Posted on September 27, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: 5-Year Old Boy Killed by Pit Bull in Baker County, Oregon

A memorial held for Jordan Ryan near his kindergarten building.

No Criminal Charges
UPDATE 10/17/13: It was reported today in the Baker City Herald that a Baker County grand jury declined to indict Mary Lane, the owner of the pit bull that brutally mauled to death 5-year old Jordan Ryan on September 27. District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff announced the grand jury's decision Thursday morning. According to a press release from Shirtcliff's office, the grand jury "reviewed the case and has determined that there is insufficient evidence to support criminal charges."

Baker City Police investigated the background of the pit bull, which Lane had owned for about a month and a half before the deadly attack. Police did not find any evidence the dog had acted aggressively "toward people."1 Lane acquired the dog from an unnamed John Day resident, previous news reports called the animal a "rescue pit." Neither the previous owner nor other John Day residents who had been around the dog, had seen it act aggressively, according to police.

"Our community has responded well and hopefully this tragedy will continue to raise awareness about the need to be vigilant about safety related to dogs with aggressive genetic tendencies." - Matt Shirtcliff

No mention was made in the article if Lane's household had one or two pit bulls (or more). Back when we posted the 10/08/13 update -- to shake the tree and see if any nuts fall out -- there was another photo of Bentley from July 29 playing tug-of-war with another large dog. This photo has since been removed from the Pitbulls of Oregon Facebook group, possibly because it is not too glamorizing. At this time, we do not know if Bentley or "Taz" is the culprit in the deadly attack.

On Friday, DogsBite.org will submit questions to the district attorney's office to clarify this issue.

10/11/13: Mother Speaks Out
On Thursday, Michelle Ryan, the mother of Jordan Ryan, spoke to KTVB. She said she brought her three children over to a friend's house that morning who volunteered to watch them while she was at work. While the two moms were chatting in the kitchen, one of her children ran in and alerted them to the attack. Ryan said someone screamed for her to call 911. While on the phone with the 911 operator, she rushed to the back door and saw her 5-year old son badly injured.

Paramedics lost Jordan Ryan's heartbeat on the way to the hospital.

Michelle Ryan said she has taken her children over to the woman's house before and never had a problem, however, she said she did not know her friend had "recently adopted a new pit bull." Ryan said the "worst case scenario did come true." She said she does not know how she will "pick up the pieces and put on a face to where people can think that I'm okay even though I'm dying inside." Ryan told KTVB the case is still under investigation and she has not heard from police.

On Friday, the Baker City Herald published an editorial piece (City action on pit bulls is necessary), as well as an update regarding possible criminal charges. District Attorney Matt Chirtcliff said he expects to decide next week whether to file criminal charges in connection to the death of Jordan Ryan. The Record-Courier published an article about the most recent Baker County Council meeting that formed a committee to research the "pit bull" and dangerous dog issue further.

10/09/13: A Second Pit Bull?
Commenter Sylvanna Martin of Baker City2 left several messages at DogsBite tonight providing information that may or may not be true, we have no way to verify. Given the disturbing "hush hush" about the violent pit bull mauling death of Jordan Ryan by police authorities and parents of children at Ryan's school, -- Where is the outrage? -- we dove into Facebook and undertook the detective work we could. Our main objective: Shake the tree and see if any nuts fall out.

Sylvanna Martin proved to be an interesting nut.

Martin claims that Bentley the pit bull (posted in photos below) is not the attacking pit bull. She wrote in part, "The pit you have pictured is one the family has had since a puppy and would easily pass a Canine Good Citizen test! He is well mannered and socialized, the exact opposite of the culprit. The pit responsible for this terrible incident and put down, was named Taz..." It gets better too; Martin apparently does not understand the concept of "moderated comments" on a blog.

In Martin's first attempt to leave a comment, she reveals more: "The pit that was put down and responsible for this accident was named Taz and was a black and white pit bull!!! She didn't even have him long enough to get pictures of him!" If this is true, Martin doesn't realize that this is exactly the nut we hoped would fall out of the tree: Information directly damning the pit bull rescue group that placed Taz out. "She didn't even have him long enough to get pictures of him!"

Martin successfully upped the ante against the still unnamed pit bull rescue group and did not do the owner or keeper of the pit bull, Mary Lane, any favors either. The following statement implies that people knew Taz was dangerous and certainly should not have ever been in the vicinity of children -- there were possibly up to 8 children3 at Lane's home that Friday morning: "He is well mannered and socialized, the exact opposite of the culprit." Thanks for the share Martin!

The father of Daxton Borchardt is following this attack on his new Tumblr blog, Father of Dax.

10/09/13: Culprit is a "Rescue" Pit
KTVB.com reported a follow up story on Tuesday and interviewed Autumn Brooks, a friend of Jordan Ryan's family and the owner of the pit bull, Mary Lane. Brooks said the pit bull involved in the attack was from a rescue program, but did not name the program. To reiterate, approximately a 10-month old pit bull placed into a home with five children killed a young boy visiting the home on September 27. Police authorities still have not released many details about the deadly attack.

A memorial service was held for Jordan Ryan on Tuesday in Baker City. Friends and family set up a GoFundMe page to help the boy's family pay for funeral costs. Penny Pankey states in the About area: "Jordan left his family and friends in a very cruel, horrifying attack on this Friday morning as he was playing in the babysitter’s yard with his 2 siblings. A 'Rescue' Pit Bull mauled him to death." Pankey added that the funeral costs are $3,600 and must be paid in 30-days.

Jordan left his family and friends in a very cruel, horrifying attack on this Friday morning as he was playing in the babysitter’s yard with his 2 siblings. A “Rescue” Pit Bull mauled him to death. His mother and siblings, along with the babysitter and others, hearing their screams ran to the yard, to witness Jordan near death. He died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Jordan’s family had just moved from Montana to Baker City Oregon to be close to family again.... Michelle, Jordan’s mother had started her old job back at the hospital. This event has caused an extreme financial hardship on this family ... Read full post

10/08/13: Suspected Killer Pit Bull
According to Mary Lane, the owner of the dog that killed a 5-year old boy last Friday, her pit bull named Bentley is under 1-year of age. In photos posted from September of this year, Bentley was only 9-months old. Lane posted the photos to the open Facebook group Pitbulls of Oregon. Her male pit bull is unleashed in what appears to be a public park or lake area playing with some of Lane's five children. "Love this boy!" and "My Bentley!" Lane exudes about her beloved pit bull.

This seemingly family-loving young pit bull brutally mauled to death an innocent boy staying at Mary Lane's home about 2-weeks later. How does Lane feel now? Why has only one media outlet even reported her name? There's more to Lane of course, her two favorite TV shows, according to her Facebook page are: Pit Bulls and Parolees and Pit Boss. Various page "Likes" include: Loyal Pit Bull Fans, Pitbull Lovers, I Love Pit Bulls, Pit Bulls and Itty Pitties -- readers get the picture.

Clearly, Lane believed the appalling disinformation about this dog breed and now a child is dead.

10/05/13: Owner of Pit Bull Named
The Record-Courier, a weekly in the county, reported on Saturday that Jordan Ryan was mauled to death by a pit bull at the home of Mary Lane of 1947 14th Street in Baker City. Grief-counseling services for teachers and students were provided by the Baker City School District in the days following the boy's death. The school district also sent a letter to parents with condolences to the Ryan family and all of those affected by his death and explained their crisis response actions.

On Friday, the Baker City Herald published two editorials by area residents, each demanding that the community ban pit bulls. Steve Culley was alarmed that, "There doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming outrage over the pit bull death of a young boy." Raymond Reinks points out the inexcusable "comments in defense of the breed" after the death of a child and "no expression of remorse," both extreme breed advocacy traits explained in Essay of a Fatal Pit Bull Mauling.

09/30/13: Residents Mourn Victim
On Sunday night, about 150 residents gathered in Baker City to remember 5-year old Jordan Ryan who was struck down by a pit bull on Friday, September 27. The group released a bundle of bright balloons into the darkening sky. Children were heard echoing, "Bye Jordan," as they floated upward. After they disappeared into the night, someone began singing Amazing Grace and everyone else joined in. The gathering was held outside of the kindergarten that Jordan attended.

“We have the memories,” said Hank King, Jordan’s great-grandfather.

King led the group in prayer and comforted the boy’s grieving father, Nathan Craig, his own grandson. Jordan’s mother, Michelle Ryan, also attended the memorial. It was a cold, wet night. A small tent was set up to allow close relatives a place to grieve, sheltered from the rain, and to keep a table with the boy's photo surrounded by candles dry. Next the to tent was a red fence that served as a memory wall, where people hung flowers, stuffed animals, balloons and ribbons.

Boy "Suffered Extensive Injuries"

In a statement released today, District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff said the boy "suffered extensive injuries, which caused him to bleed to death" after being attacked by a pit bull on Friday in the 1900 block of 14th street. "As a result of the incident the dog will be euthanized," states the release. After the police investigation is complete, "I will review the case for potential criminal charges, or determine whether the case needs to be presented to the grand jury,” stated Shirtcliff.

09/28/13: Mauling Victim Identified
Baker City police have released the name of a young boy mauled to death by a pit bull in Baker City on Friday. Jordan Michael Ryan, 5, of Baker City was at a friend’s residence between 9 am and 10 am when the fatal pit bull attack occurred, Police Chief Wyn Lohner said Saturday. Lohner said he anticipates more information to be available about the fatal dog mauling on Monday. A memorial will be held Sunday night for Jordan in front of the kindergarten he attended.

09/28/13: Child was Being Babysat
New information has been reported about the most recent pit bull fatality in Baker City. School Superintendent Walt Wegener confirmed that a dog attack took the kindergartner's life on Friday. "He was dropped off for babysitting and ended up being taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead in the middle of the morning," Wegener said. The school district has a four-days a week schedule for students, which is why the child was with a babysitter on Friday.

Though Baker City police haven't released many details about the fatal attack, they did say the attack occurred at a home in the city (not the child's) and a pit bull was involved. The sheriff's office also told KTVB that the dog was impounded after the attack. Wegener believes police will release more information to the media "whenever police are ready." Wegener said that school staff members have been notified and counselors will be ready at the schools on Monday.

2013 Fatal Dog Attack Scenarios

Last year was the first year that we began tracking the combined category of dog bite fatality victims that were visiting or living temporarily with the dog's owner when the fatal attack occurred.4 In 2012, 32% of all fatality victims fell within this scenario. Children 8-years and younger made up 75% of these deaths. So far in 2013, 43% of all fatality victims fall within this scenario. Children 8-years and younger make up 80% of these deaths; pit bulls inflicted 90% of these deaths.5

09/27/13: Boy, 5, Killed by a Pit Bull
Baker, OR - The Baker City Herald reported tonight that a 5-year old boy died after being attacked by a pit bull this morning, according to District Attorney Matt Shirtclift. "The dog is in custody and is no further threat at this time," said Police Chief Wyn Lohner. The attack did not occur at the child's home, according to the article. The investigation into the most recent U.S. fatal pit bull mauling is continuing. The names of the deceased child and the dog's owner have not been released.

2013 Fatal Dog Attack Statistics

September 27, 2013 marks the third U.S. pit bull fatality in the last five days. On September 22, a 2-year old boy was killed by his babysitter's pit bulls in Gilbert, Arizona. The following day, 2-year old Samuel Zamudio was killed by a group of pit bulls owned by his grandmother while being babysat at her home in Colton, California. Of the 23 fatal dog attacks so far this year, pit bulls and their mixes are responsible for 83%, a sharp increase from the combined 8-year total of 60%.

1"Toward people" is not quoted in the Baker City Herald article, thus we do not believe it was part of the actual news release. Rather it was the writer's translation. DogsBite.org will request a copy of the district attorney's news release on Friday.
2It appears Sylvanna Martin is a boxer breeder (LJK boxers) in Baker City and a Facebook friend of Mary Lane.
3The owner of the dog, Mary Lane has five children. The GoFundMe memorial campaign stated that Jordan and his two siblings were "playing" at her residence at the time of the fatal attack.
4Prior to this, two categories were tracked: 1.) attacks involving a "watcher," such as a grandparent or babysitter watching the child and 2.) attacks occurring within two months of the person or dog being new to the household.
5We continue to track both scenarios. So far in 2013, 27% of all fatality victims involved a "watcher" scenario, primarily by babysitters, all victims were children 8-years and younger.

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

Photo: kboi2.com and Baker City Herald

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: 2-Year Old Boy Killed by Relative’s Pit Bulls in Colton

Uncle Pleads Not Guilty
UPDATE 09/25/13: The uncle of a 2-year old boy mauled to death by up to five pit bulls pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of child endangerment. Marco Antonio Zamudio, 23, was charged with one felony count of willful cruelty of a child resulting in the death of Samuel Zamudio. Prosecutors declined to file charges against the boy's grandmother, Eustulia Zamudio, 42, because of insufficient evidence, according to the San Bernardino County district attorney's office.

Samuel's ravaged body was found Monday evening in the backyard of his grandmother's home. The boy was rushed to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Press-Enterprise blog reports that prosecutors did not charge Eustulia because it appeared she was at work at the time of the attack, according to district attorney’s spokesman Christopher Lee. Marco Zamudio was also charged with a parole violation for a 2009 Orange County robbery.

09/24/13: Updates and Clarifications
The Los Angeles Times reports that the grandmother and uncle of 2-year old Samuel Zamudio could eventually be charged with murder. On Tuesday, both were arrested on suspicion of child endangerment resulting in death after Samuel was mauled to death by up to five pit bull-mix dogs in the backyard of his grandmother's home. His uncle, Marco Zamudio, was responsible for taking care of Samuel at the time. His grandmother owns the home and the attacking pit bulls.1

The woman who spoke anonymously in earlier news reports is Erica Vega, who was the future godmother of Samuel and also lives at his grandmother's home. Relatives and neighbors continue to speculate that the boy crawled out of his window or the dogs snatched him from his window. Colton police officials have not verified either scenario. Vega said that family members searched for the boy for about 20 to 30 minutes before finding him severely injured in the backyard.

San Bernardino city animal control officers seized five adult pit bull-mix dogs on Monday and three puppies. According to Vega, there were at least 10 dogs at the home. KTLA.com reported that all five suspected culprits were euthanized on Tuesday and are slated to undergo a necropsy, according to Colton police Detective Raymond Mendez. Eusulia Zamudio2 and Marco Zamudio3 are being held on $100,000 bail. Their arraignment hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

09/24/13: Relatives Arrested in Boy's Death
Colton, CA – Police reported Monday night that a 2-year old boy was killed by up to five pit bull-mixes in Colton. The attack occurred about 5:30 pm at a home in the 700 block of West Citrus Street. The boy was "suffering from extensive wounds to the upper body," according to a police statement released Monday night. He was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:07 pm, according to San Bernardino County Coroner’s officials.

A woman who rents a room from the boy’s grandmother told abc7.com, “It was ugly. His face was all eaten up. He was eaten from the face. He had no clothes.” She said the boy’s grandmother and uncle were babysitting the boy, along with his older brother and her two children. A neighbor said he believes the boy “jumped out of the window, I’m guessing to play with the dogs.” The woman said she was horrified when she saw the boy lying in the backyard after being attacked.

On Tuesday, police arrested two relatives of 2-year old Samuel Eli Zamudio. Eusulia Zamudio, 42, and Marco Zamudio, 23, the grandmother and uncle of the boy, were booked into West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of assault resulting in the death of a child younger than 8-years old. “It’s what we typically use when we have horrific child abuse cases,” Colton police Detective Ray Mendez said. The dogs are being quarantined at the San Bernardino city animal shelter.

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

1News reports initially stated that the uncle owned the dogs.
2Her name has also been spelled Eustulia and Eustolia.
3An NBC Los Angeles video reports that Marco has an extensive criminal past.

Photo: CBS Los Angeles

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Boy Killed by Pit Bull-Mixes at Babysitter's Home in Gilbert

One of the attacking pit bulls in quarantine; animal control seizing the dogs.

Daniel Jackson Teubner
UPDATE 09/24/15: On September 24, 2015, almost exactly two years after this little boy's death, his name was revealed as Daniel Jackson Teubner by Daxton's Friends for Canine Education and Awareness. Up until this point, the little boy had only been known as Daniel "Doe." Daniel Teubner was mauled to death by his babysitter's three pit bulls on September 22, 2013. Authorities never released his last name. The post at Daxton's Friends sheds light on possible reasons why.

09/24/13: Pit Bulls Euthanized
The three pit bulls that killed a 2-year old boy on Sunday have been euthanized, according to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control. The dogs viciously attacked the child and their owner, the child's babysitter, on September 22 in Gilbert. The babysitter is still hospitalized from her injuries and told the field supervisor that she understands the severity of the situation and the unpredictable temperament of her dogs. She agreed to surrender her animals to be euthanized.

Melissa Gable of Maricopa County Animal Care and Control said that a fourth dog was not put down. "This dog was the mother of the three other pit bulls and according to the owner, was not involved in the incident," Gable said. "That dog came to the shelter spayed and will obviously not have any more puppies."1 At the time of the attack, Czerniski was also babysitting four of the victim's siblings, ranging from 6 to 9-years old. None of the other children were harmed.

09/23/13: 911 Call After Attack
The babysitter continues to recover in the hospital after being attacked by her own dogs. 28-year old Lara Czerniski made the frantic 911 call from her Gilbert home just after 11:00 am. She told the dispatcher the 2-year old boy she was babysitting was bleeding badly after her dogs attacked him. When asked if he was still breathing, Czerniski said, "Barely." She also told the dispatcher that, "His lips are turning blue." The boy, named Daniel, did not survive the injuries inflicted by her dogs.

Daniel's aunt, Tinamarie Tardiolo, told Fox 10 News that Czerniski had babysat for the family for about 10-years, but watched the children mainly at their home in Mesa. She said that all five children had special needs. "My sister and brother-in-law have very big hearts, they adopted these 5 children all with special needs," Tardiolo said. "Each one of them is so beautiful, they came from troubled homes, she welcomed them into her house and she has done a fantastic job with them."

Gilbert police are still waiting to talk to Czerniski about what happened on Sunday.

09/22/13: Boy Killed by Pit Bulls
Gilbert, AZ - A 2-year old boy was killed by up to three pit bull-mixes at his babysitter's home on Sunday. The dogs had apparently been fighting when the little boy intervened. The toddler was declared dead at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center after the 11:11 am attack. The babysitter also suffered injuries trying to break up the fight, according to Gilbert police Sgt. Jesse Sanger. She was transported by ground to a hospital in Scottsdale and underwent surgery for her injuries.

Police have been unable to interview the babysitter as of Sunday afternoon and were awaiting warrants to enter her home, Sanger said. The woman, 28, had been babysitting five children at the time of the attack. There were two boys and girls, each under the age of 10, also in the home when the attack began, but were uninjured, Sanger said. The babysitter had cared for the children before. Gilbert police have not released the name of the babysitter or the deceased child.

Babysitting Fatal Dog Attack Scenarios 2013

Of the 21 fatal dog attacks so far this year, 19% involve "babysitting" scenarios. The first was a reverse scenario. Betty Todd was killed by her son's pit bull in January while babysitting his three children in Hodges, SC. The eldest child was able to "evacuate" her siblings from the home. In March, Daxton Borchardt was killed by his babysitter's two pit bulls in Walworth, WI (See: Essay of a Fatal Pit Bull Mauling). In April, Jordyn Arndt was killed by her babysitter's pit bull in Iowa.

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

1Twilight Zone. The mother spawned the maulers.

Photo: Azfamily.com and Azcentral.com

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

Dramatic Decline in Attacks by Pit Bulls Since Pawtucket Adopted Pit Bull Ban in 2004

Bites Drop Dramatically
Pawtucket, RI - The Valley Breeze recently published over 13-years of pit bull bite data showing the long-term success of Pawtucket's 2004 pit bull ban. The Breeze gained the data through an open records request to the Pawtucket Police Department and Pawtucket Animal Control. After enforcement of the ban began in 2004, attacks inflicted by pit bulls on people and pets in the city quickly plunged into scarcity. Citizens and their pets enjoy this same scarcity of attacks today.

In the 4-years leading up to the ban, there were 52 instances of attacks on people. In the 10-years after the ban, there were only 13.1

John Holmes, Pawtucket's veteran animal control officer and proponent of the ban, said the numbers before and after the pit bull ban "speak for themselves." Holmes added that the last serious attack in Pawtucket was the day the bill was approved by the General Assembly, which was June 9, 2004 according to the legislative body's website.2 Residents have been safer because of the ban, he said. "Public safety has always been the issue," Holmes said.

Charting and Analyzing the Results

To look more closely at the data, DogsBite.org charted it visually and separated out 4-year blocks for comparison. Table 1 shows the immediate impact of the ban after it came into enforcement and how this impact continues today. All over the country -- in jurisdictions that do not regulate this breed -- severe pit bull attacks are rising, specifically since 2007, the year of Michael Vick, when national animal groups began extensive campaigns to "rebrand" and adopt out the breed.

To show readers this difference, we visually charted statistics from the 31-year summary compiled by Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People. Table 2 shows the number of disfiguring and maiming attacks inflicted by pit bulls from 2002 to 2013 across the U.S. and Canada. Municipalities that regulate pit bulls are immune to the skyrocketing post-Vick trend. Again, driven largely by national humane groups ramping up their pit bull advocacy and the almighty pit bull propaganda machine.

Statistics compiled by Clifton involve worst-case dog attack scenarios: serious bodily injuries and maimings ("mauling injuries") and fatalities inflicted by dogs broken down by breed. We only charted mauling injuries in this comparison, as well as the two victim types: adults and children. In addition to pit bulls and their mixes accounting for 60% of the mauling injuries in Clifton's full report,3 the breed attacks adults almost as often as children, a rare pattern amongst dog breeds.

Table 3 breaks out Pawtucket pit bull bite data into three sets. The first is the four years leading up the ban, 2000 to 2003. The second is the four years after the ban, 2004 to 2007. The last is the most recent four years of data, 2009 to 2012.4 In the four years after the ban, there is an 85% reduction in the average number of people attacked by pit bulls per year, 13 to 2 accordingly. The most recent period, 2009 to 2012, shows an even greater reduction 92%, 13 to 1 accordingly.

Attacks upon animals were sharply reduced after the ban's enforcement began as well. Of the combined attacks upon people and animals, the four years prior to the ban shows that the average number of attacks per year was 18. In the data set following the ban, 2004 to 2007, the average number of attacks per year decreased by 77%, 18 to 4 accordingly. The most recent data set, 2009 to 2012, shows an even greater decrease in attacks per year, 94%, 18 to 1 accordingly.

Download the related PDF file that contains all three tables and source data materials.

Backdrop of the Pawtucket Pit Bull Ban

On July 10, just days before Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee signed a statewide bill prohibiting municipalities from adopting breed-specific laws, Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien and City Council President David Moran sent a joint letter to Chafee asking that he veto the legislation. The letter in part cited the effectiveness of Pawtucket's pit bull ban, pointing out the reduced intake and euthanasia of pit bulls and the absence of vicious dog hearings since its passage in 2004.

We've included part of the letter (See: Letter in full):

During the early 2000's, Pawtucket Animal Control Officers responded to many calls about pit bulls seriously injuring people and injuring or killing other animals. Two of the worst cases involved a nine-month pregnant woman who received deep cuts to her arms, legs, shoulder and a broken arm and a child who received severe facial injuries from a pit bull bite to the face. While many of these attacks were caused by pit bulls escaping from their owners' control, other attacks were the result of drug dealers using pit bulls to attack police officers during drug raids.
While proponents of the bill will argue that single-breed ordinances do not work, the results in Pawtucket dramatically prove that they do work. The ordinance banning pit bulls in Pawtucket has worked exceedingly well. In 2003, the year before our ordinance took effect, 135 pit bulls were taken in at the Pawtucket Animal Control Shelter for a variety of health and safety reasons, all from Pawtucket, none from mutual aid, with 48 pit bulls needing to be euthanized. In 2012, 72 pit bulls were taken in, only 41 from Pawtucket, with only six needing to be euthanized. That's a tremendous improvement.
In a June 28, 2013, story in The Times of Pawtucket, a reporter wrote that Dr. E. J. Finocchio, director of the RI Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, stated that before Pawtucket banned pit bulls in 2004 RISPCA regularly convened vicious dog hearings for pit bulls corralled in Pawtucket. The reporter quoted Dr. Finocchio as saying, "Since the city passed that law we have not had a vicious dog hearing come out of Pawtucket." We believe that our ordinance is certainly working.

July 10, 2013
Mayor Donald Grebien
City Council President David Moran

On July 17, Governor Chafee signed the anti-BSL bill into law anyway (note his 28% approval rating in April), no doubt persuaded by heavy lobbying from national humane groups, the AKC, AVMA and a host of rabid local and national pit bull advocacy groups. It was a grave error by Chafee that promises Rhode Island cities a "forever home" inside the post-Vick skyrocketing trend of disfigurements, maulings and maimings by pit bulls and unwanted pit bulls overloading shelters.

Less than two months later, first-term Governor Chafee, announced that he would not seek re-election. The promised "animal vote" did not save him. As pollster Joseph Fleming pointed out in the September Providence Journal article, "All the poll numbers over the last three years showed him with very low job-approval ratings. … I didn't see any scenario that had him winning as an independent or Democratic candidate. The numbers just weren’t there for the governor."

Sadly, when The Breeze published parts of the letter by Mayor Grebien and Councilor Moran one day before Chafee signed the anti-BSL law, the article noted that Grebien had been a strong Chafee supporter who "had Chafee speak at his 2011 inauguration and has remained closely aligned with the governor." In signing the bill, Chafee not only handcuffed municipalities statewide and opened up the floodgates to new pit bull mauling victims, he also turned against a friend.

Politics is politics my dear friend, even when it results in children getting their faces ripped off.

The Impending "Token" Nutter Lawsuit

Statewide anti-BSL laws are not always absolute. Home rule jurisdictions, such as Denver, can supersede state law and pre-existing ordinances, like Miami-Dade County's pit bull ban, can be protected. Grebien and Moran state in their letter a close situation: "Since Pawtucket's ordinances were in place prior to passage of this bill, which appears to be prospective in nature, we do not necessarily believe that the legislation will prevent us from enforcing our ban on pit bulls."

After the governor signed the anti-BSL law, Pawtucket has continued to enforce their ban. It's hardly a surprise that a token Nutter popped up in Pawtucket with willing financiers not long after its passage. Resident Al Alix, the owner of a pit bull named "Chubs," is threatening to sue the city after receiving multiple off-leash violations and owning a prohibited breed. If the city continues proceedings against him after the September 20 leash violation hearing,5 Alix promises a "battle."

Alix is promising a battle against the city he's called home since he was a child, saying he'll work to put an end to Pawtucket's 2004 ban on pit bulls. Financing his effort will be the Defenders of Animals, a Providence-based group with a mission "to defend the inalienable rights of both companion animals and wildlife..."
---snip---
Providence-based Law Office of Mark Morse serves as legal counsel to the Defenders of Animals and is representing the organization and Alix as they fight Pawtucket's pit bull ban and to uphold a new state law prohibiting such breed-specific ordinances. Ethan Shorey, The Valley Breeze, August 17, 20136

In response to The Breeze publishing Pawtucket pit bull bite statistics, Alix echoed his lawsuit threat and standard pro-pit bull propaganda. He also said that "Pawtucket 'doesn't stand a chance' if this conflict comes down to a court battle." Please review the language of the bill signed by Governor Chafee. The case against Pawtucket's pit bull ban is not a slam-dunk as Alix suggests. Pawtucket is also a home rule city whose local ordinances might supersede state law.

Conclusion: Pit Bull Laws Save Lives

The success of the City of Patwucket's 2004 pit bull ban is indisputable. Not only has the ban dramatically reduced the number of attacks by pit bulls on people and pets, but as Holmes has consistently emphasized over time, and was included in the June 10 letter to the governor by Grebien and Moran, pit bull euthanasia and shelter intake rates have been greatly reduced as well. Meanwhile, jurisdictions lacking pit bull ordinances suffer the post-Vick mauling horror story.

1The Breeze erred in their article stating 51 instead of 52.
2The Breeze also lumped all of 2004 data into one year, despite the General Assembly not approving the ban until June 9, 2004, half way through the year. We tried contacting multiple entities to determine when "enforcement" of the ban actually began, was it January 1 or June 9, 2004? We were unable to gain this information prior to the release of this post. If enforcement of the ban did not begin until June 9, combined with Holme's statement that the last serious attack occurred "the day the bill was signed into law" (by the General Assembly), it is very likely the comparison of the pre-ban and post-ban periods would be even more dramatic than what is charted.
3The full report, Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada, is updated on DogsBite.org every December. For the purposes of this blog post, we requested pit bull summary data for the years 2012 and 2013 from Clifton.
42013 is not a full year at this time, thus it was not used as part of the 4-year data sets.
5The hearing was originally scheduled for September 13, but was postponed to the 20th.
6Defenders of Animals is the very Providence-based group that initiated the anti-BSL bill, which gained the backing of North Providence legislators, an area with a rising number of pit bull incidents.

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