Posted on May 17, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

A Brief History of the South African Mastiff - The 'Farmer's Bulldog'

Jane Marie Egle, 59-years old, was killed by her South African boerboel on May 1.

Autopsy Released
UPDATE 04/17/18: On May 1, 2017 the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office responded to a residence after receiving a call for assistance. They found Jane Egle, 59, dead on the floor of her home. One of the victim's South African boerboels was also in the home, exhibiting so much aggression that deputies "destroyed" it at the scene. Egle's cause of death was not released. The only incident report released by the sheriff's office indicated the victim had "minor" injuries.

On April 16, 2018, nearly one year later, Egle's autopsy results were released. The autopsy was performed May 3, 2017 under the presence of "representatives for Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office," states the medical examiner's report. The cause of death was "exsanguination due to multiple penetrating and blunt force injuries of the head and neck, consistent with canine bites due to dog mauling." The sheriff's office knew the cause of death on May 3, but misled the media.

The sheriff's office failure to release cause of death forced us to exclude Egle from our late February release of 2017 dog bite fatality statistics.

The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office delayed the release of any information about Egle's death until four days afterward. We noted that action as a "red flag" in our initial post. On May 5, Natalie Bailey, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, told the Citizen-Times, the exact cause of death had not yet been determined. Bailey stated the same thing to the Citizen-Times on May 9, six days after the autopsy was complete and the official cause of death was known by the sheriff's office.

On November 22, 2017, after three FOIA requests, we received a copy of the 1-page incident report from the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office. Within the "Injury" area, there are multiple boxes to choose from, including "Broken Bones, Severe Lacerations, Other Major" and more. The officer checked the "Minor" box only. His or her supervisor signed the report. We now know the incident report was fraudulent. The South African boerboel ripped out the front of Egle's throat.

05/17/17: Time for Honest Dialogue
Asheville, NC - On May 5, it was a reported that a 59-year old woman was found dead in her home with an aggressive South African boerboel. Deputies had discovered her body four days earlier -- red flag. We looked into the case and quickly learned that Jane Egle was a breeder and seller of South African mastiffs. She had a dedicated website, "Beloved Boerboels," that notes she previously worked with rottweilers and bullmastiffs, along with Facebook and Instagram pages.

In addition to the delayed release of her death information, the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office quickly resorted to, "visible cuts on her body that are consistent with an animal attack, but her exact cause of death" is undetermined. It remains unknown today, 15 days later, if her death is an actual dog bite fatality -- red flag number two. In our ten years of tracking dog mauling deaths, when law enforcement limits the release of injury information, there may be other factors at play.

In the past, other factors have included trying to dampen public interest or media attention to the mauling case, which we have seen backfire too.

When deputies arrived at the scene, the gladiator dog -- one of the fiercest guarding breeds -- predictably would not allow first responders into the home. Deputies were forced to dispatch the massive dog to reach the woman. Seven other boerboels were also seized from Egle's yard along with a great pyrenees. Asheville Humane Society, which operates the Buncombe County animal shelter, stated right away the adult boerboels were dangerous and slated them for euthanasia.

Memory Lane: In 2015, the Asheville Humane Society (AHS) adopted out a pit bull that passed a temperament test. Three weeks later, the dog brutally killed a 6-year old boy. No temperament test can measure unpredictable aggression. These tests can measure obvious aggression, as can observation, which is the case with the boerboels that Egle liked to dress up with bling. Recall that AHS also had a habit of anthropomorphizing pit bulls with bling to make them more palatable.

The Dog Behavior Consultant

On May 8, WLOS interviewed Kim Brophey, a certified dog behavior consultant that evaluated the South African boerboels, six adults and one 4-month old. As one would imagine, she was terrified of the dogs. "I was terrified, and I've done this a long time," Brophey said. "It was a difficult thing to do. Both myself and the other evaluator were appropriately cautious given the expressed threatening behavior of the dogs, it was warranted. We had a job to do, and we did it," she said.

Yet, Brophey's logic goes south with the young boerboel, which also should have been put down, effectively wiping out Egle's entire breeding operation.1 Pertaining to the adult boerboels she states, "Given their propensity to harm others, it would have been negligent to do anything other than what was done." Speaking about the breed as a whole, she states: "If we have no tolerance for the specific behaviors that dogs were bred for, maybe we shouldn't be breeding them."

"They were so highly threatening that one could not even interact with them in order to assess them -- all of them." - Kim Brophey, dog behaviorist

By May 15, as we began writing this post, Brophey spoke to the Citizen-Times and admitted the adult boerboels were so dangerous they could not even be assessed by personnel, outside of observation. In a stunningly forthright video, Brophey states, "Our message really is ... we should take the opportunity to open a very honest dialogue ... about the big picture of our dog's behavior. We like to act as if dogs are all simply just pets, and that it's all how we raise them," she said.

"The truth is there are many other factors that are facilitating their behavior. If we are not prepared for those behaviors, if we don't look into their history, understand the biology and the genetics, the interplay of their environment, their socialization" and more, Brophey said, "then we are going to continue to find ourselves surprised and in some cases, tragically so ... These incidents are doomed to continue to happen if we don't get honest and practical in our discussion," she said.

History of the South African Boerboel

The South African boerboel is one of several "reinvented" ancient gladiator breeds used for the purposes of guarding and fighting (combat dogs). There is no trustworthy source of information online, in English, about the breed's history -- most are written by boerboel breeders who glorify the dogs. As visually apparent, the bullmastiff was a heavy influencer in resurrecting the breed as they share common ancestors. Calling these dogs a "farm dog" or a "farmer's dog" is deceptive.

The boerboel name is more appropriately translated into the "farmer's bulldog" or "farmer's mastiff," according to academic researchers.

No one has done more to "resurrect" the ancient gladiator breeds than Dr. Carl Semencic, who was once billed as a "world-renowned authority on fighting dogs" and continues to get his aging books reprinted: The World of Fighting Dogs (1984), Pit Bulls and Tenacious Guard Dogs (1991) and Gladiator Dogs (1998). The Gladiator Dogs book "brings to life 13 breeds originally used as fighting dogs." All of the usual suspects are on the list, including the South African boerboel.

Semencic's book purports to explain the history of these gladiator breeds and their different "combat techniques." The fact that Semencic dedicates an entire chapter to the boerboel is telling, right along side the better known baiting, fighting and war dog types, such as pit bulls and presa canarios. South African boerboels are rare in the United States but certainly are not in South Africa. We reached out to animal behaviorist Alexandra Semyonova who provides more details.

Alexandra Semyonova - Gladiator Breeds

The story of the "boerboel" (which means "the farmer's bulldog" in Afrikaner Dutch) is basically the same as that of the Cuban Bloodhound (second profile).

They were created by crossing the bull / bear / horse baiting bulldog of Elizabethan England and the war dogs European colonists used to subdue, terrorize and sometimes help eradicate native populations. These bulldog-war dog mixes were introduced in South Africa by the Dutch in and after 1652, together with the introduction of slavery there. The "boerboel" was used to guard colonizers' farmlands from the natives the lands were stolen from, to guard and terrorize slaves, and in battles with the indigenous populations. To this day, the "boerboel" is still one of the most vicious and destructive guard dogs that exist in South Africa.

In 2010, a South African surgeon warned that the "boerboel" was presenting an alarming new danger to children:

"Speaking from his rooms at Somerset Aesthetic Surgery in Somerset West, Toogood said: 'Dog bite cases outnumber the cases I see involving motor vehicle accidents, incidents involving pedestrians, and domestic violence.

'And of the dog bite cases, approximately 80 percent of the cases I see involve boerboels.

'The remaining 20 percent (are made up) of all the other breeds of dogs combined.

'I'm simply telling you what's coming through my doors and they are children bitten by boerboels.
--snip--

'This is not just an affable farm dog with big slobbery chops," said Toogood.

'They are inherently dangerous, with a strong streak of unpredictability, but breeders are not saying so and hence they are being kept as house pets.'" - Murray Williams, "Boerboel attacks on kids on rise," IOL News, February 24, 2010 (www.iol.co.za)

Cape of Good Hope SPCA CEO Allan Perrins, admits in the article, "I know that the pit bull has the 'killer dog' reputation. But I'm afraid it's being fast superseded by the boerboel," writes Semyonova.

According to South African government sources, the export of "boerboels" suddenly greatly increased in 2011. In the United States, South African breeders were getting up to $9,600 for a single animal. It's not surprising then, as this surgeon remarked, that "boerboel" breeders are not honest about what they're selling: "[Boerboels] are inherently dangerous, with a strong streak of unpredictability, but breeders are not saying so and hence they are being kept as house pets," writes Semyonova.

Alexandra Semyonova is an internationally acclaimed animal behaviorist and author of The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs. Academically educated in behavioral science and specialized in animal behavior, she provided a major breakthrough for the field in her paper, The Social Organization of the Domestic Dog. She has worked with dogs and their owners on a daily basis for more than 30 years. Visit her website at Nonlinear Dogs. View additional DogsBite.org posts that Semyonova has provided commentary for in the past.

Who Worships, Breeds or Owns Boerboels?

It would be dishonest not to discuss the types of people who own and breed these dogs, including Egle, who graduated up to South African boerboels after raising rottweilers and bullmastiffs. There comes a point where people can't claim ignorance anymore about a dog breed's heritage, nor deny that the real motive is often pathological narcissism -- including the narcissist's insistence on living in a self-aggrandizing fantasy world. Neither of these photos are cute; they are disturbing.

A week before her death, Egle posted to Instagram: "Aslan and Mojo ... before they figured out how to break through that gate and take their boerboel five pack out to meet our suburban neighbors and their many adorable kiddos. Whew! Fortunately, they were only out a few minutes and were friendly and sweet. The neighbors were so charmed by them (all five dogs instantly came when I called them, YES!!), that I now have a new posse offering to take them on walks."

We are deeply thankful that no one else in the community was harmed by Egle's pack of gladiator dogs. They were certainly on track to do so.

Semyonova also points out that a neighbor interviewed by WLOS, Jennifer Odom, described Egle as very sweet, friendly and kind. "How sweet, friendly and kind is it to infest one's neighborhood with a type of dog that endangers the lives of every living thing within miles?" Asked Semyonova. "Ones that, as the surgeon pointed out in the 2010 article, are even deadlier than the smaller pit bull types?" Odom also plays the fantasy game by calling the dogs "very sweet, gentle giants."

This is in stark contrast to the heritage of the "Farmer's bulldog" -- selected for willingness to commit sustained, unprovoked attacks and with a physique that makes defense impossible -- that author Semencic worships and promotes in his book. As well as the honest assessment by Brophey, who said these South African boerboels "were beyond threatening and aggressive, as ferocious of an animal as I have ever met in a 20-year career specializing in aggression."

Summary

The South African boerboel is still uncommon in the United States. Their high purchase price and annual care costs make it unlikely for this gladiator breed to ever achieve remotely modest population numbers in this country. The American bully, a pit bull "designer" breed frequently infused with bullmastiffs and other mastiffs to create extreme exaggerations in the weight, size and features of a traditional pit bull, appears to be the larger and more troubling trend in the U.S.

Local media outlets are interested in this story and obtaining the cause of death. The Medical Examiner's Office told WLOS it could take 2-3 months to receive the official report -- this is fairly standard and can take much longer when contributing factors are involved. What is not standard in this case is the lack of receiving any preliminary autopsy report or reasons why. We are only left to speculate as to why, which might include trying to dampen public interest or media attention.

Lastly, as recognized by animal behaviorists Alexandra Semyonova and Kim Brophey and columnist John Boyle of the Citizen-Times, this case demands an honest discussion about dog breeds. Some dog breeds are vastly more dangerous than others, which is the focal point of our nonprofit's website. The consequences of believing the myth, "It's all you raise 'em," and ignoring the genetic heritage of a dog's breed results in life-altering injuries and deaths every year.

1Other news reports said there were three 4-month old boerboels discovered at the scene. Family members may have taken two, perhaps to continue the lineage. Also, calling these dogs puppies is misleading given that they are already over 50 pounds by the age of four months. Here is one of her 5-month old boerboels.

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Redding Woman Dies After Being Attacked by Her Own Dog

Sandra Keiser, 71, died after being attacked by her own "rescue" dog in Redding.

Woman Dies After Attack
Redding, CT - A Redding woman died at Danbury Hospital after being attacked by her own dog at a home on Deacon Abbott Road, Redding police report. The attack occurred on Friday, May 12. Police took the dog into custody, but have not released breed information. Police are withholding the name (and age) of the victim until family members are notified. The victim suffered "very serious injuries," police said. She was transported to Danbury Hospital where she later died.

Redding Police Chief Doug Fuchs said the attack set off a series of events, which led to her death. However, despite her severe injuries, they may not have been the cause of death, he said. “We’re awaiting the autopsy” to determine the final cause of death, Fuchs told the Redding Pilot. The city is located about 55 miles west of New Haven. Last July, a woman was horrifically mutilated and killed by pair of American bulldog-mixes belonging to Dr. Hamilton Hicks in New Haven.

Redding is located in Fairfield County. In 2014, a 91-year old woman was mauled to death by her dog in Stratford, also of Fairfield County. The dog in that case was allegedly a Keeshound-mix.

Subsequent news reports -- over one week later -- identified the victim as 71-year old Sandra Keiser of Redding. Police Chief Fuchs described the attacking dog as a "mixed-breed" and a "rescue" dog, but was "not a pit bull," reports The Pilot. The animal had been living at her home on Deacon Abbott Road for six
years, according to Fuchs. The police chief did not say what type of mixed-breed, such as a shepherd or a rottweiler, nor was any photograph of the dog released.1

1The victim's name has also been reported as Sandra Kaiser.

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 10, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Kills Baby in Northwest Las Vegas

Kamiko Dao Tsuda-Saelee, 6-months old, was killed by her family pit bull in Las Vegas.

Mauling Victim Identified
UPDATE 05/09/17: The Clark County Coroner's Office identified the 6-month old baby as Kamiko Dao Tsuda-Saelee. On Monday, Kamiko had been playing in a baby walker near the family pit bull when it suddenly attacked her. The mother was able to stop the attack, but the baby was already seriously injured. Kamiko's mother rode with her in the ambulance to Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead. No criminal charges are anticipated.

On Tuesday afternoon, the 9-year old male pit bull was euthanized, according to Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin. The owner surrendered the dog and it will not be rehomed. "A dog that has attacked and killed a person would not be allowed to be adopted," Kulin said in a statement.1 The county also released two photographs of the dog. The infant's grandfather, Ryan Tsuda, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "We are all heartbroken." Tsuda declined to comment further.

Kamiko is the 513th American killed by a pit bull since we began collecting this data on the Fatal Pit Bull Attacks Archival Record website. Her death also marks the 210th child mauled to death by a pit bull since 1980, when the insidious pit bull problem began to emerge. Like many shelters in the U.S., The Animal Foundation in Las Vegas, which quarantined the dog for Clark County Animal Control, is brimming with unwanted pit bulls. Any takers for Jagger, posted earlier today?

Believing the false myth, "It's all how you raise 'em," kills a dozen children every year and maims over a thousand more. - DogsBite.org

The mother of the baby, Layla Tsuda, is originally from Kaneohe. She spoke to KHON2, which covers Hawaii. The baby's family clarified that the dog, named Mana, is a "purebred pit bull" and had lived with the family for nine years. The family was shocked at the dog's violence -- the dog was considered a good family pet. "I have no words to explain my pain," Layla said. Layla joins 210 other families who have lost a precious child due to unpredictable violent pit bull aggression.

05/08/17: Family Pit Bull Kills Baby
Las Vegas, NV - A family pit bull-mix mauled a baby to death in the northwest Las Vegas Valley, police said. The Metropolitan Police Department was dispatched to a home in the 9100 block of Brilliant Prairie Court, near West Centennial Parkway just after 1 pm, police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said. The baby was transported in an ambulance to Centennial Hills Hospital, where it was pronounced dead. At the time of the fatal attack, the baby's mother was the only adult home.

"I think it's kind of ridiculous. I mean, how does it happen? How do you leave a dog with a baby? How does it happen?" - Neighbor Ron Tripodi

"It's an absolute, true tragedy," Las Vegas police spokesman Larry Hadfield said. "You have a family that's going to be grieving for today and the rest of their lives." The family dog that killed the baby is a "pit bull terrier-type mix," Hadfield said. Animal control took the dog into custody. As is standard with any young child's death, Metro's abuse and neglect division will investigate potential criminality, he said. The county coroner's office will release the identity of the baby in the future.

An evening update by the Las Vegas Review-Journal included more details. The baby had been playing in a baby walker near the dog when the animal suddenly attacked the child. The baby's mother was able to stop the attack, but not before significant injuries had been inflicted. The newspaper also noted that as of late Monday, The Animal Foundation, which provides sheltering services for Clark County Animal Control, would not allow the pit bull-mix to be photographed.

Clark County Dog Bite Fatalities

This baby's death marks the fifth deadly dog attack in Clark County, Nevada since 2008. All five dog bite fatality victims were children ages 9-years old or younger. Pit bulls and their mixes were responsible for 80% (4) of these child deaths. The victims include: Derion Stevenson, 9-years old (Las Vegas, 2016), Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan, 1-year old (Henderson, 2012), Alexander Adams, 2-years old (Las Vegas, 2008) and Cenedi Kia Carey, 4-months old (North Las Vegas, 2008).

Top Counties in Dog Bite Deaths

The below chart shows the U.S. counties with the highest number of fatal dog attacks recorded by DogsBite.org from January 1, 2005 to May 8, 2017. Our chart does not measure the incidence rate per 100,000 population, but we provided the estimated populations if you would like to do those calculations. There is no doubt that of this grouping of 16 jurisdictions, Dorchester County, South Carolina has the highest rate. American Indian Reservations are excluded from the list.

Leading U.S. Counties in Dog Bite Fatalities (2005 to Present)

Deaths	Jurisdiction	Estimated Population
7	Harris County, TX (Houston)	4.44 million
7	Riverside County, CA	2.32 million
7	Wayne County, MI (Detroit)	1.76 million
6	Maricopa County, AZ (Phoenix)	4.08 million
6	Miami-Dade County, FL	2.66 million
6	San Bernardino County, CA	2.11 million
6	San Diego County, CA	3.26 million
5	Bexar County, TX (San Antonio)	1.85 million
5	Clark County, NV (Las Vegas)	2.07 million
5	Cook County, IL (Chicago)	5.24 million
5	Dallas County, TX	2.51 million
5	Los Angeles County, CA	10.12 million
5	New York City, NY	8.49 million
4	Dorchester County, SC	148,469
4	Fresno County, CA	965,974
4	Montgomery County, OH	533,116

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

1Quite an interesting statement given the fiasco of "Onion" the mastiff-mix, a dog that killed a 1-year old on his Birthday in Clark County in 2012 then after two years of legal wrangling, was shipped to an out-of-state rescue.

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Pit Bull Had Also Attacked His Mother Two Weeks Earlier

Robert Laughton and his pit bull that mauled his mother twice in Roseville, Michigan.

Judge Dismisses Case
UPDATE 08/17/17: In a very anticlimactic fashion, the felony charges against Robert Laughton were dismissed yesterday. Judge Marco Santia determined the two victims, Laughton's mother and her boyfriend, were co-owners of the pit bull and knew the risks involved with this dog. On April 30, Laughton's pit bull brutally attacked Suzette Laughton and Michael Mager. Both suffered damaging injuries. Two weeks earlier, his dog attacked Suzette as well, requiring 30 stitches.

After his dog inflicted a "series" of attacks, Laughton made headlines, crying to the media, "It's not my fault" and "I didn't do anything wrong."

This "intrafamily" pit bull mauling was never going to be easy to prosecute. The two victims did not want charges pursued. All three of them live together as well. We were surprised when Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith filed two felony charges against Laughton in May. However, the injuries his pit bull inflicted were extreme. Paramedics initially feared that Michael would lose both arms, and Suzette's injuries required 98 staples in her right arm and 74 staples in her left arm.

The first attack occurred on April 19. At that time, Laughton was issued a citation for harboring a vicious dog -- he was placed on legal notice. Roseville officials allowed him to home-quarantine the dog for 10 days and advised him to put the animal down afterward. But Laughton and his mother did not want to pay the $200 euthanasia fee and decided to "give the dog another chance." One day after the quarantine period ended, the pit bull unleashed its second violent attack.

Summary

After his dog inflicted a "series" of vicious attacks on family members, Laughton refused to accept any responsibility. This is after he had been put on legal notice by the city and after his dog attacked a second time. "I didn’t do anything wrong," Laughton told The Detroit News. "It's not my fault." Laughton gravely marginalized his mother's injuries back then too stating, "My dog bit my mom." He also failed to mention the gravity of damaging injuries suffered by her boyfriend.

Michael was "lying unconscious on the living room floor suffering from horrific bites" and "bleeding profusely from his wounds." - Roseville Police

Now that a judge has dismissed the felony charges against Laughton, can the public believe that he and his family have learned anything over the past four months? Possibly. He did have to hire an attorney and show up in court. The family also had two pit bulls. Still up to her ears in medical bills, Suzette made the remaining pit bull her Facebook cover photo on July 2. Now that the court has released Laughton, he's also free to obtain new pit bulls. So "possibly not" is a better answer.

05/04/17: Felony Charges Authorized
Roseville, MI - On April 30, a family pit bull brutal attacked a couple in their home in the 30000 block of Normal Street. Suzette Laughton, 52, was initially listed in critical condition and her boyfriend, Michael Mager, 51, was airlifted to a hospital due to his extreme injuries. The dog belongs to Suzette's son, Robert Laughton, 29. Two weeks earlier, his dog attacked Suzette as well, requiring 30 stitches. At that time, Robert was issued a ticket for harboring a vicious dog.

Robert lives with the couple, but was not home during the recent attack. After the April 19 attack, he home-quarantined the dog for 10 days. One day later, after Suzette released the dog from its kennel, it viciously attacked her again. When Michael intervened to help her, the dog turned on him, inflicting injuries so severe he was left unconscious. First responders initially feared he would lose both arms. On May 4, prosecutors authorized two felony charges against Robert Laughton.

"I grew up with dogs and love them dearly. But as owners we bear complete responsibility for the training and behavior of our animals, especially regarding their interaction with the humans they encounter.
With these powerful breeds, that responsibility is particularly acute. A single aggressive episode can result in life-ending tragedy. Our office shows zero tolerance to owners who fail to safeguard their animals and the people around them from vicious aggression." - Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith, May 4, 2017

Prosecutor's full press release: Pit Bull Mauls Owner's Mother and Mother's Boyfriend

Why This Case is Unusual

Only a few states have a meaningful state felony dog attack law, Michigan is one of them. Under Michigan law, if a dog owner has knowledge of his dog's vicious propensities and it attacks again, seriously injuring or killing a person, the owner is subject to a felony. Laughton was charged with two felony counts because two victims were seriously injured. Prosecutors authorized these charges knowing that both victims, one being Laughton's mother, will not agree with the charges.

Due to the "intrafamily" nature of this series of pit bull maulings -- the mother agreed to give the dog another chance after the first attack, Laughton alleges -- we did not believe prosecutors would authorize these felony charges. It is a bold and courageous move by prosecutor Eric Smith (Kudos!). Unfortunately Laughton, who was given a citation previously for having an unlicensed dog and harboring a vicious animal, remains in total denial about dog ownership responsibility.

Headline Pit Bull Mauling

On Monday and Tuesday, we watched as headlines about the Roseville attack dominated the Detroit region. According to news reports, officers met Suzette bloodied outside of her home. She told police her son's pit bull had attacked her boyfriend, who was still inside the house. Police were forced to taser the pit bull to incapacitate it in order to reach the boyfriend who was, "unconscious on the living room floor, suffering from horrific bites to his arms and face," according to police.

The dog suspected in the attack was present and was "extremely aggressive not allowing emergency personnel into the home to extricate the victim," police said in a release. - Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, May 2, 2017

By early Tuesday, reports of Michael's injuries were so severe that we added him to our Dog Bite Fatality Watch List. While he was only on the list for a few hours, that action kicked off a deeper review of the situation by us. The first stop was the homeowner's property records to identify the victims and the second was the dog owner's Facebook page. When we landed on Laughton's page, he was publicly and gravely minimizing the victims' injuries and denying any responsibility.

Laughton had posted about "our recent fiasco" and claimed the media got the story wrong. When asked by a friend, "What happened?" He wrote, "My dog bit my mom." No mention of Michael's injuries, the airlift or this being the second time his pit bull had viciously attacked his mother. Laughton called the media "animals" and told friends to watch for an upcoming article by The Detroit News, which would undoubtedly carry his "blameless" version of the story, and it did.

In a headline titled, "Dog owner defends self in mauling: It’s not my fault," Laughton tries to explain why he should not be blamed after his vicious dog attacked a second time seriously injuring two people. "I didn’t do anything wrong," Laughton told The Detroit News. "It’s not my fault. My dog was loved. He had toys. I did not abuse my dog. I didn’t make my dog vicious. My dog did what he did. He’s paid for it," he said. As if the dog being euthanized alleviates Laughton from all liability?

Laughton said that city officials recommended he put the dog down after the April 19 attack. But, he and his mother did not want to pay the $200 euthanasia fee and decided to give the pit bull another chance, he said. Now, after thousands of dollars in medical procedures, requiring "teams of surgeons," along with felony charges, the $200 fee looks like a bargain. Laughton also blamed the second attack on a "neurological trigger," a term coined by whitewasher James Crosby.

The Detroit News video interview is a dead ringer for a pit bull owner's total and complete denial after his dog viciously attacked a second time. According to his sister, Tiffany Laughton, the same pit bull attacked her fiancé's dog in January. So technically, the April 30 attack is the third attack by the dog -- three attacks in a 4-month period. Yet, according to Laughton's obtuse logic, he's not responsible for any of them. The trusted pit bull mantra, "Blame the Owner" suddenly evaporates.

"I didn't make my dog vicious. It's not like I trained my dog to fight. I didn't do any of that. He was a family pet." - Pit bull owner Robert Laughton

"My dog bit my mom and her boyfriend. He's paid for it now," Laughton states. Quite literally, he has no comprehension of civil or criminal liability after a "series" of vicious attacks. The victims in this case are family members, but they just as easily could have been a child or friend visiting the home. The two felony charges signal that in Macomb County all victims are equal. Just because "only your family members" were mauled twice by the dog, does not mean you are off the hook.

The Family Pit Bulls

The male pit bull, named Bruce, is reportedly 1.5 years old. As we have stated many times on this website, pit bulls typically begin to show destructive behavior traits, such as the "hold and shake" bite style and animal aggression, when sexual maturity is reached at about 1.5 years old. This fact is well known among many animal control officers and humane groups, but is rarely shared with the public. This is not true of all pit bulls, but it is a rule of thumb for when these traits appear.

Laughton had purchased the pit bull from a Craigslist advertisement a year earlier, according to a news release issued by prosecutors. Furthermore, the dog was scheduled for euthanasia on May 1, states the release. Apparently, during the home-quarantine period between April 19 and April 29, Laughton and his mother changed their minds about euthanasia, Laughton alleges, but failed to tell animal control officials. Then one day later, the dog unleashed its second violent attack.

The Laughtons also have another pit bull in their home -- ClickonDetroit captured it in recent footage. That dog was not involved in the recent attack, but was taken into custody by county animal control after the April 30 attack. So, when the couple returns home after being hospitalized, there will presumably still be a pit bull in the family's home. Property records show that one of these pit bulls was registered under a different breed name, a "Lab/Mix," on April 26, 2017.

Son, Mother Appear in Court

On the same day prosecutors authorized felony charges against Robert Laughton, he and his mother appeared in Roseville District Court, reports the Detroit Free Press. Robert was arraigned on the charges and given a $5,000 surety bond. He is allowed to keep living with his mother, but cannot purchase another animal until the court says so. Suzette told the court that she wants her son to "stay with me" and that her boyfriend "doesn't want anything to happen to Robert."

Meanwhile over on Robert's Facebook page, he states, "Well let the fun begin I suppose." Sadly, many commenters on his post have no comprehension of civil or criminal liability after a "series" of vicious attacks either. One writes, "He feels terrible" and "He has been through enough." As if that would be sufficient after a drunk driver seriously injured two people? Again, that $200 euthanasia fee sure was a bargain. Now add defense attorney fees to the family's mounting medical bills.

DogsBite blog ::

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