In the 14-year period of 2005 through 2018, canines killed 471 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% (311) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »
A toddler is dead after being attacked by a family pit bull in Granite Bay, California.
Pit Bull Kills Baby Granite Bay, CA - A baby boy is dead after being attacked by a family pit bull, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded to a home in Granite Bay just after 3:00 pm Friday after a report of a dog mauling a 13-month old baby. The child was at home with a family member when the dog attacked. The person was able to free the baby from the dog and called 911. The child was transported to Roseville Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Placer County Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Scott said the family member was not the boy's parent. The deadly attack happened in the living room of the home and was unprovoked, according to the sheriff’s department. No signs of negligence were apparent. The dog is described as a 9-year old family pit bull. Placer County Animal Control confiscated the dog and placed it into quarantine. Detectives from the Crimes Against Persons (CAP) Unit are investigating the baby's death.
"The adult was with the baby when the attack occurred and didn't appear to hint at anything that the attack was coming." - Sheriff's Lt. Andrew Scott
Fox 40 News spoke to Lt. Scott, who said the child and the dog had not had contact before Friday -- which suggests the dog was visiting the child's home and the dog's owner, a relative, was babysitting the baby at the time. Fox 40 also described the pit bull as being only 6-years old. "This family has been completely devastated by what occurred," Lt. Scott said. "It's a very emotional situation at this time." The attack occurred in a home on Olive Ranch Road in Granite Bay.
CBS Sacramento, who went to the Granite Bay neighborhood last night, reports the 6-year old pit bull was a female. They interviewed a neighbor, Gavin Smith, who indicated the relative watching the toddler was a female. “My mom heard from somebody that there was blood on the lady’s face or on the kid’s face,” Smith said. Smith is also the owner of two large pit bulls. Smith can't figure out "how" this happened. This baby boy marks the 233rd child killed by a pit bull since 1980.
The last recorded fatal dog mauling in Placer County occurred in 2007, when 61-year old Cora Lee Suehead was brutally killed by four pit bulls belonging to a relative near her home. More recently, in 2016, in the neighboring county of Yuba, three pit bulls living in a dilapidated trailer belonging to Alexandria Griffin-Heady killed her 9-year old half-brother, Tyler Trammell-Huston, while he was on an unsupervised visit. The Yuba County DA declined to bring charges.
Lt. Andrew Scott gives press conference following the fatal dog attack in Granite Bay.
Baseline reporting requirements: 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.
A new page dedicated to vicious and dangerous dog hearings at DogsBite.org.
Vicious Dog Hearings DogsBite.org - We recently launched a new page within the Dangerous Dog section of our website: Dangerous Dog Hearings. The page highlights six hearings captured on video or audio, along with the second installment in a series of videos about San Francisco Animal Care and Control, which examines the city's Vicious and Dangerous Dog hearings. Most of the hearings listed on the page are from California, where audio recordings are part of the public record.
Many victims of dog attacks aren't even made aware of the dangerous dog designation hearing process, which are typically quasi-judicial. For instance, in parts of Texas, the victim must initiate the investigation by filing an affidavit. Animal control officers do not necessarily initiate the dangerous dog investigation. We have been told by multiple Texas victims they had no knowledge they were supposed to initiate the dangerous dog investigation themselves by filing an affidavit.
In many parts of the U.S., the steps to pursue a hearing are fraught with legal requirements or are derailed due to the failure of animal control departments to investigate cases that warrant a dangerous declaration (See a sizzling audit of Orange County, FL). We know that Los Angeles holds about 600 dangerous dog hearings annually (pop. 4 million), San Francisco 150 hearings (pop. 884k) and New York City (pop. 8.6 million) holds less than one OATH hearing per year.1
You will hear raw emotions from victims in these hearings and feel their pain. You will also hear "absurd" excuses by the owner's of vicious dogs.
Our goal in creating this page is to show dog attack victims what often occurs at an administrative dangerous dog hearing, also referred to as "Dog Court." You may face a neutral hearing officer, as was the case for Lana Bergman's family, or a biased one, such as former San Francisco hearing officer Jeff Foster, who was called out on the record. Both safety advocates and attorneys representing the owners of vicious dogs have called it "Kangaroo Court" in various jurisdictions.
"These hearings do not award any money for damages or cost. That is for an actual court to adjudicate. And while they can offer victims some sense of justice, their real purpose is to protect the public against future attacks from dogs known to be potentially dangerous," states the second installment about San Francisco. Evidence presented at these hearings can include: animal control reports; victim, witness and officer testimony; photographs; and records of the victim's injuries.
The Featured Hearings
In July, we obtained the audio of the Vicious Animal determination hearing involving the pit bulls that killed Lana Bergman. This is the only hearing where we provide an introduction. During the May 15 hearing, the San Bernardino County Animal Services officer reads his investigation report. This is the first time Lana's family has received "detailed" information about her case since her death on January 16. The hearing is 24 minutes long. We highly recommend listening to it in full.
Also in May, a woman in San Francisco testified after a pit bull named "Joy" viciously attacked herself and her dog. "Joy" had previously been the subject of a hearing in August 2017 for a separate attack. Hearing officer Foster, who presided over the case, did not declare "Joy" vicious or dangerous afterward, as the complainant failed to appear and could not be questioned. On May 22, 2019, "Joy" escaped its owner's property again and attacked this woman and her dog.2
"I'm the neighbor and her friend … I've lived in the apartment building next door to that house for the last -- since 1994. I work nights. I was sleeping on the couch in my living room. I hear all these screams ... I get up. I look down. I can see directly down on top of her through my window.
She's sitting on the ground, struggling with the dog. The dog is trying to get his jaws around her neck, but luckily she had her chin like this [motions chin down]. So, it's got one set of teeth into her chin on the side of her neck here. Had she had her chin up like this [motions chin up], he would have gotten her neck." - Testimony in "Joy" attack
Part of the hearing of "Tank" the pit bull was featured in the third installment in the series about San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC). The hour and 17 minute hearing that resulted is unusual, as it was brought by SFACC on behalf of the dog, not the human victim. SFACC attempted to use the hearing to railroad Dan Perata Training with false testimony, a training facility that is a direct competitor to SFACC director Donohue's own dog training facility, Pet Camp.
The fourth featured hearing provides the powerful testimony of Officer Eric Evans. In the summer of 2012, Officer Evans was on patrol with his horse Stoney when a pit bull named "Charlie" charged and attacked them, taking both the horse and rider down. Stoney then fled with the pit bull in pursuit for 1.6 miles. The 23 minutes of testimony by Officer Evans is riveting. The "outcome" of the dog later evolved into a "Save Charlie" campaign and a sketchy fundraiser.
"Stoney is a thoroughbred racehorse off the track. He can run, but that's not what you do in defense. So I stood there. I held Stoney and when Charlie got to us, he stopped a short distance away, maybe six feet. Sniffed a couple of times, growled a couple of times, and I thought okay, it's not going to be that bad..."
"He ended up on the left side of Stoney and bit Stoney on the front leg and locked on. Stoney reared up. Now I'm holding on for dear life, obviously. As he's rearing up with the dog, with the pit bull hanging from his leg and me trying to stay on, and he's trying to get his balance -- we all go down. I land headfirst." - U.S. Park Police Officer Eric Evans
The remaining two featured hearings are appeals involving defense attorneys. One sees right away how their presence alters the spirit of these hearings. In the case of "Archi," an unaltered Dogo argentino that brutally attacked a jogger in Los Angeles, a panel of commissioners hears the case, not a single hearing officer. The commissioners warn the defense attorney a number of times, "You are not helping your case." At 24 minutes in length, it's swift and professional.
The last hearing is the most disturbing. We reduced its three hour length down to closing arguments (30 minutes). The hearing is more formal with a prosecutor and a defense attorney, but only plastic tables and fold up chairs are in the room. The hearing is held in Miami after three family dogs brutally killed 91-year old Carmen Reigada in 2015. The dogs "defleshed" her face and scalp. Her great-grandson pursued the hearing to keep two of the fatal attackers alive.
There are dozens of indeterminable crime scene photos on the tables. This was a gruesome fatality that began as a homicide investigation. Under this setting, the defense tears into a "lack of evidence" gathered by the county and argues that two of the dogs only inflicted "superficial" bites and should be returned to his client. Miami-Dade County, however, did not have to prove which of the dogs did the "most" damage. They only had to prove that all three dogs inflicted bites.
Summary
After surviving a vicious dog attack, most victims are shocked to learn, "You mean the city does not automatically put the attacking dog down?" No. While due process dictates an appeal process, depending upon your state law, such appeals can go on for years. Worse, some victims are never even told how to initiate a dangerous dog investigation after an attack or if the dog had a history of previous attacks. It's up to the victim to obtain that information through a formal FOIA request.
Finally, these hearings are often emotional and compelling, even with the predictable testimony that comes from the dog's owner. "He's always been a good doggie. He's gentle with kids." A fair amount of victim blaming is done as well. In the Dogo case, the defense attorney claimed the jogger was doing "martial arts" down the street. "Had it not been for the karate kicks, punches and aggression," the dog would have never jumped out of the yard, the defense brazenly argued.
The Dogo argentino "Archi" and American bulldog-mix "Bear" were ordered to be euthanized.
1Our public records request in September 2018 to NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: "FOIL-2018-820-01029 -- number of OATH hearings held that were brought by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene or other legal entity for the purposes of a "Dangerous Dog" hearing under Section 161.07 or 17-342, 17-345 for the following years and broken down by years (the number of OATH hearings by year) 2015, 2016, and 2017." Their response was 2017 - 1 case, 2016 - 0 cases and 2015 - 1 case. 2Joy was declared Vicious and Dangerous after the second attack and was ordered to be humanely euthanized. SFACC agreed that the "bite to the chin" was "very concerning."
Arlene Renna, 67, was mauled and killed by one or both of her coonhounds.
Woman Dies in Mauling Pleasant Valley, NY - A 67-year old woman home alone was killed by one or more dogs, police said. On Saturday about 4:00 pm, New York State Police and Pleasant Valley Fire Department EMS were dispatched to a home on Barkit Kennel Road after a report of a woman with life-threatening injuries. The woman, identified as Arlene Renna, 67, was found unconscious on her living room floor by her husband after he arrived home. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The couple owns two pet coonhounds. Investigators determined the wounds and circumstances were consistent with a dog attack. The Dutchess County Medical Examiner and the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office also responded to assist with the investigation. Police have not stated if one or both of the coonhounds were involved. Both dogs were taken into custody by the Dutchess County SCPA. Investigators determined there were no indications of foul play.
John Taylor posted a heartfelt message on Facebook Sunday: "My heart and my family's hearts are shattered at the sudden, unexpected, and tragic death of my high school sweetheart, my first wife, the mother of our three children, the grandmother of our Ellie. Arlene Webb Taylor Renna died accidentally at home last night, on our daughter Jillian's 31st birthday. It is nothing short of a nightmare." People like Arlene can never be replaced, he wrote. "They can only live in our hearts."
On Tuesday, News 12 Westchester reported they were told by an unnamed source that Renna and her husband owned a redbone coonhound and a black and tan coonhound. Neighbors told the news outlet they had never seen the dogs act in a violent manner. Neighbors said they did not know how long the couple had owned the dogs. News 12 reached out to the Dutchess County SPCA, but they would not comment. The couple also had dog art attached to their mailbox.
Police did not release identification photographs of the dogs. A 2012 photograph of her husband with a redbone coonhound, however, was located by our nonprofit on Jillian's Facebook page.
Hounds Rarely Inflict Fatalities
Hounds (generically), not specified as coonhounds, have only been involved in one other fatal dog attack since 2005. In 2014, Jose Robles, 62, died after being attacked by up to 15 dogs while walking down a country road in Madison, North Carolina. Robles and his wife were visiting from Mexico at the time. The pack included three Australian cattle dogs, six Australian shepherds and six hounds. The owner, Daniel McCollum, was later charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The area of Barkit Kennel Road, where a woman was mauled to death by her coonhounds.
Baseline reporting requirements: 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.
Adrieanna O'Shea, 19-years old, died after five dogs attacked her in Knox County.
Victim Did Not Survive Knox County, TN - Multiple family members confirm on social media that 19-year old Adrieanna O'Shea did not survive her injuries. On Friday, August 23, Adrieanna was viciously attacked by five dogs while visiting a property on Crescent Drive. The pack contained multiple mastiff-mixes, a rottweiler-mix and a pit bull. Adrieanna had been returning to the home after leaving her purse there the night before. A witness said "the dogs were dragging her and tossing her in the air."
Case Background
On August 23, multiple media outlets in Knox County, Tennessee reported a vicious dog attack in the 6000 block of Crescent Drive. A controversial GoFundMe campaign was created afterward, dividing family members in multiple states. Adrieanna resided in Maryville, but was attacked in Knox County. Her relatives appear to reside in Mississippi, North Carolina and Nevada. On Tuesday, we began following a man on Facebook who calls Adrieanna his daughter.
On August 28, the Knox County Sheriff's Office confirmed investigators were sent to 6517 Crescent Drive on Friday at about 2:00 pm for reports of a 19-year old girl viciously attacked by a pack of dogs (read parts of police report). A witness at the scene told investigators Adrieanna was coming over to pick up her purse because she had left it there the night before. The witness said she heard Adrieanna say, "No Boscoe!" then heard her screaming, "Help me! Help me!"
The witness said, "she heard screaming and ran to the door and she saw 4-5 dogs attacking Adrieanna," states the police report. "The dogs were dragging her and tossing her in the air," the witness said. Two arriving officers were told that Adrieanna "had jumped a small fence to try to get away from the dogs." An officer shot and killed one of the dogs after it charged them. Officers said the victim had "bite wounds to both her arms and all over her body" and had "lost a lot of blood."
"The dogs tore off her clothes during the attack. She was covered in blood and debris and non-responsive." - Knox County Sheriff's Office report
As reported by the owners, the dogs involved were a male mastiff named "Boscoe," a male rottweiler-mix named "Buddy," another mastiff-mix named "Camo," an unaltered female pit bull named "Nila" and a male, neutered mastiff-Labrador mix named "Duke." While officers loaded the dogs into a van, the landlord and dogs' owner, Rodnee Herald, told officers, the dogs were just "Doing their job," states the report. The dogs were taken to Young-Williams Animal Center.
According to news reports, the owner said the dogs were restrained by an electric fence that was not buried. When deputies tried to explain that this type of fence was not allowed, one of the owners became "hostile" and proclaimed, "We killed his dog!" states the report. Also stated in the report, Herald told officers, "the dogs are family dogs, the family being: herself, her husband and her son." As noted in the news reports, there were multiple mobile homes on the property.
Adrieanna was attempting to retrieve her purse from a mobile home on the property that was adjacent to where the owners of the dogs lived.
By Wednesday evening, the remaining four dogs had been euthanized and Herald walked back her cold-blooded statement to officers. However, it only matters what was said at the scene after five dogs brutally attacked Adrieanna, who knew at least one of the dogs by name. The dogs were just "Doing their job," Herald told officers then. Herald stated Wednesday, the gruesome attack was "traumatizing for all parties involved." Except that only Adrieanna suffered traumatic injuries.
As the owner of vicious dogs, the Heralds could not leave it at that either. Referred to as "they" by WBIR, Herald family members told WBIR, "I would not own any kind of animal that would do something like this. We are all traumatized with this freak accident and are praying for Adrieanna and her family." The term "freak accident" has been employed by the owners of vicious dogs -- primarily pit bulls -- to deny responsibility after monolithic maulings and fatal attacks since 1985.
Another Teenager Killed by Dogs
Adrieanna is the third teenager mauled to death by dogs this year. As we stated after the deaths of 14-year old Ryan Hazel and 16-year old Nelson Cabrera earlier this year, victims in the 10 to 18-year old age group make up only 1.5% of dog bite fatalities. Victims in the 19-29 age group make up only 3% of fatality victims. All three fatal attacks involved multiple dogs on the dog owner's property while the teenage victim was visiting -- Cabrera was allegedly trespassing at the time.
According to Adrieanna's Facebook page, she graduated from Heritage High School in Maryville in June 2019. She began studying at Walters State Community College in Sevierville afterward.
Knox County Fire and Rescue Dispatch Logs: 13:57 on 08/23/2019 from Broadcastify.com.
Three of the dogs belonging to the Herald family that attacked and killed Adrieanna O'Shea.
Baseline reporting requirements: 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.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: California Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.
