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14 thoughts on “2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Rancho Mirage Man Killed by Two Mastiff Dogs

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  1. His dodging would hardly surprise me. Two fatal attacks in 3 months time? Not such a good reflection on the county’s animal department. Let’s remember that both attacks appear to have involved the deaths of full grown men.

  2. Animal Services Behaviorist Jackie Schart said it is believed the female was “in heat.”

    “An intact male would definitely be more territorial when it comes to protecting an intact female that he thinks that is his,” Schart said. She said each dog was some sort of bull mastiff-mix.

    (This would be the particularly violent "mix" coming from the area of Riverside…)

    http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=10021425&nav=menu191_2

  3. So No Kill strikes again!

    Enable aggressive dogs and dog breeders, wipe out animal control laws like pet limits and breeder registration (breeders, hooked up with the crazy No Kill movement, doesn’t like those laws, and let everything go to hell!

  4. The “Band Dog” (50% pit bull-50% mastiff). There isn’t any question that blackie is one of these. Here’s a photo of a “Band Dog” (also referred to as the “Bandog” and “Bandoggie” and “American Bandogge Mastiff”).

    http://www.mydogbreeds.com/dog-breeds/bandog.asp

    Appearance – The Bandog is a large dog ranging in weight from about 100 to 150 lbs and roughly 26 inches at the withers.
    History – In the early 1970s the late veterinarian, John Swinford D.V.M., began a breeding program, which was ultimately to produce the greatest of all protection dogs. Though breeders of Bandogs today disagree on just what breeds went into Swinford’s original breeding scheme, the consensus is that it was 50 percent American Pit Bull Terrier and 50 percent “very large dog”. Unfortunately, Swinford died at an early age and his Bandog was never perfected or recognized as a purebred.
    Current breeding – Contemporary Bandogs are bred with different types of dogs, including American Pit Bull Terrier with either a Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, or Bull Mastiff. Whichever breeding plan is employed, it is necessary to cross the American Pit Bull Terrier to one of these Mastiffs each time that a litter of Bandogs is desired.

    American Bandogge Mastiff
    50% American Pit Bull Terrier and 50% Neapolitan Mastiff

    [Common misspellings are american bandogge, american bandog mastiff, american bandog mastiffs, american bandogg mastiff, american bandogg mastiffs, americanbandogge mastiff, americanbandogge mastiffs, american bandogmastiff, american bandogmastiffs.]

    http://www.gotdogsonline.com/pictures/gallery/american-bandogge-mastiffs/american-bandogge-mastiff-0006/

    A forum board comment
    If anyone is interested in serious Mastiff crosses, I suggest that they do a search using these key words: American Mastiff (Should contain Rot plus other Mastiff type dogs), Band Dogs (Mastiff crosses with pit bulls). The Band dog is used for serious hog hunting, protection work and most likely illegal pit fighting. … “Crack Dog” Rottweiler pit bull cross used by Crack dealers for protection.

    http://forums.doghobbyist.com/view.php?id=38004,39066

  5. Joe Lucero of “Working Class Kennels” is in Riverside, California.

    Working Class Kennels
    56925 Yucca Trail (Suite 225)
    Yucca Valley, CA 92284
    (760) 364-4576

    Lucero is arguably the top bandog breeder
    http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenwrk3/bandog.htm

    So what’s the deal with bandogs killing 2 full grown men in less than 3 months in Riverside, CA? What’s the trend and where did Hill get his dogs from?

  6. The one the left looks a lot like a Boerboel as well. There’s a popular Boerboel breeder in Riverside:

    Select Boerboels-South African Mastiffs
    Contact: Cammie Givens
    Inland Empire, CA

    http://breederinfocenter.com/index.php?a_id=20080706013042

    It’s interesting that Riverside Animal Services calls the dogs “some kind of bullmastiff mix,” and just leaves it at that.

  7. The bandogs were designed to be man-eating Frankenmaulers. The Mosslerdogs.com site has some good info on them and John Swinford’s “fiasco.”

    “While Swinford himself failed in his attempt to establish a worthwhile product, his legacy, for better or worse, has inspired legions of experimenters who have produced their own bandogge varieties, with some even going as far as referring to their dogs as “Swinfords” even though neither their dogs nor programmes have anything to do with the original John Swinford fiasco.”

    http://molosserdogs.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.998

  8. Deep wounds on the forearms indicate defensive wounds…ie..the man was fighting for his life!

    Something is going on with these Mastiffs” around Riverside…back in December two went on a crazy muli-bite off property rampage. Unfortunately, the No-Kill Hippies running Animal Control are too busy writing Pit Bull Haikus to look into it.

  9. I recall this attack vaguely…please post a link if you can find one. I did read on wikipedia of all places that the “American” Cane Corso mastiffs often have unstable temperaments. I guess we should start calling them “Riverside County Frankenmaulers.”

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