Michian: Officer recording of pit bull shooting released

MICHIGAN -- weeks after a family pet was shot dead by a public safety officer, the Newschannel 3 I-Team has obtained the recording of the violent encounter.

It happened around 7:00 p.m. on May 8, in the 1600 block of Kalamazoo's Lay Boulevard.

The internal investigation is complete, so the police report and dash camera video from the shooting has finally been released.

Newschannel 3 has been following the case from the beginning and has the very latest.

None of the incident was caught on camera, but the officer's microphone is engaged throughout--audio which, again, could be disturbing.

It happens so fast it's hard to break down the audio, but it ends with an officer bitten.

"Yeah, twice, right on my knee," the officer can be heard to say. "I'm leaking blood."

But when you break it down slowly, the video seems to support the officers and all the witness statements.

It starts with the officer going door-to-door, investigating a fight between some teenagers.

When the officer comes to the dog's home, you can hear Boss, a 75-pound pit bull, growling from inside.

That's around the time one of the owners says he opened the front door to call to a friend. Boss, he says, trotted into the front yard, and started heading at the officer.

After two seconds of shouting, you can hear what sounds like a dog snarling.

After five seconds, two gunshots, followed a second later by a third, and finally, Boss running down the street, clearly injured.

 

There are statements from four different witnesses in the police report, all of whom say the officer tried to retreat, but the dog charged and attacked.

Even after the first shots were fired, they say the dog continued to go after him, giving him no choice but to fire a third time.

The dog's owner (Nichole Danielle Perry, 34) said the recording was very hard to watch, but declined to comment any further. She was charged under a city ordinance with harboring a dangerous animal. The misdemeanor charge against Perry carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail or a $500 fine.

(NEWSCHANNEL 3 - May 29, 2014)

Victim of dog bites is planning surgery to reattach thumb

KENTUCKY -- An Alvaton woman injured by several dog bites while walking with her dogs is returning to a Tennessee doctor today to set up plans to have her thumb surgically reattached.

Terri Duncan, 39, was injured last week when two neighborhood dogs bit her repeatedly on her property, she said.

Warren County sheriff’s deputies were called to 368 Old Dearing Road at 7:47 p.m. Thursday, where they learned that Duncan was hurt, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

Duncan was taken by medical helicopter from the scene to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where she was treated and released.

At some point during the incident, nearly 80 percent of her thumb became detached, Duncan said.

The final incident report has not been completed, sheriff’s office spokesman Stephen Harmon said.

“We were walking down my driveway. I was going to check the telephone box that is across the road from my house because the Internet hadn’t been working,” Duncan said. “It looked like the telephone company had installed a new box.”

As she walked down her driveway with her Maltese/Yorkie mix in her hands and her purebred American bulldog beside her, she noticed two dogs running toward her.

“As they approached, they were barking,” Duncan said. “Odie (the small dog) had been around them before. He’s been outside, and those dogs have been over here before. As they got up to me they were barking and he barked. I picked (Odie) up whenever they got to me, he was barking, and they were barking. Whenever they got to him, they grabbed his leg. I was just holding him.”

She yelled to a neighbor’s child to get the dogs off her. The child went to get his father, who pulled the dogs off Duncan.

“I never expected them to bite me,” Duncan said.

“They started still trying to get at Odie,” she said. “He was wriggling around in my arms. They are still snapping at his bottom and at his legs. We ended up in the driveway. Both of them at one time started biting at me.”

She dropped her little dog and scooped him up more than once during the melee.

“The second to last time that I dropped him is when one of them got my thumb,” Duncan said. “Whenever they would clamp down, it hurt so bad.”

“I was just in a state of shock,” Duncan said. “I ended up in the middle of the road freaking out. At that point I realized I was covered in blood. Blood was running down my legs.”

The official statement released from the sheriff’s office about the incident states that none of the neighbors claimed ownership of the dogs that bit Duncan, and that Duncan was trying to break up a fight between her bulldog and the other two dogs.

Duncan said she was not trying to break up a dog fight and was walking on her property when the neighborhood dogs attacked her.

Each of the dogs except for the small one was placed in quarantine for 10 days.

(The Daily News - May 27, 2014)

Pit bull attacks jogger in Sterling

CONNECTICUT -- A Sterling woman is recovering tonight after being attacked by a pit bull while out on a jog Sunday.

The 28-year-old was jogging on Route 14 with her small dog when the pit bull ran up out of nowhere.

The woman grabbed her dog to protect it and that’s when the pit bull bit her arm, knocked her to the ground and bit again.

State police say that dog has since been quarantined and animal control tells News 8 that the owner of the pit bull stopped the attack.

“She also had another dog with her, too, which could have also been like a target for the pit bull,” said Tammy Roy of Sterling.

The small dog sustained a large cut to its back. The owner of the pit bull was fined by the state for letting his dog roam.

[Wonderful. Just give the owner a "running at large" ticket. Big deal. What about a charge for having a vicious dog that attacked a person and damaged their property? What happens when this dog goes after a little child?]

Connecticut has had a handful of pit bull attacks so far this year with the most recent one happening just last week when a pit bull went after a St. Bernard in East Haddam. The dog had to get stitches in his legs and feet and was put on antibiotics.

So far this year, the state has had at least four pit bull attacks. Two pit bulls also attacked a Siberian husky in Groton earlier this month. And in April, a 73-year-old man was attacked twice by the same dog in Waterbury on two separate occasions. In Branford, a 93-year-old woman was also attacked.

(WTNH - May 29, 2014)

Woman Demands Action After Her Maltese Is Mauled To Death By Pit Bull

PENNSYLVANIA -- A woman was walking her dog last week when she says a pit bull came out of nowhere and attacked.

The woman’s dog was so badly wounded, it didn’t survive, and now she wanted answers from the pit bull’s owner.

“I came down the steps, walked right there, and all of the sudden that dog was here and grabbed my dog,” says Audrey Wagner about the events of the attack.

Wagner can barely tell the story of her Maltese, named Bear. He was attacked as she held on for dear life, killed right in front of her.

“I’ll never, ever, ever get over it,” says Wagner. “I’m half afraid to walk out there on the street.”
Wagner had the Maltese for nearly seven years.

“It was spoiled rotten. It was just like one of our little kids,” says Wagner.

The incident happened last Friday night. A pit bull apparently escaped from a nearby house, ran two blocks over and attacked Bear unprovoked.

Neighbor Chuck Schessler tried to save Bear.

“I just ran down and I kicked the dog a couple times, and then I grabbed his mouth and tried to open it,” said Schessler. “This lady came over and started hitting it with a stick. Then, the owner of the dog came down and choked the dog until he couldn’t breathe, and then he dropped the other dog.”

Audrey called police, and then called KDKA. She wanted answers.

The pit bull came from a modular home a few blocks away, apparently ran out the front door.

KDKA’s Marty Griffin reached out to the owner and he agreed to meet, but did not want to do a TV interview.

Scott Dodson tells KDKA he felt horrible about what happened, and wants to take care of all medical bills or pay for a new dog if need be.

“He’s attempted to do all the right things. He’s compensated the victim,” says attorney Phil DiLucente.

He volunteered the help settle the case, get Wagner’s bills paid and a new dog, as well as get the pit bull out of the neighborhood.

“He is going to give the dog back to the humane society,” said DiLucente. “These are tragic situations. Whenever it’s a pet, it’s like a family member. Certainly, emotions are running high.”

[So, they got this mauler from the humane society? I suppose it did fabulous on those temperament tests that everyone swears pit bulls do so well on.. yeah THOSE flawed temperament tests. Doesn't surprise me since the humane society's agenda is to push pit bulls on us all.]

Meanwhile, Wagner continues to grieve. She has Bear’s ashes at her home. She’s uncertain right now whether she will get a new dog. But she’s thankful the owner of the pit bull stepped up.

We do not know what will happen with the pit bull once it’s turned over to the humane society.

[Well knowing the humane society's policy on pit bulls, they'll probably put it up on the adoption floor.]

(KDKA - May 29, 2014)

Two cited for dog bites

NEBRASKA -- Two people were cited in separate incidents over the weekend after their dogs were reported to have bitten someone.

Police responded to the Urgent Care Clinic at 800 South Broad Street on Saturday afternoon where a child had been bitten by a dog.

As a result, Edith A. Acosta, 37, of Fremont, was given a vicious dog citation.

Another dog bite on Monday led to Shannon R. Marshall, 29, of Fremont, being cited for dog running at large.

(Fremont Tribune - May 27, 2014)

3-year-old recovers from dog bite; owner repeat offender

OHIO -- A  3-year-old boy is on the road to recovery after a pit bull attack.

Police said Rickey Preston was mauled about two weeks ago in Springfield when the dog’s owner, who they saw was drunk, let several children pet the pit bull.

His family spoke only with 2 NEWS’ Beairshelle Edmé, who also uncovered some history on the dog’s owner, Robert Rife.

Preston visited Dayton Children Hospital Tuesday and according to his grandmother, doctors said he’s making progress.

When 2 NEWS returned to his home, Rickey Preston was all smiles, a very different picture from the little boy with swollen eyes, bandages and more than 200 stitches.

He’s been riding his bicycle, playing with his cousins and most importantly healing.

But his grandmother Sonja Preston said the attack has left a permanent scar, both physically and mentally.

“He’s doing real good. He’s scared of dogs. If he sees a loose dog or anything, he comes flying in the house, which you know I cant blame him for that,” said his grandma.

The family is still waiting for an apology from Rife.

2 NEWS checked with the Clark County Humane Society who told our reporter that Rife has been prosecuted several times for animal cruelty.

Most recently in 2012, he was found guilty of charges that he confined and abused 12 dogs in a small garage he was living in.

He served jail time and was ordered not to own any animals for at least a year, but that order expired when he got this new pit bull.

Preston believes that’s no excuse.

“I mean something, check on him, you know. It was his dog and I hear he wasn’t even suppose to have a dog and so why he even had a vicious a dog like that and you know can’t even come up and check on him,” she said.

Officials euthanized the pit bull that bit Preston.

They said it could have been prevented if Rife took responsibility and followed laws to vaccinate the dog.

Rife’s court date is set for Friday, when he will face 3 misdemeanor charges: failure to license a dog, failure to control a dog, and failure to vaccinate it against rabies.

(WDTN - May 20, 2014)

Frostie the baby goat is being fitted with a wheelchair

AUSTRALIA -- Frostie is a cheeky, happy, little goat, who loves attention.

And the baby goat is certainly getting a lot of it, as he learns to walk with the help of a customised wheelchair.

Frostie, who is just over one-week old, was brought to Edgar's Mission, a not-for profit sanctuary for rescued farm animals outside of Melbourne, on Tuesday.

He was covered in lice, severely dehydrated and had lost the use of his back legs, due to an infection he contracted through his umbilical cord.

Pam Ahern, founder and director of Edgar's Mission, said that after a few days at the sanctuary being treated with antibiotics and painkillers, the little goat had improved so much that he began getting frustrated and trying to run around and play.

Frostie was fitted with a wheelchair, which allows him to run around using his forelegs until he recovers the use of his legs, which should happen as the infection leaves his system.

 The wheelchair was originally made for a baby pig named Leon Trotsky, now one month old, who was injured when his mother sat on him, crushing his hind legs.

The little pig, whom Ms Ahern says has 'so much spunk', has recovered enough that he was able to donate his wheelchair to his friend, Frostie, though Ms Ahern says that Leon is definitely 'too fast for Frostie to keep up with him.'

The little goat is one of 350 animals currently cared for on the sanctuary, which as well as pigs and goats is home to cows, alpacas, deer, sheep, chicken, geese, duck, rabbits, guinea pigs, peacocks, and horses.

 Edgar's Mission was started by Pam Ahearn after she rescued her first pig, Edgar Alan, in 2003 and realised that injured farm animals did not have the same help as native animals or pets.

'I was involved in fostering cats and dogs and rehabilitating native animals, and a lot of organizations do that and a lot of individuals do that, but they forget about farm animals,' she said.

'Just because they look different to cats and dogs, they're still animals.'

Sometimes the animals are brought to the sanctuary by members of the public, as was the case when locals found an injured two-day-old goat on Tuesday that they suspected had fallen off the back of a truck.

(Views Times - May 27, 2014)