KC DOG BLOG

Dog Attack Fatality in West Virginia

On November 27, 70 year old Lowell Bowden went out for a walk in the hills Rural Lindside, WV. At some point, a couple of men out hunting came across Mr. Bowden as he was being attacked by four or five dogs.  Bowden died six days later.  The dogs were identified as 'pit bulls'.

The attack fits into what a major attack would look like:  a pack of dogs that are roaming free in a secluded area that attack a singular, elderly victim. The area where Lindside is located is in the 24951 zip code. The entire area has a population of only 1700 people -- nearly 20% of whom live below the poverty line. 

In a study from out of Spain a few years ago, it found that rural areas tend to be more susceptable to major attacks because of the frequency of packs of at-large dogs.

The worst part of this story may be that the family may not see much in the way of justice for this attack. The owners of the dogs were identified, but even though a loss of life occurred, the state cannot press charges for more than just a misdemeanor.

The family has issued a statement asking for the government "to change your laws so that irresponsible dog owners are held accountable for the negligent keep of their dogs." The media however has tried to make this into an appeal for controls on 'pit bulls' - however, there is nothing about the specific breed of dog quoted in the family's statment.

My heart goes out to the family of Mr. Bowden.

Flora, IL woman killed in dog attack

Eighty-five year old Rosie Humphries died yesterday in Flora, IL after she was attacked by a dog in her neighborhood. Ms. Humphries was out walking her dog when a neighbor's dog broke free from it chain and attacked the woman's dog, and her while she tried to keep the dog from her dog.

The dog is currently being described as a 'pit bull' by the media -- and reports are saying that the dog was chained up using a log chain -- and the dog broke free from its collar.

I'm not sure what type of person chains their dog up using a log chain -- but it wouldn't be all that surprising that it's the type of person who's dog ends up attacking an elderly woman. While it is no surprise that a handful of people who hate 'pit bulls' have cluttered up comments sections in the various media outlets, it is disheartening that so many seem to be missing -- likely intentionally - the obvious ownership issues in the case.

I'll post more on this if more details become available. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Ms Humphries, and hope that this case will lead to some appropriate action and education on what really should constitute the responsible keeping of a dog.

This story was covered by 22 news outlets.

White Mills, KY Woman Dead from Preventable Dog Attack

Update 12/3: It sounds as if the owner of the dog will be going in front of a grand jury where he will face penalties of between $500 and a year in prison. Also, Hardin County Animal Control Supervisor Jerry Foley has declared the dog to be a White Boxer mix -- however acknowledges that no DNA tests were administered to determine the exact breed of dog.

On Wednesday night, 53 year old Karen Gillespie, a retired librarian,  went out for a walk to go take pictures of an old one-room school house in the area, but she never came home. When she wasn't home after dark, her husband called the authorities and her body was found the next morning.  According to the official coroner's report, Gillespie died of head injuries suffered from a dog attack.

Authorities have found the dog they believe is responsible for the attack. The dog is owned by Howard Miller -- and this isn't the dog's first run-in with a biting incident.

Apparently the dog had previously bitten a US Census Worker who came up to home.  Authorities were notified of the attack, but did nothing. Incidentally, the dog -- described as an "American Bulldog" (although it looks like a white Boxer to me) also bit a firefighter who was involved in the search for Gillespie.

This is obviously a horrible tragedy - -but what makes it even worse, in my mind, is that the dog was KNOWN to be aggressive and yet no restrictions were put on the dog or its owner. The attack was entirely preventable, but even basic steps were not taken to insure public safety. As Karen Delise of the National Canine Research Council likes to say, "a major act of violence by a dog is never its first sign of aggression, it is its last."

This story has been covered by only eight news outlets thus far.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Gillespie family.

Another fatality

Sixteen month old Destiny Marie Knox is dead after being attacked by a dog.  The information coming in about the story is spotty, at best, at this point, but here is what we think we know.

Destiny was supposedly staying at a babysitter's mobile home off County Road 87  just outside of New Ablany, MS.  The dog was one of at least 5 'pit bulls' on the property  that were always left chained up outside.  However, the dog somehow slipped out of its collar as the family was bringing groceries into the house, got through the open door, and attacked the young toddler.

While the story itself is tragic, what may be more tragic is the reaction of the officials that were interviewed that are already taling about "legislation" and "dog laws".  But none of that will fix the problem we have here.

New Albany, like much of Missisissippi, has a very high percentage of its population living below poverty level (Mississippi as a whole is nearly 20%, New Albany is just below that). And this isn't the first incident of a significant tragedy along this stretch of County road 87 outside of New Ablany.  Eighteen months ago, a child was killed due to child abuse along the same county road. Also on the property, which happened to also be a puppy mill, were over 180 dogs -- many of which were also victims of cruelty.

While it is "easy" for officials to blame a particular breed of dog in this incident, it's much more difficult for them to acknowledge a larger social issue at play here -- one that is at play in many parts of the country. In pockets across the US, we have have groups of people who are low-income and poorly educated....and many of these areas suffer a lot from violence. It appears that this stretch of County Road 87 is no different. And while we can talk things like dog breeds, it is really a distraction from the much larger issue -- which is that as a part of the overall lack of education that comes in these poor areas, so follows the lack of education on how we should properly keep our pets.  Chaining continues to show itself as a horrible way to keep a dog as its primary form of containment -- and often leads to other issues -- including, often, aggression -- especially among those it has not been socialized with (in this case, a toddler who was not a member of the home).

Until we start realizing tragedies like this for what they are, a small part of a larger social issue, we will never make any progress in solving the problem. Breed of dog does not matter...but how the dogs are cared for does.

My heart goes out to all of the families involved in this tragedy.

I'll post more updates as they become available. At this point, only the Tupelo Newspaper and two of the local Tupelo TV stations are covering the incident, so information is coming in pretty slowly.

Another tragic fatal attack

A 2 year old Prescott, AR toddler died yesterday morning after being attacked by a dog. The toddler and his three-year-old brother were staying at their babysitter's house -- and the two boys got out of the house and wandered four blocks away. Apparently the younger child followed a little puppy into the back yard and climbed into a dog house to get the puppy. However, also in the dog house happened to be a chained adult dog that attacked and killed the boy.

The dog is being described as a "pit bull" -- and unfortunately that's where a lot of the emphasis has been. But there is so much blame to be had here -- with two toddlers being able to wander 4 blocks from home, chained dogs in the back yard, and a toddler climbing into a dog house.

But a child is tragically dead.

Prescott is in a remote part of Southwestern Arkansas and has a population of about 4,300 people -- 1/3 of whom (32.5%) live below the poverty line -- which is double the state average.  The link between income/education level and how people care for dogs continues to be overlooked when it comes to these stories -- and how many of these attacks could be prevented through educating people on better was to contain their dogs (and watch their children).

This is the second attack in less than a week that involved a babysitter who let the child alone and ended up dead by a dog attack.

As more details emerge, I will update any relevant information.

California Toddler Dead After Dog Attack

Update: 10/28/09 - It turns out that the dog did not actually belong to the babysitter -- and that it actually belonged to the sitter's inlaws and she was watching the dog for them while they were in the process of moving.  As more information comes out about the attack, it becomes even more clear what a tragedy of errors that occurred to create this fatal attack. A large breed dog that was in a strange envirnoment, with a different handler who was not terribly familiar with the dog's behavior. A child, left unattended in the back yard with the dog. And a sitter who was not watching the child closely enough.

These events are tragic and very preventable. But until we focus on the events that led up to the attack and focus on preventing those -- and not the breed of dog involved (which is still being widely mis-reported), we will make no progress in preventing these tragedies.

This story has now been picked up in over 400 media outlets.

UPDATE:  According to a report by KMPH news in Californina, the babysitter left the child alone "for a few moments" and then ran outside when she heard the commotion.  I can't stress enough that young kids have a way of poking, pushing, tugging, grabbing, etc dogs and usually don't recognize dog's subtle signals to "get away". Because of this, I don't recommend leaving toddlers alone with any dog, regardless of breed, for any amount of time.

The victim of the attack was named Colton Smith.

---------------------------------------

A 17 month old toddler was killed yesterday in Merced County, CA -- a victim of a fatal dog attack.

The child was with the babysitter when the 65 lbs 'pit bull'/Akita mix attacked the child in the throat. The babysitter could not get the dog to let go of the child until she stabbed it with a fork.

The circumstances surrounding the attack remain unclear -- whether the dog knew the child well, whether the child and dog were closely supervised, etc. Hopefully some of that information will come out in the coming days.

The child was taken to the Hospital where he died a short time later.

When the media report came out, the dog was originally just called a 'pit bull' (Not a mix like the local media reported)-- which is what the Associated Press called the dog. The article has run in over 260 newspapers around the country (already) with most of the reports not recognizing the dog as a mixed breed.  (Update: the number of media outlets that covered this is now over 300).

I'll post more details as they become available -- but my heart goes out to the family and the babysitter as they deal with the tragedy.  And it is my hope that the coming days bring conversations about the actual causes of the attack (not focusing on the breed) so people can become more educated about how and why attacks like this happen so future tragedies can be avoided.

Tragic Fatal Attack in Orange, VA

Update 10/1/09:

The little girl has been identified as Jasmine Deane.  And according to one report, there has been apparently "conflicting information" on the attack -- which is probably why information has been so slow to trickle out with more details.  Sheriff Mark Amos noted in multiple articles that the girl's mother told deputies that she had been preoccupied for a short period of time and then noticed the child was not in the house.  Officials could not specificy how long the girl had been gone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to go ahead and post this even though very little information is known about the attack at this point -- but the story has already been picked up by the Associated Press and is spreading like wild fire across the news media this morning.

Last night,a 23 month old girl in Orange County, VA wondered outside her home unattended and up to a dog owned by the family that was chained up in the back yard.  The child was fatally attacked by the dog.  Because there were no adults present, the specific events that led up to the attack are unknown at this time.  Even though the media reports indicate that the dog had "lived with the family for 10 years" -- there is little indication here that the dog was anything more than a resident dog.  Initial media reports are calling the dog a "pit bull".

This attack represents the 22nd fatality of the year -- the 7th involving a young child.  There have been three nearly identical attacks as this this year, where a toddler has wandered outside of the home unattended and up to a chained dog that was in the back yard. 

The attack occurred in a rural area not far from Orange, VA. The community of Orange has a population of about 4,500 people -- over 21% of which live below the nation's poverty line (the VA state % is 9.6%).  Over 10% of the community lives at an income 50% below the poverty line (compared to 4.3% of the entire state).  Income and education continue to be contributing factors in the knowledge people have about how to care for dogs and thus the safety of their children when it comes to those same dogs.

I'll post more about this as information becomes available.

Dog Attack Fatality in Phoenix

I've been holding onto this one for awhile trying to figure out if more information will come to light, but at this point, it doesn't look like it will.

A 90 year old Phoenix woman, Kathleen Doyle, died on July 26th after complications that followed after a dog bite. The woman was apparently bitten on July 20th by an American Bulldog that got loose from its yard when the wind blew the fence gate open. The woman needed surgery following the bite and her health declined quickly afterward.

I can't find any records of the story being  published after the original bite...and only one media outlet covered the woman's tragic death.

Dog fatally attacks 3 day old infant

It feels like doom and despair week this week with yet another tragic story.

In Rio, West Virginia, a 3 day old boy was fatally killed by one of the family dogs.  Apparently the mother was at home feeding the child when the phone rang. The women set the infant on her bed to go get the phone and when she returned, she found her two dogs, one German Shepherd and one 'pit bull', surrounding the child, "acting strangely".  The woman tried to get the two dogs away from the child -- focused first on the German Shepherd -- and the pit bull grabbed the child off the bed. The newborn died from the attack.

This is the third infant under 3 weeks of age to be killed by a dog this year -- all three by different breeds (Chow Chow, Husky, Pit Bull).  Last year, there were 5 infants under 2 months of age that were killed by 4 different breeds (Shar Pei/Pit bull mix, Siberian Husky, Husky, Labrador Retriever, Jack Russell Terrier).

While many are using the case as more fuel to the fire to try to "ban pit bulls", the reality is that the real data indicates a dramatic need for programs like the one put on by Dogs & Storks that really educates people on how to introduce new infants into homes with dogs -- here is an interview I did with the Dogs & Storks founder earlier this year.

Owner negligence and lack of owner education continue to be driving factors in major dog attacks.  Leaving a newborn child unattended around two large dogs is a recipe for a problem, even if in most cases the dogs are fine.  It is time to really focus on education...because owner education (or lack thereof) is the main driving force in these tragedies.

Fatal Attack in Georgia kills elderly couple

An elderly couple were apparently killed this weekend by a pack of dogs. The couple, retired University of Georgia professor Lothar Karl Schweder (77) and his wife, Sherri Schweder (65) who worked at the school's main library, were apparently out looking for their dog that had gotten loose.  The couple was found along a country road where they often walked their dog.

However, the couple never found their dog, and were instead, attacked by 11-14 dogs that are being described by officials as "mongrels" -- and from the looks of them, that's the best description possible.  While the dogs were not aggressive toward authorities, they were found surrounding the couple and the coronery concluded that the victims did die of dog bite wounds. Neighbors report that the dogs have been around for years and never caused a problem in the community.

The dogs belong to a man who used to live in the area but had to move due to medical reasons. However, supposedly a friend was taking the former owner to the property to feed the dogs regularly.

This is a tragic fatality.  The county doesn't have a leash law so the dogs were allowed to roam free with no consequence. This is  the third incident this year that has involved a pack of roaming dogs (6+ dogs) that have been involved in a fatal attack, including an attack last month on Israel Pope Jr, and this past April to Gordon Lykins of Winterhave, AZ.

I do applaoud that a lot of the articles on this story note just how rare attacks like this really are.

I'll update this if anything new comes of it. The story has been widely reported in more than 250 media outlets.

RIP.

Update 8/19/09: Thanks Rinalia for the update. But it seems as if there are quite a few differences in the media reporting on this. But from the more updated reports, it sounds like the dogs were essentially feral dogs.  Susan Fornash, the Director of Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter said that the dogs were malnourished and had a range of healt problems including fly bites on their ears, bite marks on their bodies, etc. She thinks the pack of dogs likely killed the couple because they were hungry and in search of food.  She also described the dogs as "Very Aggressive" toward humans -- which contradicts earlier reports. All 16 dogs have been euthanized.