Posted on November 15, 2012 by Colleen Lynn

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Bristol-Kendall Fire Department Firefighter Killed by New Dog

Dog New to Home
UPDATE 11/14/12: Police Lt. Pat Gengler said that an autopsy found that Brown died from dog bites to her neck from a 140 pound mastiff. She was discovered by her husband at the bottom of the basement stairs in their home. Gengler said the couple took in the mastiff about a week ago from a family member.1 He added that four animal control handlers were needed to contain the animal. The couple's two other dogs, a boxer and pit bull-mix were uninvolved in the attack.

Bristol Kendall Chief Michael Hitzemann noted that that the mastiff was having trouble getting along with one of the other dogs (which is perhaps why it was in the basement?) "I'm not sure we're ever going to find out," Hitzemann said, referring to what prompted the deadly attack. John Ciribassi, a veterinary behaviorist at Chicagoland Veterinary Behavior Consultants chimed in with typical garbage stating that fatal dog attacks are rare, "especially against adults."2

Adults Comprise Nearly Half of All Fatal Dog Attack Victims

So far in 2012, 51% of all fatal dog attack victims have been adults. Just days ago, a 30-year old California woman was killed by one or more dogs. In the 7-year period of 2005 through 2011, 213 Americans were mauled to death by dogs. 54% (116) of these victims were ages 14 and younger. The remaining victims, 46% (97), were adults ages 20 and older. Of the adult category, 16% were ages 20 to 39, 33% were ages 40 to 59 and 51% were ages 60 and older.

View Related video3

11/14/12: Woman Killed by Own Dog
Big Rock, IL - A firefighter found dead in her home on Monday was killed by her dog. Kane County Sheriff’s police Lt. Pat Gengler said an autopsy completed Tuesday showed that Dawn Brown, 44, died from injuries inflicted by one of her dogs, a mastiff. At the time of the incident, Brown was home alone with the mastiff and her two other dogs, a boxer and a pit bull-mix. She was discovered by her husband about 4:15 pm in their home on the 400 block of Jefferson Street.

Brown, along with her husband, was a volunteer firefighter with the Big Rock Fire Protection District -- the same department that responded to the call. Brown also worked full time with the Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District in Yorkville.

1To avoid the dog from being put down. Such a wise choice?
2Quoting "experts" like Ciribassi guarantees the propagation of false data, as his comment was clearly one of a personal belief with zero documentation supporting it.
3Video names dog breed a bullmastiff.

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Colleen Lynn

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Yadkin County Infant Mauled to Death by Family Dog

A "cart-pulling" rottweiler from Deep Creek Kennel.1

Details Released archived
UPDATE 12/05/12: The Yadkin County Sherifff's Office has finally released details about the mauling death of Dixie Jennings. The child was killed on November 9 at 11:30 am at Deep Creek Kennel in Yadkinville, which is owned by the infant's grandmother, Robin Jennings. The infant's mother Sarah Jennings also works at the kennel and was with her child in the office area when a customer came in with a dog to board -- a door separates the office and kennel areas.

Sarah Jennings took the dog and its owner into the kennel area, but the door behind her failed to latch properly. A rottweiler belonging to Robin Jennings subsequently pushed through the door and entered into the office where the child was located. When Sarah and Robin came back into the office, they found the rottweiler standing beside the bitten child. Sarah Jennings rushed her daughter to Hoots Memorial Hospital in Yadkinville. The baby did not survive her injuries.

Despite an earlier report that suggested the rottweiler was killed on the kennel property quickly following the incident, Robin Jennings took her dog to a local veterinarian and had the dog euthanized, according to Sheriff Ricky Oliver. After the investigation into the child's death was completed, Yadkin County prosecutors reviewed the findings. The investigation found no evidence of negligence or criminal wrongdoing. No charges will be filed in the death of Dixie Jennings.

11/20/12:
Dog Dead on Arrival archived
Rumors about the death of this young child keep brewing as the Yadkin County Sheriff's Department continues to withhold "standard" details about the attack to the public, now 11 days after the fatal dog biting incident. The most recent news (from last Wednesday) came after the Winston-Salem Journal reported that Anna Hamby, the county's animal control director, said that the AC officer arrived on scene and met the dog owner whose animal was "deceased."

Hamby told the Journal she did not know how the dog died.

N.C. Leads 2012 Dog Bite Fatalities

Despite California and Texas2 each having nearly three times the population of North Carolina or more, this southeastern state leads fatal dog attacks in 2012 with 4 dog bite-related fatalities. North Carolina might not keep this grisly title through the end of December. Victims include: Eugene Cameron, 65-years old (Person Co.), James Hudson, 10-months old (Perquimans Co.), Mary Jo Hunt, 53-years old (Robeson Co.) and Dixie Jennings, 3-months old of Yadkin County.

At least 3 of these 4 North Carolina fatal dog maulings involved a pit bull.

11/13/12: No Dog Breed Named archived
Yadkinville, NC - In a developing story, a 3-month old girl from Yadkin County was killed Friday after a family dog bit her multiple times in the head. Dr. Donald Jason, the Forsyth County medical examiner, said Dixie Jennings died from head and brain injuries due to dog bites. Jason also speculated that the dog might have mistaken the child's "multicolored knit cap" on her head for a ball. Yadkin County Sheriff Ricky Oliver declined to provide any details of the fatal incident.

Oliver also would not say whether the dog was euthanized. He declined to release the incident report to a Winston-Salem Journal reporter late Tuesday. Oliver told a reporter that he wanted to protect the family.

There is no N.C. statute that protects public documents related to accidents or the names of victims or witnesses from being accessible to the public, according to N.C. Press Association general counsel Amanda Martin. Only information related to criminal investigations can be withheld in certain circumstances, she said.

The Journal has received numerous calls from Yadkin County residents who had heard rumors about the death since Friday and were concerned that they were getting no information on the dog attack in their area. (Michael Hewlett and Jennifer Young, Winston-Salem Journal)

Go Get 'em Winston-Salem Journal!

This is a United States fatal dog mauling and protocol violations may be at hand. Journalists Hewlett and Young also turned up Robin Jennings, who is related to Dixie Jennings, and owns Deep Creek Kennel. Jennings has been training and showing rottweilers for 28 years and is a former president of the Yadkin County Humane Society and animal-cruelty investigator, according to the kennel's website. Jennings declined comment to the Winston-Salem Journal.

Citing this was a "private family matter."

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State

1Presumably the "cart-puller" is a rottweiler named Atlas, as explained on the Deep Creek Kennel website. It is unknown if Atlas, also an AKC Champion, is the same rottweiler that killed the infant.
2California and Texas each have 3 fatalities thus far in 2012.

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Colleen Lynn

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: San Diego County Woman Killed by Pack of American Bulldog-Mixes

Contributions being taken for Remedios Romero-Solares.

Ongoing Investigation
UPDATE 12/07/12: Yesterday, The Fallbrook Village News released an update about the fatal dog mauling of Remedios Romero-Solares. Authorities have still not released the names of the owners of the dogs, but county records show that Jose Hernandez and Guillermina Hernandez are the owners of the property. Friends of the family, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the couple’s son Edgar Hernandez and his wife, Evelyn Kaiwi-Hernandez reside at the home.

Acquaintances of the couple told the Village News that the pair sold "dozens of puppies online for upwards of $2,500 per dog due to their potential size and power as adults." They added that many of the puppies were "aggressive and difficult to handle." Regarding the marijuana grow operation under investigation by the Sheriff's Dept.'s Narcotics Task Force, one investigator told the Village News that the couple who was living in the home "has not returned since the incident."

11/18/12: Victim Identified
The county medical examiner has identified the woman fatally mauled by one or more American bulldog-mixes in a Fallbrook backyard last Sunday. Remedios Romero-Solares, 30, was hired to clean the home, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner. The woman was a resident of Fallbrook. Lt. Glenn Giannantonio with the Sheriff's Homicide Unit said the woman had spent the previous night at the house, but this was her first time cleaning the residence.

Remedios Romero-Solares, 30, was hired to clean the home in the 1300-block of Calle Tecolotlan, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner. She was a resident of Fallbrook.

A relative who came to pick her up at around 5:15 p.m. Sunday found her dead in the backyard and called police. When authorities responded, they found eight large dogs running loose in the backyard where the woman's body was found. The residents were not home, and the garden hose was still running when they arrived, said Lt. Glenn Giannantonio with the Sheriff's Homicide Unit.

The medical examiner confirmed that Romero-Solares died from the dog bites and other blunt force injuries. Her death was an accident, the examiner stated.

The San Diego County Department of Animal Services took the dogs into custody and said they were a larger breed of dog called Olde English Bulldogge. Authorities did not have to use any force with the dogs.

Giannantonio said the woman had spent the previous night at the house, but this was her first time cleaning the house, and she was not very familiar to the dogs. - NBC San Diego, 11/17/2012

11/14/12: Death by Dog Bites
An autopsy conducted by the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office showed that the 30-year old woman died of "multiple penetrating, mauling, and blunt force injuries" inflicted by multiple dogs. There were no contributing conditions. Sheriff’s Lt. Glenn Giannantonio said the victim had been hired to clean the house while the owners were out of town. Deputies checked the house for possible other victims and discovered 24 marijuana plants being grown in a rear bedroom.

Meanwhile, The Fallbrook Village News is now calling the canines "American bulldogs." Over at San Diego Department of Animal Services, a department that now leads the United States in dog attacks resulting in human death, Lt. Dan DeSousa, who definitively stated the animals were "Olde English Bulldogges" on Friday is now stating that the owner was breeding the dogs for sale, crossing Olde English Bulldogges with American Bulldogs "to make them a little bigger."

11/13/12: Autopsy Pending
Sheriff's Detective Dan Laibach told The Fallbrook Village News Tuesday the victim, a 30-year old Hispanic woman, may have been trying to break up a dogfight when she was fatally injured by the animals. "At the scene, the Medical Examiner thought it looked like she had tried to break up a fight between dogs that were loose on the property when they turned on her," Laibach said. A garden hose left running led officials to believe she may have used it to break up a fight.

On scene investigators believe the victim bled out due to bites to her femoral artery. "After that, it appears that the dogs chewed on her," Laibach said. Autopsy results from the county Medical Examiner's Office are not yet available. The full name of the victim is also unavailable. The woman, who had been house-sitting on the 1300 block of Calle Tecolotan while the dog owners were away, was discovered by her cousin who had gone to "check on her welfare."

11/12/12: Woman Found Dead
Fallbrook, CA - In a developing story, eight large dogs were seized by authorities after a 30-year old woman was found dead on Sunday. In the nonstop fatal dog maulings in San Diego County -- now up to four fatalities in 11 months1 -- Department spokesman Lt. Dan DeSousa says the dogs are "Olde English Bulldogges" and not pit bulls.2 DeSousa, along with Director of San Diego County Department of Animal Services, Dawn Danielson, should face immediate termination.

Both tax-funded employees should have been terminated months ago for their continuous propagation of pro-pit bull propaganda and pit bull "apologia" in the aftermath of these horrific deaths, along with county dog bite data showing the pit bull bite rate is nearly three times higher than the next closest breed. Not to mention October's "Dare to Bull-ieve" free pit bull adoption program launched and promoted by San Diego County Department of Animal Services.

According to their websites, neither the AKC or UKC formally recognize the "Olde English Bulldogge," a re-creation of the original bull baiting dog from 1100 to 1835.3 The blood sport of bull baiting was banned in Britain in 1835 due to public outcry.4,5

The dogs used to create the puppies for sale were EEE Giant's Kong (sire) and Bronya (dam), according to the breeding operation website run by the dogs' owners, Funnybulldogs.com.

1Five fatalities if one includes the San Diego pit bull that was taken across the border and promptly killed a 4-year old Tijuana girl back in August.
2Or American bulldogs.
3It is true the UKC recognizes the breed as some type of foundation stock(?), but this is hardly equivalent to being a recognized UKC dog breed.
4This is the second fatal dog attack this year in which a "compromised" animal control department has attempted to lay the blame of a human death upon a "rare" unrecognized dog breed with significant genetic links to the American pit bull terrier. The question isn't: Have the animal control profession and humane community turned on the American people? The question is: The animal control profession and humane community have turned on the American people and what in the hell are elected officials and the public going to do about it?
5So by all means, let's bring this blood sporting dog breed back into existence and "legitimize" it.

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Colleen Lynn

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Postal Worker Dies Days After Vicious Dog Attack

Letter Carrier Robert Rochester, 55, died after being attacked by a loose dog.

Criminal Charges Pending
UPDATE 11/30/12: Criminal charges against the owner of the dog that attacked Robert Rochester are expected to be filed soon, The News Journal reports. The dog escaped its owner's property and attacked Rochester as he was collecting mail from a postal bin on Main Street. He died six days after the attack. Robert Wilkson, president of Branch 191 of the National Association of Letter Carriers, based in Wilmington, said, "The Postal Service is treating this as an on-the-job death."

Criminal charges are expected to be filed against the dogʼs owner and could be finalized within a week, said Kevin Usilton, executive director of the Kent County SPCA, which investigated the incident.

“The attorney general is still working on the charges,” he said. “We havenʼt had a death from a dog bite in a long time, and the AG wants to be very thorough, which weʼre thankful for.”

The dog owner will be identified in the charges, he said. - The News Journal

Rochester's death certificate listed his cause of death as pulmonary embolism and temporary disability due to work injuries, with the dog attack in parentheses, according to Wilkson. The autopsy did not determine his cause of death, but cited "pending forensic analysis." That analysis, according to Department of Health and Social Services spokeswoman Jill Fredel, concluded the manner of death was accidental, reports The News Journal. The dog tested negative for rabies.

10/19/12: Investigation Continues
On Thursday, Fox 29 expanded upon the vicious dog attack just days before Robert Rochester died. Witness Adreanna Cruz said, "He started running in between the cars, the dog was just trying to attack him." Cruz added, "No cars would open the door for him, no cars, everybody was just beeping." Finally, a woman in a truck opened her door and drove Rochester to the hospital. The other loose dog1 was apparently not an aggressor and was returned to its owner.

On Friday, Kevin Usilton, executive director of the Kent County SPCA, told The News Journal, "Charges ... are still being compiled" against the owner of the dogs. The immediate autopsy did not show how multiple dog bites contributed to Rochester's death. Director of communications for the state Department of Health and Social Services, Jill Fredel, said the case is "pending forensic analysis." Also on Friday, the attacking German shepherd was euthanized for rabies testing.

10/18/12: Postal Worker Dies After Dog Attack
Stanton, DE - Last Friday, a 55-year old postal worker was seriously injured by a German shepherd and "another dog" in a vicious attack. The victim, identified by Kent County SPCA officials as Robert Rochester, died early Thursday. Delaware State Police responded to a report of two people bitten. A trooper arrived and found two dogs attacking a smaller dog. Police say Rochester was attacked by the two dogs before the incident and suffered multiple dog bite injuries.

A 51-year old woman was also injured in the attack suffering minor injuries. She told 6 ABC news on Friday, "[The dogs] had him on the ground and were chewing him up. He kept getting up and trying to get away. He tried to get into a minivan -- and they just drove off.2 This other woman let him get in her truck while we were calling 911." The two dogs then attacked a smaller dog being walked by its owner nearby. The unnamed owner of the two attacking dogs "faces a fine" thus far.

The U.S. Postal Service, citing the ongoing investigation, refused to offer additional details.

1A Black Russian Terrier (scroll). Both dogs belong to the same owner.
2Hopefully, the minivan license plate identification was noted by a witness.

Photo: MyFoxPhilly.com

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