DogsBite Blog

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Misdemeanor Charge Filed Against Owner of Pit Bull

Maurice Brown, 60-years old, was mauled to death by a pit bull in Dayton, Ohio.

Low-Level Charge
UPDATE 08/31/18: Over 16-months after a man was mauled to death by a pit bull, authorities have charged a 28-year old man with a misdemeanor. This week, the Dayton prosecutor’s office filed a first-degree misdemeanor charge against Anthony Austin, whose address in court records is 345 Middle Street. On April 25, 2017, Maurice Brown died of injuries an blood loss after a pit bull residing at 345 Middle Street broke free of its chain and viciously attacked the man, killing him.

"Kind of feels like a slap in the face" that it's only a misdemeanor count. "A misdemeanor for a death -- that's disturbing." - Victim's brother, David Brown.

Dayton city prosecutor Stephanie Cook agreed the charge was inadequate. "It seems woefully inadequate when you’re dealing with a fatality to be charging somebody with a misdemeanor … that’s where we’re at right now," Cook said. After Klonda Richie was brutally killed by her neighbor’s two pit bull-type dogs in 2014, local lawmakers introduced the Klonda Richie Act to increase penalties statewide after a dog seriously injuries or kills a person. The Act failed to pass.

In addition to the "late" misdemeanor charge after Brown’s mauling death, the Dayton Daily News uncovered a serious protocol failure in the police response to his death. An internal investigation of this failure was also mishandled, making it impossible for the department to discipline the officers. A commander's review of Brown's death said the officers "failed to render immediate assistance and/or first aid." That paperwork was submitted late, muting the entire internal investigation.

The Dayton Daily News continues to pursue the dash cam video recordings of the police response in Brown's mauling death. As of August 31, 2018, Dayton police have not released the recordings, claiming there is still an active investigation into the incident. Yet, Dayton police "routinely" release cruiser cam footage to news outlets during active investigations, in some cases, less than 24 hours after an incident. So one can only presume these dash cam video recordings are damning.

04/26/17: No Progress on Investigation
Dayton police continue to investigate who owned or cared for the pit bull that fatally attacked a 60-year old man Tuesday morning, along with three other pit bulls seized from the backyard of the home at 345 Middle Street. During a press conference yesterday, Lt. Andrew Booher indicated that police were seeking out tenants of the home to interview. It remains unknown if the tenant(s) or other people associated to the 345 Middle Street home are relatives of the property owners.

Previous Complaints

Police reports show that a dog attack has occurred at the property before. In 2011, a 9-year old girl was bitten by a pit bull-mix and received 50 stitches. She also endured rabies shots. The attack occurred at 345 Middle Street, but the dog's owner lived on West Riverview Avenue. Between 2008 and 2012, a dog owner living at 345 Middle Street was cited multiple times for not licensing his two male pit bulls, according to the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center (ARC).

While police scramble to interview neighbors and track down tenants after the deadly pit bull mauling, we must share with our readers a horrific irony. The estate of Klonda Richey, who was brutally killed by her neighbor's two dogs in 2014, is currently suing the director of ARC, Mark Kumpf. Richey had complained to ARC about her neighbor's dogs 13 times before they killed her. ARC personnel can be seen in this video, investigating the city's most recent fatal dog attack.

Speculation of Charges

Despite the speculation of possible criminal charges after Brown's death, one need only to recall that after Klonda's death -- who was killed on her own property -- authorities could only charge the dogs' owners, Andrew Nason and Julie Custer, with misdemeanors.1 This egregious flaw in Ohio state law is why Sen. Bill Beagle continues to introduce the Klonda Richey Act. "If stiffer penalties will scare owners into being more responsible then I think that's great," Beagle told Fox 45 News.

Greta Parks, who lives on Klonda's street and saw the aftermath of the horrific attack, also spoke to Fox 45. "Poor lady's body laid out there on the street for hours," she said. During these very hours, while investigating the fatal mauling, Director Kumpf tells the media, "We've never located them or seen [the dogs]." Simultaneously, Kumpf was busy "correcting" the media, saying the dogs involved were "mastiff-mixes" to deflect early police reports of the dogs being pit bulls.2

Victim's Family Speaks Out

WDTN spoke with the victim's two siblings. Maurice Brown was a graduate of Jefferson Township High School who played in the band. Brown is also a United States Air Force Veteran, where he served as a mechanic. David Brown, the victim's brother, said it does not surprise him that Brown was up so early that morning. "That’s how we remember him -- artistic. Most of the world is rigid and on a schedule. He was a non-schedule type. He enjoyed the world at its quietest," David said.

Both David and his sister, Angela Brown, hope that some form of justice is served. "This could have been a child walking to school, mauled to death. It could have been anyone, it just happens to be my brother. These dogs are bred, bred for that trait of being vicious and you should be held accountable if you cannot control them,” David said. We too hope for justice. However, currently police and ARC do not even know who the dog's owner is and the state law is weak in this area.

Read extensive coverage from the Dayton Daily News, "The body count is getting too high."

04/25/17: Mauling Victim Identified
The man mauled to death by a pit bull Tuesday in Dayton has been identified. Dayton police say Maurice Brown, 60-years old, was killed by a pit bull early Tuesday morning. Police said the man did not live in the area. Four pit bulls were kept on the property at 345 Middle Street. Police shot and killed the pit bull that was actively attacking Brown. The other three were taken into custody. So far, it is unknown who owns the dogs. The property's owner resides at a nursing home.

"Yet, here we are again, continuing to talk about another fatality from another out-of-control dog and an irresponsible owner." - Sen. Bill Beagle

WHIO-TV reached out to state Sen. Bill Beagle who introduced the Klonda Richey Act in 2014 and 2015 after she was killed by her neighbor's two dogs. The bill increases penalties after serious and fatal dog attacks. Last year, the bill passed the Senate in the final days of the session. Beagle vowed to reintroduce the legislation, but not before revisions are made. "We had some folks that wanted to see some changes," Beagle said. We hope these "folks" are not out-of-state lobbyists.

04/25/17: Pit Bull Kills Man in Dayton
Dayton, OH - Early Tuesday, Dayton police responded to a home in the 300 block of Middle Street after neighbors heard a man yelling for help and dogs barking in the background. When officers arrived, they found a man seriously injured after being mauled by a dog. Police described the victim as an “innocent” middle-age male who was walking in the area. Police said the dog is a male pit bull. They shot and killed the dog and removed three other pit bulls from the home.

"Near Riverview Avenue there's a man outside yelling 'Jesus help me. Help me,'" the caller said. "Sounds like he's in pain." - 911 caller, WHIO-TV

The deadly attack happened at about 5:15 am. Police said the pit bull was able to break its chain and attack a man who was walking in a nearby alley. The victim was transported to Miami Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Initially, police had to search for the dog, described as a tan pit bull. After they hunted it down, they shot and killed it. Currently, police are awaiting a search warrant to enter a house at 345 Middle Street. Police have not released the name of the victim.

Fatal Attacks in Montgomery County

This man's death marks the third fatal dog attack in Dayton since 2014 and the fourth in Montgomery County since 2012. In February 2014, Klonda Richey, 57-years old, was brutally attacked and killed by her neighbors two dogs. Richey had reported the dogs to authorities over two dozen times before the attack. Five months later, Johnathan Quarles, Jr., 7-months old, was killed by his babysitter's pit bull. The babysitter, Kimiko Hardy, was later convicted of six felonies.

"It's a very unfortunate precedent for this city. And hopefully we can get a handle on that rather quickly." - Lt. Mark Ponichtera, referring to the Dayton fatalities

Two weeks after the death of Quarles, Jr., a 59-year old woman was fatally attacked by her daughter's pit bull in Butler County, which is adjacent to Montgomery County. At the time of the attack, Cindy Whisman was babysitting her 2-year old grandson when her daughter's pit bull latched onto her neck, killing her. Neighbor Wayne Walker, who rushed over help said, "It looked like [the dog] took a chunk of her throat out around the jugular." The child was not injured.

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

1In April 2017, Andrew Nason, 32, was sentenced to 5 years in jail for abusing a 2-year old child. He was found guilty of causing severe head injuries to his girlfriend's daughter in 2012. The same child depicted in the "Fear Thy Neighbor" episode about Klonda Richey. Watch the episode on Google Play here.
2Instead of being fired after Klonda's death and a subesquent fatal dog attack, Kumpf was given a pay raise.
"Mark Kumpf, director of the Animal Resource Center, was given a wage increase of 2.5 percent, from $80,562 a year to $82,576. This decision has angered family members, friends and neighbors of Klonda Richey, who was mauled by two mixed-mastiff dogs in February, 2014, outside her Dayton home...
"A difficult year? That’s an understatement, I’d say," said Richey’s cousin, Carol Myers. "In my opinion, the man should be fired, not be given a raise." -
Steven Matthews, "Montgomery County dog warden praised after 'difficult year'," Dayton Daily News, May 13, 2015 (www.mydaytondailynews.com)

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 April 18, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Province of Quebec is Set to Follow Montreal's Lead

The proposed bylaw, Bill 128, declares several dog breeds potentially dangerous.

A Gradual Pit Bull Ban
Quebec, CA - Last week, Quebec Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux announced that pit bulls will eventually be banned throughout the province. The news comes after months of delays for the province's new dangerous dog legislation that began being discussed after the mauling death of Christiane Vadnais in Montreal in early June 2016. Since this time, the city of Montreal has enacted a pit bull ban. After winning an appeal, the ban went into effect on December 1, 2016.

"We have experienced a number of tragedies in Quebec due to attacks by specific breeds of dogs, particularly pit bulls." - Minister Martin Coiteux

The new legislation, Bill 128, designates pit bulls (American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers), rottweilers and their cross-breeds as potentially dangerous. Wolf hybrids and dogs trained to protect, guard or attack are included in the designation as well. Coiteux said the list could change over time. "That list may evolve in the future because the government will be able to use new statistics, new scientific literature, to update this list," he said.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, an outspoken advocate for public safety and a powerful force behind Montreal's adoption of a pit bull ban, was delighted to see the province of Quebec follow Montreal's lead, reports CTV News. "I'm very satisfied. There was a pit bull ban to start, but it's about dangerous dogs too, it's not just based on the kind of breed," he said. Due to the highly publicized "breed-specific" parts, Coderre reminded that the bylaw covers all dangerous dogs.

CTV News also interviewed "dog trainer" John Truss of Montreal, who feigned having any idea as to why rottweilers -- the second leading killer in the U.S. -- would be on the list. "Why did they choose rottweilers?" he asked. Several countries, including Spain, include rottweilers on their list of potentially dangerous breeds, along with pit bulls and fighting breed derivatives. In the U.S., all major military divisions ban rottweilers and 7% of all breed-specific laws include rottweilers.

Vadnais family members have been pressing for a province-wide pit bull ban since Christiane's mauling death. Her sister, Lise Vadnais, told CTV News, "I'm very happy to see strong laws being introduced to promote citizen safety. It's a good victory for all citizens. It's satisfying to see the government recognize dangerous dogs." Like in Montreal, and nearly all jurisdictions that regulate pit bulls, existing owners will be grandfathered in, provided they adhere to specific requirements.

Mandatory Injury Reporting

The proposed legislation also requires the reporting of injuries inflicted by dogs by veterinary surgeons. "Veterinary surgeons are required to report the fact to the local municipality concerned without delay and communicate," states the bill, the dog owner's contact information, breed or type of dog, the victim's name, contact information and a description of the injury inflicted. In cases of an injured animal, to report the contact information of its owner and a description of the injuries.

To further increase statistical tracking, the bill also requires physicians to "report the fact to the local municipality concerned without delay, and communicate the seriousness of the injury and, if known, the breed or type of dog that inflicted it," states the bill. Like in the U.S., not all jurisdictions within a state (or a province in the case of Canada) track breed of dog or severity of injuries after dog attacks. This requirement will enable better data collection across the entire province.

Brief Background of Legislation

In July, the Association of Veterinary Doctors of Quebec (OMVQ) sent a report to the ministerial committee tasked with advising government officials about the dangerous dog bylaw. In early August, based on the OMVQ report, the ministerial committee advised officials in Montreal and Quebec to use a "case-by-case approach" instead of targeting certain breeds. "Pit bull" and "dog breed" were not even mentioned in the recommendations, reports the Montreal Gazette.

One week later, La Presse published a 5-part investigation showing how the OMVQ report omitted key parts of peer-reviewed medical studies -- specifically where doctors resolutely state that pit bulls were responsible for the most severe injuries. The OMVQ report also cited studies in their report, giving the impression of “scientific and objective,” but were funded by the well-financed American pro-pit bull lobby. The OMVQ report failed to mention this conflict of interest.

"The committee considering the legislation needs to take the veterinarians' report with a huge grain of salt, if not discard it outright." - Editorial Board, Montreal Gazette, August 15, 2016

After the La Presse exposé, which caused a significant backlash against the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Quebec who authored the OMVQ report, Montreal became even more embolden and committed to following through with a pit bull ban. It seems clear now that Quebec government officials studying a province-wide dangerous dog bylaw, namely Coiteux, were also resistant to the misleading OMVQ report and took the committee's recommendations "with a huge grain of salt."

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Pit Bull Owner Acquitted of Second-Degree Manslaughter

Cecille Short, 82-years old, and her small dog were savagely killed by two pit bulls.

Dog Owner Acquitted
UPDATE 11/06/21: Last week, the criminal trial began for a man whose two loose pit bulls savagely killed Cecille Short and her dog back in 2017. Antwon Burks faced a second-degree manslaughter charge. Leading up to her death, neighbors had complained about the dogs escaping from Burk's backyard. Prosecutors showed the jury pictures of a damaged fence with a large hole that was partially barricaded by a "recycling bin" and "cooler" weighted down by rocks.

In closing arguments, the prosecutor told jurors that Burks paid $8,000 to an Alabama breeder for the two dogs, but couldn't muster up a dime to fix the fence properly. Despite the jerry-rigged fence, the jury acquitted Burks after more than seven hours of deliberation. "We are heartbroken for the family of Cecille Short," District Attorney David Prater said. This has been a horrific and preventable tragedy to that family. We don't understand the verdict of the jury but we respect it."

During the trial, the defense called the dogs' breeder to the stand. Krystina Shumate of Iron Throne Kennels cried during her testimony as a defense witness. "I was absolutely devastated. I couldn't believe it. This isn't something that my dogs do. This isn't something that my dogs do." However, in 2016, she boasted on the Iron Throne website about "Leatherface" being bred to "Terrorist Threat's biggest daughter" and Leatherface's father being named "Chainsaw."

Krystina and her partner, Adam, consistently call their dogs "monsters" and "super freaks." They bill the Huntsville-based kennel as producing the "world's most extreme XL pit bulls." The male attacking dog, "Ice Cube," is seen at 4-months old on their Instagram page. Posthumously, one commenter wrote, "This should be illegal if Vick went to prison for dog fights. This should be illegal for breeding of dogs imagine if that bitch got loose," referring to a ferocious photo of "Cowboy."

"Ice Cube" seen in photographs shown in the trial was shot and killed by police at the scene.

05/10/17: Owner Charged with Manslaughter
On Wednesday, the owner of two dogs that brutally killed an 82-year old woman and her dog in April was charged with second-degree manslaughter. Antwon Demetris Burks, 31, is accused of keeping "mischievous dogs" that he allowed to roam, which resulted in the mauling death of Cecille Short. A news chopper captured the grisly aftermath of the scene. Emergency medical crews said the attack was so gruesome that the victim was nearly decapitated by the dogs.

If convicted of second-degree manslaughter in connection to the dog mauling death of Cecille Short, Burks faces up to four years in prison.

The attack occurred on April 6 in the 11600 block of Windmill Road, a neighborhood in northwest Oklahoma City. Witnesses told investigators the two pit bulls were dragging Short "by the head and neck area, causing her death," reports The Oklahoman. First responders were initially unable to help the victim. Police officers later fired on both dogs, killing one, and rammed the other with a police cruiser. The surviving pit bull was taken into custody to be held as evidence in the case.

After the attack, police taped off an area around Burks' residence at 11624 Kings Circle, about a block away from the attack scene. Investigators found an extensive hole in the fencing where the two large dogs escaped. They described it as "old damage," reports The Oklahoman, and that it appeared someone had tried to cover it up with boards, a recycling container and an ice chest. Prosecutors said Burks' actions led to Short being attacked and killed by his two loose dogs.

04/07/17: Mauling Victim Identified
Late yesterday, a photograph of the two dogs was released showing a pit bull and an XXL pit bull, a designer breed, also known as an American bully. In 2014, a similar dog killed a little girl in Louisiana. Of the two major kennel clubs, only the United Kennel Club (UKC) recognizes the American bully and it only began doing so in 2013. Also, any "UKC registered American Pit Bull Terriers are eligible to transfer to the American Bully," states the UKC breed transfer form.

We call it a designer breed because that is what it is. The dogs usually come with a "designer" price tag too -- the point of a designer breed.1

Headlines, as of late last night and today, are reflecting this confusion. No one is quite sure what to call the large white and brown dog with heavily exaggerated features. Yet if one does a Google Search for "XXL Pit Bulls," one will recognize this dog breed immediately. The American bullies work in two different directions, extreme exaggerations in the weight, size and features of a traditional pit bull, as well as the pocket pit bull, which is an extremely squat version of the breed.

Earlier today, The Oklahoman interviewed Jon Gary, the Superintendent of Animal Welfare for Oklahoma City, about the two dogs and their previous history.

"[The female gray dog] suffered two gunshot wounds, as well as abrasions. We were told that she was also hit by a police car … She's a large pit bull, probably 80 or 90 pounds, so she's very large. Um, pit bull-type dog," he said.

When asked by a reporter the size of the other dog, Gary responded, "It was also a pit bull-type dog and it was also a very large dog, over a hundred pounds."

When asked by a reporter, "Did you say that there have been calls for service regarding these two dogs?" Gary responded, "We have. At this point in time, I can't tell you the exact number. I have my staff currently doing research on any history there may be," he said.

Mauling Victim Identified

This morning, police identified the mauling victim as 82-year old Cecille Short. The owner of the two dogs was out of town at the time of the fatal attack. Reporter Bill Miston of News Channel 4 tweeted earlier that police are seeking surveillance cameras, Officer "Knight stressing that there isn't much to go on." Miston also tweeted that the surviving dog -- that was both rammed by a cruiser and shot by police -- was the smaller pit bull. The dog is currently being held as evidence.

Last August, nine months after a pack of pit bulls killed a man in Oklahoma City, authorities filed second-degree manslaughter charges against the dog's owner. Those dogs escaped though a hole in their owner's fence and viciously attacked 60-year old Edgar Brown. The severe bite injuries led to multiple complications, amputations and eventually to his death less than two weeks later. The dogs that killed Short and her dog also escaped through a hole in their owner's fence.

04/06/17: Woman and Dog Killed
Oklahoma City, OK - A woman and her dog were both killed by two pit bulls while walking in a northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood Thursday afternoon. First responders were called to the attack scene in the 11600 block of Windmill Road. One of the attacking dogs was shot and killed by police. The other pit bull was rammed by a police vehicle, but survived. Police have confirmed that both attacking dogs were pit bulls. Below, Master Sgt. Gary Knight describes the narrative.

"Sadly a woman was out walking her dog earlier today when she was attacked -- her an her dog were attacked by two large dogs, one of which was a pit bull. I don't know the breed of the other dog. During this attack, the woman's dog and the woman, sadly, were both killed. They were both mauled to death by the two dogs. When officers arrived, they tried to get to the woman to render aid to her. They were not able to get to her at first because of the dogs. They had to shoot one of the dogs and the second dog was actually hit by a police car and taken into custody. It was still alive and was transported to animal welfare to be treated." - Master Sgt. Gary Knight, Oklahoma City Police Department

Clear Public Safety Threat

Jurisdictions across the U.S. ban or regulate pit bulls specifically to stop this type of attack: an off-property attack by a pit bull that ends in severe injury or death. A woman and her dog were walking down a suburban neighborhood street when two pit bulls launched a violent attack, killing them both. Neither the woman nor her dog could defend themselves against the animals. Officers had to shoot one pit bull to death and ram the other with a police cruiser to end the attack.

"Emergency crews say the attack was so gruesome that the victim was nearly decapitated." - Matthew Nuttle, News 9, April 6, 2017

Neighbor Tim Pool spoke to the heart of the issue. “My gosh, this is right down the street from where we live, and every one of these attacks is always where somebody lives," he told News Channel 4. “I walk these streets almost every morning with my dog and, many times, my dog’s been attacked by other people’s dogs, and I’ve cautioned them: Don’t do that, they have to be controlled. Many receive it well. Others don’t seem to understand what I’m talking about," he said.2

Other neighbors told Fox 25 that at least one of the pit bulls has attacked other local dogs before. Last October, one neighbor even circulated a letter warning others of an attack and calling the two dogs "2 vicious animals." Jerry Bowerman has lived in the area for 36 years. He told The Oklahoman -- referring to the home surrounded by crime scene tape on Kings Circle -- that two pit bulls reside in that household, a gray female pit bull and a "huge" white male pit bull, he said.

Surreal Late Evening Update

Late in the evening, News 9 published their final report, which included images of the attack scene and the two pit bulls. One the dogs is an XXL pit bull, a designer pit bull breed. In 2014, a similar dog devoured a little girl in Houma, Louisiana. The dog was initially shot three times by police officers. Unfazed by the trio of bullets, officers fired 10 more rounds into the hulking dog before killing it. It is clear now why early reports of the Oklahoma attack simply called it a "large dog."

The News 9 report shows images of the hole in the fence that police believe the dogs escaped through, as well as the letter circulated by a neighbor about the dogs in October. Neighbors heard about the attack through Urgent Alerts on the NextDoor App. The victim, who has still not been named, was a senior citizen walking a small dog. The owner of the two pit bulls -- referred to as a he -- was out of town at the time of the attack. Police say more information will be released Friday.

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

⚠️ OKCPD & @OKCFD are working a vicious animal attack involving two pit bulls near 8500 Willow Creek Blvd. (1 of 3)

— Oklahoma City Police (@OKCPD) April 6, 2017

1Some readers will disagree with Pool's statement, "Many receive it well." Pool appears to be a very nice man and may be perceived as a "gentle grandfather" to many dog owners. When the rest of the public tells an owner to leash his dog, it is most often met with foul language or sarcasm and the continuation of leaving their dog unleashed.
2Some of these dogs are so exaggerated it is revolting. As one comnenter puts it, these are "mutant freak dogs."

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Dog Came to Iowa Via a "Rescue Transport" from Louisiana

Images of Lucas before and after the dog attack from his fundraising page.

Family Files Lawsuit
UPDATE 03/31/17: The parents of a toddler attacked in the face by a newly adopted dog are suing. On Tuesday, Tyler and Holly Harrison, the parents of 15-month old Lucas Harrison, who suffered severe facial injuries in the March 15 attack, filed the petition through attorney John Frey. The petition alleges one count against the dog's owners for strict liability and two counts against the Clinton Humane Society for product liability, negligence and breach of express warranty.

Three weeks before the attack, a pit bull-mix named Emmet, was on death row at the New Iberia Parish Animal Shelter in Louisiana. On February 22, after social media rallied to "save Emmet," by raising over $300, the dog was "approved for transport." Emmet was trucked across state lines by NOLA Freedom Transport and delivered to the Clinton Humane Society five days later. On March 15, Ashley Greene adopted the dog and in under two hours, Emmet viciously attacked Lucas.

The petition alleges the Clinton Humane Society sold or distributed the dog to the Greenes and expressly warranted the dog as child friendly.

The Clinton Herald article spells out key aspects of the lawsuit, which primarily center upon the failure of the Clinton Humane Society to provide any reasonable instructions or warnings, including proper precautions to be taken when transitioning a shelter dog to a family home environment and when bringing their dog into the home of a friend, where another pet, an infant or young children are present. The Clinton Humane Society also told the new owners the dog was child friendly.

The petition states the Clinton Humane Society failed to provide warning to the new owners, Kris and Ashley Greene, the dog in question had recently been on death row in Louisiana. The humane group also failed to provide warning to the Greenes the dog could be a pit bull-mix, even though it was apparently advertised by the humane group as a boxer-mix. The petition states that the omission of these and other instructions and warnings renders the dog not reasonably safe.

03/18/17: Horrific Facial Attack
Clinton, IA - On Friday we learned about a devastating dog attack. 15-month old Lucas Harrison was attacked in the face by a newly adopted dog. He was airlifted to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital where he is being treated. "A large part of his gum/bone including permanent teeth were ripped out, most of his nose cartilage was destroyed, and he will have lifelong damage," his fundraising page states. In two days, donations have already exceeded $115,000.

"While playing with a friend's newly adopted dog," Lucas was "suddenly attacked, with the dog biting off a large portion" of his face. - GoFundMe page

Through the online victims' advocacy network, we were able to reach a reliable source and verify the attacking dog and the shelter that adopted it out. On March 15, the day of the attack, the Clinton Humane Society adopted out a pit bull-mix named Emmet. Less than two hours later, the dog violently attacked Lucas in the face. Through public Facebook pages, we learned late Friday that Emmet was formerly a death row dog, shipped in from Louisiana at the end of February.

Transporting Death Row Dogs Across State Lines

Across the country there are "rescue transports," which are primarily driven by volunteers. The purpose is to save dogs on death row by transporting them (known as "freedom rides")1 to other rescues and shelters across the country, in hopes the dogs can find an adopter in that location. Dogs wind up on death row for two central reasons: They are dangerous dogs or the shelter's limited space forces euthanasia. The latter often refers to shelters in the Southern United States.

In mid-October 2016, Emmet, a male unneutered black and white pit bull-mix came into the New Iberia Parish Animal Shelter (IPAC) in Louisiana. The dog lingered in the shelter unwanted for 4.5 months. Though the shelter's Facebook support page states it is not a "government page," shelter staff are also Admins. Friday, while reviewing Emmet's October adoption listing, one of the Page's Admins deleted Emmet's listing. However, we had already retained a full copy of the listing.

Animals of IPAC advertised Emmet as a "great dog with a great temperament." On Saturday, IPAC also deleted the video of Emmet, but we retained a copy of that Friday too. On January 30, 2017, Animals of IPAC announced on the adoption listing that Emmet "will be euthanized tomorrow morning, no exceptions. The shelter is FULL." Then the rallying starts to "save Emmet." By February 14, $300 in pledges had been raised to "save Emmet." On February 22, Animals of IPAC states on the post, "Emmet got approved for transport. Please call in your $50 pledge" now.

NOLA Freedom Transport (New Orleans)

On February 25, Karen Anderson, who operates NOLA Freedom Transport, posted to her personal Facebook page that she is ready to transport 45 dogs from Louisiana to Missouri and Iowa. Emmet is seen on the second row, fifth dog. One can also see a zoomed in photo left in a comment on the same post. The next day, a similar post appears on the NOLA Freedom Transport Facebook page that encourages donations to make the out-of-state transport possible.

After reaching the fundraising goal on February 26, Anderson announces on her personal page, "We leave TOMORROW." NOLA Freedom Transport has no website and is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Shortly thereafter, the Clinton Humane Society (CHS) receives the dogs. "Thank you to our great friends at New Orleans Freedom Transport for driving across the states, through the rain, hail, and tornado warning to get these dogs to us safe and sound," states their post.2

Clinton Humane Society (Clinton, Iowa)

The Clinton Humane Society takes in 22 dogs transported from Louisiana, one of them being Emmet. The CHS adoption listing shows a different age for Emmet than the IPAC Animal Shelter, mislabels the dog a "Boxer/Mix" and shows an intake date of 2/27/17. A local Clinton family adopts the dog on March 15 and in under two hours, Emmet tears off the face of a 15-month old boy. This is how the transport system works. Our only surprise is that CHS did not rename the dog.

The Clinton Humane Society website states multiple times that they administer a "nationally recognized temperament test" before dogs are considered for adoption. CHS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has no legal jurisdiction over animal cruelty investigations or ordinance enforcement, according to their website. CHS states that it is an "open admittance" shelter, but has a strict waiting list for local owner surrenders and accepts animals from "out-of-state" at their choosing.

The "nationally recognized temperament test" is called the Behavior Assessment and Reactivity Checklist (BARC Checklist). You can see a copy of the guidelines here. There is no mention of testing for children or cats in the checklist. No temperament assessment test -- "state-of-the art" or "nationally recognized" or otherwise -- measures unpredictable aggression. So both descriptions of these assessment tests are misleading and inaccurate to the public and potential adopters.

"There is no pass or fail for BARC. It is designed to be used as an assessment tool to best determine suitable homes," states its creators.

Call-To-Action for the Public

Last September, after examining 34 behavior records of dogs at a county shelter in California, many rife with aggression issues, we issued a Call-To-Action. At that time, animal behaviorist and author Alexandra Semyonova also provided an analysis and a special report to help the public understand the current state of shelter assessment tests: Behavior Testing Shelter Dogs -- A Summary of Where We Are Now. We again encourage readers to closely review her summary.

In some cases, shelters have an internal policy, "If They Don't Ask, Don't Tell" regarding sharing information about the dog's history with potential adopters. As an adopter you have the right to ask for all uncensored behavioral and medical files prior to adopting a dog. If for some reason the shelter hesitates at your request, or worse, refuses it, exit the facility right away. In the case of Lucas, we have no information about what transpired between CHS and Emmet's adopter.

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 aggression
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)

Editorial note: On March 22, we revised several links to reflect screenshots and PDFs captured while creating this post because the authors that we linked to later removed these materials. Specifically, Animals of IPAC removed the video of Emmet about a day after we discovered it on March 17 and Karen Anderson removed the "zoomed in" photo of Emmet after we published late March 18. We also revised the time the dog was in the IPAC shelter to 4.5 months, instead of 5.5, and added a link to the public Facebook group following Lucas' recovery.

1"Freedom rides" is a term from the civil rights movement in the United States that has been stolen and co-opted by dog rescuers to refer to dogs, primarily pit bulls, escaping death row and elevating "dogs" to a "human" status.
2At some point after March 22, the Clinton Humane Society deleted or hid this post. We updated the broken link to a screenshot of the post on March 25. At this stage, all three involved parties have removed posts about this dog.

DogsBite blog ::

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Breaks Chain, Attacks and Kills Man in Dayton, Ohio

Misdemeanor Charge Filed Against Owner of Pit Bull

Quebec Government Introduces Legislation to Ban Pit Bulls, Several Other Breeds, Province-Wide

Province of Quebec is Set to Follow Montreal's Lead

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman and Dog Killed by Two Pit Bulls While Walking in Neighborhood in Oklahoma City

Pit Bull Owner Acquitted of Second-Degree Manslaughter

Newly Adopted Pit Bull-Mix Attacks Little Boy's Face Within Hours of Adoption; Child Airlifted to Iowa Trauma Hospital

Dog Came to Iowa Via a "Rescue Transport" from Louisiana

When Adopting From a Shelter