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56 thoughts on “2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Rescue Pit Bull Attacks, Kills Elderly Woman in Virginia Beach Hours After Being Adopted

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  1. LOOK at those dog walkers? How the hell is anyone going to control even TWO of those PIT BULLS if they get triggered? That right there is epic negligence!

  2. Wow, the Forever Home Rescue and Rehabilitation Center sure know a lot about dogs. Blue is so even-tempered, gentle and goofy.

  3. Wow. Just frightening. Toddlers trip and fall all the time. Children do too but not as much. Frightening to know the tripping and falling on the ground is enough reason/trigger for a pit to maul you to death.

    • Its crazy. When I adopted my 9 yr old weener dog (he passed at 15) from the shelter, I have a joint condition, and fall, and get hurt quite a bit. NEVER ONCE, had he hurt anyone. My current weener dog cries if I get hurt. Why wouldn’t they adopt a nice small weener dog like that? Those are great dogs for elderly ladies too, a huge dog that can knock u down even while playing is stupid for a grandma to have, nevermind a crazed evil dog that was to be put down for attacking people!

  4. Pit Bulls are still legal in most places. Can anyone give me a legitimate reason they haven't been banned everywhere? I didn't think so!

  5. These "rescues" need to be held liable!! The following is my take on bully breed rescue spin. The strikethrough is the reality they try to gloss over in their mauler peddling ads. (I hope it translates correctly in the comments view.)

    Meet K̶i̶l̶l̶e̶r̶ Mr. Wiggles! Mr. Wiggles is a 1 year old P̶i̶t̶ ̶B̶u̶l̶l̶ ̶T̶e̶r̶r̶i̶e̶r̶ All American Mix. He i̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶l̶e̶t̶e̶ ̶m̶y̶s̶t̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶u̶s̶ has been at the shelter for a month now and although he f̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶e̶n̶s̶ ̶v̶i̶s̶i̶t̶o̶r̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶t̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶g̶g̶r̶e̶s̶s̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ gets noticed by visitors, he hasn’t met the right s̶u̶c̶k̶e̶r̶ family yet. Due to this wiggly guy’s d̶e̶s̶i̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ tendency toward over exuberant play, he’d do best in a home without s̶m̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶y̶ ̶u̶p̶o̶n̶ young children under 12. We also feel that his u̶n̶b̶r̶i̶d̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶g̶g̶r̶e̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶w̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶d̶o̶g̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶a̶t̶s̶ sometimes inappropriate play makes him an ideal candidate to be ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶ the only buddy you share your love with! If you have a d̶e̶a̶t̶h̶ ̶w̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶u̶l̶t̶i̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶d̶o̶l̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶s̶u̶r̶a̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶l̶i̶c̶y̶ big heart and a warm bed, this bouncy goofball would love nothing more than to u̶s̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶j̶u̶g̶u̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶n̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶u̶n̶t̶a̶i̶n̶ share your lap and love! Come l̶i̶s̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶s̶o̶r̶r̶y̶ ̶a̶s̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶p̶a̶g̶a̶n̶d̶a̶ meet Mr. Wiggles today! You won’t be l̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶n̶e̶x̶t̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶r̶ sorry if you do!

  6. There are times when we use shock collars in the training of herding dogs. These dogs are purposely bred to be high energy, stubborn, and fearless in order to move cows. I can tell you that the shock collar will extinguish a behavior completely – as long as the dog is wearing the collar. They know when it's not on them they won't get shocked. Some of them even know when the collar's not turned on. The collars are not a fail-safe device to be used forever to keep a killer dog in check.
    It sounds like it wasn't the grandma's dog? Figures. Seniors and children often don't have a choice when these killer dogs are brought to their home, and they're the most likely to be the victims.

  7. K-Hart hit it on the mark. All these shelters do is lie about the dogs (mainly the bully breeds) that they have just so people will buy them so they won't get euthanzed. No concern for HUMAN safety. No responsibility taken when the dogs kill. Just more lying and victim blaming. This woman suffered a tragic death because some idiot shelter workers thought a clearly very aggressive dog (the thing wasn't wearing a shock collar for nothing) was worth keeping a live more than another human being. It's disgusting.

  8. Forever Home describes all of their adoptable pit bulls the same way. I guess "goofy" means "will rip your throat out"

  9. After a few big lawsuits, the pit bull lobby will be a shadow of its former self. BSL, aka breed-specific LITIGATION. Bring it on!

  10. I just love this: "owner surrender reason stated was BITEPEOPLE".

    These rescue people are either impossibly stupid or think that everyone else is (or both). Nobody could foresee that an attack dog with aggression issues would attack somebody? That's like saying that no one could foresee that jumping in a lake could get you wet.

    Enough of the lawsuits. This is criminal negligence. Everyone involved with adopting out this dog needs to go to jail.

  11. Wow, Cesar Millan disciples. I should have known. He's the perfect idol for these mentally ill people who believe all dogs can be "rehabilitated" and should be "saved." His pit bull advocacy and heavily-edited TV shows deceiving viewers into thinking his methods magically fix dogs forever (not to mention those non-disclosure clauses the owners sign so no one really knows what happens when the cameras turn off), along with his scientifically-debunked pack theories and harsh, aversive training methods from the Dark Ages of dog training that just suppress problem behaviors and aggression rather than changing them, all come together in a perfect storm to fundamentally quirk how dogs are viewed and massively screw up the human/dog relationship–and lead to these horrific attacks and deaths! It's been documented that he also uses shock collars, and unfortunately his methods have become popular to those who just don't know there's a better way–after years of gains made in spreading awareness of the science of dog behavior and positive reinforcement training, he's taken dog training back into the old days of abuse, intimidation, and fear. I'm sure the macho attitude appeals to these young women who have a fetish for dangerous dogs and believe they have the right "energy" to tame the beasts.

    I posited the theory some time back that the reason we seem to be seeing more dog attacks in the last few years is directly related to people attempting Cesar's methods on their dogs, which science tells us can cause explosive aggression. It's disheartening that people's thinking has gotten so messed-up and the joy of having dogs is being ruined in so many ways. Not all dogs can and should be saved, euthanasia is not the worst thing ever (far more humane than a dog living for years in a stressful shelter environment), genetics and breeding matter, dogs bred for aggression can never be trusted, and aversive training methods only harm the owner/dog relationship and cause behavior problems.

    It's all just sick! This poor elderly woman had a lovely little terrier of her own and could have enjoyed an addition to the household that wasn't a high-energy, aggressive fighting breed. She would still be alive today if it weren't for all these lies being spread.

  12. So they say they are totally shocked by this event, but also say that the dog has been returned multiple times due to biting issues? What kind of people are these? Who doesn't put down a pit that's known for biting. Surely they had other non-pit dogs available at that shelter that they could have sold this family instead. This is just a straight up negligence and lack of caring towards safety. These people should all be fired, the shelter shut down, and all dogs euthanized.

    And I haven't kept up on Ceaser Millan in a while, but I swear that even he has said pit bulls can't be rehabilitated. That they will never loose their urge to fight and can never be rehabilitated into submission. Some 'disciples' these guys were.

  13. Not sure how to give a "Like" out to K-Hart… but you nailed it!

  14. I certainly hope they sue and don't settle. We need this in court and with a high profile so people will wake up. If we can't ban them from our cities (too many stupid people), we should do what Detroit did and make it unlawful for anyone under 18 to walk them. It would be a start.

  15. The people running 'Forever Home' need to go to jail, period. Anyone who adopts out a dog that kills- no excuses. Promote the breed, pay for its deed.

  16. Pit bulls were BRED to IGNORE PAIN WHILE ATTACKING: DIANE JESSUP, pit bull expert, breeder, former ACO

    Unlike dogs who are nippers and rippers, her pit bulls are typically "grippers" who bite down and hang onto their victims."

    Jessup believes that much of dog behavior comes from their genes. “I truly believe that a dog is about 90% genetics,” says Jessup.
    on protection sports
    This difference in “sheepdog versus bulldog” mentality in a trainer is best understood when training the "out!” or release command. It is common practice for those training shepherds and sheepdog types to use force such as hard leash corrections or electric shock to get the dog to release the sleeve. Sadly, I had one young man come to me because a club trainer was slugging his little Am Staff bitch in the nose, till she bled, trying to get her to release the sleeve. She would not! And of course she would not! She was a good little bulldog, hanging on for dear life, just as her bull and bear baiting ancestors of old did. She was a super little gripping dog, who took the pain she experienced as just “part of the job” once her owner set her upon the sleeve. And this is the response from well bred pit bulldogs—to ignore pain while gripping. It is, after all, what they are bred for!

    CESAR MILLAN, celebrity dog trainer
    "Yeah, but this is a different breed…the power that comes behind bull dog, pit bull, presa canario, the fighting breed – They have an extra boost, they can go into a zone, they don't feel the pain anymore. He is using the bulldog in him, which is way too powerful, so we have to 'make him dog' (I guess as in a "regular" dog) so we can actually create the limits. So if you are trying to create submission in a fighting breed, it's not going to happen. They would rather die than surrender.". If you add pain, it only infuriates them..to them pain is that adrenaline rush, they are looking forward to that, they are addicted to it… That's why they are such great fighters." Cesar goes on to say…"Especially with fighting breeds, you're going to have these explosions over and over because there's no limits in their brain."

  17. Lol, ny animal control reported him as a STRAY, but in the same paragraph said he was an inner surrender for biting..which is it. The ny shelter us partially to blame for not euthanizing a known child biter and allowing it to be rehomedrehomed to anyone..adoption rescue group or private adopters..makes no difference. Surely there weren't other WORTHY dogs that this group could have helped? Other dog that were euthanized due to space that could have been saved if this group wasn't hell-bent bent on saving a " misunderstood' dog that attacked a child. Both the NY animal shelter and all rescue groups that passed this dog along to the home where an elderly woman was killed. Seriously, how could anyone think a pitbull with a known bite history and that HAD TO WEAR A SHOCK COLLAR TO ITS NEW HOME could be a pet that was safe to re-home???

  18. These animal shelters and rescues need to know there are consequences for readopting known child biters back into homes whether they attemp to sanitize the dog's past or not. Every shelter/ rescue in the chain of this dog's post surrender history should be accountable. The NY animal control should have euthanized the dog. The "rescuers" should have concentrated their efforts and resources into saving pets that were surrendered for other reasons and had no history of human or domestic pet aggression. This animal had over 5000 in vet care..think of all the good pets that could have been saved for that! Seriously, how could anyone think that an animal rehomed with a shock collar could be considered a safe adoptee. There are pics of this dog at the rescue with other dogs..he is the only one seen wearing a shock collar..few of the other dogs have collars at all.

  19. If you look at the color pic of the group walking the dogs, it's obvious that the gray dog on the far right has not been neutered. seems like that would be the first thing they'd do. Also appears to be wearing a corrective shock collar.

  20. I can not believe the pathologically thinking these "shelter" owners seemto have. I suspect their thinking is similar to a cat horder with 50 cats in a 1 bedroom house, only a big difference, the cat horder's cats aren't attacking and murdering people. Pit bulls are dangerous to begin with–because they can so easily kill someone, unlike many other breeds that can not easily kill a human, how can anyone be so irresponsible to lie and adopt out a pitbull with a multiple bite history, and that requires a shock collar just to deliver the pit bull to the victim's house?!?!?! Most people are full of crazy love for their dogs, so when a family turns a dog into a shelter for biting, it's safe to assume that family already tried everything they could to keep the dog in their home, so definitely the dog needs to be euthanized before it kills! It should never be adopted out to another family (even if the family is aware of the biting history, because even if that family doesn't care about their own safety, they are still putting their neighbors and visitors in danger.) Yes, the family should sue and put that haven for killer-dogs shelter out of existence. Unfortunately, I'm sure the shelter has few assets for the family, and there will be another haven for killer dogs shelter ready to take its place. The owners really should have been charged with involuntary manslaughter–ie the shelter owners didn't mean to murder anyone, but their deliberate deceit directly led to the murder of a person. The law really needs to start holding these people lying and adopting out killer dogs responsible. Even Caesar had a modicum of intelligence (or at least fear of being sued) that not every dog should be with any random family (there was one episode with a violent dog that he tried to rehabilite before the owner gave birth to her first child, and he ended up giving the family a different dog and keeping the violent dog for his pact.) Too bad these shelter owners didn't pick up THAT important lesson from Caesar, some dogs need to remain with the "trainer" forever and will never be suitable for adopting out.

  21. The 'politically correct' dog trainers who use the terms reactive, poor impulse control, anxious etc. to sell dog training have made a cottage industry for themselves. Classes for reactive dogs abound. Dangerous dogs, now described as 'he's just reactive," are paraded by their selfish owners on public streets with zero consideration of safety for other people's pets or our right to basic safety in public. I have been a dog trainer for forty years and the embracing and re-branding of dangerous dogs as 'reactive' and encouraging owners to keep these dogs is a marker of how the dog training industry flourishes from the public's refusal to end their fairy tales of dog ownership.

  22. Enright and Cochran has admitted in public that thewy take in known violent dogs and make them worse. There is no such thing as "rehab" of a fighting bereed.

    The victim's daughter found out that her pit bull did exactly what breeders have bred pit bulls to do for hundreds of years- attack, maul, kill.

    So many pit bulls are given up because the public discovers they are fighting breeds.

    Cochran and Enright are actually in a form of the dog fighting business, only the pit is our neighborhoods and parks and yards. The big question that remains unanswered is WHY the town let these two endanger everyone in the community with out-of-state violent dogs with proven records of mauling.

    THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS REHAB FOR DANGEROUS DOGS.

  23. "for a dog and transferring an unsterilized dog to a "private business" that breeds dog"

    This is not a shelter, rescue, or rehab. It is a DOG DEALERSHIP BUSINESS.

    These pit bulls are likely going back to the dog fighters who bred them for some more breeding.

    This is how bad it has gotten- "rescuers" are abusing dogs themselves!

  24. Does anyone have any information on who is funding them? Who is paying for this?

    Is taxpayer money being used to launder dangerous dogs through this dealer operation?

    There are so many sweet, gentle dogs losing their lives for lack of homes while money gets wasted on violent dogs that have no hope and put us all at risk.

    Who is paying for this lie?

  25. As I read more of the articles, I see how this is even worse than I thought.

    The state of Virginia KNEW that Cochran and Enright were committing animal abuse too.

    "A 2015 inspection report showed Forever Home Rehabilitation Center had numerous violations. Several cages were deemed unsafe, and there was not adequate ventilation, resulting in an odor. An inspector also found a dog wasn't given proper emergency care, which resulted in its death.

    Since the 2015 report, the center had undergone inspections and passed.

    In terms of people closely associated with the shelter, online court records show that President Jamie Cochran had multiple charges filed against her for inadequate animal care in 2015. Manager Toni Enright also faced 25 charges of failing to provide proper care for animals"

    But the state still let them have a license.

    So with all these problems and history, how could state animal control and the state vet "clear them" after this incident? This is a LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL ISSUE, not the state vet's affair! How can he make a statement about criminal culpability?

    Is this telling me that the state vet and state animal control were enabling this dangerous and abusive operation?

    The state vet is Dr Charles Broaddus, who is fairly new in that role. his residency was in animal reproduction, breeding, and he looks to have affiliations with the agriculture lobby from what I can find

    http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/press-releases-160328-broaddus.shtml

  26. The dog business they transferred one dog to uses German Shepherds for police/guard work. I suspect they tried to offload a dog of that breed which was too aggressive for families, as police agencies will use much harder, more violent dogs than any family would accept. I've read a few books recently about military working dogs and secret service dogs, there's a definite macho culture of being willing to use very hard, biting dogs if they do the work otherwise. A flawed philosophy which is no doubt why we keep getting unjustified attacks on Americans by trained police dogs.

    Enright appears to have quite a thing for Weims and Dobes – the intact males seen in photos are all of those breeds, there's a Weim puppy in one FB photo, and I wonder if she's showing/breeding them. I have nothing against purebred dogs and breeding, by any means – but it is unusual in the hardcore pit rescuers. I've googled around but haven't found anything connected to Enright and AKC competition, so I wonder what's the deal with her purebreds, if she's breeding them or doing anything with them. They're fairly unusual breeds – Weims are a sporting breed which are only recognizable through the Wegman photos and Dobes have been on the decline since the 1970s.

  27. The women at that rescue shelter show by their every action and word that they have zero understanding of Cesar Millan's methods. That's no surprise because it's hard to learn dog training and handling from a TV show.

    The problem is there are lots of people out there that think they understand what he's teaching. They go out and "rescue" a dog with dreams of "rehabilitation", when the truth is they haven't got a clue about how a dog's mind works.

    Cesar needs to stop teaching that pit bulls, Rottweilers, mastiffs, and other powerful breeds are suitable for the average owner. America's been trying that for the last 30+ years, and it's been a disaster.

  28. So true. Rescue places do lie through their teeth about pitbulls. Those attacked need to sue their pants off. Tired of these glassy eyed bitches endangering the public.

  29. Wow, Ka D, they can't deny not knowing that dog was aggressive before they adopted it out this time, not with that information. Guess it's up to prosecutor, judge and jury to decide whose life was more important, the dog's or the 90 YO woman's.

  30. "Joeland — Their group is only required to file a 990-N, so that indicates their donations annually are $50k or less."

    There is no way possible that anyone could care for this number of large dogs on less than 50K per year. Just the vet bills should be more than that!

    There is money flowing around here that is not being accounted for.

    I feel as I write this that I am writing about a dog fighting operation in the deep South instead of something that claims to be "charity."

    It is clear that the state of Virginia has been looking the other way while lots of problems are escalating.

    (speaking of vets- who was providing their vet service while withholding information about violence and danger at their operation?)

  31. Why was this dog released to this "rescue organisation" (using the term lightly) in the first place?

    When it was first taken in by animal control and assessed as aggressive (didn't it already have a bite history?) it should have been euthanized.

    Why waste resources "rehabilitating" aggressive dogs when there are so many gentle non aggressive dogs desperate for homes? The money spent on this dog probably could have promoted and rehomed dozens of gentle dogs that wouldn't ever attack anyone.

    Why are some rescues (and some money donors) so intent on trying to fix the "bad" dogs, at the expense of the nice dogs?

  32. Our 7 year old border collie was mauled and killed in front of my 12 year old daughter last night by a pit. All of our dogs have been rescues, and I keep telling myself this isn't a dog or a breed issue, but an owner issue. I don't know if I believe it now. My daughter is despondent, she is inconsolable, replaying the blood and the sounds and the last few breaths our Maggie Lu took. The Virginia Beach Animal Control suggested since our pet was also off leash, the judge may not put the pit down. The dog broke out of a fenced area to kill our dog. I believe now the dog should be put down, without question. I am sorry … we are all forever changed by this attack. My 16 year old is devastated. so violent. My heart goes out to the elderly lady who lost her life and her daughter who tried to save her from the attack.

  33. Imagine this conversation with a firearm dealer:
    "This is a really nice gun. It's practically brand new. But you need to handle it REALLY carefully, ok? It's gone off without warning a few times. No one was even touching it. The first time it was a little kid, but that little kid shouldn't have been playing in the path of the bullet. Luckily, she was only nicked in the butt. The next guy, well, he was hurt a little worse when it went off, but he's ok too. The bullet got him in the wrist. But listen…this gun has so much potential. You just need to keep a trigger lock on it 24/7, ok? I mean, if it just goes off and you didn't follow my instructions EXACTLY, I can't be held liable. After all, every gun shoots, right? Well, here you go! Thanks for saving this gun from the oven! No gun that has a history of shooting people without warning should be just melted down…am I right?"
    You'd be daft to buy that gun, right? Is it worth the risk? Now change "gun" and "bullets" to "pit bull" and "teeth". Is it now worth the risk because the object in question has warm brown eyes and wagging tail? Death is death, regardless of the manner. This poor woman had no chance against that dog. No one did. It was a death waiting to happen. And Forever Home wants to lay the blame on the family who BELIEVED THEIR LIES? They're sick, wretched, depraved, individuals. I hope they go through their days with the burden of an innocent woman's death on their souls. Perhaps a better term for their operation is a "deathscue" as opposed to "rescue".

  34. Also, Christina Campbell, I'm very sorry to hear about your dog. That's awful. My heart goes out to you and your daughter. Please be careful with that pit bull around if the authorities don't euthanize it. What your poor daughter witnessed was exactly what pits were bred to do. Kill at all costs. I'm so sorry your pup had to be at the receiving end.

  35. As for their claims of under 50k per year, not only is it not enough to care for these dogs, these two women are also taking personal salaries out of this and paying their personal expenses!

    There is NO WAY this accounting for this organization is accurate or law-abiding.

  36. I think every pitbull apologist in the country has headed to the comments section of the commentary you linked to. There are a few "I am sorry for their loss BUT…" explanations, at least one person is sure it is one of "many fake pitbull stories made up by dogsbite.org". I think the most amazing ones are those that are claiming the woman's injuries happened in the fall. That's right, the fall tore her arm off and disemboweled her.

    You would think in a case like this that, a known biter who was on death row for biting who gets adopted and returned for biting and then is adopted again with a shock collar and kills the same day, that the pit lobby might concede that maybe this dog should have been put down. Nope, dogs are blameless 100% of the time. I did not read all the comments but wont be surprised if there is a go fund me to give this poor widdle wiggle butt yet another second chance.

  37. Since this organization has adopted out multiple aggressive dogs, is there any hope the adopters could be gathered together for a class action lawsuit? It isn't just this one dog, this one incident. The entire practice of adopting out fighting breeds needs to be examined.

  38. Let's not forget thousands of these dogs get adopted out to the public, and only a few have had problems..Blue with a bite history should not have been adopted out by the rescue, or at least the rescue should have warned the new owners of Blues past, and made them sign a release form they were aware of his past before adoprting out..The rescue NOT NYCACC is responsible for this..There are hundreds of rescues that pull dogs from the ACC, and never have I seen a rescue pull a dog with a bite history, and I am on the NYCACC site all the time. This rescue should never have pulled Blue, or if they did they should have kept him as a sanctuary dog.That was irrisponsible what they did, and now they have ruined it for all the dogs at the NYCACC.

  39. Toni Enright and Jamie Cochran should be getting charged with murder. These two exploiters of the public with dangerous dogs for financial gain need to be tracked as they try to move their dealings to another state, and kill someone else.

    I hope people out there will keep an eye on their activities, and let any new communities know about their history, including their history of animal abuse. I know I will. The more people following them, the better.

    Congratulations to the victim's daughter for doing the right thing and suing. It has to be done, and I hope that this sets an example for the future. ALL rescues and shelters taking in and placing aggressive dogs need to be sued or they will keep murdering. People should let shelters and rescues taking in fighting dogs from the South or places like New York City that they are being watched.

    There is sadly money to be made in victimizing the public with violent dogs through "rescues" and dog dealing, and it attracts deviants and sociopaths

    It sure looks a lot like these two tried to hide their tracks and escape responsibility by fleeing town, doesn't it? I would have put in a request for criminal charges and a request that a judge require bond.

  40. This conmment makes my blood boil

    "Let's not forget thousands of these dogs get adopted out to the public, and only a few have had problems"

    YES there are problems all the time with the fighting breeds, but the shelters or their deluded followers NEVER HEAR ABOUT THEM. A vast percentage of these fighting breeds don't last a few months in the new home. They are euthanized, dumped at open shelters, or given to dog fighters. Or abandoned to die on the streets.

    THEY HAVE PROBLEMS AND PEOPLE CAN'T HANDLE THEM. The shelters and their staff and followers operate under delusions of finding good homes for fighting breeds. It's a fairy tale. it isn't happening.

    and after peopole give up their rehomed fighting breed, guess what? They don't go back to shelters because they assume that all shelter dogs are like this. The pit bull apologists have ruined rescue and sheltering so they could be pawns of dog fighters and commercial trade in these breeds.

    As for NYCACC, they are rotten. Completely corrupt. They give out known aggressive dogs all the time because the No Kill maniacs took it over and are playing a game of let us pretend we are doing good and get lots of money for it. NYCACC has been responsible for much injury, harm, animal cruelty, and they deserve many lawsuits.

  41. This level of willful negligence on the part of the rescue should lead to hard jail time and financial restitution.

  42. I hope NYCACC is added to this lawsuit. It is obvious that the 2 pit pushers have skipped town and in the unlikely event that they had any assets to seize they have been put in someone else's name.

    If NYCACC's liability insurance goes up after paying a $5 million claim maybe they will euthanize the next biter rather than pass it off to a "rescue".

  43. Many other rescue groups are deceptive also. They list available dogs as "Boxer mix" and you look at the dogs with huge jaws, broad foreheads and tiny eyes….yeah "Boxer mix" my ass. The dogs are always listed as playful, goody lovebugs.

  44. If the family's attorneys are any good, they will find the deep pockets where the millions are. Might be the rescue group's assets. Or their insurance company. Or up in NYC at the animal control agency.

  45. A few misdemeanors for killing someone with a known vicious dog. This had to stop. These people need to go to jail for a long time.

  46. My local public transportation service recently released a document concerning updates to their ADA compliance stating that a 'service dog' can be used for service or PROTECTION. I replied that that is completely WRONG and sent them a link to this piece about why that is not the case. I'd be interested to hear what anyone else has to say along the lines of making an argument about this. https://www.scribd.com/document/246928612/The-Tragic-Fantasy-That-A-Protection-Dog-Can-Make-A-Reliable-Family-Pet

  47. The laws so badly need to change. Shelters need to be held legally and fiscally responsible for releasing a KNOWN aggressive dog back into society. >:(

  48. Also in Virginia recently was the mauling death of Bethany Stephens, who was attacked by her two pit bulls. Gruesome detail: according to sheriff's deputies who arrived at the scene, the dogs were eating from the corpse.

    And in Lowell, Massachusettes a seven year old boy was killed in another pitbull attack around October 22nd. 🙁

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