4 Weeks; No Anwers
UPDATE 03/23/09: CBS 11 has pinpointed the cornerstone of the pit bull problem. Four weeks after victims Hellen Fuller and Clarence Webber were brutally attacked by two loose pit bulls, neither have any answers. Both, however, have a lot of pain, questions and medical bills. Neither victim has heard from the dog owner since the attack either. If the victims choose to file civil lawsuits, it may be years from now that they receive any form of medical payment.
In the meanwhile, the victims, their family members and friends will be forced to absorb the extremely costly medical bills.
Breed-specific laws are designed to prevent serious attacks before they occur. Good breed-specific laws also require owners to carry liability insurance, so that if an attack does occur, the victim has civil recourse. Preventing attacks is the ultimate goal of breed-specific laws. Once an attack occurs -- the injuries have been sustained and medical costs have been incurred -- the large wheels of the justice system begin to spin, which may take years to resolve.
03/03/09: Victim Wants Pit Bulls Banned
Clarence Webber still has trouble seeing, but he hopes to make a full recovery. Webber recently told reporters that he wants pit bulls banned from the city. In Dallas, if dogs are deemed dangerous, they can be euthanized or an owner could be forced to purchase extra liability insurance. Webber doesn't believe that's enough. "I wouldn't want it to happen to anyone else. What if it would have been a kid? The dog would've killed the kid," he said.
02/26/09: Victim Helen Fuller Shares Story
Victim Helen Fuller wants people to see what the pit bulls did to her eye, because she's worried about losing her sight. The video clip shows her talking and depicts images of her injuries. Helen now faces an uncertain recovery and cannot work her home health care job. Both Fuller and Webber suffered severe injuries from the attack. Earlier this week, the dogs were signed over to the city and authorities euthanized the dogs. Helen's family is now searching for a lawyer.
Victim Helen Fuller, 50-years old.
02/24/09: 3 Eyes from 3 Victims in 24 hours
Pit bull attack victim Clarence Webber spoke to news reporters after the attack. He said the pit bull "locked its jaw on my face." Webber doesn't know what will happen to his severely injured left eye. In a devastating blow to humankind -- specifically Texas state citizens -- pit bulls may have taken out 3 human eyes from 3 different victims in a matter of hours: Clarence Webber, 59, and Helen Fuller, 50, from the Dallas area and Robert Williams, Junior, 79, from Houston.
Victim Clarence Webber, 59-years old.
02/23/09: Pair of Violent Pit Bull Attacks
Houston, TX - In Houston, a man named Junior lost an eye on Sunday after two pit bulls broke out of a kennel at Maxwell's carwash an attacked him in the front yard of his neighbor's home. A crew working nearby rushed over and began to help him. One worker said, "We saw two dogs attacking one person. It was very, very bad. His eye; it was outside of his head." Neighbor's said the dogs chewed off part of his face. Once again, we see pit bulls breaking restraint and going off owner property to violently attack a human being.
Junior remains in critical care.
A similar scenario occurred In Dallas over the weekend. Two people were seriously injured after two pit bulls -- who had gotten out of their yard -- attacked them outside of Jerry's Supermarket on Bernal Drive. Billie Fuller spent Saturday night at the hospital with his sister Helen Fuller after she and 59-year-old Clarence Webber were attacked and mauled by two pit bulls. Billie says his sister will probably lose her right eye. "If you see my sister's face…and I know her life is going to be changed from this point."
The two dogs had been picked up in December for being loose, but were returned to their owners.
USER COMMENT: A user has left a very important comment. Please note that off-property attacks by dogs are uncommon except for the pit bull breed. An off-property attack is when a dog leaves owner property and bites a person. Major dog bite studies place these attacks at only 25-30%. Said another way, three-quarters of all dog bites occur in the family home (on-property). In the 3-year period of 2006 to 2008, only 18% (16) of the fatal attacks occurred off-property, yet pit bulls were responsible for 81% (13).
"The bottom line is, NO one has a right to own an animal this dangerous. NO ONE. Just because you "promise" to keep it on a chain, or on a leash, or in a kennel, NO one has a right to own an animal that, if it gets loose, will immediately try to kill someone. Its why we ban ownership of lions and tigers....it doesn't matter how secure you claim the cage is; the POTENTIAL for damage, if a tiger gets loose, is too great a risk.
As a society, we regulate ownership of animals all the time; it is illegal in most areas to keep poisonous snakes as "pets", because the risk to citizens is too great if the snake gets loose; we recognize that if someone really wants a pet snake, they can choose one of the many non-venomous ones for a pet. The same should apply to dogs. No one NEEDS a pit bull.
The issue isn't "responsible ownership", e.g., just keep your extremely dangerous dog chained on your property. No animal lovers should fight to protect "responsible owners"....you are essentially fighting to let people keep extremely dangerous dogs, as long as they "promise" to keep them contained; but in the real world, mistakes happen, and dogs get loose. No one should lose their life because a neighbors damn dog got loose."
Related articles:
02/10/09: Brenda Hill, 68, Attacked by Pit Bulls While Taking Out the Trash
08/06/08: Comment: Pit Bulls are 14 Times More Likely to Break Constraint to Attack
I currently live in Houston and am a former resident of the Dallas area. Both cities and the surrounding counties have way too many Pits and Rottweilers and their corresponding deaths and injuries. Our legislature is currently in session. There are a lot of good bills coming up to restrict these man killers. Hopefully, one of our politicians will show some courage and present a BREED BAN. No children are dead for the year here in Texas from these killers, but hey its only February……..
I am SICK TO DEATH with all the rhetoric spewed by pit bull advocates regarding “responsible dog ownership” . The bottom line is, NO one has a right to own an animal this dangerous. NO ONE. Just because you “promise” to keep it on a chain, or on a leash, or in a kennel, NO one has a right to own an animal that, if it gets loose, will immediately try to kill someone. Its why we ban ownership of lions and tigers….it doesn’t matter how secure you claim the cage is; the POTENTIAL for damage, if a tiger gets loose, is too great a risk.
As a society, we regulate ownership of animals all the time; it is illegal in most areas to keep poisonous snakes as “pets”, because the risk to citizens is too great if the snake gets loose; we recognize that if someone really wants a pet snake, they can choose one of the many non-venemous ones for a pet. The same should apply to dogs. No one NEEDS a pit bull.
The issue isn’t “responsible ownership”, e.g., just keep your extremely dangeous dog chained on your property. No animal lovers should fight to protect “responsible owners”….you are essentially fighting to let people keep extremely dangerous dogs, as long as they “promise” to keep them contained; but in the real world, mistakes happen, and dogs get loose. No one should lose their life because a neighbors damn dog got loose.
Anonymous from Houston, the problem is that the dog breeding community (like AKC) the dog fighters, and the No Kill wackos like Nathan Winograd ALL fight against any kind of legislation aimed at protecting the public from pit bulls
These groups make a lot of money from pit bulls, and they don’t want to see any legislation restrict their income from these dogs
Your legislators need to know about these business lobbyists!
For example, on http://www.workingtohelp
animalstodaytomorrow.blogspot.com/ shows how the No Kill and Breeder Lobby got connected.
“Responsible Dog Ownership” is code for BREEDERS
AKC and all their related lobbying groups use that garbage to fight against any kind of regulations that would RESTRICT THEIR INCOMES from dog breeding
AKC even has “responsible dog owner” days where they advocate for lobbying against any kinds of rules for breeders
When you see any groups with “responsible dog owner” or someone spewing that rhetoric, that is the greedy selfish breeder lobby interesting in FINANCIAL matters
They want to be unregulated and minting tax-free money
More Chain Busting; Breaking Restraint to Attack
A pet yorkie was attacked and killed Monday by two pit bulls in Avondale. Two pit bulls that were chained up across the street broke free and killed the dog in the middle of the street between the two houses.
http://www.wlwt.com/news/18778746/detail.html
Imagine these two predators on your street? “Life Snuffers,” and perfectly legal.
Update…Jackie and Spike, the Dallas Level 5 off-property maulers were picked up and detained by Dallas Animal UN-Control last fall.
Classic A/C mishap once again. Now we’ll see if the taxpayer is on the hook for liability.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/Pit_Bulls_Attack_Shoppers_in_
Do not do business with pitbull owners, do not use a business that would allow a pitbull to loiter about outside.
Don’t you all get it…This 15 year old “Caretaker” of the dogs that mauled Mr Williams is to blame. Clearly, he had the training mastery to teach the dogs to chew through the chain link enclosure, leave the property and automnously inflict a Level 5 sustained mauling on Mr Williams.
Hugs and kisses could have prevented this!
GOOD PEOPLE like these victims are getting disfigured and killed.
While Texas state authorities cater to BAD PEOPLE who don’t care about anything but making money from pit bulls, and oppose regulations.
When will someone fight for the Good Guys?
Who has the courage to shut the BAD guys up, and force them to respect human life?
“Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
They should change the name of “Animal Control” to “Hindsight Patrol”
Award winning comment by Anonymous!
I like “F-Troop” also. I can’t think of another public safety profession that is so negligent in it’s duties.
Pit Bull advocates are now suggesting that instead of BSL,
mauling victims like these two Texan’s, should just learn to “keep an eye out” for their Pit Bulls.
“If I had my way” said local Pit Bull owner Heywood Jabightmee in Dallas, “I would suggest 100 ‘lashes’ to anyone in Texas who even suggests BSL”.
You MEANT “keep an eye in” didn’t you? Pit bulls nearly ripped out 3 eyes in a single day in Texas when these 3 attacks occurred.
"If I had my way" said local Pit Bull owner Heywood Jabightmee in Dallas, "I would suggest 100 'lashes' to anyone in Texas who even suggests BSL".
You might change your mind when your mutant murder machine turns on you and mauls you almost to death, you selfish piece of garbage.
Another sociopathic pit bull owner.