Posted on September 29, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: 2-Year Old Boy Fatally Attacked by Pit Bull-Mix in West Virginia

Lamarkus Hicks, 2, was killed by a neighbor's chained pit bull-mix.

Photographs of Dog
UPDATE 11/30/15: The family of Lamarkus Hicks provided us photographs of the chained dog that killed Lamarkus taken by the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office after the attack. The dog, named Bubba, was previously described in news reports as a "boxer-mix" and a medium sized brown "mixed-breed." Our research indicates that Bubba was a buckskin pit bull-mix born on July 1, 2014 with three littermates after the mating of a male pit bull-mix and purebred female pit bull.

We were able to piece together the dog's lineage by the many public photos on the dog owners' Facebook pages, Joseph Creamer and Debra Snow. Our PDF about Bubba's lineage walks readers through the basics and shows that the sire, Bad Butts, a pit bull-mix, is where the mix is from. It is a war dog descendant mastiff-type mix. The dam, Lexi, is a purebred brindle pit bull and appears to have been the only female in the household during the period of the July 2014 litter.1

Our research also indicates that Bubba was just shy of 15-months old when it fatally attacked Lamarkus on September 28, 2015, matching the age provided by its owner after the dog was euthanized on October 14.

After seeing the on scene photographs of Bubba, most will agree with our assessment that the dog is a pit bull-mix. Others may want to review our lineage PDF that contains images of the July 2014 litter, the sire, dam and more. Two days after the death of Lamarkus, Creamer agreed to surrender Bubba for euthanasia and Lexi for adoption at the county pound. There was also a 2015 "crop" of new puppies at that time. Lamarkus' family believes they were given away to friends.

Why the "Boxer-Mix" ID?

It was Snow who signed the surrendering documents on September 30. Snow is the one who wrote in the breed descriptor for Bubba, filling in "mixed-breed (m)." A day earlier, another family member who lives at that home was debating on Facebook, "[It was a] pit, It was my family dog." Creamer and Snow, the owners and longtime backyard pit bull breeders, according to neighbors, knew better than anyone the breed heritage of Bubba and also called his sire Bad Butts a pit bull.

We believe the "boxer-mix" ID stemmed from the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office. While it is true that determining breed was not initially relevant to their investigation, it became relevant when media and community members insisted to know, and it is clearly relevant to national statistics. According to the CAD operations report we reviewed, the first 911 call that came in states, "DOG ATTACKED PITBULL 2 YEAR OLD." That call came from the dog owners' next-door neighbor.

© Berkeley County Sheriff's Office - Click photo to see 3-page PDF file with additional images.

10/15/15: No Criminal Charges archived
There will be no criminal charges against the caretakers of a 2-year old boy that was killed by a chained dog in a yard accessible to children. Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely said, "It's just a horrible, horrible tragedy on all sides," and remarked that the death of Lamarkus Hicks was accidental. The cause and manner of death has yet to be released by the medical examiner's office, but evidence indicates the child died due to facial bite injuries.

Games-Neely described the boy's death as occurring when Lamarkus was playing with several other children inside and outside a cluster of neighboring homes and in each other's yards. Somehow the 2-year old slipped away. He was discovered badly injured by the dog's owner in the backyard of the dog owner's home, but authorities did not release how many houses away this was. Games-Neely said that nothing occurred that rises to the level of criminal neglect.

"Everyone thought he was with the other kids (in one of the homes), but he wasn't." - Pamela Games-Neely, Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney

According to the Herald-Mail Media report, the dog's owner also had a pit bull and puppies that were not involved in the deadly attack. The owner surrendered the attacking dog, described alternatively as a "boxer-mix" and a medium sized brown "mixed-breed" in different media reports. It was euthanized Wednesday. He also signed over the pit bull and puppies to animal control for adoption, according to Games-Neely. The owner of the dogs wished to remain anonymous.

What is Not Believable

According to at least two commenters who claimed to know both parties involved, the dog's owner "only had pit bulls," and a third, Laurel Davis, even expressed the dog's owner was "breeding pits." But apparently, it was a 14-month old "boxer-mix" that killed the child. The chaining is believable, but a pit bull breeder with one adult dog and puppies in the home, along with a male young-adult chained boxer-mix outside is not.2 Pit bull breeders by definition breed pit bulls with other pit bulls.

Lastly, in addition to the horrific loss of this child, a lingering community horror will remain for many years. Even within a "cluster of neighboring homes" where children would play together, going in and out of each other's yards and homes, a death trap lay not far away: a chained dog in a yard accessible to children. The previous sense of safety and trust amongst nearby homes in the Baker Heights area is gone for good. No one is to blame, and the child is now buried in the ground.

10/06/15: Obituary is Published archived
On September 28, a 2-year old boy was attacked and killed by a dog after wandering into the owner's unfenced yard near his home. The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office still has not identified the boy. Despite an outpouring of social media posts memorializing the child, no local media released his name after the attack either. Lamarkus Hakeem Hicks died at Children's Hospital in Washington D.C. after being airlifted to the trauma center from a hospital in Martinsburg.

He is survived by his mother Kayla Tucker and other family members.

The degree of insufficient reporting -- or at the very least conflicting -- in combination with very sparse details released by the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, some of which were also conflicting, further compounds this tragedy. On top of this, the breed labeling game was activated, primarily by WHAG-TV. Key commenters, who claim they know both families well and also defend the pit bull breed, state resolutely that the dog involved in the little boy's death is a pit bull.3

Additionally, other commenters chimed in about the dog's owner being a pit bull breeder. On the Herald Mail thread, Laurel Davis alleges, "the neighbor was convicted of animal cruelty and court ordered not to have dogs. But he was violating this restriction and breeding pits. Apparently he had at least 4 and no fence."4 Chelsea Lambert also commented early on that the owner has multiple dogs, "The man only has pitbulls and isn't supposed to have any dogs at all," she wrote.

Let the rumors keep flying? That is an all but certain outcome when authorities do not release consistent information after the dog mauling death of a child. The location of the attack also remains undisclosed, referred to only as the "area of Baker Heights," which is technically part of Kearneysville (population 6,716). Back in late June, there was a significant dogfighting bust in Kearneysville. We estimate the bust was less than 6-miles away from where the boy was killed.

Pit bulls, breeding and dogfighting are hardly new to Kearneysville.

Finally, in the most recent article by The Journal, published on October 1, Lt. Willie Johnson with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department said that the fate of the attacking dog is still unknown, he does not know the breed of the dog, except that it is not pure bred and declined to comment if the dog has since been seized by animal control. Johnson said that the investigation is ongoing and asked that anyone with information about the attack to contact him or the anonymous tip line.

09/30/15: More Questions Raised
As more information is learned about the death of a 2-year old boy, even more questions are being raised. The Journal reports the dog is a "medium-sized brown dog of a mixed breed." Dramatically different property estimates are being made as well, from the boy wandering "about four houses away" from his own home, to "about two houses away" and The Journal reporting that the two properties were actually adjacent and not separated by a fence. These differences are profound.

"Part of the investigation is why didn't anybody know, how did the child get there, and what exactly happened?" - Captain Scott Richmond

In the most recent update by WHAG-TV,5 Captain Scott Richmond with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office explained that the owner of the dog discovered the severely injured child, but authorities do not know at this point how long the child laid there before being discovered. Lt. Willie Johnson stated to The Journal that he had a "list of names" of people who were at the home when the boy wandered into the neighbor's yard, but is withholding their relation to the boy.

So far, the boy's name has not been released nor his caretakers, no address has been released for the boy's residence or where he was found,6 at best debatable information has been released about the chained, attacking dog -- county law does have chaining limitations. Of course the dog's owner has not been named either, after killing a toddler the dog is still being quarantined at the dog owner's home and not even authorities know, apparently, how long the child was missing.

Furthermore, officials are not even sure now if the dog was chained due to conflicting statements!

09/29/15: Dog Kills Young Boy archived
Berkeley County, WV - The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office reports that a 2-year old boy was attacked and killed by his neighbor's dog in the Baker Heights area Monday evening. The preliminary investigation shows that the toddler wandered from his property on Charles Town Road onto the property where the dog was located. The boy was found unresponsive lying near the dog at about 5 pm by the owner of the animal, according to the sheriff's department.

The neighbor's yard is about four houses away from the boy's home, sheriff's department spokesman Lt. Willie Johnson said Tuesday.

The little boy was transported to Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg then airlifted to another medical facility due to the severity of his injuries. The name of the second hospital was not released by the sheriff's office, nor was the identity of the child or the dog's owner. The breed of dog was also not released or whether the animal was chained, penned or loose at the time of the fatal dog attack. No information was provided about the boy's parents or caretakers either.

Late Afternoon Updates

A late afternoon update by WHAG-TV7 reports that the dog was a 2 to 3-year old "boxer-mix." The term is often in quotations by DogsBite.org because a "boxer-mix" is the most common label used by pit bull owners to mislabel their dogs. Another update at 6:12 pm (video only), said the attack occurred in the neighbor's unfenced backyard, the dog was chained at the time of the attack and the child was attacked in the face. It remains unclear who was supervising the boy at the time.

Meanwhile, Chelsea Marie Lambert has been commenting on the Herald Mail thread, stating to people that the attacking dog is a pit bull. "It was a pit bull, my mother's house is in between the house where the babies grandparents live and the yard where the dog was.... The man only has pitbulls and isn't supposed to have any dogs at all," she writes. Then later writes, "Angie Rhodes it was a pitbull they did CPR on the boy on my mother's walkway the neighbor only has pitbulls."

Currently, and unbelievably, the fatally attacking dog is being quarantined at its owner's home.

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

1Even if Bubba was acquired by the household under different circumstances than presented in our lineage PDF, nothing changes the reality of the police photos, which show at the "very least" this dog is a pit bull-mix.
2Presuming anything about this poorly reported fatal dog mauling of a child is a bad idea, but the attacking dog's name was "Bubba," so we assume it was a male dog. Note how the media could not even report the most bottom-of-the-barrel basics? Such as was the dog male or female? (Way beyond scope to ask if it was spay or neutered!)
3Both Chelsea Marie Lambert and Brandon Michael claim to have inside knowledge, both defend the pit bull breed and still say the dog was a pit bull. See more in our Comment section below or The Journal's Facebook post.
4Chasing rumors. The allegation that the dog's owner was previously convicted of animal cruelty may have begun on The Journal's Facebook post published on September 29. The third reply to the first comment is by Melanie Ann Eaton who asks, "Can you please get his prior probation too for animal abuse, from my understanding he was not suppose to have any animals and this dog was living on a chain also which is against our law." Eaton works at Berkeley TNR and Rescue (a cat only rescue), according to her Facebook page. Lambert and Davis also make similar references to the dog owner's past on The Journal and Herald Mail Facebook news post threads.
5These updates by WHAG-TV (print and video) were later pulled by the news group -- it was all taken offline. WHAG-TV later becomes LocalDVM.com of NextStar Media Group, Inc.
6We do have all of this information now -- every last bit of it thanks to the Internet. It is unclear to us why this boy has not yet been identified by sheriff's officials or the local media. As if the boy's photo has not been published on multiple public Facebook pages already? His mother also has a public Instagram page. Baffled and concerned!
6These updates by WHAG-TV (print and video) were later pulled by the news group -- it was all taken offline.

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Dogs Savagely Kill Elderly Woman in Miami-Dade

The American bulldog-mix and main aggressor in attack that killed Carmen Reigada.

New Information
UPDATE 03/30/16: Six months after the horrific, gruesome mauling death of a 91-year old woman by three family dogs, new information has been released, including photographs of the dogs. The medical examiner determined the dogs "defleshed" the face and scalp of Carmen Reigada. She died due to dog bites to the head, neck and extremities. Since her death, her great-grandson, Christopher Cifuentes who owns the dogs, has been fighting to have the animals returned to him.

"The skin of the scalp and most of the face is absent." - Medical examiner

The investigative report by WSVN is graphic, showing the bloody aftermath of the attack. The report also shows how truly revolting and dangerous the owners of dangerous dogs are, her great-grandson Cifuentes. Despite dental records showing that all three dogs participated in the lethal attack, Cifuentes still sought to have two of the dogs returned to him. He eventually agreed to surrender the primary attacker, an American bulldog-mix found covered in blood, for euthanasia.

During the Dangerous Dog hearing, Miami-Dade County officials held their ground. "All three dogs that were confiscated from this home were, in fact, part of the attack and involved in creating these marks on Ms. Reigada's body," assistant county attorney Sabrina Levin said. "It just merely would be shocking to allow these animals to go on and risk the possibility that something like this could happen again. It's so severe, it's so graphic." The hearing officer fully agreed with the county.

Christopher Cifuentes, the dangerous owner of these dogs has until mid-April to appeal the ruling.

Watch: Closing arguments of the Dangerous Dog appeal hearing for these three dogs

10/08/15: Autopsy: Killed by Dogs
A detailed autopsy report shows that a 91-year old woman was savagely attacked in the face and scalp by up to two family dogs in her home on September 22. The medical examiner found that Carmen Reigada had a defleshed face and scalp, as well as multiple puncture wounds of the neck.1 For unknown reasons, Miami-Dade Animal Services now excludes the Rhodesian ridgeback and only implicates the other two family dogs: an American bulldog-mix and "lab-mix."

Recall the first breed was formerly only called an "American bulldog."

NBC Miami has apparently only gained the autopsy report thus far. Other news organizations will eventually follow, along with hopefully a richer examination of events that occurred on September 22. No images or video footage of the two suspected dogs have surfaced so far. It is a guessing game at this point how many different breed names Miami-Dade Animal Services will use to describe the two dogs that in all likelihood fall within a very convincing pit bull-mix category.

Read the full autopsy report by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department

09/23/15: Dogs Belonged to Grandson
Police continue to investigate the mauling death of an elderly woman. Carmen Reigada, 91-years old, was discovered unresponsive inside her home Tuesday with dog bite injuries on her head and face. Miami-Dade Animal Services seized three dogs that resided at the home. It is unknown how many of the canines participated in the attack. Carmen lived in the home with her son and other family members. Neighbors told WSVN that the dogs belonged to the victim's grandson.

News media captured footage of the Rhodesian ridgeback being loaded into the animal control van, but no photos or video footage have emerged about the two other dogs, an American bulldog and "lab-mix." Neighbors were saddened to learn about her death. One, who was unidentified, said, "Very sweet lady. What can I tell you, this is something very bad," she said. "The dogs, you know, know the lady, so I really don't know why that happened." The investigation continues.

09/22/15: Elderly Woman Dies After Dog Attack
Miami-Dade County, FL - A 91-year old woman was mauled to death by up to three family dogs Tuesday afternoon. The fatal dog attack occurred at her home in the 9400 block of Southwest 18th Terrace, according to Miami-Dade police. Carmen Reigada was transported to Kendall Regional Medical Center, where she later died. Miami-Dade Animal Services has so far identified the dogs as an American bulldog, a Rhodesian ridgeback and a "lab-mix." Police continue to investigate.2

Last year, after a little boy was savagely killed by a pit bull and pit bull-mixes, Miami-Dade Animal Services played the breed labeling game. Only the primary culprit was designated a pit bull, the other 5 dogs were labeled in four different ways during the breed labeling game: labrador-pit bull mixes, terrier-boxer mixes, American bulldog-lab mixes and terrier-mixes. Miami-Dade County has banned pit bulls since 1989. In August 2012, voters upheld the ban by a 63% to 37% margin.

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

1More about facial and scalp mutilation and defleshing injuries by dogs: Extensive and mutilating craniofacial trauma involving defleshing and decapitation: unusual features of fatal dog attacks in the young, by Tsokos M, Byard RW, Püschel K., The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 2007 Jun;28(2):131-6.
2Earlier news reports did express that authorities were still unsure how she died, but by midnight Central Time, WSVN clearly stated that she died due to a dog attack. Local 10 has a photo of one of the dogs, which appears to be the ridgeback. Also, it seems unclear at this stage how many of the dogs were involved in the attack.

08/24/15: Collection of Pit Bull Scalp Attack Victims - DogsBite.org
03/02/15: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Visiting Child Killed by Family Pit Bulls in Miami-Dade County
08/16/12: Vote in Miami-Dade County to Repeal Pit Bull Ban Fails by Wide Margin
03/12/12: Attempt to Overturn Miami-Dade Pit Bull Ban Advances: 'Don't They Know?'

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Man, Injure Woman in North Shore, California

Emilio Rios Sr. was fatally attacked by two pit bulls in North Shore, California.

Attack Reignites Alarm
UPDATE 9/10/15: On Tuesday, Emilio Rios, 65, was savagely killed by two pit bulls in North Shore, an unincorporated community in Riverside County. The dogs also attacked a woman who came to his aid. John Welsh, a spokesman for county animal services, said, "Remember the old days when the pioneers came and had to worry about wolves? We are not in those days anymore. A person should not have to worry about perishing from an attack by an animal," he said.

Not just an "attack by an animal" mind you. A crushing fatal attack by a domesticated dog breed selectively bred to fight to the death in a pit.

Thanks to dogfighters, out-of-control pit bull breeding and out-of-control pit bull "rescuing" and adoptions by out-of-control "humane" groups, a person does have to worry about perishing or being permanently maimed in a violent pit bull attack today. If you have not seen the images of what happened in New York recently, you should. After a man blasted a bullet into a pit bull's head that was latched onto a man's face, it took several minutes for the pit bull to release its jaws.

We point out these disturbing images because this is what a savage pit bull attack scene looks like. In the case of New York, the dog was shot to death. What do you think the scene looked like when sheriff's deputies found Emilio brutalized and dead and the female victim screaming while being actively attacked by the two pit bulls? It was a violent, horrific crime scene in North Shore; the same kind that has accompanied pit bull attacks for over a hundred years in this country.

Legislation Follows Violent Attacks

In addition to using hard-hitting quotes by Welsh, the Press Enterprise provides a brief history of Riverside County and adjacent San Bernardino County, which is the largest county in the U.S. in square miles. In 2010, after four people were killed by pit bulls in a 5-year period, San Bernardino County adopted a mandatory pit bull spay and neuter ordinance affecting all unincorporated areas. Since this time, pit bull admissions and euthanasia of pit bulls has been cut by more than half.

In fiscal year 2009-10, right before the measure was passed, the county reported 2,066 pit bull admissions. Wert said 77 percent of them were put down.

“Since the ordinance went into effect, the admission and euthanasia rates for pit bulls have steadily decreased,” he said in an email note. “In fiscal year 2014-15, we had 1,037 pit bull admissions, 31 percent of which had to be euthanized.” - David Wert, San Bernardino County spokesman

In 2013, Riverside County adopted a similar law for unincorporated areas. Back when county officials debated the issue, they did so honestly as well. The primary public safety issue with mandatory pit bull sterilization is to drastically decrease roaming pit bulls, which sterilization does reduce, and to lower the overall number of unwanted pit bulls in a community. The two dogs involved in the fatal attack of Emilio were male, one had been neutered, and the other had not.

We’ve always preached that it (mandatory sterilization) is one step closer to a safer community. But it doesn’t solve all problems.” - John Welsh

Welsh is exactly right. A mandatory pit bull sterilization law is the very least a municipality can do to help protect its citizens and reign in pit bull-related shelter issues. As pointed out by Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit, both jurisdictions have already done as much as they can legislatively. In California, local governments can regulate "specific breeds" with sterilization laws, but state law bars jurisdictions from declaring a specific breed "potentially dangerous" or "vicious."

09/09/15: Coroner Releases Age
Fatal dog mauling victim Emilio Rios Sr. was 65-years old, according to a coroner's office news release. When deputies arrived to the scene at about 6:15 am Tuesday, Rios was found dead and two dogs described as pit bulls were actively attacking a woman. Officers responded to the woman in their vehicle with lights and sirens on, causing the dogs to flee. The woman was taken to a local hospital. Animal control captured both dogs and photographs have been released to the media.

KMIR reports that family members say that Emilio was watering plants at the home where the dogs fatally attacked him. Luisa Rodriguez, who tried to help him, was walking out of her house when the same dogs attacked her. She is currently hospitalized recovering from serious injuries to her arm. KESQ reports that both dogs were located at a nearby residence. One of the pit bulls was so aggressive toward animal control that it had to be tranquilized, according to sheriff's officials.

Authorities have not released information about the dogs' owner. In the KMIR video, Luisa's daughter said that Emilio is her relative and both dogs belong to her neighbors. "The dogs belong to our neighbors, they coincidentally probably jumped (the fence) or they slipped through when the neighbors left to work," Michelle Rodriguez said. Despite locating the dogs at a "residence" and Michelle's account, county officials are telling the public to be "extra careful with stray dogs."

09/08/15: Dogs Fatally Attack Man
North Shore, CA - A dog attack this morning left one man dead and a woman seriously injured. The attack occurred in the unincorporated community of North Shore near Salton Sea. Deputies were dispatched to a location near Seagull and Dolphin Drives at about 6:15 am, according to Riverside County sheriff's officials. The victims have been identified as Emilio Rios Sr. and Luisa Rodriguez. The woman was transported to a local hospital to receive treatment for her injuries.

The two suspected dogs appear to be pit bulls, according to sheriff's officials. Animal control officers seized both dogs. So far the dogs' owners have not been named or located. John Welsh, a spokesperson for Riverside County animal services, said today's death is the third fatal dog attack he can recall during his 9-year tenure with the department. Since December 19, 2008 (7-years), data from DogsBite.org shows there have been seven fatal dog attacks in Riverside County.

Riverside County Fatal Dog Attacks

2008: Gerald Adelmund, 60-years old (Rubidoux, CA)
Mauled to death by his son's two pit bulls
2009: Hill Andrew Williams, 38-years old (Rancho Mirage, CA)
Mauled to death by his fiancée's two Italian mastiffs
2010: Christina Casey, 53-years old (Moreno Valley, CA)
Mauled to death by her neighbor's two pit bull-mixes
2010: Edward Mitchelle, 67-years old (Murrieta, CA)
Mauled to death by his nephew's pit bull
2013: Elsie Grace, 91-years old (Hemet, CA)
Mauled to death by her son's two pit bulls
2014: Annabell Martin, 89-years old (Corona, CA)
Mauled to death by her grandson's three rottweilers
2015: Emilio Rios Sr., 65-years old (North Shore, CA)
Mauled to death by two pit bull-mixes

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

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

Announcement: DogsBite.org Releases New FAQ about Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL)

An analysis of 860 cities with breed-specific laws showed that pit bulls were named in 100% of these ordinances, followed in distant second by rottweilers, named in just 7%.

Breed-Specific Legislation FAQ
DogsBite.org - Today we release our Breed-Specific Legislation FAQ that will empower advocates and city officials who support breed-specific laws. The FAQ drills down into the effectiveness of these ordinances, which breeds are involved and the three most common types of ordinances. The FAQ provides examples for each ordinance type, jurisdictions that achieved strong results and highlights the public support for pit bull ban ordinances by reviewing two recent election results.

Full news release: Dog Bite Victims' Group Releases FAQ about Breed-Specific Legislation

The FAQ answers many questions, but we call to attention the "alleged" high cost of enforcing BSL. This part of the FAQ destroys the online BSL calculator created by former tobacco economist John Dunham and hawked by Utah-based fighting dog advocates Best Friends Animal Society. The sham BSL calculator was funded by the National Canine Research Council,1 a subsidiary of Animal Farm Foundation. Both are owned and operated by extreme pit bull promoter Jane Berkey.

The FAQ shows that the sham BSL calculator's estimate to enforce a county pit bull ban is an exaggeration by almost two orders of magnitude.

Back in February 2012, when Miami-Dade County was debating the issue of placing the pit bull ban on the primary ballot, pit bull defender Dalia Caines testified to committee members that, "taxpayers paid $3 million annually to enforce the ban on pit bulls." In response, Animal Services director Alex Munoz told committee members that $3 million was more than the department's entire budget for enforcement and that pit bulls accounted for 2% of the enforcement costs.

The FAQ breaks this down for readers by examining the 2011-2012 Miami-Dade County Animal Services budget.2 The total budget for the department during the period was $9.36 million. The total budget for Code Enforcement was $2.3 million. Director Munoz stated that pit bulls accounted for 2% of total enforcement costs, which equates to just over $46,000. The BSL calculator, which claimed the ban cost taxpayers $3 million, is an exaggeration by almost two orders of magnitude.

John Dunham "Calculators"

Dunham is known for the "calculators" he designs for his clients -- primarily lobbyists, industry trade associations and at least one candidate.3 The sham BSL calculator exaggerated the actual cost by a whopping factor of 65. Dunham's calculators and "economic research" studies have been scrutinized by the media before, even his feral cat calculator was (which vanished in 2012),4 but the media has never questioned the sham BSL calculator. They just print its spurious results.5

We urgently call on advocates to spread this information and to criticize publications and reporters who blindly print the calculator's bogus results.

Other Sections of the BSL FAQ

The breed-specific legislation FAQ discusses the history of BSL and how long these laws have been targeting fighting dogs -- since the late 1800s. The FAQ provides evidence of "bulldog" ordinances from 1896 to 1912, along with an 1897 woodcut illustration published in The San Francisco Call of a policeman "strangling a savage bulldog into releasing his hold" of a child. The FAQ reminds readers that attacks by pit bulls back then were just as horrific as they are now.

The FAQ discusses the constitutionality of breed-specific laws and why well-written ordinances have a 100% success rate when under constitutional scrutiny. The FAQ also dismantles several untruths about constitutional issues, often voiced by oppositional groups. Lastly, the BSL FAQ touches on state-preemption anti-BSL laws, as we first examined in our April report, and the primary driving forces behind them -- Best Friends Animal Society and dog breeder interests.

Download: The Breed-Specific Legislation FAQ is also available as a PDF, download now!

Full news release: Dog Bite Victims' Group Releases FAQ about Breed-Specific Legislation

1The BSL Fiscal Impact Calculator, released in May 2009, was commissioned by Best Friends Animal Society and funded by the National Canine Research Council.
2FY 2011-12 Adopted Budget and Multi-Year Capital Plan, by Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department.
3Other Dunham calculator examples: U.S. Egg Producers, National Chicken Council and American Meat Institute.
4The feral cat calculator, released in March 2010, was commission by Best Friends Animal Society and funded by PetSmart Charities. By September 2012, it had been removed from the web, apparently for good. In a Facebook post by Shadow Cats, the person asks, "Anyone have the right link to what used to be this "Trap, Neuter and Return Cost Savings Calculator" I cant find it and I need it asap. anyone?"

Janice Dankert, Best Friends' Community Cat program supervisor, responded by saying, "Unfortunately, the BF calculator has been having a lot of issues lately and we've had to take it down. At this time, we don't know if or when it'll get fixed. Sorry." Then Dankert added, "[The calculator] is a great benefit, if it's providing accurate information. Unfortunately, it wasn't always which can be more detrimental to our mission."
5It is also noteworthy that a Huffington Post blogger called out John Dunham's tobacco roots in February 2014, after he was invited to speak at a for-profit college companies' trade association event. In the very same month, writer Arin Greenwood of the Huffington Post -- who frequently pens pro-pit bull pieces for the organization -- willfully pushed bogus results from the sham BSL calculator to bolster the Huffpo's staggering pro-pit bull stance. Greenwood leaves out John Dunham's name.

"Best Friends also emphasizes the cost of enforcing anti-pit bull bans; the group commissioned an economist to put together a tool that calculates the costs by city. And here's a sample calculation: In Baltimore, there's an estimated 151,105 dogs, of which 10,918 are assumed pit bull type dogs. The costs associated with enforcing laws against pit bull ownership would be $992,606 per year." - Arin Greenwood, Huffington Post, citing John Dunham's calculator results

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