OKLAHOMA -- Municipal officials here have joined a growing number of cities nationally in banning pit bull terriers from within city limits because of residents' fears.
The Tahlequah City Council in a unanimous vote earlier this month passed the ordinance, city attorney Jack Bliss said.
"Pits just aren't good dogs," he said in explaining why the ordinance was passed.
The move to ban pit bulls in Tahlequah began more than a year ago when citizens complained about a resident who owned seven of the dogs.
Because the city had an ordinance banning the harboring of more than three dogs without a kennel license, city officials were able to force the owner to get rid of four of the pit bulls.
However, city residents told the council they became alarmed when one of the three remaining pit bulls crawled under a fence and attacked another dog.
"The pit bull started after our son," said Lee Simons. "Whether he was going after our son or not, we don't know. But before he could get very close, our dog intercepted him."
Simons said the two dogs became involved in a fight and his dog suffered severe injuries.
"Our son tried banging on the pit bull with a water hose, but it didn't work. Our neighbor tried as hard as possible to separate the dogs, but he didn't have any luck," Simons said. "Finally our neighbor ... shot the dog (pit bull) three times."
After the dog fight, neighbors asked the city council to pass the ordinance barring the dogs from Tahlequah.
Neighbors are concerned with the pit bulls because they think the animals are being raised as fighting dogs, Simons said.
The American Dog Owners Association, headquartered in New York City, has called unconstitutional the ordinances passed around the country prohibiting the ownership of pit bulls.
Gordon Carvell, president of the organization, says the ordinances usually are ambiguous.
A ban should not be against a specific breed of dog but against all vicious dogs, he said.
(NewsOK - June 13, 1986)
Saturday, June 14, 1986
Friday, June 6, 1986
Florida: Doberman pinscher mauled to death by two pit bulls
FLORIDA -- A Doberman Pinscher owned by a Wilton Manors woman died May 28 of injuries suffered during an attack by two pit bulls in the 6800 block of Northwest Eighth Terrace, according to a police report.
The Doberman was severely injured during a May 23 fight and was being treated at Academy Animal Hospital when it died, the report said.
The Doberman, which was being kept by a Parkland resident while the owner was out of town, wandered onto private property patrolled by the pit bulls, a police spokesman said.
(Sun Sentinel - June 6, 1986)
The Doberman was severely injured during a May 23 fight and was being treated at Academy Animal Hospital when it died, the report said.
The Doberman, which was being kept by a Parkland resident while the owner was out of town, wandered onto private property patrolled by the pit bulls, a police spokesman said.
(Sun Sentinel - June 6, 1986)
Thursday, March 6, 1986
Florida: Kenneth Raff, 20, bought a pit bull that had attacked its previous owner. He was then mauled by his new pet
FLORIDA -- In the second attack on its owners in four weeks, a male pit bull inflicted severe wounds on a Hollywood man when he tried to keep the animal from killing a cat, Broward County animal control officials said.
Kenneth Raff, 20, a new owner of the pit bull, tried to step between the 35- pound dog and a cat Monday. He was bitten several times and suffered tendon damage to his arm, said animal control supervisor Tim Keller.
Keller said the dog had attacked its previous owner early last month and that the owner had apparently sold the pit bull to Raff.
"I don't know what in the world these people are doing trading vicious dogs around like trading cards," Keller said.
The Animal Control Division was called Wednesday to take the dog from Raff's home in the 7500 block of Farragut Street, Keller said. If the dog remains unclaimed, it will, by Florida law, be euthanized.
(Sun Sentinel - March 6, 1986)
Kenneth Raff, 20, a new owner of the pit bull, tried to step between the 35- pound dog and a cat Monday. He was bitten several times and suffered tendon damage to his arm, said animal control supervisor Tim Keller.
Keller said the dog had attacked its previous owner early last month and that the owner had apparently sold the pit bull to Raff.
"I don't know what in the world these people are doing trading vicious dogs around like trading cards," Keller said.
The Animal Control Division was called Wednesday to take the dog from Raff's home in the 7500 block of Farragut Street, Keller said. If the dog remains unclaimed, it will, by Florida law, be euthanized.
(Sun Sentinel - March 6, 1986)
Thursday, February 13, 1986
Florida: Deborah Schneider, 34, pleads no contest to animal cruelty; ordered to surrender her dog
FLORIDA -- A Davie woman who said she loves animals has been ordered to give up her $600 dog, which prosecutors say almost died because of her neglect.
Deborah Ruth Schneider (aka Debbie Schneider), 34, of the 3500 block of Southwest 60th Avenue, pleaded no contest on Wednesday to a charge of animal cruelty. But she denied starving or not caring for Princess, her white female mixed shepherd.
"I didn't think the charge was fair, but if I went to trial and lost, it would have been jail -- no ifs, ands or buts," she said.
Prosecutors, however, said the charge was justified.
"(The dog) needed constant attention and it wasn't given," said Assistant State Attorney Mark E. Berman. "Its ribs were showing through from being severely malnourished, and it [was so full of internal parasites that it] had progressed to the point where it was endangering the dog's life."
Berman said the dog also had a broken right front leg when found on Nov. 25 by Broward sheriff's deputies who followed up a tip.
Facing one year in jail or a fine of up to $5,000, Schneider negotiated a sentence imposed by Broward County Judge Paul L. Backman in Hollywood.
The sentence includes a $100 fine and $91 in court costs and the option of either repaying the Broward County Animal Control Division $250 for boarding the dog or working 50 hours at its shelter. Schneider said she will pay the $250.
DOG GAINED 25 POUNDS AFTER SEIZED
Ann Crevasse, a county animal control specialist, said the dog weighed 30 pounds when seized. It weighs 55 pounds today.
Crevasse said the county will give the dog to the Broward Animal Protective League to find a home.
"The dog jumps all over you and licks your face. She's a super dog," she said. "She should go to a home with a lot of children. She's a kids' dog."
(Sun Sentinel - February 13, 1986)
Deborah Ruth Schneider (aka Debbie Schneider), 34, of the 3500 block of Southwest 60th Avenue, pleaded no contest on Wednesday to a charge of animal cruelty. But she denied starving or not caring for Princess, her white female mixed shepherd.
"I didn't think the charge was fair, but if I went to trial and lost, it would have been jail -- no ifs, ands or buts," she said.
Prosecutors, however, said the charge was justified.
"(The dog) needed constant attention and it wasn't given," said Assistant State Attorney Mark E. Berman. "Its ribs were showing through from being severely malnourished, and it [was so full of internal parasites that it] had progressed to the point where it was endangering the dog's life."
Berman said the dog also had a broken right front leg when found on Nov. 25 by Broward sheriff's deputies who followed up a tip.
Facing one year in jail or a fine of up to $5,000, Schneider negotiated a sentence imposed by Broward County Judge Paul L. Backman in Hollywood.
The sentence includes a $100 fine and $91 in court costs and the option of either repaying the Broward County Animal Control Division $250 for boarding the dog or working 50 hours at its shelter. Schneider said she will pay the $250.
DOG GAINED 25 POUNDS AFTER SEIZED
Ann Crevasse, a county animal control specialist, said the dog weighed 30 pounds when seized. It weighs 55 pounds today.
Crevasse said the county will give the dog to the Broward Animal Protective League to find a home.
"The dog jumps all over you and licks your face. She's a super dog," she said. "She should go to a home with a lot of children. She's a kids' dog."
(Sun Sentinel - February 13, 1986)
Saturday, October 5, 1985
Pennsylvania: Charles Powell, 19, charged with animal cruelty and theft for his role in stealing dairy cows and killing them
PENNSYLVANIA -- An Indiana County man and a companion from Jefferson County have been accused in connection with the theft of three cows from the Belknap livestock auction center in Armstrong County.
Troopers at Kittanning charged that Luke States, 18, of Rossiter and Charles Powell, 19, of Mayport herded three Holstein dairy cows onto States’ livestock trailer at 3 a.m. Aug. 18 and took the cows to a barn owned by Powell’s family in Ringgold Township.
Three days later, after discovering the cows were running loose in the area, Powell shot and killed two of them with a .30-30 rifle, police reported.
Powell, States and two juvenile boys who had gone out searching for the cattle let the third cow go free, according to criminal complaints filed at the district court in Rural Valley.
States was arraigned Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Samuel Goldstrohm, then was sent to the Armstrong County Jail. He later posted $5,000 bail and was released to await a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 19.
Goldstrohm on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for Powell. Court documents show Powell confessed to his role in the theft and killings on Aug. 23, when troopers at Punxsutawney interviewed him.
On Aug. 25, States told troopers at Kittanning that he helped to steal and transport the cows. Troopers reported the cattle were worth $3,200 and belonged to Moyer Packing of Souderton, Montgomery County. States and Powell have been charged with felony counts of theft, conspiracy and receiving stolen property.
Troopers filed two misdemeanor animal-cruelty charges against Powell for killing the two cows that had escaped from them.
ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Charles Douglas Powell
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 03/31/1986
Height: 6'01"
Weight: 175 lbs
Hair Color: BROWN
Eye Color: HAZEL
Arrest Age:19
Date:09/20/2005
Arresting Agency: Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
Total Bond: $20000
Charges
#1 THEFT BY UNLAW TAKING-MOVABLE PROP
BOND: $5000
#2 RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY
BOND: $5000
#3 CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY ENGAGING
BOND: $5000
#4 CR ANIM: KILL/MAIM DOMESTIC ANIMAL
BOND: $5000
(Indiana Gazette - October 5, 1985)
Troopers at Kittanning charged that Luke States, 18, of Rossiter and Charles Powell, 19, of Mayport herded three Holstein dairy cows onto States’ livestock trailer at 3 a.m. Aug. 18 and took the cows to a barn owned by Powell’s family in Ringgold Township.
Three days later, after discovering the cows were running loose in the area, Powell shot and killed two of them with a .30-30 rifle, police reported.
Powell, States and two juvenile boys who had gone out searching for the cattle let the third cow go free, according to criminal complaints filed at the district court in Rural Valley.
States was arraigned Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Samuel Goldstrohm, then was sent to the Armstrong County Jail. He later posted $5,000 bail and was released to await a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 19.
Goldstrohm on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for Powell. Court documents show Powell confessed to his role in the theft and killings on Aug. 23, when troopers at Punxsutawney interviewed him.
On Aug. 25, States told troopers at Kittanning that he helped to steal and transport the cows. Troopers reported the cattle were worth $3,200 and belonged to Moyer Packing of Souderton, Montgomery County. States and Powell have been charged with felony counts of theft, conspiracy and receiving stolen property.
Troopers filed two misdemeanor animal-cruelty charges against Powell for killing the two cows that had escaped from them.
Full Name: Charles Douglas Powell
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 03/31/1986
Height: 6'01"
Weight: 175 lbs
Hair Color: BROWN
Eye Color: HAZEL
Arrest Age:19
Date:09/20/2005
Arresting Agency: Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
Total Bond: $20000
Charges
#1 THEFT BY UNLAW TAKING-MOVABLE PROP
BOND: $5000
#2 RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY
BOND: $5000
#3 CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY ENGAGING
BOND: $5000
#4 CR ANIM: KILL/MAIM DOMESTIC ANIMAL
BOND: $5000
(Indiana Gazette - October 5, 1985)
Tuesday, July 23, 1985
Florida: Authorities give Mike Thompson and Lynn Thompson back their vicious pit bull which tried to kill mail carrier Louise Johnson
FLORIDA -- Mike Thompson and Lynn Thompson, owners of a vicious pit bull accused of mauling a mail carrier two weeks ago, were victimized by a neighbor`s pit bull just hours before their dog returned home, according to police.
Three of the Thompsons' pet rabbits, kept outside in a metal cage, were killed Sunday night by Stroker, a 7-month-old dog owned by Anthony and Lori Schuerings, the Thompsons' next-door neighbors, police said. Two other rabbits were mutilated, but were expected to live, according to Lynn Thompson.
Stroker was taken to Broward County Animal Control on Monday and released 20 minutes later.
Meanwhile, Mike Thompson brought his pit bulls, Bam-Bam and Pebbles, home Monday amid a throng of reporters and photographers. The police hold on them had been lifted, and Thompson arrived at the animal control center about 3 p.m. to bring them home.
Thompson insists his pets did not injure Louise Johnson, 44, of Lauderhill on July 10 as she was making her rounds.
Thompson was excited to see Bam-Bam for the first time in 12 days. Hugging and kissing the dog, Thompson promised to take the muzzle off of him as soon as they arrived home.
Neither of the dogs had rabies, said William Sulser, acting director of Animal Control.
Johnson identified Bam-Bam as the dog that bit her nearly 50 times while she was inside her Jeep. She told police that Pebbles, a mixed-breed German shepherd, also jumped into the Jeep, but she did not remember that dog biting her.
The attack left her with deep gashes in her right arm and leg and bite marks on her other leg and arm.
Johnson was hospitalized for a week and now has scars on her legs and arms. She filed a $5 million lawsuit against the Thompsons two days after the attack.
Her doctor, Howard Robinson, said she may need another skin graft on her right leg. She is not expected to return to work for some time, said Postmaster Merio Claudio.
Claudio sent a special delivery letter to the Thompsons on Monday, telling them the Post Office will not deliver mail to their home now that their pit bulls have returned.
"Until we get a written letter from them that they will absolutely confine the dog or rent a post office box, we will not deliver mail to the Thompsons," he said.
Mike Thompson said he did not see the original attack on his pet rabbits Sunday, but he caught Stroker when the dog returned to the rabbit cage Monday morning. "He tore the cage to pieces. Of my 14 rabbits, three are dead and two are recovering."
Thompson said he tried to scare the dog away by firing a handgun filled with blanks, police said. He then put the dog in his garage until a Broward Sheriff's Office deputy arrived, said Matt Weissing, sheriff's spokesman.
The Schuerings did not dispute that their dog killed the rabbits. Lori Schuerings, however, said the rabbits constantly were loose. The Schuerings were charged with breaking the county's leash law.
"My hunting dogs got the scent of them, and that's what happens," he said. "It seems we're getting a little feud started."
The Thompsons have said they think the Schuerings' mixed breed pit bull attacked Johnson.
Yeah, no. It was YOUR dog.
Schuering joined with other residents in the area in calling for Bam-Bam to be taken away permanently.
"I don't want that dog in my neighborhood. I just hope that dog don't come in my yard because I'll shoot it."
On the day of the attack on Johnson, Lynn Thompson had said she would not allow Bam-Bam back in the house with her three young children. On Monday, however, she was thrilled to have her pit bull and mixed breed German shepherd home.
"Our dogs our home, and our kids are happy. I can go to sleep tonight," she said.
(Sun Sentinel - July 23, 1985)
Earlier:
Three of the Thompsons' pet rabbits, kept outside in a metal cage, were killed Sunday night by Stroker, a 7-month-old dog owned by Anthony and Lori Schuerings, the Thompsons' next-door neighbors, police said. Two other rabbits were mutilated, but were expected to live, according to Lynn Thompson.
Stroker was taken to Broward County Animal Control on Monday and released 20 minutes later.
Meanwhile, Mike Thompson brought his pit bulls, Bam-Bam and Pebbles, home Monday amid a throng of reporters and photographers. The police hold on them had been lifted, and Thompson arrived at the animal control center about 3 p.m. to bring them home.
Thompson insists his pets did not injure Louise Johnson, 44, of Lauderhill on July 10 as she was making her rounds.
Thompson was excited to see Bam-Bam for the first time in 12 days. Hugging and kissing the dog, Thompson promised to take the muzzle off of him as soon as they arrived home.
Neither of the dogs had rabies, said William Sulser, acting director of Animal Control.
Johnson identified Bam-Bam as the dog that bit her nearly 50 times while she was inside her Jeep. She told police that Pebbles, a mixed-breed German shepherd, also jumped into the Jeep, but she did not remember that dog biting her.
The attack left her with deep gashes in her right arm and leg and bite marks on her other leg and arm.
Johnson was hospitalized for a week and now has scars on her legs and arms. She filed a $5 million lawsuit against the Thompsons two days after the attack.
Her doctor, Howard Robinson, said she may need another skin graft on her right leg. She is not expected to return to work for some time, said Postmaster Merio Claudio.
Claudio sent a special delivery letter to the Thompsons on Monday, telling them the Post Office will not deliver mail to their home now that their pit bulls have returned.
"Until we get a written letter from them that they will absolutely confine the dog or rent a post office box, we will not deliver mail to the Thompsons," he said.
Mike Thompson said he did not see the original attack on his pet rabbits Sunday, but he caught Stroker when the dog returned to the rabbit cage Monday morning. "He tore the cage to pieces. Of my 14 rabbits, three are dead and two are recovering."
Thompson said he tried to scare the dog away by firing a handgun filled with blanks, police said. He then put the dog in his garage until a Broward Sheriff's Office deputy arrived, said Matt Weissing, sheriff's spokesman.
The Schuerings did not dispute that their dog killed the rabbits. Lori Schuerings, however, said the rabbits constantly were loose. The Schuerings were charged with breaking the county's leash law.
"My hunting dogs got the scent of them, and that's what happens," he said. "It seems we're getting a little feud started."
The Thompsons have said they think the Schuerings' mixed breed pit bull attacked Johnson.
Yeah, no. It was YOUR dog.
Schuering joined with other residents in the area in calling for Bam-Bam to be taken away permanently.
"I don't want that dog in my neighborhood. I just hope that dog don't come in my yard because I'll shoot it."
On the day of the attack on Johnson, Lynn Thompson had said she would not allow Bam-Bam back in the house with her three young children. On Monday, however, she was thrilled to have her pit bull and mixed breed German shepherd home.
"Our dogs our home, and our kids are happy. I can go to sleep tonight," she said.
(Sun Sentinel - July 23, 1985)
Earlier:
Sunday, July 21, 1985
Florida: Jim Massimiani blames everyone but himself for his English Mastiff's attacks
FLORIDA -- It weighs 160 pounds and stands 3 feet tall, but Jim Massimiani's English mastiff looks like it would rather sleep than fight.
The dog, named Slough, rested contentedly on a shady front porch and licked the concrete floor while his master talked about the two neighborhood dogs Slough has fought in the last two months.
"He won't attack people," said Massimiani, who lives in an unincorporated area near Pompano Beach. "All he's trying to do is protect the property. He'll attack any dog that comes on the property or looks like it's going to."
Hope Koppel, owner of a dog Slough sent to the veterinarian last May, said it may be only a matter of time until a person is injured.
"If that dog ever gets a kid, what's the guy going to say, 'I'm sorry?'" Koppel said.
Francis Sabatini of the 3800 block of Northeast 16th Terrace was knocked down but not injured Tuesday when Slough attacked her dog as she walked him past Massimiani`s house in the 1500 block of Northeast 40th Street, she said.
"It's terrible, that dog is a monster," said Sabatini. "He got my dog by the throat, and I thought he was dead."
Sabatini said her dog, a Siberian husky named Duke, was not injured. But Koppel said her dog, a 6-year-old Labrador and German shepherd mix named Spooky, needed 13 stitches to close gashes following its bout with Slough.
Koppel said she and her husband were walking Spooky on a leash on the street in front of Massimiani's house when Slough broke his clothesline tether and charged. As Slough bit Spooky in the right flank, Koppel used the soda bottle she was drinking from as a weapon, she said.
"I poured the Coke over his face and hit him with the bottle, but I couldn't get him off," Koppel said.
Koppel said her husband, Mark, started running toward home with Spooky, but Slough followed and continued biting the dog. Massimiani, who said the Koppels were walking Spooky on the swale of his yard, ran out of his house and called Slough off.
In photographs Koppel said she took of Spooky after bringing him home from the vet, several sutured gashes are visible in the middle of a shaved area on the dog's side. Except for a small, open wound, the injuries have healed.
The vet bill was $173. Massimiani said he agreed to pay it a little at a time, but quit after giving Koppel two $20 payments in June, claiming Koppel wanted too much money at once. She has filed suit in small claims court for the rest of the money plus the expense of two $10 checkup visits Spooky needed.
"It's not the payment," Koppel insisted. "What if that dog gets a kid?"
Massimiani said he doesn't mind going to court, if only to get an acceptable payment schedule.
Massimiani, who has owned the 7-year-old Mastiff since getting the $800 dog as a gift from a friend four years ago, also owns a pit bull. Both dogs are usually penned up in Massimiani's fenced-in back yard, he said.
Massimiani claims the Mastiff is "obedience trained" and insists all dogs sometimes get into fights.
"Dogs will be dogs. It's as simple as that," he said.
Well clearly he's not going to do anything. Isn't animal control going to do anything about it?
(Sun Sentinel - July 21, 1985)
The dog, named Slough, rested contentedly on a shady front porch and licked the concrete floor while his master talked about the two neighborhood dogs Slough has fought in the last two months.
"He won't attack people," said Massimiani, who lives in an unincorporated area near Pompano Beach. "All he's trying to do is protect the property. He'll attack any dog that comes on the property or looks like it's going to."
Hope Koppel, owner of a dog Slough sent to the veterinarian last May, said it may be only a matter of time until a person is injured.
"If that dog ever gets a kid, what's the guy going to say, 'I'm sorry?'" Koppel said.
Francis Sabatini of the 3800 block of Northeast 16th Terrace was knocked down but not injured Tuesday when Slough attacked her dog as she walked him past Massimiani`s house in the 1500 block of Northeast 40th Street, she said.
"It's terrible, that dog is a monster," said Sabatini. "He got my dog by the throat, and I thought he was dead."
Sabatini said her dog, a Siberian husky named Duke, was not injured. But Koppel said her dog, a 6-year-old Labrador and German shepherd mix named Spooky, needed 13 stitches to close gashes following its bout with Slough.
Koppel said she and her husband were walking Spooky on a leash on the street in front of Massimiani's house when Slough broke his clothesline tether and charged. As Slough bit Spooky in the right flank, Koppel used the soda bottle she was drinking from as a weapon, she said.
"I poured the Coke over his face and hit him with the bottle, but I couldn't get him off," Koppel said.
Koppel said her husband, Mark, started running toward home with Spooky, but Slough followed and continued biting the dog. Massimiani, who said the Koppels were walking Spooky on the swale of his yard, ran out of his house and called Slough off.
In photographs Koppel said she took of Spooky after bringing him home from the vet, several sutured gashes are visible in the middle of a shaved area on the dog's side. Except for a small, open wound, the injuries have healed.
The vet bill was $173. Massimiani said he agreed to pay it a little at a time, but quit after giving Koppel two $20 payments in June, claiming Koppel wanted too much money at once. She has filed suit in small claims court for the rest of the money plus the expense of two $10 checkup visits Spooky needed.
"It's not the payment," Koppel insisted. "What if that dog gets a kid?"
Massimiani said he doesn't mind going to court, if only to get an acceptable payment schedule.
Massimiani, who has owned the 7-year-old Mastiff since getting the $800 dog as a gift from a friend four years ago, also owns a pit bull. Both dogs are usually penned up in Massimiani's fenced-in back yard, he said.
Massimiani claims the Mastiff is "obedience trained" and insists all dogs sometimes get into fights.
"Dogs will be dogs. It's as simple as that," he said.
Well clearly he's not going to do anything. Isn't animal control going to do anything about it?
(Sun Sentinel - July 21, 1985)
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