A volunteer died after being attacked by a pit bull at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County.
Violent, Traumatic Attack
UPDATE 05/15/19: Police released new details about a vicious dog attack that left a shelter volunteer of the Humane Society of St. Lucie County "mutilated" and "dead" last week. Christine Liquori, 52, was killed by a pit bull-mix named "Amos" that had been found wandering the streets a month earlier, not eight days earlier, as previously reported. Police concluded their investigation Wednesday and authorized the release of the 911 call made by an individual at the shelter.
Liquori arrived at the shelter about noon that day. She was found dead by a volunteer about 2:00 pm after he noticed that Amos was not in his kennel. The police report states that Liquori had "several lacerations and puncture marks to her right arm" and severe injuries to her face, which was covered in blood. A white plastic lawn chair, also covered in blood, was laying on its side next to Liquori, reports WPTV. Amos was found in the play area near Liquori with blood on its face.
Fort Pierce police said there was one surveillance camera outside the facility where the attack happened, but it was not working at the time.
In the 911 call, the dispatcher asks the caller, "Is she awake?" He replies, "No." The dispatcher next asks, "Is she breathing?" He replies, "No, I don't believe she is." The caller then states the condition of Liquori. "She's mutilated. And she's dead," he said. "She also has a severe laceration on her right arm," he added. David Robertson, the Executive Director of the Humane Society, said that Amos, who was available for adoption, had never shown any signs of aggression before.
05/12/19: Friends Mourn Woman's Death
Over the weekend, more information became known. David Robertson, the Executive Director of the Humane Society of St. Lucie County, said the dog that killed Christine Liquori, a longtime shelter volunteer, had arrived at the society's Fort Pierce Second Chance Shelter eight days earlier and had been up for adoption for two days. On Thursday, the dog brutally attacked Liquori, killing her, in an outside play yard pen. Liquori was alone with the dog when it attacked her.
Police spokeswoman Audria Moore-Wells told media outlets Friday via email, "The Fort Pierce Police Department is conducting a death investigation. This is an ongoing investigation and any comments will be provided at the conclusion of the investigation." Police have been tight-lipped from the get go. The initial story being spun was that it was "unknown" how she died. Fortunately, the coroner's office cleared that up quickly: She died of severe blood loss due to dog bites.
It is unknown how long Liquori was in the play yard with the new shelter dog, but death due to "severe blood loss" can happen within minutes if the bite severs a major artery. What is known is that the attacking pit bull-mix -- which the society has loads of -- had been cleared for "adoption to the public" six days after it arrived. Russian Roulette is a life-or-death "game" made famous by the Deer Hunter film. That is hardly what a potential adopter has in mind when visiting a shelter.
As mentioned earlier, Liquori was also a volunteer for Paws Fur Recovery, a group of "recovering addicts and alcoholics helping shelter dogs find new homes," according to their Facebook page. The group mainly rescues pit bulls. The group's founder, Lori Boettger, said that Liquori "loved loved loved what she did and she died doing what she loved." Except that no one knows how Liquori felt while being viciously attacked and bleeding out until her death -- Liquori died alone.
05/09/19: Volunteer Killed by Shelter Dog
Fort Pierce, FL - A volunteer at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County is dead after being bitten by a dog earlier today, Fort Pierce police said. Responders were called to the facility at 100 Savannah Road about 2:17 pm. "This incident involved an adult volunteer, who is deceased," police stated in a news release issued at 5:02 pm. The investigation was focused outside, in one of the "play group" pens, where they removed the body. No breed information was released.
WPTV reports that the female volunteer was found "dead inside a fenced play area, next to the shelter." Police say it's unclear if the victim died of a dog bite or from other causes. The "biting dog" is scheduled to be euthanized Friday. The victim was a member of Paws Fur Recovery, reports WPTV. A group of "recovering addicts and alcoholics helping shelter dogs find new homes," states their Facebook About Us page. The group primarily rescues pit bull-type dogs.
On Friday, the Human Society of St. Lucie County identified the woman as Christine Liquori, whose Facebook page indicates she primarily rescues pit bulls and American bulldogs (Scott-type). Another rescuer, Melissa McInturff, recently summed up her mauling death, "Another do-gooder gone too soon today..." McInturff's first and foremost goal was to advertise the adoption of unwanted pit bulls on behalf of Christine Liquori, "in her memory" so to speak -- Godspeed.
Statement of Sympathy on the Death of Christine Liquori. "It is with deep regret and with profound sympathy for her family and friends, that we must advise that on May 9, 2019, Christine was found deceased in the play area of our Fort Pierce Second Chance Shelter. Christine was a valued volunteer working with our good friends at Paws Fur Recovery. The circumstances of her tragic passing are under investigation by the proper authorities." - The Humane Society of St. Lucie County
The dog has since been identified as a pit bull-mix. Also on Friday, TC Palm reported that the coroner's office said the cause of death is exsanguination, or severe loss of blood, from dog bites. The manner of death was ruled an accident. David Robertson, the Humane Society’s executive director, said the facility is now reviewing all safety protocols, especially dog-walking protocols for volunteers. As the death investigation proceeds, the dog involved remains in a "limbo status."
The Humane Society of St. Lucie County joins a growing list of shelters involved with fatally attacking dogs, including: The Animal Foundation (NV), Henderson Animal Shelter (NV), Asheville Humane Society (NC), Jackson-Madison County Rabies Control (TN), Pinellas County Animal Services (FL), San Diego Humane Society (CA), El Paso Animal Services (TX), Rochester Animal Services (NY), Logan County Pound (WV), the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter (CT) and more.
Christine Liquori was found dead in a "play yard" at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Florida Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
04/11/19: 2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Pair of Adopted Male Pit Bulls Mauled to Death a 62-Year Old...
03/03/19: 2019 Dog Bite Fatality: Rescue Dogs Kill Toddler, Leave Grandmother with Traumatic...
12/23/17: 2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Rescue Dog Kills Woman at Phoenix Boarding Facility
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
Hopefully this death will shake up some of the “rescue” folks and show them that there are some dogs which are decidedly not worth saving. It will be interesting to learn the breed and the history of the dog involved…. if it’s ever revealed.
In looking at the available dogs on the webpages for the humane society at which this happened, I think it’s safe to say that the likelihood of this being a pit bull mauling is high. I didn’t take a count, but just by looking it seems as if 90% or more of the dogs at the facility are pits, pit mixes and questionably labeled “hound mixes” which really look like pits. There are a few Chihuahuas. But I highly doubt one of those is to blame.
Also, if you look on the deceased lady’s Facebook page, it’s pit after pit after pit. Oh, and American Bulldogs. And it includes this propaganda gem: https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2350201165215854&id=100006779793437&set=a.1406970756205571&source=48 (if links are allowed)
Any breed of dog which can’t advocate for itself by its clear usefulness, great temperament or even normal appearance without having to be dressed up in sunglasses is a breed which should be allowed to die out. I can’t think of any other breed for which advocates have to put out promotional materials like this. When will people learn that this is not a race of people which need protecting but a deliberately created, man-designed BREED which was made for one purpose… a purpose which is both cruel and illegal. I wish these pit advocates would let it go and turn their time and attention to dogs which are worth protecting. They aren’t heroes. No matter how the humane society tries to spin it, this woman didn’t die doing some noble deed. Her death was needless, and the pit rescue culture needs to wake up.
Considering the agenda of this humane society and its affiliated “rescue,” I won’t be shocked if we never hear the breed or see a photo of the attacking dog. Unless of course it’s one of the questionable “hound mixes” or the world’s most lethal Chihuahua.
It may turn out to be something else, but the humane society’s silence on the breed speaks very clearly to me.
Re: the meme on your link. “I am a cadaver dog.” Why yes, yes you are.
They are also the preferred dog of narcos…. so at least two things on that ridiculous poster anthromorphing a damn pit bull are true*.
Does your owners being narcotics addicts really make you a “narcotics dog”?
Other than some really poor departments taking “stunt pits” from best friends does any police department use pits to sniff for drugs?
Seems like a horrible risk to me. “Good news! Officer Pibbles found 2 joints on a suspect. Ok the ER staff found them when they cut the pants off to treat the bites the suspect sustained from Officer Pibbles. We also wish O.P.’s handler a quick recovery as O.P. got a little “enthusiastic” and bit him a few times.”
Here’s another troubling issue that I see no one mentioning…This Paws for Recovery is inappropriately luring people in recovery to further an agenda that has nothing to do with THEIR RECOVERY and everything (Wrong) to do with rehabbing unmanageablely aggressive animals to DUMP on the public. It is a false double feel good story to send to all those “virtue signalers”who can claim both pits AND addicts were saved. I guess we can imagine who modeled that idea for this program…I am not saying that addicts shouldn’t learn life skills in recovery I am just saying they should be sponsored to do more appropriate work. If I were a parent of someone in prison, rehab, or recovery I would be upset that my child was being USED – and RISKED in this way…
An excellent point. Placing vulnerable people known to be self-destructive in close proximity to killer dogs is taking advantage of those people.
We all know pit pushers don’t care about humans at all, though, so it’s no surprise.
Pit pushers don’t care about any dogs or even about the pits either. They are better described as Pit Bull Users.
They remind me of parents who are afflicted with Munchausen’s by proxy. They seem to delight in the disproportionate suffering and death that surrounds pits.
They resist the primary way to reduce pit bull suffering, abuse, homelessness and death and dog fighting: mandatory sterilization.
When I suggest it, I think I see the same reaction that one would see upon telling a mother that she has to stop poisoning her child.. “oh but what will I do? What will give my life purpose?!!!
Bully people are misunderstood. No one who cares about dog welfare wants more dog killer dogs to be bred.
This is a good point. You know part of their schtick is comparing addicts with these dogs: both are rejected by most of society but if you give them a chance you can see the good in them.
Many of the comments at the humane society’s Facebook page are already leaning toward the ridiculous. “Maybe she had a heart attack and the dog bit her because it got scared/was confused/tried to revive her.” It would be laughable if they weren’t so seriously deluded. As if that is any better… who would want a breed of dog so stupid or so unstable that a medical emergency could cause it to attack? Also, some are saying that it couldn’t have been a vicious dog attack, because they wouldn’t have allowed her to enter the play area alone with an aggressive dog. Such illogical circular reasoning! The fallacies are almost overwhelming, and the cries to save the dog have already begun. They claim it’s what she would have wanted. Would she? Really? We never get a chance to ask the maimed dead how they feel about the dogs as they drain their lives away.
I would love to know how this dog was described on their adoptable pets page. All the descriptors at these places seem to say the same thing. Goofy! Smiling! Sticks to you like Velcro! Such sweet kisses! Just needs a chance to love someone!
“I bet her heart stopped and the hero pit tried to open her rib cage to massage the heart until it started beating again.”
This was not a “dog bite” if the woman is dead….it was an attack. As the number of pit bulls in the US goes up, more and more of these deaths will occur. I don’t know how many people and pets have to die before something is done about this breed. At least this latest fatality was a woman who was a pit bull advocate and not a child.
I’m disgusted with these people at the shelter where she was killed. Her bloody broken body isn’t even cold yet, and they’re standing on it like a soap box saying she’d want more pits adopted out into the community. I think she may have had a change of heart at the moment the pit was ripping her throat out.
The family should file a wrongful death suit against Humane Society of St. Lucie County. The police should charge the shelter with negligent homicide. Shelters need to be held accountable for their negligence. Pit bull type-dogs make up 6% of the dog population so they should be only responsible for 6% of human deaths but they inflict 72% of human death fatalities.This is more proof they are too dangerous as pets. https://blog.dogsbite.org/2019/05/volunteer-dead-humane-society-st-lucie-county-dog-attack.html
Thank you for calling out these shelters by name that are handling dangerous KILLER dogs, handing them out to the public, and KILLING PEOPLE WITH THEM with no repercussions or oversight. This is a quickly growing trend that it seems no one is highlighting but DBO. This situation is insane.
I live in the area and the media was initially very hush-hush about the attack. Nobody was saying anything. I am waiting for the “its the victims fault, gee she must have done something” rhetoric to start.
FYI my dog was mauled( she survived ) and I lost part of a finger due to a pit-bull. I am one of lucky ones. Thanks to all for speaking the truth
Thank you for your kind words. Indeed, my dog is a miracle girl.She wasnt expected to survive, but pulled through and is fine now. A vet tech could tell by her wounds that it was a pit-bull attack. True about the trauma. I get nightmares every so often. I am still in hand therapy. ( Attack occurred 8 months ago ).
What a dumpy looking shelter.
Melissa McInturff is ridiculous with her statements that make it sound like Christine sacrificed herself to get these damn dogs homes. No, Melissa, she was a casualty in the cause.
See that “Save Them All” banner with Best Friends beneath it? That’s the Best Friends Animal Society, and it’s high time that we stop donating to it.
If you’ve already stopped, good. Tell your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, everybody to do likewise.
This is so frightening. The poor victim died a horrifying death, and there are people out there who are already defending her murderer, defending the murderous breed, and even shamelessly claiming that she “died doing what she loved”??? What kind of a sociopath could make such a statement? Clearly these people prove, with their own words, that they are insane, that they are literally members of a dog-worshiping cult that puts dogs lives above people’s lives – they may not think about it this way or say it this way, but practically, that’s what it is.
And they call themselves kind-hearted people? Because they “save” dogs? But a murdered person doesn’t particularly bother them? A death of a woman
is not a wake-up call for them, it’s just a reason to dig their heads in the sand even more and keep worshiping dogs.
Its all about the ego. “Look at me, I am helping this poor, misunderstood breed. Arent I wonderful?. Or the hotshot who wants show off. “I am mr/ms all powerful, I got a pit-bull.
There are others who in spite of the killings and data will continue their delusion, and will do everything to rationalize the dogs behaviour, and label these as “accidents”.
I just hope that others will see whats going on; eg If an volunteer who has had experience with dogs, gets murdered then what about everyone else?
I wonder if the they ever had a photo of this dog “Amos” on their adoptable dogs pages? I’d love to see how much “mix” is in him, or if he was pit mixed with more pit. And I’d also love to hear how he’s described…
I am baffled by the shelter’s lack of concern for their volunteer. She is alone with a large, stray pit bull for two hours and no one thought to check on her. I thought the “Humane Society” written recommendations for areas where pit bulls were housed should have a panic button to summon help in case of attack. I found it to be extremely odd that the caller who reported this death was so calm and batter of fact. He expressed no horror or distress.That place should be shut down until they establish a policy that protects the safety of staff and volunteers. Sadly, I think it’s business as usual with the majority of their adoptable dogs being pit bulls and their mixes. Is their any indication that the shelter will be held accountable for the death of a volunteer who was unsupervised?
You are correct regarding panic button. There used to be a power point presentation describing bully dog kennel precautions, but was removed from most of the websites it was found on.
That new detail about this woman’s body being found next to a blood-smeared lawn chair is giving me the creeping horrors. We’ve all seen chairs like that. They’re ugly. Nasty. They soften in the sun and buckle under the weight of anyone older than a preteen. They’re about as much of a use when being attacked by a large, savage and determined dog as politely asking the animal to stop.
Christine Liqori did not slip away smiling and peaceful and surrounded by wriggling puppies. She died alone and terrified and absolutely aware of what was happening to her, praying that the help that should have been close at hand would arrive in time to rescue her. She was rounded on and suddenly savaged and torn at by a snarling creature that now seemed to be all teeth and claws and hard muscle and, in a desperate attempt to save herself, tried to beat it back with a plastic chair. It didn’t work, of course. These things almost never do. Liqori did not spend her last moments alive doing what she loved. That is mendacious hogwash that the people who claim to have cared for her evrn half as much as the dog that killed her should be utterly ashamed of spewing. She died violently, painfully, afraid, and alone; and she fought for her life, and she failed.
One recent news story about this attack has several quotes from the deceased woman’s fiance. I took note of this one:
“She got bit on the stomach last year but she knew that was part of working with them kind of dogs, the pit bulls, the ones that nobody wants.”
The article also said she’d been bitten several other times in the past. I wonder if those dogs were pawned off on unsuspecting adopters? The fiance makes a few remarks specifically about pit bulls, and at least one other time he mentions that they’re the ones “nobody wants.”
Maybe no one wants them for a legitimate REASON… they have been bred for hundreds of generations for sudden, explosive, unrelenting aggression. When will people learn that this is a fact, not a bias, not a prejudice, not a misunderstanding? In the moments before this woman died, she learned the truth. And like another commenter said, it was not a pleasant slipping away while doing something she loved. That sort of whitewashed fallacy is going to lead to even more volunteer deaths.
The shelter is responding to this mauling death by becoming more vigilant about volunteer safety. How much simpler it would be to just get rid of the one breed which causes the most carnage and leave more time and energy to devote to finding homes for normal dogs which aren’t designed to kill!
I used to work at a municipal shelter so this guys pretty close to home as this could have easily happened to me. I am very familiar with dog behavior and subtle signs and I feel many volunteers are not as savvy to those signs. I was looking at the dogs available for adoption and some of them seem questionable behaviorally. Particularly these two:
https://www.hsslc.org/p/45/dogs#.XOYfLPdlDqB
This dog’s eyes are fully dilated and looks to have a hard stare and tense closed mouth. I would not feel comfortable handling this dog.
https://www.hsslc.org/p/45/dogs#.XOYfLPdlDqB
Write up says mom is very protective over her baby..umm that’s comforting. In what way? Judging from the picture dog does not look friendly/relaxed.
Looking at what they consider adoptable this unfortunate event is not too surprising and seems to be becoming all too common with the no-kill mentality.
The links above lead to the whole list. The first one I was talking about is named Duce and the second Dulchess.
I will see this one in my nightmares. https://www.hsslc.org/p/45/dogs#.XOY_CMhKi02
Their “mixes” look like a pit mixed with another pit
The one I tried to link to was Tay.
This pic https://g.petango.com/photos/1852/50b5e568-baa5-487d-b41f-9b0a77512021.jpg
In total agreement. I think these pit-pushing rescuers misinterpret signs. I watched several videos (there are short video clips on many dogs) and the woman recording the dog has such a limited vocabulary in describing the dogs that it borders on ridiculous. It’s like listening to the same generalized spiel over and over. “Such a super duper special sweet honey lovey of a doggy.” (dog stares intently because she’s feeding treats) “Just look at that tail, it never stops wagging! All this super duper doggy needs is a best friend to love him.” (dog sits for treat, as if this proves obedience) “See how super duper smart this lovey doggy is? He just wants love!” (dog is staring hard with tensed body) “How can you resist those eyes and this angel face on this super sweet doggy?”
There is nothing of value here for the adopter. No discussion of the dogs’ actual behavior. Just a snapshot of a moment in time when an animal that has been locked in a kennel for hours gets to come out and get treats while somebody baby talks about how special they are.
But some of the dogs don’t have videos to go with their photos. I wonder why? Did the attempted videos just not look that super sweet and lovey? Did Amos have a video showing his super duper personality? We would have a video showing Amos as he chews the life from a woman in the play yard, but the security camera was broken. We don’t get to see that video. And guess what? I’m sure his tail never stopped wagging!
If they are going to continue pushing these dogs on the public, these shelters need to start showing the truth. It needs to start with accurate breed labeling. Very few of these are pit “mixes.” They’re just pits. And then they can discuss the real issues. “We can’t say what this dog is like because we found it wandering the streets. This mother dog is overly protective of her grown offspring, so you will have to adopt both together and hope she never misinterprets a threat. This dog may not look nervous and agitated, but if you observe the body language you will see it is tense and uncomfortable. This dog may look like it’s smiling, but that’s not really a smile, it’s just the result of the exaggerated musculature of a pit bull’s face and cheeks producing that effect when it pants. Did you know that the purpose for pit bulls was for the fighting ring, and that the great vast majority of dog related deaths are caused by pit bulls? And not just pit bulls trained the fighting ring, no! These dogs don’t have to be trained to attack…. many of the maulings by pit bulls are initiated by family dogs, often against the people they have lived with for years with no previous issues. Do you know why we bring out one dog at a time to meet you? It’s because many of these dogs are so aggressive that they may attack each other with zero provocation, because as pit bulls that is what they have been bred to do. By the way, dog aggressive also often means human aggressive, and young children are at particular risk of death and disfigurement such as scalpings and limb amputations. And this dog’s inherint drive to attack and grip until the opponent is dead means that you can’t with any degree of certainty take this dog to dog parks, the beach, walk down a residential street, allow a visitor with a dog into your home, keep your dog in a normal fenced area without expecting it to dig out or climb the fencing to attack, get a second dog or a cat, or do many of the other things that one should be able to do with their pet dog. And if that’s not okay with you, you should consider an entirely different breed. Because I’ve just described a pit bull, and this dog is 100 percent pit bull.”
But that’s not a very effective spiel when the main goal is “save them all!” So it’s back to sugar coating, intentionally mislabeling, and misinterpreting clear signs and signals.
Agreed.
The video of Duce is just of him getting a treat snatching it from the woman’s hand quite roughly. Would not be surprised if it has food/resource aggression which they most likely don’t test for.
https://youtu.be/ZQcyONKH5ns
That lady’s narration of Duce was rid-ic-u-lous! Sell us, I thought you were exaggerating but no, she really has a way with words.
Check this out about the financial and staffing state of that shelter:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.tcpalm.com/amp/3754276002
I am heartbroken to read about Pit Bull attack after attack. When will the victims matter more than the perpetrators?…both the dog and the owner?! These owners know (for the most part) what these dogs are capable of in a millisecond, yet keep owning and reproducing them. This millisecond and a human being’s life is either gone or irreparably damaged, along with those that love them.
My sister, age 75, was attacked and mauled in her own front yard in Port Saint Lucie in 2017. She came close to dying, but after 3 plus months in the hospital and rehab along with another 6 mos of recovery, she finally was back on her feet after almost a year. She never got a penny from the owner of the dog, or the people that owned the home he was renting from. No justice with the exception of the local authorities (finally) putting the dog down after a 6 week review -HUH?!! They actually were asking if my Sister provoked the dog, are you serious?….the dog charged and knocked her down while she was in her own yard. One animal control officer actually told me she thought that pit bulls got a “bad rap”!!!! A little biased, don’t you think to be in that position?
My feeling is unless a major government official – the president, a senator, governor has an experience or tragedy close to them, will this issue ever be addressed in a serious manner.
These animals shouldn’t be bred at all. Outlawed….Their gene pool is damaged. I’m afraid it will never happen.
I’m praying for an end to this and I’m praying for all the victims involved.
These attacks are truly what nightmares are made of.