In the 15-year period of 2005 through 2019, canines killed 521 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% (346) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »
Cledith Davenport, 79, died after being attacked by a pack of dogs in Broken Bow.
Man Killed by Dogs
Broken Bow, OK - On Tuesday, the McCurtain Daily Gazette reported that a 79-year old man and his dog were killed by a pack of dogs over the weekend. The newspaper is not online, but we were able to obtain some screenshots. McCurtain County deputies were called to the scene at 12:52 pm after a postal carrier found Cledith Davenport lying halfway in a ditch in the 700 block of Canoe Road. The man had been "repeatedly bitten" by the dogs and the pack also killed his small dog.
The postal carrier did not immediately recognize Davenport, reports the Gazette. She ran up to his home and began knocking on the door and shouting his name. After not receiving a response, she returned to her vehicle. Only then did she realize the injured man in the ditch was Davenport. In her statement to police, she said the canines were chewing on him. She then drove toward a neighboring home, where the dogs' owner resides, and called the sheriff's department.
Two deputies responded along with the Broken Bow Fire Department and McCurtain County EMS. They described Davenport as "severely bloodied" and had sustained serious injuries to multiple body parts, including his head, reports the Gazette. While at the scene, both deputies were approached by a cattle-mix dog. As the dog barked at them, a pack of 8 or more dogs ran to the scene. Several of those dogs had red-stained fur on their chests, feet and snouts, officers said.
Today, a family member began a "Justice for Cledith" Facebook page. There were up to 11 dogs involved in the deadly attack, all pit bull-cattle dog (blue heeler) mixes,1 states the page. "Laws need to change. Vicious dogs should not be allowed to roam free. Strict fines and jail time should be enforced for the owners," states the page. "People living their lives on their own property should not have to fear vicious animals coming onto their property and killing them and their pets."
The Owner of the Dogs
We located the dogs' owner on Facebook and confirmed this with a Davenport family member. In early September 2018, the owner's female pit bull-cattle dog mix had a large litter of puppies. There were at least three adult dogs at the home and possibly more. According to the Gazette article, eight of the dogs were seized. Four were sent to the Broken Bow pound and the other four were sent to the pound in Idabel. A dangerous dog hearing is scheduled for January 3, 2020.
Late Wednesday, KXII confirmed many of these details in the first "accessible to all" reporting of this man's mauling death. They also interviewed the victim's son, Aaron Davenport, who said that stricter laws need to be in place to prevent these attacks. "Just to keep people safe," Aaron said. "So this doesn't happen to anybody else -- because I promise you, nobody wants to go through what we're going through right now." Sheriff's officials continue to await the official autopsy report.
On Thursday, the state medical examiner's office determined that Davenport's cause of death was due to canines, reports KTBS. Authorities believe that eight dogs are responsible. The district attorney's office is seeking the destruction of these dogs. Outside of state parks in the county, McCurtain County does not appear to have a leash law. No criminal charges are anticipated. This dog owner is free to continue breeding "packs of dogs" and allowing them roam at large.
Adult dogs from pack, part pit bull and part cattle dog, seen on the dog owner's Facebook page.
Adult male and puppies from September 2018 seen on the dog owner's Facebook page.
1In case some readers do not know, the terms cattle dog, blue heeler, red heeler and Queensland heeler are interchangeable. We use the name "cattle dog" when referring to this dog breed.
Baseline reporting requirements:
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
Victor Garces, 12, was mauled to death by dogs on Friday in Hollis, Oklahoma.
Dog Owners Arrested UPDATE 12/18/19: On Wednesday, it was announced that two men were arrested in connection to the dog mauling death of a 12-year old boy. 53-year-old Jacob Benavidez and 44-year-old Ruben Benavidez, who are brothers, were arrested on charges of manslaughter in the second-degree and cruelty to animals. Victor Garces was killed by two dogs belonging to the brothers on Friday while walking home alone from school. Police shot and killed both dogs at the scene.
Court documents state the brothers deprived the dogs of food and water, and allowed the animals to be at large. A third dog at the scene belonged to the victim. Apparently, that dog came from the boy's yard, which is a block away from the attack scene, and tried to defend the boy. It's unclear if anyone witnessed that or the fatal attack. District Attorney David Thomas said the Benavidez brothers will make a court appearance in the next few days. Bond has been set for $75,000.1
Section 717: "If the owner of a mischievous animal, knowing its propensities, willfully suffers it to go at large, or keeps it without ordinary care, and such animal, while so at large or not confined, kills any human being who has taken all the precautions which the circumstances permitted, to avoid such animal, the owner is deemed guilty of manslaughter in the second degree." Second-degree manslaughter is a felony on Oklahoma and is punishable by up to 4 years in prison.
12/16/19: Teenage Victim Identified
The fatal dog mauling victim has been identified as 12-year old Victor Louis Garces. On Friday afternoon, Garces was mauled to death by up to three dogs as he walked in an alley on his way home from school. Harmon Electric Company employees found the boy's body and notified law enforcement officials. Oklahoma Third Judicial District Attorney David Thomas announced Saturday that a criminal investigation is underway concerning his death, reports the Altus Times.
The District Attorney's Drug and Violent Crime Task Force has also joined the investigation into the boy's death, according to the Altus Times.
"A full investigation is ongoing and will continue until we have all the answers regarding how this senseless death could have happened," Thomas said in the prepared statement. The Hollis elementary school, Sallie Gillentine, posted Sunday, "Hollis Public School will recognize a moment of silence at 8:10 am Monday December 16th in memory of Victor Garces." Garces was in the 6th grade. Currently, students and staff are collecting a love offering in memory of Victor Garces.
Late Monday Updates
Late Monday, KSWO spoke to relatives of the boy. Victor left school early on Friday and walked home alone, apparently because he was sick and his mother was sick too and could not pick him up. He only lived a few blocks away from the school. "How long was he laying out there, how long were those dogs eating my nephew, really how long?" asked Maria McMullin, Victor’s great aunt. Authorities shot and killed two dogs at the scene Friday and captured a third dog on Monday.
Amanda Perez, another great aunt of Victor, said the dogs "didn't just kill him, they were practically eating him." Perez said the dogs' owner "knew his dogs were vicious." The news video footage shows the dirt alley and the dog owner's dilapidated fence. The alley divides a row of homes from a fenced-in industrial yard. A clumped up red blanket is seen lying near the dog owner's fence in the alley. Family members are still in shock, reports KSWO. Victor's funeral is set for Saturday.
12/14/19: Teenage Boy Killed by Dogs
Hollis, OK - Family members say a teenage boy was killed by multiple dogs Friday afternoon, reports KSWO. As of late Friday night, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) had not responded to requests for information. A witness at the scene told KSWO the victim was a teenager. He was walking home from school just after noon when three dogs attacked him in an alley, according to family members. Police shot and killed two of the dogs; the third dog got away.
The video footage shows multiple law enforcement at the scene, including Hollis Police, Harmon County Sheriff's Office, OSBI and the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s office. Hollis is a small city in the southwest corner of Oklahoma with a population just below 2,000. It is the county seat of Harmon County. We have no previous dog bite fatalities on record for this county, which lies on the border of East Texas. The nearest larger Oklahoma city is Lawton, about 90 miles to the east.
The Facebook Post
On the accompanying KSWO Facebook post, multiple people claim pit bulls are the culprits. Including Kim Glen, "Yes it was 2 pits. Yes it was a family member's dogs." Belinda Bennet, "I know an officer, it was 3 pit bulls." Zack Cress, "It was actually pit bulls, or at least 2 of them were. My kids live there and my ex knows the family." Also, Cyndi Pierce, "I live in Hollis and there was three pits that attacked a little 12 year old boy he was in my granddaughter's class." [sic].
Teenage Age Group
In our 14-year data set of 471 dog bite fatalities (2005 to 2018), teenage deaths are rare. Within the 10-18 years age group, there are only 7 victims and 5 victims fall between the ages of 10-12 years, which are "tween" years. There are only 2 teenage victims, a 13-year old and 14-year old. Yet during 2019, there may now be 3 of these deaths. That would mean that more teenagers (13 to 18 years old) have been killed by dogs in a single year than in the previous 14 years combined.
Hollis Public Schools recognized a moment of silence for Victor Garces on Monday morning.
Multiple residents commented that the dogs involved in the fatal mauling are pit bulls.
1Multiple names have invalid spellings in this article. "Benavidez" is the spelling of the brothers' last name, and the boy's last name is "Garces" not "Grace."
Baseline reporting requirements:
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
Video captured two pit bulls attacking a man and his small dog in San Francisco's Chinatown.
San Francisco, CA - In November, Black Summers Productions (BSP) published the Vicious and Dangerous Dog hearing involving the pit bulls "Cochise" and "Lakota." Dramatic footage of the violent attack is included, which begins at 2:49 minutes into the hour-long hearing. The attack occurred in San Francisco's Chinatown along a sidewalk and street. In September, we released a collection of dangerous dog hearings that were primarily based on hearings filmed by BSP.
Vicious Dog Attack Video
Immediately, we call to attention the handler's leash contraption -- one pit bull is leashed to the other, creating a towline. So the handler is only holding one leash, which is enduring the burden of two pit bulls pulling. The leash breaks when chaos ensues. Also note the handler is wearing "slippers" that he steps out of seconds after the dogs lunge. The "empty" slippers remain in the camera view as the attack occurs and while the handler tries to regain control of his dogs.
Next, we see the victims, Patrick and his small dog, "Tashi." The pit bulls pursue both into the street; one runs between the man's legs to reach his small dog. Within seconds, the male victim is down in the middle of the street, entangled with the two pit bulls, forcing an oncoming car to stop. As the victim struggles in the street to free his small dog from the pit bulls, the handler whacks the two pit bulls with the remaining end of the broken leash -- as if that might accomplish something.
After much struggling, Patrick is able to reach a car parked nearby and puts his dog onto the roof. The victim then uses his body and the car to shield Tashi from a second attack. For the next agonizing 90 seconds, we watch as the handler of the pit bulls tries to get the dogs back under control. The brown pit bull had slipped its collar during the attack, so the handler, Mr. Cho, has nothing to hold onto. He is forced to construct a makeshift collar at the scene, which does not last.
Quickly, the brown pit bull is free again to pursue the victim's dog on top of the car. At 6:31, the collarless pit bull flies through the air to reach the small dog, causing gasps in the hearing room. At this point, the victim flees with his small dog. The scene is worsening, not stabilizing. Then the handler grips the skin of the brown pit bull's neck with both hands. An adult female grabs the leash of the black pit bull and the handler hobbles away, still gripping the brown pit bull's neck skin.
The Vicious Dog Hearing
Patrick testifies first. It is the first time he has seen the surveillance video captured by a jewelry store. His account characterizes the dangerousness of two or more pit bulls attacking. "They were both tearing at him from different sides," he said. One had him by the head and the other had his thighs. "So it was nearly an impossible task." I would fight one dog, trying to get him off the head then I would fight the rear dog, trying to get that dog off. Then the first dog would reacquire its grip.
Patrick also explains how he followed the handler, Mr. Cho, for three blocks, who attempted to leave the scene with the two pit bulls after the attack. "I asked him to stop multiple times," Patrick said. "I followed him for three blocks, the whole time telling him to stop. He refused to stop. It's all recorded on the 911 call." He finally stopped near his home, after a police patrol unit spotted him. "They ordered him to stop," Patrick said, "and he finally stopped. That is when police got involved."
The Handler and Owners
The pathology of vicious dog ownership is on full display when Mr. Cho and Mr. Powell testify. Starting with Mr. Cho stating, "I'm not the owner of the dogs" to blaming the 12-pound dog for causing the attack because it "barked first." The pit bulls "are not vicious," he claimed. "They were provoked." We've seen this same pathology play out many times in the 12-years of our nonprofit. For this reason, we are summarizing the rest of this testimony using the Statement of Decision.
"Mr. Cho, the subject dogs' guardian, testified as follows in pertinent part: Mr. Cho does not own Cochise or Lakota. Mr. Powell does. Cochise has been under Mr. Cho's care for about a year. He just had Lakota that day.
Mr. Cho blamed the incident on Tashi for first barking at Lakota and Cochise, neither of whom are vicious. Tashi provoked the incident by barking.
Both dogs were on leash. He "guessed" he just lost control. He then said the dogs got loose, because the leash broke. He is unsure what happened that day but does not believe the dogs are violent.
Neither Lakota or Cochise have previously bitten another animal or human.
He had no knowledge of the September 28, 2015, described in ACC records during which Cochise attacked dogs in the park at Silver at Bayshore.
Cochise is neutered. Mr. Cho played one iPhone video of Cochise playing at dog park with other dogs, two of which are small, and a video of Cochise walking with a ball in his mouth not under Mr. Cho's leash control. The second video was taken the day before the hearing...
Mr. Powell, who owns both subject dogs, testified as follows, in pertinent part: Mr. Powell apologized to Mr. Yuen for the incident. Mr. Cho called him and told him what happened. He owns Lakota and Cochise. He is unable to walk the dogs due to a work injury. Mr. Cho has kept Cochise for about a year. Mr. Cho has kept Lakota on and off for a year.
He was not present for the incident.
With regard to the September 28, 2015, incident, described in ACC records, during which Cochise attacked dogs in the park at Silver at Bayshore, he never attacked another dog. Cochise chased a ball.
'Cochise breaks all the myths about pit bulls.' He has never seen Cochise or Lakota be aggressive. They are around little kids all day as Mr. Powell has numerous grandkids.
He has never had the dogs formally trained but he would be willing to do so. He loves his dog like his own children..."
After the owners finish testifying and showing videos of the pit bulls behaving friendly, Patrick returns with a powerful rebuttal (50:55 to 56:05). "I'm speechless," he said. "I don't have words." First they tried to pull the blame game. Then after the attack, they filmed the black dog walking off leash on a public street in violation of the law to prove it was friendly. The first bite is the first bite, Patrick said. I don't care how many videos prior to the first bite show the dogs being friendly.
Conclusions and Order
On September 13, 2019 the Statement of Decision was issued by hearing officer Janelle Caywood. "Cochise" and "Lakota" were declared "vicious and dangerous" under Article 1, Section 42 of the San Francisco Health Code. Officer Ryan Crockett had stated at the end of the hearing, "Had that car been going ten miles faster, which would have increased the stopping distance, [Patrick] could have had his life ended." Both pit bulls were ordered to be humanely euthanized.
"Lakota and Cochise pose a grave threat to public safety. The surveillance video shows a sustained, vicious, and harrowing attack that lasted nearly four minutes. Both dogs bit Tashi repeatedly. Any one of the bites could have been fatal. The attack could have been fatal to Mr. Yuen because the two dogs chased Mr. Yuen and Tashi into the street. Even if Tashi barked first, which the undersigned doubts, a tiny dog barking does not render a subsequent four-minute attack by two large dogs provoked within the meaning of Section 42...
The undersigned concurs with the recommendation made by the San Francisco Police Department: Lakota and Cochise must be humanely euthanized to ensure that an attack of this nature will never happen again. The risk to the public is simply too great to do otherwise particularly with guardians who continued to let the dogs off leash in public places while a vicious and dangerous dog hearing was pending..." - Statement of Decision, September 13, 2019
Dogs "Still Out There"
On October 4, 2020, Black Summers Productions published an update in the video's description. The owner of "Cochise" and "Lakota" was notified of the euthanasia order on September 16, 2019, but he never surrendered the dogs. Despite attempts by authorities to seize the dogs, they never prevailed. The last attempt was August 9, 2020, when it was determined that Powell no longer owned the dogs. These two dogs, legally declared vicious, continue to remain unaccounted for.
"UPDATE -- October 4, 2020: The owner of Cochise and Lakota, Robert Powell, was notified of the euthanasia order on September 16, 2019. When the dogs were never brought in, a seizure order went out on September 21, 2019. Despite several attempts by San Francisco Animal Care and Control, with the help of the Police Department, the dogs were never located or seized. On September 23, 2019, the owner claimed that he had relocated the dogs to his ex-wife's home in Georgia, but did not provide any address or phone number. There were still reports of the owner being seen with the dogs in San Francisco as late as January 2020. The last attempt to seize the dogs was August 9, 2020, at which time it was "determined ... both dogs 'Lakota' A320869 and 'Cochise' A378135 were not on the property and no longer owned by Powell." The dogs remain unaccounted for and are presumably still out there somewhere as of this update. SFACC records contain no indication that SFACC has ever warned the public or local authorities in Georgia or elsewhere about these dangerous dogs, or that the owner was ever cited for any code violation subsequent to the destruction order." - BSP
Dangerous dog hearing for two pit bulls involved in vicious attack in San Francisco's Chinatown.
Our GivingTuesday Challenge - We are on the Right Side of this Issue
The founder of DogsBite.org, Colleen Lynn, delivers keynote at victims' awareness day event.
GivingTuesday Challenge
DogsBite.org - On December 3, GivingTuesday, our nonprofit kicks off our annual fundraising drive that takes place at different times on social media, our mailing list and blog. On Tuesday, we are fundraising on Facebook for "We Are on the Right Side of this Issue." We need your help to make more communities "one step closer" to a safer community. We also need to your help to continue delivering the benchmark in U.S. fatal dog statistics -- the CDC abandoned this duty in 2000.
This year's GivingTuesday campaign focuses on themes from the keynote speech the founder delivered on October 24 on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing. The themes are stark: these public maulings persist because many local lawmakers and state legislators refuse to act, despite the fact that there are sensible and humane laws that can be enacted to protect public safety to reduce horrific maulings carried out by pit bulls every year.
DogsBite's GivingTuesday Challenge
In late October, the founder of DogsBite.org delivered the keynote speech for the National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day event on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol building. The founder explains in the video why we are on the right side of this issue. Trying to make the world a safer place or trying to make a community "one step closer" to a safer community is always the winning side! Help us reach our $8k goal on GivingTuesday.
High profile maulings carried out by pit bulls began in the 1980s. These public maulings persist today because many local lawmakers and state legislators refuse to act. Instead, they remain silent and tolerate these barbaric attacks. The CDC tolerates them too. In the face overwhelming scientific evidence and decades of dog bite fatality data, lawmakers do nothing. Our government does nothing. "Humane" societies do nothing.
The right side of this public health issue is to DO SOMETHING, however small, to make a community "one step closer" to a safer community. A mandatory pit bull sterilization law is just that, and is the most basic safety step a community can take when pit bulls are disproportionally biting, disproportionally occupying shelter space and disproportionately being euthanized. That is the right side of the issue to be on!
On GivingTuesday, Facebook will match up to $7 million dollars -- on a first come, first served basis. The Facebook match starts at 5:00am PST (8:00am EST). The match is expected to last "seconds" -- less than one minute. This incredulous speed is part of the challenge! Hundreds of thousands of nonprofits are competing for these match dollars! See the official rules.
During GivingTuesday, Facebook will not charge transaction fees on donations to nonprofits. This is a small thing, but many of our donors want their full donation amount going to DogsBite! Other ways of giving that do not have transaction fees are mailing in a check to DogsBite.org or giving to our PayPal Giving Fund page. Also, sharing this post with a friend or sharing our GivingTuesday campaign on your Facebook page helps introduce new people to our nonprofit and our cause!
Finally, the founder's full keynote speech was 25 minutes in length (versus three minutes of highlights). The initially chilly outdoor event did incur some weather and audio and video "challenges." If there is a portion of the keynote followers of this blog would like to see in video, just let us know in comments. If you are an animal control officer, do not miss pages 4-5. If you are a medical researcher, policy maker or dog bite victim's attorney, do not miss pages 7-8.
View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: 
