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Last updated: August 26, 2020

Family of Mauling Death Victim Awaits Apology from Dogs' Owner

Denise Rackal killed by pit bulls
Denise's son shown hugging her casket during funeral services.

Pit Bulls Seized
Chaguanas, Trinidad - On Monday, 46-year old Denise Rackal was brutally mauled to death by a pack of pit bulls belonging to Chaguanas police officer Daryl La Pierre.1 Rackal, a security guard with Personal Safety and Security Training Company Limited, had been walking to work at the time of the incident. According to neighbors, the same dogs killed 15 dogs last year and attacked two people.2 Rackal's family continues to wait for an apology from the dogs' owner.

Denise RackalScores of angry residents gathered outside the home of the owner of the pitbulls and shouted at the two boys saying they should let the pitbulls out of the house so the dogs could be photographed by media photographers. The two boys and the pitbulls remained inside the tightly shut house.
Newsday understands that the police corporal was not home at the time of the attack and when he heard the news, went to the scene but was quickly whisked away by his police colleagues to the Chaguanas Police Station.
Resident Susan Rivas stood near the house of the pitbulls and shouted, “These dogs must be killed. The owner must face the consequences of his dogs’ actions. A woman is dead.” (Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday)

We have sorrowful, but truthful news for the Rackal family. An apology from the dogs' owner is not coming (it seldom does). One has to remember just how traumatized this dog owner is, after all, his sons had to watch as his five pit bulls ripped apart Denise Rackle's body while she screamed in vain. After the boys managed to call the animals off, they left Rackle bleeding to death in the street. And now, his family pets (the murdering pit bulls) have been seized.

A grieving husband and two children survive Denise.

In 2000, Dangerous Dog legislation passed in the country, but officials never implemented it. Nearby countries that have include: St. Kitts and Nevis, Venezuela and others.

View Related video (graphic)

1A commenter in a mauling thread following the death of Margaret Salcedo said that the owner of those murdering pit bulls was a "former police officer," which may be why little has been released since her death.
2Which apparently, the Chaguanas Police Department did nothing about.

Related articles:
04/26/11: 2011 Fatality: Four Pit Bulls Maul New Mexico Woman to Death
06/25/10: Pit Bulls Kill Man in Belize; Authorities Initially Suppress Information
02/06/09: Ecuador Joins International Trend: Bans Pit Bulls and Rottweilers...

Photos: Trinidad and Tobago Guardian and Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

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6 thoughts on “Family of Mauling Death Victim Awaits Apology from Dogs' Owner”

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  2. Police Officer Daryl La Pierre

    Lionel said he would pursue legal action as soon as his wife was cremated. “I want to get justice, I want those dogs to be put to death and I need some kind of compensation for the loss and my wife,” he said. Lionel said the funeral cost had added to his woes. “I went to get the cost of a coffin, they told me $12,000…

    http://guardian.co.tt/news/2011/05/11/husband-cries-out-justice

  3. FOUR pit bulls, including the two which viciously attacked and killed security officer Denise Rackal in Chaguanas on Monday, were yesterday put to death, even as their police officer owner faces being evicted.

    http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Killer_pit_bulls_put_to_death-121613929.html

    Sort of a new trend in pit bull names, one was named Obama and the other Champion.

    Dear God, the pit bull owner "may be evicted from his home!" The violin and tears are flowing. How about 10 years HARD TIME INSTEAD and the victim's family suing the living HELL out of HDC for clearly knowing about these dogs and doing NOTHING about it? Sue the hell out of the Chaguanas Police Department while you're at it!

  5. an apology? REALLY?

    I'm so sorry that your wife crossed paths with my pack of ugly mutant fighting dogs that i acquired to help boost my fragile ego and that i am too stupid to properly contain.

    i'm sorry but i don't understand this. and i don't see how anything other than Police Corporal, Daryl La Pierre blowing his own brains out could come close to adequately expressing remorse.

  6. Another Filthy, Illegal, Man-Killing Pit Breeder…

    Notice we never see DBRFs at Retriever breeders…

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