Posted on June 29, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: 'Rampaging Attack,' Dog Attacks Two, Killing One, in Arcata, California

Rampaging attack by pet dog leaves one adult dead, another injured in Arcata.

Shelter Updates Cover Photo
UPDATE 07/02/18: At 2:00 pm Central time today, we saw that the Humboldt County Animal Shelter updated their Facebook Cover photo to a pit bull mascot about 15 hours earlier. On June 27, Andre Hale, the shelter’s manager, "would only characterize [the attacking dog] as a “mixed-breed" to the Lost Coast Outpost. Since this time, Reporter Kym Kemp has been told the dog is a pit bull-mix and commenter Rusty at Words Worth wrote, "the grandson said it's a pit bull."

The actions of Hale, whether deliberate or not, remind us how some shelter directors in the past have deliberately interfered with national dog bite fatality statistics, while simultaneously promoting and owning the pit bull breed. The "mixed-breed" label combined with the timing of this photograph chosen as the shelter's new Cover image, celebrating their "longest canine resident," Rocky, is at best nauseating. Thus far, the Arcata Police Department has not released any breed information.

The last known fatal pit bull attack in Humboldt County was the 1989 death of Garrett East.

06/29/18: Man Dies After Rampaging Attack
Arcata, CA - The Humboldt County Coroner's Office issued a press release Friday stating that a man died of his injuries after being attacked by a dog earlier this week. The attack was inflicted on June 25, 2018 in Arcata. The coroner identified the victim as 91-year old Donald Steele. The cause of death was determined to be consistent with injuries from a dog attack. The manner of death was ruled accidental. The Arcata Police Department is investigating his mauling death.

Date: 6/29/2018 Prepared by: S. Karges

Case Number: APD 18-1744 / HCSO 201803181 Subject: Dog attack victim dies of injuries The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal dog attack on June 25, 2018 in Arcata as 91-year-old Donald Steele. Steele’s cause of death has been determined to be from injuries consistent with a dog attack. His manner of death has been determined as accidental.

Humboldt County Animal Control took possession of the dog following the incident. The dog was euthanized June 28 following orders from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. The dog tested negative for rabies.

The Arcata Police Department is investigating this incident. All inquiries related to this case should be directed to the Arcata Police Department at (707) 822-2428.

The attack was first reported on June 27 by the Lost Coast Outpost, which described it as a "rampaging attack on two people Monday morning at the Town & Country Mobile Villa off Giuntoli Lane in Arcata." The violent attack occurred in the 4900 block of Sierra Way, inside the park, just before 11:00 am. The multiple mauling caused a large response from police and paramedics. The Outpost cites the dispatcher's log of the call, "someone needs medical, just kept screaming hurry."

The dog attacked two people. One of the victims suffered "critical" injuries and the other suffered "moderate" injuries, reports the Outpost. Both victims were adults and one of the victim's was the dog's owner, according to Lt. Bart Silvers of the Arcata Police Department. The animal was confiscated and taken to the Humboldt County Animal Shelter. At the local Redheaded Blackbelt website, reporter Kym Kemp states the dog's owner is the girlfriend of Donald Steele's son.

Guest: Why did people say earlier that it was the pit bull owner's girlfriend and a neighbor that tried to intervene?

Kym Kemp: I don’t know why they said that but I spoke to Arcata Police and my understanding is that the girlfriend of Mr. Steele’s son was bitten and then Mr. Steel was bitten.

Guest: So pretty close. Somehow I got the impression the girlfriend got the worst of it.

Sharon: Kym do we know the breed of the dog?...

Kym Kemp: I was told it was a pit bull mix.

--snip--

Pat Passalaqua: Where does it say it was a pit bull?

Kym Kemp: It doesn’t. However, I spoke with people who told me this was a pit bull mix.

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: California Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

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.

Posted on June 23, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

Delta Bans Pit Bull-Type Dogs as Service, Support Animals in the Cabin and Limits Support Animals to One Per Person

Starting on July 10, Delta bans pit bull-type dogs as service and support animals.

Delta's News Release
Atlanta, GA - On June 20, Delta Air Lines announced increase restrictions on service and support animals. The restrictions include limiting each passenger to one emotional support animal per flight and prohibiting pit bull-type dogs as service or support animals. "These updates, which come as the peak summer travel season is underway, are the direct result of growing safety concerns following recent incidents in which several employees were bitten," states the Delta news release.

This announcement follows Delta's "enhanced requirements" for passengers flying with service and emotional support animals (ESA) that went into effect in March. The new policy requires that passengers traveling with an ESA or psychiatric service animal must submit a signed Veterinary Health Form (proof of rabies and distemper vaccinations) and a signed Confirmation of Animal Training form. Passengers with service animals must also provide proof of immunizations.

Both policy changes came after an alleged "support" dog repeatedly attacked a passenger in the face in June 2017. It was an escalating violent attack. The dog's owner could not stop his dog from mauling the victim, nor did the owner heed to multiple warnings the victim asked before the attack, "Is this dog going to bite me?" The victim was trapped in a window seat. The 50-pound dog was on its owner's lap seated next to him. Last year, we issued a special report about this attack.

The March enhanced policy also came after an 84 percent increase in reported incidents involving service and support animals since 2016, including urination, defecation and biting, states the news release. Currently, public comment is being taken by the Department of Transportation (through July 9) to determine the "appropriate definition of a service animal" and ways to reduce the likelihood that passengers will falsely claim that their pets are service and support animals.

Delta Bans Pit Bull-Type Dogs as Service, Support Animals

Delta's June 20 announcement, which prohibits pit bull-type dogs as service or support animals, is due to "growing safety concerns" after two employees were bitten by a passenger’s emotional support animal last week. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- which is based in Atlanta along with Delta -- provided more details. Apparently, a passenger attempted to board a plane in Atlanta with not one, but two alleged emotional support pit bulls. Two Delta crew members were bitten.

The incident occurred in Atlanta during boarding of a flight to Tokyo Narita, and one employee was medically treated on site, according to the airline. The passenger with two pit bulls was removed from the flight.

Delta said when the new policy takes effect it will no longer accept "pit bull type dogs" as service or support animals. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The tipping point of the ban involved a passenger abusing the loophole in the Air Carrier Access Act that allows emotional support animals (ESA) in aircraft cabins if the passenger has a recognized mental health-related disability. Many of those gaming the system with ESAs claim to have a disabling mental health condition. Numerous for-profit entities, like Certapet.com, offer private online assessment for a fee to obtain an ESA letter from a mental health professional.

Gaining an ESA letter from a mental health professional can begin by taking a 5-minute online quiz. We answered "rarely", "no" and "never" to the key questions and still qualified as a "good candidate." The next step is to purchase the ESA letter ($149 to $199) and a $25 review by a mental health professional, who screens a longer online assessment test. CertaPet.com promises: No pet fees or a security deposit in housing, no airline fees and the letter lasts one full year. - DogsBite.org, July 14, 2017

Delta clarified the pit bull ban even further to People. "We must err on the side of safety. Most recently, two Delta employees were bit by a pit bull traveling as a support animal last week. We struggled with the decision to expand the ban to service animals, knowing that some customers have legitimate needs, but we have determined that untrained, pit bull-type dogs posing as both service and support animals are a potential safety risk," Delta said in a statement to People.

Airlines are Not Subject to the Americans with Disability Act

In the frequently asked questions about service animals and the ADA, the FAQ points out that airlines fall under the Air Carrier Access Act. Question 37 asks, "Do commercial airlines have to comply with the ADA?" The answer: "No. The Air Carrier Access Act is the Federal law that protects the rights of people with disabilities in air travel. For information or to file a complaint, contact the U.S. Department of Transportation, Aviation Consumer Protection Division..."

The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) is entirely different than the ADA because it is specific to air travel, where safety standards are several orders of magnitude greater than they are on the ground. Delta was correct in stating that "untrained, pit bull-type dogs posing as both service and support animals are a potential safety risk." Under the ACAA, the prohibition of pit bulls is apparently legal, as a safety standard, (§382.117) and Delta is free to "err on the side of safety."

(f) You are never required to accommodate certain unusual service animals (e.g., snakes, other reptiles, ferrets, rodents, and spiders) as service animals in the cabin. With respect to all other animals, including unusual or exotic animals that are presented as service animals (e.g., miniature horses, pigs, monkeys), as a carrier you must determine whether any factors preclude their traveling in the cabin as service animals (e.g., whether the animal is too large or heavy to be accommodated in the cabin, whether the animal would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, whether it would cause a significant disruption of cabin service, whether it would be prohibited from entering a foreign country that is the flight's destination). If no such factors preclude the animal from traveling in the cabin... - The Air Carrier Access Act

The Fall Out from "Celebrities" and "Animal Groups"

First, one must consider that neither celebrities nor animal groups have any expertise in aviation safety. Neither have expertise in human safety either. To state this more concretely, aviation safety experts make policy decisions for what is safe -- and when to err on the side of safety -- during aircraft takeoff, landing and while the plane is traveling over 500 miles per hour at 30,000 feet in the air. Air travel has the highest standard of safety in transportation available to the public.

So, Shorty Rossi, an actor who appeared on the now defunct series Pit Boss, complaining to Delta on social media is childish. Rossi is not an aviation safety expert. In fact, Rossi only cares about himself and his pit bull. Delta takes responsibility for the safety of ALL of their passengers and employees for every single flight, where zero margin of error is allowed -- a mighty undertaking. Delta has more than 15,000 daily departures and over 180 million passengers annually.

In the over 400 comments on Rossi's post, one pit bull owner, Lorraine Weiss, states, "This was Delta's response to my email. Seriously?" No doubt Weiss was taking instructions from Rossi. That was the point of his post. Rossi wanted to create a fury in his base of pit bull supporters and direct them to contact information of Delta officials. Delta handled Weiss' complaint with grace, stating that they had worked with their Advisory Board on Disabilities to develop the new policy.

Hello Lorraine, RE: Case 01211022 Thank you for sharing this information and the photo of your dogs however, we have worked with our Advisory Board on Disabilities to develop this more detailed policy. Pit bull type dogs tend to not behave as well in small spaces and we feel not allowing them is in the best interest of our customers and employees. And unfortunately, there have been at least two instances where a pit bull bit another passenger and our crew member and safety is our first priority. Again, thank you for writing and know that I will share your feedback with those that make these policies. - Delta Air Lines

On June 21, the president of the ASPCA, Matt Bershadker, an avid pit bull supporter, chimed in as well. The sole mission of the ASPCA is "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States." The ASPCA has no mission relevant to human safety and certainly no expertise in aviation safety. So Bershadker's fraudulent claim that Delta's pit bull ban "spreads false and life-threatening stereotypes" is about as hollow as a drum, given the source.

While pit bull advocacy and propaganda is free to rage "on the ground," it has limitations in commercial air travel space. In fact, it stops when you enter one of Delta's aircrafts starting on July 10. Delta aviation safety experts have determined that "untrained, pit bull-type dogs posing as both service and support animals are a potential safety risk" to their passengers and crew members. Delta no longer accepts them in the cabin nor do they accept them traveling in cargo.

Some of the dog breeds most often categorized as pit bull-type dogs affected by Delta's ban.

On June 23, 2018, commenter Gaius Marius indicated he was a witness on the flight from Atlanta to Tokyo when the Delta flight attendant was attacked in the face by a "support" pit bull. The comment was left on a June 22 Washington Post article that interviewed players of the pit bull lobby. This attack, in part, led to Delta's policy of banning pit bulls as service and support dogs.

Commenter Gaius Marius:

I was on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Tokyo last thursday in which a flight attendant was bitten *in the face* by a medium sized pit bull-style dog (I'm not an expert on dog breeds) just before departure. While we were all settling down in our seats I heard a bark and a commotion towards the rear of the plane, followed by a flight attendant running past my seat with a bloody napkin or handkerchief held to her face. In a few moments the dog's owner was escorted up the opposite aisle while she clasped the dog's muzzle in one hand, and then both were sent off the plane. She had a smaller second dog, also unmuzzled, that was walked off the flight by another airline agent. According to the flight attendants I later talked to, the flight attendant was also taken off the flight to the nearest hospital.

The flight was delayed by ~1-hour as we waited for a replacement flight attendant to be located, but that's not important. What is important is the question: why is an airline allowing fairly dangerous animals to be on board a crowded airplane for a long duration (in this case, 11-hour) flight without at least being muzzled? In such situations most dogs can feel threatened and become aggressive and unpredictable. Would you like to sit next to a pit bull for even a short flight under these conditions? To make matters worse, the woman was allowed to bring not one but *two* unmuzzled dogs. This is *crazy*.

I can understand that many people have anxiety issues and that comfort animals can mitigate this. But not at the expense of the safety of others on board. Flying is stressful enough (and I have a basic fear of flying, though Martinis allow me to cope) without having to worry about your face being ripped off by someone's "comfort pit bull".

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Back-to-Back Dogo Argentino Attacks, One Fatal, Both with Similar Circumstances and Victims

A for sale add on the victim's fiance's Facebook page, posted September 3, 2017.

Victim Did Not Survive
UPDATE 06/21/18: Police confirm the Huntingtown dog attack victim has died. Jenna Sutphin, 28, was savagely attacked by a Dogo argentino about 7:15 am this morning. She was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition with bite injuries to the back of her head and neck. Earlier today, it was reported that her family was "preparing for the worst." Sutphin and her fiance, Jason Hammer, who is a Prince George's County Correctional Center K-9 handler, breed and sell Dogo argentinos.

The attack unfolded in front of the couple's home, which overlooks Route 4. A driver traveling along Route 4 called 911 about 7:00 am after seeing an animal attacking something, reports WTOP. When the trouper arrived at the overgrown area near the highway, the dog was still actively attacking her. The trouper shot the dog causing it to flee. The driver who called in this attack and this trouper will forever live with the memories of seeing a gladiator dog destroying a woman.

The attacking dog, named Rocky, was the male counterpart of the couple's breeding pair. The animal had been living with the couple for about four years. At the time of the attack, her fiance Hammer was at a "training session with his new K-9 partner," reports WTOP. Hammer had recently undergone a 16-week training program with his malinois-shepherd mix. Sutphin was also employed by Prince George's County, working as an aide for the county attorney since May 2016.

06/21/18: Woman Airlifted after Dog Attack
Huntingtown, MD - Earlier today, a savage attack by a Dogo argentino left one if its owners -- a 28-year old female -- in critical condition. She was airlifted to Washington MedStar Hospital Center to undergo treatment. Initially, very few details were released about the attack. We were only able to locate the dog's owners on Facebook through a photograph. The victim was later identified as Jenna Rae Sutphin. She and her fiance breed and sell Dogo argentinos openly on Facebook.

"At about 7:15 a.m. this morning, a trooper from the Prince Frederick Barrack responded to the unit-block of Cherry Hill Road and Route 4 in Huntingtown, Maryland, after receiving an animal complaint from motorists passing by the area. Upon his arrival to the scene, the trooper found the dog actively engaged in the attack in an overgrown area near the highway, adjacent to the front yard of the victim’s home. Police believe the dog is owned by the victim’s fiance." - Maryland State Police news release, June 21, 2018

Police shot and killed the animal to prevent it from harming anyone else, states a press release issued by the Maryland State Police. Sources who responded to the scene said that the woman was bitten in the back of the head and neck, and that her family is preparing for the worst, reports WTOP. According to Sutphin's fiance's Facebook page, he is a law enforcement officer. This vicious attack comes on the heels of a very similar attack in Fairfield, California one week ago.

Fairfield Dogo Argentino Breeder Attack

Last Thursday, a 29-year old female was airlifted to the Bay Area for treatment of life-threatening injuries after a Dogo argentino brutally attacked her. The attack occurred in the 1600 block of Kentucky Street. "I thought he had killed her because she had stopped screaming for a little while," neighbor and witness Yolanda Kendrick said. “I really thought he had done killed her.” Police shot and killed that dog too. There were reportedly up to 20 other Dogos at the home.

Authorities confiscated all of the dogs. It is unknown what their status is at this time. There may be no additional news reports about this attack.

The victim's husband operates a Bay Area Dogo argentino kennel named, Dogos Del Gran Patron. Since the near fatal attack of his wife, he has removed the kennel's Instagram page. He also continues to publish "solid white" photos to his Facebook profile. "Solid white" is another expression for the Dogo. This may or may not be some type of social media signal to other Dogo breeders. Commenters at this rescue group report his wife lost at least one arm in the attack.

Both attacks involve the spouses of Dogo argentino breeders. Both women will suffer lifelong permanent injuries before the age of 30. The Fairfield victim has two young children. The stakes are quite high when breeding a ferocious fighting breed that is banned in multiple countries. Like the South African boerboel, Dogo argentino population numbers in the United States are low. However, these back-to-back horrific attacks show that their population numbers are rising.

As explained in the South African boerboel post -- which also involved one of the breeder's own dogs attacking -- the Dogo argentino is one of several "reinvented" ancient gladiator breeds used for the purposes of guarding and fighting (combat dogs). It is generally agreed upon that the Dogo is a "reconstitution" of an extinct gladiator breed created by crossing the Cordoba fighting dog with mastiffs and old white bull terriers. Learn more about Dogo argentinos at Daxton's Friends.

Dogo argentino is the result of a breeding program started by Dr. Antonio Nores Martinez and his brother Agustin in the 1920's. Inspired by the legends of the mighty Alaunt and the working Viejo Perro de Pelea Cordobés ... Developed from old white Bull Terriers, Cordoba Fighting Dogs, English Pointers, Deutsche Dogges, French Mastiffs, Spanish Mastiffs ... this white mastiff also found a place for itself in the world of dogfighting, where it gained notoriety as a fearless and tireless pit fighter. Molosserdogs.com, 2011

We also discussed in the boerboel post, "Who worships, breeds or owns boerboels?" The same question can be posed about the Dogo argentino. In the two recent vicious attacks, both involved seemingly "macho" male owners, who are also breeders with young wives that have now been forever damaged by their own Dogo. No one can claim ignorance about a dog's heritage when the conversation turns to destructive gladiator combat breeds, like the boerboel and Dogo argentino.

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Infant Mauled to Death by Babysitter's Dog in Georgia

Paige Bradley, killed by babysitters dog
Paige Bradley, 5-months old, was killed by her babysitter's dog in Forest Park.

No Charges Warranted
UPDATE 06/15/18: There will be no charges after a 5-month old baby was mauled to death by a family dog while she was sleeping. Investigators concluded that no unlawful or neglectful act was committed. In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 10, about 2:55 am, police received a 911 call from a "frantic" caller who was "not able to communicate the nature of their emergency," according to a news release issued by the Clayton County Police Department on June 14.

Upon arrival, responding officers discovered that the family dog (German Shepherd) had mauled a 5-month-old female to death. According to the family of the child, she was placed in a bed to sleep and left in the care of her mother’s roommate while her mother left the home for a few hours. When the mother returned, she discovered that her roommate had fallen asleep in another area of the home and when they went to check on the welfare of the baby, it was discovered that the baby had been mauled to death in the bedroom where she had been placed to sleep.

The family advised detectives that the dog had been around the baby since the baby’s birth had never shown any signs of aggression toward the baby or anyone else in the home. The dog was removed from the home by Clayton County Animal Control officers on the night of the incident and has since been surrendered by his owner to Animal Control and euthanized.

At the conclusion of the investigation, it was determined that no unlawful or neglectful act had been committed by anyone in the home and no charges were filed. - Clayton County Police Department, June 14, 2018

The release clears up the conflicting date of death being reported by different news outlets, and more importantly (in our minds) clears up where the baby lived. Earlier, we reported that the child was visiting the babysitter's home, which is one of our 33 parameters in collecting dog bite fatality data. However, the Clayton County Police Department confirms the baby lived at the home on Watts Road with her mother and her mother's roommate, who is also a longtime family friend.

On Thursday, the baby's mother, T'erika George, spoke to WSB-TV. Struggling through emotions, she gave a slightly different version of the timeline. What is clear in her voice is her immense grief for the loss of her baby. "I told her I’m so sorry because I always take you with me," George said. When asked by the reporter, "What do you think happened?" George replied, "I can't even say. I just gave it to God and I told him to figure this all out for me." Our hearts go out to this mother.

06/14/18: Baby Killed by Family Dog
Forest Park, GA - An infant is dead after being mauled to death by a dog. The deadly attack occurred Tuesday at a home on Watts Road in Forest Park. At the time of the attack, the baby was under the care of a babysitter, her mother's roommate. The mother told police she left her daughter with her roommate for a few hours. When she returned, she found her infant dead and the roommate asleep. Clayton County authorities seized the roommate's German shepherd.

There is conflicting information about the date of the baby's death -- Sunday or Tuesday and whether the baby lived at home on Watts Road.

After WSB-TV updated their article, "roommate" was dropped and the babysitter became a "longtime friend" of the child's mother, T'erika George. According to police, this male friend was watching the baby that night. He put the baby down to sleep on a bed in one room then he fell asleep in another room. About 3:00 am, someone called police saying a German shepherd had killed a baby. According to George, baby Paige had been around this particular dog her whole life.

"He ate by us, he slept by us, he followed us and sometimes I had her in her car seat and he would go over and check on her and walk away. I never heard of anything like this," George told WSB-TV. No criminal charges have been filed so far and animal control already euthanized the dog, police said. The family has set up a GoFundMe page. "All proceeds go toward the funeral arrangements for Paige. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers," states the fundraiser.

The death of baby Paige while under her babysitter's care marks the fourth infant, 8-months old or younger, attacked and killed by a family dog this year, 31% of all dog bite fatality victims.

Baby Paige Bradly killed by babysitter's dog

DogsBite blog ::

Delta Bans Pit Bull-Type Dogs as Service, Support Animals

Airlines are Not Subject to the Americans with Disability Act

The Fall Out from "Celebrities" and "Animal Groups"