Posted on April 29, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

Fatal Pit Bull Attack in San Diego, California

The rehomed male, neutered pit bull-mix in quarantine after killing a 3-day old baby.

Passed Assessment Test
UPDATE 04/29/16: On July 7, 2015, a 6-year old boy in North Carolina was killed by a male, neutered pit bull that was rehomed by the Asheville Humane Society 3-weeks earlier. The pit bull had passed the SAFER temperament test before being adopted. Now, just 8-months later in San Diego, a male pit bull-mix rehomed by the San Diego Humane Society has fatally attacked. That dog also passed an assessment test prior to being adopted then killed a baby 5-months later.1

Currently, there is no way to reliably test for unpredictable pit bull aggression. State-of-the-art temperament tests like SAFER only provide a benchmark by detecting "obvious" behavioral issues. These tests greatly rely upon who is conducting them as well -- a person with 2-years of behavioral experience or 25? This 2.5-year old pit bull-mix came into the shelter on November 10 and was adopted out just 8-days later. We repeat again what we stated after Joshua's death:

The "state-of-the-art" temperament assessment test, SAFER, cannot measure unpredictable aggression nor can any current test. This is the risk every person accepts, knowingly or not, when adopting a pit bull.

After the death of 3-day old Sebastian Caban, the president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society, Gary Weitzman, issued a letter to staff members and volunteers. It states, in part, the attack was unforeseeable and "there was not a fragment of aggression seen in this dog before tragedy struck." This statement emphasizes just how unreliable these tests are in assessing unpredictable aggression. "Seen in this dog," is only in the context of seeing the dog for 8-days.

Animal Expert Provides Insights

UPDATE 04/27/16: Sebastian Caban, 3-days old, was fatally bitten on the head by a family pit bull-mix while he laid in bed with his parents and the dog. What followed was a carefully executed breed manipulation plan by Deputy Director Dan DeSousa to confuse the media and public, along with an outpouring of media claiming the deadly attack came in response to the mother coughing. We reached out to Alexandra Semyonova, an animal behaviorist and author, for her observations.

Additionally, as we prepared this update, it was announced what we had suspected all along. The family pit bull-mix is a rescue. The San Diego Humane Society -- a private organization that has a partnership with county animal services -- adopted the dog to the baby's parents 5-months ago. The reason why we suspected this pit bull-mix had been rehomed is because it was neutered. This is a rarity amongst pit bull owners unless the animal was rehomed by a reputable shelter.

Alexandra Semyonova

It’s quite sad that yet another killing of yet another child by a pit bull type is being diverted to a discussion of exactly which category of pit bull type dog is involved, and to a discussion of 911 dispatch response time.
The real problem here is not the 911 dispatch response time. It is not exactly which of the various pit bull type dogs killed this infant. It is not about figuring exactly what triggered the pit bull mix to execute its inherent motor pattern. Neither is this latest infant death about children and ‘any dog’, which will be the next damage control response pit bull advocacy predictably comes up with. The tragedy of this child’s death is about exposing a newborn baby to the type of dog that has been responsible for more child killings than all other breeds and types of dogs combined since the 1980s. A type of dog whose genetically determined, inherent response to startle (no matter what kind), in fact to any strong stimulus, is to attack the head and neck, grip, hold, shake, and not let go.

Yes, many types of dogs have bitten children, but we are not talking about a bite here. We’re talking about an instant killing, not preceded by any warning signals, not triggered by anything that would offend any normal dog, and so vicious that the parents of the child had trouble getting the pit bull mix off their baby.

As an expert on the domestic dog, I’m appalled at Deputy Director Dan DeSousa’s immediate response. He is apparently as aware of the statistics as I am, and is above all concerned about keeping yet another pit bull type out of those statistics.1 He is willing to slander any and all other types of dogs in order to do this. If he really cared about dogs -- or even about pit bulls -- he would react differently. We don’t help dogs by playing name-games that will lead to ever more children being killed by a particular type, then saying any dog would do it. We don’t help pit bull types by denying the danger they present, thus cooperating in setting them up again and again to fail in family homes. This aside from the loss of human life that results from this game, since DeSousa apparently doesn’t care much about that either.

I am also appalled at the focus on the 911 dispatch response time. These parents took a loaded Kalashnikov to bed with them because it’s the Internet fashion of the moment. The Kalashnikov shot their baby in the head when the mother coughed with her finger on the trigger. Just as with a machine gun shot to the head, a neonate is lost the instant any pit bull type dog has gripped its head, even if police were in the room at the moment the trigger went off. It’s misplaced -- and an attempt to avoid responsibility for their own terrible choice -- for these parents (and everyone else) to be trying to blame the overworked and understaffed 911 dispatch response center.

The normal domestic dog is a conflict avoider. At startle or threat, it will try first of all to increase distance and assess the situation. It will seek to compose an appropriate response, preferring a response that does not involve violence. If startled by a child (or anything else) in a position where it can’t instantly increase distance, a normal dog might lash out with an open-jawed bat to an approaching body part. A normal dog might do a pressureless grab at that body part. A puncture wound, some torn skin, a bruising could result -- but not a death. The normal dog will flee the situation as soon as a flight route opens up. It will not respond to startle by jumping up and gripping the head of anything that happens to be close by, applying full jaw pressure, and refusing to let go.

This response is unique to the pit bull types, including the various pit bull mixes. A normal dog would have jumped off the bed and, if jealous, slunk off to pout. Jealous normal dogs don’t go into a sudden, gripping death-hold attack. Yet again we see that the pit bull types are not like other dogs. ‘Any dog’ education will not help these pit bull killings of children to stop, and we need to quit pretending it will. People like DeSousa, who are charged not only with animal welfare but also with public safety, need to stop the games they’re playing.

As for the ‘any dog’ thing, it’s true that any dog that inflicts serious wounds in a startle situation shows it isn’t safe to keep among us. Where a dog -- any dog -- shows lack of preference for conflict avoidance, lack of acquired bite inhibition or willingness to abandon bite inhibition in ANY conflict, and lack of willingness to quit until the other is dead, it is my opinion that it is neither safe for us nor good for dogs in general to keep that dog alive. And so here is the final appalling part of this story: the law should not be such that a man like DeSousa has any choice but to humanely euthanize any dog that has killed, even if that dog was one of the pit bull types he seems above all enamored with. - Alexandra Semyonova, animal behaviorist and author

Semyonova has graciously allowed us to post an excerpt from her book, The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs, pertaining to the myth of whether a dog can or can't be jealous -- Myth 44. Purchase your copy of the book today. Also visit Semyonova's website: Nonlinear Dogs.

UPDATE 04/25/16: Death Due to Bite Injuries
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the 3-day old baby boy that was attacked and killed by the family pit bull-mix last Thursday. Sebastian Caban of San Diego died due to dog bite injuries to his head, states the medical examiner's news release. The manner of death was ruled an accident. The "decedent was mauled by the family dog after the dog was startled awake when sleeping on the bed with the mother and decedent," states the news release.

Other developments include the baby's parents calling 911 twice before giving up and taking the injured baby to the hospital themselves. Over the weekend, NBC 7 reported that between 7:15 pm and 7:45 pm on Thursday, April 21, Sebastian's parents made two unsuccessful 911 calls, one 28 seconds long, the other 34 seconds long. Neither call was answered by dispatch. During this same period, a total of 73 calls came into dispatch seeking assistance, San Diego police said.

Special Update: Fire Dan DeSousa

UPDATE 04/22/16: We would like to point out to readers that what this post should be primarily about is a 3-day old baby lying in bed with the family pit bull and his parents. This is inexcusably unsafe with most dogs, but especially with pit bulls and other powerful breeds. That is a kind way of stating it. The criminal way of stating it is endangerment, which is likely why the Child Abuse Unit was called out. This aspect had to be investigated for a child this young -- just 3-days old.

San Diego County Animal Services

Instead of focusing on this important safety aspect, we must discuss the deliberate manipulation by Dan DeSousa, Deputy Director of Animal Services, to protect the pit bull breed by mislabeling this dog. There are only a few AC departments in the U.S. that consistently demand to be called out like this, DeSousa of San Diego County Animal Services is one of them. By deliberately manipulating this dog's breed, reports began stating that this dog is a "great dane-terrier mix."

Deputy Director Dan DeSousa should be fired for deliberately manipulating this dog's breed to confuse the media and public after a 3-day old baby was killed by a family pit bull. -DogsBite.org

Let's start from the earliest report at 11:30 am (PST), where the dog is a "2-year-old American Staffordshire terrier," according to DeSousa." In the next report, at 1:56 pm, the dog is a mix. The dog is a "2-year-old, neutered male American Staffordshire terrier-mix, DeSousa said." By 2:31 pm, the dog became a "great dane-American Staffordshire terrier mix," according to DeSousa. Then near that time, "a two-year-old mixed breed American Staffordshire terrier named Polo."2

There are two parts to DeSousa's manipulation. Part one is calling the dog an American Staffordshire terrier, which is exactly the same breed as the American pit bull terrier -- many people in the public do not know this. DeSousa, from the get-go, purposefully tried to confuse the media and public. Part two of the manipulation is more sinister. The first part of a "mixed breed" label indicates the predominant breed, for instance a pit bull-boxer is predominantly a pit bull.

Within three hours of media reports, DeSousa tried to make the confusing Staffordshire label the least predominant breed by placing it second. (This is after the media released photographs of the dog.) By 2:39 pm, the breed label became the ultimate goal of DeSousa, 100% denial of any pit bull heritage. The dog became a "great dane-terrier mix," according to DeSousa. This was all deliberately orchestrated to hide the truth after a neutered family pit bull killed a newborn baby.

DeSousa's Plan Did Not Prevail

The upshot is that you cannot fool all the people all the time. By 5:30 pm (all California times listed), the Associated Press, which is syndicated nationally, picked up the story along with the photograph of the dog and correctly labeled it an American Staffordshire terrier-mix. This label is 100% interchangeable with a pit bull terrier-mix. After looking at the dog's photo, the Associated Press -- at least this particular writer -- could not call this animal a "great dane-terrier mix."

Editorial note: We posted this update at 10:05 pm (CST). By 10:30 pm, some of the links above had already removed the "great dane-terrier mix" descriptor, as news reports began updating across the country due to the syndicated AP article, which correctly listed the breed. We changed some of these links to screenshots. As the evening wore on in California, the term "pit bull-mix" started being used by the media too. DeSousa successfully derailed, at least initially, what this blog post should have been about: Basic safety with a newborn and the impact of thousands of photographs posted on social media with pit bulls sleeping next to a baby. "Protecting the breed" at all costs, including deliberately misleading the media and public after a baby's death, was the primary concern for Dan DeSousa and San Diego County Animal Services. Basic safety practices with a newborn was never mentioned once by DeSousa or anyone at Animal Services. Not once.

04/22/16: Family Pit Bull Kills Newborn
San Diego, CA - A 3-day old baby was fatally attacked by a family pit bull, San Diego Police said Friday. The deadly attack occurred Thursday night on Flanders Drive in the Mira Mesa area. The dog is now in the custody of San Diego County Animal Services, police said. Dan DeSousa, Deputy Director of Animal Services and longtime pit bull sympathizer, said the dog is a 2-year old male, neutered pit bull, but insisted on calling the animal an "American Staffordshire Terrier."3

The baby's mother and father were watching television in bed with their newborn and the dog, reports Sgt. Tuu Nguyen with the Child Abuse Unit of the San Diego Police Department. You read that statement correctly -- the 3-day old baby was in bed with the pit bull and the baby's parents. When the mother suddenly coughed, Nguyen said, "the dog made contact with the baby leading to traumatic injuries." The parents rushed the baby to the hospital, where it was declared dead.

“At this time it appears to be a tragic accident. It’s such a horrific, tragic case.” - Sgt. Tuu Nguyen, San Diego Police Department

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that child abuse detectives were called to the couple's home on Flanders Drive off Camino Ruiz about 8 pm Thursday to investigate. Nguyen said no other children were taken from the home or placed under other care. The investigation will be completed after an autopsy confirms the cause of death, Nguyen said. Police called county animal control officers half-past midnight to impound the pit bull. The dog will be held in quarantine for 10-days.

San Diego County Fatal Pit Bull Attacks

During the 11-month period from December 24, 2011 to November 11, 2012, pit bulls from San Diego County killed four people. In one of these cases, the dog was found in Balboa Park in San Diego then taken across the border to Tijuana. Within a week the dog killed its owner's 4-year old granddaughter, América Viridiana. This same period also includes a fifth death, the fatal mauling of Remedios Romero-Solares and was attributed to "American bulldog-mixes" by DeSousa.

How did DeSousa and San Diego County Animal Services respond to this disaster? By giving away pit bulls for free in a special promotion titled, "Dare to BULL-ieve." The taxpayer-funded promotion began in mid October of 2012, after three fatal pit bull attacks in the previous 10-months and just days after the serious mauling of a child in the county. By a wide margin, 69% to 31%, polltakers voted that the county government should not promote "free pit bull" adoptions.4

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

1It is unclear which temperament test the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) conducts; it does not appear to be SAFER. The SAFER test was developed by Dr. Emily Weiss then later became the ASPCA branded temperament test. One news group described the SDHS behavioral test as assessing if the dog is "good with children or cats."
2In an ABC 10 News interview, DeSousa makes his bias clear: "It's a tragic incident for everybody involved. What I don't want is for people to stereotype a dog and say, 'This dog did this because it looks like a pit bull." DeSousa also stated, "It is up to the family to decide if they want this animal back." As of April 27, the baby's parents have not yet decided this. The decision to euthanize "should" have been immediate, but it rarely is with pit bull owners.
3DeSousa also quickly "humanized" the pit bull by ensuring that its name was included in media reports. In this case, the media and public knew the pit bull's name before the baby's name. It seems that after the "Year of Hell" in San Diego County, 2011-2012, when pit bull-type dogs took the lives of four people, DeSousa developed a new "disaster response" PR plan. 1.) Deliberately mislabel the breed to confuse the media and public, 2.) Invent a "mix" and place it first as the predominant breed, and 3.) Humanize the attacker by releasing the dog's name. But DeSousa did make an error by releasing the dog was neutered. It stands in direct contrast to the false claim often trumpeted by pit bull owners that "only male unaltered pit bulls kill." Learn more about owning a dangerous breed.
4DeSousa is now calling the dog an "American Staffordshire terrier-mix." As readers of this website know, pit bulls and American Staffordshire terriers are the exact same breed. DeSousa is just trying to "protect the breed" by deliberately confusing the media and the public after a neutered pet pit bull fatally attacked a newborn baby. To further our point, in yet another article, DeSousa calls the dog, a "Great Dane-American Staffordshire Terrier mix," again to diminish the pit bull's role in this fatal attack, to confuse the media and the public AND this is all while we are looking at two extremely clear photographs of the dog. DeSousa deliberately used "Great Dane" as the first mix too, which indicates that is the "primary" breed. Pit bull is without a doubt the primary breed in this instance.
5Yes, San Diego County taxpayers. You helped pay for that 10-minute "Remark-a-BULL" and "Adorable-a-BULL" promotional video and all other "Dare to BULL-ieve" program costs, along with giving away pit bulls for free.

The Reliability of Temperament Tests

Aggressive Behavior in Adopted Dogs that Passed a Temperament Test by E'Lise Christensen, Janet Scarletta, Michael Campagnaa and Katherine Albro Houpt, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 106, Issues 1-3, August 2007.
Reliability, validity and feasibility of existing tests of canine behaviour, by Mornement et al., Anthrozoology Research Group, Animal Welfare Science Centre and Monash University, AIAM Annual Conference on urban animal management, 2009.

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2016 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Mauled to Death by Her Pit Bull-Mix in Leesburg, Florida

Home on South Street where Sonda Tyson, 66, was mauled to death by her dog.

Conflicting Reports
UPDATE 04/03/16: On Friday, the Daily Commercial provided details about previous incidents with dogs from the same home. In 2008, a reddish brown pit bull bit a child on the leg as she rode a bicycle. Her boots prevented any injury. In 2012, a 3-year old child tried to kiss the same dog and was bitten in the face. In 2014, a child at the home was bitten or scratched by a dog named "Hercules" after getting in the middle of two dogs playing, according to an animal services report.

The Commercial also added the detail that paramedics initially tried to block the attacking pit bull-mix by pushing a refrigerator into its path.

A report from News 13 on the same day states that family members said Sonda Tyson lived alone with her four dogs, including the attacker, a pit bull-bullmastiff mix named "Hercules." Tyson's son -- who lives next door -- found the dog when it was a puppy and gave the dog to his mother "for protection." Family members said the dog was never aggressive before. It is unclear if the "reddish brown" pit bull is the same dog as "Hercules," but certainly there were biters in the household.

Grandparents and Senior Citizens

To our readers who are grandparents or senior citizens, please do not ever accept a recognized dangerous breed from one of your children who makes a similar claim, "for protection." You see how it worked in this case? There have been other cases like this too, including senior citizens killed by their own "trained" attack dog. Tyson already had three dogs in her household, each capable of barking and scaring away potential intruders who already dislike homes with dogs.

This 66-year old woman suffered a horrific death at the jaws of a 100 pound pit bull-bullmastiff mix. This is an animal that Tyson never could have controlled. She never could have stopped it from attacking a postal carrier or a person walking down the street or from a child or friend visiting her home. She obviously could not stop the dog from attacking herself either. There was absolutely no reason for Tyson to ever have a dangerous animal like this and she paid the highest price of all.

04/01/16: Pit Bull-Mix Kills Owner
Leesburg, FL - Yesterday evening it was reported that Leesburg police shot and killed a large "vicious" dog covered in blood that was blocking access to a home, preventing first responders from entering to provide emergency medical assistance to a female victim inside. By the time paramedics reached the woman, she was dead. Today, Leesburg police Lt. Joe Iozzi identified the victim as Sonda Tyson, 66, and confirmed that her own dog viciously attacked and killed her.

"It was a pretty vicious attack and it was a pretty gruesome scene for everybody that was there." - Leesburg police Lt. Joe Iozzi

Due to the threat the aggressive dog posed, "it was immediately necessary to incapacitate the animal in order to provide for public safety and to allow medical personnel inside the location. An officer assigned with a patrol rifle positioned himself to stop the existing threat and to mitigate the possibility of collateral damage to anyone else," states a release issued by police. "A second shot was then necessary to render the scene safe, and to allow the medical personnel to enter."

"Preliminary results from the medical examiner indicate the death was caused by massive blood loss, resulting from the mauling," states the release. After next of kin were notified, investigators determined the dog belonged to the victim and she had acquired the animal as a puppy, according to the release. News agencies report the dog is described as a large brindle pit bull-mix dog in the police report. The deadly attack occurred at a residence on the 1200 block of South Street.

The Daily Commercial reports that police Lt. Joe Iozzi said that Tyson was found in a large pool of blood with significant flesh tears on the rear porch of the home. “It was a gruesome scene,” Iozzi said. A relative reportedly discovered Tyson on the floor and called 911. Lake County Animal Control was called out to the home at least once in the past, but it was not clear if the call was related to the same animal, Iozzi said. Residents of the home refused talk to reporters last night.

Portion of the 911 Call

The Orlando Sentinel reports it was the victim's granddaughter and daughter-in-law who found Tyson critically injured lying in a pool of blood on the back porch. Amber Fletcher, her daughter-in-law, called 911. "She's bleeding everywhere, I don't know. Her bones are showing…" Fletcher told dispatchers. When asked where she was bleeding from, Fletcher said, "Her arms. You can actually see the bones in her arms. She has a bigger dog, so I don't know if her dog bit her."

The Sentinel reports it was the 13-year old granddaughter who made the grisly discovery. Fletcher told police that she had left the home earlier in the day to pick up her daughter from school. When the two arrived back at Tyson's home on South Street, the 13-year old rushed out to see her grandmother on the back porch and began screaming at the horrible sight. The article also states that the police officer who shot the dog with a rifle, did so positioned from the top of a fire truck.

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

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2016 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Visiting Elderly Family Member in Charlotte, North Carolina

Emergency vehicles outside the home where two pit bulls killed Bessie Flowers.

Victim Identified
UPDATE 03/28/16: The victim has been identified as 86-year old Bessie Flowers. Police have identified the attacking dogs as two American pit bull terriers. Both animals were properly licensed and vaccinated. Police confirmed they were called to the same address in April 2013 regarding a complaint about two aggressive dogs; no other details were provided. WSOC-TV also reports that the homeowners association is now considering banning pit bulls in the community going forward.

The same male neighbor who spoke to Time Warner Cable News is also in the WSOC-TV video footage. "There have been two incidents with those dogs," said the man who did not want to be identified. "They attacked other dogs here. No one has done anything about it. I constantly told people that they are going to kill someone," he said. That is exactly what the dogs did too. It is unknown if the earlier incidents were reported to police. So far officials have not addressed this.

Evening Updates

In an evening update by WBTV, circumstances leading up to the deadly attack were included. Flowers had been on the back deck of the townhome and was heading back inside when she slipped or tripped onto a dog bed. Her daughter's two pit bulls approached Flowers while she was on the floor and "apparently" began playing with her, which quickly escalated into a full-scale attack, said a police source. The dogs executed the killing bite, attacking her neck and head.

Flowers' daughter was able to separate the dogs and call for help. A portion of the 911 call was released to the media. Heavily breathing, the daughter said, "This is an emergency. My dogs attacked, they really hurt her. Please come!" When police arrived, Flowers was deceased on the floor, Captain Todd Lontz said. After seeing her own pit bulls attack and kill her mother, the daughter refused to sign the dogs over to officials, so animal control officers seized them.

03/28/16: Family Dogs Kill Woman
Charlotte, NC - An 86-year old woman was attacked and killed by two dogs while visiting a family member's home in south Charlotte. The victim, whose name has not been released, suffered "fatal dog bite injuries" and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. WBTV reports that the woman was visiting her daughter's townhome on the 3200 block of Luke Crossing when the lethal attack occurred. Captain Todd Lontz confirmed that the dogs involved "are actually family dogs."

"Sources say the woman suffered injuries to the neck and lost a substantial amount of blood." - WBTV, March 28, 2016

At this stage, police have not named the breeds of dogs involved, but neighbors told WBTV that the homeowner was "always walking two pit bulls on leashes." Photographs taken by WCCB confirm that both dogs are pit bulls, specifically red nose pit bulls. The Charlotte Observer reports that a neighbor said both dogs -- a male and female -- and their female owner had lived in the area for several years and at one point had served on the community's homeowners association.

Time Warner Cable News briefly spoke to an unidentified neighbor who was clearly upset. "[The pit bulls] attacked another dog two times and no one ever did anything about it," he said. "They never attacked a person, but they attacked two dogs." The footage also shows police gathered outside of the home where the woman was attacked and neighbors or possibly family members near the home's front door. CMPD’s Animal Care and Control took both pit bulls into custody.

Fifth Fatal Pit Bull Attack

This still unnamed elderly victim is the third fatal pit bull attack in North Carolina since January 2016 and the fifth since July 2015, when 6-year old Joshua Strother was fatally attacked by a pit bull that was adopted out three weeks earlier by the Asheville Humane Society. These victims include: Suzanne Story, 36, of Perquimans County, Talan West, 7, of Robeson County, Cathy Wheatcraft, 48, of Davie County and Joshua Strother, 6, of Henderson County, North Carolina.

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

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2016 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Woman In ICU Dies After Violent Dog Attack In Thurston County

Two of the attacking dogs seen barking behind the dog owner's front window.

Dogs Put Down
UPDATE 03/25/16: We received confirmation this week from Kiro 7 News that all four dogs were put down after the 10-day quarantine. We received this same confirmation from Thurston County officials on Thursday. Also, after reviewing more online information about the incarcerated dog owner, we believe the person is the granddaughter of the name listed on the property records, but only her mother was residing at the home at the time of the attack; thus resolving that issue.

As for the dogs, which were all related to each other, they were a combination of first generation and another generation (its number unknown) of pit bull-Labrador and labrador-pit bull mixes, according to the Facebook pages of the dogs' owners and news reports following the attack. The difference being that some appeared more lab-like than others. Possibly, some heeler was mixed in as well. We discovered photographs of multiple litters on the Facebook pages of the owners.

03/09/16: Officials Impound Dogs
Gladys Alexander, 92-years old, did not survive her injuries. She died at 11:55 am Tuesday at Harborview Medical Center. On Sunday, four large dogs viciously attacked her after she entered into a neighbor's home to give her a newspaper. Animal services impounded the dogs a few hours after her death was announced. Up until this time, the dogs -- described as two adult and two younger pit bull-lab mix variations -- had been "home quarantined" in a type of comedy routine.

Friends and family members are upset that the dogs' owners face no criminal penalties. The dogs were legally confined to the owner's home when Gladys entered the home not knowing that her neighbor was away. One friend, Nancy Jenrette, told Kiro 7 News that she understands why nothing can be done. "At the same time, it just feels so criminal that she had to have suffered so tragically and that she ended up having to die in this manner. It's just horrific," Jenrette said.

Charges in the UK

In 2014, the amended Dangerous Dogs Act in the UK came into affect that allows authorities to seize dogs "dangerously out of control" in private places, including residences, and also provides penalties when serious attacks occur in these situations. England has basically said, "We don't care where your dog is vicious." If it violently attacks a person, the dog is "dangerously out of control." These changes were in part due to the public outrage after the death of Jade Anderson.

We do not know how (or if) UK authorities would have handled a case like Gladys Alexander, due to its technically trespassing nature. This would likely need to be examined in context with how frequently the two entered each other's homes, the nature of the day-to-day tasks the dogs' owner provided to Gladys and the dogs' history. Such a case would make an excellent test case under the amended Act, which helps to ensure the safety of persons visiting a dog owner's home.

The Dogs' Owners

County records show the owner of the home on Entrée View Drive SW -- a Kiro 7 video shows the numbered address. We were able to track this to who we believe the neighbor's granddaughter is (it is very common for the media to confuse relationship levels). This person was arrested and jailed on March 3, just three days before her dogs viciously attacked Gladys. So, the answer to our earlier question of how long the neighbor had been watching the three dogs is: Not very long.

Additionally, by reviewing the Thurston County Animal Control ordinance, we now understand why county officials must have "consent" from the incarcerated granddaughter in order to euthanize her three dogs. In many places simply "keeping or harboring a dog" -- which in this case would be the neighbor -- is enough to suffice as being the legal "owner" of a dog. In Thurston County, however, an "owner" only qualifies after keeping the animal for a period of fourteen consecutive days.

9.10.030 - Definitions
"Owner" means any person who harbors, keeps, possesses or maintains a pet animal, or who encourages a pet animal to remain about their property for a period of fourteen consecutive days or more, or the person named on the license/registration record of any animal as the owner. The parent or guardian of an owner under eighteen years of age shall be deemed the owner for the purposes of this chapter. - Title 9 Animals, Section 9.10.030, Thurston County, WA

03/08/16: Crime Scene Photos
In a Kiro 7 News update, we learn that the dog mauling victim is a World War II veteran and that one of her sons, Andrew Alexander, is a physician in California. We also learn that the neighbor's daughter -- the neighbor was temporarily dog sitting her daughter's three pit bull-mixes -- is incarcerated. The picture of the dogs' owners is becoming clearer. Just before the brutal attack, Gladys Alexander, 92, had walked over to her neighbor's home to give her a newspaper.

Previous reports said that the neighbor has regularly assisted Gladys with day-to-day tasks, and the two often went into each other’s houses.

As soon as she opened the door, four dogs inside viciously attacked her. The new Kiro footage shows the aftermath of the bloody carnage in the neighbor's home. According to animal control officer Iris Johnson, "It appeared that she was drug into the house about 10 feet." Again, the dogs are seen in the news footage because they are under a 10-day "home quarantine," which at this stage is appalling. County officials should have found a way to quarantine the dogs off-site.

The neighbor, who owns one of the attacking dogs, has agreed to have it euthanized. Due to the circumstances of the case -- and insufficient dog laws -- county officials have to receive "consent" from the incarcerated daughter, who by definition is a criminal, in order to euthanize her three dogs. Also, one of the female dogs is pregnant. So the neighbor has a pack of pit bull-mixes, one being pregnant, in her home and apparently was assisting a 92-year old woman with dementia.

It is unknown how long the neighbor had been caring for her incarcerated daughter's three dogs. Was it a few days, a few weeks or a few months?

The victim's son, Dr. Andrew Alexander, said that his mother's prognosis is not good. "We know she'll lose a leg," he said. "It looks like she'll lose an arm. We're not sure she's going to make it out of here alive." Alexander can't understand why a crime has not occurred. "This sort of violent act on someone to this degree," Alexander said. "I'm not convinced that there's no crime that did not happen." Alexander now must face the reality that there are no laws that protect his mother.

03/07/16: Victim Remains in Critical
Thurston County, WA - An elderly woman remains in critical condition after being brutally attacked by up to four dogs while visiting her neighbor's home. On Sunday, Gladys Alexander, 92, suffered life-threatening injuries when she entered into her neighbor's home who was away at the time. Her neighbor has regularly assisted Gladys with day-to-day tasks, and the two often went into each other’s houses. The neighbor owns one of the dogs and was "temporarily" dog sitting the others.

Thurston County Sheriff's Office described each of the attacking dogs as pit bull-mix variations, two adults and two younger dogs.

Gladys was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center at 6:05 pm Sunday. She remained in critical condition Monday. Her son, Wayne Alexander, told The Olympian she suffered severe injuries to her skull and lost a lot of blood. She also suffered broken bones in one arm and a broken leg due to the attack. If she survives through the next two days, doctors will amputate one of her legs and one of her arms, Wayne said. “The expectations of survival are pretty low right now," he said.

At the time of the attack, the neighbor was away on an errand. As soon as Gladys let herself into the home, the dogs violently attacked her, "dragging her down a hallway," according to a Kiro 7 News report. The neighbor returned home during the attack and quickly intervened by restraining the four dogs and calling 911. Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said the animals have been placed on "home quarantine" for 10-days and that no criminal charges are pending in the case.

On Monday, Komo News published part of the 911 call made by the neighbor. "Please hurry! There's lots of blood all over!" she told dispatchers. "She let herself in, which she doesn't normally do. And my dogs are protective. And she's a real small lady. And they started getting her," she said. The dogs attacked Gladys as soon as she entered the front door. The Komo footage also shows the dogs barking from the window in the home, as "home quarantine" means just that.

The three other dogs belonged to the neighbor's daughter, according to deputies. Animal Control is currently determining if any of the dogs should be designated "dangerous." Thurston County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Rudloff said that his office is not aware of any previous problems with these dogs. On Monday, the neighbor agreed to have her animal euthanized. At that time, Thurston County Animal Services was attempting to contact her daughter who owns the other three dogs

Sheriff's Office News Release

Thurston County Sheriff's Office issued a release Sunday stating that patrol units were called to a home on Entrée View Drive SW in the Scott Lake community. Medical responders had been dispatched to the home for a 92-year old woman with life-threatening injuries caused by multiple dogs. The elderly victim, who has dementia, had gone to visit her neighbor who was not home. It was not unusual for her to enter the home because the neighbor helps her with day-to-day tasks.

According to the release, after entering the residence the victim was attacked by up to four dogs inside. Only one of the dogs belongs to the homeowner. She was "dog sitting" the other three for a relative, states the release. As the woman was being attacked, the homeowner arrived home and immediately intervened to stop the attack and called 911. The victim was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center at about 6:05 pm with life-threatening injuries consistent with a dog mauling.

There is no criminal case pending. Thurston County Sheriff’s Office identified the dogs as:

One adult, male dog of Pit bull / Lab mix breed.
One adult, female dog of Pit bull / Heeler mix breed.
One Juvenile, male dog of Pit bull / Lab / Heeler mix breed.
One Juvenile, female dog of Pit bull / Lab / Heeler mix breed.

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

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