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28 thoughts on “2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Recently Adopted Out Pit Bull Kills 6-Year Old Boy in Henderson County, North Carolina

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  1. North Carolina is one of the primary "breeding grounds" for fighting dogs. Many of the top breeders of fighting dogs (pit bulls) laid down stakes in this state decades ago. Why any normal family on EARTH would adopt a pit bull from this state or surrounding areas is severely uneducated about dogfighting. You literally could be getting a one-generation away fighting dog or even the same generation in this neck of the woods. The agency or "rescue" that adopted this pit bull out no doubt told the family a pack of lies, "It's all how they are raised" yadda, yadda… I would be mad as hell at this rescue group (or county shelter, or wherever the dog came from) if I was the "recent" owner of this child killer. Now this family has to live the rest of their lives knowing that buying into the "pit bull propaganda garbage" caused the life of an innocent child. They also bought into the garbage despite the simple act of typing Pit Bull Attack into Google. Shame on them!

  2. This is another "Death by Dog" where there won't be any charges. In addition, the family doesn't have any hope of a civil judgment against either the 'owner' or the 'seller' of this dog.

    Why? Well, because reports say the boy was in the owner's yard when the attack occurred, and he was unsupervised.

    It's all the mother's fault, you know. I'm betting the comments sections are already filled with that accusation.

    Now, let's consider Don's Land Shark comment.

    We all know that if you have a swimming pool in your yard that's not adequately fenced off and some kid gets in and drowns, you're liable.

    Imagine if you had an inadequately fenced off swimming pool that you stocked with, say, sharks or piranhas or crocodiles. If a kid got in and was killed by your animal, you'd not only be liable, I'm guessing criminal charges would be filed, whether or not the child was supervised.

  3. Meanwhile, all I see on the national television news the last week or two is how the sharks off the coast of North Carolina are attacking people. I think I heard 10 separate attacks in the last report…zero fatalities.

    And, now this. A LAND SHARK. A pit bull killing a young boy.

    Come on now media. COVER THIS STORY!!

    #CBS #NBC #ABC #CNN #FOXNEWS #MSNBC #ETC, ETC, ETC

  4. We DEMAND to know the source of this dog. From where was it adopted? A shelter? Sue it into the ground! One of those so-called "rescue" groups? Sue 'em!

  5. Okay, so now we know that it was adopted from a shelter? Is that shelter supported by the taxpayers? If so, then its identity should be publicized NOW.

  6. "The neighbors adopted the dog from a humane animal shelter about three weeks ago, Stout said. The sheriff's office is currently investigating the unnamed shelter and the dog's history to discover if the animal has ever been deemed dangerous." (ABC News) — That is hardly the point with a pit bull, of course it was never deemed dangerous before. Pit bulls do not need to have a history of aggression to suddenly one day execute the killing bite. This is exactly what they were selectively bred to do! Alexandra Semyonova states it so beautifully here.

  7. B Cazz that is an outstanding point.

    Why can't a pit bull be considered an "attractive nuisance" like the swimming pool?

    I hope that the shelter or "rescue" is sued. The only way these people are going to ever reconsider pedaling these murderous creatures is if they feel it in their wallet.

    I was talking to a veterinarian today about this very case and of Beau Ruttledge. She said you never know what triggers them and then their genetics kick in and its all over for the victim.

    Poor little boy. I can not even contemplate what the mother is going through. How do you ever get through something like that?

    Along the Land Shark theme……..its Shark Week on Discovery Channel and I think its interesting that we have two people killed this last week by pit bulls and the media continues its silence.

  8. A hypothetical entity is located 30 miles north in Buncombe County, Asheville Humane Society. The organization has heavy partnerships with the ASPCA and Best Friends. It is also under contract as the Buncombe County Animal Shelter. Interestingly, AHS also had a Project Pit Bull Event 3 weeks ago. And, AHS has SINCE removed the "Project Pit Bull" awareness and action campaign from their website. It is only in Google Cache now. How coincidental?

    What happened to the Asheville Humane Society's Project Pit Bull? Last photo taken in Google Cache on July 5, 2015.

    On the community description of the June 19 Project Pit Bull Asheville Community Forum event, it states that the forum is the "FIRST" of the "campaign’s free services for pit bull owners, community resources, and other events." So, as with most "awareness and action campaigns" the Asheville Humane Society's Project Pit Bull, was going to be going on for months if not years. But it stopped suddenly and just within the last few days, and the entire campaign page was removed from the AHS corporate website.

    Here's the text from the campaign webpage that only exists in Google Cache now.
    ———————
    We are pleased to announce Asheville Humane Society’s
    Project Pit Bull, Awareness and Action Campaign!

    Pit bulls are often misunderstood and discriminated against. Our goal is to bring awareness and action to our community and ensure Asheville is a welcoming community for all dogs. Asheville Humane Society’s Pit bull Project, Awareness and Action Campaign will include our advocacy team the Pit Crew, free services to pit bull pet owners, educational forums, community resources and other events. It is our hope that in creating a conversation with citizens of all ages including homeowners, tenants, landlords, neighbors, pit bull enthusiasts, and even the pit bull wary, we can grow a compassionate, conscientious community that promotes responsible pet ownership and no longer discriminates against breeds.

    Commonly, the label “pit bull” is used as a blanket term for breeds such as the American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, and Bull Terrier, to name a few. These dogs are grossly misunderstood, along with many other breeds that have found their way on to breed restriction lists over the years. Until recently, this did not pose an urgent problem. However, as the “shelter mutt” evolves into a hybrid with pit bull-type characteristics, and Asheville tries to evolve into a no-kill community, steps need to be taken to ensure that these dogs can find forever homes—and stay home.

    We want Asheville to remain a dog-friendly city, yet in order to accomplish this its citizens need not only resources for proper training and care, but also places to live and happily coexist within the community with their beloved pets.

    http://www.ashevillehumane.org/project-pit-bull.php

  9. Very interesting indeed Littlebluetinkerbell.

    I would bet the farm that was the group that sold this killer dog.

  10. If I was a member of the plaintiffs' bar, I would be targeting the so-called humane movement. Why? Because it has deep pockets and its actions are endangering society.

  11. The Asheville Humane Society has lost respect for the HUMAN society that funds it. And it has a lot of blood on its hands.

  12. in reading the rather Orwellian "project pit bull" blurb, it's difficult to imagine what this lot means by "dog-friendly city" – the mind boggles over the disconnect with reality: one the one hand, harmless dogs being mauled to death in their own yards by roaming pit bulls, doing what they were designed to do, and on the other hand, the representatives of the "ministry of truth" smiling serenely amidst the screams, the blood and the slaughter while touting the horrific "dog-friendly" environment they have created…

    Truly, you can not make this stuff up!

  13. Best Friends Animal Society strikes again.

    So many people do not realize that their local shelters and animal control departments have literally been bought by wealthy people pushing their selfish and deranged pit bull agenda from other states, like so much organized in New York City.

    Organizations like Best Friends are the middlemen, the go betweens, that capture control of these local organizations and push them into supporting the pit bull agendas of those wealthy and selfish elites, and put communities in peril.

    Communities need to take back control of their shelters and animal control departments from the wealthy outsiders and lobbyists who do not care how many local citizens die or get mauled. They only care about the financial interests of the pit bull lobby, which is a business interest.

  14. Humane societies like Asheville have become the champions of dog fighters and their interests.

    Regarding that pit bull promotion event that was held when this dog was adopted, I know for a fact that Best Friends Animal Society employees and management play direct roles in organizing and running these events. The blame for this lies beyond Asheville too, and that is what really needs to be exposed as well.

    But I will just bet that Asheville will get thrown under the bus by Best Friends. They do it every time and utterly refuse to take responsibility.

  15. If anyone reading this post has been donating to this humane society, stop. Likewise, Best Friends. Don't give them another dime. They are NOT our friends.

  16. Asheville Humane Society is attempting damage control. And it's not working.

    I hope that the family of the deceased has a good personal injury lawyer. Because there's a HUGE wrongful death case here.

  17. The public should know the people responsible for letting Asheville Humane Society be taken over and used for the interests of outsiders and the pit bull industry.

    The buck stops here when it comes to responsibility. The buck stops here when it comes to responsibility for that child's death.

    These people have admitted their responsibility for how this shelter is run, its direction, and how it operates in public, to all.

    What will the leaders of AHS do to attend to their responsibility for this child's death and to prevent future deaths? They have now acknowledged they are waranteeing killer dogs as safe and selling them to the public. What will they do now? Double down on the propaganda?

    They've already announced plans to keep running this fraudulent project to sell killer dogs. THEY INTEND TO DO IT AGAIN. Not only to the citizens of Asheville, but through the state and perhaps into other states.

    http://www.ashevillehumane.org/board-of-directors.php

    Asheville Humane Society is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors of between 12-18 community representatives. These individuals donate their time, passion and professional expertise to steer the vision and future of our mission.

    John Haas, Chair
    Susan Barbour, Vice Chair
    Ann Barron, Secretary
    Joy Flora, Treasurer

    Sue Barnett

    Ken Blank

    Darr Conradson

    Kim Evans

    Ron Gallaway

    Matt Goetz

    Kenan Hopkins

    Joe Luna

    Robin Ramsey

    David Smith

    Doug Tate

    Sarah Hess, Interim President

  18. To the Pup Crew clothing company: The Asheville Humane Society is unlawfully using your trademark.

  19. Again I ask, won't these "behavior" tests just be useless? Especially with the Pitbull breed? I mean how many times do we hear "the dog was NEVER aggressive before the attack"? And we know aggression is often viewed differently depending on who you talk to because people think they know what their animals are thinking… "Oh he nips when he is playing", "she's just scared, but she doesn't bite" or my favorite "he was biting but not THAT hard, if he wanted to hurt/kill the dog, he would have" (GOOGLE: Petsmart pitbull attacks another dog and gets stabbed) …etc.
    My point Is, you could spend a lifetime observing a seemingly gentle pitbull only to find out later it attacked for no reason at all.
    Don't government offices just love to spin their wheels at the expense of the taxpayer?

  20. "Again I ask, won't these "behavior" tests just be useless? "

    Yes, they are.

    There is no behavioral test on earth that can adequately give a conclusion on a pit bull or mixes with strong fighting breed genetic backgrounds.

    Countless pit bulls have passed all kinds of behavioral tests or been granted certificates developed and given by "experts" and those dogs have then gone on to kill or attack.

    The AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate (GKC) for example, is completely worthless when it comes to fighting and killing breeds.

    That is the problem with breeds that have been created to attack and kill.

    The whole thing is a game of let's pretend or the Emperor has no clothes

  21. The outsider pit bull breeding community put pressure on government employee Jim Holland and he caved.
    Now he'll get more Asheville people and pets killed and injured.

    OUTSIDER financial interests interfered with local Asheville citizen's public safety.

    None of the people running the pit bull selling program at Asheville Humane are even from the state, never mind Asheville. They are all outsiders preying on Asheville and propping up the pit breeder and dog fighter community.

    I saw this quote in the article

    "The county also hired local animal welfare consultant Sarah Hess to help with the review. Hess previously served as the interim executive director of the Asheville Humane Society."

    Being perfectly clear here, Sarah Hess (who is from Ohio) runs a MARKETING BUSINESS that works for contracts with animal related agencies. She GETS PAID. SHE MAKES MONEY FROM THE PIT BULL DEALING, including this "consulting" paid job the county just gave her.

    This is how she gets an income. This is her business.

    It was a complete conflict of interest to involve her at all because she makes money from these pit bull campaigns.

    "Sarah also has more than 20 years experience in various sales and marketing positions, and currently runs her own marketing business specializing in the humane field."

  22. You also realize that Asheville Humane Society is stating right out that they are throwing their adopters and foster care homes under the bus1

    If you adopt a vicious pit bull from Asheville humane, or take it in as foster care, and that dog attacks, then you the adopter or foster care person will be blamed for it and you the adopter or foster care person will get sued and lose everything so that Asheville humane Society can keep on selling vicious dogs and earning large management salaries.

    Asheville Humane Society doesn't even respect their adopters and foster care! Adopters and foster care are under 100 percent risk in any dealing with Asheville Humane Society. They are being treated like dirt by this organization.

  23. If the SAFER temperament test is the state-of-the-art, then I'd hate to see what a flawed test looks like.

  24. With so many organizations backing Pitbull adoptions it's hard to be properly informed about this breed's true nature.
    When did it become so political and corrupt? I mean the last place I would expect to be tricked and lied to is when I go to adopt a dog for my family. It's really laughable and childish, the people who have bleeding hearts for these dangerous dogs. It's also very frustrating that those who peddle the pitbulls will actually try to convince you that Pitbulls are superior to all other breeds. Like: best for protection, smartest breed, sweetest, and we all know they are "nanny dogs"! Right?
    It reminds me of a government program that no body EVER wants but we hear how good it is for us and we need it because we are too stupid to take care of ourselves.
    I keep thinking about the mom of this little boy. How she must go on with her life in so much pain. She doesn't deserve this heartbreak! With these dogs around I guess you're just supposed to be a helicopter parent!?!
    My boys are always making friends at school and playgrounds. Well, a few times I've made friends with the kids' parents and they invite us to play at their house. I've actually asked these kids' parents if they have pitbulls or rotweilers in their home before we can go there. Sometimes I feel like I'm being extreme but I have three boys under the age of 5 (the most common ages to be fatally attacked by dogs and also the most common situation to be fatally attacked in: visiting a pitbull owner's home).
    I recently read " Misunderstood Nanny Dogs?" It is a short book but very informative and it gets the message across quickly that these breeds are a health and safety problem in modern society and should NOT be kept as pets. Along with Dogsbite.org I've been recommending this book to my family and friends this way they can read it on their own time and form their own opinion.
    Educate ourselves and know our surroundings? It's all we can do right? We sure as hell can't count on the brilliant minds behind temperment testing for dogs. What a disaster and a quick way to piss away taxpayer money!
    I appreciate you Colleen! Dogsbite is a true sanctuary for bully breed victims and for those of us who want to learn facts and statistics.

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