Posted on December 6, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman, 67, Killed by Pack of American Bulldog-Mixes in Suwannee County, Florida

A woman was killed by four American bulldog-mixes in Suwannee County in July.

Paywall Article
Live Oak, FL - In July, the Lake City Reporter published a paywall article about a 67-year old woman, who was killed by four dogs while looking for her grandson. The attack occurred in the 12000 block of 233rd Road in Live Oak, according to the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office. The victim, whose identity was not released, was unfamiliar with the dogs. "She got out looking for him and the dogs just attacked her for whatever reason, other than her being a stranger," Sheriff Sam St. John said.

The victim's body was discovered at approximately 4:30 pm, according to records we obtained from the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office in November. The site had several campers on it that people lived in. Her grandson stayed there from "time to time," St. John said. When the victim arrived at the site, her grandson was not present, nor was anyone who could control the dogs, described as American bulldog-mixes. No previous complaints about the dogs had been received, St. John said.

Investigators, one wearing an Axon body-worn camera, walked the suspected path the victim had taken after exiting her vehicle at the site. They observed "a pink ripped-up shirt with blood on the ground", a "pair of flip-flops on the ground," the keys to the car, and more. It is believed the victim went to the residence to find her grandson or someone who knew where he was. "It is suspected that as she exited the car, the dogs came out and attacked" the victim, states the incident report.

A Beware of Dogs sign was observed on the front gate of the site. Suwannee County Animal Control arrived and took custody of the four dogs. "Gypsy, Cane, Bo boy and Elzie" were surrendered by their owners, according to animal control records, and euthanized at the animal shelter on July 20. The 67-year old woman's cause of death is "exsanguination due to multiple dog bites and the manner of death is accident," according to an incident report from the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office.

The kennel cards for each dog were supplied in our records request, but each lacked an identification photograph. We were able to locate one of the dogs, "Gypsy," an adult female on the owner's Facebook page. The other three dogs were listed as "juveniles," which is between 6-months to 1 year old, according to researchers. Gypsy has a history of producing litters, according to social media posts by her owners. An October 2019 litter, apparently, paired Gypsy with a relative's blue pit bull.

Gypsy, an American bulldog-mix, is one of the four dogs involved in the fatal dog mauling.

Baseline reporting requirements:
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: 6-Year Old Boy Killed, Adult Injured by Pair of Dogs in Northeast Portland, Oregon

Dog Owner Charged with Multiple Felonies After Fatal Attack

Loyalty Scott, 6, was killed by a pair of mastiff-type dogs in northeast Portland.

Dog Owner Charged
UPDATE 07/24/24: A Multnomah County grand jury has indicted the owner of two mastiff-mixes that killed a 6-year old boy inside a garage last December. Koko Moe Miller, 56, is facing multiple felony charges, including: criminally negligent homicide, maintaining a dangerous dog, and two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment. The Portland Police Bureau's Child Abuse Team conducted the investigation. The case was then presented to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

On December 5, 2023, Loyalty Scott was at Miller's home prior to attending school. Miller told police she took the boy to school every morning after his grandmother dropped him off. Miller kept two large dogs in her garage attached to the home. Loyalty opened the door to the garage, and one of the dogs attacked him. The second dog also joined in, but wasn’t “the primary aggressor,” according to police. Miller was injured while trying to pull the dogs off the boy. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.

KATU News published an image of a sign posted outside of Miller's home. It reads, "No Trespassing Property Patrolled by a Crazy Woman with Dogs and Automatic Weapons. Anyone found here at night will be found here in the morning. HAVE A NICE DAY." Last year, we called out Miller's Facebook page, who identified herself as the "owner and operator of K9 Protection." Her cover photo showed Miller pointing a gun at your face while wearing a bikini top. At some point, Miller changed the cover photo.

Arraignment Hearing

At the arraignment hearing, the judge allowed Miller to maintain ownership of a new dog -- a Labrador puppy that will grow into a sizable dog -- despite her other two large violent dogs killing a child in December, her now facing four felony counts due to the fatal attack, and her having a prior conviction for owning an aggressive animal. Miller told the judge, "My counselor told me to get one," in regards to the new dog. Prosecutors had asked that Miller not possess, own, or have in her control any dog.

The only requirement the judge made is that Miller cannot possess any other dog except, the Lab, "Koda May," and that she enroll in the "Puppy Manners" class at the Oregon Humane Society. Please don't forget that Miller advertises herself as a "crazy woman with dogs and automatic weapons," and for many years, had an image of a violent pit bull as her Facebook cover page, while she stood next to the pit bull pointing a gun at your face. Miller only should have been allowed to own a 5 pound dog!

12/08/23: Mauling Victim Identified
A 6-year old child killed by two mastiff-mixes on December 5 in Portland has been identified as Loyalty Charles Scott. The boy was in the first grade. Officials say that Loyalty was often taken to a family friend's home on 112th Avenue on his way to school. But on that morning, when the woman entered her garage to tend to the large dogs, Loyalty opened the door behind her and the dogs attacked him. The woman -- whose identity has not been released -- tried to stop the attack, but it was too late.

Loyalty's family started a GoFundMe and described their lives as being "turned upside down" since his mauling death. "On December 5th we received a phone call that is going to forever change my family. We were told that Mookie (Loyalty) was attacked by a dog. When we showed up to the scene, we were told that he did not make it. My wife, my brother and I had to tell my mother that her baby didn’t make it. Our family is completely turned upside down and trying to figure out how to keep going."

Someone from the boy's school commented on the fund. Miss Marissa, who donated to the fund, states: "Loyalty was and will always be the funniest, sweetest, most special and charismatic boy. I am so sorry for your heartbreak, grandma, sisters, auntie, and everyone who loved and continues to love him. Big love from school, Miss Marissa." It's unclear why the boy's school has not issued a statement to the media yet. Usually this is done right away after a fatal dog mauling involving a child student.

12/05/23: Child Killed by Dogs
Portland, OR - A 6-year old boy is dead and a woman injured after being attacked by a pair of large dogs. Firefighters were dispatched to a home in the 1800 block of Northeast 112th Avenue in the Parkrose Heights neighborhood just after 7:30 am Tuesday for a report of an animal attack. Audio dispatch log files from Portland Area Fire and Rescue on Broadcastify.com indicate the use of a firearm at the scene prior to the arrival of first responders. A police press conference is expected later today.

Portland Police Bureau

On December 5, 2023, at 7:38 a.m., officers were dispatched to reports of a dog attack at a home in the 1800 block of Northeast 112th Avenue in the Parkrose Heights Neighborhood. Officers determined that a pair of dogs mauled a six-year-old boy and an adult female who tried to stop the attack. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Upon further investigation, officers determined the woman injured is the owner of the dogs and the little boy killed is her friend’s grandson. The dogs, believed to be Great Dane-Mastiff mixes, are in the custody of Multnomah County Animal Services.

PPB’s Child Abuse Team and Homicide Unit are investigating. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Det. Jennifer Musser.

Police learned the boy's grandmother dropped him off with her friend who takes him to school. The friend, who owns the dogs, went into the garage where the dogs were when the boy opened the door to the garage and one of the dogs attacked him. The second dog then joined in. Both dogs were described as large and heavy great dane-mastiff mixes. Public Information Officer Mike Benner said the owner tried to save the boy, "at some point even grabbing a gun," but it never got that far.

The Oregonian reports the garage, where the two large dogs are kept, is attached to the home. According to the woman, "the boy knew not to approach the dogs." The woman had gone into the garage to tend to the dogs while the boy was inside her house. The 6-year old boy opened the garage door to follow her and one of the dogs attacked him. The woman grabbed a gun, but did not shoot, Benner said. Her hands were injured while intervening. She was transported to a local hospital.

No information was provided about the boy's mother or father or why his grandmother dropped the boy off at this dog owner's home, who's apparently the boy's caretaker, to take him to school each morning. The Portland Police Bureau Child Abuse Team is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Homicide Division, Benner said. It's too soon to say if the dogs' owner will face criminal charges. Multnomah County Animal Services responded to the scene to take custody of the dogs.

Homeowner & K9 Trainer

A woman who lives at the home where the attack occurred calls herself the "owner and operator of K9 Protection" on her Facebook page. Her cover photo shows her pointing a gun at your face while wearing a bikini top. There is no "K9 Protection" business listed on the Oregon Secretary of State's website. One dog on her Facebook page appears to be a cane corso depicted outside the home in February 2023. It's unclear who came up with the "great dane-mastiff mix" breed designation.

The other dog, whose photo was posted in January 2019, has an appearance even more like a cane corso. Property records indicate she has had ownership in the home since June 2021. If one searches for the term "dog" on her profile, a number of posts in the search results criticize police officers for shooting vicious dogs. She nearly had to shoot her own two vicious dogs while they attacked and killed a boy on December 5, 2023. How does she feel about those anti-cop shooting posts now?

Two large mastiff-type dogs seen on the female property owner's Facebook page.

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Infant Killed by Pet Wolf-Dog Hybrid in Shelby County, Alabama

Leo Caddel, 3-months old, was killed by a pet wolf-dog hybrid in Chelsea, Alabama.

Dog Kills Newborn
Chelsea, AL - An infant is dead after being attacked by a pet wolf-dog hybrid, states a press release from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. On Thursday, at about 12:54 pm, Shelby County deputies, animal control officers, and Chelsea firefighters responded to a home in the 1000 block of County Road 440 about an animal attack involving an infant. The newborn was transported to Grandview Medical Center by ambulance, where it was pronounced dead upon arrival due to its injuries.

The canine, described as a wolf-dog hybrid, was being kept as a pet by the family of the infant. A veterinarian euthanized the dog at the scene. Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer issued a statement confirming the exotic breed. "It’s been confirmed that one of our children here in Chelsea was killed by an exotic family pet and succumbed to their injuries yesterday afternoon after being taken to the hospital by Chelsea Fire & Rescue. We are deeply saddened by this unfortunate and tragic event."

Infant Death Investigation

"On Thursday, November 30, 2023, at approximately 12:54 pm Shelby County 911 received an emergency call reporting an animal attack involving an infant at a residence in the area of County Road 440 in Chelsea. Shelby County deputies, Chelsea firefighters, and Shelby County Animal Control Officers responded to the scene. The infant was transported to an area hospital by ambulance, with a law enforcement escort.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the infant was pronounced dead due to injuries suspected to have been caused by the animal. The animal is described as a wolf-hybrid and was reportedly kept as a pet by the family of the infant. The animal was euthanized at the scene by an area Vet, at the request of law enforcement, and has been transported to the Alabama State Diagnostics Laboratory in Auburn for further examination and investigation. There is no threat to the public. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the circumstances that led to the death of the infant." - Shelby County Sheriff's Office

Common Sense?

A commenter on Picklesimer's post asked, "Who keeps a pet wolf hybrid around a newborn?" Someone who is uninformed about wolf-dogs, or someone who practices willful disbelief about their "obvious" genetic reality. On the Chilton/Shelby Public Safety P25 feed at Broadcastify.com, a dispatcher states: "A 3-month old was being carried around in a dog's mouth. Its nose is bleeding. Patient is breathing. Dog is a shepherd-mix. Unknown location of the dog. Law enforcement is also notified."

Similar behavior occurs when a pet husky kills a newborn. Often the infant is sleeping at the time, on a bed or in a crib, and the husky picks the infant up by its head. Last year, after a pet husky killed a 4-day old infant in Cave Springs, Arkansas, the attack language stated, the dog “put its mouth on the baby’s head” and “the husky's tooth penetrated the baby's head.” In 2019, deputies in Hall County, Georgia said the pet husky bit the newborn on the head an "undetermined number of times."

A follow-up report in the Cave Springs death said that police investigators characterized the baby’s bite injuries as “severe injuries to her head.”

In 2018, an 8-day old baby was lying in a bassinet when the family's pet wolf-dog hybrid killed her. She suffered "very serious injuries to the upper body and the head," Sheriff Gary Parsons said. At the time of the attack, the family was fostering two young children that had been approved by the Wise County Department of Social Services to live in the wolf-dog household. The infant's family had acquired the dog a little over 3-years earlier from a Florida-based wolf-dog hybrid breeder, AE Kennel.

Our nonprofit maintains archives for three dog breeds: Fatal Pit Bull Attacks (1833 to present), Fatal Rottweiler Attacks (1978 to present), and Fatal Wolf-Dog Hybrid Attacks (1980 to present). Animal behaviorist and author Alexandra Semyonova wrote the introduction for our wolf-dog hybrid archive and provided a special report. At the time of publication, April 2018, Game of Thrones (2011-2019), which popularized "dire wolves," the surge in the populations of hybrids and huskies had peaked.

Investigation Underway

According to the Shelby County Reporter, the owners of the wolf-dog hybrid knew about the dog's lineage, but no breeder or kennel has been identified so far. At the time of the deadly attack, there were other children in the home, but none of them were harmed. The Alabama Department of Human Resources and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office continue to investigate circumstances behind the infant's death, and if previous instances of child endangerment occurred in the family's home.

Picklesimer states the dog is part wolf and part shepherd. The most common breeds to create hybrids are Alaskan malamutes, huskies and German shepherds. A report by WTVM states the dog will be tested at an Alabama lab to determine if it is part wolf. However, it's the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory in California that generally carries out the wolf-dog hybrid test. The test can detect wolf-dog hybrids within three generations, but it cannot provide the percentage of wolf ancestry.

The UC Davis test also has critics, which is why identifying the breeder is important. A quick search of Alabama wolf-dog hybrid breeders shows one that advertises "Mid/High Content" puppies that are Embark DNA tested. Embark states its DNA test can detect 350+ breeds and wolves, thus the test can allegedly determine the amount of wolf content in a hybrid. The example of "Luna" shows a high content of gray wolf, followed by Alaskan malamute, German shepherd, husky and samoyed.

Wolf-Dog Hybrid "Kuna"

Based upon the address of the attack location, which is the same address as Dickey Chicks Hatchery on Highway 440, we can confirm this household has a female wolf-dog hybrid, named "Kuna." In our 13-year data set (2005 to 2017), sex of dog was known in 291 of 433 deaths. 5% (15) were inflicted by 1 female. Of the 25 wolf-dog hybrid fatalities (1980 to 2023), sex was known in 17 cases. 35% (6) were inflicted by 1 female, 7 times higher than all other breeds combined in the 13-year data set.

Fourth Alabama Death

The infant's death marks the fourth fatal dog mauling in Alabama this year; three occurred in the Birmingham area. In March, a dog pack killed a 74-year old man in McDonald Chapel, just west of Birmingham. In November, one or more dogs killed a 63-year old woman in Birmingham's Ensley neighborhood. In late July, a 27-year old man was killed by a dog pack in Skipperville, south of Montgomery. The infant's death is a departure from pack attacks that typically afflict this state.

A female wolf-dog hybrid, "Kuna," lives at the property where the attack occurred.

A pet wolf-dog hybrid killed a newborn in Chelsea, Alabama on November 30, 2023.

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

DogsBite's Giving Tuesday Challenge 2023 - Help Us Complete Our Victims' Database Through 20-Year Period

Only 1 Year Remaining to Reach 20 Years of Data Collection (2005-2024)

Join us on Facebook for DogsBite.org's Giving Tuesday Challenge 2023.

Giving Tuesday Challenge 2023
DogsBite.org - On November 28, Giving Tuesday, we are asking supporters to help us complete our victims' database. There is only 1 more year of data collection to go! Last year, we thought the Covid years would force us to stop at 18 years of data collection. But we were wrong -- and with your help, we prevailed during 2023! Our comprehensive and authoritative database of dog bite fatalities now contains 19 years of evidence-based data. But a full 20-year data set is ideal for research purposes!

This year's campaign emphasis our 2021 Covid Impact Report that we published in April.1 The report compared our own data to CDC Wonder data, which showed a 131% increase in dog bite fatality deaths from 2018 to 2021. In August, an article published by The Hill brought national attention to this issue.2 By September, CDC published their own report with similar findings. CDC states, "From 2018 to 2021, deaths more than doubled for both males (from 15 to 37) and females (from 20 to 44)."3

We believe the last time CDC published dog bite fatality statistics or analysis in a report was 23 years ago, on September 15, 2000.4

This year's campaign emphasizes the veracity of our data collection. We have over 100,000 pages of documentation in the 19-year data set for 722 victims. During the Covid years, we expanded the data collection for each victim from 38 parameters to 50. This requires thousands of added hours of research and coding time. On Tuesday, help us complete the definitive victims' database of dog bite fatalities so that we can preserve a full 20-year study period of data for a third-party researcher!

Changes to Meta Fundraising

This year, there is no "Meta Match" on Giving Tuesday. As of October 31, 2023, Meta no longer processes donations. Meta now partners with PayPal Giving Fund, the same entity that processes GoFundMe donations. Like GoFundMe, Meta is now just a platform that helps nonprofits share fundraising campaigns. 2023 also marked the end of AmazonSmile. Big Tech, apparently, has exited the nonprofit fundraising sector! Learn more about changes to Meta's fundraising tools.

Other Ways to Help

Many of our blog readers are already monthly or annual donors. Thank you so much to all of you! Giving Tuesday is always a fundraising day to attract new people to our cause and to invite new readers of the blog to support our cause on this global giving day. There are other ways to help DogsBite.org too. You can give a one-time gift or a monthly gift through PayPal, you can give to our PayPal Giving Fund page, which has no transaction fees. You can also snail mail a donation!

Help us reach our goal of $8,000 for DogsBite's Giving Tuesday Challenge 2023!

DogsBite.org's Giving Tuesday Challenge 2023 - November 28, 2023 - On Facebook.

1Macro-Level Forces Report: Covid Impacts of 2021 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Capture Rate of Nonprofit, DogsBite.org, April 18, 2023 (www.dogsbite.org)
2Daniel De Vise, "Blame the pandemic: Dog bites are on the rise," The Hill, August 8, 2023 (thehill.com)
3Number of Deaths Resulting from Being Bitten or Struck by a Dog,* by Sex — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2011–2021, MMWR, September 8, 2023 (cdc.gov)
4Breeds of Dogs Involved in Fatal Human Attacks in the United States Between 1979 and 1998, by Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood R, J Am Vet Med Assoc, 2000 Sep 15;217(6):836-40

DogsBite blog ::

Dog Owner Charged with Multiple Felonies After Fatal Attack

Only 1 Year Remaining to Reach 20 Years of Data Collection (2005-2024)