Nevada: Child, 3, severely injured in dog attack. Father wants to know why vicious Mastiff handed back to owner

NEVADA -- A 3-year-old girl severely hurt in a brutal dog attack is recovering and just weeks later, the dog is back on the streets with its owner.

The little girl's family wants to know why.  So, they're sharing their story and some graphic photos of their daughter's injuries.

Nevada has no specific law about liability for dog-bite injuries.

 

In this case, where a little girl was bitten by a Neapolitan Mastifff near Eastern and Hacienda avenues, the owner was able to get his dog back because it's the first time she has bitten anyone. However, should it happen again, the owner could face jail time.

"It's very rare that you will find me without her," said said Jordan Myers, the girl's father.

On April 2, Annabella nearly lost her life on a residential street.

"It picked Annabella up by the head ... pinned her to the ground of the driveway and started attacking her," Myers said.

Annabella underwent surgery on her ear and is now recovering.

"I'd give anything if Annabella wasn't hurt," said Claudia Horsley, Annabella's great-grandmother.

This isn't the first complaint lodged against the dog's owner.

"Why wasn't it on a lead? Why wasn't there any way for him to control that dog?" Horsley questions.

Though the dog's owner declined to speak on camera, he did say he adopted Bella months ago and had never had a problem with her until now. He says, he's taking the proper precautions to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone again.

 

"It was a big dog. It came up to my hip. It definitely had the ability to kill me," Myers said.

Animal control held Bella for 10 days and then gave her back to her owner.

"She was just in torture and she was so afraid," Horsley said of her granddaughter.

That smile has come a long way. Annabella's father say she will never forget that day.

"She's still not the same as she used to be."

Clark County officials say the case is on open investigation which means a citation could be given at a later date.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for Annabella's medical bills.

(KLAS-TV - April 26, 2017)

Massachusetts: Springfield high school teacher and his wife, who is a social worker for the state Department of Children and Families, charged with cruelty to animals following deaths of numerous dogs

MASSACHUSETTS -- A Springfield high school teacher recognized by the White House for his work with at-risk students is facing criminal charges for allegedly failing to care for two dogs that were euthanized last month.

Stefan Davis, 48, pleaded not guilty March 9 in Springfield District Court to two counts of cruelty to animals. A teacher at the High School of Science and Technology, Davis also founded Fresh Start, a program that helps struggling students bring up their grades.

His wife, Mirna Gomez-Davis (Mirna Davis), 42, a social worker for the state Department of Children and Families, also was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals.

A complaint filed by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals accused the couple of failing to provide medical care for Athena and Sorra, both young Neapolitan Mastiffs.

The dogs were emaciated and suffering from multiple medical problems before being euthanized in February, according to the complaint, which claims the couple's neglect resulted in "unnecessary suffering" for both dogs.

Three other dogs, all Neapolitan Mastiffs, were "presented dead on arrival" by the couple at the VCA Boston Road Animal Hospital between 2014 and 2016, according to documents filed in the case.

In a statement to investigators, Gomez-Davis denied mistreating the dogs and said both had been healthy until early January. Athena, a 1-year-old female, stopped eating around Jan. 8 and continued to decline before being taken to the Memorial Avenue Animal Clinic in Chicoppe on Jan. 24, she told investigators.

By Feb. 2, the dog's condition had worsened, despite being prescribed antibiotics. "Every bone in her body was visible and she could barely raise her head" when carried by stretcher into the Boston Road hospital, the complaint states.

Rather than seek further treatment, Gomez-Davis decided to have Athena euthanized to end her suffering and because the dog "was going to die anyway," the complaint said.

The next day, the couple surrendered Sorra to the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center. The dog, a 2-year-old female, was emaciated, bloated, had a severe eye infection, a swollen vulva and gave off a foul odor, the complaint notes.

She was carried into the center on two "rabies" poles after attempting to bite an employee outside, the complaint said. Citing the dog's poor health and aggressive behavior, the center told the couple she would be euthanized unless they wanted her back.

Why would they EVER consider giving this dog back to them???

With the couple's approval, the dog was euthanized that night, the complaint said.

In her statement to investigators, Gomez-Davis maintained that Sorra was healthy, but was surrendered because of behavioral problems. A death in the family caused a delay in seeking treatment after Athena became sick in January, Gomez-Davis said.

The couple had as many as 10 dogs at their home on Page Boulevard, but Athena and Sorra were the last two. They have no plans to get more dogs, Gomez-Davis said.

A veterinarian who treated Athena described her condition as "shocking" and "decrepit," and called it "extremely abnormal" for a family to have five dogs die suddenly or need to be euthanized in a three-year period, according to court documents.

Criminal complaints were issued against the couple on Feb. 14, and they were summoned for arraignment on March 9. Both were released on personal recognizance and told to return for a pretrial hearing on May 9.

Davis, who teaches English and history, earned $71,472 last year, according to city payroll records; Gomez-Davis collected $63,054 as a state social worker, records show.

(MassLive - March 25, 2017)

New Zealand: Dog owner facing prison for menacing attack in Palmerston North

NEW ZEALAND -- A Palmerston North woman's unregistered pit bull neapolitan mastiff cross has been destroyed, and she faces jail time, after it escaped her clutches and dragged a man to the ground by his leg.

Phillip McLean required three surgeries, including skin grafts, while recovering from the attack Caralyn Patricia Pene's dog carried out.

She pleaded guilty in the Palmerston North District Court on Friday to owning a dog which caused serious injury, failing to muzzle a menacing dog, and failing to register the dog.

According to the summary of facts, the dog, Bear, had not been registered since the 2014/15 year, and was last registered in Hastings.

Bear had previously been classified as menacing in June 2015, so he was supposed to be wearing a muzzle any time he was out in public. 

On January 13, McLean was visiting his daughter-in-law on Terrace St, Palmerston North - the same street Pene and Bear lived on.

He left his dog in the car, and Bear started jumping at the car when he noticed the dog.

Pene attempted to put a lead on Bear, while McLean went out to the car to check what was going on.

While he was looking in the car, Bear broke free from Pene, ran at him and latched onto his left thigh.

Bear let go at one stage, but latched back on, this time grabbing McLean's left calf and dragging him to the ground.

Various people tried to get the dog off, and he only let go when someone put a finger up his backside.

McLean suffered wounds to his thigh, calf and a finger, while Bear was confiscated and destroyed by the Palmerston North City Council.

Defence lawyer Daniel Flinn said Pene wanted the matter referred to restorative justice, as she wanted to apologise to the victim in person. (Basically the defense attorney wants her criminal record destroyed after her probation period so no one will ever know that she owned a dog that tried to kill someone).

Judge Gregory Ross convicted Pene and remanded her on bail until July for sentencing.

She faces a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment or a $20,000 fine for the attack charge.

(Stuff.co.nz - June 23, 2016)

New Zealand: Dog attack victim saved by unusual tactic

NEW ZEALAND -- The desperate actions of a man who poked a finger into the bum of an attacking dog may have saved Phillip McLean's leg.

McLean's day trip to Palmerston North turned into more than a week lying in a hospital bed after he was set upon by a pit bull Neapolitan mastiff mix.

The Hunterville man was visiting a friend on Terrace Street, near Palmerston North Hospital, last Wednesday when he heard growling.

A pit bull Neapolitan mastiff cross, allegedly let out from a nearby block of flats, had its paws up on McLean's vehicle and was in the middle of a growling match with his dog, a rottweiler, who he had left in the car with the window partially down.

McLean managed to get the two dogs separated, but the pit bull then latched onto his leg and refused to let go.

McLean said the pain was "unbearable" as the dog pulled off a big chunk of meat from his thigh, then went back in for his calf.

He tried to open the dog's clamped mouth, tried shaking it and eye-gouging it, but the dog would not budge.

"At that stage, I dropped to the ground and it dragged me a couple meters down the road."

Another man heard the commotion, grabbed the dog by the hind legs and tried to pull it off the injured man.

In a random act of desperation, he stuck his finger in the dog's bum, prompting it to loosen its hold.

"Four or five people jumped on it and that's when I got away."

McLean said it was a "surreal feeling", looking down and seeing a gaping hole in his leg.

He has had three surgeries, including removing skin and cleaning infected areas, and also a skin graft operation on his left thigh and calf muscle.

"I started counting the stitches, got to 23 and then gave up. It's a nasty bite."

He owes his savior a beer, he said.

Palmerston North City Council head of environmental protection Wayne Jameson said there were about 100 to 110 dog attacks in the area each year.

These incidents ranged from dogs tearing clothing, through nasty bites and hospitalizations.

He said about 40 per cent of the reported incidents were dog attacks on people, while the other 60 per cent were dog-on-dog attacks.

The offending dog is in the pound. It was likely a court hearing would determine whether the dog would be destroyed, Jameson said.

Manawatu Whanganui SPCA general manager Danny Auger said the pit bull breed had a tendency to be aggressive.

"A dog of that size can do a lot of damage."

He said it was up to dog owners to be responsible and aware of their animals.

(Stuff NZ - Jan 21, 2016)

New Zealand: Owners charged after dog attacks in Hawke's Bay

NEW ZEALAND -- Three dog owners are being prosecuted after attacks in Hawke's Bay left two women requiring hospital treatment.

The three owners will each face two charges under the Dog Control Act following the October 3 attacks at the seaside settlement of Whirinaki, north of Napier.

One of the victims, a woman in her 60s, suffered a significant bite injury to her arm and was admitted to Hawke's Bay Hospital before being transferred to Hutt Valley Hospital for specialist care.

About 45 minutes before the woman was attacked there was another attack by three dogs on a woman who had been running on the beach at Whirinaki.

The woman, who is in her 30s, was pulled to the ground and received multiple puncture wounds and lacerations to her upper arm, her armpit and buttocks.

She was also admitted to Hawke's Bay hospital for treatment.

Hastings District Council, which is responsible for dog control in the Whirinaki area, said the charges related to the dogs "causing serious injury" to the two victims.

Two of the dogs allegedly involved in the attack, a male bull terrier cross and a male Neapolitan mastiff cross, were relinquished by their owners and destroyed last week.

The third dog, a male Rhodesian ridgeback cross, is being held in the Hastings District Council's pound pending the outcome of the council's prosecution.

The council said all three dogs came from the same address, where one lived and the other two were visiting.

A court date for the owners has yet to be set.

(Stuff.co.nz - October 13 2015)

Ohio: Lorain man, John Wayne Daughney, pleads not guilty to dog's hanging

OHIO -- Accused animal killer John Daughney pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty after allegedly hanging his dog on the side of a trailer by its chain collar, choking it to death.

In Lorain Municipal Court Judge Thomas Elwell’s courtroom Feb. 10, Daughney, 36, of 3106 Cromwell Drive, entered the plea to single counts of killing or injuring animals and cruelty to companion animals, both first-degree misdemeanors.

 

While Daughney told a judge not guilty, about 30 protesters braved freezing temperatures and stood outside the courthouse at 200 W. Erie Ave., condemning the killing of Memphis, Daughney’s 1- to-2-year-old Neapolitan mastiff.

The charges against Daughney stem from a February summons he was issued, and then his subsequent arrest for an alleged parole violation, in connection to the hanging of Memphis.

According to a Lorain Police Department news release, around 10:45 p.m. Jan. 31, officers responded to the area of Euclid Avenue and River Industrial Parkway after receiving a complaint about a dog tied to a tree.

Officers found a 130-pound deceased mastiff hung to the side of a semi-trailer which was parked in a low vehicle and pedestrian area where other empty tractor trailers were typically parked.

According to the incident report, officers noticed the dog was hanging from the trailer by its chain choke collar.

When police observed the location and manner in which the dog was hung, officers determined that there was no possible way that the dog could have accidentally choked itself.

The aroma of urine and fecal matter near the dog at the site signified to officers that the dog was alive during the strangling and was later asphyxiated.

The dog was removed from the side of the trailer and transported to the Lorain Animal Clinic, where it was held in an outside kennel until it could be examined, the release said.

Lorain police Humane Officer Rick Broz later identified Daughney as the person responsible for Memphis’ hanging and he was shortly after charged with the crime.

In speaking with Daughney, officers discovered that he took in the animal, but said he didn’t want it anymore because it was (allegedly) violent to his other pets.

Prior to Daughney’s arraignment hearing, county residents and members of the Nitro Foundation rallied outside the courthouse in support of Memphis.

Lorain resident Rebecca Boone said the crime against Memphis had her wondering about what else Daughney is capable of.

“If he didn’t want the dog, there were so many things he could have done besides hanging him,” Boone said. “It just makes you stop and think to yourself, if he could do this to an innocent dog, what else is he capable of?”

Elyria resident Danny Adkins argued for stricter punishment for those capable of killing and abusing animals.

“All of us here today believe that if there was harsher punishment for crimes like this, we would see less and less of these crimes throughout the city, county and state,” Adkins said.

“Making a crime like this only a misdemeanor just lets others know that killing an animal is more frowned upon than wrong. It’s a slap on the wrist and something needs to be done about it.”

Daughney is scheduled to appear back in Elwell’s courtroom Feb. 18 for a pre-trial hearing.

Elwell appointed Elyria attorney JD Tomlinson to represent Daughney pending a review of his financial situation.

Daughney was granted a $2,500 cash or surety bond. He is being held in the Lorain County Jail.

(The Morning Journal-Feb 10, 2015)

Canada: Mastiff bites 2-year-old girl in face in SW Calgary

CANADA -- A toddler was rushed to hospital Wednesday evening after a dog bit her in the face in southwest Calgary. Charges are pending against the pet owner, a friend of the family.

Police were called to the 16000 block of 24th Street S.W. in the community of Bridlewood just after 6 p.m., after a Neapolitan mastiff bit the child.

Animal and bylaw services say the child was in the yard with the dog when she was bitten.

“She went outside with the dog. A few minutes later, the family heard a bark and the child crying,” Alvin Murray, north operations manager for animal and bylaw services, said in a statement.

The two-year-old girl was taken to the South Calgary Urgent Care Centre in stable condition with “facial lacerations,” said EMS spokesman Adam Loria. She received three stitches for a wound in her lip, and was also treated for a small puncture under her eye and scratches to her face.

The dog was seized by animal and bylaw services. Charges are pending against the owner, who has refused to turn over ownership, said Murray. The dog is currently being held by animal and bylaw services for assessment.

A mandatory court appearance is required in all serious aggressive dog incidents, and penalties include a maximum fine of $10,000.

“Everybody has to be aware of their children and their surroundings but, legally, the dog owner is the one who is responsible for the dog’s actions,” Murray told reporters Thursday afternoon. “It’s not prudent to leave any small child around dogs unattended, it’s a huge safety issue.”

Meanwhile, the owner of the American Staffordshire bull terrier involved in a fatal attack on a poodle Saturday has now been charged with a dog causing death to another animal, and two counts of having unlicenced dogs.

That dog is in animal and bylaw services custody and will be euthanized Friday.

Between Jan. 1 and June 30, there have been 218 reports of dog bites in the city, said Murray. That number includes any bites that puncture the skin or that result in the death of an animal. During the same time frame last year, there were 186 bites.

“We are in our high season,” Murray said. “Kids are out of school now and we do expect to see more incidents during the summer months.”

“One bite is one too many,” he added.

(Calgary Herald - Jul 17, 2014)

United Kingdom: Lowestoft owners of 'skinniest' mastiff fined and banned

UNITED KINGDOM -- The owners of a dog which was the "skinniest ever seen" by an inspector who found it in an emaciated state have admitted causing unnecessary suffering.

The RSPCA said the Neapolitan mastiff, called Hench, weighed 5 stone (32kg), just over half his healthy weight, when he was found in Lowestoft.

Edward Bull, 35, and Emma Bull, 34, both of Aspinall Close, pleaded guilty at the town's magistrate's court.

They were each fined £200 and banned from keeping animals for five years.

The RSPCA said the five-year-old mastiff should have weighed about 9st 6lb (60kg).

'Proper diet'

The dog was removed and rehabilitated by the charity at its Block Fen animal centre in Cambridgeshire.

Speaking after the case, inspector Nicola Thorne said there had been an issue with feeding the dog.

"The Bulls had another, much smaller Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog, who was a normal weight, but they seem to have been giving Hench the same amount of food and, of course, that was not adequate for its needs.

"Hench was the skinniest dog I have seen since I became an inspector nine years ago.

"He put on 13lb (6kg) during the first week on a proper diet."

The RSPCA said Hench had been found a "new, loving home".

(BBC UK - Sept 26, 2013)