California: Rema Rainsford-Hunt offered to pet sit her friend's dogs. It turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.

CALIFORNIA -- Rema Rainsford-Hunt still can’t sleep at night. Every few hours she’s startled awake by visions of the Thursday afternoon a year and a half ago when she was very nearly mauled to death by three large dogs.

She meets regularly with a PTSD counselor, but the nightmares persist. Her days are hard, too. She’s in constant discomfort. Mangled nerve endings send shooting pain through her feet and legs, now crisscrossed with pink and purple scars.

“I always thought my best asset was my legs,” said Rainsford-Hunt, shaking her head. “Now, to me, they look like chop suey.”

In the days and weeks after the attack on November 5, 2015, Rainsford-Hunt actively avoided attention as a victim of a violent incident that grabbed headlines and shocked the dog-loving sensibilities of the City of Santa Barbara.

It was enough to anonymously endure the medical procedures, court hearings, and public scrutiny ― which at times placed the blame for the attack squarely on her ― that followed.

Now, Rainsford-Hunt is speaking publicly for the first time to set the record straight about that day and to help prevent another attack. “I want to finally say what really happened,” she said. “And I don’t want this to happen to anybody else.”

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Rainsford-Hunt operates a nail salon in Montecito and a dog-training business, Specialized K9 Services, with her husband. They’ve owned a German shepherd, Belgian Malinois and Rottweiler. Needless to say, Rainsford-Hunt is comfortable around big dogs.

Out of the blue in late October, Rainsford-Hunt received a text message from an old friend, Joseph Martinez. He asked her to look after his five dogs while he vacationed in Las Vegas. She agreed, and they arranged for a quick meet-and-greet with the dogs ― a combination of purebred old English bulldogs and bulldog mixes weighing up to 120 pounds ― at his house on Dibblee Avenue, where Martinez gave her feeding and toilet instructions. (Police initially described the pets as pit bulls.)

Right away, Rainsford-Hunt observed Martinez had little control over his animals. They ignored his commands and ran amok. But they didn’t act aggressively, and Martinez said they’d never bitten anyone.

Rainsford-Hunt wasn’t deterred. She was confident she could handle them, and she trusted Martinez wouldn’t put her in harm’s way.

“Joe was my friend,” she said. “If he’d been honest about their history, I would have of course said no.”

Rainsford-Hunt was attacked within the first hour of her first visit.

Two of the dogs lay in the living room while the three others, blocked by a piece of particle board in the kitchen doorway, roamed the rear of the house and its backyard. Rainsford-Hunt opened the front door to let the two dogs in the living room out to the front yard to go to the bathroom. But they didn’t budge, so Rainsford-Hunt walked outside onto the porch, hoping they’d follow.

Immediately, one of the dogs started nipping at her feet. “I ignored it,” she said. “I thought he has just playing.”

The other dog soon joined in. Rainsford-Hunt stood still and remained calm, but they didn’t stop.

“Then the bite came.”

Then another, and another. Now the dogs were snapping, snarling, and lunging. They grabbed and twisted mouthfuls of flesh on her feet, arms, legs, and buttocks. One of the three other dogs crashed through the particle board barricade and joined the attack.

Rainsford-Hunt screamed for help. A neighbor across the street peeked out her front door then darted back inside to call 9-1-1.

Rainsford-Hunt was being pushed and jostled so violently that she toppled over the porch railing and into the yard, where she was immediately set upon again. By this point she’d lost a lot of blood.

“I was getting too tired to fight.”

Another neighbor rushed over and tried to distract the dogs with a broom.

“Then I heard someone say, ‘Come to the gate now!’”

She stood up, but fell.

“I told myself: ‘You gotta do it, you gotta do it.’”

Rainsford-Hunt doesn’t remember reaching the gate, where she promptly passed out and was pulled to safety. But she does recall waking up on the pavement and grabbing the pant leg of a police officer standing over her with his gun trained on the three frenzied dogs as they tried to break through the fence.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “You’re safe. They can’t get you anymore.”

Rainsford-Hunt called Martinez from the ambulance on her way to the hospital. He was still on the road to Las Vegas. His friends asked him if they should turn the car around. No, he said, there was nothing he could do. That was Thursday.

Martinez didn’t contact Rainsford-Hunt again until Saturday, when he asked her to check on his dogs, named Sterling, Annabelle, Big Bubba, Queen Bea, and Hendrick, who had been placed in quarantine at a county animal shelter.

“I’m a bundle of nerves and having trouble sleeping because I’m really worried about the dogs,” he texted her.

Rainsford-Hunt ignored the request.

“It was always about the dogs,” she said. “I thought he was my friend.”

Doctors used over 100 surgical staples to piece Rainsford-Hunt back together.

“I couldn’t even count the stitches,” she said.

She also received a blood transfusion and a second round of staples after her wounds reopened.

Later, Rainsford-Hunt learned that as she was being loaded into the ambulance, Martinez’s uncle arrived at the home, where he lived with his nephew. He showed police officers scars on his arms from bites by the dogs just a month prior.

The last time Rainsford-Hunt saw Martinez was during the administrative police hearing at which case officer Sgt. Riley Harwood declared Sterling, Annabelle, and Big Bubba vicious and ordered they be euthanized. Queen Bea and Hendrick had hidden in the backyard during the mauling.

“The testimony provided by the witnesses was very, very compelling as to the severity and ferociousness of the attack, and the fear that other people have of these dogs,” Harwood explained at the time, noting the dogs’ history of biting.

 He cited testimony from a neighbor who fended off Sterling with his lawnmower when the dog escaped Martinez’s yard.

“Had [Rainsford-Hunt] not been rescued by her neighbors, she would have been killed,” Harwood said.

Queen Bea and Hendrick were returned to Martinez. His Dibblee Avenue neighbors reportedly remain troubled by their unruly behavior and incessant barking.

Martinez appealed the order in court. He claimed Rainsford-Hunt “provoked” his “loving” pets by trying to push them into the house with a gardening stool.

Judge Colleen Sterne found no evidence of this and upheld Harwood’s decision.

Rainsford-Hunt ultimately sued Martinez but decided to settle out of court for a sum that covered her medical bills and little else. The process was painful and draining and put stress on her relationship with her husband.

“He’s been my rock and been by my side,” she said, “but he was tired of seeing me cry every day.”

Rainsford-Hunt doesn’t blame the dogs for what happened. She’s an animal lover, having played polo for years, and knows a pet’s behavior is merely a reflection of its training. “I blame the owner,” she said.

Rainsford-Hunt was confined to a wheelchair for weeks after the attack and used crutches for many more months after that. She still gets around with the aid of a walking stick, and her feet remain so swollen she can’t wear shoes. Her active lifestyle of camping and hiking is no more.

“I’m lucky if I can walk a few blocks, but I try,” she said.

Rainsford-Hunt expressed immense gratitude for the friends and family who’ve helped her through her recovery. Loyal customers kept her nail salon afloat, and a coworker even paid its rent for a month. She also thanked the police and animal control officers who saved her.

“Every one of them was absolutely amazing,” she said.

Now, Rainsford-Hunt and her husband are tapping into their 20 years’ worth of expertise on canines and her recent experience to launch an education effort on the proper selection, management, and training of dogs. They want to teach individuals and public agencies about socialization and safety techniques, as well as ways to manage aggression.

“Many times people bring home the wrong dog and are at an immediate disadvantage in regard to aggression issues,” she said. “I just really want to stop this from happening again.”

(Independent - May 12, 2017)

Judge: Chelmsford woman, Jessica Sheridan, must euthanize dog by this afternoon

MASSACHUSETTS -- A Chelmsford woman has been found in contempt of court and ordered to euthanize her "dangerous dog" by this afternoon or the animal control officer will be allowed to seize the Old English Bulldog named "Violet" to have the dog destroyed.

At a hearing last week, Lowell District Court Judge Daniel Crane held Jessica Sheridan in contempt after she failed to euthanize the dog. The judge issued an ultimatum: By 4 p.m. today, either Sheridan provides proof the dog has been euthanized or Chelmsford Animal Control Officer Erik Merrill will be allowed to seize Violet from Sheridan's 14 Algonquin Road home and have a veterinarian put the dog to sleep.

Crane wrote in his ruling that Sheridan "willfully and intentionally violated an unambiguous order of this court."

Crane also slapped Sheridan with a $500-per-day fine for each day Violet is alive since Nov. 17. The town is seeking $4,640 from Sheridan to cover its attorney's fees.

Crane ordered Sheridan to appear Thursday in court, where he will consider increasing the fine and assessing other costs if she fails to comply.

When The Sun tried to contact Sheridan for comment, she did not answer her cellphone and her voicemail mailbox was full. Merrill was unavailable for comment.

Chelmsford selectmen on May 11 ordered Sheridan to euthanize her two bulldogs, Violet and Brasco, after they were accused of attacking a 4-year-old boy in an unprovoked attack on March 22 and both dogs were deemed "dangerous.

The dogs were accused of mauling the boy as the youngster and his mother, Sheridan's neighbors, walked near Sheridan's home. The child suffered serious bite wounds. At the May 11 public hearing, Sheridan reportedly told selectmen she felt terrible about what happened, but it was an accident. She described her pets as "good dogs."

Sheridan erected a 6-foot fence around her backyard to confine her dogs during the quarantine period because she was unable to produce proof of rabies vaccinations.

But on May 16, while the dogs were under quarantine, the dogs attacked an 8-year-old child who was on Sheridan's property playing with her child.

Although the 8-year-old may have "breached" the dog enclosure, Crane ruled the victim had permission to play with Sheridan's child. That child required 30 stitches to close bite wounds.

Sheridan euthanized Brasco shortly after the second attack. She claimed Brasco, a male, was the aggressor in both attacks, according to published reports. But Sheridan argued that Violet was not a dangerous dog and refused to comply with the order to destroy that dog.

The town took Sheridan to court to force her to destroy Violet, which officials describe as "an immediate and ongoing source of worry, concern and danger to the neighborhood," according to Town Counsel Jeffrey Blake of Kopelman and Paige.

(Lovell Sun - Dec 1, 2015)

Canada: A judge says Frank Vantroba not criminally responsible for his Old English Bulldogge's attack on boy, which required 65 stitches to his face

CANADA -- A man accused of criminal negligence in a dog-bite trial has been found not guilty.

Frank Vantroba, 59, faced charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and unlawfully causing bodily harm after his Old English bulldog (aka Old English Bulldogge) allegedly attacked a young boy in the face on Nov. 17, 2012 at Tarbutt Park.

On Friday afternoon, he was found not guilty on both counts by Justice Doug Shaw, who said the Crown had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that there had been a "wanton reckless disregard" for the safety of others or there was a marked or significant difference in Vantroba’s actions that day from a reasonably prudent person.

Through testimony heard throughout the trial in October, it’s alleged that Dante Mekanak, 13, jumped into the boarded rink area in Tarbutt Park while racing his friend on the day of the incident.

He didn’t notice there was a man and four dogs inside the rink area until he was in the area himself and as he was running across, a large bulldog ran toward him and then jumped up and bit the boy on the face, requiring Dante to receive 65 stitches.

Vantroba said he was training his four dogs – an adult male, adult female and two puppies – inside the rink at the time of the incident.

He had owned the dog in question, Big Brown, for about a year prior to the incident in Tarbutt Park and the animal had no history of aggression with people or other animals -- [according to the owner, who would obviously LIE]

He described Big Brown as weighing around 100 pounds and being about 90 centimetres tall.

Defence lawyer Michael Hargadon said the case was difficult for everyone involved, including the investigating police officers, Vantroba and Dante.

“Mr. Vantroba’s sympathies and the sympathies I’m sure of all of the city of Thunder Bay are with Mr. Mekanak as a result of his injuries. The difficulty in this case is the criminal law in Canada does not punish accidents,” he said.

“It punishes conduct that is morally blameworthy and that was the essence of the decision that was handed today.”

Justice Shaw said there was no question Dante was seriously injured and there were questions about Vantroba’s actions after the incident.

The accused had testified during the trial that all he saw was a scratch above Dante’s eye and that he didn’t see any blood as Dante had his face covered with his sweatshirt.

In his decision, the judge said that even if Vantroba truly regarded that as a scratch, he should have offered assistance to the boy instead of leashing the dogs and returning to his residence (aka fleeing with the bite dog).

Dante had been visibly hurt and shielded his face.

But despite that, the judge said there was no evidence to suggest Big Brown had been aggressive in the past; there were no complaints registered against the animal to the city’s animal services department and no witnesses were brought forward to say the animal had ever been aggressive.

The dog also had a good track record of following commands and although Vantroba had a history of training police dogs, he trained Big Brown as a pet.

The judge also said Vantroba brought the dogs to the park when there was no one else around until Dante unexpectedly appeared in the rink area.

During the trial, the court heard that the city issued Vantroba with a restraint order on Big Brown on Nov. 20, 2012.

On Oct. 22, 2013, Vantroba voluntarily surrendered Big Brown to animal services where he was euthanized. New homes were found for the other three dogs.

(TB News Watch - March 13, 2015)

Earlier:

• Canada: Police investigating serious dog attack on child; say owner fled with dog afterwards
• Canada: Samantha Mekanak, whose 11 year-old son was attacked by a dog requiring 65 stitches, speaks out
• Canada: Frank Vantroba cross-examined at dog attack trial

American Bulldog, Old English Bulldoggee.... does it really matter? They're bully breed dogs

MONTANA --  A woman attacked by three dogs while on the job at Montana Vet Hospital and Boarding facility on Friday, is out of the hospital and recovering.

Veterinary Doctor Dennis Moylan would not go on camera Monday, but he did answer some questions providing new information. Originally, officials with Gallatin County Sheriff's Office indicated the three dogs in the attack were American Bulldogges. Moylan, says while that is not entirely incorrect, he checked his paperwork on Monday, finding the dogs were on record as Olde English Bulldogs.

Moylan says there are many similarites in "breeds" like this. He says Olde English Bulldogges are often confused with the English Bulldog. He says OEB, as they are often called, are not purebred.

When researching OEB, you'll find breeders often mix Bulldogs, Bullmastiffs, American Pit Bull Terriers and American Bulldogs to get an OEB.

Moylan says the dogs in the attack friday weighed about 90 pounds each.

Rae Ann Collins, a 16 year Veterinary Technician at MT Hospital and Boarding, described the attack from her hospital bed Saturday.

"I couldn't even get to the gate they were surrounding me, jumping up at me. One jumped up and bit me in the torso. The others were biting me towards the lower leg," said Collins. She says she finally got away when the dogs were distracted by a dog in another kennel. "They started cage fighting with the dog in the kennel. I'm not sure how but I got away from the male and shut the gate," she said.

All three dogs were put down Friday with permission from the owner. Their bodies were sent to a local diagnostic lab for rabies testing, part of protocol in this kind of scenario.

Doctor Moylan says the dogs were all up to date on their shots, and does not suspect rabies was a factor.

We are told the rabies tests should be completed this week.

(KBZK Bozeman News - Jan 19, 2015)

Earlier:

• Woman seriously injured by 3 dogs at animal hospital near Bozeman
• Dog attack victim: "I was just doing my job."

Canada: Frank Vantroba cross-examined at dog attack trial in which his Old English Bulldogge attacked a boy, requiring 65 stitches

CANADA -- The trial of a Thunder Bay man charged after his dog bit a boy two years ago at Tarbutt Park in Westfort continued Thursday with his cross-examination in Superior Court.

Frank Vantroba faces two charges: criminal negligence causing bodily harm and unlawfully causing bodily harm. They were laid after an 11-year-old boy was bitten inside a boarded outdoor rink in November, 2012.

Under questioning by Crown Attorney Deborah Kinsella, Vantroba (through an interpreter) said he was familiar with dog-training, having worked with many dogs since he took an interest in training in his home country of Czechoslovakia when he was 15. Much of his work included training dogs for military and police use.

If he trained military and police dogs, he is even more responsible than a "regular dog owner". 

The dog involved in the 2012 incident, named Big Brown, was an Old English Bulldog, but was much larger than normal. Vantroba said he had trained the dog himself.

OK, bring the dog in to court and PROVE THAT THE DOG IS "TRAINED" TO STAY BY YOUR SIDE.

The man testified that on the day of the incident he was training some puppies while also taking Big Brown for a walk, and had been using the Tarbutt Park rink as a training area. He said he was teaching the puppies to stay near him at all times.

Vantroba said Big Brown, who is trained to stay near him, strayed away but he didn't notice as he was paying attention to the puppies. He said the dog was out of his sight for only five or ten seconds.

Vantroba said he heard the bulldog running away from him, saw it run toward the victim, Dante Mekanak, and then observed the dog move vertically. He did not know for certain, he said, if the boy and the dog made contact.

Vantroba testified he didn't realize the victim was hurt, as he saw only a 'light scratch' above his eyebrow, while the boy's hands were covering his mouth.

He told the court he did not ask the youth if he was okay but believed he was fine as he had not fallen down.

The trial will continue November 10th with the recall of Cst. Elvish as a witness.

(CBC News - Oct 16, 2014)

Earlier:

• Canada: Police investigating serious dog attack on child; say owner fled with dog afterwards
• Canada: Samantha Mekanak, whose 11 year-old son was attacked by a dog requiring 65 stitches, speaks out

Canada: Samantha Mekanak, whose 11 year-old son was attacked by a dog requiring 65 stitches, speaks out

CANADA -- The mother of an 11-year-old Thunder Bay boy attacked in the face by a dog on the weekend says the painful incident was one that didn't have to happen.

Samantha Mekanak said no one should ever take a dog to a children's park without a leash.

It required 65 stitches to close the wounds on her son Dante's face after the weekend incident at Tarbutt Park in Westfort.

While waiting for a friend at the park, Dante jumped into the boarded rink to run across to the other side to greet a friend. As he started running, a dog knocked him down and bit his face.

It was “kind of a blur after that” for her son, but Mekanak recalled that friends rushed to her home to tell her what happened, and an unknown neighbour who saw Dante going home after the attack called 9-1-1.

“When he came walking up that road I didn't know what else to do but cry,” she said. “[He was] cut open [on] both sides of his mouth ... right eyebrow ... punctures on nose [and the] ... inside of [his] upper lip [was] cut open.

“It's really upsetting that the owner didn't stay ... [it was] hard for us ... [Dante] had to walk a whole block to get home.”

Dog owner faces charges
Dante had to have rabies shots. And, due to the the swelling around his mouth, he cannot eat solid food.

The owner of the dog that attacked a boy on the weekend now faces a charge of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Thunder Bay Police spokesperson Julie Tilbury said the negligence charge is because the 56-year-old man allegedly failed to remain at the scene. They have not released the man's name (He has since been identified as Frank Vantroba)

"Dog owners are reminded that they are responsible to stay and render assistance whenever their animal is involved in an altercation with another person,” Tilbury said.

“Failure to do so could result in a criminal investigation, alongside the investigation that would normally happen with animal control.”

Thunder Bay’s manager of licensing and enforcement said his staff needs to identify which of several dogs that were in the rink were involved in the attack.

“If the dog is identified as the aggressor, we have the authority under the dog owner's liability act to seize the dog immediately, and we're avidly investigating this matter today,” Ron Bourret said.

The dog owner is expected to appear in court on Dec. 13.

(CBC.ca - Nov 19, 2012)

Earlier:

• Canada: Police investigating serious dog attack on child; say owner fled with dog afterwards

Canada: Police investigating serious dog attack on child; say owner fled with dog afterwards

CANADA -- Thunder Bay police are investigating a dog attack on 11-year-old Dante Mekanak.

Just before 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, the child jumped over the hockey boards at Tarbutt Park, unaware that there were dogs in the rink area.

He said a large dog (later identified as an Olde English Bulldogge) attacked him.

The boy suffered a serious injury to his face and was taken to Thunder Bay Regional Hospital. (He had to get 65 stitches in his face)

Police say he needs reconstructive surgery.

A man in charge of the dog, along with five smaller dogs, was in the rink area.

Police say the man (later identified as Frank Vantroba) told the injured boy that the dog wasn't vicious and then left without helping him.

Anyone with information that can help identify the man or the dog is asked to contact the Thunder Bay police.

A man living across from the park told CBC News on Sunday he didn't see or hear the attack.

But Al Bowen said many people let their dogs loose in the park's rink area when they shouldn't be.

"It's not a dog kennel, it's a rink," Bowen said. "A public park."

Bowen said dogs are supposed to be on leashes at all times.

(CBC.ca - Nov 18, 2012)

Housecleaner Mauled to Death by Dogs ID'd

Marijuana grow discovered in back room of home where woman was found dead

CALIFORNIA -- The county medical examiner has identified a woman mauled to death by one or more of the eight dogs found roaming near her body in a Fallbrook home last Sunday.

Remedios Romero-Solares, 30, was hired to clean the home in the 1300-block of Calle Tecolotlan, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner.

She was a resident of Fallbrook.

A relative who came to pick her up at around 5:15 p.m. Sunday found her dead in the backyard and called police.

When authorities responded, they found eight large dogs running loose in the backyard where the woman's body was found. The residents were not home, and the garden hose was still running when they arrived, said Lt. Glenn Giannantonio with the Sheriff's Homicide Unit.

The medical examiner confirmed that Romero-Solares died from the dog bites and other blunt force injuries. Her death was an accident, the examiner stated.

The San Diego County Department of Animal Services took the dogs into custody and said they were a larger breed of dog called Olde English Bulldogge. Authorities did not have to use any force with the dogs.

Giannantonio said the woman had spent the previous night at the house, but this was her first time cleaning the house, and she was not very familiar to the dogs.

The Department of Animal Services told NBC 7 the owners were breeding and selling the dogs.The youngest of the pack is about 4 to 5 months old. The largest dog is 105 pounds.

NBC 7 reached the homeowner on Tuesday by phone but she was not available to discuss the incident.The Department of Animal Services has yet to determine whether the homeowner will face charges in the case.

Additionally, as deputies were conducting an investigation into the woman's death, they discovered a marijuana grow in the back bedroom of the home. The grow consisted of 24 plants, according to a San Diego County Sheriff's Department statement.

Investigators with the Narcotics Task Force seized the grow operation and will be investigating the grow.

NBC 7 spoke to dog expert and trainer Toni Menard on Tuesday, who said in addition to the breed of dog, the sheer number of them is what concerns her most.

“When you have 8 [dogs] in one location, that sets off red flags,” Menard said. “Someone needs to know what they’re doing to have that many bully breeds in one place.”

(nbcsandiego.com - Nov 17, 2012)

Earlier:

• Dogs appear to have mauled body of 30-year-old woman found in Fallbrook backyard

Dogs appear to have mauled body of 30-year-old woman found in Fallbrook backyard

CALIFORNIA -- An investigation continues into what is now being called "the possible mauling death" of a woman whose bloodied body was found in a North County backyard along with eight large dogs, sheriff's officials reported.

The 30-year-old victim's cousin made an emergency call about 5:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10 to report finding her relative's body while checking on her at the home in the 1300 block of Calle Tecolotan in Fallbrook, Sgt. Brian Jenkins said.

Deputies had to call animal-control officers to secure a group of dogs, described as "Olde English Bulldogges" running loose in the yard.

The dead woman's injuries were "consistent with dog bites," Sgt. Victor Perry said. He added, however, that a cause-of-death ruling would remain on hold pending autopsy findings.

Given the wounds on the woman's body, further examination will have to determine if the woman suffered any other injuries or medical conditions prior to the interaction of the part of the dogs.

The victim had been housesitting for the owners of the home while they were out of town, according to Jenkins. Her name was withheld pending family notification.

The county Animal Services Department impounded the dogs, agency spokesman Dan DeSousa said.

(Village News Network - Nov 12, 2012)