A 59-year old man was killed by a vicious pit bull in Yuma County on Thursday night.
Previously Attacked a Man
UPDATE 12/17/23: This same pit bull viciously attacked a man six months earlier, according to the victim. Hunter Granlund posted to Facebook Sunday, the "same dog that almost killed me took the life of a man on December 15th 2023." The dog belongs to the "owners of Wellton Towing." Granlund was attacked on June 2. He sustained severe injuries to both of his arms. "If it hadn’t been for a close by neighbor, I’m sure I would have died," he wrote. The post contains multiple images of his injuries.
The attack was reported to animal control, but the dog was returned to its owner. Granlund wrote, "animal controls policy's said to hold and test for the first reported incident this is the second now." Under Arizona's dog attack statute, the owner could face a felony. "A person who owns a dog that the owner knows or has reason to know has a history of biting or a propensity to cause injury ... bites, inflicts physical injury on or attacks a human being while at large is guilty of a class 5 felony."
The circumstances of the fatal attack reported on December 15 were not released by the sheriff's office, including the victim's relationship to the dog and whether the dog was at large at the time. It is only known that the attack occurred the night earlier, and the 59-year old victim was found the next day at about 8:30 am in the 10600 Block of S. Avenue 33E, which is one-third of a mile south of Wellton Towing. The serial biting pit bull was later found dead on Interstate 8 after it ran into traffic.
The same pit bull attacked a man in June, and the dog was returned to its owner.
Man Killed by Dog
Yuma County, AZ - A 59-year old man is dead after being attacked by a vicious pit bull on Thursday night. On December 15, at approximately 8:30 am, Yuma County sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a deceased male in the 10600 block of South Avenue 33E. "The initial investigation revealed a male victim, 59, was attacked the night prior by a canine and sustained fatal injuries. At this time, it is unknown why the canine attacked the victim," states a release from the Yuma County Sheriff's Office.
Police have not yet publicly identified the victim.
The dog fled after the attack. "Continuous efforts to locate the canine have been unsuccessful and is believed to still be at large. The canine is described as a male, gray and white spotted pit bull of approximately 100 pounds," states the release. The release was updated on December 16, stating that the dog had been located after it ran into traffic on Interstate 8 and was struck and killed by a car. "The canine has been located. It was found deceased after it ran into traffic on Interstate 8."
Press Release *UPDATE*
December 16, 2023 -10:10 AM
Vicious Canine At Large*updateLocation of Incident: 10600 Block of S. Avenue 33E – Wellton, AZ
UPDATE: The canine has been located. It was found deceased after it ran into traffic on Interstate 8 near mile post 35.
********Original Release- Dec.15, 2023-9:10PM
On Friday, December 15, 2023, at approximately 8:30 AM the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a deceased male in the 10600 Block of S. Avenue 33E.
The initial investigation revealed a male victim, 59, was attacked the night prior by a canine and sustained fatal injuries. At this time, it is unknown why the canine attacked the victim.
Continuous efforts to locate the canine have been unsuccessful and is believed to still be at large. The canine is described as a male, gray and white spotted Pitbull of approximately 100 lbs.
If the canine is observed, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office advises the public to not approach it and contact animal control or law enforcement.
This case remains under investigation at this time.
Anyone with information regarding this case, please contact the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office at 928-783-4427 or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous. You can also visit our website at www.yumacountysheriff.org to submit an anonymous tip.
Information Released By: Tania Pavlak, Public Affairs Specialist
A 59-year old man was killed by a vicious pit bull in Yuma County on December 14, 2023.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Arizona Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
11/18/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Woman, Critically Injure Man in Sierra Vista, Arizona
06/23/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Child Killed by Three Pit Bull-Mixes in Apache County, Arizona
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.
Was this dog the deceased man’s pet?
To me, it looks like the deceased did own this dog. The dog should be tested for rabies, but I would be surprised if it was rabid.
Not exactly comforting, to be going back through blog posts and having the entry you’ve just finished reading show up at the top of the next page. Of course it’s another mauling. Of course someone else lost their life in a truly horrific fashion, because of this awful, pernicious lie that all dogs, even the ones who have been bred for generations to fight and kill, are hecking good bois who just need the right owners and good, loving homes.
Jesus wept.
I can name four people right now who know me, know that I’m not a liar, and still refuse to believe that I’m truthful about the breed of dog they choose to champion. They want to be RIGHT and they want to prove they are right despite all the evidence that proves them wrong. You can’t argue or debate them out of their position by pointing out the facts. They refuse to accept those facts even when said facts are presented by someone they like, love, and/or respect! Someone with thirty plus years of experience. It’s just sad but it’s been 100 percent my experience they will not be REASONABLE. They will hang onto their idea like their favorite breed hangs onto its prey until it is dead. And then it is too late.
It’s called cognitive dissonance and pathological altruism.
Because we, as a society have failed our children. The media and politicians have failed our children. The education system has failed our children. The mental health “experts” have failed our children.
We’ve taught them that their personal feefees are more important than logic, critical thinking, or advocating for the “common good”. To be clear, I’m not blaming them. Right now I see a ton of them waking up to the reality that the world is *not* what they’ve been told.
We’ve stuffed anthropomorphizing Disney movies down their throats for twenty years instead of films like “Old Yeller” or “Rin Tin Tin” where dogs actually have to be trained to carry out the tasks we see on the screen. Yes, there’s fancy editing but the dog can actually follow the commands. They don’t talk, they bark.
Their expectations of being able to “fix” an animal and their sentimentalism around animal abuse while they live at McDonald’s is nothing short of head-spinning. They’ve never lived on farms, or worked dogs, or had to understand the human-animal bond.
They have zero understanding that their bleeding hearts over pitbulls means someone else’s friendly dog has more right to exist or that their elderly neighbour and children are at risk–or that they, by wasting their precious time shilling for these dogs–are providing the necessary cover for the dog fighters who do not want to see their income destroyed.
Because we have not taught them to “follow the money” in any analysis of a practical problem.
7 deaths in December. It seems like there have been significantly more this year.
Two BOLO’s this month for deadly,savage, bloodsport dogs! Seven or more human deaths and numerous maulings this month by deadly, savage bloodsport dogs! Countless pet dogs and cats, countless livestock and wildlife killed or maimed. Bloodsport dogs are not family dogs! Dystopian times that we’re living in. 😠 😡 I unfortunately don’t see an end to this savagery. 😔
I live with a pitbull lover. She says that pitbull owners don’t train their dogs right. Yet she admits she took her well-trained female pitbull to the vet to be euthanized. She said
the pitbull had bitten a cop’s pantleg. I think the other seven pitbulls were offspring of the prior mentioned female pittie. She also had lived on an Indian reservation. Doesn’t this all sound familiar?
In addition, she says my GSD has no brains. According to her, First Responders would shoot him because he would attack them. That GSD has a temperament certificate with AKC. He also has a CGC, Rally Novice, Rally Intermediate, and Rally Advanced titles with AKC. He’d have more than that if I could walk. Note that she wants this dog as her pet when I die. She also reportedly had all eight pitbulls very well-trained. Doesn’t much of this sound familiar?
Pitty owner with pitty
nonsense. I will investigate the eight patties registrations since they were shown all over the place. I’m not even sure if they were UKC registered as American Pitbull Terriers or AKC registered as American Staffordshire Terriers, neither, or both.
I have a boss that rescued a pit mix from a reservation, her view of the dog is entirely bizarre.
When other dogs run up to hers, it attacks because it’s *protecting* her, not because that’s what pits were BRED to do- maul and kill other animals.
Her dog already bit someone and she’s in trouble, but of course it’s not her fault and it’s not the dog’s fault.
And this part bopped me over the head:
“The attack was reported to animal control, but the dog was returned to its owner.”
All too typical here in Arizona. Which is why it’s up to US to protect OURSELVES.
Are we not going to find out more, not even the victim’s name? People are dying and society barely takes the trouble to shrug. I fear that dogs could end my life and that would be it, few would know or care.
As we know from previous reporting on this site, many times there is no news report whatsoever. That was attributed to covid, in this article, but given the decline of newspapers, it’s not clear to me that the reporting of these attacks has increased again.
https://blog.dogsbite.org/2022/09/macro-level-forces-covid-impacted-dog-bite-fatality-capture-rate.html
I am the attorney representing the former victim of the dog. If anyone has any information about this case including the identify of the unfortunate victim, please email or call me (602) 234-8796
Thank you. Do you have any information about the person who was killed?