NEW YORK -- The Niagara County SPCA and the state Department of Environmental Conservation expect to press misdemeanor charges against several teens who are suspected of torturing and killing a large snapping turtle with a pitchfork and a baseball bat last month.
Three teenage boys have been questioned and a fourth, who is believed to have repeatedly struck the turtle with a bat, is being sought.
Amy Lewis, director of the SPCA, said the incident happened at a party on June 6 on Royalton Center Road in Wolcottsville.
“It was a pretty large turtle, larger than a basketball,” Lewis said. “What we are concerned about is the actual cruelty aspect of the case.”
Lewis said a couple of the teens stabbed the turtle with pitchforks and one was “smacking it with a baseball bat for a good 30 seconds.”
The turtle was killed after it was stabbed a final time with a frogging fork and ultimately thrown into the fire.
Following an investigation, three of the four boys, who are between 15 to 17, were questioned by the SPCA and admitted they had stabbed the turtle and thrown it into the fire, Lewis said.
“We are still looking for the guy who was wielding the baseball bat,” said Lewis.
She said the torture of the turtle came to light after someone took a video of the attack and posted it on Facebook. The video, which showed the teens laughing and swearing as they took turns attacking the turtle, has since been removed, but someone shared the video with the Erie County SPCA, which then turned it over to Niagara County.
“We have a copy of the video,” Lewis said.
She added, “We generally don’t see a lot of complaints about wildlife, it’s mostly companion animals, but we would get involved in a case like this. It is not a felony charge like the companion animals case, but it is a misdemeanor.”
The DEC was brought in because the turtle was taken out of season and inappropriate implements were used for hunting wildlife. The turtle had reportedly been picked up on Cedar Road in Newstead and brought to the party.
Lewis said her agency is leading the investigation and has questioned the young men. She said they plan to file misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.
(Buffalo News - July 8, 2015)
Showing posts with label pitchfork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pitchfork. Show all posts
Friday, July 10, 2015
Friday, July 18, 2014
Shaggy's owner says he "didn't know what rabies does". How is this possible in 2014?!
NEW JERSEY -- An encounter with a rabid raccoon turned deadly for a township dog and a painful experience for its family.
A nine-year-old Lhasa Apso named Shaggy was minding his own business in his family’s backyard the afternoon of June 27 when events took a tragic turn.
Unbeknownst to Shaggy or his owner Douglas Hidalgo, a raccoon infected with the rabies virus lurked near their home at 67 South Main Street – and Shaggy wasn’t vaccinated.
"I heard some screams," Mr. Hidalgo said. "I thought what in the world is that?"
Going outside to investigate, Mr. Hidalgo said he found Shaggy being attacked by the raccoon. He rushed to find something to fend it off with, he said, and returned with a pitchfork.
Pinning the raccoon to the ground between the pitchfork’s prongs, Mr. Hidalgo said he told his daughter Brittany to call the police.
Cranbury Police had received a call from his neighbor about the raccoon shortly before his, Mr. Hidalgo said.
"They asked if I was calling back from 61 South Main Street," he said.
According to Mr. Hidalgo, police told him that his neighbor at 61 South Main Street had been chased around her house by the raccoon before she managed to lock herself in her garage and call police.
Keeping the raccoon pinned was difficult, Mr. Hidalgo said.
"It was pretty strong," he said. "I was afraid to let it go."
By the time Animal Control arrived, some 25 minutes later, the raccoon had nearly asphyxiated and was easily noosed by Animal Control officers, according to Mr. Hidalgo.
According to Cranbury Animal Control Officer Jerry Thorne, the dead raccoon was taken to Jamesburg Animal Hospital for preparation and transport to the New Jersey Department of Health Laboratory in Ewing for rabies testing.
Shaggy had suffered puncture wounds on his legs during the attack and was taken to Cranbury Animal Hospital for treatment, Mr. Hidalgo said.
Cranbury Animal Hospital is owned by Township Veterinarian Michael E. Young.
On July 1, the Middlesex County Office of Health Services reported that the raccoon tested positive for rabies.
This is the second rabid animal in Middlesex County this year and the first in Cranbury, according to a press release by the county health agency.
The first rabid animal reported was also a raccoon that was found in Edison on April 29.
Shaggy was not up-to-date on his rabies vaccination and, to Mr. Hidalgo’s knowledge, had never been vaccinated for the virus.
According to Mr. Hidalgo, Shaggy was originally his brother’s dog. His brother had left New Jersey for work in Florida, leaving the dog in his care.
Mr. Hidalgo said he was unaware of the biannual free rabies clinics the township holds or its purpose.
"I didn’t know what rabies does," Mr. Hidalgo said. "The more information I got, the more I realized how serious it was."
After the attack, Shaggy wa
s quarantined in the garage, Mr. Hidalgo said. Once the raccoon was found to be rabid, the difficult decision was made to put him to sleep.
"Wow, that was hard to do," Mr. Hidalgo said. "There’s a knot in my throat every time I think about that dog."
Mr. Hidalgo, his son Christopher and his brother – who came back to say goodbye to Shaggy – all received rabies post exposure vaccinations at the emergency room at a local hospital because they were the only ones to come in contact with the dog after the attack, he said.
Dr. Young said he can’t stress the importance of rabies vaccinations for pets enough.
"We are living in one of the worst rabies areas in the country," he said. "(Rabies) is universally fatal. It destroys parts of the brain."
Dr. Young said when a pet that has never been vaccinated for rabies is bitten by a rabid animal, there are two ways pet owners can proceed.
The first is to keep the pet quarantined in isolation for six months to see if any symptoms of rabies develop. The second is to put the pet to sleep and have it tested for rabies.
"Who wants to take a chance on having a rabid animal at home?" he said.
Once the pet is put to sleep, it is decapitated and the head is taken to the DOH lab in Ewing so the brain tissue can be checked for the virus.
Because rabies can infect all warm-blooded mammals, including man, Dr. Young said there is more at stake than the life of the pet.
"We give the vaccine to keep people from getting rabies," he said. "There is no way to stop it. Odds are you are going to die from it."
Upon receiving confirmation that the raccoon was rabid, Middlesex County Office of Health Services Senior Registered Environmental Health Specialist Lee Lloyd distributed rabies advisory fliers in the immediate vicinity of Mr. Hidalgo’s home, according to her comments during Monday night’s Board of Health meeting at Town Hall.
According to township Mr. Thorne, information about the rabid raccoon was also posted on the township website to alert the community.
When asked why the police department put out a Nixle alert about a bear’s recent downtown visit and not the rabid raccoon, Chief of Police Rickey Varga said he thought that putting out a Nixle alert to the community would be an appropriate action once he received confirmation that the raccoon was actually rabid.
As of press time on Thursday, a Nixle alert had not been issued.
The rabies virus is found in the saliva of a rabid animal and is transmitted by a bite or possibly by contamination of an open cut, according to the county’s release.
Raccoon and bat variants of rabies are constantly present in New Jersey. Of the animals diagnosed with rabies in the United States, bats, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, foxes, cats and dogs make up about 95 percent.
The Middlesex County Office of Health Services advises residents to report wild animals showing signs of unusual behavior to their local Animal Control Officer.
Contact with wild animals should be avoided and any bites or scratches from wild or domestic animals should be immediately reported to the local health department.
A physician should also be consulted as soon as possible, according to the county health agency. All family pets should be up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations and licenses.
"Owners should get their pets vaccinated," Dr. Young said. "Even if your pet stays indoors, it should be vaccinated so people and animals don’t have to die."
(Central Jersey - July 10, 2014)
A nine-year-old Lhasa Apso named Shaggy was minding his own business in his family’s backyard the afternoon of June 27 when events took a tragic turn.
Unbeknownst to Shaggy or his owner Douglas Hidalgo, a raccoon infected with the rabies virus lurked near their home at 67 South Main Street – and Shaggy wasn’t vaccinated.
"I heard some screams," Mr. Hidalgo said. "I thought what in the world is that?"
Going outside to investigate, Mr. Hidalgo said he found Shaggy being attacked by the raccoon. He rushed to find something to fend it off with, he said, and returned with a pitchfork.
Pinning the raccoon to the ground between the pitchfork’s prongs, Mr. Hidalgo said he told his daughter Brittany to call the police.
Cranbury Police had received a call from his neighbor about the raccoon shortly before his, Mr. Hidalgo said.
"They asked if I was calling back from 61 South Main Street," he said.
According to Mr. Hidalgo, police told him that his neighbor at 61 South Main Street had been chased around her house by the raccoon before she managed to lock herself in her garage and call police.
Keeping the raccoon pinned was difficult, Mr. Hidalgo said.
"It was pretty strong," he said. "I was afraid to let it go."
By the time Animal Control arrived, some 25 minutes later, the raccoon had nearly asphyxiated and was easily noosed by Animal Control officers, according to Mr. Hidalgo.
According to Cranbury Animal Control Officer Jerry Thorne, the dead raccoon was taken to Jamesburg Animal Hospital for preparation and transport to the New Jersey Department of Health Laboratory in Ewing for rabies testing.
Shaggy had suffered puncture wounds on his legs during the attack and was taken to Cranbury Animal Hospital for treatment, Mr. Hidalgo said.
Cranbury Animal Hospital is owned by Township Veterinarian Michael E. Young.
On July 1, the Middlesex County Office of Health Services reported that the raccoon tested positive for rabies.
This is the second rabid animal in Middlesex County this year and the first in Cranbury, according to a press release by the county health agency.
The first rabid animal reported was also a raccoon that was found in Edison on April 29.
Shaggy was not up-to-date on his rabies vaccination and, to Mr. Hidalgo’s knowledge, had never been vaccinated for the virus.
According to Mr. Hidalgo, Shaggy was originally his brother’s dog. His brother had left New Jersey for work in Florida, leaving the dog in his care.
Mr. Hidalgo said he was unaware of the biannual free rabies clinics the township holds or its purpose.
"I didn’t know what rabies does," Mr. Hidalgo said. "The more information I got, the more I realized how serious it was."
After the attack, Shaggy wa
s quarantined in the garage, Mr. Hidalgo said. Once the raccoon was found to be rabid, the difficult decision was made to put him to sleep.
"Wow, that was hard to do," Mr. Hidalgo said. "There’s a knot in my throat every time I think about that dog."
Mr. Hidalgo, his son Christopher and his brother – who came back to say goodbye to Shaggy – all received rabies post exposure vaccinations at the emergency room at a local hospital because they were the only ones to come in contact with the dog after the attack, he said.
Dr. Young said he can’t stress the importance of rabies vaccinations for pets enough.
"We are living in one of the worst rabies areas in the country," he said. "(Rabies) is universally fatal. It destroys parts of the brain."
Dr. Young said when a pet that has never been vaccinated for rabies is bitten by a rabid animal, there are two ways pet owners can proceed.
The first is to keep the pet quarantined in isolation for six months to see if any symptoms of rabies develop. The second is to put the pet to sleep and have it tested for rabies.
"Who wants to take a chance on having a rabid animal at home?" he said.
Once the pet is put to sleep, it is decapitated and the head is taken to the DOH lab in Ewing so the brain tissue can be checked for the virus.
Because rabies can infect all warm-blooded mammals, including man, Dr. Young said there is more at stake than the life of the pet.
"We give the vaccine to keep people from getting rabies," he said. "There is no way to stop it. Odds are you are going to die from it."
Upon receiving confirmation that the raccoon was rabid, Middlesex County Office of Health Services Senior Registered Environmental Health Specialist Lee Lloyd distributed rabies advisory fliers in the immediate vicinity of Mr. Hidalgo’s home, according to her comments during Monday night’s Board of Health meeting at Town Hall.
According to township Mr. Thorne, information about the rabid raccoon was also posted on the township website to alert the community.
When asked why the police department put out a Nixle alert about a bear’s recent downtown visit and not the rabid raccoon, Chief of Police Rickey Varga said he thought that putting out a Nixle alert to the community would be an appropriate action once he received confirmation that the raccoon was actually rabid.
As of press time on Thursday, a Nixle alert had not been issued.
The rabies virus is found in the saliva of a rabid animal and is transmitted by a bite or possibly by contamination of an open cut, according to the county’s release.
Raccoon and bat variants of rabies are constantly present in New Jersey. Of the animals diagnosed with rabies in the United States, bats, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, foxes, cats and dogs make up about 95 percent.
The Middlesex County Office of Health Services advises residents to report wild animals showing signs of unusual behavior to their local Animal Control Officer.
Contact with wild animals should be avoided and any bites or scratches from wild or domestic animals should be immediately reported to the local health department.
A physician should also be consulted as soon as possible, according to the county health agency. All family pets should be up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations and licenses.
"Owners should get their pets vaccinated," Dr. Young said. "Even if your pet stays indoors, it should be vaccinated so people and animals don’t have to die."
(Central Jersey - July 10, 2014)
Friday, April 18, 2014
Deputy shoots dog after attack in Mo. pasture
MISSOURI -- A woman and her adult daughter are unhurt but a dog is dead after an incident in a northeast Missouri pasture.
The Quincy (Ill.) Herald-Whig reports that the women were in a horse pasture in Ralls County Tuesday when they encountered three pit bulls who threatened them. The woman used a feed fork and a rope to keep the dogs away. A husband of one of the women heard screams and called 911.
Officers with the Ralls County Sheriff's Department arrived to help, and authorities say one of the dogs came at the officers in a threatening manner. The officer shot and killed the dog.
Sheriff Gerry Dinwiddie says the dogs are owned by a neighbor. Charges are expected.
(KFVS12 - April 11, 2014)
The Quincy (Ill.) Herald-Whig reports that the women were in a horse pasture in Ralls County Tuesday when they encountered three pit bulls who threatened them. The woman used a feed fork and a rope to keep the dogs away. A husband of one of the women heard screams and called 911.
Officers with the Ralls County Sheriff's Department arrived to help, and authorities say one of the dogs came at the officers in a threatening manner. The officer shot and killed the dog.
Sheriff Gerry Dinwiddie says the dogs are owned by a neighbor. Charges are expected.
(KFVS12 - April 11, 2014)
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Family pet dies after brutal attack by two vicious fighter dogs
UNITED KINGDOM -- Members of the public are being urged to help gardaí in their investigations to find two dogs that mauled a beloved family pet. The Welsh Collie passed away on Sunday night at the Donegal Animal Hospital, 19 hours following a brutal attack by fighting [pit bull] dogs at Crossroads, Killygordon.
The two dogs, one grey and one brown, escaped after they also attacked the dog’s owner. The 76-year-old man, was unharmed and managed to stab and injure the grey dog with a pitchfork. The dogs which are dangerous are still at large.
Anyone who knows where the dogs are, or knows who owns them, should contact Ballybofey Garda Station on 9137740.
(Donegal Democrat - Nov 1, 2013)
The two dogs, one grey and one brown, escaped after they also attacked the dog’s owner. The 76-year-old man, was unharmed and managed to stab and injure the grey dog with a pitchfork. The dogs which are dangerous are still at large.
Anyone who knows where the dogs are, or knows who owns them, should contact Ballybofey Garda Station on 9137740.
(Donegal Democrat - Nov 1, 2013)
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Illinois: Cop blames victim when she has to use pitchfork to keep his pit bull at bay
ILLINOIS -- It was a great column to write. And we got lots of positive feedback after publishing the story of the young Aurora police officer who responded to a call of an aggressive dog, only to end up adopting the pit bull he eventually named Shield after she was scheduled to be put down.
Unfortunately, some endings to stories, even the feel-good ones, don’t have a happily ever after.
At least it didn’t for Barb Malkowsi, who says Shield attacked her Welsh pony named Red a week ago, then showed aggression toward her as she wielded a pitchfork to keep the dog at bay.
The incident, said the critical care nurse, left her terrified and shaken. What’s got Malkowski even more upset is that nothing has happened to the dog she insists is a danger to other animals and humans.
While Kendall County Animal Control wouldn’t comment because “the incident is under investigation,” both Malkowski and Shield’s owner, Aurora Police Officer Chris Grandchamp, told me Kendall County does not plan on quarantining the dog because it did not bite a human, nor does it have a history of aggression.
But the column that ran earlier this year about Grandchamp rescuing the dog proves the pit bull has been aggressive in the past, insists Malkowski, whose family has been long-time neighbors of Grandchamp’s parents.
Back in February, the police officer had responded to an aggressive dog call, but when he got to the scene, he said he found a mild-mannered pit bull instead. According to protocol, however, the dog was taken to Aurora Animal Control where, after a vet said it showed some signs of aggression, she was scheduled to be put down.
Through a rescue group, Grandchamp intervened and was able to adopt the dog. And since then, he told me emphatically, Shield has never shown even a hint of aggression, despite being around plenty of adults, children and other animals.
But Malkowsi paints a different picture. She said she was getting out of the shower after work Saturday night, June 15, when she heard “all sorts of commotion” coming from the barn on her property in unincorporated Yorkville. When she got to the barn, she said the dog was clamped on her horse that was backed into a stall.
Malkowski said she used the pitchfork to fend off the dog that “was trying to get around it” to get to her or the pony. After the pit bull ran away, she called 911, and eventually a veterinarian stitched up the deepest of the multiple punctures her horse sustained.
In addition to payment for the vet bill, Malkowski and her family are demanding the dog be put down, not just because it attacked her horse but because her young grandchildren frequently visit, and she fears the dog will get loose again.
“What if that would have been a child instead of a horse it decided to attack?” she said.
Grandchamp vehemently denies Shield is a danger, and says this incident is yet another example of these neighbors creating problems with his family. The rescue group, he added, would “never have released the dog if they thought it would hurt someone.”
OFFICER GRANDCHAMP BLAMES THE VICTIMS
No one saw what happened between the two animals that started the attack, he added. And he’s convinced “any dog would have defended itself” as Shield did “if a pitchfork was used against it.”
Grandchamp says he’s tried to pay the $520 vet bill several times but has not been able to get in touch with the family. And he’s “very relieved” animal control said there were no plans to take control of his pet.
Which is what has the neighbors so frustrated.
“We don’t get straight answers from anyone we talk to,” said Malkowski’s son Ryan, who has spoken to both Kendall County and Aurora animal control. “It’s like they are more concerned about the dog than they are people.
“Thankfully my Mom is fine and the horse will be fine,” he said. “But I cannot accept that this dog with his track record is able to live next door.”
(Beacon News - June 23, 2013)
Unfortunately, some endings to stories, even the feel-good ones, don’t have a happily ever after.
At least it didn’t for Barb Malkowsi, who says Shield attacked her Welsh pony named Red a week ago, then showed aggression toward her as she wielded a pitchfork to keep the dog at bay.
The incident, said the critical care nurse, left her terrified and shaken. What’s got Malkowski even more upset is that nothing has happened to the dog she insists is a danger to other animals and humans.
While Kendall County Animal Control wouldn’t comment because “the incident is under investigation,” both Malkowski and Shield’s owner, Aurora Police Officer Chris Grandchamp, told me Kendall County does not plan on quarantining the dog because it did not bite a human, nor does it have a history of aggression.
But the column that ran earlier this year about Grandchamp rescuing the dog proves the pit bull has been aggressive in the past, insists Malkowski, whose family has been long-time neighbors of Grandchamp’s parents.
Back in February, the police officer had responded to an aggressive dog call, but when he got to the scene, he said he found a mild-mannered pit bull instead. According to protocol, however, the dog was taken to Aurora Animal Control where, after a vet said it showed some signs of aggression, she was scheduled to be put down.
Through a rescue group, Grandchamp intervened and was able to adopt the dog. And since then, he told me emphatically, Shield has never shown even a hint of aggression, despite being around plenty of adults, children and other animals.
But Malkowsi paints a different picture. She said she was getting out of the shower after work Saturday night, June 15, when she heard “all sorts of commotion” coming from the barn on her property in unincorporated Yorkville. When she got to the barn, she said the dog was clamped on her horse that was backed into a stall.
Malkowski said she used the pitchfork to fend off the dog that “was trying to get around it” to get to her or the pony. After the pit bull ran away, she called 911, and eventually a veterinarian stitched up the deepest of the multiple punctures her horse sustained.
In addition to payment for the vet bill, Malkowski and her family are demanding the dog be put down, not just because it attacked her horse but because her young grandchildren frequently visit, and she fears the dog will get loose again.
“What if that would have been a child instead of a horse it decided to attack?” she said.
Grandchamp vehemently denies Shield is a danger, and says this incident is yet another example of these neighbors creating problems with his family. The rescue group, he added, would “never have released the dog if they thought it would hurt someone.”
OFFICER GRANDCHAMP BLAMES THE VICTIMS
No one saw what happened between the two animals that started the attack, he added. And he’s convinced “any dog would have defended itself” as Shield did “if a pitchfork was used against it.”
Grandchamp says he’s tried to pay the $520 vet bill several times but has not been able to get in touch with the family. And he’s “very relieved” animal control said there were no plans to take control of his pet.
Which is what has the neighbors so frustrated.
“We don’t get straight answers from anyone we talk to,” said Malkowski’s son Ryan, who has spoken to both Kendall County and Aurora animal control. “It’s like they are more concerned about the dog than they are people.
“Thankfully my Mom is fine and the horse will be fine,” he said. “But I cannot accept that this dog with his track record is able to live next door.”
(Beacon News - June 23, 2013)
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Richmond pit bull owner fined merely $250 in horrific death of beagle
VIRGINIA -- A Richmond pit bull owner will have to pay a $250 fine for failing to restrain his dogs when they attacked, mauled and ultimately killed a neighbor's beagle.
The beagle, Scout, was attacked and killed in November by a pair of pit bulls, which have since been euthanized.
The owner, Elizabeth Walker, received a citation for an unrestrained dog X 2, meaning both dogs are listed on the same ticket. This is a class 4 misdemeanor citation, and the judge handed down the maximum fine of $250.
The DeMarco family has since found a new puppy to love. The day after the trial they picked up a 8-week-old beagle puppy named Sparky.
(WWBT - Feb 11, 2013)
The beagle, Scout, was attacked and killed in November by a pair of pit bulls, which have since been euthanized.
The owner, Elizabeth Walker, received a citation for an unrestrained dog X 2, meaning both dogs are listed on the same ticket. This is a class 4 misdemeanor citation, and the judge handed down the maximum fine of $250.
The DeMarco family has since found a new puppy to love. The day after the trial they picked up a 8-week-old beagle puppy named Sparky.
(WWBT - Feb 11, 2013)
Earlier:
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Beagle killed by neighbor's pit bulls
VIRGINIA -- A Richmond beagle was brutally attacked and killed and his family said their neighbor's pit bulls are to blame. The pit bulls have been euthanized and the owner charged for not having them on a leash, but the family says it's not enough.
Scout was a Christmas gift to the DeMarco family's only child four years ago.
Monday morning, one of his owners, Elaine DeMarco, says they were just coming home from a walk when the pit bulls ran into the yard and tore into Scout's body right in front of her.
"One was on one side of his neck and the other was on the other and they were just shaking and Scout tried to fight back- he was snarling and he was trying to fight, but he just- he couldn't," said Elaine DeMarco through tears.
Horrified, Elaine tried to help Scout by grabbing her son's lacrosse stick, but she says the dogs weren't even phased.
"And he just made some awful sounds," said Elaine. "and then he was on his back and then they were trying to drag him and I was trying to hold him."
The neighbor tried to fend the dogs off with a broom stick, when that didn't work Elaine grabbed a bat.
"I'm hitting them in the back, in the head, and at the same time I'm horrified that I'm hitting an animal with this bat and my poor dog is bleeding and he's so helpless," said Elaine.
But she says throughout the attack, the dogs didn't flinch, that they were solely focused on the attack and never responsive to their efforts to get them to drop Scout.
"Finally the neighbor turned to a pitch fork to try to get the pit bull off Scout. He hit him once, and nothing happened, then he hit him again and nothing happened, it took a third time with a pitch fork all the way through the dog's neck to get him to let Scout go."
"I scooped him up and he was all bloody and I lifted him up to take him to the vet," said Elaine.
But, Scout died on the way to the vet. He had a gaping hole on the side of his neck and his leg was mangled.
Police arrived and took the pit bulls. One had run back to the home. The other was being held by the neighbor with the pitch fork. And that neighbor said when he released the dog, it tried to attack again.
The DeMarcos say they don't think a misdemeanor citation is enough. Their dog is dead, their family is mourning his loss, and they had to witness his brutal attack. They say Scout didn't deserve this and neither did their family.
"It shouldn't' be a slap on the wrist," said Nick DeMarco. "You should be held accountable as a responsible adult for having an animal and if you don't obey the rules, you should pay the penalty."
NBC12 knocked on the neighbor's door. They declined to comment.
However, a spokesperson confirms she did receive one citation for an unrestrained dog X 2, meaning both dogs are listed on the same ticket. This is a Class 4 Misdemeanor citation with a fine of up to $250. The final total of the fine will be determined by the courts.
(WWBT - Nov 20, 2012)
Scout was a Christmas gift to the DeMarco family's only child four years ago.
Monday morning, one of his owners, Elaine DeMarco, says they were just coming home from a walk when the pit bulls ran into the yard and tore into Scout's body right in front of her.
"One was on one side of his neck and the other was on the other and they were just shaking and Scout tried to fight back- he was snarling and he was trying to fight, but he just- he couldn't," said Elaine DeMarco through tears.
Horrified, Elaine tried to help Scout by grabbing her son's lacrosse stick, but she says the dogs weren't even phased.
"And he just made some awful sounds," said Elaine. "and then he was on his back and then they were trying to drag him and I was trying to hold him."
The neighbor tried to fend the dogs off with a broom stick, when that didn't work Elaine grabbed a bat.
"I'm hitting them in the back, in the head, and at the same time I'm horrified that I'm hitting an animal with this bat and my poor dog is bleeding and he's so helpless," said Elaine.
But she says throughout the attack, the dogs didn't flinch, that they were solely focused on the attack and never responsive to their efforts to get them to drop Scout.
"Finally the neighbor turned to a pitch fork to try to get the pit bull off Scout. He hit him once, and nothing happened, then he hit him again and nothing happened, it took a third time with a pitch fork all the way through the dog's neck to get him to let Scout go."
"I scooped him up and he was all bloody and I lifted him up to take him to the vet," said Elaine.
But, Scout died on the way to the vet. He had a gaping hole on the side of his neck and his leg was mangled.
Police arrived and took the pit bulls. One had run back to the home. The other was being held by the neighbor with the pitch fork. And that neighbor said when he released the dog, it tried to attack again.
The DeMarcos say they don't think a misdemeanor citation is enough. Their dog is dead, their family is mourning his loss, and they had to witness his brutal attack. They say Scout didn't deserve this and neither did their family.
"It shouldn't' be a slap on the wrist," said Nick DeMarco. "You should be held accountable as a responsible adult for having an animal and if you don't obey the rules, you should pay the penalty."
NBC12 knocked on the neighbor's door. They declined to comment.
However, a spokesperson confirms she did receive one citation for an unrestrained dog X 2, meaning both dogs are listed on the same ticket. This is a Class 4 Misdemeanor citation with a fine of up to $250. The final total of the fine will be determined by the courts.
(WWBT - Nov 20, 2012)
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Neighbors speak out about pit bull after biting incident
MASSACHUSETTS -- Selectmen will have to weigh two hours of testimony before they determine the fate of a local pit bull that bit one resident in the leg and menaced another.
About 20 residents gathered in Town Hall last night to hear from Joyce Gilmore, who told selectmen how she was attacked Sept. 26 around 2:45 p.m. while she was on the dog owner's property at 21 Hastings St.
Gilmore, who lives next door at 23 Hastings St., filed a complaint with selectmen, detailing her account of the incident and asking that something be done to ensure the public's safety.
"Dogs that are protecting bark. Dogs don't necessarily bite. He came at me, and he just bit," she said at the hearing.
Selectmen must now determine whether the dog is a public threat, and if so, what must be done, a decision they will likely make at their meeting Monday.
"We need a little time to think this through," Chairman Michael Goddard said after hearing testimony.
Until then, the board ordered the dog's owner, Jessica Shepherd, to keep the dog, named Ghost, muzzled while outside.
State law gives selectmen the authority to order the dog be restrained, muzzled, banned or destroyed.
Janet White of Washington Street testified that Ghost often wanders onto her property.
Days before the attack on Gilmore, White said she chased the dog off her property with a plastic pitchfork. All the while, the dog growled and bared its teeth, she said.
Two years ago, she said, the dog pushed her then-8-year-old grandson to the ground while in her yard.
A police report says White called police May 10, 2010, to report the dog was running around and "messing in her yard."
"I don't know the dog very well, but he's very aggressive," she said. "I'm an animal lover, and I wouldn't complain about a dog that just comes into my yard, but he is very aggressive."
White said she would like to see the dog placed in another home that offers more space, like a farm.
Shepherd's home is in a neighborhood of businesses and homes.
Shepherd, a mother of three, went to bat for her pet last night, calling him "a protective family dog." She said she does not consider him dangerous.
To support her claim, Shepherd presented selectmen with recent photographs of the dog laying with her sleeping children, as well as a pet cat.
Mendon Animal Inspector Kevin Sullivan said last night that he does not consider the dog a threat.
"(Gilmore) was cutting across, trespassing across a yard. I don't feel it was negligence on the part of the pet owner," he said.
Sullivan said he ordered the dog quarantined for 10 days after the attack.
The animal was restrained on a rope "runner" that allowed him to reach as far as 20 feet away from the house.
Gilmore said she was passing through Shepherd's backyard, as she often does, to get to an auto body shop nearby.
In her opinion, Gilmore said, she was not trespassing, as the backyards in that area are continuous spaces through which neighbors often walk.
"I never thought of myself, after being there for 42 years, and having been back and forth on the yard. ... I never thought of (it as) trespassing," she said.
(Milford Daily News - Dec 1, 2011)
About 20 residents gathered in Town Hall last night to hear from Joyce Gilmore, who told selectmen how she was attacked Sept. 26 around 2:45 p.m. while she was on the dog owner's property at 21 Hastings St.
Gilmore, who lives next door at 23 Hastings St., filed a complaint with selectmen, detailing her account of the incident and asking that something be done to ensure the public's safety.
"Dogs that are protecting bark. Dogs don't necessarily bite. He came at me, and he just bit," she said at the hearing.
Selectmen must now determine whether the dog is a public threat, and if so, what must be done, a decision they will likely make at their meeting Monday.
"We need a little time to think this through," Chairman Michael Goddard said after hearing testimony.
Until then, the board ordered the dog's owner, Jessica Shepherd, to keep the dog, named Ghost, muzzled while outside.
State law gives selectmen the authority to order the dog be restrained, muzzled, banned or destroyed.
Janet White of Washington Street testified that Ghost often wanders onto her property.
Days before the attack on Gilmore, White said she chased the dog off her property with a plastic pitchfork. All the while, the dog growled and bared its teeth, she said.
Two years ago, she said, the dog pushed her then-8-year-old grandson to the ground while in her yard.
A police report says White called police May 10, 2010, to report the dog was running around and "messing in her yard."
"I don't know the dog very well, but he's very aggressive," she said. "I'm an animal lover, and I wouldn't complain about a dog that just comes into my yard, but he is very aggressive."
White said she would like to see the dog placed in another home that offers more space, like a farm.
Shepherd's home is in a neighborhood of businesses and homes.
Shepherd, a mother of three, went to bat for her pet last night, calling him "a protective family dog." She said she does not consider him dangerous.
To support her claim, Shepherd presented selectmen with recent photographs of the dog laying with her sleeping children, as well as a pet cat.
Mendon Animal Inspector Kevin Sullivan said last night that he does not consider the dog a threat.
"(Gilmore) was cutting across, trespassing across a yard. I don't feel it was negligence on the part of the pet owner," he said.
Sullivan said he ordered the dog quarantined for 10 days after the attack.
The animal was restrained on a rope "runner" that allowed him to reach as far as 20 feet away from the house.
Gilmore said she was passing through Shepherd's backyard, as she often does, to get to an auto body shop nearby.
In her opinion, Gilmore said, she was not trespassing, as the backyards in that area are continuous spaces through which neighbors often walk.
"I never thought of myself, after being there for 42 years, and having been back and forth on the yard. ... I never thought of (it as) trespassing," she said.
(Milford Daily News - Dec 1, 2011)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Pit bull stabbed in head with pitchfork after attacking man and his dog
ILLINOIS -- A pit bull was killed after attacking a man and his dog Tuesday on Ottawa's East Side.
Bob Agostinelli was walking his dog near Eastside Park at Pearl and York streets, when people at the park called to him, asking if he knew who was the owner of a pit bull that was loose in the park.
As he was being asked this, Agostinelli said the pit bull charged his dog — "Shanny," a 28-pound Shetland Sheepdog - mix.
"I stepped in front of my dog, but I might as well of been the Bears defensive line. He went around me and latched onto my dog's tail end," Agostinelli recalled.
Agostinelli went to the ground and punched the pit bull several times, then stood and started kicking the attacking animal, but to no avail. He yelled for help and several neighbors quickly came over with sticks and other items to use as weapons.
"I whacked the dog, breaking two sticks over his back, but without any response," Agostinelli noted.
Shanny broke from the pit bull, but the pit bull caught the dog again at its throat.
A man then brought Agostinelli a pitchfork, which he drove into the pit bull's head. The pit bull continued holding onto the other dog, but its attack soon stopped. A police officer arrived and shot to death the wounded, if not dying, pit bull.
"If it wasn't for the good fortune of the man bringing me a pitchfork, my dog would have been dead," Agostinelli pointed out. "I'm thankful for everyone who helped and the police, but I get no glee from the pit bull having to be killed. It had to be put down."
La Salle County Animal Control personnel took the pit bull's body for tests to be done for diseases.
Agostinelli said he suffered minor puncture wounds and had to have a tetanus shot, but he doesn't expect he will need any more treatment.
Shanny spent several hours at Novak-Brainard Veterinary Clinic in Ottawa for treatment of wounds to the back, side and neck. Agostinelli said his dog should be fine.
“The pit bull really aggressively went after her,” he said.
The pit bull belonged to Jeffrey Lambert, according to police. Lambert, who lives two doors east of the park, went to the police station — not knowing of the attack and his dog's death — to report his dog had dug out of his fenced-in yard and was missing. A "Beware of Dog" sign is posted on a gate to the backyard.
Lambert could not be reached for comment. A citation is possible.
Regardless whether legal action is taken, Agostinelli said the incident could have been worse.
"The Eastside Park is populated with kids. They're always there. You had the horrible possibility of a child being injured."
(The Times - Oct 13, 2011)
Bob Agostinelli was walking his dog near Eastside Park at Pearl and York streets, when people at the park called to him, asking if he knew who was the owner of a pit bull that was loose in the park.
 |
| Shanny the Sheltie mix is lucky to be alive after being mauled by the pit bull |
As he was being asked this, Agostinelli said the pit bull charged his dog — "Shanny," a 28-pound Shetland Sheepdog - mix.
"I stepped in front of my dog, but I might as well of been the Bears defensive line. He went around me and latched onto my dog's tail end," Agostinelli recalled.
Agostinelli went to the ground and punched the pit bull several times, then stood and started kicking the attacking animal, but to no avail. He yelled for help and several neighbors quickly came over with sticks and other items to use as weapons.
"I whacked the dog, breaking two sticks over his back, but without any response," Agostinelli noted.
Shanny broke from the pit bull, but the pit bull caught the dog again at its throat.
A man then brought Agostinelli a pitchfork, which he drove into the pit bull's head. The pit bull continued holding onto the other dog, but its attack soon stopped. A police officer arrived and shot to death the wounded, if not dying, pit bull.
"If it wasn't for the good fortune of the man bringing me a pitchfork, my dog would have been dead," Agostinelli pointed out. "I'm thankful for everyone who helped and the police, but I get no glee from the pit bull having to be killed. It had to be put down."
La Salle County Animal Control personnel took the pit bull's body for tests to be done for diseases.
Agostinelli said he suffered minor puncture wounds and had to have a tetanus shot, but he doesn't expect he will need any more treatment.
Shanny spent several hours at Novak-Brainard Veterinary Clinic in Ottawa for treatment of wounds to the back, side and neck. Agostinelli said his dog should be fine.
“The pit bull really aggressively went after her,” he said.
The pit bull belonged to Jeffrey Lambert, according to police. Lambert, who lives two doors east of the park, went to the police station — not knowing of the attack and his dog's death — to report his dog had dug out of his fenced-in yard and was missing. A "Beware of Dog" sign is posted on a gate to the backyard.
Lambert could not be reached for comment. A citation is possible.
Regardless whether legal action is taken, Agostinelli said the incident could have been worse.
"The Eastside Park is populated with kids. They're always there. You had the horrible possibility of a child being injured."
(The Times - Oct 13, 2011)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Sanitation crew rescues boy being mauled by dogs
TEXAS -- The Dallas, Texas City Council honored the heroism of three sanitation workers on Wednesday.
The three-man crew of Larry Jones, Steve Thurman and Douglas Rochelle work together daily and on one fateful day, they also saved a life.
Jones spotted two dogs dragging what he thought was a trash bag at the end of the day.
"The closer we got, it appeared to be a boy," Thurman said.
"It was a little boy on the ground, struggling, out of breath," Jones said.
Both said they reacted instinctively and jumped out their truck to help. The dogs appeared to be trying to drag the boy into the alley. Jones grabbed a pitchfork normally used to help gather trash, brush and debris and swung at one dog twice. The force of the blow broke the wooden handle of the pitchfork in half.
Meanwhile, Thurman kicked the second dog that was attacking 9-year-old Shannon Craig. The men eventually fought the dogs off.
"After we got the dogs off, we could see bites on him," Thurman said. "We weren't sure how many. He was disoriented."
Driver Douglas Rochelle called 911 and directed animal control to the vicious dogs when they arrived.
"I'm glad we were at the right place at the right time because had the dogs gotten him in there we wouldn't have seen him at all and who knows what would have happened," he said.
The men received a standing ovation at a Dallas City Council meeting.
"I'm proud to be a mayor of the city of Dallas with folks like you that are among my associates so thank you very much," Mayor Mike Rawlings said.
But for the three men, it was all in a day's work.
"I was just glad to see him up and well and again and moving around being a little boy again," Rochelle said.
(9News - Oct 6, 2011)
The three-man crew of Larry Jones, Steve Thurman and Douglas Rochelle work together daily and on one fateful day, they also saved a life.
Jones spotted two dogs dragging what he thought was a trash bag at the end of the day.
"The closer we got, it appeared to be a boy," Thurman said.
"It was a little boy on the ground, struggling, out of breath," Jones said.
Both said they reacted instinctively and jumped out their truck to help. The dogs appeared to be trying to drag the boy into the alley. Jones grabbed a pitchfork normally used to help gather trash, brush and debris and swung at one dog twice. The force of the blow broke the wooden handle of the pitchfork in half.
Meanwhile, Thurman kicked the second dog that was attacking 9-year-old Shannon Craig. The men eventually fought the dogs off.
"After we got the dogs off, we could see bites on him," Thurman said. "We weren't sure how many. He was disoriented."
Driver Douglas Rochelle called 911 and directed animal control to the vicious dogs when they arrived.
"I'm glad we were at the right place at the right time because had the dogs gotten him in there we wouldn't have seen him at all and who knows what would have happened," he said.
The men received a standing ovation at a Dallas City Council meeting.
"I'm proud to be a mayor of the city of Dallas with folks like you that are among my associates so thank you very much," Mayor Mike Rawlings said.
But for the three men, it was all in a day's work.
"I was just glad to see him up and well and again and moving around being a little boy again," Rochelle said.
(9News - Oct 6, 2011)
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