Category Archives: Dog Bite Fatalities

A collection of posts from the DogsBite.org Blog documenting U.S. dog bite fatalities in real time, beginning in 2007. Tags separate specific years.

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed, Two Daughters Injured by Family Pit Bulls in McCurtain County, Oklahoma

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A woman died Friday after being attacked by two pit bulls in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Woman Killed by Pit Bulls McCurtain County, OK - On Friday evening, we learned on social media that a woman in her 70s was killed by a family pit bull near Broken Bow. Today, the McCurtain Gazette confirmed her death -- this newspaper does not have a website or a Facebook page. The unnamed victim suffered "extremely severe" facial lacerations, a "partially amputated left leg" and numerous b… [Read full blog post]

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Recently Adopted Pit Bull-Mix Kills Woman, Severely Injures Owner in Margate, Florida

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Location where a pit bull-mix killed a woman and injured her son in Margate, Florida. Stray Pit Bulls as Pets UPDATE 09/06/20: On August 28, Carolyn Varanese was killed by Smokey, a dog her son Joseph had adopted several weeks earlier. Joseph was badly injured in the attack while trying to save her. Miami-Dade Animal Services picked up Smokey as an injured stray on June 16. The dog was covered in bite marks and tested positive for heartworm and Ehrlichia. The dog had a 52-day shel… [Read full blog post]

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Killed by His Stepson's Two Pit Bulls Near Belleville, Illinois

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Stephen Pemberton, 61, was killed by his stepson's two pit bulls near Belleville, Illinois. Man Killed by Pit Bulls Belleville, IL - A 61-year old man is dead after being attacked by his stepson's two pit bulls. Stephen F. Pemberton Sr. was killed Wednesday afternoon after the two pit bulls got out of the laundry room where they were being kept and attacked him, according to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department. It is unknown if the dogs escaped the room or if the victim open… [Read full blog post]

Unmasking a Con: How a Pit Bull Activist Rose to Fame in the No-Kill Community while Simultaneously Killing Dogs

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Steffen Baldwin, a Self-Appointed "Dog Whisperer" Steffen Baldwin, 39, faces 42 charges related to animal abuse and fraud in Ohio. UPDATE 03/13/25: On January 2, 2025, Judge Daniel Hogan found Steffen Baldwin guilty on 32 felony counts; he had stood trial on 39 counts. He was found guilty of one count of bribery, 12 counts of telecommunications fraud, four counts of tampering with records, 11 counts of cruelty to animals, three counts of grand theft, including a firearm, an… [Read full blog post]