Monthly Archives: October 2009

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Toddler Wanders from Babysitter's Home; Killed by Pit Bull

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Matthew Hurt, 2-years old, was killed by a neighbor's chained pit bull in Prescott. Attacked His Throat UPDATE 10/29/09: New information has been reported about the death of Matthew Hurt. According to a KTHV video, family and friends1 said the boy saw a puppy and chased it to a backyard where a pit bull was chained. Matthew's 3-year old brother followed him, then rushed home to alert the family. Neighbor Bridgette Monroe, who tried to help, described the horrible scene, "The b… [Read full blog post]

In Massachusetts, Landlords May Be Liable When Tenant's Pit Bull Attacks

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Pit Bulls Singled Out Waltham, MA - The second-highest court in Massachusetts recently ruled that a landlord may be held accountable if a tenant's pit bull goes on the attack. The Court specifically singles out the breed as one known to have a propensity for aggression. The appeals court ruling, which reversed a lower-court decision, arose from a 2005 lawsuit against landlords Emil and Clara Florio in which a 10-year old boy's leg was badly injured by their tenant's pit bull n… [Read full blog post]

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: 19-Month Old Boy Killed by Pit Bull-Mix at Babysitter's Home

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Colten Smith, 17-months old, was killed by a pit bull-mix while under the care of a babysitter. Future In-Law's Dog UPDATE 10/27/09: Sheriff's Deputies confirmed that the 65-pound pit bull named Max did not belong to the babysitter, rather she had been "watching it" for a week for her future in-law's. This is despite the fact that a KMPH video shows a "Warning Security Dog" sign hanging on the babysitter's fence with rusted screws. A preliminary autopsy released Tuesday conf… [Read full blog post]

2009 Pit Bull Awareness Day by YouTube Artist Zupf - DogsBite.org

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They're Not Letting Go DogsBite.org - Back in July, YouTube artist Zupf created a video in anticipation of this year's Pit Bull Awareness Day1, when pit bull lovers unite around the country to "praise" the breed. As in our own video last year, Zupf hopes to bring true awareness to the American public about pit bulls on this day. Pit bulls were selectively bred to fight, to inflict maximum damage in these fights and thereby have an unmatched 30-year track record of killing and mai… [Read full blog post]

'Non Bite' Pit Bull Injury Leads to Death of Plainfield AC Officer

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Plainfield Animal Control Officer died after being knocked to the ground by a pit bull. Officer Theresa Foss Plainfield, CT - An incident that raises questions regarding what defines a "fatal dog attack" recently occurred in Connecticut. On September 29, Plainfield Animal Control Officer Theresa Foss was hospitalized with a head injury after being knocked to the ground by a pit bull. Foss had responded to a call of an aggressive dog that had trapped a family in their home. A r… [Read full blog post]

Pit Bull Owner Lies After Dog Declared 'Dangerous,' Dog Attacks Again

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Alorah Havern and her mother Julie Havern, November 10, 2009. 1-12 Month Sentence UPDATE 06/29/10: On May 3, Matthew J. Havern pleaded guilty to charges of dog attack causing serious injury, failing to register a dangerous dog, failure to maintain liability insurance for a dangerous dog, and failure to obtain a rabies shot and a license for his dog. In exchange for his plea, the Erie County District Attorney's Office dropped the critical and more serious charges of reckless… [Read full blog post]