Category Archives: Animal Behaviorists

A collection of posts from the DogsBite.org Blog that include commentary by animal behaviorists and trainers about impulsive aggression, heritability of aggression, temperament testing and more.

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2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Recently Adopted Out Pit Bull Kills 6-Year Old Boy in Henderson County, North Carolina

Joshua Phillip Strother, 6-years old, mauled to death by a recently adopted pit bull. County Lifts Moratorium UPDATE 08/06/15: Buncombe County officials completed its review of the screening and transferring procedures by the Asheville Humane Society (AHS). The group contracts to operate the county's open admission shelter. On July 7, a 6-year old boy was savagely killed by a pit bull that was adopted out by AHS 3-weeks earlier. The dog came in as a stray. It was then screen… [Read full blog post]
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2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Coshocton Woman Dies After Vicious Dog Attack

Rachael Honabarger, 35-years old, was brutally killed by a male German shepherd. Insights from Behaviorist UPDATE 04/07/13: The dog mauling death of Rachael Honabarger, 35-years old of Coshocton, Ohio, has many readers questioning why a German shepherd would inflict a sustained and deadly attack upon an adult family member. The questioning began early on when the dog was initially reported to weigh 150 pounds. This weight fell into a more acceptable weight of a male Germ… [Read full blog post]

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Fulton County Infant Killed by Family Pit Bull

Beau Rutledge, 2-years old, was killed by family pit bull named "Kissy Face." Father Speaks Out UPDATE 05/23/13: The father of a young boy killed by a family pit bull issued a strong warning about the breed in a WSBTV interview. Back in April, Beau Rutledge, 2-years old, was savagely attacked by his family's pit bull named Kissy Face. The family had owned the dog for 8 years prior to the attack. The scene was so gruesome -- described as being in a horror film by a witness -- that autho… [Read full blog post]

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Pack of Dogs Kills Boy in Cibola County, New Mexico

A donation can at the Pinehill market for Tomas Jay Henio. Persistent Problem UPDATE 12/31/12: The Albuquerque Journal spoke to family members of the young boy who died the day after Christmas after being mauled to death by up to nine dogs. Neither the boy's mother or stepfather heard screams or barks, which could have alerted them to the attack, they told the Journal. Tomas Jay Henio had spent the evening alone sledding down a snowy hill near his mother's home. The boy was alrea… [Read full blog post]