Posted on October 24, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day Arrives

Pictured: Mia DeRouen, 4-years old, was killed by her family's pit bull in 2014.

Ways to Take Action
North America - Ten days ago, we wrote about a new information website launched by a coalition of over 50 support groups in the United States and Canada declaring October 24, 2015 the first ever National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day. The new website explains the multi-part pit bull crisis: innocent people and animal victims suffering serious and fatal injuries inflicted by pit bulls and the open admission shelter crisis caused by the rampant number of overbred and unwanted pit bulls.

Imagine if the volume of these victims and the pit bull shelter crisis -- extremely high pit bull intake, occupation and euthanasia rates -- were cut by a third or even by more in just a few years? Smart cities and counties that have adopted mandatory pit bull sterilization laws are seeing some of these results. More jurisdictions are following suit too. A mandatory pit bull sterilization law is a powerful step toward achieving a safer community and reigning in pit bull-related shelter issues.

Ways to Take Action

The new website lists ways that you can take action. Please help honor the victims of these attacks and prevent new life-altering maulings by voicing the concerns of victims. Encourage your community leaders and policymakers to review the successful results jurisdictions have achieved after adopting breed-specific pit bull laws. Advocate for breed-specific legislation and support education about the genetic inheritance of aggression and attack traits in pit bull type dogs.

Voice the concerns of victims to your community leaders and policymakers.
Call for desparately needed mandatory pit bull spay and neuter laws.
Advocate for breed-specific legislation and share cities with successful results.
Support the science of how behavior is inherited in aggressive dogs.
Visit the Partners and Friends page for links to more information about victims' advocates, breed-specific legislation, the pit bull shelter crisis and more.
Visit the website for more ideas »

About DogsBite.org

DogsBite.org is a research and education nonprofit organization dedicated to conducting research on the growing, but underreported, public safety issue of severe and fatal dog attacks inflicted by well-documented dangerous dog breeds. We publish the results of our research to educate the public, law enforcement, journalists, attorneys and policymakers and to prevent new life-altering attacks. The public has the right to know information that helps them keep their families safe.

A very special thanks to Dogs Bite Decatur AL who has created so many posts about this day!

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

Dog Owner Pleads Guilty; Sentenced to Jail Time

Area where Edgar Brown was viciously attacked by five pit bulls on October 6.

Owner Pleads Guilty
UPDATE 11/04/17: The Oklahoma City owner of five pit bulls pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree manslaughter after his dogs killed a man in 2015. Juan Marcos Diaz, 46, was sentenced to one year in prison and three years probation. He received credit for nine months already served. Charges were filed against Diaz in August 2016, nine months after his dogs brutally attacked Edgar Brown, 60, who suffered multiple complications, amputations and eventually death.

"I caused the death of Edgar Brown in a negligent manner by owning a mischievous animal, a dog, who attacked and killed the victim," - Juan Diaz

On October 6, 2015 Brown stopped by a rental home on SW 38 Street to take out the trash. On Diaz's property, directly north, five pit bulls jumped a chain-link fence that separated the two properties. The dogs were only able to reach Brown by breaching another fence through a hole. "Flesh was hanging off his arms. It was the most awful mess I’ve ever seen," his brother Dexter Brown said. He died of his injuries on October 18, less than 2 weeks after the vicious attack.

Back in April, Cecille Short, 82, and her dog were savagely killed by two large dogs while walking in a northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood. The animals had escaped from an extensive hole in the owner's fencing. Witnesses told investigators the two pit bulls were dragging Short "by the head and neck area, causing her death," reports The Oklahoman. The following month, Antwon Demetris Burks, 31, was charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection to her death.

08/04/16: Criminal Charges Filed
Nine months after a pack of pit bulls brutally mauled a man to death, second-degree manslaughter charges were filed against the owner of the dogs. Last October, 60-year old Edgar Brown stopped by a friend's rental home to take out the trash. While undertaking this task, five pit bulls belonging to a nearby property entered through a hole in the fence and brutally attacked him. The severe bite injuries led to multiple complications, amputations and eventually Brown's death 12 days later.

Second-degree manslaughter charges in Oklahoma is a felony that carries up to 4-years in prison or by a fine of $1,000 or both a fine and imprisonment, according to FindLaw.com. Edgar's brother, Dexter Brown, has been a strong proponent for criminal charges since his brother's vicious attack. “People got to be responsible for their dogs and if their dogs kill somebody as far as I’m concerned you killed them,” Dexter said. Police issued an arrest warrant for the dogs' owner, Juan Diaz.

10/22/15: Man Dies After Pit Bull Attack
Oklahoma City, OK - An Oklahoma City man viciously attacked by five pit bulls while tending to a rental property on October 6 died on Sunday. The media did not report the attack. Edgar Brown, 60-years old, spent 12 days hospitalized before dying of complications due to his injuries. His brother, Dexter Brown, said he was brutally mauled by the dogs. While hospitalized, his health quickly spiraled, including suffering a heart attack, which led to a triple bypass surgery, he said.

Doctors also had to amputate both of the victim's legs and part of one arm due to infection from the severe dog bite injuries.

At the time of the attack, Edgar was helping out a friend. According to his brother, Edgar was asked to go to a friend's rental home to take out the trash. The trashcans were located just inside of the gate on the side of the home. The pit bulls, which belonged to a nearby property, jumped the fence and charged him.1 Edgar was able to keep the gate closed, staving off the dogs, but the pit bulls found a hole in the fence, ran through it and attacked him on the other side of the gate.

He was hollering for help, Dexter said. Then somebody honked their horn and the dogs fled back through the hole in the fence. "He had blood all over him, all over the floor, everywhere," Dexter said. "Flesh was hanging off his arms. It was the most awful mess I’ve ever seen." Edgar was taken to OU Medical Center where doctors tried to save his life. "We buried him today. We had his funeral today,” Dexter said. "He was the most wonderful little brother you’ve ever had in your life."

All five pit bulls have since been euthanized.2 Oklahoma City police are investigating the case. The mauling death of Edgar Brown marks the third Oklahoma citizen struck down by vicious dogs in 2015. All three deadly attacks involved pit bulls. Previous victims include, Carolyn Lamp, 67-years old of Coweta, who was killed by a pack of dogs in Redbird and Jordan Charles Collins-Tyson, 3-years old of Lawton, who was killed by a family pit bull while visiting a relative's home.

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

1Edgar's sister left a comment on the News 9 article indicating that the pit bulls belonged to a residence located behind the rental home -- the backyards of both homes were bordering and separated by a fence.
2The owner can now go out and buy a new crop of breeding pit bulls. There is nothing to stop him.

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 October 16, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

Dog Bite Victims' Advocacy Group Turns 8-Years Old

Austin, TX - October 15, 2015 marks the eighth year that DogsBite.org has been operating on the Internet educating the public, dog bite victims, attorneys, doctors, law enforcement, journalists and policymakers about the growing epidemic of serious and fatal dog maulings in this country. The great majority of these attacks are inflicted by a select group of dangerous dog breeds: pit bulls, rottweilers and mastiff-types that were used to create "baiting" bull breeds and fighting breeds.

The end of 2014 marked a significant milestone for DogsBite.org, the collection of 10-years of U.S. dog bite fatality data. When we began recording this data, we tracked 18 unique parameters for each attack. By 2013 those parameters had grown to 30. Over the course of 2015, we have been closely reviewing earlier years and adding these additional parameters to the earlier fatality records. We also closely track the few criminal trials where serious felony charges are pursued.

We track this data because the fundamental U.S. government agency that should be tracking this information, the CDC, stopped in 1998.

Each year our country moves beyond 1998 -- we are now 17-years beyond -- the failure of the CDC to reinvestigate this issue becomes more of a national embarrassment. We know through our correspondence with the CDC exactly where they stand on this matter: They will not reexamine. The very agency that demands "good data" in order to "save lives" refuses to collect it. Meanwhile, more and more medical studies are naming pit bulls as the leading inflictor of severe injuries.

In 2011, we launched Fatal Pit Bull Attacks - The Archival Record, tracking the growing number of Americans killed by pit bulls. As of today, 277 people have been mauled to death by pit bulls since the CDC stopped tracking breed data in 1998, and since 1980, 354 killed. Last year, we launched a separate page: Fatal Pit Bull Attacks - Child Fatalities. As of today, 140 children have been fatally struck down by these dogs since 1998, and since 1980, 191 dead. This is shameful.

More Advocacy Groups Form

Just yesterday a new website was announced, National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day, which occurs on October 24. A coalition of over 50 pit bull attack victims' groups across North America joined in the effort. This is very significant. Please view the partners and friends of this initiative. When we launched DogsBite.org in October 2007, there were only four other websites online (action groups & blogs) and only two specific to pit bulls. Our Links page back then was very thin.

Facebook, first limited to colleges and high schools, opened to the public in September 2006 and introduced Facebook Pages in late 2007.1

We all have seen what has happened to Facebook since! Facebook Pages catapulted the ability for "non coders" to quickly set up advocacy websites, share content and create friendships with others who share a similar perspective. Developing all websites became simplified during this time too with free blogging platforms like Blogger and WordPress. The ability for many non-technical people to become involved in our advocacy cause was finally realized with these tools.

What we still face, however, is social fear. Many people will not speak out in social media about the "pit bull issue" in fear of backlash from pit bull defenders. Much of the backlash is juvenile, but is still hurtful. We know there is a silent majority who understands that pit bulls are inherently dangerous based on the wide-margin voting victories in Aurora, Colorado and Miami-Dade. We have to motivate more of the silent majority to step forward and openly support our cause.

Key Benchmarks in Past 12-Months

In our Happy Birthday post last year, we published the key benchmarks from the previous 7-years. For our eighth Birthday anniversary, we will just post highlights of the last 12-months. From helping to stop six state preemption bills barring municipalities from adopting pit bull laws,2 to multiple rehomed "allegedly" safe pit bulls killing innocent people, and finally, to a wide-margin victory in Aurora choosing to keep their pit bull ban, the last 12-months have been very impactful.

2015 (Oct) - Over 50 pit bull attack support groups in the U.S. and Canada declare October 24, 2015 National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day. See news release.
2015 (Sep) - DogsBite.org launches State Preemption Laws page to help advocates fight these state bills advanced by Utah-based fighting dog advocates.
2015 (Sep) - DogsBite.org releases new FAQ about breed-specific legislation, which destroys the sham BSL calculator created by a former tobacco economist.
2015 (Aug) - DogsBite.org sends a powerful message: "Who Can Identify a Pit Bull? A Dog Owner of 'Ordinary Intelligence' Say the High Courts"
2015 (Jul) - Joshua Strother, 6-years old, is savagely killed by a pit bull that was adopted out by the Asheville Humane Society three weeks earlier.
2015 (Jul) - Tweeting live throughout the criminal trial of babysitter Jena Wright, DogsBite.org readers know immediately when the jury convicts on all counts.
2015 (Jun) - DogsBite.org breaks down the "The Mechanics of a 'Classic' Unprovoked Pit Bull Attack" after a brutal attack on a child in Anchorage, Alaska.
2015 (May) - A Wayne County, Michigan Judge awards victim of catastrophic pit bull mauling injuries, Steve Constantine, a "symbolic" $100 million dollar judgment.
2015 (Apr) - After a family pit bull kills a baby in Dallas, columnist Steve Blow writes the truth: As family mourns, propaganda hides danger of pit bull attacks.
2015 (Apr) - During the first quarter of 2015, municipalities and grassroots stop five state preemption bills barring local breed-specific laws from passing!
2015 (Apr) - J. Thomas Beasley releases book: Misunderstood Nanny Dogs? A Critical and Objective Analysis of the Facts & Myths Concerning Pit Bulls.
2015 (Mar) - In a criminal "law building" case, pit bull owner Brian Hrenko was convicted for failing to properly secure his dog when a visitor arrived.
2015 (Feb) - DogsBite.org releases 2014 fatal dog bite statistics; annual deaths reach highest level ever recorded, off-property attacks surge. See news release.
2015 (Jan) - In the fatal dog mauling death of Malaki Mildward, 7-years old, DogsBite.org research uncovers the true breed of dog: Pit bull-mixes.3
2015 (Jan) - A landmark $72 million jury award was reached in Georgia after the near fatal mauling of 8-year old Erin Ingram, but a judge had to cut it in half.
2015 (Jan) - Just days after the New Year, an adopted pit bull killed its owner in Frederick, Maryland, a "tragic reminder of pit bull ruling," wrote one journalist.
2014 (Dec) - On Christmas Day, a Portage, Indiana man was mauled to death by his pet pit bull of 8-years, sending local and national media into a frenzy.
2014 (Dec) - With the increasing number of fatal dog attacks on Indian Reservations, DogsBite.org launches reservations with breed-specific laws.
2014 (Nov) - The citizens of Aurora voted to keep their pit bull ban by a 64% to 36% margin in the first general election ballot measure of this kind.
2014 (Nov) - The first ever Canine Victims Awareness Week was launched by AVOCA. DogsBite.org and many other victims' advocacy groups participated.

1History of Facebook, Wikipedia and Facebook Declares New Era for Advertising, by Rob Hoff, Bloomberg Business, November 6, 2007 (www.businessweek.com)
2So far in 2015, state preemption bills in six states have failed: Arizona, Georgia (two bills), Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina (two bills) and Washington. Currently, a live state preemption bill is pending in Michigan.
3The Page County sheriff originally described the dogs as 6-month old mixed-breeds with at least "some bulldog."

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day - October 24, 2015

National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day (NPBVAD) - October 24, 2015

Advocacy Website Launches
North America - Over 50 pit bull attack support groups in the United States and Canada have joined in a coalition to launch a new website -- NationalPitBullVictimAwarenessDay.com -- that coincides with the unofficial National Pit Bull Awareness Day, also occurring on the same day. The first national pit bull day event, started by Tennessee-based Bless the Bullys, was launched 8-years ago in October 2007, at approximately the same time DogsBite.org was launched.

The new advocacy website, National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day, was developed to raise awareness of the social and financial costs of pit bull attacks and provides information on the growing epidemic of serious and fatal pit bull maulings across North America. The new website combines statistics and information from multiple sources and is intended to help citizens, policymakers and elected officials quickly understand the scope of this urgent public safety issue.

The new initiative evolved out of the need to amass the growing number of pit bull victim groups into a central online support hub, states the news release. "As the numbers of dead and disfigured by pit bulls continue to increase, our concerns are still not being sufficiently addressed by elected officials," states Jeff Borchardt, founder of Daxton's Friends for Canine Education and Awareness. Borchardt's 14-month-old son was mauled to death by his babysitter's two pit bulls in March 2013.

We invite readers to explore the new advocacy website, which features state-by-state reports of pit bull fatality and bite statistics, breed-specific laws pertaining to many U.S. states and recent pit bull attacks in Canada. The Scope of Issues section addresses why pit bulls are dangerous to people, our families and our pets, why pit bulls are a health and safety threat to communities, and why pit bulls are a tax-payer issue, a police and paramedics issue, a legislation issue and more.

The Articles section contains a collection of excellent recent articles by U.S. and Canadian news publications and writers -- the standouts, those who are willing to state the truth and face the consequences -- and is led chronologically by attorney and author J. Thomas Beasley, editor of Animals 24-7, Merritt Clifton, syndicated columnist Lori Welbourne and National Post columnist and author Barbara Kay, who has been writing pointedly about this issue for a number of years.

Finally, the new website drives in how long -- over three decades now and counting -- victims and communities have been struggling with these issues. During this time, pit bull maulings and fatalities have dramatically increased, along with the ever rising total population of pit bulls. The Scope of Issues caused by pit bulls will also continue to expand until more citizens, policymakers and elected officials understand and support preventative breed-specific legislation solutions.

Partnering organizations for National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day include Daxton's Friends, DogsBite.org, Dangerous by Default, Protect Children from Pit Bulls and Other Dangerous Dogs, a popular Facebook Page, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), BanPitBulls.org and Awareness for Victims of Canine Attack (AVOCA), the organization that launched the first ever Canine Victims Awareness Week last November, headlined with the PSA, "Won’t Back Down."

Hashtags: #NationalPitBullVictimAwarenessDay #WeAreAllVictims

Read: News release in full | Visit the website: National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day

Also explore their extensive meme campaign, and Like and share their Facebook Page.

The chart used in the news release is a subset of the Merritt Clifton report, visually charted by DogsBite.org, along with the Vick overlay. It was created in September 2013, when we compared Pawtucket's pit bull ban results to national statistics. This chart is now updated each year.

DogsBite blog ::

National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day Arrives

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Oklahoma Man Dies After Vicious Attack by Five Pit Bulls

Dog Owner Pleads Guilty; Sentenced to Jail Time

Announcement: Happy Birthday DogsBite.org!

Dog Bite Victims' Advocacy Group Turns 8-Years Old

Coalition of Victims' Groups Announce National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day, Launch Advocacy Website

National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day - October 24, 2015