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24 thoughts on “2009 Dog Bite Fatality: 70-Year Old Dies After Violent Maiming by Pit Bulls

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  1. Another pit bull "advocate," a pit bull owner and their pit bulls, has MURDERED an innocent person, and the authority figures of West Virginia have colluded with this pit bull owner/breeder to allow this murder to happen.

    Another probable illegal, no-taxes-paid pit bull breeding business, because West Virginia lets dog fighters and puppy mills run rampant with no regulation.

    No enforcement of animal control laws. No seizure and euthanization of dangerous dogs that are likely to kill.

    A criminal gets enabled, and kill they did.

  2. Will state and federal tax authorities investigate this criminal business? The probably YEARS of no taxes paid, while possibly illegally collecting government assistance and not reporting income?

    Or will these criminals get away with multiple crimes?

    Please please, family of this poor man. You must hire an attorney that specializes in dog attack victims, and you must sue the breeders, the owners of the property, and the authorities that let these criminals murder.

    I am so sorry for your loss, a loss that need never have happened.

  3. Family of Lowell Borden, I grieve for you.

    I know how difficult it is, but I hope you can advocate for the victims of pit bulls in WV, and educate legislators on not only the dangers of these dogs, but the corrupt lobbying and lies of the pit bull breeding and "advocacy" population that will deluge legislators with opposition to any laws.

    The pit bull lobby only cares about protecting the incomes they get from pit bulls and fighting against regulation, and they make up any amount of lies and propaganda to trick legislators into believing these dogs are ok.

    They will put heavy pressure on legislators to oppose laws.

    Meanwhile, they are tax cheats of the worst kind who are NOT reporting the income they make from these dogs and not paying taxes. They are bad citizens.

    Most of the pit bull lobbyists that will oppose laws in your state will be from OUT of state, and your legislators probably won't know this!

    Some legislators (and some members of the media) are foolish and gullible, and the mob lobbing manipulates them. Some legislators are breeders themselves or connected to some.

    Pit bulls are bred as fighting dogs. THey are bred to be aggressive. They were NEVER bred to be "nanny" dogs nor "service" dogs.

    And pit bulls top the list for killing people.

    Pirt bulls ARE different from other breeds, but the pit bull lobbyists will tell any lie or make up any false statistic to hide this and protect their income from regulation

    (and that includes so-called "humane" groups like Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and their registered lobbyist, Ledy VanKavage, who are advocating to protect pit bulls and working with pit bull breeders. While they pretend to be "experts," they don't reveal the financial interests they are working with and protecting)

  4. I knew this one was coming. Really, groups of elder advocates need to start speaking out in force against these dogs. If victims and potential victims don't start to squeak just as loudly as the zealots then this problem will continue until there are so many pits and so many deaths that it can longer be ignored or whitewashed. And, unfortunately, at that time there will be sweeping restrictions placed on the ownership of ALL dogs. If the law accepts that pits are "just like other dogs" then all dogs will pay the price when the deaths start to roll in at 100 or 150 or 200 annually (and it isn't far off with the exponential increase in the population of these dogs).

  5. Some chat about the Blankenships

    http://www.topix.com/forum/city/peterstown-wv/TA3V2OCKFICM5MGLD

    Notice this comment. I wonder how many of these pit bull attacks go completely unreported?

    "that is the truth and i know this 4 a fact. My brother had one about 2 years ago and we all thought it was a good dog until it turned on my 5 year old neice and almost bit her fingers off. She was hospitalized for 3 days. It was awful. Them dogs ALL OF THEM should be completely out lawed"

  6. Piticide number 81 since 2005…but I'm sure we will hear about the Pom mix from 1999 that killed a newborn.

    This one sounds like a clear case of manslaughter.

  7. And if this poor man hadn't died from his injuries this would have been called…a BITE. The dogs ripped off and ate his nose, his lips, his cheeks, his eyeballs, and probably his hands, feet, and testicles, but if he had not succumbed he would have simply been added to the bite statistics.

    Unreal.

  8. Another human aggressive Pit Bull breeding operation…Let's hope that the DA pursues Tax Evasion charges since this homicide will only draw misdemeanor charges under the idiotic dangerous dog laws.

    A travesty!

  9. I'm too angry and appalled to post much at the moment except to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victim. Stay strong, be there for one another, and look to places like this where you can find support for your cause and people who are willing to listen to you without defending the demon dogs known as pits.

  10. I have known Lowell for a few years and I have to say he was one of the nicest men that has ever walked the earth. He tried to help anyone and everyone he came into contact with and always had a nice word and smile for all! No one deserves such a horrible death. My heart goes out to Drema and their kids in hopes they can move past this and fight for the changes they need in the laws here. There are so many stray/wild dogs roaming the mountains and backyard breeding operations that this proves no one is safe to take a walk.

    We love you Lowell and will miss you terribly!

  11. I am so distressed by this terrible murder.

    I am so distressed that I know that another victim of pit bulls is out there, unaware, and going to meet a terrible fate that need not ever happen.

    What kind of country have we become that we let a bunch of dog fighters and dog breeders control our lives?

  12. another senseless brutal murder by dog. we need a law specifically for this crime.

    i find these attacks on the elderly who are just out for a walk to be the most disturbing of all. and the attitude towards it and the legal ramifications is just appalling. i have no sympathy for the owners of any of these dogs, none. they belong in prison.

    receiving tickets for savagely violent deaths… it feels like i am living in a third world country.

  13. I'm glad to see that further charges are being filed. Frankly, when it comes to roaming packs of pit bulls, I think it should be murder, not manslaughter. At least they're doing something beyond the insulting slap on the wrist misdemeanor charges.

  14. This is such a horrible tragedy — not an accident OR the will of God, as some pit nutter would say. I am so glad that charges have been filed. The pit community is always saying that's what needs to be done (you know — punish the deed, not the breed.) But it seems that whenever charges are filed, they cry foul, that is was just a terrible accident, with dogs doing what dogs do.

    RIP, Lowell.

  15. Odd…In Ohio, where this good man spent his working years, Pit Bulls have mandatory enclosure, fencing and insurance requirements.

  16. ANY DOG can be trained to be a killer. It is the owners responsibility to see to it that they are in a confined fenced in kennel and on a chain if they ar ea vicious type of dog. BUT this particulap breed of dog should be a mandatory spay and neuter law until their is no more alive of this particular breed alive. It is abslutely horrible what happened to this gentleman I do not think a trained athlete could have gotten away from these killers if they had wanted to. I am heartbroken for this mans' family. they are in my thoughts and prayers and I hope they can find some comfort at this most dificult time that they are going through. Just know that your loved one is in a better place and is not suffering after what those killers did to him. I know that does not help much but God is with your family at this most difficult time.

  17. While it may be possible to train dogs to be killers, Anon, pits don't have to be trained for it. It's in their genes. That's the real danger of these animals. They can come from completely loving, truly well intended families and still snap and kill. There's no such thing as a safe pit.

  18. More denial from the Pro-maulers in the Pit community….This was clearly another of many human agressive Pit bull breeding operation.

    81st Pit Bull DBRF in 5 years with no solution offered by the Pit Bull community.

    Unfortunately, communities have no choice but to defend themselves and Ban the Breed.

    Make Pit Bull breeding a criminal offense punishable by 10 years in Prison. There's a solution for ya!

  19. No. They are charged with INVOLUNTARY manslaughter, which carries a much less penalty I believe.

  20. What an awful way to die. It is difficult it imagine something worse. It goes without saying that Mr. Bowden didn't deserve this that it makes me sick to think of how he and his family suffered for days in the hospital until he finally expired. What torture for everyone.

    There can be no justice done here. But there ought to be consequences. Harsh consequences upon Blankenship and Co.

    I read three "victims of attacks" stories tonight and I can't read any more right now.

    I keep imagining if it was my mother. If the victim was my mother.

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