Followup on fatality in Middleburg, FL

I have been waiting to post this information as I was waiting for the last of Jim's interview to be completed.  But given the discussions over the past couple of days, I think it's important to post what I know as of now, and I'll let Jim tell the rest of the story later.

Last week I got an email from Jim Crosby regarding the fatality of a 42 year old woman, Tina Canterbury, that occured the first week of October.  When this story broke two months ago, I was really shocked at the news.  It is very rare for a dog to attack and kill its owner -- and even more rare when the dog is kept as a family pet...ie not kept outside or in a basement on some type of tether.

This appeared to be an outlier of a case.  Quotes were what you would expect them to be: "It's a tragic and horrific situation that brings to light the danger of these type of animals," said county Sheriff Rick Beseler.  "These dogs had never bitten a human before, but they did today -- they did turn on their owner."

The image of the pit bull that could snap at any moment comes to the forefront. 

For those of you all who aren't familiar with Jim Crosby, here's the down and dirty.  Crosby is a retired police officer who goes to the scenes of as many of these types of incidences as possible.  He works with the dogs, interviews family, neighbors, friends, and tries to get to the true behavioral reasons of why a major dog attack occurred.    Crosby spoke at our Canine Legislation Conference last September and blew me away with the stories of major attacks, how they were reported by the media, and the stories behind the stories in these incidences that are seldom made public. 

Based on Jim's analysis of the situation from interviewing several members of the family and neighbors and friends, it sounds like this woman wasn't just one day randomly turned on by her dogs. 

While it is true that the dogs were raised as pups with the family and had never bitten a person before, they had been responsible for killing at least one cat and another dog within the past year.  They had also shown aggression toward several people, including several members of the family, and had fought with each other and dogs on either side of the fences that ajoined their property.  In fact, the couple had decided to get rid of one of the dogs because the woman who was killed "couldn't handle him".   It appears as if the woman had the two dogs together on leashes, they got into another fight with each other and she got caught in the middle of the fight. 

It's horrible that an attack like this hit this family.  I feel sorry for all the members of the family who sound like wanted to do the right thing.  I also think it's horrible that the media used this as an example of "the danger of this type of dog" vs using this woman's death as a way of showing people the REAL reasons why dogs attack...and the dangers of letting aggressive behavior fester in a dog and build over time.  Serious attacks are almost never the first sign of aggression by dogs, regardless of breed. 

By the way, I'm thrilled to note that Jim has started his own blog called Canine Aggression Issues with Jim Crosby.  It's my hope (and understanding) that Jim will use this forum as a way of getting out real information about the reasons behind major dog attacks instead of us relying on people sititng behind desks and reading newspaper clippings about these stories making these determinations. 

Thanks Jim for the info -- and I look forward to more installments on your blog....including the final story behind the story in this case once you've completed all your interviews.

Comments

[Jm Crosby]

Thanks for the mention, Brent. To amplify just a little, since I am waiting for the final interview:
Yes, the dogs were neutered males-neutered only a year or so ago AFTER problem behavior had steadily worsened.
Yes, there were signs of problems-that went unrecognized by the owners that considered the aggression 'normal'.
Yes, other people's dogs in the area act very much the came, so it is indicative of an overall lack of EDUCATION by the community authorities that helped set this one up.
I think this case shows how otherwise well meaning and kind people can set the stage for a tragedy by not understanding normal versus problematic dog behavior. Legislation would not have helped here, because any dog with the same sequence of behavior escalation would have resulted in the same outcome.
Stay with it, and as I post more cases on the new blog I hope people will read, discuss, and learn from these tragic cases.
Jim

[Mac`s Gang]

Tragic for the family and my heart goes out to them.
This walking of multiple dogs by one owner has always concerned me.
I have always owned 2 dogs but have always walked them separately(not because of their behaviour) but because of situations that I might encounter.My rule is always one dog under the control of one person.
I have witnessed this,where one dog is not under control,let alone the 2nd.
Also there is the risk of encountering a loose dog without an owner going after your dogs.
And that`s a difficult situation to control.
Is this a legitimate concern?

[Marjorie]

Wow. Didn't I describe this exact scenario in one my comments on a recent thread? ...Further investigation would find that the dogs had, indeed, behaved aggressively before and that the aggressive behaviour was minimized, dismissed, or considered "normal"?

I mean, I can't emphasize this enough, "An unprovoked bite is never the first sign of aggression in dogs. It's the last."

[Caveat]

Hi Jim, Congrats on your new blog, I'll add it to my blogroll. I had the pleasure of chatting with you in KCMO at the conference. I'm the 'platinum blonde' from Canada with a wiener dog.

I walked my mini Dachshund and my Rottweiler cross together for years. I currently walk my two Brussels Griffons and my Dachs together. The trick is to keep them in formation, which takes some practice, otherwise it's the Siamese torture test!

If I had two dogs the size of my now dead big guy, 85 - 90 lbs each, it would be difficult, if not impossible to feel confident on leash walks. I'd be seriously outweighed so if they went after a squirrel or something it would be tough. No matter how well trained to walk on lead, things can happen. Plus, they influence each other's moods and behaviour.

It's just using common sense, really.

So, Marjorie, when will you publish some stuff so I can find it in PubMed or a similar place? I'd love to see your findings out there.

[Marjorie]

How can you even ask?!? The research, alone, was gruelling, time-consuming and expensive. To go back to square one and re-format everything, and update it with more recent info., to turn it into a satisfactory scientific research paper, would be a nightmare. (I mean, I didn't do the research with the goal of "being published".) I don't have the ganas for that kind of work, anymore. Besides, I'm happily R-E-T-I-R-E-D, as you well know. With the exception of one new BSL-related project I'm finishing up, I'm leaving the future up to the next generation.

It's a pity there aren't more people willing to do the hard work. As I was alluding to earlier, it seems everyone wants "someone else" to do the research, so they can just quote it.

[Caveat]

Since you've done it, it would be nice to be able to 'quote it' when the buffoons starat their nonsense.

There's a real paucity of published, quotable evidence out there around out 'little problem'.

I'm actually working on getting a pilot study off the ground myself which takes time. If it works, I'll do a full study. Whether it will be published remains to be seen but I plan to make the data available to people who might find it useful once it's been gathered and cleaned.