Recently Adopted Pit Bull Attacks Girl

FLORIDA --  A two-year-old girl is in recovery after being bitten in the face by her family dog.

That dog was adopted just the day before during a weekend adoption event in Alachua County.

The toddler's parents say she was playing in the front yard when it happened.

Alachua County Sheriff's Office responded to a call Sunday evening regarding the incident.  The girl and her parents rushed to UF Health/Shands Children's Hospital where she underwent facial reconstructive surgery.

Animal services officials are still investigating what caused the attack. 

What caused the attack? Hmm... See below story about the scorpion and the frog...

The dog is currently with animal services where it will be placed under quarantine for ten days.

(WCJB - June 15, 2015)



Story of the Scorpion and the frog:
 One day a scorpion asks a frog to carry him across the river. The frog, afraid of
being stung during the trip declines helping the scorpion. The scorpion argues
that if it stung the frog, both would sink and he would also drown, so for his
benefit he would never sting him. The frog eventually agrees and carries the
scorpion across the river until midway, the scorpion does indeed sting the frog,
dooming them both to drown.

As they slowly sink into the water asks why he had stung him, crying out,
"Now we shall both die!". The scorpion simply points out that,
“I had no choice; it's in my nature“.

Woman suffers 'significant' injuries to face from dog bite, police say

NORTH CAROLINA -- A woman who was bitten in the face by a dog during a run with her boyfriend suffered significant facial wounds and possibly nerve damage to her face, according to Greenville police.

Police said the woman and her boyfriend were running on Rutherford Street near Stall Street Thursday when they came upon a black, adult chow type dog.

According to police, the couple stopped to take a breather and saw the dog “chilling” on the side of the road.

The couple told police said the dog appeared friendly but they didn’t try to pet the animal.

When they turned to start running again, the dog grabbed the back of the woman’s shirt, police said.
Police said the woman went to the ground in a fetal position to protect her face, but the dog was able to bite to her, causing serious wounds on the left side of her face.

Anyone who may have seen this dog or who has information on the dog's owner is asked to call Greenville Police Department at 864-271-5333.

(WYFF.com - June 19, 2015)

Burned puppy euthanized because of injuries; James Franklin Quick charged with felony cruelty to animals

NORTH CAROLINA -- Coco, a puppy set on fire earlier this month, was euthanized Monday.
 
"Yes, I had to make that decision yesterday," Dominique Clark, Coco's owner, said Tuesday morning.

Clark said she made the call because of the extent of the puppy's injuries.

 

"I didn't have a choice," she said. "There was nothing else they could do for her."

A Cumberland County Animal Control officer paid for Coco's initial treatment at Cape Fear Animal Hospital. Coco was later transferred to N.C. State University's veterinary school for treatment.

Clark said Coco's injuries were so bad that veterinarians had to put her under anesthesia to remove her bandages and check her wounds, and that ultimately, her tail and leg would likely need amputation and she would have to wear a diaper.

A report from N.C. State's veterinary hospital said half of Coco's body was covered in fourth-degree burns, and they discovered one fifth-degree burn on her left hip area.

In one spot on the puppy's abdomen, the peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal cavity, was exposed.

The report noted the state of the skin on Coco's tail meant it would require amputation. Coco was euthanized at 5 p.m. Monday.

"It really wasn't worth putting her through any more pain," Clark said.

Clark wanted to go to Raleigh to see Coco before she was euthanized, she said, but veterinarians informed her the puppy was suffering every second she was there.

"I wouldn't want her to suffer another hour while I tried to get to her," Clark said.

James Franklin Quick, 23, of Red Springs, her former boyfriend, has been charged with felony animal cruelty and burning personal property for allegedly setting the dog on fire after an argument with Clark.

The 7-month-old miniature terrier was badly burned on her hind legs and belly.

The public helped raise more than $3,000 last week for the dog's treatment.

(WSPA - June 23, 2015)

Minnesota: Ramsey County Sheriff's Deputy Brett Berry caught on camera beating, kicking and abusing his K9 partner

MINNESOTA -- A Ramsey County Sheriff’s deputy faces criminal charges after he was caught on surveillance cameras abusing his K-9 partner at a Carlton casino.

The Charlton County Sheriff’s Office says 48-year-old Brett Arthur Berry was at Black Bear Casino on June 14 for a canine training and certification event.

Deputies were called to the casino just before 3 a.m. on June 15 on a report of animal cruelty caught on camera involving Berry, who had been asked to leave the casino’s Cobalt Lounge earlier in the night by deputies due to staff complaints.

Berry was observed on camera leaving the lounge, going back to his hotel room and then leaving with his K-9 partner five minutes later. He was then observed carrying the dog to his car while being visibly upset.

The accused was next seen on camera picking up the dog by the collar and throwing it to the ground.

The K-9 then ran back to the casino and got trapped between entryway doors. Berry was seen catching up to his partner, and then repeatedly hitting the K-9.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office released a written statement Friday, saying they are “troubled” by the allegations.

 

“Deputy Berry was sent home from the K-9 trials and placed on administrative leave,” the sheriff’s office said. “The K-9 was evaluated by a veterinarian and no injuries were found. The K-9 partner is currently in the care of others.”

Berry was arrested and has been charged with two misdemeanor counts: one for assaulting a public safety dog and one for animal cruelty.

He is an 18-year veteran of the department and has received letters of recognition in the past. One complaint has been filed against Berry in his career, involving “poor public relations” during a traffic stop.

(CBS Local - June 26, 2015)

Related:

• Justice 4 K9 Boone

VIDEO CLIP FROM LIVELEAK:

Independence couple pleads guilty to animal cruelty, child neglect charges

NEW JERSEY -- Chad Lloyd and Kimberly Brown, the Independence Township pair who were accused of animal cruelty and child neglect after dozens of deceased animals were found on their rental property in April, pleaded guilty Friday to charges of cruelty and neglect before Judge Robert Reed in State Superior Court in Warren County.

Lloyd, 36, pleaded guilty to two counts of child neglect and two offenses of animal cruelty. Brown, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of children, one count of cruelty to animals and one count of failure to provide animal care.

The pair were each originally charged with two civil counts and two criminal counts of animal cruelty as well as with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

While entering his plea, Lloyd, with the help of his attorney, Shepard Kays, said the animals on the property were both those that he raised for sale and kept as pets.

According to his plea, Lloyd acknowledged that many of the animals passed away during a “particularly harsh winter” when they were not provided with the necessary care to survive, but said he did not intend to hurt or kill the creatures.

Lloyd also acknowledged that by failing to remove the decaying carcasses from both the house and the premises and allowing them access to the dead animals, he subjected the two children living on the property ­— aged 3 and 10 at the time ­— to health risks.

In pleading to her charges, Brown similarly acknowledged that her inaction contributed to both the deaths of the animals and the children's exposure to the possibility of infection or disease.

Both Lloyd and Brown declined to comment on the case after leaving the courtroom.

Reed said at sentencing that by pleading guilty, Loyd faces up to four years in state prison, but noted that the defendants are both seeking probation as part of their plea.

Kays, and Brown's attorney, Neil Gillespie, said though the duration of the probation period has yet to be determined, conditions would include compliance with Division of Child Protection and Permanency and family court requirements, the payment of restitution and fines and compliance with a lifetime ban on owning, controlling or possessing animals.

Animal cruelty charges related to the seizure of animals from the pair's second rental property in Lafayette remain pending in municipal court there.

According to a press release from the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, on April 1 the Independence Police Department responded to a report of five loose pigs running loose near Russling Road. Upon returning the animals to the owner's home, the police observed numerous animals in various states of decomposition, the prosecutor's office said.

According to Rick Yocum, president of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, more than 190 animals – including pigs, goats, calves, emus, pheasants, chickens, quails, ducks, 70 partridges, a cockatiel bird, chinchillas, hamsters, guinea pigs, chicks, geese, turkeys, cows and a snake – were removed from Lloyd and Brown's custody from their property in Independence and a second rental property in Lafayette.

The two children, who the couple had a “legal duty” to care for, were also removed from the Independence property, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office said in its original release.

The animals from the two properties were taken to the The Barnyard Sanctuary in Columbia and Skylands Animal Sanctuary in Wantage, Yocum previously said.

Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke said the children were taken to stay with relatives at another location immediately after the incident. An update on the children's current housing situation could not be provided by either Kays or Gillespie on Friday.

Lloyd and Brown will return to court for sentencing on Oct. 2.

(NJ Herald - June 26, 2015)

Earlier:

• Young children exposed to decomposed animals on Warren County property; couple charged

Authorities seize dog with long history of biting people

WASHINGTON -- Kelso police and Cowlitz County Humane Society officers on Monday evening seized a dog from its home in the 900 block of S. Sixth Avenue.

Records from the Humane Society showed the dog, an adult hound mix, had violated a dangerous dog declaration and had bitten eight people throughout a period of 10 years. The first reported bite occurred in 2005. The most recent report was made May 29.

Humane Society Director Keenan Harvey said the dog previously had been declared dangerous but then was taken out of the county. Officials only recently learned the dog was back in the area.

Officers retrieved the dog without incident after executing a search warrant at the home.

The dog will be held in the quarantine area of the Humane Society awaiting court proceedings.

(Longview Daily News - June 24, 2015)

Dogs wreak havoc in Tampa neighborhood; resident bitten on leg in her own yard

FLORIDA -- Residents of the Riverside Heights area of Tampa say dogs are terrorizing part of the neighborhood and their owners won’t do a thing about it.

The situation grew more serious this week when one of the dogs bit a neighbor’s leg.

Cellphone video provided by neighbors show a pack of dogs – big and small – running the streets, all seeming to come from a single home on Kentucky Avenue.

"They are chasing people walking their dogs, chasing people by themselves, growling at people," resident Tara Parttridge said.

One video shows just that: A person walking a leashed dog forced to swat away the animals.

Resident Kelly Cheung got an up close and personal view of the chaos Wednesday while unloading groceries.

"I had my hands full, and I started walking up the sidewalk to go into the front door, and they were following me, barking at me," Kelly Cheung said.

"I was just trying to back up. When I turned to open the door, one of them just jumped up and bit the back of my leg,” Cheung said.

Her injuries were severe enough for a trip to the hospital.

"The blood was everywhere. I'm hysterical," Cheung said. "My little dog, I have a 12-pound mini-Dotson, she was trying to get out to get to them."

Parttridge moved to the neighborhood three years ago and she said the dogs have been a problem for two of them.

She's personally reported the owners on a number of occasions. No one was home when we went there.

Hillsborough Animal Services has confirmed the owner was given a citation and the dog that attacked, which was registered and current on shots, is under home quarantine.

However neighbors aren't sure that’s enough and believe it all could have been prevented if someone had acted sooner.

"I know they've patched holes in fences, but the dogs keep getting out and not only are the dogs getting out but their aggressive dogs getting out," Parttridge said.

"I spoke to one of my neighbors this morning, he said, ‘I hate to say it but you took one for the team.’ I'm just grateful it wasn't my child," Cheung said.

(NBC Bay Area - June 26, 2015)