UPDATE 11/21/08: Conflicting reports are unfolding about the dog. It appears that Alan Clinansmith was acting as a foster home for the dog. The dog had been with Clinansmith for about a week as he searched for a new home for the dog. A separate article says that 37-year-old Rick Harrison was the owner -- or rather former owner -- of the dog. This attack may be the result of "pit bull shuffling." This occurs when animal agencies, blinded by their passion, refuse to euthanize dangerous pit bulls and instead adopt them out.
11/20/08: Men Try to Kill Pit Bull with Baseball Bat
Happy Valley, OR -- In a horrific attack that involved 5 separate response teams, a 7-year old girl was severely attacked while playing on a tire swing. Details of the attack are still forthcoming. What we know so far is that 4 grown men attempted to stop the attacking pit bull, two of which tried to beat the dog to death with a baseball bat. The girl's father, Steven Hehr, managed to pry the dog off his daughter. Firepower from a police officer finally killed the dog.
It is the tenacity of a pit bull attack that is so deadly, just as this example shows.
Read full news release from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Happy Valley Police, Boring Fire, American Medical Response and Happy Valley Dog Control responded to a report of a vicious dog attack yesterday. The pit bull attacked 7-year-old Jayda Kempas, who was playing on a tire swing. Had immediate intervention by her father, two neighbors swinging a baseball bat and gunfire from Deputy Greg Martin not taken place, authorities believe Jayda would have been killed.
"Out of desperation, Steven Hehr yelled for someone to kill the dog and Bahler grabbed an aluminum baseball bat as a weapon. Bahler began beating the dog with all of his might about the legs and back of this animal to no avail. The dog was still continuing with the attack as Bahler became exhausted. It was then necessary for Clinansmith to arm himself with the bat and continued striking the dog as Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy, Greg Martin, arrived on the scene. The dog continued to resist and attack; which forced Deputy Martin to shoot the animal eliminating the ongoing vicious attacks and ominous threat."
Jayda suffered severe lacerations to her lower right calf and puncture wounds on her upper left thigh area. American Medical Response provided medical attention to the victims and both were transported to Kaiser Sunnyside Hospital. Jayda was later transferred to Doernbecher Children's Hospital, in Portland. She is expected to have surgery today to mend damage to her right leg. According to her father, "Jayda is a real trooper, is expected to recover and is presently in good spirits."
Steven Hehr has been treated for his injuries and presently has one arm in a sling. He considers himself and his daughter fortunate for surviving the attack. Steven Hehr dislocated his shoulder during his struggle with the dog and received multiple bites to his hands, chest, legs and arms. After assessing the event, Deputy Martin said, "had it not been for the father being present and pulling the dog from the child, that girl most probably would not have survived the attack."
Steven Hehr is a Staff Sergeant with the Oregon National Guard, and has served his country with one tour of duty in Iraq, and an additional tour in Afghanistan. The three men that helped Hehr with the rescue effort are: Ian Tovar, 27, William Bahler, 47 and Alan Clinansmith, 44.
Listen to the 911 Call
Our transcription does not include each word, just the essential pieces.
[caller] We need an ambulance.
[operator] What is the address?
[caller] This is a dog attack
[operator] Okay, where is the dog now?
[caller] GET HIM! KILL THAT DOG! KILL HIM!
[operator] Who is it attacking?
[caller] KILL THAT DOG!
[operator] How many people are injured?
[caller] KILL HIM! (pause)
[operator] Hello?
[caller] BEAT THAT DOG TO DEATH!
[operator] Hello?
[caller] Here -- ambulance! We need an ambulance!
[operator] We need to know what's going on? Where's the dog?
[caller] WE'RE TRYING TO KILL IT.
[operator] Is it still currently attacking someone?
[caller] We need an ambulance.
[operator] We've dispatched an ambulance. Where on the property are you?
[caller] In the backyard.
[operator] Do you know who's dog this is?
[caller] Dog's ours. I think we killed the dog. I NEED THAT AMBULANCE NOW!
[operator] Is someone bleeding? Can you control the bleeding?
[caller] We're doing that!
[operator] Is the dog dead?
[caller] Someone needs to put this DOG OUT OF ITS --
[operator] How many people have actually been injured?
[caller] Two.
[operator] Do they both need ambulances? Or just one?
[caller] The little girl and then the guy's fingers...there's blood everywhere man.
[operator] How old is the child that was injured?
[caller] 7-years old
[operator] An adult was also bitten?
[caller] Yes, the father.
[operator] Where on the child's body is she injured?
[caller] The leg. The adult on the hands, both hands. You people gotta hurry.
[operator] They are coming. They're moving as fast as they can.
[caller] I GOTTA CALL THIS GUY'S WIFE. I can hear the ambulances...
It is believed that the "foster" owner of the dog, Alan Clinansmith, made the 911 call.
Related articles:
11/22/11: Hero Stories: Honoring Those Who Risked Their Lives to Stop a Pit Bull Mauling
I have become convinced that the only way that the pit bull breeders and fanatics are ever going to face reality about pit bull problems is when someone near and dear to them is ripped apart by a pit bull.
Even then, I think they will be blaming their own son or daughter or parent for the attack, and fretting about their “baby” pit bull that must have been provoked.
Insane.
It’s the Cocker Spaniels!…At least this beautiful girl didn’t get it in the face.
Pit bull experts agree!:
Enter now the Pit Bull, and other breeds specifically selected by Man to fight each other. These animals have several concerning behavioral difference from most other canines. When they fight, human intervention has selected for animals that do not turn off, and do not stop fighting until one, or both, are dead. There is no surrender for these animals. A fully submissive body posture is no more than another opportunity for them to disembowel their adversary.
I wish EVERY new report had a photo of the dog.
The pit nutters always focus on the comment “90 lb pit bull” and claim that pit bulls don’t get that big.
Well folks, as you can see, this IS a pit bull.
Due to breeding and conditioning, YES, pit bulls can range in size and weight. A 90lb dog does not — by any means — indicate that the animal is not a pit bull type dog.
WHAT DID I TELL YOU!!!!
On another link here is the (in)famous BADRAP spewing this shit!!!
THESE LOSERS ARE SOOOOOO PREDICTABLE!
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_112008_news_pit_bull_happy_valley.1d053ac3c.html
By the mere fact that this dog attacked someone earned it the title of “pit bull”….even though 90 lb PUREBRED pit bulls simply do not exist.
Most people on here ranting and raving about all this BS are thin skinned and feeble minded…ready to eat anything the media puts on a spoon and shoves in their face. Not one of you is an expert in canine genetics, biology or behavior….yet we are suppposed to consider your opinions as valid??? I think not. Those of us who own these dogs are the ONLY people who know the truth about them. And I find it laughable that the rest of you know SOOOOO much more about them than we do.
Excellent comment thread at below story:
http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2008/11/90pound_pit_bull_attacks_girl.html
Posted by BryanDorr on 11/20/08 at 8:38PM
Maybe this dog was suffering from a psychotic episode and has mental illness. Instead of shooting it, the dog should have been committed to the Oregon State Dog Hospital where it could receive adequate treatment and medication under the jurisdiction of the Canine Psychiatric Security Review Board (CPSRB). Then after completing mental treatment and evaluation by the CPSRB, this dog could discretely move out of the OSDH and into a Secure Doghouse Treatment Facility within a residential community next to a community park and neighborhood children where dog can transition back into the community.
These pit nutters are certifiably insane! I don’t think that I have EVER seen an online comment section so busy. The entire first page (10 comments) all say they were posted in less than one minute ago. so here is good one from sophiegirl0704 (she is really confused about the facts and thinks the people are murderers and should be tried for animal cruelty) before it gets lost in what is about become 50 pages of pit nutter rantings!
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_112008_news_pit_bull_happy_valley.1d053ac3c.html
SophieGirl0704 less than one minute ago wrote:
They killed the dog with a bat?! Are you kidding me?! Is someone going to investigate them for animal cruelty? I have serious doubts that the aggression that was used on that dog was necessary. As some point, that dog would have been incapaciated. It DID NOT have to be killed! Something tells me that adrenalin killed that dog just the way adrenalin drives polices offices to beat suspects. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. The father, his friend, and the owner of that poor dog should absolutely be ashamed of themselves. They all deserve to rot in prison with Michael Vick.
We’ve got one honest pit bull owner on pitbullforum.com:
There is a photo of the dead dog with the article. He looks a little overweight, but maybe not really 90 pounds, there’s nothing to judge size by, but the dog doesn’t look enormous. He does look like a pit bull to me, unfortunately…
http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=108069
DUH!
WOW! And the pit nutters accuse US of being emotional and irrational!!!!!!!!
Honest pit nutters are a rarity.
i think there are a total 3 on pitbullforum.
The comment by SophieGirl just blows me away. Sad and disgusting that these people are so blinded by their own pit-love that they don’t want to get it. The dog was mauling a child. The parents wanted to save the child. I’m sure no one would have beaten that dog to the point of their own exhaustion if the beast would have let go on the first whack. I have several guy friends who seem to think that all they would have to do is punch a pitbull and it would stop, and don’t understand why grown men can’t fight off an 80lb pitbull. I sent them this story.
And, where did Anonymous #3 get the following blurb? It describes the problem perfectly…
Enter now the Pit Bull, and other breeds specifically selected by Man to fight each other. These animals have several concerning behavioral difference from most other canines. When they fight, human intervention has selected for animals that do not turn off, and do not stop fighting until one, or both, are dead. There is no surrender for these animals. A fully submissive body posture is no more than another opportunity for them to disembowel their adversary.
That is deleted commentary from an individual who now gives his expert testimony in court cases against BSL!
It is amusing how the two “different” dog breed camps approach the breed topic whenever there is a serious mauling or fatal attack.
The APBT camp immediately goes on the defensive stating “THOSE AREN’T PIT BULLS, THOSE ARE AMBULLS!!”. The Ambull camp takes the very same approach and you will even see on the Ambull breeder websites warning potential buyers to be careful and check the breeders thoroughly as you want to avoid pit/ambull crosses which occur frequently.
As Felony pointed out in another blog story, according to Diane Jessup, a ‘bulldog’ expert, these two breeds of dogs are nearly identical.
The Working Pit Bull p84
“The American Bulldog is almost identical to the Pit Bulldog, and is identified by its massive size.”
Here is one of the best histories of the American Bulldog found on the internet:
Originating in 1700’s America, the Old Country Bulldogge was developed from the original British and Irish bulldog variety, as well as other European working dogs of the Bullenbeisser and Alaunt ancestry. Many fanciers believe that the original White English Bulldogge survived in America, where it became known as the American Pit Bulldog, Old Southern White Bulldogge and Alabama Bulldog, among other names. A few regional types were established, with the most popular dogs found in the South, where the famous large white plantation bulldogges were the most valued. Some bloodlines were crossed with Irish and English pit-fighting dogs influenced with English White Terrier blood, resulting in the larger strains of the APBT, as well as the smaller variety of the American Bulldog. Although there were quite a few “bulldogges” developed in America, the modern American Bulldog breed is separately recognized. Unlike most bully breeds, this lovely bulldog’s main role wasn’t that of a fighting dog, but rather of a companion and worker. Quite larger than most bulldogs, it excells in dog sports like weight-pulling and makes a great farm dog and even a capable hunter.
While the old bulldogges were disappearing in Europe and England, the American variety remained unchanged until the WW2, when their numbers declined drastically, inspiring a few enthusiasts to unite in an effort to save the breed from extinction. In the 1960’s, John D. Johnson and Alan Scott joined forces with Louis Hegwood, George Lee Williamson, Calvin Tuck and others in collecting surviving southern bulldogges and selecting the best specimens to serve as a foundation for the revival programme. After the decision to abandon the American Pit Bulldog name to avoid confusion with the American Pit Bull Terrier, the breed was registered as the American Bulldog. Outcrosses were necessary early on to increase the gene pool and the population of the breed, but not everyone agreed with the choices some breeders made. Although an important figure in the development of the modern American Bulldog as a recognized breed, Johnson decided to introduce the English Bulldog into his lines, alienating a great number of enthusiasts in the process, many of which never fully got over it. Due to disagreements over the ideal type and breeding practices, Alan Scott and J.D.Johnson put an end to their colaboration, opting to go their separate ways and breed their dogs based on their personal ideals. To this day, two main types of the modern American Bulldog are the Johnson and Scott bloodlines, but other strains exist, like Painter, Leclerc, Hines, Old Southern White and so on.
Large, massive and broad-headed, the well-mannered Johnson dogs remain more popular as family pets than the smaller and lighter built Scott Performance bulldogges, which are considered to be far superiour workers. However, most present-day dogs are crosses between all the types, as well as some other bully breeds. There is currently some talk of possibly classifying pure J.D.Johnson dogs as a separate breed in the future, due to noticeable differences in appearance, as well as common conflicts within the American Bulldog breeder community, concerning the breed’s Standard and purity guidelines. It has been rumoured that the modern Johnson lines contain some English Mastiff and even St.Bernard blood, but this hasn’t been proven. Even though the Scott type was directly developed by crossing early Johnson’s dogs with more tenacious breeds, such as the American Pit Bull Terrier, it is gradually becoming accepted as the breed ideal, regularly outperforming its ancestors. This is partly due to the value placed by many bulldogge fanciers on function, rather than form of working dogs. The American Bulldog was officially recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1999 and is enjoying great popularity in the U.S. and around the world.
The American Bulldog is a courageous guardian and a loving family pet, but it needs experienced handling and early socialization. Even though this breed is not as dog-aggressive as some bullies, it does like to play rough and won’t back away from a confrontation. Unfortunately, some misguided owners foolishly put these dogs into fighting arenas with Pit Bulls and other breeds, almost always with terrible consequences. There are also some unpure bloodlines to be found, so potential buyers should be careful. Boxers, Bullmastiffs, Presa Canarios, Olde English Bulldogges, AmStaffs and other bullies are at times crossed into the American Bulldog bloodlines, sometimes with the intention of improving its working abilities, but more often simply for appearance and other reasons. Due to this breed’s ever-increasing popularity in America and worldwide, potential owners should carefully research A.B. breeders in order to ensure a quality purebred purchase and to avoid Pit Bull crosses and poorly bred dogs. The American Bulldog is a strongly built, powerful and energetic dog, completely devoted to its owner. The coat is short and glossy and accepted in every colour, except for solid black, blue or any type of tricolour. The most popular dogs are white, with or without markings. Average height is around 24 inches, but larger dogs are common.
http://molosserdogs.com
As you can see, the Ambull created the APBT and the APBT re-created the Ambull. And the two are still being crossed today.
Is it a coincidence that the ATTS stats on the APBT and the AMBULL are statistically insignificant?
AMERICAN BULLDOG 84.1%
AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER 84.3%
On the gamedog forums, american pit bull terriers are almost always referred to as BULLDOGS.
There are two theories about the ABPT’s origins. One theory, and the most widely accepted is they are bulldog crossed with terriers. The other theory is they ARE just bulldogs.
They have a vested interest in differentiating the two. The statistics look worse when they are added together.
Looks like a fat-ass pit bull to me…UKC routinely papers APBTs up to 132lbs.
There was a 132lb APBT that was being studded out last year at $2500 a pop and his breeder was selling him for $6000.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/pets/2008/11/pit_bulls_dogs_or_monsters.html
Editorial from Oregon – these people are living under a rock.
Another Level 5 mauling episode.
Update:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news/1227943511291460.xml&coll=7
The Oregonian
What happened: Jayda Kempas, 7, was twirling on a tire swing Nov. 20 when a 90-pound pit bull or pit bull mix named Titan locked onto her left leg. When Jayda’s father, Steven Hehr, tried to pry the dog off, Titan released the girl and attacked him, biting his hands and chest. A Clackamas County sheriff’s deputy ultimately shot and killed the dog.
Update: Jayda, who was treated at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and released, continues to recover. Her bandages and leg cast have been removed, and she doesn’t seem overly traumatized, her father said.
Hehr said he is back at work and doing fine. He said the family initially appreciated the attention the attack received but that is has become exhausting to have so many people ask and opine about what happened, especially because some people have been mean, he said. He declined to go into details. “It’s time to move on,” he said.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t plan to pursue criminal charges.
The dog had been in the temporary care of the resident where the attack occurred. The dog’s previous owner, 37-year-old Rick Harrison of Gresham, said he had given Titan away because of a move. Harrison described Titan as a protective but lovable dog who had always gotten along well with kids.
“He would not attack someone unprovoked,” he said.
i just found this website. i think if pits and other dogs that have enormous jaw strength are not banned,AT THE VERY LEAST the owners should be required to carry 250,000 to a million dollars in insurance either as a rider on their home insurance or separately.