, who was airlifted to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston with multiple bite wounds.

"This should never have happened," Korsh wrote.

Barnstable police Sgt. Sean Sweeney identified the PetSmart employee as 22-year-old Sienna Bryden.

"The dog wouldn't let go. She has a long road to recovery," Sweeney said Friday.

SANDWICH POLICE CHIEF PETER WACK COULD HAVE ORDERED THE DOG EUTHANIZED BACK IN OCTOBER, BUT HE REFUSED. WOULD HE HAVE LIKED TO HAVE HIS CHILDREN LIVING NEXT TO THIS VICIOUS DOG? OF COURSE NOT. BUT  IT'S OK FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO BE IN DANGER.

Korsh criticized the Gardners for keeping the dog and Sandwich Police Chief Peter Wack for allowing Bubba to remain at home after he declared the dog dangerous following an Oct. 25 hearing.

Wack ordered Bubba to be muzzled and securely leashed whenever he was outside and off the Cliffords' property.

"Cliff's reckless disregard for the safety of others, as well as Chief Wack's decision to leave Bubba in his care, have resulted in another person being mauled by this animal," Korsh said.

From Animals24-7:

Facebook postings indicate that groomer Sienna Bryden,  of Dennis,  Massachusetts,  has two pit bulls herself,  and has been involved in pit bull advocacy at least since 2011.

Approximately “2 years ago,”  according to Change.org,  Bryden posted a petition “to get my dog Blu allowed back onto Sandy Neck,”  a Cape Cod beach.

Alleged Bryden,  “He got kicked off because he barked and jumped on a park ranger- period.  He did not bite the ranger––and he was on his leash as required by law,”  Bryden claimed.

“I am a responsible animal owner,”  Bryden asserted.  “I work in the pet care field and deal with animals on a regular basis.  I understand the nature of animals.”

You see how she minimizes it? That because the ranger wasn't mauled or bitten, IT'S NO BIG DEAL. Sorry, but that's not how it works. A dog that menaces is just a frightening as a dog that bites. She could not control her Pit Bull which is a requirement when walking it on a leash.

Meanwhile, the long drawn out saga involving Edith and Cliff Gardner, their neighbors and their vicious Pit Bull finally came to an end Friday morning when the dog was finally euthanized.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(NECN - Dec 29, 2017)

Earlier:

• Massachusetts: Sandwich Animal Control Officers John Pimental and Walter Fagnant Jr. are incompetent.
• Massachusetts: Neighbors making excuses and being wishy-washy about vicious Pit Bull. Doesn't anyone have any strength of character anymore? Euthanize this dog now and be done with it
• Massachusetts: Cliff Gardner tells PetSmart groomer his Pit Bull mix is "sweet as can be" so she removed its muzzle. Then it attacked her.

Massachusetts: Cliff Gardner tells PetSmart groomer his Pit Bull mix is "sweet as can be" so she removed its muzzle. Then it attacked her.

MASSACHUSETTS -- Authorities say a PetSmart worker on Cape Cod suffered a slew of injuries on Wednesday when a PIT BULL that was to be groomed attacked her without warning.

Police responded around 11:15 a.m. to the store in Hyannis for a report of a dog bite and found a trail of blood leading from the grooming area, through the customer aisle and training area, around the corner and into the employee lounge.

 

 

 

Officers found a 22-year-old employee being treated by co-workers for multiple bite wounds, according to police.

The victim told police that owner CLIFF GARDNER brought in his Pit Bull mix named Bubba into the store wearing a muzzle and requested that it be groomed.

The victim claimed the dog’s owner told her that it was “sweet as can be” when she asked him about the muzzle. The owner failed to disclose that it had attacked a person before, according to police.

 

 

 

ONE OF THE PIT BULL'S FIRST VICTIMS: IT BROKE HER

BONES, TURNING HER HAND INTO "HAMBURGER MEAT"

The muzzle was removed during the grooming process, per store policy. The dog then attacked the victim for “no apparent reason without warning” and would not let go of her arm, according to police.

Co-workers utilized an air horn and special spray, but were not able to deter the dog, until they were able to physically extract the victim’s arm from the jaws of the dog. They secured the dog in a kennel cage and brought the victim to the employee lounge.

The victim suffered bite wounds to her upper torso, wrist and hand, as well as extensive tearing of the flesh, possible broken bones and a suspected dislocated shoulder.

 

Police say the victim was taken to Cape Cod Hospital and then flown to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for treatment. Her condition is not known at this time.

Police are investigating the attack.

The Pit Bull, owned by Clifford Gardner and his wife Edith Gardner, has attacked before -- first attacking a woman walking him, then attacking a Samoyed, then attacking the Samoyed's owner. Before that attack, neighbors said it was frequently loose, menacing them, their pets and children -- while the Gardners, they say, did NOTHING about it. In fact, Edith Gardner blames the victims for being attacked by her 100-pound Pit Bull.

PetSmart issued the following statement on the situation:

“This is an upsetting, unfortunate occurrence, and our thoughts are first and foremost with our associate who was injured. We will continue to support her and wish her a full and speedy recovery. We are actively investigating the incident to determine how it occurred, and if there is anything we can do to help prevent this from happening again in the future.”

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(WHDH - Dec 28, 2017)

Earlier:

• Massachusetts: Sandwich Animal Control Officers John Pimental and Walter Fagnant Jr. are incompetent.
• Massachusetts: Neighbors making excuses and being wishy-washy about vicious Pit Bull. Doesn't anyone have any strength of character anymore? Euthanize this dog now and be done with it

United Kingdom: Kelly McFarlane had been ordered to keep a muzzle on his Pit Bull whenever it was out. Of course McFarlane ignored this edict and a man and his dog were attacked by this Pit Bull

UNITED KINGDOM -- A dog which had been used for fighting attacked and injured a man and his dog in a Larkhall garden.

The Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier mix bit Scott McMahon on the body, and Mr McMahon’s dog on the head and body, at a Sunnyside Street address on April 10 this year.

It took three people to restrain the Pit Bull mix which belonged to Kelly McFarlane of nearby Fairholm Road, and a police dog unit was needed to take the animal away.

Last week 33-year-old McFarlane admitted a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Fiscal depute Peter Moyes told Hamilton Sheriff Court that police officers had attended at Ms McFarlane’s home at 6.45pm on April 10 in connection to an unrelated matter.

She was asked where her dog was and she replied that she did not know.

Mr Moyes added that on leaving McFarlane’s home they went to a nearby property in Sunnyside Road at 7.15pm. Once there, they saw a man trying to restrain McFarlane’s dog called Chaz.

The Pit Bull mix then attacked Mr McMahon’s dog in the garden.

Mr McMahon, said Mr Moyes, tried to separate the dogs, but McFarlane’s dog bit Mr McMahon on his right hand.

Mr Moyes added: “It took three people to restrain the dog called Chaz. Mr McMahon’s dog had been bitten as well and there were several puncture wounds to its chest, neck and paws.

“That dog was taken to the emergency vet for treatment. A police dog unit was called to assist in the removal of the dog Chaz.

“The other witnesses tied a small rope around Chaz’s muzzle. They were able to place the dog within a police vehicle.”

When officers attended at McFarlane’s home, Mr Moyes said she had been distressed to find out that her dog had attacked another dog.

Aware that the dog was aggressive, he added, McFarlane had a muzzle for the animal.

There was also an order in place for the dog not to be out without a muzzle, he added.

The fiscal depute also explained that McFarlane had told officers that she had rescued the dog which SHE CLAIMED had previously been used for dog fighting.

Mr McMahon’s dog was treated for multiple puncture wounds to its chest. However, he had no further update on “the full extent” of injuries to the dog.

And Mr McMahon, he pointed out, suffered puncture wounds to his hand.

McFarlane’s agent Sandy Morrison said McFarlane recognised that the matter was a serious one.

He pointed out that the Crown was seeking the dog’s destruction, but asked the court to consider alternatives to it being put down.

Sheriff Marie Smart deferred sentence on McFarlane until June 16 and consideration of a Crown motion for the dog’s destruction.

McFarlane was ordered to appear on that date.

(Daily Record - June 8, 2017)

California: Helen Woodward Animal Center holds special fundraiser for dog from Mexico severely abused by owners, then attacked by pit bulls

CALIFORNIA -- The Helen Woodward Animal Center of Rancho Santa Fe announced Monday that a special fund will support veterinary care for a 2-year-old Pointer mix that was severely abused by his owner and neighbors, and survived a pit bull attack in Mexico.

Named Dwayne "The Rock" for his steadfast strength and sweet disposition, the dog was rescued in Tijuana, Mexico and brought to the United States.

According to the rescuer, Dwayne's owner bound the canine with a crude wire muzzle, kicked him and beat him with sticks. 
 
After the owner was jailed on an unrelated offense, the dog wandered the streets, where residents disgusted by his deformities threw stones and scalding water at him, the rescuer said.

Dwayne was also attacked by a pair of pit bulls. He was left with a deformed muzzle that made his breathing labored, and injuries to his front right leg and elbow, skin and coat.

The dog remains good-natured despite his his ordeal, according to center President and CEO Mike Arms.

"This beautiful dog took all the despicable abuse and neglect man can show to an animal, and still he wouldn't turn on mankind,'' Arms said. "Helping animals like this is at the heart of Helen Woodward Animal Center. This is what we stand for and we'll do everything we can to care for him and protect him.''

People can make donations for the canine's care via AnimalCenter.org/RescueDwayne.

Money raised will be used to enlist specialists who can provide Dwayne with reconstructive surgery, according to center officials. They said Dwayne's injuries were so extensive, and projected veterinary costs so high, that none of the rescuers' usual shelter contacts would accept him.

Dwayne is currently living with a foster family, and will be made available for adoption after he is fully recovered, according to the center.

(KUSI - May 18, 2017)

Maine: Animal cruelty suspect Nicole Bizier (aka Sarah Lancaster, Sara Plummer) may have flipped stolen pets say police

MAINE -- A woman under investigation for animal cruelty and operating an illegal pet shop may have been involved in "pet flipping," according to police in Skowhegan, Maine.

Nicole Bizier, 32, of Skowhegan, was arrested last week and charged with theft by deception, animal cruelty, and operating an illegal pet shop.

Note: A Craigslist ad said that police stated that Bizier used aliases: Sarah Lancaster, Sara Plummer, and possibly others to cover her tracks.

Authorities began investigating Bizier, 32, earlier in March, when the state Animal Welfare Program received an animal cruelty complaint for a stray dog found in Pittsfield. The state agents determined that Bizier last owned the dog, which had severe tissue damage around its mouth from wearing a muzzle for a long time.

 

Before walking into Nicole Bizier’s garage on March 17, Detective Katelyn Nichols hadn’t worked on an animal cruelty case.

“It was disturbing, walking into the garage and seeing dogs basically stacked in cages,” said Nichols, who works for the Skowhegan Police Department.

Nichols was one of the Skowhegan Police officers who took part in the search of Bizier’s home.

The one-car garage, which held tools, yard equipment and toys in addition to the four adult dogs, was very cold, Nichols said, and had no form of heating. The dogs were in cages that gave them just enough room to turn around, she said, and they didn’t have water or food bowls. The cages had hay and some had dog beds, but those were “so dirty they almost looked brown,” according to Nichols.

The space smelled like “urine and dirty animals,” which was accurate, as the dogs were relieving themselves in their cages.

While Nichols was in the garage, another Skowhegan officer called her saying there were puppies locked in a closet.

Nichols, who has a dog herself, was shocked.

“It’s hard to believe a human being could keep animals locked up in a closet,” she said.

Inside the house where Bizier lives, which is a small single-wide trailer in Skowhegan, it smelled “like old food and animal urine,” Nichols said. There was clutter everywhere.

“It was very, very dirty inside,” Nichols said. “It was not a place I would choose to live.”

In the home’s only bathroom, police found four puppies in the bathtub. They had a blanket, but it was soaked in urine. There was a bowl of wet cat food and no water bowl.

 

“It looked like they were expected to drink from the dripping faucet,” Nichols said.

It seemed the 4-week-old puppies were not allowed to leave the tub. They acted lethargic, she said.

“Normally, puppies at 4 weeks old, they’re excited and jumping around. But these seemed exhausted,” Nichols said.

In a house closet three more puppies were found. The total space for the dogs was about 2-feet-by-2-feet when the door was closed with a small cardboard box filled with cat litter, which they didn’t use.

The puppies slept through the transfer from Bizier’s residence to the Humane Society of Somerset County, Nichols said.

Skowhegan Police Detective Katelyn Nichols told the Morning Sentinel that it appears Bizier was involved in pet flipping, or receiving a free or stolen animal and selling it online for profit.

"There are pet flippers out there, but I didn't make nothing off of them," Bizier told necn. "I was doing it to help the animals."

Nicole Bizier, 32, stands by her silver Jeep in the Pizza Hut
parking lot with the dog she tried to sell to state animal
welfare agents and Skowhegan police on Feb. 2. 

Bizier admits to selling pets online, and even falsifying veterinary documents, but insists that people gave her the animals and that she took good care of them.

Skowhegan Police say they found 11 dogs in poor conditions, and received reports from customers that Bizier was selling unhealthy animals.

"I think the take away is that if you're unable to care for your pet, use your shelter as a resource," said Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland spokesperson Jeana Roth. "We're here to provide medical care and shelter for animals in need. Use your shelter. It's what we're here for."

At this point, it sounds like Bizier was “pet flipping,” Nichols said. Pet flipping is when someone gets an animal for free and then turns around and sells them. While Nichols said she’s never seen this type of behavior before, she suspects it may happen more often than people realize.

Typically, those who “flip” pets are stealing them, said Brandi Hunter, vice president of public relations and communications at the American Kennel Club.

Someone will let a dog play in the yard or leave it tied up outside a store while running errands, and the dog will be stolen. The club has even heard of people stealing dogs from cars, Hunter said, though she added that not every theft is about pet flipping.

According to the club’s National Pet Theft Database, the number of stolen dogs has increased dramatically since 2008, when 71 were reported stolen. In 2015, 831 dogs were stolen.

While there is no data on dogs stolen in Maine, Natalie Messier, president of the nonprofit Maine Lost Dog Recovery, said they received 804 reports of lost dogs in 2015 and 12 percent were unaccounted for. In 2016, the number of reports increased to 924, and 11 percent are still unaccounted for.

With this case, however, it seems that Bizier was getting the dogs for free from people who were looking to re-home them. Nichols said a number of possible victims have come forward, as well as a number of people who say they gave her their animals, thinking they were going to a good home.

On average, Bizier was selling the dogs for $250 to $500, Nichols said.

Bizier said she didn't give the animals to a shelter because she has heard "horror stories" about shelters.

"Innocent until proven guilty — and I'm not guilty of animal abuse," she said.

Bizier is expected to make a court appearance next month.

(WCSH - March 28, 2017)

Canada: Injunction against Montreal's breed specific legislation (BSL) has been dismissed; the law is NOW IN EFFECT

CANADA -- Quebec's Court of Appeal has dismissed the injunction restricting certain portions of Montreal's Animal Control bylaw.

That means pit bulls in Montreal must be muzzled, on a short leash, and can only be supervised (aka walked on a leash) by an adult.

Pit bull owners have until the end of the month to register their dogs with the city of Montreal.

The court battle began in September when the city of Montreal amended its animal control bylaw to, among other things, restrict pit bulls and other dangerous dogs.

CURRENT PIT BULLS IN MONTREAL WILL BE ALLOWED TO STAY
The new bylaw allows existing pit bulls to stay in Montreal as long as they are registered by Dec. 31, 2016, but pit bulls that arrived after Sept. 27 are prohibited.

The SPCA Montreal issued a statement saying it will continue to fight the bylaw.

"Though the fight is not over, we are extremely disappointed by today's decision and particularly preoccupied by not being able to continue finding adoptive homes in Montreal for all of our healthy and behaviorally-sound dogs," wrote Alanna Devine, the SPCA's director of animal advocacy.

“They did agree until the merits of the case are heard… they wouldn’t have any euthanasia orders for what they deem ‘pit bull-type dogs’ simply based on dogs’ appearances or breeds and that they would allow owner or guardians, again, pit bull-type dogs to reclaim their dogs if they are found as strays,” she added in an interview.

Projet Montreal councillor Sterling Downey, who has frequently voiced his opposition to the pit bull aspects of the bylaw, was not dismayed by the Court of Appeal's ruling.

"The judgment rendered today does nothing to change the fact that the city's animal control bylaw is inapplicable and will do nothing to reduce the number of bites," said Downey.

Supporters of the bylaw said the goal is to reduce the severity of bites by dogs, and have pointed out that breed-specific legislation has done exactly that in other cities and provinces.

Mayor Denis Coderre said he was pleased with the legal victory.

"It proves that the legitimacy of the bylaw met in place by our administration, and the necessity to regulate the ownership of dogs that can be dangerous," said Coderre in a statement.

"New pit bull type dogs are banned in Montreal," said Coderre.

He added that several days ago another court in Quebec also ruled in favor of a pit bull ban in another city.

Montreal's requirements for pit bulls and dogs deemed dangerous

In their decision, Justices Francois Pelletier, Manon Savard, and Jean-Francois Emond examined the reasons the SPCA's legal team had for justifying an immediate suspension of the bylaw.

Among the SPCA's arguments were that the city of Montreal did not have the legal power to regulate animals, that a ban on new pit bulls violated Quebec's animal welfare act, that the definition of a pit bull was vague, and that it violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Appeal court judges determined that the lower court made an error in agreeing with the SPCA in several matters.

In particular, their judgment was that the public interest required legislators to pass laws, but that while laws could be challenged in court, nobody expected laws to be inoperative while they were being challenged.

The Appeal court also said that the hypothetical fear caused by a dog wearing a muzzle was not grounds to issue an injunction. It also found that the requirement for extra administrative work was also not worthy of an injunction.

In a final note, the Appeal judges pointed out that nothing has happened with regards to the original court challenge since the bylaw was adopted, which is hardly the behavior they expected for people complaining of "irreparable prejudice."

WHAT THE LAW SAYS:
Pit bulls, which are just 4.6 per cent of registered dogs in Montreal, are responsible for 37.8 per cent of the 137 serious dog-related injuries and deaths since Jan. 1, 2015.

Pit bulls are defined as the American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, and the Staffordshire terrier, dogs that are crossbreeds of the aforementioned animals, or any dog that physically resembles those breeds.

Dangerous dogs are those that have bitten another animal or person.

As of October 3, 2016, no new pit bulls will be permitted within city limits. Existing dogs must be registered by Dec. 31, 2016, or else the animals will be seized.

Read the full details of the bylaw here

It clearly says that current pit bulls in the city of Montreal will be allowed to stay - the owners just need to register them with the city. This is no more of a burden than being required to register your vehicle and renew your tags each year. Also, muzzling your pit bull when in public in Montreal is NOT that big of a burden, according to the judges. Drive 20 minutes and you'll be outside the city limits in a neighboring town and you can take it for a walk there without a muzzle if it's that important to you. 

And it appears that there will be a process for unregistered pit bulls found after the deadline. Likely the owner will be cited, the prosecutor will have to prove that it is a pit bull type dog by having a veterinarian verify this, and they will either let the owner pay a fine and court costs, register it at that point and take it home - or they may not return it. For example, someone with an extensive criminal record or someone with a history with animal control. Regardless, every person will have their day in court. 

Pit bulls that are found and taken to the shelter are likely to be temperment tested and then offered to rescues outside the city. 

All the people against this law want you to believe that Nazi-style raids would occur in the middle of the night, that doors would be kicked in and your dog dragged out and killed, that nursing litters of puppies would be taken from their mothers and killed, etc. None of that is true. 

If this law prevents one more person in Montreal from being attacked and killed; if this law prevents one person from being forever physically (and mentally) altered by an attack, I'm for it.

(Montreal CTV News - Dec 2, 2016)

Related:

• Maine: WGME CBS13 asks, "As of Oct. 3, no new pit bulls will be permitted within Montreal city limits. Would you support a ban like this in Maine?"
• Canada: While venting her anger at Montreal's BSL, woman tells us she was attacked by a Newfoundland
• North Dakota: Devils Lake votes to keep pit bull ban
• Ohio: Erika Roitblat is against BSL, insists that pit bulls were "nanny dogs" and that anyone who disagrees with her is "uninformed"
• Canada: Golden Retriever attacked and dies from pit bull attack; owners feel like authorities blowing them off
• Illinois: Woman angry about Montreal's new BSL says her pits will only "lick you to death"
• Washington: Upset about Montreal's BSL, we're told of aggressive Yorkies and Chihuahuas
• Canada: Woman compares newly-enacted Montreal BSL to the Holocaust
• Canada: "I lived through a vicious, unprovoked attack"

Maryland: Judge orders pit bull to be returned to Jeffrey Mayhle

MARYLAND -- When Wicomico County Sheriff's deputies responded to a disturbance at a home on Grant Street in Parsonsburg on Aug. 27, they concluded there were two aggressors: one human, one canine.

Jeffrey Mayhle, 45, had gotten into a physical fight with his ex-girlfriend, according to police reports. During the fight, Mayhle took the muzzle off one of her dogs, a male pit bull named Bruiser, knowing it would attack her other dog.

It did. Deputies found the dog, a 98-pound Chesapeake Bay retriever mix named Shyloh, bloodied with a severely injured front leg. Shyloh had been muzzled throughout the incident, unable to fend Bruiser off.

From there, Mayhle's and Bruiser's fates diverged.

Mayhle was arrested that night and charged with second-degree assault and animal cruelty. He is scheduled for a district court trial Oct. 12.

He faces up to 10 years in jail for the assault charge. The animal cruelty accusation brings up to 90 days behind bars and a $1,000 fine.

Three days after the attack, the Wicomico County Health Department deemed Bruiser a dangerous dog and placed him in quarantine at the Humane Society of Wicomico County, where he awaited the canine version of the death penalty: euthanization.

But the owner, whom DelmarvaNow will not name because she reported as a victim of domestic violence, appealed the decision.

Bruiser had his trial  Wednesday, Sept. 21. To witness the proceedings of the relatively obscure Animal Appeal Board is to see human drama meet animal instinct. And the stakes couldn't be higher: life or death.

The judge and jury
Room 301 of the Wicomico County Government Office Building in downtown Salisbury was sparsely peopled for the dog's hearing. Seven people filled the seats in the audience, across from members of the Animal Appeal Board, who sat along a panel on the other side of the room.

The board  was created in December 2008 by the County Council after a yearlong study of rural and metropolitan animal-control techniques across the country, board member Jack Elliott said in an interview. Having served on the board since its inception, Elliott said what came about from that study was a "pretty darn good system."

"I'm an animal lover," Elliott said. "I'm a private citizen who doesn't have any affiliation with the county. But everyone who has been involved with this board has brought with them a care for animals, so it's worked well. When the county executive had us sit down a few years ago to figure out how this would work, we were given a blank sheet of paper."

From the study came the five-member panel, consisting of a private citizen, a member of the sheriff's office, a health department representative, a licensed veterinarian and a dog trainer. The board advises the County Council on changes to the county's animal control laws and makes recommendations for schedule of fines and penalties for violation of the code.

On Wednesday evening, the board was called for its third-duty: to determine if a dog should be classified as dangerous.

The trial 
An Animal Appeal Board preceding is much more informal than a court of law. There is a swearing-in of the witnesses and a county attorney on hand to make sure everything stays in order. After hearing from the health department official who issues the classification, usually based off the observations of the animal's "arresting officer," the board hears from the owner.

Then the victim of the attack testifies. From there, the board goes into a closed deliberation and decides whether the animal needs to be euthanized or other sanctions could be put into place.

In Bruiser's case, health department official Allison Marine testified, saying that the animal control officer who evaluated Bruiser and proposed the "dangerous dog" classification had told her the Aug. 27 incident was the fourth time Bruiser had bitten Shyloh.

The county's protocol for dangerous pets may be a "pretty darn good system," in Elliott's view, but it isn't perfect. Marine's testimony pointed to one flaw: Although the health department is responsible for making a determination on how much danger an animal poses to the community, no staff member has any training in animal evaluation. So,  the recommendation is usually given based off the observations of the animal control officer.

During her testimony, the owner said she had adopted Brusier from Cambridge Animal Control in October 2014 because the 76-pound pit bull was having a hard time finding a home. His smile looked fierce, she said. She already had Shyloh, but the two got along wonderfully.

Their relationship changed, however, after the owner inherited a small, female dog named Lucy from a friend who  died in March.

"I take full responsibility for this because I apparently was doing a lot of things wrong," the owner said.

When a female dog enters a home with male dogs, according to the testimony of dog trainer Lenore Bennett, there is a honeymoon period of about three months. After that, the male dogs have a "reshuffling" in the hierarchy wherein they may attack one another to establish dominance, Bennett said.

At the end of July, the owner said she noticed Brusier and Shyloh would growl at one another.

"Then they started fighting," she said. "I was able to break them up a few times and take them outside to run them off. At night, I would alternate which one would sleep with me so they wouldn't fight in the middle of the night; apparently that was wrong because it looked like favoritism in the dogs' eyes."

But the owner had a solution lined up. Jennifer Campbell, her daughter's girlfriend, had offered to take Bruiser in at her home in Harrington, Delaware. Campbell, an animal technician, said she built a $4,000 fence to keep Bruiser separated from other animals.

"I've watched this dog use cats as pillows," Campbell said. "If I get him home and I think he's dangerous, I will euthanize him. Sometimes two dogs, like two people, just don't click. This seems to be what happened here. Plus, it was a high-tension situation, with the domestic (incident) going on, so it's not a surprise a dog would act like that."

The Verdict 
After a brief time to deliberate, the board called the meeting back to order.

Elliot motioned to reverse the dangerous dog designation for Bruiser, finding that the dog had attacked another dog owned by the same owner on the owner's premise, an exemption from the county's dangerous dog statute. Bruiser was ordered released from the Humane Society of Wicomico County's kennels.

The owner and Campbell exchanged hugs, fighting back tears of joy.

"It feels amazing to know he'll be coming home," the owner said. "I feel like I can sleep now that my boys are safe."

Shyloh, the owner said, has made a full recovery and is expected to be back home next week after a stay at Peninsula Orthopedics.

While Bruiser will live to see another day, Bennett said pit bulls don't always get a fair shake.

"Pit bulls are automatically written off as aggressive dogs and, a lot of times, when people see dogs injured by another dog, the emotions get up," she said. "They want to punish that dog for what it did, but dogs don't think like people. Breeds like pit bulls and Rottweilers get a reputation because they are bigger dogs — and when a bigger dog bites, it can cause a lot more consequences and damages."

The law on pit bulls in Maryland
In Maryland, Prince George's County has had a ban on  ownership of pit bulls since 1997. A few other small municipalities in the state have them as well. The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in 2012 that landlords were liable for the damages caused by a dog owned by a tenant if they know it to be aggressive. The ruling also stated that if the landlord knew the tenant owned a pit bull, then he or she was automatically liable if the dog were to bite someone.

The state legislature struck down the breed specific ruling in 2014 by passing legislation that made landlords liable for damages extending from a dog bite case regardless of breeds.

(Delmarva Daily Times - Sept 22, 2016)

Earlier:

• Maryland: Police say Jeffrey Mayhle, 45, released aggressive pit bull during domestic assault on victim

United Kingdom: Young woman believes narrative spun by pit bull owner as to why it has to wear a muzzle

UNITED KINGDOM -- "Saw a beautiful pit bull today he was massive and lovely and so friendly, but he was under a court order to wear a muzzle and have training because a dog attacked him.

"like wtf he didnt attack the other dog why is he in trouble just because he is a pit bull, thats wrong if he was a jack russell or another type of dog attacking another dog no one would blink a eye it needs to be changed so fucked up."