Richard Martratt, 64, suffered a fatal heart attack after intervening in a dog fight.
"Non Bite" Fatality
Van Zandt County, TX - It was reported over the holiday weekend that a 64-year old man died, apparently due to a heart attack, and a 78-year old woman suffered serious head injuries after intervening in a violent dog fight involving two pit bull-type dogs. The dogs escaped their owner's property and attacked Joan Hardin's border collie. Hardin had been outside, along with her dog, unloading the car. Her family had just returned from an out-of-town Thanksgiving Day dinner.
After the dog fight began, Hardin tried to save her dog. She was quickly knocked to the ground and suffered a blow to the head. Richard Martratt, a U.S. Marine veteran, ran outside to defend his mother-in-law from the attacking dogs. Martratt held one dog in a neck grip, pulled out his pocket knife and began stabbing the animal. Martratt then shouted to a relative to bring him his firearm. Martratt fired three shots into the animal, killing the male catahoula bulldog,1 named Taz.2
Shortly thereafter, while in the presence of emergency medical treatment paramedics, Martratt suffered a heart attack and died.
Van Zandt County sheriff's deputies called the incident a "surprise" and KLTV.com called it "bizarre," despite the many instances of victims suffering a heart attack while being attacked by a pit bull.3 The owner of the two dogs, Michael Miller, said that "Richard over reacted, and it killed him. I'm sorry," Miller said. Surprisingly, Miller excluded the infamous Maul Talk excuse, "It was a dog fight." Miller added that Taz was neutered and the pit bull, named "Baby Girl," was spayed.
Pit Bull Dog Aggression
Genetic pit bull dog aggression is dangerous and deadly. DogsBite.org prays that readers do not ever have to witness this explosive aggression first hand, which required Martratt to stab the dog multiple times and to shoot three bullets into it before the dog stopped its assault. Sheriff Pat Burnett said, "This could have very easily turned into a 78-year old woman being mauled..." Burnett's statement acknowledges the danger pit bulls pose, but it lacks meaningful substance.
Could you, for instance, do what Martratt did? Could your wife or child? This is the question that lawmakers must ask themselves when weighing the adoption of a pit bull law.
"Non Bite" Injury
Aggressive "non bite" injury that results in serious injury and death6 should not be minimized. (See: Hao Yun "Eddie" Lin, Theresa Foss, Eleanor McDonald and Vida Isabel Silver). One can easily see in the KLTV.com video that Martratt's wife is now blaming herself and her husband for not undergoing a stress test, despite the fact that he underwent an EKG a month ago and it came back clean.7 We hope Susan and her family can one day understand the following:
Martratt was not fighting off a normal dog. He was fighting off a pit bull -- a breed that was selectively bred for explosive animal aggression and the tenacity to fight until death.
2A pit bull named Taz is also the subject of the notorious Crosby Analysis after the death of Mary Bernal. In that instance, Mary lifted her dachshund from reach of the pit bull after the two dogs started "scrapping." Taz then clamped onto Mary's scalp, tearing off her scalp, causing extreme blood loss leading to death.
3There have been several recent high profile heart attack occurrences: Vie Lee Walter, 67 (Las Vegas, NV), Rogello Castillo, 83 (Miami, FL) and William Parker, 71 (Memphis, TN). Others include: Mary Garcia, 70, October 2009 (Adams County, CO) and Timothy Neimeyer, 53, October 2009 (Indianapolis, IN).
4Citizens who recently suffered death due to pit bull dog aggression include: Carter Patrick Ridge Delaney, 20 (Leesburg, VA), Rosie Humphreys, 85 (Flora, IL) and Ethel Horton, 65 (Lee County, SC).
5See: Craven Desires: Weekly Frankenmauler Round Up Collection
6DogsBite.org does not include "non bite" injury victims in our fatal dog attack statistics at this time.
7Martratt may have experienced a Tako-Tsubo Syndrome myocardial infarction. The syndrome appears during extreme stress or exertion, diagnostic tests prior to the event are completely normal.
Related articles:
11/11/10: 2010 Fatality: East Texas Child Killed by a Pet Pit Bull
09/21/10: Rusk County Jury Returns $7 Million Dollar Verdict After Fatal Dog Mauling
07/25/10: 2010 Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Man, Injure Four Others in Memphis
03/08/10: 2010 Fatality: Pit Bull Kills 65-Year Old Woman in Lee County
i am still looking for another heart attack suffered from witnessing a pit bull attack on a pet. i know there is at least one other and i think it was in the UK. i will post if i find it.
Sheriff Burnett, “does not anticipate filing any charges.”
I hope the Sheriff gives this more thought, and I hope the family files a wrongful death suit.
Bottom line
Dog aggression, particularly in pit bulls, causes HUMAN DEATH, and it is why the rescues, shelters, and breeders that are selling dog-aggressive pit bulls are in essence getting people killed.
They need to accept responsibility for the liability they create.
A very important thing to note. Ledy VanKavage, a pit bull lobbyist who now works for Best Friends Animal Society in Utah lobbying for and promoting pit bulls, used to work for the ASPCA in New York.
While in New York, she advocated to PROTECT dog-aggressive pit bulls, in particular pit bulls that had unprovoked attacked other dogs. She did not want such dogs declared dangerous and properly contained so that future attacks did not occur. She wanted to protect this activity.
It is also important to know that Ledy VanKavage, when talking about a pit bull her family maintained when she was young, indicated that it roamed the neighborhood and attacked and killed other pets.
Pit bull promoters advocate FOR cruelty to dogs other than pit bulls, and also enable these attacks that result in human death and maiming.
No, these non bite fatalities shouldn't be minimized. They should call attention to how horrifically different pit bull attacks are. This man was older, but was an ex-marine with a proven healthy heart. He was courageous and amazingly quick-thinking and tenacious. He used two weapons on the pit, and yet he died. This simply should not happen.
Thank you for calling attention to just how many people suffer heart attacks from these atrociously violent incursions into civilized society.
I can picture this family so clearly. They're tired from the drive there and back, all the family togetherness, and from their big Thanksgiving dinner. Their day is almost over, but they still have to let the dog out and haul the dishes and leftovers inside before they can rest…
Why is it so difficult for so many people to understand that these attacks are monstrously primitive, unrelentingly cruel, all-out assaults on innocent people and animals just living their lives in what they thought was a civil society?
As for your question, could I do what veteran USM Richard Martratt did: No. After a long day, I would not be so courageous and quick-thinking.
You are so right – lawmakers should ask themselves: could they do this? Should anyone be called upon to do this?
excellent comment snack sized dog.
I can't keep track anymore…How many deaths is the Pit Community responsible for now since 2005…
110…112?!?
The AntiBSL law crafted by the Dog Law in Texas is Immoral.
How the Dog Lobby works….There have been 25 Pit/Rotticides in Texas since….
http://www.doberman-houston.org/StopHB1096.htm
In 1999 a Washington DC Firefighter died from a heart attack while being attacked by a Pit responding to a fire.
The net drain on society from the Pit Community is collossal
Miller's a filthy pit breeder:
"Meanwhile Miller is trying to find homes for his other dogs. He says for the last year he's called several rescue shelters to take them but no one will. "If there's anybody who can help me get homes for these other puppies so this doesn't have to happen…
If you or someone you know want to adopt one of Miller's dogs, you can contact him at 903-829-2513. "
For everyone's information. Yes all of this is true, except the that was attacked was not a border collie, he was an Australian Kelpie, he was a border collie/dingo mix. We did not press charges and Mr. Miller is NOT a "filthy pitbull breeder". The dog that was attacked his name was Collie. He was a shelter dog that my grandfather rescued. I know all of this because Richard was my stepfather. He shot the dog 4 times and before doing so he stabbed him in the neck 11 times.