Indiana: After Pit Bull attacks elderly woman and mauls to death her beloved Poodle named Baby, authorities hand the mauler back to its owner

INDIANA -- Paula Herrig is feeling sad. Posted on Facebook May 3, 2018 ·

Need to vent!! Please Share. Maybe we can get this to the public and news in Indiana. Monday, my moms dog was viciously attached by a neighbors dog. (Mom is in Indiana with my sister, Peggy. That is where this took place)

Mom, 82 yrs old, fought to save her dog, Baby, not once, but twice. As the first time she got Baby, the pit bull attacked again, ripping Baby from her arms. She again fought the pit bull for her Baby. 

Baby was in critical condition, until this morning, when she passed away. Mom was bit in the "fight". The pit bull was returned to it's owner!!!!!Where it still is!!!!! 

The owner admitted to fault, stating they knew the dog was getting out, but they couldn't afford a "better" fence. But the dog is still returned to that home!?!?

Are you kidding me???? What has to happen for a dog to be removed??? Killing a pet and biting the pets owner isn't enough?? INDIANA, WTF!?!? JUST SOOO WRONG!!!!

My heart aches for you mom!! LOVE YOU!!

  

 

 

 

  

Arizona: Elderly Tucson woman and her small dog mauled by pit bull; owner grabbed dog and fled

ARIZONA -- Eighty-two-year-old Rose Ellis and her little pooch Daizie are recovering and searching for answers after being attacked by a pit bull earlier this week on the east side.

Ellis was walking Daizie along Olympic Club Drive near Pebble Beach Avenue on Tuesday morning.

 

 

It turned deadly when a pit bull jumped over a brick wall and darted toward Rose and Daizie from behind.

“This dog comes and grabs her from behind us and shook her like a rag doll,” Rose said.

The pit bull proceeded to bite and knock over Rose but not without a fight.

“I got up and I was screaming and yelling and kept kicking some more and then a bunch of the neighbors come out and help me,” Rose said.

She couldn’t bear to lose another loved one.

 

 

"I lost my husband in December before Christmas and I didn't want to lose somebody else,” Rose said.

Rose’s son Steve is bewildered and frustrated by the whole ordeal, especially with the pit bull’s owner.

"PIT AND RUN" - OWNER FLED WITH PIT BULL

“She didn't [bother to check and] see how my mom was doing or just stick around to kind of give information she just basically left and disappeared with the dog,” Steve said.

The pit bull owner is nowhere to be found.

She happens to live in a camper trailer in the backyard of a man named David Snodgrass who allows her to live there as long as she pays utilities. This is the same backyard where the pit bull jumped over the brick wall.

"Animal control did show up. They gave me this notice to give to her. I can't give it to her because she's not here. I don't know where she is,” Snodgrass claims.

"Because we don't have the vaccination information for that dog, that puts my mom at risk because she's going to have to go through those rabies shots,” Steve said.

While Pima County animal control officers are investigating, Rose and Daizie are recovering.

"I don't want to go through that rabies treatment because at my age, that's not good,” Steve said.

To help Rose and Daizie:

GOFUNDME: Help for Rosie and Daizie
Created May 4, 2018
Steven Ellis
  Emergencies
  TUCSON, AZ

On the morning of May 1st my mom, Rosie, was walking her dog, Daizie, when both were attacked and mauled by a pit bull. The dog savagely attacked Daizie then turned on my mom when she tried to save her dog. My mom was knocked to the ground, bitten and scratched up before the pit bull turned and attacked Daizie again.

Neighbors and people nearby heard my mom screaming. People screened my mom and Daizie from the pit bull which continued to try to attack them.

The owner of the pit bull ran out, grabbed the pit bull and drove off. The owner of the pit bull did NOT stop to assist my mom in any way or even leave information regarding her pit bull's vaccinations and shots. The woman and her dog drove off and disappeared.

Tucson Police and Pima County Animal Control were immediately notified of the attack. Attempts to contact the pit bull owner have gone unanswered or ignored.

Daizie was rushed to the nearest Veterinarian ER where she was stabilized. I took my mom to the nearest ER where her bite and scratch wounds were treated. After having a CAT scan and x-rays, doctors found that my mom's tail bone was broken during the attack.

Since the pit bull and its owner fled the scene of the attack and have refused to contact us with information on the pit bull's vaccinations, my mom will have to undergo rabies shots since we cannot verify if the pit bull is up to date on its vaccinations.

The owner and her Pit Bull were living in this camper in 

David Snodgrass's backyard. He claims not to know

where she ran off to or where she's hiding her vicious dog

Mom is 82 years old and going through those shots will add additional suffering and trauma- not mentioning the potential side effects of the treatment which could be severe given her age and health.

My mom is on fixed income and cannot afford the increasing cost of treatment for herself and Daizie. We are asking for assistance in covering these expenses.

Update 1
This shows the amount of damage done to Daizie that needed emergency vet attention from the attack. Mom has bites and scratches on her arms and legs.

As of today, the owner still refuses to contact us with the vaccination information for the pit bull and ignoring repeated phone and text request to simply give us the name of her pit bull's vet.

Pima County Animal Care have been working with us to locate the owner and the dog. The owner is apparently sleeping in her car somewhere in town and avoiding to return to her camper.

Update 2
Zack Briggs from KVOA Channel 4 News came out this morning to interview mom regarding the attack. The owner and the dog is still missing. You can watch the interview tonight during the 6pm news.

(KVOA - May 4, 2018)

Washington: Pit bull mauled man in a car, then jumped out car's open window to continue attack

PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON -- A man is recovering from a brutal dog attack in Pierce County.

Pierce County Sheriff deputies said the victim had several deep bite marks on his face, arms, and legs.

The department said on Wednesday, a deputy responded to a 911 call reporting a dog attack in progress in the 15500 block of 119th Ave. Ct. E. in Puyallup's South Hill neighborhood.

When the deputy arrived on scene, deputies said the victim was on the ground covered in blood and neighbors, like Jon Zemanek, were trying to help the victim.

Zemanek said he heard screams for help and ran outside thinking it was his dog thatwas loose, but he saw the pit bull attacking the man by his front yard and he didn't hesitate to help.

"The first thing I could think of was to grab his jaw and try to pull,” said Zemanek.

Zemanek still has the punctures from the pit bull's teeth sinking into his fingers.

He tried to pry the dog's jaw off a man's arm before grabbing a metal pry bar.

“Lot of shaking myself,” said Zemanek. “I couldn’t believe I did what I did."

Deputies said the victim and a woman had been "playfully" arguing in a car when the dog lunged at the man and bit him in the face.

They pulled over by Zemanek’s yard, the man ran out but the dog went after him.

At one point neighbors said they helped the woman get the dog back into her car, but it jumped out of an open window, ran after the man again, caught him and began mauling him a second time.

"There was a lot of blood, there was a lot of blood all over,” said Zemanek.

A responding deputy finally fired shots at the dog, killing it after it let go then started circling the man, ready to attack again.

Neighbors said the whole situation was so frantic and uncontrollable; they don't think there was any other way to stop the dog.

“I never like to see an animal get put down unless it absolutely has too,” said Zemanek.

(KOMO News - May 4, 2018)

Texas: Three Pit Bulls euthanized after gruesome attack of San Angelo man leaves skull exposed

TEXAS -- Three dogs have been euthanized after a gruesome attack that left a San Angelo man with serious injuries, according to a news release from the San Angelo Police Department.

About 9:45 p.m. Saturday, April 14, 2018, police responded to the 300 block of East 11th Street for the report of a vicious animal attack after a caller said three dogs, described as pit bulls according to the news release, were "on top of a man, attacking him."

After officers arrived at the residence, they saw three dogs retreat through a hole in a nearby fence. They next found a Carlos "Ricky" Garces, 56, lying in the driveway of the residence, covered in blood from multiple injuries.

"The man’s skull was exposed, and a large portion of his scalp was missing," according to the news release.

San Angelo Fire Department personnel transported Garces to a nearby hospital for treatment of serious injuries, according to the release.

Family members reached out to the Standard-Times to give an update on his condition.

"If it hadn't been for his neighbor, those dogs would have killed him," said his sister, Nellie Garces. "He's critical but stable."

Nellie Garces, who lives in Brady, Texas, said she traveled to Fort Worth, where her brother is heavily sedated and undergoing treatment.

"The damage is severe," she said. "So far, the doctors are having to go in and clean his skull. His main surgery will be Thursday, which will be about 15 hours, give or take."

She said her brother had been out for a walk after supper when he was attacked.

"I just want to thank the neighbor who helped save my brother's life," Nellie Garces said. "Right now, from here, we're just praying to God he gets better, and we will seek more information on what we need to do to seek justice."

Police said the Pit Bulls’ owner, a 23-year-old San Angelo resident, surrendered the three dogs to Animal Control.

An official with Animal Control Services said they were familiar with the dogs and their owner after a March incident, when the dogs were impounded and temporarily quarantined for observation after an attack on a stray dog. All reportedly showed no signs of rabies after the March incident.

"The dogs, all three pit bull mixes, were destroyed as of this morning as a direct result of the attack," said Morgan Chegwidden, assistant director of Neighborhood and Family Services. "And because the owner surrendered them, we were able to take immediate action."

Chegwidden was unable to comment on any legal ramifications the dog's owner may face as the incident is under investigation, but she said "the state health code provides for a legal procedure where a pet owner can be fined, per animal, in the event of an attack."

(San Angelo Standard-Times - April 17, 2018)

Georgia: Lawsuit filed against Rosa Garcia after her Pit Bulls nearly tore off this man's leg

GEORGIA -- The owner of a pair of pit bulls that attacked three people in the Five Forks Trickum Road area near Lawrenceville earlier this month is now facing a lawsuit from one of the victims.

Personal injury law firm Zagoria Law announced Thursday that it filed the lawsuit against Rosa Garcia on behalf of Zhongkai Mao, 77. The suit says Mao was attacked because Garcia did not keep the dogs restrained so they wouldn’t leave her property.

The attack left Mao with deep wounds on his leg and his family previously told the Daily Post that he, at one point, faced the possibility of having his leg amputated.

“Mr. Mao is suffering severely and, according to doctors, will possibly need years of rehabilitation,” attorney Brooks Neely said in a statement. “At Zagoria Law, our priority in every dog bite case is to ensure that dog owners are held responsible for the actions of their pets when those actions cause injury to others.”

The filing of the lawsuit came as Mao began vacuum therapy on his leg. His son-in-law, Robert Davis, posted an update on a GoFundMe page Tuesday, in which he said Mao began the therapy at the hospital this week.

“If successful, he will continue long term vacuum treatment at home, which according to the social worker he will be on his own to pay for,” Davis wrote in the update. “After several weeks of treatment, skin grafts may be necessary.”

Mao’s family has been raising funds for his recovery through their GoFundMe page. He immigrated to Georgia from China earlier this year, and did not have a job or insurance to help cover his medical costs. So far, $4,255 has been raised, with a goal to raise $300,000.

In his update, Davis said the family is limited to going after Garcia’s homeowners insurance liability coverage and they expect that will be split between Mao and the other two victims in the attack.

Zagoria officials said they were not aware of any lawsuits being filed yet by the other victims.

The dogs attacked a 16-year old girl near the intersection of Five Forks Trickum Road and Emerald Forest Court on April 2. After a passerby pulled her into their car to get her away from the pit bulls, the dogs attacked Mao.

His leg was bleeding uncontrollably afterward and a tourniquet had to be applied, according to a Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement report.

The dogs then wandered into a neighborhood and severely attacked another man in his backyard.

All three victims had to be taken to local hospitals. The Animal Welfare and Enforcement report also said a car crashed on Five Forks Trickum because of the attack on the first victim.

Garcia surrendered the dogs to Animal Welfare and Enforcement officers once they discovered who the pit bulls belonged to. County officials said the dogs were later euthanized and their bodies were sent off to a lab for rabies tests, which came back negative.

(Gwinnett Daily Post - Apr 12, 2018)

Earlier:

• Georgia: Pit Bulls maul 16 year-old girl, a man in his backyard and a 77-year-old man who may lose his leg

New York: Girl, 7, mauled by Pit Bull that belongs to a "family member's friend"

NEW YORK -- The fate of a pit bull that attacked a 7-year-old girl in her Bellport home Wednesday will be decided after the Brookhaven Animal Shelter keeps it for 10 days, a town spokesman said.

According to Suffolk police the child was seriously injured after the dog attacked her shortly after 5 p.m. and had to be fended off with a shovel.

The girl’s mother and a man dog-sitting the male dog were also injured when they tried to stop the attack, police said.

Police said the victim was playing with the dog in her Bieselin Road home when she was bitten on her right arm, causing several lacerations.

When the mother tried to get the dog off her daughter, the dog bit the woman on her hand, police said.

Then the man hit the pit bull over the head with the shovel, police said, but he was bitten on the hand before the dog ran out to the yard.

The child, seriously wounded, and her mother, who had non-life-threatening injuries, were airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, while the man was taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries to his hand, police said.

Police emergency service officers put the dog in a cage and the Brookhaven Town dog warden took it to the town animal shelter, police said.

No official information was available Thursday about the latest condition of the girl and the others injured.

Town spokesman Jack Krieger said the pit bull was being kept on a 10-day “bite hold” for safekeeping and that after that several options can be considered.

Krieger said that if the shelter decides the dog is “too violent” then it can decide to put the animal down or keep it.

If the dog is not determined to be a danger and the owner does not claim it, then the shelter has the same options of putting it down or keeping it, Krieger said.

Krieger said that if the owner wants the dog back after the 10 days but the shelter believes it’s still dangerous, then the town would have to make a court bid to put the animal down.

A person who answered the phone at the house Thursday identified himself as the owner’s son and would not give his name.

The dog belongs to “a family member’s friend,” he said. He would not reveal the names of the friend any of the injured.

When asked how the girl is doing, he said, “She’s projected to make a full recovery.”

(Newsday - April 12, 2018)

Pennsylvania: Woman claims man stabbed her Pit Bull mix for no reason; doesn't mention the dog was loose and tried to attack man

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA -- When I read the GoFundMe page, I immediately suspected the owner, Jesse Mortimer, wasn't being 100% truthful. She says:

"A man was passing by our home while Clark was outside, on his leash, to go potty. The man suddenly stabbed Clark when Clark went up onto the sidewalk to greet him. He showed no aggression towards the man, as he is a very sweet boy. The man then immediately took off, leaving our poor boy bleeding out on the street. He was stabbed in the lower abdomen, close the lungs and stomach."

If this dog is leashed he wouldn't have had an opportunity to get to the sidewalk. If a person has a reasonable fear of being attacked, they are legally allowed to protect themselves.

When we get to the news story, which is one-sided on her part, we get the truth:

Wednesday night, Clark was outside on a leash when a man walked toward Fretts' home on Burrows Street. Clark started barking.

"He said, 'Girl, get your dogs in,' so I was like, all right, I'm going to make sure they're all contained," Fretts said.

In the process of getting Clark inside, the dog slipped out of his collar and ran toward the man.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Clark is a friendly dog, claims its owners.

"When we adopted him, he had no record of aggressive behavior," owner Greta Fretts said.

Wednesday night, Clark was outside on a leash when a man walked toward Fretts' home on Burrows Street. Clark started barking.

"He said, 'Girl, get your dogs in,' so I was like, all right, I'm going to make sure they're all contained," Fretts said.

In the process of getting Clark inside, the dog slipped out of his collar and ran toward the man.

Fretts is adamant that Clark wasn't attacking the man, but said that as the dog ran toward the passerby, Clark was stabbed by the man, who then ran away.

"Not real aggressive or anything," Fretts said. "He was just trying to run and greet him like he usually would anyone else, and the guy had a knife already and stabbed him in the said."

Immediately, Fretts applied pressure to the wound. She and her roommate got Clark to a veterinarian at Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center in the North Hills.

"It penetrated his chest cavity and caused an injury to the lung, so it was a very deep wound," Dr. Kelsey Sutcliffe said. "He's a young, otherwise healthy dog. I think his prognosis is excellent, as long as he continues to do as well as he has."

Pittsburgh police are investigating the incident.

(WTAE - April 11, 2018)

Georgia: Pit Bulls maul 16 year-old girl, a man in his backyard and a 77-year-old man who may lose his leg

GEORGIA -- Xiaohong Davis was searching frantically for her father Monday when she got the call telling her that he was in the hospital and had been severely injured after he was attacked by a pair of pit bulls earlier in the day.

Zhong Kai Mao, 77, had been at Ronald Reagan Park and was walking home afterward. When he didn’t arrive home, his daughter went to the park but couldn’t find him. Mao immigrated to the U.S. from China two months ago and speaks little English.

Davis began to panic.

“I was waiting for him for dinner and I couldn’t find him,” Davis said. “So after I found out where he went, we looked all over, all over and then got the call from the emergency room so you can imagine what kind of a shock that is.”

Mao was one of three people attacked by pit bulls on or near Five Forks Trickum Road in unincorporated Lawrenceville on Monday. The dogs had escaped from the home of their owners and began roaming the area.

A Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement officer wrote in a report that Mao’s left calf was bleeding uncontrollably after the attack. A police officer had to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, the report said.

“When he was brought in (to Gwinnett Medical Center’s emergency room), he was in critical condition,” his daughter said. “He’s been in ICU for a few days.”

On Wednesday, Mao began having heart issues and doctors had to do a cardioversion on him to get his heartbeat back to a normal rhythm.

Now Mao faces an uncertain future. He has large gaping wounds on his leg with muscle and other internal tissue visible. The wounds are so large, in fact, that doctors told his family he will need skin grafts once it’s possible to safely do the procedure.

In the meantime, doctors and family members have to wait and see what will happen. His leg may still have to be amputated. Initially, doctors told the family that amputation would be needed, but they then began trying to see if that could be avoided.

“They’re still observing and trying to treat the wounds to make sure they’re not infected because if they get infected, then they’ll still have to cut that leg off,” Davis said.

One issue complicating matters is that because Mao only recently immigrated to the U.S., he doesn’t a job to provide income or insurance to cover medical costs. Family members have set up a GoFundMe account so they can raise $300,000 to help pay for his medical expenses.

The GoFundMe page is located at www.gofundme.com/elderly-man-critically-injured.

The severity of the attack has Mao’s family upset over the fact that the dogs were able to escape from their owners’ home and attack people.

In addition to Mao, the dogs also attacked a 16-year-old girl who was also walking along Five Forks Trickum Road. After they attacked Mao, they headed up Rosa Drive and attacked another man who was in his backyard.

The family that owned the dogs surrendered them to the county’s Animal Welfare and Enforcement Division, which had the dogs euthanized and sent to a state lab for rabies testing. The dogs tested negative for rabies.

“I feel that this should be equivalent to assault with a deadly weapon and they should be prosecuted as such,” said Robert Davis, who is Xiaohong’s husband and Mao’s son-in-law. “It’s just that bad. If you take one look at my father-in-law’s leg, he’ll be lucky if he can walk on that leg again, and if he does, it’s going to require a lot of treatment and a lot of expense.

“Think about what you’re doing to somebody else’s life when you let these dogs get loose.”

Meanwhile, Mao’s daughter said she doesn’t consider pit bulls to be safe enough to be owned as pets. She said Georgia should pass a law addressing pit bull ownership. Other states have similar breed-specific laws, she said.

“I want to really, really advocate that Georgia pass the same law, like those other states, so that people cannot own this type of dog,” she said.

(gwinnettdailypost - April 5, 2018)