Fiancée Contests Mauling
UPDATE 04/02/09: New information has been revealed about the death of Williams. On March 26th, it was reported that William's fiancée, Anna Tucker, is contesting how he died. Tucker says that authorities have it all wrong. She said it's likely that Williams was suffering from a heart condition and the dogs were only trying to help him. "I don't believe that my dogs did it," Tucker said. "I think they were trying to help him. They knew something was wrong."
She never meant to have the dogs euthanized either. Tucker said she did not understand the paperwork she signed.
Tucker said she was unaware that Williams had an enlarged heart until the autopsy was completed. Williams had scratches on his arms that "were kind of deep," and bite marks on his ankles, but "there was nothing on his chest, neck and face," Tucker said, contesting the mauling claims. "The bites on his ankles wouldn't have caused his death." Tucker said she returned home with her 8-year-old daughter and found Williams' body in the house.
A similar "contesting" occurred after Ving Rhames' mastiffs attacked his gardener. Rhames' dogs were ultimately vindicated.
Initial reports said that Williams' was the owner of the dogs. And according to Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez, a neighbor of Williams' called the police and reported that he was bleeding profusely in his backyard. Responding deputies found the body and two large dogs in the backyard. A person, referred to only as a "friend," told news reporters that he was the first person at the scene and he reported that Williams had "severe wounds on his forearms."
Tucker also said that her dogs were Italian mastiffs, not bullmastiffs (the Neapolitan and Cane Corso are both Italian mastiffs). We've been speculating on the dog breeds involved as well. Given that the breed was stated as "some kind of bullmastiff mix," we wondered, mixed with what? Our research pointed to the black dog being a "bandog" (also called a bandogge or Swinford). The bandog is an unofficial breed that is comprised of 50% pit bull and 50% mastiff.
The Italian mastiff (Cane Corso) makes a lot more sense than a bullmastiff. Additionally, the investigation into Rhames' dogs took 5 months to complete.
03/17/09: Victim: Hill Andrew Williams
An autopsy confirmed that two large dogs were responsible for killing their 38-year-old owner in Rancho Mirage Monday night. Riverside County Sheriff's officials said Hill Andrew Williams died of "significant physical trauma" he suffered in the attack. Williams was found near death in his backyard Monday afternoon at the rear of his home. Animal Services Behaviorist Jackie Schart said each dog was "some sort of bullmastiff-mix."
03/17/09: Dogs Surrendered and Euthanized
Riverside County Animal Services reports that the bullmastiffs involved in the attack were signed over by the victim's girlfriend and euthanized today. The dogs were being held at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms. Officers were told the victim may have been trying to breed the dogs. The male, named Butter, was 3-years old and weighed about 115 pounds. The female, Ebony, was about 2-years old and weighed about 90 pounds.
An autopsy is scheduled today. The victim's name was not released.
03/16/09: Details Slim; Emerging Story
Rancho Mirage, CA- In a developing story, Riverside County may be faced with another fatal dog attack in less than 3 months. Back in December, 60-year old Gerald Adelman was savagely attacked by his family's two pit bulls while he took a "smoke break" in his back yard. Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokesman Dennis Gutierrez said that investigators arrived at the Rancho Mirage scene at 5:15pm today and found a dead man and "two large bullmastiffs."
Related articles:
12/20/08: A Recent Review of California Fatal Dog Attacks (2006-2008)
12/20/08: 2008 Fatality: 2 Pit Bulls Attack, Kill 60-Year-Old Rubidoux Man
Let’s see what happens here. Rob Miller, head of Riverside AC, is a closet “no killer”. And he is known for looking the other way.
His dodging would hardly surprise me. Two fatal attacks in 3 months time? Not such a good reflection on the county’s animal department. Let’s remember that both attacks appear to have involved the deaths of full grown men.
Animal Services Behaviorist Jackie Schart said it is believed the female was “in heat.”
“An intact male would definitely be more territorial when it comes to protecting an intact female that he thinks that is his,” Schart said. She said each dog was some sort of bull mastiff-mix.
(This would be the particularly violent "mix" coming from the area of Riverside…)
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=10021425&nav=menu191_2
Don’t forget Ving Rhames’ bullmastiff “like” dogs that attacked the gardener. Here are some photos of his dogs:
Ambullneo mastiff
—
http://www.usmagazine.com/second_ving_rhames_post
Bullmastiff
—
http://www.usmagazine.com/ving_rhames_tragic_dog_attack
So No Kill strikes again!
Enable aggressive dogs and dog breeders, wipe out animal control laws like pet limits and breeder registration (breeders, hooked up with the crazy No Kill movement, doesn’t like those laws, and let everything go to hell!
Jackie Schart is a St. Bernard Breeder:
SUMMERLYN SAINT BERNARDS
Jackie Schart & William E. Buell III & Mario Pierce
Banning, California
http://summerlyn.homestead.com/
AKC registered pure breed rescue – St. Bernards
http://www.akc.org/club_search/index_master.cfm?action=refresh_index&active_tab_row=1&active_tab_col=1&fixed_tab=1&club_id=2581
Breed Rescue Contact: Jackie Schart
President: William E Buell
Breeder Referral Contact: Sondra Rodrigo Buell
The “Band Dog” (50% pit bull-50% mastiff). There isn’t any question that blackie is one of these. Here’s a photo of a “Band Dog” (also referred to as the “Bandog” and “Bandoggie” and “American Bandogge Mastiff”).
http://www.mydogbreeds.com/dog-breeds/bandog.asp
Appearance – The Bandog is a large dog ranging in weight from about 100 to 150 lbs and roughly 26 inches at the withers.
History – In the early 1970s the late veterinarian, John Swinford D.V.M., began a breeding program, which was ultimately to produce the greatest of all protection dogs. Though breeders of Bandogs today disagree on just what breeds went into Swinford’s original breeding scheme, the consensus is that it was 50 percent American Pit Bull Terrier and 50 percent “very large dog”. Unfortunately, Swinford died at an early age and his Bandog was never perfected or recognized as a purebred.
Current breeding – Contemporary Bandogs are bred with different types of dogs, including American Pit Bull Terrier with either a Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, or Bull Mastiff. Whichever breeding plan is employed, it is necessary to cross the American Pit Bull Terrier to one of these Mastiffs each time that a litter of Bandogs is desired.
American Bandogge Mastiff
50% American Pit Bull Terrier and 50% Neapolitan Mastiff
[Common misspellings are american bandogge, american bandog mastiff, american bandog mastiffs, american bandogg mastiff, american bandogg mastiffs, americanbandogge mastiff, americanbandogge mastiffs, american bandogmastiff, american bandogmastiffs.]
http://www.gotdogsonline.com/pictures/gallery/american-bandogge-mastiffs/american-bandogge-mastiff-0006/
A forum board comment
If anyone is interested in serious Mastiff crosses, I suggest that they do a search using these key words: American Mastiff (Should contain Rot plus other Mastiff type dogs), Band Dogs (Mastiff crosses with pit bulls). The Band dog is used for serious hog hunting, protection work and most likely illegal pit fighting. … “Crack Dog” Rottweiler pit bull cross used by Crack dealers for protection.
http://forums.doghobbyist.com/view.php?id=38004,39066
They also call them “Swindfords”
Check out the SSDA (Swinford Sporting Dog Association)
http://members5.boardhost.com/SSDA/
Joe Lucero of “Working Class Kennels” is in Riverside, California.
Working Class Kennels
56925 Yucca Trail (Suite 225)
Yucca Valley, CA 92284
(760) 364-4576
Lucero is arguably the top bandog breeder
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenwrk3/bandog.htm
So what’s the deal with bandogs killing 2 full grown men in less than 3 months in Riverside, CA? What’s the trend and where did Hill get his dogs from?
The one the left looks a lot like a Boerboel as well. There’s a popular Boerboel breeder in Riverside:
Select Boerboels-South African Mastiffs
Contact: Cammie Givens
Inland Empire, CA
http://breederinfocenter.com/index.php?a_id=20080706013042
It’s interesting that Riverside Animal Services calls the dogs “some kind of bullmastiff mix,” and just leaves it at that.
The bandogs were designed to be man-eating Frankenmaulers. The Mosslerdogs.com site has some good info on them and John Swinford’s “fiasco.”
“While Swinford himself failed in his attempt to establish a worthwhile product, his legacy, for better or worse, has inspired legions of experimenters who have produced their own bandogge varieties, with some even going as far as referring to their dogs as “Swinfords” even though neither their dogs nor programmes have anything to do with the original John Swinford fiasco.”
http://molosserdogs.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.998
Deep wounds on the forearms indicate defensive wounds…ie..the man was fighting for his life!
Something is going on with these Mastiffs” around Riverside…back in December two went on a crazy muli-bite off property rampage. Unfortunately, the No-Kill Hippies running Animal Control are too busy writing Pit Bull Haikus to look into it.
I recall this attack vaguely…please post a link if you can find one. I did read on wikipedia of all places that the “American” Cane Corso mastiffs often have unstable temperaments. I guess we should start calling them “Riverside County Frankenmaulers.”
Video describes dogs as Italian Mastiffs (King Corsos).
Girlfriend of Man Killed By Dog Speaks Out:
http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/2859/874616?cpt=8&title=pets_and_animals&wpid=2057