Posted on August 18, 2012 by Colleen Lynn

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: 23-Year Old 'Dog Rescuer' Mauled to Death by Own Dogs

Rebecca Carey, 23-years old and a dog rescuer, was killed by one or more dogs.

Adoption Information
UPDATE 08/17/12: A hot tipper sent in a cached web page of two of Rebecca Carey's dogs, a pit bull named Napoleon and a presa canario named Louis. Both dogs were adopted over five years ago from the Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement Center. This is how Napoleon looks now at the age of 6. We continue to search for answers as to why Jackie (Jacqulynn) Cira, who works at The Village Vets as a receptionist, was having Carey dog-sit her presa canario, named Danai.

Carey would have been 5-years younger at the time she acquired Napoleon and Louis1 -- an age and dog breed combination that ought to rattle the nerves of any sensible animal adoption agency, despite the dogs becoming "inseparable." Thus far, we have little information about the two other dogs Carey eventually acquired, other than that one was 15 pounds. The earlier AJC.com article noted that Carey had been dog-sitting Danai for only a week prior to the fatal dog mauling.

08/17/12: Killed Last Weekend
New information about the death of Rebecca Carey reveals that one of the two presa canarios was owned by Carey's friend, Jackie Cira.2 For unknown reasons, Carey was dog-sitting Cira's presa canario, named Danai. Cira discovered her friend's bloody body Sunday afternoon after she failed to show up for work at Alpharetta's Loving Hands Animal Clinic. Police initially thought they were dealing with a homicide, but it soon became clear that the fatal attackers were dogs.

08/17/12: Young Woman Killed
DeKalb County, GA - In a developing story, a young woman who rescues dangerous dog breeds to spare them death, was found horrifically killed by one or more of the five dogs in her Decatur home. At the time of her death, Rebecca Carey was caring for two presa canarios (See: Diane Whipple), two pit bulls and a boxer-mix. DeKalb animal control took custody of all five dogs and subsequently put them down. Animal control’s interim director Tim Medlin told WSBTV.com:3

"We didn’t know which dog did which. I can’t be wrong. Not just myself, no one can be wrong in putting out a dog that possibly had to do with these type of injuries. I will not put another person at that kind of risk."

Carey's family issued the following statement after her death was publicized:

"Rebecca Carey of Decatur was 23 years old and an avid animal lover. Since the second grade when she read the book Throw Away Pets she vowed to be a voice for all animals. She attended Georgia Perimeter College and worked at a veterinary clinic. Upon placing her first abandoned animal in a permanent loving home in 2003, she volunteered countless hours with rescue networks and animal shelters. There she did what she loved the most: rescuing animals from untenable situations to find them safe, loving homes."

In a separate article, Medlin said Carey’s death was the county’s "first fatal dog bite." According to the Fatal Pit Bull Attacks website, this statement is untrue. As recently as 2007, 2-year old Robynn Banks was killed by a pit bull and mastiff-mix. Other DeKalb County victims killed by pit bulls include Chett Heyder, 2-years old (1988) and Billy Gordon Jr., 4-years old (1986), the latter being an historic fatal pit bull attack involving the landmark criminal trial of Hayward Turnipseed.

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

1Cira told media sources that Carey adopted Napoleon when the animal was 6-weeks old.
2Cira goes on to say that Carey would have been devastated to learn that all of the dogs had been put down, particularly her pet pit bull of 6-years, Napoleon. Cira also claimed her own presa canario -- that Cira temporarily pawned off onto Carey -- was the "love of my life."
3Notably in May, DeKalb County lifted a zoning code that made it difficult for animal shelters to adopt out pit bulls. The so-called "DeKalb County pit bull ban" was so confusing that it was never even documented by DogsBite.org.

Photo: WSBTV.com

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Colleen Lynn

2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Chicago Man Killed by Pit Bull(s) in His Home

Conflicting Stories
UPDATE 08/17/12: Relatives of Charles Hagerman told news sources that the dogs belonged to his girlfriend's son. The victim's mother, Salithia Maybell, said, "I can't see my baby. My baby's ate up. I can't see him. Okay, I've got to have a closed casket." She added that the pit bulls, "were vicious dogs," had previously killed a dog and that, "they've attacked before." Relatives also said that Hagerman was afraid of the two pit bulls, that were usually kept caged.

In contrast to the victim's relatives, the Pit Bull Attacks and Dogfighting in Illinois blog reports that there was no indication the dogs were dangerous (though the oldest one, Scrappy, was territorial), a neighbor reported seeing the dogs walked "regularly" and Daryl Williams, the owner of the pit bulls, and son of Hagerman's wife, said the pit bulls slept in Hagerman's bedroom. In a Sun Times article, updated today, Williams added, "We always leave him at home with the dogs."

08/16/12: Death Due to Dog Mauling
MailOnline reports that Charles Hagerman suffered multiple injuries consistent with a dog attack. Cook County Medical Examiner's office told the news group today his death was ruled accidental following an autopsy. The victim had bite wounds to his neck and his body was covered in lacerations. Police are still trying to determine if one or both of his pet pit bulls were involved. Chicago police offered MailOnline no further details about the man's death.1

08/16/12: Autopsy Conducted Thursday
Chicago, IL - Late last night, news outlets reported that a 44-year old man was killed by at least one of his two pet pit bulls in his South Side home. A woman discovered her husband, Charles Hagerman, on the floor with their pit bulls nearby. One of the dogs was still on top of him biting his neck when his wife arrived home. Cook County Medical Examiner's office said Hagerman was dead at the scene. An autopsy to discover the cause of his death is slated for today.

In 2011, there were 8 total instances in which a family dog inflicted fatal injury to its primary caretaker, the dog's owner, 88% (7) involved pet pit bulls.

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

1CBS Chicago confirmed this at 5:30 pm CST Thursday.

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Colleen Lynn

Vote in Miami-Dade County to Repeal Pit Bull Ban Fails by Wide Margin

63% Favor Ban | Results PDF
Miami, FL - Back in March, DogsBite.org wrote about the state legislative attempt, spearheaded by Rep. Carlos Trujillo, to repeal the Miami-Dade pit bull ban (HB 997) and its Senate counterpart (SB 1322). What put a halt to that effort was an agreement by Miami-Dade Commissioners to place the item on a countywide ballot on August 14 and let the public decide. By late evening of the 14th, the voice of the public was clear: Do not repeal the Miami-Dade County pit bull ban.

In the end, 63% of voters chose to keep the 23-year old pit bull ban.

Well-organized pit bull advocates complained that 5-months was not enough time to "reeducate" the public using pro-pit bull propaganda. However, the language of the referendum was in favor of repealing the pit bull ban, as it was written to deliver a "yes" response. Furthermore, media outlets, most notably the Miami Herald, were overwhelming in support of repealing the ban. Those who wanted to keep the ban were absent of organized efforts and help from major media.

Referendum question:
"Shall the ordinance repealing the County's 23 year old law prohibiting
the ownership of pit bulls as a dangerous breed of dogs become
effective?"

So how did supporters of the pit bull ban under the circumstances of a confusing ballot question, no grassroots organization or significant help from media outlets -- or fading stars like Miami Marlins pitcher Mark Buehrle -- manage to pull off a 63% victory? The answer may in part be that the majority of Americans disfavor living next door to a pit bull. In a 2009 poll conducted by Animal People, 68% of respondents agreed they would prefer not to live next door to a pit bull.

It is also worth mentioning from our March post that since the 1989 enactment of the Miami-Dade County pit bull ban, no citizen has been mauled to death by a pit bull. According to the Fatal Pit Bull Attacks website, 17 Florida citizens have been killed by pit bulls since the ordinance was enacted. None of these deaths occurred in Miami-Dade County. With the continuance of the ban, child fatalities due to severe dog maulings might remain at zero in Miami-Dade.1

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

1The Fatal Pit Bull Attacks website only tracks fatalities by pit bulls and does so back to 1858. DogsBite.org only has a definitive record of "all fatal dog attacks" by breed from 2005 forward. It is unknown if Miami-Dade County suffered child fatalities due to dog breeds other than pit bulls between 1989 and 2004.

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Colleen Lynn

Dog Bites Increase 35% in Austin After the Adoption of 'No-Kill' Policy

2007-2011 Dog Bite Data
Austin, TX - DogsBite.org recently reviewed 5-years of dog bite data gained from the City of Austin under the Freedom of Information Act. The data shows that dog bites have increased substantially since the city adopted a No-Kill policy in 2010. Between 2009 and 2011, dog bites increased 35%. The primary offenders of all bites were pit bulls and their mixes, responsible for 22% (1,288), followed by Labradors and their mixes, which inflicted 12% (682) of bites during the 5-year period.

Total Dog Bites By Year (2007-2011)

Year	Dog Bites
2007	1015
2008	1065
2009	1074
2010	1222
2011	1449
Total	5825

Top Biting Breeds Combined Years (2007-2011)

Top Biting Breed	Total Bites	% Total
Pit bull	1288	22%
Labrador	682	12%
Chihuahua	476	8%
German Shepherd	334	6%
Uknown	223	4%

Dog Breed Populations

The City of Austin ended its Pet Licensing Program in 2008/2009. Therefore the last year anyone can evaluate the population of dog breeds is 2007. Though pit bulls and their mixes weighed in as the second most popular dog breed in 2007, making up 10% (1,551) of the registered dog population (15,871), pit bulls out bit the most popular breed, Labradors and their mixes representing 18% of the registered dogs (2,832), by nearly a 2 to 1 margin over the 5-year period.

Pet licensing programs are employed extensively across the country by city and county animal service departments to fund animal control services and to gauge the population of pets within a city. Currently and moving forward, Austin Animal Services has no such funding or population data. Furthermore, Austin pet owners are not contributing even modestly more than non-pet owners through annual low cost pet licensing fees to benefit citywide animal control services.

Both No-Kill Shelters "Filled to the Gills"

In November 2011, Austin Animal Services moved into a new $12 million dollar shelter facility to meet the city's No-Kill goals. After one week of opening, the facility was over capacity. Currently, the old shelter, which was only intended to be used as an overflow facility, and the new facility are "filled to the gills" with animals with no end in sight. Austin taxpayers fund both facilities, without a dime extra provided by animal owners through basic, routine pet licensing fees.

As noted in the late July Austin Chronicle article, Austin Animal Services will be asking for a budgetary expansion of $1 million dollars this year, which would be the second consecutive substantial increase for the department. All of this is needed (and possibly even a third facility?) to maintain the No-Kill initiative -- a 10% kill rate. Chief Animal Services Officer Abigail Smith told the Chronicle, "We're figuring this out as we go along," which hardly provides assurances.

Is No-Kill "Delusional?"

First and foremost, animal lovers and the general public alike support shelter reform methods that lower euthanizations and increase adoptions. The problem with the No-Kill movement is that it focuses nearly solely on "more adoptions" and opposes measures such as mandatory sterilization to reduce intake in the first place. No-Kill places the burden of the overpopulation of unwanted animals onto the public instead of upon its true source: accidental and intentional breeding.

Given that pit bulls and their mixes flog open admission shelters across the country and account for nearly a million euthanizations annually, any city attempting to achieve No-Kill must face this challenge, as well as what to do with any incoming dogs with behavioral problems, such as biting and aggression. Foster? Rehome? Adopt out? Warehouse? No-Kill has proven time and again to do all four and even after the dog has been returned to them again and again.

So a clearer picture of No-Kill reads: re-foster, re-rehome, re-adopt out and re-warehouse dogs with behavioral problems instead of humane euthanization.

When No-Kill Meets "Reality"

If readers missed the Delaware County, Ohio class action lawsuit filed in April, do read (See: Court filing). We expect more lawsuits like this in the future. Briefly, victims of multiple attacks sued the Humane Society of Delaware County (HSDC), a No-Kill group, alleging the entity knowingly adopted, fostered out and placed dangerous dogs into residential neighborhoods, despite knowing the dogs had been recommended for euthanization for public safety concerns.

It is a telling story involving the president of HSDC and his wife, Michael and Judith Prasse, creating a homespun hoarding operation at their own residence to spare the deaths of known dangerous dogs. One of the dogs ended up attacking two people and two pet dogs in the neighborhood as a result. Plaintiffs also sued John Doe Defendants 1-25 -- persons who adopted, fostered out and placed known dangerous dogs in the public in association with HSDC.1

Speaking of hoarding, nothing quite spells out "No-Kill meets reality" more aptly. In mid July, Spindletop pit bull "refuge" in Willis, Texas was invaded by dozens of law enforcement officers and the HSUS after reports of pit bulls warehoused and stacked in crates not even large enough for the dog to stand up. Authorities seized 298 dogs. Many of the dogs were "unadoptable" pit bulls, shipped to Spindletop from around the country in hopes of finding the dog a "forever home."

Snacksized Dog recently published an in-depth post about Spindletop. It portrays a number of No-Kill rescue angles that could not adopt out or keep a dog-aggressive pit bull, so instead shipped it off to Spindletop. All the while, fooling themselves into believing that a dog-aggressive dog could live out the rest of its days peacefully along side nearly 300 other dogs and goats and chickens on a ranch. Snacksized Dog states the obvious though oblivious to No-Kill followers:

"There is no magic land where dog-aggressive dogs can live out their natural lives in peace and tranquility."

No-Kill Trumps Public Safety

DogsBite.org does not believe the care of animals is in good hands when under the spell of No-Kill that again fails to focus on the source of over capacity shelters -- endless incoming animals. Animal services departments either infected with or pushed to the brink by rabid No-Kill followers typically have the priority imbalance of "meet the 10% kill rate at all cost," even if this results in the reduction of adoption screening and behavior testing, both designed to keep the public safe.

It is no mystery why dog bites in Austin jumped 35% after adopting No-Kill.

1There was also John Doe Plantiffs 1-25; this includes persons who unknowingly adopted or fostered dangerous dogs from the HSDC and its agents. In other words, the HSDC concealed the dogs' biting history to these persons.

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