Rosendale Police rescue victim with "uncontrollable bleeding" after rottweiler attack.
Rescue Rottweiler Attacks
Rosendale, NY - On Tuesday, the Rosendale Police Department responded to a life-threatening dog attack on Madeline Lane, where a caller reported the dog was "ripping the arm off" the victim. "As a result of the nature of the attack and the proximity to the Rosendale Recreation Center, a lockdown of the Rec Center, including the summer camp was conducted," states the release. Responding officers were able to remove the rottweiler from the victim and secure the animal.
Rosendale Police DepartmentOn July 11, 2023 the Rosendale Police Department responded to a reported serious dog attack on Madeline Lane in Rosendale, in which it was reported the dog was "ripping the arm off." As a result of the nature of the attack and the proximity to the Rosendale Recreation Center, a lockdown of the Rec Center, including the summer camp was conducted. Responding officers were able to separate the rottweiler dog from the victim and safely secure the animal. The victim received severe injuries and had uncontrollable bleeding at the time, which resulted in tourniquets being applied to prevent death. The victim was transported to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital.
The Ulster County SPCA took custody of the dog and after an investigation including a review of past incidents involving the dog, the animal was euthanized. The dog had previously been a rescue animal.
The Town of Rosendale Police Department was assisted at the scene by the New York State Police, Ulster County SPCA, Ulster County Sheriff's Office, and Mobile Life Support Services.
The Ulster County SPCA, which acts as the Dog Control Officer (DCO) for the Town of Rosendale, took custody of the rottweiler. The SPCA left a comment on the Rosendale Police Department's press release stating that the "rescue" rottweiler was not adopted from their shelter. The SPCA designated the bite as a Level 5 Bite on the Ian Dunbar Scale -- a Level 6 Bite is death. A Level 5 Bite is "extremely dangerous and mutilates." The SPCA euthanized the "rescue" rottweiler.
However, the SPCA also claimed that "the origin of this dog (rescue/shelter) is not relevant to the behavior or the outcome, as each dog is an individual, and behavior is determined and expressed by a variety of influencing factors." Since the Ulster County SPCA did not assess this dog prior to its adoption, how could the SPCA verify any aspect of their claim? We predict that a civil lawsuit could result from this attack because actions of the origin rescue/shelter may indeed be relevant.
Ulster County SPCA -- Dog Control OfficerAlthough the Ulster County SPCA serves as the only Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) agency in the County, our response to this incident was in our capacity as the Dog Control Officer (DCO) for the Town of Rosendale. This dog had not been adopted from our shelter, but as the DCO, the dog was impounded to our custody and transported to our shelter. In accordance with the Dunbar Dog Bite Assessment, this was a Level 5 bite incident, defined as "multiple bites at Level 4 or above. A concerted, repeated attack." This level of bite additionally categorizes a dog as "unhealthy and untreatable," as this behavior is neither rehabilitative nor manageable. The resulting outcome is euthanasia. It is important that the public understands the objective methods used in determining euthanasia decisions. The origin of this dog (rescue/shelter) is not relevant to the behavior or the outcome, as each dog is an individual, and behavior is determined and expressed by a variety of influencing factors. These situations are emotional and difficult for all involved and, especially with social media, it can be easy to make assumptions and lay blame. We ask for compassion and thoughtfulness for those involved in this tragic incident. Thank you.
The age and gender of the victim were not disclosed. "Uncontrollable bleeding" and "ripping the arm off" of a victim can have different implications for a 35-year old male, versus and 65-year old male or female. Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie is a Level II trauma center. Victims with these types of injuries are typically taken to the nearest Level I trauma center or transported to a Level II and upon "being stabilized," the victim is flown to a Level I trauma center.
Related articles:
04/25/22: Lawsuit Against Texas No-Kill Shelter Alleges "Dog Laundering" After Dog Bites Child
08/23/21: Lawsuit Filed After Los Angeles Animal Services Failed to Disclose a Dog's Bite History
07/31/20: 2020 Edition: 125 Behavior Terms for Shelter Dogs Decoded that Mask Aggression
Makes you wonder WHY the dog was in a shelter, could it be that is exhibited aggression to a previous owner?
Nothing relevant about it, move on.
Really the entire “dogs are individuals” line of dreaming must go.
That was my first thought, too KaD.
Rotts are expensive. People don’t just dump them in the pound “cuz we were moving to a no-dog apartment”.
People dump them when they haven’t trained the pup properly and now it’s figured out it’s smarter and stronger than they are and now it’s threatening mayhem and madness.
Rotts are not a good choice for first time dog owners or busy families. They’re stubborn and independent.
Yet some dimwits simply insist because they saw a great Rott once that it must be great for everything. While the odd Rottie does make a decent family dog, perhaps because it was the most submissive of the litter–they’re a guard breed at heart.
They often have numerous genetic health problems that make them even crankier on top of it all.
Not a surprise when genetics plays out.
People need to STOP dumping their behavioural struggles into the dog shelter system.
News Flash To Dog Owners: You either bought a genetically inferior dog with inherited behavioral traits who turned into a nightmare or your dog raising/handling skills are so crappy you wrecked that dog. Either way–it’s YOUR mess so YOU need to take some responsibility and euthanize the dog because chances are–you don’t know which mistake you made nor does anyone else.
We’re not talking about the annoyance of a yodelling beagle here–we’re talking about molasser breeds that can kill a human.
Yes, Boni you are right on target about people needing to euthanize their dogs instead of saddling the public with them via the shelter system.
However, the public will no longer tolerate hearing this. I started out as a trainer in the late 70s (lived through the Rottie popularity of the 80s), and until the mid-90s people could hear the recommendation of euthanasia and followed through.
It was not societally normal in those days for people to keep biting dogs. Social pressure worked toward keeping dangerous dogs out of homes.
Now, if I were to recommend euthanasia, I would lose my hard-earned business. I don’t know a trainer in my area who says anything except, “This dog and your home are not a good fit.”
And, if the dog in question came from a rescue, the wrath of these unhinged women would finish me. I would be living in fear that they would show up with their badly lettered signs and rescue pit bulls, demonstrating in front of my classes that I do not love dogs and am a dog killer.
I’ve solved that problem for myself by no longer working with dogs who are aggressive. Keeps me earning a living and out of trouble.
I don’t know a better way to handle this. I wish I did. Until then, I go on despairing about what the world of pet dogs has become.
Sigh.
SO true about dog culture. It’s absurd. I’m not a professional, but I do love (non-pit) dogs… but I’ve come to loathe “dog culture”. It is absolutely out of control – the over-the-top anthropomorphism, refusal to euthanize dangerous dogs, etc.
Yes. Many people are idiots and/or did not research the breed they chose to own, then want Animal Control to “clean up” behind them.
I responded to a call where the family Rottweiler, an unaltered male, grabbed their toddler by the head and mauled her. The toddler was air lifted (as I recall) to a hospital and the parents wanted the dog gone when they got home. So instead of taking THEIR problem to THEIR vet for euthanasia they wanted someone else to make the dog “disappear” while they were at the hospital with their daughter. I get that they were traumatized by the event but the facts were they chose to own an unaltered, unlicensed, aggressive/assertive breed and when it attacked their baby they called an organization they didn’t voluntarily support to help them. So a hundred fifteen pound woman, I, was supposed to catch (loose in the fenced backyard) and wrestle into a dog truck an aggressive eighty + pound Rottweiler. I have zero sympathy for people who do this stupid crap, though I do have sympathy for the people they endanger. Including Animal Control Officers!
Yes, yes, and yes. The assumption that someone else, or an agency funded by taxpayers, will provide the solution to the removal/euthanasia of a dangerous dog is now baked into our dog culture’s cake.
It’s up to the police to shoot the dog. It’s up to Animal Control to sweep it away. Send it to Best Friends and other ‘sanctuaries.’ Drop it at a shelter in the middle of the night. Turn it loose in a rural area and drive away.
And, to make matters worse, some vets (At least in my area) will not euthanize biting dogs that are otherwise healthy. They now refer owners to a veterinary behaviorist who may have never even owned a dog but is burdened by a DMV Ph.D. Biters are ‘treated’ with drugs and ‘treatment protocol’ but not euthanized.
Trainers (not me) sell classes for dogs who would have been euthanized in the 80s. These trainers actively promote the keeping of dangerous dogs.
It’s a cluster……..
You might consider submitting an anonymous letter to the editor here. I don’t believe many readers of this site fully understand this viewpoint. If a “family” dog is too dangerous — because it attacked a family member — the owner can’t or won’t confiscate it and take it somewhere to be euthanized, are you saying this should not be a function of Animal Control? This is a public safety issue paid for by taxpayers, regardless of how irresponsible the owner is. It seems the larger issue is that the neighborhood is not safe with this dog still in the home; a dog that the owner cannot control, which has severely attacked at least once before, and can bolt off-property an attack an innocent. Further, we’ve seen first hand in different fatality cases when the dogs (usually a pack of 4-5) have attacked once or twice before killing a person that the irresponsible owner had asked/BEGGED Animal Control to take the dogs off their hands. The owner wanted to fully surrender the dogs but Animal Control refused. In all three cases, the same dogs killed a person just hours or days later, most often by running off-property to do so. That said, the public also does not want AC officers to be endangered by dangerous dogs either. Maybe explain this part a little more, “they called an organization they didn’t voluntarily support to help them.”
AC refused to confiscate/house these dogs after a serious attack and a fatal attack resulted soon after…
https://blog.dogsbite.org/2022/04/public-health-employee-killed-by-pack-of-dogs-alabama.html
https://blog.dogsbite.org/2022/08/rural-postal-carrier-vicious-attack-pack-of-dogs-putnam-county-florida.html
https://blog.dogsbite.org/2019/02/dog-bite-fatality-lubbock-pack-attack-kills-woman.html
You know it’s bad when the city shelter (in below case) has run out of bite quarantine space.
https://blog.dogsbite.org/2019/03/dog-bite-fatality-pit-bulls-kill-owner-bite-quarantine.html
Even if they research it the issue is the breed being allowed in the first place.
These dogs are bred for killing large animals and killing strange people to protect herds- they are clearly not meant for modern society, and put other people at risk.
There is 0 motivations for anyone owning those dogs in the first place.
I come from one of the majority of countries where you are not permitted to own most weapons, and especially not expose other people to them.
There is no reason why dogs that routinely kill people shouldnt be banned the same way, yet here we are. They are perfectly legal in my country, even after several attacks and deaths.
I dont care whatever “kicks” that people get out of owning dangerous dog breeds, but its never worth other people taking the risk for the degenerate high people that buy this type of dog is looking for. Get that yodeling beagle. First or second-dog owner be damned.
people lack the courage to put them down so they pass the buck
All the more reason NOT to donate to the SPCA. Or the Humane Society, for that matter.
Donate to DBO instead. There’s a link at the top of this page.
First story I ever covered was about a pair of Rottweilers killing a young boy as he waited for his school bus. The children on the bus had a front row seat to the horror. That was more than 25 years ago. This is another powerful breed that cannot be trusted. Those stupid “Carl” books have contributed to the popularity of this breed and the carnage. Lots of rott attacks overseas now, too.
Sadly, yes. Those Carl books are beautifully illustrated and I used to look at them with my kids before I learned of the pitbull problem, and then that Rottweilers were second on the death list (albeit a distant second to pits).
yes i remember those books
they arent an intellectual breed they are very action driven
I hope that the emergency responders who saved that person’s life know that they are heroes. They hold society together.
Meanwhile, the SPCA, HSUS, and “rescues” work together hand in hand with the breeders of molosser-type dogs to endanger us all.
He or she is lucky that he or she survived this dog attack.I think this whole sob story of a rescue dog is kind of a scam .they are dangerous dogs .they want to get rid of that dog give it to a good heart family.there was a story where a lady adopt a rescue pitbull he was wearing a shock collar she took of him. He attacked and killed her mom.
I’ve seen nice Rottweilers and nasty ones. Some of it is training. However, a lot of Rottweilers are not trustworthy.
Was the victim an adult or a child? Was the dog a member of the victim’s family?
I met a brindle pitbull mix today–an overweight eight year old intact male. He was not aggressive.
I interviewed a veterinarian who wrote a book on dangerous dogs. He will not treat rottweilers…EVER! If someone comes in with a pitbull, it has to muzzled. He does not trust either breed. As for the pitbull you met, many pitbulls “appear” to be fine. But whenever one has killed/mauled, the owner always says, it never showed signs of aggression before the attack.
I thought most of those owners were lying and denying responsibility.
Not necessarily. So many pitbull attacks involve a “beloved” family pet, raised since it was a puppy; a dog that never showed any signs of aggression. The trouble is that it only takes one time for a pitbull to snap and kill without provocation and with no warning. This is the big conundrum with these bully breeds. Past behavior is no indication of future behavior. Because not all pits/mixes are bad dogs, this analogy works: If someone offered you a bowl of 100 M&M’s and told you only one is poisonous, would you eat it? Of course not. It’s the same with bringing a pitbull home. It may be the one in 100 that will maul/kill. Why take the chance.
Ive noticed this when discussing other dangerous breed that someone has set their mind is a “missunderstood” breed.
Huskies, GSDs, p.canario owners: “XYZ breed is different, they bite and back off” or “they always warn before” etc etc.
In reality most of the deadly maulings is the husky or rottweiler running through an open door or other opportunity, and killing the child immediately. Theyve likely wanted to kill the child before, maybe restricted themselves when the owner was around, and then couldnt control the impulse, or waited for when the owner wasnt around.
These dogs are not dangerous because they constantly show aggression, but because they have a predatory drive towards humans when an opportunity arises.
I was working with another Officer when an older intact male pitbull was surrendered as a stray. He seemed happy and relaxed to me, a twenty + year veteran of Animal Control. He had a low slow tail wag and relaxed aura. My fellow Officer had petted him, checked his teeth to guess his age, vaccinated him, entered his data into the computer database, and untied him in preparation to take him to a kennel when he lunged for her face. It was completely unprovoked and unexpected. He was just doing what Pitbulls were/are bred to do. Saying you met one that was not aggressive means nothing.
NEVER trust one, that is the message!
I was working at vet clinics at the height of the rotty craze. Vets hated them. Only one out of ten rotty owners could control there dog. We would have long talks with new rotty puppy owners that proper training was essential.
At that time, we didn’t worry to much about pits. They tended to stoic and pretty easy to deal with at the vet hospital. We considered most of the owners to be outliers – that was well before they became mainstream.
I think this is really the crux- Rotweiler, Husky, GSD, Pit bull owners, all of these are absolutely flabbergasted when you show them a very recent story of a fatality by their breed.
They somehow think the dogs that kill people are all super aggressive monsters that they have never met.
In reality, the friendliest dog just need a strong prey drive to put in effort to reach and kill a child.
While searching for updates on this case, we learned that rottweiler “Ryker,” originally rescued by Ulster County Canines, which then underwent police K9 training in Texas, and served for a department there for five years, was shipped back to Ulster County Canines around July 2 to be adopted out again. The “ripping off the arm” could indicate bite work training. This dog also had problems: “He is looking for a family that can navigate his triggers- although highly trained, Ryker struggles around other dogs without structure. He struggles with cats. He has, in the past, struggled with children…like any service veteran, Ryker needs time to readjust to civilian life, and prefers an environment where those triggers are minimal.” Also, notably, the Ulster County SPCA, which responded to the scene as the “dog officer”, which euthanized due to the Level 5 bite, and stated they did NOT adopt out this dog, well, they removed their comment on the Rosendale Police Department’s Facebook post. Why is that? https://www.facebook.com/UlsterCountyCanines845/posts/pfbid0381ZDAxyZhe2idBbfJxruN5nAL4K114hbw67sRgGjnDdHYvRKW8Ry2x8JQGxumgN8l
Thank you, Colleen, for always digging deeper into these cases. These people are reprehensible with their veiled language of the dog’s “struggles” with this and that. This dog was dangerous-clear and simple. And, yes, police training made it even more dangerous. When we see police dogs in action, they’re always biting, ripping and dragging. (Films from the Civil Rights era are always disturbing in this respect.) So, you have this timebomb being dragged on a 24-hour odyssey across the country. (BTW, having 8-10 dogs smuggled into one motel room is disgusting.) Anyway, they talk about this dog’s “grin”…another anthropomorphization often attributed to the pitbull “smile”…it makes me gag. This victim could be a child since it happened near a summer camp. But whether it’s a child or not, this person now faces a major life-altering physical and mental disability. And, yet, and YET, there’s still a tinge of “poor Ryker” between the lines. I know I’m on a rant here, but I’ve seen so many people on other websites who have lost limbs, children disfigured for life and right here…so many deaths at the jaws of powerful, lethal dogs. When will people wake up?
We asked for confirmation from the Rosendale PD. They have not yet responded to our request.
A dog trained for police apprehension work should never have been eligible to be adopted out as a PET animal, particularly lacking full disclosure.
UCC is saying the dog involved in the “ripping off arm” attack was not Ryker, though Ryker did bite its brand new adopter appplicant during a meet and greet, “It didn’t go well. Ryker, with scant warning, [BIT] the applicants hand…one local papers caught wind of, and chose to report on. Coincidentally, the same paper featured a story about a dog mauling in Rosendale handled by the SPCA…and some readers conflated the incidents.” https://www.facebook.com/UlsterCountyCanines845/posts/pfbid0zGvTWs4fEHVaAnNtCfxbQS7YKSRHKo96RffsLbYYqegH4JEdZEw3EKJ66Qo9vuGSl
Sue, when I trained dogs I specialized in aggressive and behavioural problematic dogs as did a friend of mine.
Most people ran for the door as soon as they heard the cost and when I *demanded* half up front that they could lose if they didn’t follow instructions. (I don’t wanna get bit either)
First was household management for safety. How to muzzle etc. Not gonna go into the whole thing but it essentially meant training a dog to perform a task at all times and managing the dog the rest of the time.
While I did not suggest euthanasia per se, I DID tell them, “This is a dog that will impact every moment of your life until it dies and you might want to consider euthanasia now because in the end, it may come to that, anyway.”
Mind you, in a few years I only had ONE pitbull owner and they lost their deposit for not following instructions–and it wasn’t brought to me for aggression but because they couldn’t walk it and kept barrelling past their kid and knocking him over.
Most people were surprised I’d even take on an aggressive dog in the first place because most trainers back then were just “Euth it before it eats the kids”.
Now it’s the opposite.
Agreed. This is partially a dog trainer/vet problem as well.
Vets can prescribe medication and keep the owner coming back for more services. How many times are they stitching up the dog and cat victims of these monsters?
There’s big money in training aggressive dogs and *failing*. Ever watched those youtube vids where the trainer has been getting paid for 6 weeks and they still can’t walk the dog a block away from another dog without a snarling, growling, snapping mayhem, meanwhile waving cookies at it and explaining on camera how much better it is? It’s an education, I tell ya. Sadly, I see the same useless techniques on the streets.
I’ve spoken with dog owners that have paid several “behaviorists” and the dog is no better or plausibly, worse.
There are some that can actually turn a spoiled or pushy dog around but after a couple of years they either pass that onto their employees or tell the owners that it’s a ton of work and if they aren’t willing to do it–euth the dog.
Until there’s money in friendly well-trained dogs and not shelling out tons of cash to dangerous dogs–this trend has no end in sight.
Boni, it is a bit offensive that you suggest veterinarians just want to continue billing services due to dog attacks and dangerous dogs.
Many veterinarians have been fed up with the aggressive dogs now being presented to us in practice. The vet groups I am in are very vocal amongst themselves and are sick and tired of their staff and themselves being put at risk. If you try to put limits on what dogs you will see and how you will see them (muzzle only, spayed/neutered), the nutters attack you on social media. Are you suggesting that we, as veterinarians, should discontinue helping animals attacked by dangerous dogs? Should be completely stop seeing aggressive dogs and counseling people? Fine by me. By the way, I counseled the owner of a husky, just this past week, to euthanize his husky that bit his one year old. I wonder what he will choose. He took the dog home with him.
.
Do you think it is not soul killing to have to try and save animals shredded by another dog? Or a cat die as you try desperately to save it? The mental toll on us is immense. I went into veterinary medicine because I love animals, not because I love aggressive dogs and the outcome.
As far as making money from these maulers, there is a huge shortage of veterinarians. Try getting an appointment and you will see. It will take many years for this shortage to correct itself. I love my staff. I protect my staff. Nasty people, nasty dogs, noncompliant people, we send them on their way. I am very selective about who we will provide services for and not afraid to fire the bad ones.
On an average day, I see geriatric patients with their many issues. I see puppies and kittens, counseling their owners on everything from deworming, vaccines, training, preventatives, spay/neuter, acclimation of a pet. Rarely am I asked for advise on breed before the client secures a pet. Rarely.
I perform many surgeries. Dentals, hematomas, foreign bodies, eye surgeries, spay/ neuter, hernia repairs, lacerations, bloats, intussusceptions, mass removals. We also provide the anesthesia and take and interpret xrays. We treat for parasites, heartworms, glaucoma, tick diseases, diabetes, pancreatitis, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, toxicities, dystocia, torn nails, skin infections, oral tumors, respiratory infections, a multitude of cancers, behavioral problems, dry eye, corneal ulcers, enucleations, amputations, cushings disease, Addisons, removal of bot flies, euthanasia, all with a kind demeanor and not letting clients see us cry under the stress of it all.
My surgeon is my client and how nice to only have to do the surgery! Everyone else does the lab work, the patient education, the anesthesia, the scripts, the follow up.
Veterinarians carry the pain of every pet death. We do not relish making money off the carnage of maulers. We are human. We have more on our plate than most people can ever imagine. I have been bit very seriously twice, and lost my little dog to a Rottweiler. I have certainly paid the price for even seeing these dogs in practice.
I stand against the AVMA policy on pit bulls and cancelled my membership long ago.
Please think hard when you interpret the role of the veterinarian in any of this pitnuttery.
Thank you for this perspective! I often wonder how my vet feels about pits. I’ve never had occasion to ask, but I’ve also never seen one in his office. I’ve also noticed, though, that pit owners seen less likely to provide basic vet care for their dogs.
Ryker is not “struggling”. Ryker is having a blast.
It’s the people around the dog that are “struggling” because he’s crap material to be a protection-trained dog and they’re stuck on the sunk cost fallacy.
Ryker should have been put down, long before. Some dogs go over the edge when protection trained. Makes me think yank n crank Kohler was right. If a dog can’t stand a ton of pressure, it’s not fit for service.
Good find, Colleen.
Colleen:
ZOMG.
They wanted the famous biter. They didn’t want the goldie running around the yard. (Goldies can be hyper but that’s a fixable trait). Or the little mixed breed that you could punt if it tried to bite you or mebbe it’s barky. Both easily brought up to training speed.
Tells you everything you need to know about the idiots that now wanna “adopt” (BUY damnit BUY) a dog.
These are not dog people. They’re glory hounds, pardon le pun.
On the Rosendale PD’s post on FB, someone comments:
“for the record, I know the victim and he is one of the kindest, most well-intentioned people. He adopted this poor dog who had been previously abused with because he is such a kind loving person and tried to help the dog heal from its trauma by showing the dog a loving home. Unfortunately, some dogs are too traumatized to be healed and the dog nearly killed our family friend after being unintentionally triggered! This man is fighting for his life in the hospital and deserves the best! ”
Adopted sounds like an actual rescue or shelter sold the dog to the owner.