Lafourche Officials 'Set Up' Second Attack; Rebuff State Representative

From left: State Rep. Rickey Hardy, Judge Jerome Barbera III and double-mauler "Shank." The Lafourche "Compromise" Larose, LA - On October 19, a pit bull owned by Jerome and Lillian Jarreau escaped its home and attacked a woman. Police said the attack was "brief but furious," after the dog ripped into 48-year old Tecla Smith's left arm. Smith's son Juan, who witnessed the attack, said he was surprised that the pit bull did not let go after being beaten on the head with a two-by-f… [Read full blog post]

8-State Simultaneous Dogfighting Sting; 450 Dogs Seized

Middle Class Crime UPDATE 07/11/09: As noted in comments, dogfighting is organized crime -- gambling and racketeering -- primarily carried out by middle class citizens. Participants are often valued members of the community as well. The recent Associated Press article names a registered nurse, Cris Bottcher, and a physical education teacher, Rick Hihath, as part of those arrested this past week. Both are charged with felony dogfighting crimes that occurred at Bottche… [Read full blog post]

Report: U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities January 2006 to December 2008

Seattle, WA - On April 22, 2009, DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks by creating common sense laws, releases its first multi-year report on U.S. dog bite fatalities. The report covers a 3-year period -- from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008 -- and analyzes data gathered from 88 dog bite incidences that caused death to a U.S. citizen. The report documents dog breed information, property information (where the attack… [Read full blog post]

Anti-BSL Group, American Canine Foundation, Testified for Seller of Dogfighting Videos

Robert Stevens, Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin and Glen Bui of the American Canine Foundation. Robert J. Stevens Washington D.C. - On March 20, 2009, the defense team of Robert J. Stevens filed a Brief in Opposition for the pending United States Supreme Court's hearing of his case. In January 2005, Stevens was the first person found guilty of selling depictions of animal cruelty (dogfighting videos) under the 1999 federal animal cruelty law. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison. He ap… [Read full blog post]