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16 thoughts on “2021 Dog Bite Fatality: Avoca Woman, a Dog Rescuer, Killed in Dog Attack Six Weeks Ago in Northwest Arkansas

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  1. Nothing surprising here, considering the circumstances of the situation. Why did it take so long for this news story to surface? Is it because it was willfully suppressed?

  2. I don’t know what to say about this mess. Three pot bellied pigs, a donkey, and a litter of puppies means the total number of fighting adult dogs may not have been many. As we know, the media calls one hour old puppies adults.

    I personally have a lot of dogs, and I run no more than two dogs together at any given time. Litters can be kept together for a time. If folks cannot keep themselves and their pets safe, they must arrange more safe areas to confine dogs or don’t take them in.

    Currently for medical reasons I cannot handle most of my dogs. However, I have a young kennelman who.loves carrying 75 pound dogs around in his arms.

    I use double fencing to protect dogs running the fence. All the dogs are GSDs.

    Maybe the dogs sent elsewhere were all puppies. Folks with dogs must know how to safely split a dog fight.

    There is no market for pot-bellied pigs. The local sale barn might get $25 for newborn pot-bellied piglets. If the pigs are at all older, they will sell for $2.00 each or attract no buyers at all. So the owner has to take them back home. They are not easy to move, as many are over 100 pounds.

    Obviously, this woman was very kind hearted and she lacked the facilities and the help to take care of the animals. That’s very unfortunate. No winners here.

    • ” As we know, the media calls one hour old puppies adults.”

      I have noticed the opposite. If a dog isn’t grey and it can walk without a limp, it is a puppy. Particularly if that dog has injured or killed another animal or a person and/or if the dog was put down by mean old animal control /shot by police. Usually a “harmless puppy” if the police or animal control get involved.

      • I don’t understand the sanctuaries for pot bellied pigs. So many people are sold plain old baby pigs by unscrupulous sellers. They get too big for the house and then get dumped on some sanctuary. There is a much simpler solution. Butcher them. That works for unwanted, too big to be cute pot belies as well.

        Speaking of sale barns most if not all of the ones in my area have closed in the last 20 years. I don’t know where small to medium sized farmers sell their livestock anymore.

    • She was not a hoarder. She was a very close family friend of mine for 30 years. There is way more to this story than what the media has led on. Who cares if she hoarded or not…her life was lost. You are clearly missing the point.

      • But everyone on here just assuming and having opinions on what they think happened or how this woman lived is the irritating part. She fostered and teamed up with animal shelters from all over. If they ever thought she “hoarded” or “it was dirty and nasty” then they would not have let her foster them especially not for over 30 years. Animals were her life. Her dogs were taken and all their DNA was taken and none of them came back as being positive for mauling her. Her renters were also two months behind on rent and owned those two pit bulls that are aggressive. Their home is on her property, a trailer home. They’re not going to release other details because it is still being investigated. Those pits and their owners are being investigated. Her dogs were turned loose from their pens to make it look like a dog fight. Put it together…

  3. Unlike a person having too many cats, I really cannot recall seeing a news item of authorities coming onto a property and seizing numerous dogs. Doesn’t happen around here at least.

    Only after an “accident” occurs are dogs ever taken away. And in the case here, a structured logistics campaign obviously involving a network of people allowing evidence to be removed and hidden as best they see fit. Authorities turn a blind eye for an mutually agreed upon window of opportunity.

    Our legislators obviously think this the best course of action. Hides all the dirty details, the number of deaths goes down, crime plummets. Smiley happy people everywhere, and all because of dogs.

    Nothing surprising here indeed. Dog nation is just too big to fail. Bring on the brutal maulings. The maul the merrier. We’re just human cattle, like the Eloi in “The Time Machine” – when one of our own is consumed yet again by the Morlochs and we just stand away and continue grazing on stories of the latest college football head coach appointment.

    • Quote snip: “Unlike a person having too many cats, I really cannot recall seeing a news item of authorities coming onto a property and seizing numerous dogs. Doesn’t happen around here at least.

      Only after an “accident” occurs are dogs ever taken away. … … …”

      We had that here in Prescott, sans “accident”, just this summer: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/more-than-60-dogs-rescued-from-prescott-home-after-complaints-of-strong-odors-of-feces

      • “During the visit, police say the home owner’s daughter, 47-year-old Joanna Riggle, drove up to the home’s driveway going fast and endangered police.”

        After a look at her mug shot, it doesn’t take much imagination to guess her loud drawling protestation towards the police upon exiting her vehicle.

        “You git your filthy hands off them precious fur babies!”

      • Thanks for supplying that news item, Richard. A much needed respite after all the gut wrenching things one reads here. It’s refreshing to see something that has a good outcome, and even a bit comical one at that.

        I just had to take a look at the owners property on google maps. More than 150 dogs? That poor unfortunate neighborhood having to endure that, along with anyone standing in line at the store while downwind of the owners.

        Opens your eyes to the lifestyle involved in Dogie-mania.

  4. It boggles my mind that people think they have to ‘support’ a vicious, unadoptable dog for LIFE.
    It never crosses their mind that such a dog could and should be humanely euthanized.

    • Its up to them if they want to keep the dog or not, as long as they don’t let the dog escape to eat the public it’s fine. If it can only attack the owner / rescuer that’s their freedom to take that risk.

      In this case she took the risk and she paid for it with her life. It’s sad but at least no one else got hurt.

      • In a perfect world you can say “let them take the risk”.

        But this world is far from perfect. Too many “STUPID” people, as KaD notes. And too many irresponsible owners who place their neighbors in jeopardy, and then following an incdient lie as readily as take a fresh breath of air afterwards.

        And then as also discussed in the comments, the hoarders and the people who pack as more animals into half an acre of property than are contained in any large city zoo.

        I’m not OK with the “so long as” angle.

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