West Valley shelter, where a pit bull that killed its owner was quarantined.
Records Obtained
Los Angeles, CA - Last week, City Watch LA was the sole publication to report that a pit bull killed its owner by a "bite to the throat." The attack occurred on May 30, 2024 in the West Valley. Records obtained from Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) state the dog, "Ice" was "under quarantine for a Level 5 bite to the throat of the owner." The 53-year old victim was unconscious when transported to a hospital by ambulance. LAAS updated the bite to Level 6 after being informed the victim had died.
"Level 5 and 6: The dog is extremely dangerous and mutilates. The dog is simply not safe around people. I recommend euthanasia because the quality of life is so poor for dogs that have to live out their lives in solitary confinement." - Dr. Ian Dunbar's Dog Bite Scale
Circumstances of the attack state the victim was walking "Ice" on a leash in the apartment complex with a neighbor and her dog on a leash. "The dogs got into a fight and [the] victim tried to break the fight up when her own dog redirected towards her," state the records. This "redirect" targeted the owner's throat and was lethal. "Ice" was a male, 2-year old chocolate-colored pit bull terrier that was not neutered or microchipped. The dog weighed 99 pounds, according to its medical records.
Next of kin provided proof of ownership for the victim and surrendered the dog for euthanasia. On June 4, 2024, the dog was euthanized for "dangerous" behavior. Rabies testing results from the department of health came back negative on June 11. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed the victim's cause of death as, "right neck lacerations." The manner of death was an accident. No other information was released. There were no mainstream media reports about this attack.
The male pit bull "Ice" seen on the victim's Facebook page and while in quarantine at LAAS.
More Records Obtained
Our nonprofit obtained the animal control investigation records through a public records request. The records shed more light on the dog fight and the witnesses involved. The victim was walking "Ice" and her small dog on leashes when they rounded a corner inside the apartment complex courtyard and suddenly encountered "Griffin," a golden retriever. There were multiple witnesses when the fight broke out between Ice and Griffin. It was about 8:30 pm on May 30, and darkness had already fallen.
Owner of Griffin Account
...stated that she and xxxxxx were coming back from dinner, and she had her dog "Griffin" on a harness and retractable leash. She stated that they were already inside the complex walking towards her apartment, and "Griffin" was about (4) ft in front of her. She stated that when they were about to turn a corner, "Griffin" turned first and she heard barking and growling. When she was able to see "Griffin", she saw that it was in a scuffle with another dog and she ran to try to grab her dog. She stated that she grabbed "Griffin" from the handle on his harness and she pulled him away, and as she pulled him away, the other dog immediately redirected at its owner who was also trying to stop the dogs from fighting. She stated that she saw the dog jumped at her and appeared that he started biting her...
Witness 1 Account
...stated that as xxxxxx made her way to grab pull "Griffin" from the scuffle, the other lady had already been trying to break up the fight between the 2 dogs. He stated that the owner had another small dog on a leash who was also barking and going crazy towards the other 2 dogs fighting, so she was struggling trying to control her small dog while also trying to break up the fight between the other 2 dogs. He stated that as xxxxxx pulled "Griffin" away, the other dog redirected on its owner. He stated that the lady was already hunched down from trying to break up the fight, so her dog immediately jumped towards her back latching on to a section of her back. He stated that he was not sure if the dog latched on to the neck area or her back because it was dark and he could not really see...
Witness 2 Account
...at approximately 8:40 p.m. he heard someone screaming right behind his patio area. When he went to look over his fence, he observed a dog on top of someone on the floor and latched on to their upper back, and another man holding the dog by its collar as if he was trying to help. He stated that he went inside his apartment to get his pepper spray, and by the time he went back out and looked over again, the man had left and the dog was still latched on to the person on the floor. He stated that he sprayed the pepper spray towards where the dog was, and the dog immediately stopped attacking the person. He stated that the dog did not appear to have a negative reaction to the spray, and just stopped attacking. He stated that right after the dog stopped, it sat down and laid down next to person...
Then a man showed up and yelled at Ice by name. It was the victim's boyfriend. He had been in her apartment watching TV. He knew about the dog fight but wasn't concerned. When he heard someone call his dog's name, however, he went to look for them. When he got to the scene, he grabbed Ice and tied him up. He told his girlfriend to "get up." It was not until he "used his flashlight that he observed all the blood everywhere and saw that she was bleeding from behind her head," states the report.
Prior to interviewing the boyfriend, the officer spoke with the victim's sister and cousin. "They both stated that the dog was aggressive and had bit several people before," states the report. One stated that she had lived with the victim and her boyfriend for about a year, and during that time, the dog bit two people that she knew, including her own boyfriend. Also, "she knew of at least two other bite incidents involving the dog." Both stated the dog had bitten the victim on the hand last week, as well.
Boyfriend's Account
...He asked me if we could talk in private, so we went out to the hallway. He asked me why I was interviewing the ladies in the apartment if they had nothing to do with the incident and they knew nothing about the dog. I advised him that I was talking to them because they were the ones who opened the door, and claimed to be the victim's family. He stated that they were never there, and now they want to come and get involved with Jennxxxxxx's stuff and his dog. He stated that the dog belonged to him and his girlfriend Jennxxxxxx, and the ladies that were there had nothing to do with them. I asked him if he lived there, and he stated that he did not live with her. I asked him for an ID and stated that he did not have it with him ... he wanted to know where his dog was and what was going to happen...
The Victim’s Sister
The victim's sister said that she was pronounced dead at Northridge Hospital on May 30. The dog Ice was owned by her sister. "The dog bit her sister a few weeks prior on the hand and now has murdered her sister," states the report. She wanted the dog euthanized immediately. "She stated she does not understand why this dog isn't euthanized yet when it killed a person." She provided "proof of ownership for her deceased sister with a Los Angeles Spay Neuter Voucher dated May 14, 2024."
Summary
By the age of 2-years old, Ice was not licensed, neutered or microchipped. The victim had received a free spay & neuter certificate from the city of Los Angeles just two weeks before the attack. The dog already had poor bite inhibition and a history of multiple bites (learned behavior) by this point. Neutering would not have changed those behaviors. The severity of the previous bites is unknown. However, a redirected bite targeting the owner's neck, killing her, was certainly an escalation.
Managing a large dog who had become a "serial biter" by the age of 2 is not easy for an "average" dog owner (80% of dog owners). Whether the owner failed to teach bite inhibition when the dog was a puppy, or the pit bull began biting after reaching sexual maturity (1.5 years old), doesn't matter. The victim didn't know how to manage the dog's behavior. Dog trainers and behaviorists are cost prohibitive for many. There is a reason why this victim qualified for a "free" spay & neuter voucher.
The officer's notes when interviewing the victim's boyfriend are chilling. We did not include all of them. It was clear the boyfriend -- who did not live with the victim and asked the officer to "talk in private" with him -- was insisting the dog was actually his. He no doubt would have tried to keep the dog "Ice," which killed his girlfriend, had he been able to provide proof of ownership. Thank goodness the victim's sister had proof of ownership, a Los Angeles Spay Neuter Voucher dated May 14, 2024.
In August 2019, the victim "Jenn" promoted an "End Breed Specific Legislation" petition from Change.org on her Facebook page. Her Facebook profile picture also depicted pit bulls.
Griffin, a male intact golden retriever, sustained multiple abrasions and punctures. His wounds were shaved and disinfected. He was sent home with pain meds, antibiotics, and an E-collar.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: California Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
03/24/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Killed by Rescue Pit Bull After Trying to Break up a Dog Fight
09/30/19: 2019 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Vicious Attack by Her Own Pit Bull in Virginia
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
In this case there was a witnessed redirected bite. I suspect this accounts for many of the serious and fatal bites. I wonder what the breed of the other dog in the fight was and did it survive?
Regardless, dogs which attack other dogs do get people killed.
Another woman thinking a pit bull would protect her, not kill her. If she did 10 minutes of googling she would have found out otherwise.
So strange that her name has not been disclosed and there has been no other reporting on a DEATH. It is very disturbing, but sadly does not surprise me at all.
I believe, and will continue to believe, that no pit bull can be trusted. We have dear friends that have (had) two service dogs. One Shepard and one Golden. They both got attacked by a pit bull (at the same time) that jumped out of a second story window- came down the roof, jumped to the ground and attacked both dogs. Tore them up terribly. The owners of the pit came out yelling at our friends telling them ‘you have no right walking in front of our house’. THEY WERE ON A PUBLIC STREET ON THE SIDEWALK. Then they were coming out from their vet’s office after a checkup on one of the service dogs that was attacked and ANOTHER PIT BULL got loose from it’s owner and attacked our friends service dog- making it it’s second attack by a pit bull. I FEEL STRONGLY THAT PIT BULLS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE KEPT BY ANYONE EVER. FRANKLY, they are not to be trusted at all, anytime or anywhere. I have Shetland Sheepdogs, and have had only ‘Shelties’ for 70 years. They have two issues – they are vocal and they have lots of hair. THEY ARE NOT A DANGER TO ANYONE. Owning Pit Bulls is like owning an assault rifle. And everyone knows where that leads. Problem is that some are so stupid that they don’t see the danger. Or they simply don’t care. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED.
I absolutely feel for your friend.
I worked protection dogs for years and entire companies of security *hated* pitbulls because the dogs are expensive, take thousands of dollars to train and a long time to get the handler experienced enough to manage a lot of dangerous scenarios.
And pitbull nutters would threaten our dogs on a regular basis. It was so bad that many of us bought our furry partners expensive anti-pitbull collars out of our own salaries. We didn’t want them to walk around looking like punk rockers but it’s all we could do, under the circumstances. It saved one of my dogs’ lives against a young pitbull one night. And we’re not talking Fuzzy McFluffins dogs, here. We’re talking huge, honking, fearless protection dogs with handlers trained to protect those dogs and themselves from deadly force.
I can’t imagine the trauma inflicted on a gentle, biddable, service dog and their disabled handler. The cost is unimaginable.
I’m with you on the “They need to be illegal” train. We had BSL to phase them out, here but it’s been almost two decades and we’ve reverted back to seeing them far too frequently. That WAS my “compromise” position and it’s clear the pitbull supporters didn’t take that position seriously.
So now I’m on the “just make them illegal” train.
I completely agree with you, pits and all other fighting breeds/mixes need to be banned. They should NEVER be pets, it simply isn’t safe. My breed is French Bulldogs. No danger coming from there!
So many advocates of “Pit Bull Terriers” are quick to say “it’s not a pit bull, it’s a hybridized dog” to excuse these deaths. Doesn’t matter…do they ALL kill? No, but the fact they have an incredibly high propensity to is enough. The shelters are complicit in these deaths and need to be held accountable too.
So why aren’t these deaths reported by the media? Perhaps if they were then people might think twice before getting one! What a horrific way to die.
What was the banana and 5 monkeys experiment ?
It shows how the behavior spreads among the collective consciousness of the animal species.
After this many KILLINGS among the pit bull species – no wonder that they become even more dangerous and go for human throat more often.
I think that potential victims ( all of people ) should have some kind of education on subject – how to protect themselves in that scenario – deadly dog attack-
One less pit bull owner. Sorry, I tried 3 different ways to say that and sound less harsh, there’s no way to do that.
Hey, I get it. At least it wasn’t an innocent neighbor or someone else’s pet losing their lives this time.
It sounds like the pitbull owner lost her own life protecting a golden retriever and that dog’s handler. Most pitbull owners wouldn’t do that.
That boyfriend sounds like a stand-up fellow.
I’d like to see “Nancy Grace” cover this story.
1. These animal shelters need to be held accountable when they are trying to foster or adopt out dogs with known aggressive behaviors. Lawsuits perhaps? Not sure what else you could do to make these shelters take seriously, the safety of people, other animals, & society. I really wish she would have taken the dog back to where she got it from after all of those biting incidents.
2. The breeding of other dogs with pits, staffies, & bullies: IMO, sometimes used to balance out the dog’s temperament; however, the dog continues to unprovokedly attack. Some of these dogs are being bred with Labrador Retrievers & the temperament of the Labs are not overriding the temperament of a pit. It makes the Labradors look bad because when the dog attacks, you can look at the dog, & tell it is mixed with a pit (i.e. Lab mix).
this is not a pet, it was made to kill 2000 pound bulls ,it was breed in the UK for killing bulls ,this is not a pet ,this is an animal made ti kill ,so why would a human want an animal as a pet that can kill you ,a pet is gentle,kind,and sweet, why keep an animal as a pet that can,will and has murdered humans mostly children ,its time to rid of these beast that kill humans, you want to live this way ,well then lets own grizzly bears, some humans are not to smart ,i hope who ever want to own a murderour aninmal as a PET ,it should not kill children but the owner who wants this kind of aninmal DOG may they suffer the death that is of their choice ,children suffer enough from war,rape,etc ,i hope you all rott in hell your hell and these beast of animals wanted as pets ,bite into you throat and hill you ,because its your pet you think is a oh sweet animal