2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Pet Pit Bull Mauls to Death 74-Year Old Owner in Santa Fe

Clifford Wright seen with his son Gavin in a November 27, 2002 photo.

Dog Euthanized
UPDATE 05/08/12: In the continuing saga of Gavin Wright, who initially hoped to spare family the pit bull after it brutally killed his father, allowed authorities to euthanize the dog today. On Monday, KOB.com released parts of the 911 call that offers more insight into Gavin. "Don't make me (expletive) repeat myself again ... My dog got a hold of him somehow," he said. It is possible that yesterday's airing of the segment inspired Gavin to allow for the humane euthanasia of the dog.

05/04/12: Death by Dog Confirmed
On Thursday, the state Office of the Medical Investigator released an initial cause of death that found that 74-year old Clifford Wright died as a result of a dog attack, not of any other health issues. According to the Santa Fe Police Department, Wright also had a history of dog attack reports at his home. In 2005, police responded to Wright's home after reports he was bitten by a different family pit bull. In 2011, police responded to his home after reports of a loose pit bull.

Several hours after the initial KOB.com news article was posted, a video was added that included more information. The victim's son, former Santa Fe High football player Gavin Wright, who made the 911 call, lived with his father along with four dogs, three of which were pit bulls. Gavin reportedly does not believe that the family pit bull, named Achilles, struck down his father in a life ending mauling, despite the Santa Fe Police Department confirming that the animal did.1

05/02/12: Pit Bull Suspected in Death
Santa Fe, NM - In a developing story, Santa Fe police are investigating the death of a 74-year old man. Clifford Wright was discovered by his 27-year old son, Gavin Wright, dead in the front yard on Wednesday. Police responded to an emergency medical call from the son, who said "his father had been attacked by an animal at their house." According to a longtime neighbor, the unaltered male pit bull belonged to the son and was a recent addition to the family's household.

1The victim's family, his son(s), are not willingly surrendering the dog to be euthanized, forcing authorities to ask a judge for this permission.

11 thoughts on “2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Pet Pit Bull Mauls to Death 74-Year Old Owner in Santa Fe”

Confirmed, US PITICIDE #333

By the son's dog. There were also other "Incidents" where police were called to the house because of pit bulls, but it's not quite clear if those incidents involved dogs at the residence. Also, the nutters are out in full force saying that there has never been an attack by a neutered pit. I know it can reduce the instinct to attack, but that isn't true, is it? That there is no record of a neutered pit bull attacking?

Opalina,
I am the victim of a spayed pit bull. Pit owners have been killed by their neutered pit bulls. Never is a long time. The reason that reports of neutered pits attacking are not as common as S&N pits is because pits are much less likely to be spayed or neutered. The JAVMA Journal April 2011 has an article on the percentages of S&N in various breeds. Pits and Amstaffs have the lowest percentages. This is in pits that see the inside of a Vet Clinic. Expect that numbers in the community are far lower.

This son Gavin wants the pit bull back. He must be hoping to get rid of his mother too.

When nutters say something like "no neutered pit bull has ever attacked" you can simply ignore those statements.

1. it is like stating "no neutered beagle has ever attacked someone" and given the number of neutered male beagles you know this must be false, it is like saying "lightning has never struck someone on their left shoulder"

2. very often the sexual status of an animal is not noted in the report materials we have, some of those animals were likely neutered

What pit nutters could possibly say with some honesty

"In the materials we have collected and at our disposal related to pit bull attacks, we do not have an instance where a pit bull that attacks is confirmed to have been neutered."

The other way to look at this: why aren't the unneutered labs doing this at anywhere near the same rate? Let's say testicles and pit bull DNA is like fertilizer and diesel fuel (explosive when mixed) but relatively harmless when separate (which I don't believe in relation to the pits, but just to humor nutters). If we cannot make people neuter their pits and therefore defuse them, then we are in the same position regardless. Because we cannot prevent people from mixing fertilizer and diesel we are now beginning to regulate the fertilizer in question.

http://www.dhs.gov/files/laws/ammonium-nitrate-regulations.shtm

"nutters are out in full force saying that there has never been an attack by a neutered pit"

Yes, neutered pit bulls have attacked.

It helps reduce the aggression, but with pit bulls as opposed to other breeds, it can still be a problem. They need to still be properly contained, don't beong near children or in public places like parks, and muzzles stop a lot of problems for the pit bull owner, if they would just wake up to it but they don't seem smart emough.

(Why hasn't a pit bull enthusiast started a line of fashion muzzles for pit bulls? I am not kidding. Use them and their owners and the dogs won't be getting in trouble.)

However the incidence of attacks by neutered pit bulls is lower, so getting these dogs altered is a great start (and a way to stop the major overpopulation that kills them, but pit bull enthusiasts don't seem to care. I guess the breeders influence them to try to forget about that.)

I think we have a new Maul Talk term here "make them your child."
—
"Make them your child and they will respond as such, they want to please you," says Mary who runs the Pet-A-Bulls organization.
It’s a non-kill shelter only for pit bulls.
“They're the most co-dependable creatures on earth. Problem is when you don't spay or neuter. They need human interaction, the more you treat them like your child the better dog you have," adds Mary.

Dog Lobby SmokeScreen Piece of the Day: July 1987; After 9 of 14 US DBRFs are caused by Pit Bulls in 1986, Mark Paulhus of the HSUS steps in to set the record straight. He ends up being colossally wrong as 229 Americans have been killed by Pit Bulls since he gave his expert opinion. Pit Bulls now kill an average of 18 Americans annually.

Thank you all; I knew that couldn't be true. They are just pulling out that card because this pit wasn't neutered. They use whatever excuse they can to exonerate the pit in any attack. I'm just glad to see more and more comments against pits, and more and more people saying, "We aren't buying your bs anymore!" Thanks in large part to dogsbite.org, and other sites.

Astonishing collection of Pit Bull owners killed or mauled by their own animals:

Fatal Attractions, Pit Bulls and Darwin

an article I hadn't seen before with a photo of Achilles, the pit that killed Clifford Wright

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vintage on May 3, 2012 at 10:32 pm said:

Confirmed, US PITICIDE #333
Opalina on May 4, 2012 at 11:35 am said:

By the son's dog. There were also other "Incidents" where police were called to the house because of pit bulls, but it's not quite clear if those incidents involved dogs at the residence. Also, the nutters are out in full force saying that there has never been an attack by a neutered pit. I know it can reduce the instinct to attack, but that isn't true, is it? That there is no record of a neutered pit bull attacking?
april 29 on May 4, 2012 at 6:48 pm said:

Opalina,
I am the victim of a spayed pit bull. Pit owners have been killed by their neutered pit bulls. Never is a long time. The reason that reports of neutered pits attacking are not as common as S&N pits is because pits are much less likely to be spayed or neutered. The JAVMA Journal April 2011 has an article on the percentages of S&N in various breeds. Pits and Amstaffs have the lowest percentages. This is in pits that see the inside of a Vet Clinic. Expect that numbers in the community are far lower.
Sputnik2009 on May 4, 2012 at 3:17 pm said:

This son Gavin wants the pit bull back. He must be hoping to get rid of his mother too.
DubV on May 4, 2012 at 4:27 pm said:

When nutters say something like "no neutered pit bull has ever attacked" you can simply ignore those statements.

1. it is like stating "no neutered beagle has ever attacked someone" and given the number of neutered male beagles you know this must be false, it is like saying "lightning has never struck someone on their left shoulder"

2. very often the sexual status of an animal is not noted in the report materials we have, some of those animals were likely neutered

What pit nutters could possibly say with some honesty

"In the materials we have collected and at our disposal related to pit bull attacks, we do not have an instance where a pit bull that attacks is confirmed to have been neutered."

The other way to look at this: why aren't the unneutered labs doing this at anywhere near the same rate? Let's say testicles and pit bull DNA is like fertilizer and diesel fuel (explosive when mixed) but relatively harmless when separate (which I don't believe in relation to the pits, but just to humor nutters). If we cannot make people neuter their pits and therefore defuse them, then we are in the same position regardless. Because we cannot prevent people from mixing fertilizer and diesel we are now beginning to regulate the fertilizer in question.

http://www.dhs.gov/files/laws/ammonium-nitrate-regulations.shtm
Anonymous on May 4, 2012 at 11:26 pm said:

"nutters are out in full force saying that there has never been an attack by a neutered pit"

Yes, neutered pit bulls have attacked.

It helps reduce the aggression, but with pit bulls as opposed to other breeds, it can still be a problem. They need to still be properly contained, don't beong near children or in public places like parks, and muzzles stop a lot of problems for the pit bull owner, if they would just wake up to it but they don't seem smart emough.

(Why hasn't a pit bull enthusiast started a line of fashion muzzles for pit bulls? I am not kidding. Use them and their owners and the dogs won't be getting in trouble.)

However the incidence of attacks by neutered pit bulls is lower, so getting these dogs altered is a great start (and a way to stop the major overpopulation that kills them, but pit bull enthusiasts don't seem to care. I guess the breeders influence them to try to forget about that.)
maultalk on May 5, 2012 at 2:53 am said:

I think we have a new Maul Talk term here "make them your child."
—
"Make them your child and they will respond as such, they want to please you," says Mary who runs the Pet-A-Bulls organization.
It’s a non-kill shelter only for pit bulls.
“They're the most co-dependable creatures on earth. Problem is when you don't spay or neuter. They need human interaction, the more you treat them like your child the better dog you have," adds Mary.
vintage on May 7, 2012 at 10:23 am said:

Dog Lobby SmokeScreen Piece of the Day: July 1987; After 9 of 14 US DBRFs are caused by Pit Bulls in 1986, Mark Paulhus of the HSUS steps in to set the record straight. He ends up being colossally wrong as 229 Americans have been killed by Pit Bulls since he gave his expert opinion. Pit Bulls now kill an average of 18 Americans annually.
Opalina on May 7, 2012 at 7:43 pm said:

Thank you all; I knew that couldn't be true. They are just pulling out that card because this pit wasn't neutered. They use whatever excuse they can to exonerate the pit in any attack. I'm just glad to see more and more comments against pits, and more and more people saying, "We aren't buying your bs anymore!" Thanks in large part to dogsbite.org, and other sites.
vintage on May 7, 2012 at 9:47 pm said:

Astonishing collection of Pit Bull owners killed or mauled by their own animals:

Fatal Attractions, Pit Bulls and Darwin
snack sized dog on December 14, 2013 at 8:58 am said:

an article I hadn't seen before with a photo of Achilles, the pit that killed Clifford Wright