Brianna Shanor, 8-years old, was killed by a chained rottweiler-mix in Hanover.
Charges Unlikely
UPDATE 01/21/09: Police say that they don't expect to charge the owner of the dog that killed 8-year old Brianna. "Trooper Matthew Roth said the dog that killed Brianna Shanor Monday evening was chained, and the girl had been warned to stay away from him." Yet, it is well documented that the combination of a chained and powerful breed of dog, like a rottweiler, is extremely dangerous to children. Furthermore, the girl had only been living in the household for a few weeks.
There were no witnesses to the fatal attack, so it is unknown if the dog -- now being described as a rottweiler-mix -- attacked the child outside and dragged her into the doghouse, which is a converted trailer, or if the child entered the doghouse on her own and was subsequently killed by the dog. The owner of the dog, William Renda, said he only became concerned after the dog stopped barking. That's when he finally checked inside the trailer and found the girl dead.
"It is my understanding she was not supposed to be anywhere near that dog, but at some point, she must have entered the territory of the dog," said Matthew Roth of the Pennsylvania State Police.
Police said the girl apparently went into an old camping trailer that the dog could enter while chained. That's where her body was found, with serious wounds to her neck and other parts areas.
The girl was living with a guardian, William Renda, in Hanover Township, Beaver County, because her mother recently lost her job, police said. - WPXI, January 21, 2009
01/20/09: Child's Mother Speaks Out
A separate article reveals more information about the tragedy of Brianna Shanor. The young girl had been staying at the home of Bill and Diana Renda for only a few weeks prior to the fatal attack. According to her mother, Tara Wood, the couple had taken in Brianna because Wood had recently lost her job and her rented Beaver Falls home, and didn’t want her only child living on the streets. There were no biological ties between Brianna and the Rendas, according to Wood.
Wood said that she visited her daughter often, she even stayed overnight at the Rendas, while trying to rebuild her life for her and Brianna, reports Times Online. Wood said she is still struggling to find a job and is currently living with friends. She last saw her daughter Sunday afternoon. "I promised her that Mom would get a job, and we’d be back together real soon," Wood said. That will forever be a promise that Wood said will remain forever unfulfilled, reports Times Online.
Hermick said Renda told state police that the dog had been barking while he and Brianna were outside but then fell silent while he was still at the chicken coop.
Renda went to the trailer to see what was wrong, and found the dog and Brianna in the trailer. Hermick said Brianna may have gone in the trailer.
Wood said she found that hard to believe, given that it was dark outside and that Brianna usually stayed away from the dogs.
“She’s the only one who knows what happened,” Wood said. “And that’s something that’ll haunt me for the rest of my life.” - Times Online, January 20, 2009
01/20/09: 8-Year Old Killed by Dog in Hanover
Hanover, PA - In a developing story, an 8-year-old girl was killed Monday night after she was attacked by a dog. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the incident, which happened about 6:30 p.m. along Sutherin Road, not far from the West Virginia border, reports WPXI. Brianna Nicole Shanor was mauled by a large mixed-breed dog owned by her guardian, William Renda, according to police. She was transported to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
"It is my understanding she was not supposed to be anywhere near that dog, but at some point, she must have entered the territory of the dog," said Matthew Roth of the Pennsylvania State Police. The girl apparently went into an old camping trailer that the dog could enter while chained. That's where her body was found, with serious wounds to her neck and other parts areas, police said. The dog was taken into custody by a Pennsylvania dog officer from Lawrence County.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By StateRelated articles:
03/01/12: Fatal Rottweiler Attacks - The Archival Record - DogsBite.org
01/17/09: 2009 Fatality: Brooklynn Grace Milburn Killed by Rottweiler
01/14/09: 2009 Fatality: 4-Year Old Mauled to Death by Family Rottweiler
I got money on a pit bull mix.
Any other breed they would say, Sheperd mix, or Lab mix or Rottweiler mix…..pit bulls seem to be routinely categorized as “mixed breed”. Pressure to cover up these attacks is significant.
A quick peak at the Petfinder link tells me that I want to go PA to adopt my next dog. I found ONLY TWO of those ugly pit bulls on the first two pages.
(Love seeing all of those collies!!)
50% of the dogs in the shelters in the greater Seattle area are those freakishly ugly pit fighters. No wonder our shelters are in crisis.
This WAS a chained dog
Chaining is one way that people excuse or cover keeping aggressive dogs. They can’t have it in the house, so they throw it on a chain 24/7 and things like this happen
And the dog fighters routinely chain dogs
This is why anti-chaining laws are getting passed
Any way to do a little investigative work and find out what this is?
Bet the neighbors are more than happy to divulge what breed this is!
What kind of psychopath would be chaining a dog outside in the cold weather that has been hitting the East Coast?
The paradox presented to the pit bull activists when a child is killed by a chained pit bull is this…in order to deny breed played a role, the rescue angels will claim the attack occured because the dog was chained. So why don’t the pro-pit organizations advocate anti-chaining laws? Because it would impact the breeders and dogfighters.
Pit bulls can chew through chain link kennels, and climb 8 ft fences. The cheapest, easiest, most secure way to maintain a “yard” of fighting dogs is on heavy chains. Pit Bull Princess Diane Jessup advocates the chaining of these dogs. So, you have pit bull “experts” like Jessup, who are worshipped in the pit bull community, and all the breeders and dog fighters who are funding these anti-BSL propaganda websites adamantly opposed to anti-chaining laws.
So what argument is left? Usually the mauling is blamed on the parent or guardian who “failed to supervise their child”. For the public, its a lose-lose proposition….even IF anti-chaining laws were passed, the inability to keep aggressive pit bulls contained through normal means…they are notorious for climbing or breaking through fencing…..would only increase the danger these dogs pose to the public.
Many Pa shelters do not adopt out pit bulls for liability reasons, which may explain the Petfinder numbers. Also, PA is home of the town that passed a very interesting law that legislates any breed of that does the majority of attacking/bites in a year. And we can all guess with breed that was.
Reading the article today stated that the dog was part Rottweiler.
That Reading PA law was overturned in court after the pit nutters sued. PA has a preemptive Anti-BSL statute.
Btw…the Reading law greatly reduced pit bull bites, but the promaulers won.
An earlier article says that the owner has multiple chained dogs. So which child will be next?
These rural Pa counties have notoriously corrupt legislators and law enforcement. Farming interests have big pull, and the farmers say they can do anything they want to animals, which is why the Amish run so many puppy mills there
Very close, very interrelated
Many of the cops, prosecutors, judges themselves in these rural Pa areas are backwards hicks who have aggressive dogs, chained dogs, and worse
I believe one of the judges in Pa let a chained dog die in the cold, didn’t even get a ticket
It is like the land of look behind in much of Pa, an uncivilized place that is a holdover from long ago and the foxes are guarding the henhouse
It is changing some as there is more development and “outsiders” coming in, but the knuckle-draggers are trying to protect their own
So no surprise this thug who set up this situation and in essence killed this girl will be protected
Michael Vick took family pets and put them in ring with his pit bulls to watch the pets get killed
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-11-22-vick-usda-report_N.htm#Close
” The owner of the dog, William Renda, said he only became concerned after the dog stopped barking”
What planet is this guy from? I am sure his neighbors wish that he would return to it.
Hmmm…After zero Rotticides in 2008, 2009 starts off with three in 3 weeks.
“It’s crazy. Who would have a dog who would kill someone?” said Bill Scott, a contractor from Hanover who was renovating a home near Renda’s residence
Zactly!!
Petfinder postings are sometimes falsified by rescue groups to mislead adopters as to the dogs breed. Any pit bull that is mostly black will no doubt be referred to as a “lab-mix” by many rescue groups.
I think the humane movement is in a downward spiral in many parts of the country. The real tragedy is that responsible dog owners, who would give a rescue dog a great home, are avoiding shelters because the perception is that so many rescue dogs have serious temperament problems, its not worth the risk. On a personal level, I have met a staggering number of “rescue” dogs in my community with serious aggression problems over the last decade. I have made a decision that I will never adopt a dog from any Massachusetts area shelter, and would only aquire a dog from a reputable hobby breeder, or a breed specific rescue group that carefully screens dogs and places only dogs with solid temperaments, (like Yankee Golden Retreiver rescue)
Shelters and all-breed rescues are currently seen by many experienced dog lovers as not a good place to get a dog, because so few of these organizations will be honest with potential adopters about the dogs…or the employees simply have no understanding about temperament, breed, training, etc. The no-kill movement has resulted in rescues and shelters trying hard to place aggressive dogs with families; when these dogs come into our neighborhoods, its our children and dogs who are ultimately put at risk.
The end result is that the best possible dog owners are avoiding area shelters, while the least responsible, least knowledgable people (who,coincidentally, would be turned away by responsible breeders)end up being the ones adopting the dogs that need dedicated, experienced handlers. Everyone loses, as a result.
http://www.mothersagainstdogchaining.org/attacks.html
At first glance, great idea. Then they have to ruin it by being pit bull apologists. Do you think it ever occurs to them that pit bulls are killing and hurting more kids than chained dogs of all breeds? Does it occur to them that the reason so many pit bull are chained is because its standard dog fighting protocal? And to believe pits are great because the KC blogger says so, it just makes me wonder about people.
Sorry, anonymous from Massachusetts, but your information is right from the duplicitous "reputable hobby breeders" (AKC people) who right now are lobbying to support dog fighters and opposing bsl. And breeding pit bulls, Rottweilers, Akitas, and other aggressive breeds to make money!
This dog aggression problem originates with breeders and the breeding industry!
Many many animal shelters and rescues DO NOT accept nor place pit bulls, pit bull mixes, nor other aggressive breeds.
In fact, most shelters in Massachusetts DO NOT deal with pit bulls and the like, and aren't fibbing about the breed.
It is just some, particularly shelters that have been infected with the Winograd Best Friends issues. But those are not nearly the majority of shelters and rescues!
Many people in the humane community are disgusted by the Best Friends agenda, and want no part of it.
Purebred dogs from your "hobby breeder" friends are riddled with health and behavior problems (despite all their empty claims about "testing")
Aggression is quite common in many of these breeds from "reputable breeders" and "show breeders."
There is a Massachusetts "reputable hobby breeder" who is selling aggressive terriers right now. Knows her dogs have a problem, keeps right on breeding and selling these dogs to unwitting buyers.
But these "reputable hobby breeders" constantly declare that they have the right to breed and sell aggressive dogs, and quite a few of them are in Massachusetts as well as other states.
Your implication that purebred dogs are somehow superior to mixed breed is not only NOT TRUE, the opposite is the case.
Purebred dogs are a mess! And aggression is part of that mess.
And there is no such thing as a "reputable hobby breeder."
The AKC and "reputable hobby breeders" not only cover up the problems with their dogs (and the AKC puppy mill business), but they are one of the primary opponents of bsl and laws to govern dangerous dogs that could decrease attacks.
Those breeders are spending huge amounts of money and time enabling those among them who breed aggressive breeds.
In Massachusetts, "reputable hobby breeders" tried to get a law passed that let aggressive dogs bite multiple times with no punishment, and would let them wipe their dogs' records clean after a time!
"Reputable hobby breeders" routinely lie about the fact that they sell aggressive & genetically defective dogs in the hopes of appearing superior, as you have somehow been led to believe.
The dog breeding world has many secrets that they keep well-hidden from the public.
(And as for Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue, perhaps you are unaware of the issues that they have had. Breed rescues can be among the WORST when it comes to placing dogs that should not be placed. The obsession with importance of a breed has overruled good sense far too many times)
But it is also true that the AKC community has tried to malign shelter dogs to boost sales of their "product," and unfortunately I hear some of that propaganda in your post.
And “responsible dog owners” (a lot of AKC breeders with others) are all busy forming “responsible dog owner” groups to protect aggressive dogs and the breeders who breed them!
Or holding “responsible dog owner days” (AKC sponsored) to oppose bsl and protect dangerous dog breeds. In fact, to oppose all laws applying to dogs in general.
It is also no coincidence that a former board member of AKC (supposedly the AKC of “reputable hobby breeders”) owns and runs the UKC.
The “reputable hobby breeder” world is a farce and an illusion, and many people are getting shafted by those breeders every day, as well as getting bitten by dogs from “reputable hobby breeders.”
And by the way, many of these dog fighters call themselves “reputable hobby breeders”
“Your implication that purebred dogs are somehow superior to mixed breed is not only NOT TRUE, the opposite is the case.” ……. “But it is also true that the AKC community has tried to malign shelter dogs to boost sales of their “product,” and unfortunately I hear some of that propaganda in your post.”
My experience was very much like what the Mass. commenter described. I tried not one, but two different dogs from our local shelter, and they both had serious behavior issues that were never represented by the shelter. (Many, many, many dogs wind up at the shelter for a reason!) Both dogs were returned to the shelter and I ultimately PURCHASED a healthy, balanced genius of a purebred from someone that might be described as one of these awful “hobby breeders.” I love the dog, so sue me.
As for mixed breeds being superior?
Why does Guide Dogs for the Blind run their own breeding program? Isn’t it because of the specificity of heritable traits within developed lines? If not, why don’t they just use these superior mixed breeds?
Please list all the mixed breeds that EVER won ANY of the open gun dog stakes. If mixed breeds are superior, there must be thousands. But I ask that you show me just one.
At the end of the day, I hate to see this blog hijacked with irrelevant divisive opinion. It has nothing to do with the legislative work needed to address the pit bull problem. The reply to the above commentor wasn’t even directed to me, but it was broad enough that it was sufficiently alienating.
The issue, as I understand it, is addressing dangerous breeds in order of incidence. Opposing all of AKC is a losing proposition. Opposing all breeders rather than breeders of dangerous dogs (pit bulls) is pointless. (And no, I’m not a breeder. I’ve never sold a dog in my life!)
“The purebred dog world is at the heart of dangerous dog issues.”
Get real. Pit bulls are at the heart of the dangerous dog issue. Granny’s two AKC litters of pom-poms can’t muster jack squat on the relevance scale. I don’t see any reason to be disparaging towards someone because of some totally extraneous suspicion. It’s rude and indicative of “bad breeding.”
8-year old Brianna Shanor was killed by a rottweiler on a 15-20 foot chain after only living at the home for about two weeks. It was DARK when she told Renda she wanted to “go back to the house.” There were NO WITNESSES to the fatal attack. But the dog owner AND authorities immediately blamed the child for the attack. Perhaps, in the dark, she did not know the property well? Perhaps, in the dark, she came in contact with the radius of the chained dog? It was reported that she was cold and wanted to go back to the house. Maybe she did walk into the “converted” trailer/dog house as a way to get out of the cold. Do you think she expected to be killed by doing so? Where was William Renda in all of this?
Feeding the chickens…
At some point, he thought something was “weird” because the dog stopped barking. Only then did he check the trailer — he did NOT check the trailer for the safety of the child, but for the dog’s sake. This is a very tragic case, made all the more tragic that authorities will not charge the dog owner because the animal was “restrained” AKA chained!
William Renda ought to be 100% liable for the death of this child. Just as he would be if he left a loaded gun in the child’s bedroom.
“Why does Guide Dogs for the Blind run their own breeding program”
Because breeders are making large amounts of money breeding these dogs and getting a fee from this wealthy charity. There has been much negative discussion about this issue in many places, and many of these dogs wash out of the program.
And all those “open gun dog stakes” breeders are very aggressive about opposing bsl and any breeder regulation for that matter. The hunting dog breeders are among the most active at lobbying against sane laws for dogs.
As for breeds, there are many “reputable breeders” breeding and selling aggressive Rottweilers, Akitas, and even breeds not suspected, but aggressive because their breeding isn’t as great as claimed.
Breeders do play a role in this, just as some shelters do.
But tarring all shelter dogs as “inferior” is not fair, not accurate, and right out of the breeder lobbier playbook.
And the majority of AKC breeders are very actively lobbying to support pit bull breeders and oppose bsl! One only needs to read an AKC legislative alert to realize that.
“Please list all the mixed breeds that EVER won ANY of the open gun dog stakes.” Pit bull breeders say the same thing about their game dogs, and why they should be allowed to keep breeding game dogs.
My point is that these broad rants are not helpful and have sufficient potential to do more harm than good. My interest in DBO is a perspective likely shared by many, in that it is limited to the practical matter of particularly dangerous breeds and public safety. If that issue is broadened to disparage every peripheral aspect of the dog world, then all the “slippery slope” arguments will find their footing. It has begun to sound like PETA, where a broad brush supplants accuracy, injures credibility, and is summarily dismissed by the people needed to effect change.
I, for one, have little interest in being battered by some ‘anonymous’ poster recklessly flailing with PETA’s broad brush. And I have zero interest in participating in the back-and-forth required to demonstrate this person’s willingness to open their mouth just to switch feet. I am weary of multiple successive posts by one ‘anonymous’ hijacker who can’t constrain their rants to a single comment. No doubt, they have something to offer, but their over-the-top perspective is a very bad fit for DBO. If I was nearly motivated to delete my DBO bookmark, then it is reasonable to assume others would do the same.
So I need clarification. Do I continue to support the more focused efforts of DBO, or am I the enemy because I enjoy club level gun dog events, AKC field trials, pure breeds, and contribute to Guide Dogs for the Blind? Can I recommend DBO to others, or will their attempt at participation merely result in an assault that will alienate them?
If I were an agent provocateur, I’d behave exactly the way this person has. This is how a start-up organization’s base is eroded to irrelevance.