Posted on March 18, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

"It happened to me. All of my experience, all of my knowledge, none of it mattered. None of it protected me or enabled me to stop that attack."

Photo shows two dogs on the trainer's team at that time during a training day.

DogsBite.org - A highly experienced dog trainer recently joined our Thank You letter campaign. The person shared as many details as possible. "In training circles, you just do not say negative things about bully breeds anymore," the person wrote. "If you do you are attacked, ostracized, labeled a failure or 'dog racist' … Terms like 'animal abuser' or 'cruel force training' get tossed at you."1 We deeply thank the trainer for writing in and sharing this powerful story with our readers.

Editorial note: We replaced the name of the specific military branch with the quoted generic term "military." We also added several links relevant to DogsBite.org content, but were not part of the letter.

Dear DogsBite.org,

"In my professional opinion, no other kind of dog is less predictable, less reliable, or more dangerous than these dogs are. Their owners’ irrational blind love for them just adds to the danger."

I am a retired dog trainer. I spent 26 years working with hundreds of dogs including more than 12 years spent managing a 300+ dog sled dog kennel that for 3 years housed 75 pit bulls that I handled every day, exercised, fed, and cared for while their owner, a breeder and kennel operator, was rebuilding her property that burnt to the ground during a wildfire. To say I have experience with this type of dog would be an understatement. I also ran teams of 22 sled dogs into the wildernesses of Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, Utah and Oregon. These are extremely powerful, high prey drive dogs. I could command them, was confident and sure of myself around every kind of dog with no exceptions. I feared no dog, understood them, respected them and was confident working with them all.2

That changed forever on a cool spring morning in 2013 when I was walking my small yorkie mix, a trained service dog for me. I was less than 30 yards from my home walking the grounds of the complex I lived in. It was a little after 10:00 am on a Saturday. My dog was on his leash and I had picked up a can someone had dropped and was throwing it in the trash when a neighbor opened their door and a 7 year old pit bull mix exploded through it and went after my small dog. I knew it’s intent, saw it latch onto my dog and I fell on it. More than 20 years of experience handling dogs at my disposal made absolutely NO DIFFERENCE. I know how to disable a dog; I know how to restrain one. I had stopped dog fights before, some involving more than 10 dogs in a mass of snarling biting fury and emerged with cuts and bruises. Not that day, that day for several minutes I screamed and fought with the pit bull mix. The man with her did not own her, he was just watching her for a friend, a "military" family who had her listed as a "lab mix" to get her onto the military bases where they lived.

The "military" man looking after her just watched while the dog tried 3 times to kill my dog. Each time I stopped her and she turned on me, attacking me, driving me back then going after my dog again, who after the first attack was not moving anymore, but was screaming in terror and agony. I am haunted by every second of the attack, every second I could not stop it and was powerless to protect my beloved pet and myself. Finally the "military" man stepped in, drug the dog back into the apartment and locked it up before coming back outside. I was lying over the top of my dog, covering him with my body and terrified the monster that had attacked us would break out again. I recall the man giving me the number of the dog's owner, asking me not to be mad, and leaving me bleeding and sobbing over my crying pet.

You talk about victim blaming -- my own sister attacked me. She came to get me, driving my dog and me first to the emergency vet and then to the hospital. She told me to fill out a dog attack form that the emergency vet gave us and was encouraging me to go after the owner and apartment complex until she found out the family was "military." They had been out of town visiting sick family and were in the apartment waiting for orders to process that would have them PCS out of the state.3 My sister's husband is also "military" (the same branch). She is so proud of being "military" it’s sometimes overwhelming. When she found out it was a "military" family that owned the dog she demanded I drop everything. She told me my tears were stupid and unreasonable and that I was irrational and too emotional about what had happened. Me, a dog trainer, was having nightmares. I was also afraid to step out my door.

"These dogs give little to no warning before attacking. These dogs can be 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 years old, and never a fly harmed or a growl made in all those years. Pit bulls are wonderful, until the moment they are not."

I was not allowed to say a single negative thing to the family. I was treated like, well, like it was all my fault, like I was wrong to show animal control the bites on my hands and legs, wrong to let them take pictures of my dog, and wrong to ask the family to pay his vet bills. From that day on she treated me like I was a criminal, a stupid, foolish, wrong and bad person because the family did get into trouble. They had not told the apartment about the dog, had hidden the breed from the "military" and if I didn’t shut up I would ruin their happiness. That I could not sleep, had massive PTSD attacks that crippled me if a door opened suddenly and could not work at my job training dogs because I was not "me" anymore didn’t matter. Saving that dog and it’s family mattered more to her than me and my dog.
My relationship with my sister became cold, I can’t trust her. She went out and got a purebred pit bull puppy -- even living on a military base KNOWING the rules --- to show her support of pit bulls, so she could have one of these poor misunderstood dogs. She has lived on base with her pit bull and two other dogs for 3 years, hiding the pit bull whenever maintenance came by. When a friend had something "bad" happen with her pit bull after it turned a year old and reported her, my sister hid the dog, lied to the base personnel and got away with it. In all of my years of handling these dogs I never feared them, but I do now, not because of the dogs really, they are what they are, but the people who love them. They don’t care about anyone or anything but those dogs. They will throw their own family and friends under a bus to protect these dogs. It’s like some bizarre sickness overcomes them and rational realistic thought, compassion -- anything human -- just vaporizes in them.
In my years as a trainer, I have seen a substantial number of these dogs attack other animals and their owners excuse it. I’ve seen owners covered in bandages excuse their dogs for the attacks that caused their injuries. I have seen good people, owners who loved their pit bulls and afraid of what they were dealing with, but so desperate that their dog not be what so many of them are, become blind to the warnings that their dog is careening toward a disaster.4 Some of the dogs I've seen were just not "wired" right either, they were wrong in the head, so obsessed with killing things. Their loving owners would come in with scars or fresh injuries, their eyes bright with tears begging me to help them and not wanting to hear from another trainer that they just needed to put the dog down. You cannot train away instinct; you cannot train away genetics. You cannot love it away either.
As a highly experienced dog trainer, who also studied behavior, rehabilitation, and nutrition in dogs for decades, I feel this type of dog is a threat to safety wherever it lives. The owners cannot be relied on to know their dogs or handle or manage them and keep others safe. These dogs give little to no warning before attacking. These dogs can be 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 years old, and never a fly harmed or a growl made in all those years. Pit bulls are wonderful, until the moment they are not.
Nobody, not a professional, not an expert in the breed, not an owner, NOBODY, can look at a pit bull and tell which one will grow up to be okay, and which one will not. It is impossible to "raise them right." I’ve seen dogs raised every kind of right way. Then it turns and mauls someone or something. I have seen the other side too, dogs covered in fighting scars, missing chunks of their bodies, safer and easier to handle than a baby mouse and well behaved around other dogs. In my professional opinion, no other kind of dog is less predictable, less reliable, or more dangerous than these dogs are. Their owners’ irrational blind love for them just adds to the danger.
Every shelter worker who labels one a "lab mix" instead of a pit bull because they want it to be adopted throws their community under the bus. Every owner who lies about what their dog is to get them into a rental, places everyone who lives around them in front of a racing train. Every rescue that tries to "rehab" one that shows clear aggression, a clear willingness to cause injury to ANY living thing, is irresponsible, evil, and adding to the problem, adding to the truth that nobody can trust these dogs too. Absolutely nobody can trust anyone who owns one or loves this breed type and nothing said by anyone who loves them can be taken as truth. The lies seem to go with the dogs -- they are coated in lies, pain, fear and suffering.

"There is no need in today's society to keep these deadly creatures around. They were born for violence and death. We don’t need that, and we do not need them, truthfully, we never did."

It is my personal wish that the breed would vanish from this world and make it a better place. There are over 400 kinds of dogs, distinct breeds in this world, all but a handful are mostly safe to live with and be around. There is no need in today's society to keep these deadly creatures around. They were born for violence and death. We don’t need that, and we do not need them, truthfully, we never did. There isn’t anything they do that another type of dog could not do better, except kill and ruin lives.

Thank you for your website, for the truth it bares, for the courage it took to put it there. Even as tough as I am, I can't stand up to the hurricane of insanity around these dogs. Thank you for your time, your research and candid honesty. You're an inspiration. Reading your site gave me the courage to write this all down, the first time I have ever done so. As a dog trainer I had to take tremendous criticism whenever I refused to handle these dogs. Their owners are the cruelest nastiest people I have ever encountered. Especially when someone tells them their dogs are not angels and they should expect nothing but what they are getting after they come begging a trainer for help so their dog can play at dog parks or stop trying to kill cats or children. I understand how irrationally hateful the lovers of these dogs can be, and how hard, as a victim of the breed, life is after you have been attacked by one. I raise my lighter to your story, to your website, and if you ever need a seasoned canine training and behavior expert’s input, please contact me.

- Retired Professional Dog Trainer of 25+ Years

1In email correspondence after the letter was sent, the retired trainer replied in part: "In training circles you just do not say negative things about bully breeds anymore. If you do you are attacked, ostracized, labeled a failure or "dog racist" and these crazed lovers of the type will do anything they can to ruin you, discredit you. Terms like, "animal abuser" or "cruel force training" get tossed at you. "You don't know what you're doing, you're clearly not a good trainer if you can't do this," they say, referring to the God only act of making genetics not work, making breeding not work and making drives and instinct go away with some cookies and kissy noises. I've seen what these people are willing to do to anyone who disagrees with them or even just doesn't gush over the dogs like they do."
2When we asked if there were bad experiences with the pit bulls during the 3-year period, the trainer explained that these were working dogs, weight pull and more, not your common pet pit bulls. The person wrote that just over a dozen "had situations come up that in spite of being handled by well seasoned pros and housed in a kennel designed for extremely powerful, high energy, high prey drive NOT PET huskies of several kinds, in addition to dozens of other breed types we worked with over the years, even under those circumstances the pit bulls found ways to get loose." All of these dogs were put down because of aggression toward dogs at the facility or other animals, the trainer wrote, "one for trying to kill our horses and then a neighbor's cattle, all in one day. We spent 7 hours trying to catch the dog before we finally got hold of the owner and got permission to shoot it."
3Permanent Change of Station (PCS).
4In a follow up email, the retired trainer added, "I think that's what scares me most about pit bulls and their owners and supporters, the rescuers of that type of dog. This terrible blindness, the refusal to admit what is happening right in front of them, to push away reality so hard they are falling back and not doing anything to fix what has happened with the dogs. Some are so determined that the dogs are not the problem that they cause more maulings, set the dogs up in situations where they are just doomed to fail, where any kind of dog could fail not just a pit-type."

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2015 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org

Fatal Dog Attack Statistics
DogsBite.org recorded 34 fatal dog attacks in 2015. Pit bulls contributed to 82% (28) of these deaths, the highest fatality count recorded for the breed and a 56% (18) rise from 2005. 82% also marks the highest percentage of deaths attributed to pit bulls in a single year in our 11-years of data collection (2005 to 2015). The last year the CDC collected "breed" data about fatal human dog attacks was 1998, 18-years ago. Since this time, pit bulls have killed 290 U.S. citizens.

34 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities occurred in 2015. Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 700 U.S. cities, pit bulls contributed to 82% (28) of these deaths. Pit bulls make up about 6.6% of the total U.S. dog population.
Together, pit bulls (28) and rottweilers (3), the second most lethal dog breed, accounted for 91% of the total recorded deaths in 2015. This same combination also accounted for 76% of all fatal attacks during the 11-year period of 2005 to 2015.
The breakdown between these two breeds is substantial over this 11-year period. From 2005 to 2015, pit bulls killed 232 Americans, about one citizen every 17 days, versus rottweilers, which killed 41, about one citizen every 98 days.
See full report: 2015 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics - DogsBite.org
News release: DogsBite.org Releases 2015 Dog Bite Fatality Statistics; Percentage of Deaths Attributed to Pit Bulls Rises to 82% and Other Trends

This year's release includes statistics from our 11-year data set. From Jan. 1, 2005 to Dec. 31, 2015, canines killed 360 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 64% (232) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls (232) and rottweilers (41) contributed to 76% of attacks resulting in death. Charts and graphics are available for download on the 2015 Dog Bite Fatalities page. In the discussion notes, we examine 2015 trends and a chart that breaks down the 11-years.

Discussion Notes

2015 marks the highest number of deaths attributed to pit bulls (28) in a single year. It also marks the highest percentage of deaths attributed to pit bulls, 82%, in our 11-years of data collection (2005 to 2015). To visualize the degree to which pit bulls dominate fatalities, we created a chart that maps each year of our data. In 2005, pit bulls were estimated to be 5% of the total U.S. dog population. Today it is 6.6%.1 As this population rises, deaths inflicted by pit bulls rises with it.

Included in the chart is the combination of pit bulls and rottweilers (orange line). It shows that these two dog breeds overwhelmingly dominate attacks resulting in death. In fact, if these two breeds were excluded, annual fatal dog attack statics would reflect about 8 deaths per year, close to the mid 1970s, when both breeds had scant population numbers. For the pre-pit bull, rottweiler years, view: Human Deaths Induced by Dog Bites, United States, 1974-75, by Winkler et al.

In the 40-years since that study, the total U.S. human population has increased by over 100 million and the estimated U.S. dog population by 20 million.2 Animal control programs, local ordinances and enforcement, spay and neuter rates and dog ownership education have improved vastly since. (See: 1975 Special Report on Controlling America's Pet Population, by the HSUS). Not to mention the exponential growth in child safety, safety education and protocols since 1975.

None of these societal advances, however, are enough to stop pit bulls and rottweilers from killing.

Pit Bulls Reverse Traditional Metric

In 2015, fatal attacks inflicted by non-family dogs rose to 59%, up from the 10-year average of 47% (2005 to 2014). This percentage has been steadily rising over the years, but 59% is the highest percentage in our 11-year data set. Non-family dogs include the victim having no previous relationship with the dog or a very limited one, but are also determined on a case-by-case basis. In 2015, this included a rottweiler that was adopted out and killed its new owner 3-hours later.

Of the 28 deaths inflicted by pit bulls in 2015, 61% were carried out by non-family pit bulls. This is up 30% from the breed's 10-year average of 47%; the same number as the "all breeds combined" non-family dog average. So in 2015, pit bulls were the chief factor in reversing the longstanding metric of family dogs being the majority offender in all fatal dog attacks. Many of the non-family pit bull fatalities in 2015 were victims who were visiting the dog owner's home or walking near it.

Adopted Dogs Kill Three People

In 2015, 9% (3) of all fatal attacks involved dangerous dog breeds that were adopted out by county shelter facilities or a rescue. In June, the Asheville Humane Society -- who contracts to operate the Buncombe County, NC shelter -- adopted out a pit bull after it passed a SAFER temperament test, which killed a little boy 3-weeks later. Modern "state-of-the-art" temperament assessment tests, while better than no evaluation test at all, still cannot measure unpredictable aggression.

In November, after a 3-day hold, Jackson-Madison County Rabies Control adopted out a rottweiler to 57-year old Anthony Riggs, an experienced dog handler, who was brutally killed by the animal 3-hours later. Stunningly, Rabies Control has no evaluation policy or assessment testing at all. In both cases, the dogs were picked up as strays with an unknown history. Both cases also reflect the "reality" of modern sheltering -- adopt out dogs at all costs to keep euthanasia rates low.

"At this stage, the public must consider the shelter adoption of a dangerous breed to be a 'life or death' decision." DogsBite.org, 11/18/15

5-months after 6-year old Joshua Strother was killed by a young pit bull that passed the ASPCA's SAFER test, the ASPCA ceased the certification process. Animals 24-7 commented then: "The abrupt end to certifying SAFER test-givers appears to be meant to reduce potential liability to the ASPCA, even as the ASPCA continues promoting the test itself and pushing adoptions of pit bulls." Since 2007, U.S. shelter dogs have killed at least 42 people, according to the group.

The ASPCA now also recommends against the "food guarding" portion of their own test, one of the most basic safety tests of all, to ensure that fewer dogs are euthanized. "Stop euthanizing food guarders," states their website, and instead, "send them home." Some of the commenters are unconvinced. "I would hesitate to drop it from the evaluations because I think it is an important piece for new adopters to know," writes Pam. An adopter with young children would surely agree.

Insufficient Reporting

In 2015, two cases involved unknown dog breeds. In 5 cases (15% of all fatalities), the breeds were misreported or unreported, requiring extensive research efforts by DogsBite.org to obtain this information. Each of these cases involved insufficient reporting by local law enforcement or the media. This does not even include the mauling death of 7-year old Gaege Ramirez in Texas, where the Comal County Sheriff's Office simply told the media, "none of the dogs were pit bulls."

Insufficient reporting by local law enforcement and media organizations is unacceptable today. Modern communication, technology and information is simply too easy and accessible. We understand the limitations on Indian Reservations and why some small jurisdictions limit the media after a devastating fatal dog mauling. Yet, dog attacks resulting in the death of a person are a community issue. The public deserves to know the basic details for health and safety reasons.

Summary and Call to Action

11 years of fatal dog bite statistics and data is enough to evaluate the "breed-specific" issue. Pit bulls dramatically dominate attacks resulting in death. With the addition of rottweilers, these two breeds accounted for 76% of these deaths. When mastiff-type guard dogs and war dogs are added -- the types used to create "baiting" bull breeds and fighting breeds3 -- this small group of breeds is responsible for 84% of all deaths. Breed-specific laws are more needed now than ever.

Instead, what is happening today is the reverse, as powerful lobbying groups continue to push preemption bills on a state level that prohibit municipalities from enacting and enforcing breed-specific laws. Mercifully, over the last two years legislatures in 10 different states have rejected these bills, 86% have failed to pass. Currently seven states face this type of legislation in 2016, including: Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina and Washington.4

Our call to action this year is to use our statistics in correspondence with local and state officials, especially the chart showing 11-years broken down by year that depicts how heavily two breeds, pit bulls and rottweilers, dominate fatal attacks. As the CDC study stated 16-years ago, back when the percentage of deaths inflicted by the two breeds was lower than today, "there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." Our data shows this remains true and has worsened.

"Despite these limitations and concerns, the data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." - AVMA/CDC 2000

Data Collection Method: How We Collect U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Data

1Most popular breed in U.S. ain’t nothing but a hound dog, by Merritt Clifton, Animals 24-7, July 20, 2015 (www.animals24-7.org).
2U.S. human population 1975, U.S. Census Bureau and the estimated dog population in the U.S. during the late 70s noted in: Traumatic Deaths from Dog Attacks In the United States, by Pickney LE. Kennedy LA, Pediatrics, 1982;691:193-196.
3This grouping includes: American bulldogs, mastiffs and bullmastiffs, presa canarios and cane corsos.
4Just prior to publishing we learned that Washington State Rep. Appleton's bill failed for the third year in a row.

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2016 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Pet Pit Bull in Perquimans County, NC

Suzanne Story, 36, was killed by a pit bull-mix given to her a few weeks earlier.

Newspaper Finds Owners
UPDATE 02/12/16: Yesterday, we learned from The Virginian-Pilot that the advertisement for the dog was actually placed in The Pilot. A stroke of good luck in the ability to track down the former owners of a pit bull-mix that was off-loaded to Suzanne Story then killed her a few weeks later. “There was blood everywhere,” her mother Debbie Brown said. “Her hair was just soaked -- solid blood -- just covered in blood.” The first edition article was later replaced by this evening update.

"Story had seen a classified ad in The Virginian-Pilot a couple weeks ago advertising Buddy as an easy-going dog that was good with kids. She called a Virginia Beach couple who delivered the dog to her home. When Story offered to pay, the couple just gave her the dog for free and took off." - The Virginian-Pilot, February 11, 2016, First Edition

The pit bull named "Buddy" was a 1.5-year old male pit bull-mix, not a female as previously reported. Story had been cleaning the dog's crate, when the animal suddenly attacked her, ripping open her throat. Her sister and roommate Robin Ross was in the house and heard her screams. She was able to pull the dog off Story -- amazingly -- and lock it in the bathroom. But the dog broke a hole through the bathroom door and continued attacking Story, executing the killing bite.

The Age of Sexual Maturity

We pause now to remind readers of the 1.5 to 2-year old rule about these dogs best expressed by former Lucas County, Ohio Dog Warden Tom Skeldon in 2008. This is the age that pit bulls reach sexual maturity. "[The owners] all think that these pit bulls are nice sweet animals and some of them are, but by the time they get to be a year and half or two years old," Skeldon said, "they're pretty intent on what they're bred to do and that’s grab ahold of things and shake it until it's dead."

This is well known amongst many animal control officers and humane groups, but a fact rarely shared with the public. It is hardly surprising that the most common age of unwanted pit bulls in open admission shelters is 1.5 to 2-years old.1 The aggression has shown up exactly as Skeldon described. The "lucky" owners have had close calls with their animals or children in the household. Then it is "off to the pound" for that pit bull -- or in this case offloaded to an uninformed innocent.

The Pilot Locates Owners

A day after the deadly attack, a reporter at The Pilot contacted the former owners of Buddy, Cheryl and Carl Davino, and told them about the gruesome attack. Cheryl Davino played dumb and guilt-free after driving across state lines and dumping the dog at Story's door. "I don’t know what the heck happened," Davino said. "He was a big baby," she said. Notably, 10 On Your Side stated yesterday that they called a phone number for the Davinos, "but it was a wrong number."2

The Pilot published the advertisement that Davino purchased. “Pitbull & Boxer Mix-Very good w/kids, people. Male. 1 yr. old on Sept. 13. $100.” Davino said she had intended to give the dog away for free, but was reminded by The Pilot that it was a bad idea. "A sales rep told her to put down a dollar amount to make sure people were serious and the dog would be taken care of," states The Pilot. After arriving at Story's house, they gave her the dog for free, as intended.

The Breeder of "Buddy"

After The Pilot published the story, a user with the alias Mike Brown left several comments. We have no idea if what he states is true and we have no sympathy or respect for alias Brown either. We have no sympathy or respect for ANYONE breeding pit bulls in an era when nearly a million3 unwanted pit bulls are systematically euthanized each year and countless others are pawned off to the uniformed then traded "like playing cards" to find a home where the dog won't kill something.

mike brown - "I agree. I bred this dog and am shocked but at the same time I'm not. He wasn't a toy. He was a living soul that couldn't talk. He probably was upset and wanted to go home. I'm just glad this story isn't about me or my family. I had offered to take him just 1 week ago."

mike brown - "I bred this dog. He was American bulldog/pittbull mix. I had just watched him for the owners over the holidays for 2 weeks. In that time he was not aggressive but it was clear he was not trained. I had told the owners 1 week ago if they were going to get rid of him I would like him back. They had wanted to get rid of him after he picked up there small dog and had the dog in his mouth. I only can say that his brothers and sisters are good dogs. His parents are also great. This dog should not have been bounced around. First to me for 2 weeks then only a few weeks later given away. Buddy just wanted to go home. He had just been abandoned 3-4 weeks prior. I'm sure that played a huge roll. I feel terrible about this. Another crazy coincidence is I believe she had a brother that works for me that is in jail rite now. They don't know each other but have the same dad. I can't confirm this but there last names are the same and the age is very close. If this is true then her brother at one point had the dogs sister from the same litter. Man this is sad sad news. I will answer any questions related to buddy."

mike brown - "How am I ignorant? I saw there was a problem and offered to take the dog back. The lady should have just given him back. I wasn't going to give him to someone else. Man if I woulda known this dog would have been bounced around like this she never would have gotten the puppy. Unfortunately you can't see the future. There are 6 more brothers and sisters of Buddy. Whoever bought a bully pit in the neighborhood of redwing off oceana and general booth around November 2014, you probably bought one of his siblings. Please be safe and call me if you need to find him a new home."

Despite alias Brown claiming Buddy's siblings are "good dogs," his brothers and sisters are now squarely in the 18-month old period too. Who knows what might happen? Remember what Skeldon said -- some will remain good and others will not. Shuffling a dog from home-to-home is a never a good idea for the animal, but its no excuse for unleashing a massive attack, killing its new owner either. "Please be safe and call me," Brown wrote, but he did not leave a phone number.

The photograph series taken by The Pilot of Story's family after her death is heartbreaking.

02/10/16: Advertised as "Pit Bull"
13News Now interviewed Suzanne Story's stepfather Randy Brown. He said that she saw a newspaper advertisement about a "female pit bull" that was placed by someone in Virginia. The "off-loaders," who offered the dog for free, drove to Story's home in Perquimans County and delivered the dog that would violently attack and kill her a week later. The off-loaders told her the dog was gentle and good with children. Brown thinks the people knew the dog was dangerous.

"I think they had a problem with the dog and didn't know how to handle it, and they were just trying to get rid of it, and they did." - Randy Brown

Story's neighbor, Jonathan Nash, told 13News Now he was concerned the first time he saw the dog. "I saw her walking the dog. The dog was really pulling her and she was struggling to maintain control from her driveway to her front door." He added, "I started to worry about my little one. If the dog gets out, what is he going to do?" Nash said. Family members say Story was cleaning the dog's crate when the animal attacked her. Story's sister was there, but could not stop the attack.

Brown vowed to find the off-loaders of the dog with the help of an attorney. Yet the whole situation is sketchy -- seems doubtful the previous owners will be easy to track down. However, they did place an advertisement, we hope in a paid newspaper, leaving a credit card trail. God help anyone who agrees to take a pit bull free of charge whose owners drive across state lines to dump the dog at your door. Story leaves behind two daughters ages 15 and 17-years old. We pray for them both.

02/10/16: Died While in Helicopter
Perquimans County, NC - A North Carolina woman is dead after being viciously attacked by her pet dog, described as a pit bull-type dog. Perquimans County Sheriff Eric Tilley said the attack occurred about 1:00 pm Wednesday in the 1200 block of Snug Harbor Road. Her injuries were so extreme, a helicopter from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia was sent to airlift her to the hospital. The victim, Suzanne Story, 36, died as the helicopter was landing, Sheriff Tilley said.

Only Had Dog for a Week

On the 13News Now Facebook page post, they state, "The woman's mother said her daughter got the dog about a week ago after seeing an ad in a newspaper that she was good around small children. We're working to get more information…" As far as the breed mixture goes 1.) It will be interesting to see what the newspaper ad said, and 2.) There certainly appears to be olde English bulldogge, pit bull and Johnson or Scotty-type American bulldog; all dangerous gripper breeds.

The victim's stepfather, Randy Brown also of Hertford, posted on his Facebook page about an hour ago, "MY stepdaughter got killed today by a pit. The people that raised this dog need to be held responsible, because they lied about the nature of this dog. I will pressure the issue. Randy Brown." Suzanne Story was the mother of two. Her Facebook photo album shows a variety of pet cats, dogs and other animals, as well as pit bull awareness memes. She was very animal friendly.

In 2012, a 10-month old boy was fatally attacked by a family pit bull-mix in Perquimans County.

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

1Obsessed about pit bulls? By Merritt Clifton, Animals 24-7, September 10, 2014 (www.animals24-7.org)
2They stated in the video, however, that they called the phone number in the advertisement and they were sent to an "unnamed voicemail." That's all we know.
3Oakland hires former SF animal control chief Rebecca Katz to face Nathan Winograd and pit bull advocates in their lair, by Merritt Clifton, November 1, 2014, Animals 24-7 (www.animals24-7.org)

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Colleen Lynn

2016 Dog Bite Fatality: Newborn Dies After Being Bitten by Family Dog

Aiden Jonathon Grim, 3-days old, died after being bitten by a family dog.

No Criminal Charges
UPDATE 02/09/16: No criminal charges will be filed in connection to the death of a newborn that was bitten on the head by a family dog and died, according to Youngstown police. The decision comes after the Mahoning County Coroner's Office ruled the manner of death as accidental. Virtually all dog attacks resulting in death are ruled as accidental; that fact alone does not dismiss criminal charges. About 21% of all dog bite fatalities result in significant or felony criminal charges.

For instance, after four pit bulls disemboweled a 4-year old boy in Detroit, the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the manner of death as accidental. The owner of the pit bulls, Geneke Lyons, will soon stand trial for murder in the second-degree, involuntary manslaughter and possessing dangerous animals causing death. The manner of death identifies how the "non-natural" death arose. There are four types: accident, homicide, suicide and undetermined.

In the case of another baby's death, coincidentally also named Aiden (no relation), Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet ruled the manner of death a homicide. Nisbet said parental neglect contributed to the 2-month old's death. In that case, the father left the infant in the living room all by itself while the father slept in the bedroom. The family's newly adopted dog dismembered and killed the infant while his father slept. This is not what occurred in Youngstown this past Sunday.

Not even remotely close. Thus, no child neglect charges.

After the death of 3-day old Aiden Jonathon Grim, Dr. Joseph Ohr, a forensic pathologist with the Mahoning County Coroner's Office explained: "At three days old the child's skull is very fragile and the dog's jaw was able to penetrate the skull, causing injuries to the brain and ultimately the death." Essentially, the dog picked up the child by the head and its teeth punctured the infant's soft skull causing brain injuries and death. Dr. Ohr did not characterize the bite as a "mauling."

Compounding The Tragedy

In an earlier report by WFMJ today, the report stated, "the brother of the infant's mom is the owner of the dog and would like to have it returned." This was excluded in the afternoon update and restated as, the dog's "possible return remains uncertain and still under discussion." The fact that the brother wants the animal back compounds this tragedy much further. It also speaks volumes about the dysfunctional nature and people within that household. May Baby Aiden rest in peace.

02/08/16: Additional Information
In a heart wrenching evening update, the baby's mother, Kristy Grim, told WFMJ that she and the baby were sleeping in the living room that morning. The infant was lying on a blanket inside a plastic laundry basket that was on the floor. Grim was lying next to him sleeping on the couch when she woke up to the baby screaming and covered in blood. The 21-year old mother said she saw bite marks on the newborn's head and she knew the dog had bitten the helpless baby.

While it is jarring to learn the baby was sleeping in the laundry basket, it is more jarring and relevant that the dogs used these baskets as beds.

Grim said the dog "was never aggressive before; he never did anything like that." The dog that attacked the baby was described as a "mix-breed shepherd" and was one of five dogs in the house. Four of these dogs appear to be related in various Facebook photos, each being golden and brown mixed-breeds. Earlier, Grim said it was her brother's dog that attacked. Regardless, as stated already by one commenter: "Five dogs in a house and a newborn. What could go wrong?"

02/08/16: Newborn Dies After Dog Bite
Youngstown, OH - Police are investigating the death of a 3-day old baby boy that was bitten by a family dog. Officers were called to a home on the 3500 block of Valerie Drive early Sunday and found the infant on a bed with a head injury. The baby's 21-year old mother, Kristy Grim, was next to the baby and in tears. Grim's brother and grandmother where also home at the time of the attack, according to police. Emergency medical first responders determined the newborn had died.

“The baby was here in the basket, and I woke up, and it was horrifying. He was ... His head was just covered in blood.” - Baby's mother, Kristy Grim

Grim told 21 News that she left her baby on the floor and fell asleep on the couch. When she awoke, her baby was crying and his head was covered in blood. Grim said she wiped off the blood and called 911. The Mahoning County Dog Warden seized the dog described as a mixed-breed. Four other dogs remain in the home. Lt. Doug Bobovnyik of the Detective Bureau said the injury was not severe, but that it was a "noticeable injury." The coroner will determine the cause of death.

Additional Facebook Notes

Before Grim deactivated her Facebook page, several comments were captured. In one comment, she states the dog belonged to her brother. "Yes, he bit the baby, my brother's dog. And now they're putting it to sleep," Grim wrote. In another, Grim states the dog is not a pit bull. "I know people who have pit bulls around their newborns at least the dog wasn't a pit bull," she wrote. Grim also said that she was waiting on a crib. "I had everything for him besides a crib because a few months ago I was told I would receive a free crib so I did not bother buying one," Grim wrote.

Also, as usual, some people are attacking the young mother on Baby Aiden's GoFundMe page, blaming Grim for the baby's death. Another is calling her a "pos mother" because she had not yet gotten a car seat for the newborn. There is also focus on the makeshift crib the baby was laying in. It is being described as a small basket or laundry basket -- it is unknown which is true. Police must wait until the coroner determines the cause of death before deciding if charges are warranted.

Facebook photos do show the dogs (described as siblings) using the laundry baskets as beds.

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