Posted on May 17, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Woman Killed by Two Pit Bulls in Gulfport, Mississippi

Georgia Ruth Morgan, 75, died after being attacked by two pit bulls in Gulfport.

Victim Identified
UPDATE 05/17/18: Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove has identified the victim as 75-year old Georgia Morgan. Hargrove said she died of her injuries after being attacked by two dogs Wednesday morning on Deidra Court. Gulfport deputy police chief Chris Lopposer told WLOX: "Through an investigation, we determined that a woman entered a closed property through a gate, shut the gate behind her, and while inside the fenced in yard, was attacked by two dogs."

Morgan was mauled to death by two pit bulls belonging to Emily Craft. Police arrested Craft afterward on an outstanding warrant from 2017.

There is only speculation as to why Morgan entered Craft's yard. Morgan was known as "the can lady" who collected cans in the area. She may have been trying to reach cans she saw in Craft's yard. Diana Jones, who lives next to Craft, said, "How she got in, I don't know, but she was going to get her cans." In 2017, after Craft's pit bulls attacked Jones' dog for the second time, Jones filed a vicious animal complaint. This is why there was an outstanding warrant for Craft's arrest.

Jones also spoke to Fox10 News. "We heard a cry, a scream," Jones said about the morning of the attack. "There was pieces of clothing and stuff all in the front yard ... I hit the floor when I found out it was her." Jones showed Fox10 how Craft's pit bulls would escape the fencing around the home. She said Craft's pit bulls have always been aggressive. Craft surrendered both pit bulls to authorities for euthanasia. No criminal charges have been filed in connection to Morgan's death.

05/16/18: Pit Bulls Kill Woman
Gulfport, MS - An elderly woman is dead after being attacked by two pit bulls. On Wednesday, just before 8:00 am, Gulfport Police responded to a call of a woman being attacked by pit bulls in the 14400 block of Deidra Court. Arriving officers found the woman in the yard of a home, but she had already succumbed to her injuries. Gulfport Detectives, Crime Scene Units, and the Harrison County Coroner responded, states a news release issued by the Gulfport Police Department.

According to investigators, the 75-year old woman was known to walk in the area. She allegedly opened a closed gate to a fenced-in yard and was attacked by two pit bulls that resided inside. The victim did not live at the home, states the release. The owner of the two pit bulls surrendered both animals to Gulfport Animal Control. "While this is a tragic situation which is still under investigation, there are no charges at this time," states the Gulfport Police Department release.

Afternoon Updates

The Sun Herald reports that Gulfport Police arrested the owner of two pit bulls that attacked and killed a woman this morning. Emily Craft was arrested after the fatal mauling on an outstanding warrant issued last July for two misdemeanor charges -- having a dog at large and a vicious animal charge. A neighbor of Craft, Diana Jones, filed the vicious dog complaint after Craft's two pit bulls attacked her golden retriever for a second time. Jones did not report the first attack.

Police have not released the name of the 75-year old woman killed by Craft's pit bulls. She was known in the Orange Grove neighborhood as "the can lady." She walked daily and collected cans in the neighborhood. She was a kind lady and always greeted the children at the bus stop, Jones' daughters told the Sun Herald. Gulfport Police continue investigating her death. Sadly, there are other innocent victims of pit bull maulings whose only acts were daily walks and collecting cans.

Suspected Pit Bull Owner

The Sun Herald article states that the name of Craft's large male pit bull is "Cash." An Intelius search revealed that only one Emily Craft resides in Gulfport, Mississippi. In August 2016, a Gulfport-based Emily Craft Facebook user posted a "lost" announcement stating that her two pit bulls, Cash and June, "went missing." She claimed a $100,000 reward on the Stolen Lost Found Pets of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Facebook group for anyone who located her missing pit bulls.

Craft is also a backyard breeder and seller of pit bulls. In December 2016, this same Craft posted about pit bull puppies for sale in the Slidell Online Garage Sale group. Of all things, she was trying to sell merle pit bulls for $200 to $250; most pit bull breeders and organizations disdain merle breeding. Just five days ago, Craft posted about non-merle pit bull puppies for sale in the Pets for sale South MS Facebook group (inside comments). The price of her puppies is $200 each.

We continue to work to verify this suspected pit bull owner in this breaking dog bite fatality. At about 11:00 pm Central Time, Fox10 News identified the victim as Georgia Ruth Morgan.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Mississippi Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

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 May 15, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

Dangerous dog breeds do not discriminate when they attack. We do not discriminate in our advocacy.

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

What They Tell the Public vs. What They Tell New Holding Facilities

Described as "loving, gentle," but has dog, stranger and handler aggression.

False Advertisement
DogsBite.org - In September 2016, we published an expose about what lies behind the web advertisements of aggressive shelter dogs available for adoption today. We determined that many shelters candy-coat dogs with aggressive behaviors in their zeal to increase "live release rate." Animal behaviorist Alexandra Semyonova provided a detailed analysis of the 34 case files we obtained from a county shelter, along with a special report about behavior testing shelter dogs.

Which brings us to today. We have another example. These advertisements aimed at the public are often deliberately fraudulent. However, there is a willingness on the part of shelters to disclose the dog's true nature when the intention is to obtain a different holding place for the dog. One of these facilities provided this recent example to us; primarily due to the many requests they receive for unadoptable dogs with "serial" aggression issues that will never find a "forever" home.

The fraudulence is driven by the holy grail of boasting a high "save rate" at any cost, including over the welfare of high-risk dogs and public safety.

First, we invite you to read the fraudulent advertisement of a dog named Hershey located on the Cherryland Humane Society's Facebook page (accessed May 4, 2018). Note, "I can be kind of anxious," decoded translates into "extreme anxiety" even after "medication and behavior modification." Also, "I am continuing to work on my self-confidence," decoded translates into "stranger aggression as well as dog aggression" and "aggression towards his person/handler."

Cherryland Humane Society
February 25, 2018

I'm ready for you.....are you ready for me? So questions HERSHEY! I'm a youngish (2 1/2 years old) lab mix and I am looking for a kind of calm, laid back home and best friend I can really connect with. So, I know most of the basic commands and like interacting with people but can be kind of anxious so that's why I am looking for someone to compliment my loving, gentle personality and who would love to have me as their only pet. I am continuing to work on my self-confidence and perhaps could use your help! Let's get together!1

Now, we invite you to read the letter sent to a potential holding facility. Ask yourself, "Why are the two so different? Why do they have to 'encode' for the public? Why would they create such false hope?" This dog was returned at least three times and has a multiple bite history. No-kill devotees will bend the truth or conceal it to place a high-risk dog like this into a home with an unsuspecting family with children, but they are factual when the intent is to unload the dog on a sanctuary.

My name is , I am the Animal Behaviorist at the Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City, Michigan. Best Friends, recommended that we reach out to you regarding a dog we currently have, Hershey, we are running out of options for him.

Hershey has extreme anxiety and with medication and behavior modification, it does not seem to help. We have had him for 7 months. He is very protective of his people to the point of stranger aggression as well as dog aggression. Hershey has a few bites on his record towards people and dogs. In Hershey's calm state he is affectionate, playful, loving, and kind of a goofball. Hershey can redirect his anxiety into aggression towards his person/handler. He has been returned twice and returned by a foster, which did not work out after almost a month.

We would appreciate any advice or assistance in finding Hershey an alternate place to live, as we are unable to adopt him out. Thank you, Animal Behaviorist / Enrichment Coordinator Cherryland Humane Society...

In a desperate attempt to "save them all," shelters, humane groups and rescues try to place unadoptable and dangerous dogs at sanctuaries across the country. Entities that claim to accept numerous dogs like Hershey often become hoarding operations, such as Spindletop and Olympic Sanctuary. A dog like Hershey, who can't be handled safely and has both human and animal aggression, could only co-exist at a sanctuary by living in total isolation with no quality of life at all.

The very inventor of the term, "save them all," Utah-based fighting dog advocates Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS), is also mentioned in the correspondence. With an excess of $80 million dollars in donations in 2016, and adoption facilities in four cities, BFAS recommends referring this unplaceable dog to smaller, under financed sanctuaries that are already stretched thin. BFAS, apparently, did not even welcome this problematic dog into its own five square mile sanctuary.

The Dichotomy of Disclosure

The case of Hershey shows the dichotomy of disclosure. What is shared about the dog's true nature depends upon the intention of the shelter. If the intention is get the dog into the home of a gullible family, they encode and conceal the dog's aggression into a "baby talk" style adoption listing. If the intention is to obtain a different holding place for the dog, they are pragmatic: "stranger aggression as well as dog aggression" and "aggression towards his person/handler."

Due to the prevalence of fraudulent adoption advertisements, we remind the public to always request the uncensored behavioral and medical files prior to adoption. As noted in our earlier piece, it is critically important to understand that "disclosure" is not the same as "full disclosure." In order to gain full disclosure, you need to see the complete case file. Otherwise, you may wind up with a Hershey -- a dog disposed to mauling or killing a beloved pet or seriously injuring a person.

When Adopting From a Shelter

Do your research
Go in with questions
Bring a trainer with you to the shelter to evaluate for signs of aggression2
Request all behavior records for the dog
Request all medical records for the dog
Request all "outcomes" for the dog (if the dog was returned to shelter)

Animal behaviorist and author Alexandra Semyonova provides analysis and a special report: Behavior Testing Shelter Dogs -- A Summary of Where We Are Now

"Save them all" is a myth with real life consequences. People pay. Beloved pets pay. The unplaceable dog pays and hearts are broken. There is no such thing as a "forever home" for dogs like Hershey. Not even reputable sanctuaries want dogs that cannot be safely handled and require a "prison-like" existence. We first obtained a copy of the letter to the sanctuary in late April. It is unknown what the final outcome was for this dog. Humane euthanasia would have been kind.

1The dog came into the shelter in October 2017 as a stray. It was adopted out the first time on November 10. So the February 25 advertisement was likely written after the dog was returned a second time (after two failed adoptions).
2Preferably a trainer who is not a fan of any breed in particular. The idea is to eliminate bias.

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Baby Killed by Family Dog While Under Her Grandmother's Care

A 3-month old baby died after being mauled by a family dog in Sherman Oaks.

Baby Identified
UPDATE 05/07/18: The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has identified the baby girl killed by a family dog. Gaia Nova died shortly after arriving at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Saturday. At the time of the attack, Gaia was under the care of her grandmother. When she left the infant in a room to get a bottle, one of the three family dogs clamped down on the baby's head, killing her. Authorities seized all three family dogs: a rottweiler, Labrador retriever, and small terrier.

Police do not know which of the dogs attacked the infant or if more than one dog was involved. Earlier news reports stated that DNA samples were taken to determine which of the dogs killed the baby. Authorities have not released the gender or spay/neuter status of the dogs or any photographs of the dogs. No criminal charges are expected. Police are calling the baby's death a "true tragedy." Gaia is the third baby girl mauled to death by a pet dog since March 7, 2018.

05/06/18: Family Dog Kills Baby
Los Angeles, CA - A baby is dead after being bitten on the head by a family dog in her Sherman Oaks home. The incident was reported at 3:25 pm Saturday in the 14400 block of Benefit Street, Officer Stacy Ball of the Los Angeles Police Department said. At the time of the attack, the baby was under the care of her grandmother. The grandmother rushed the infant to Sherman Oaks Hospital. She was then airlifted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

This is a horrible case. It has touched all involved family, friends and first responders. Our hearts go out to the family and friends. - Capt. Lillian Carranza

At the time of the attack, the 3-month old baby girl was in her own home. There were three dogs present in the home, LAPD Police Services Officer Stacy Ball said. Police described the dogs as a 98-pound rottweiler, 89-pound Labrador and 10-pound terrier. Animal control took all three dogs into custody. It remains unclear if one or more dogs inflicted the deadly attack. KABC-TV reports that DNA samples were taken to determine which of the animals fatally injured the infant.

Circumstances of how the attack happened are also vague. Detective Moses Castillo stated, "It's a reminder to those who may have a large dog in the family and maybe have some little ones at home to remain vigilant -- constant observation of their little ones." CBS Los Angeles reports the baby's grandmother turned her back for a moment and when she returned, she found the infant with head and face injuries. The investigation continues. Criminal charges are not anticipated.