2011 Dog Bite Fatality: Colusa Woman Mauled to Death by Pet Pit Bull-Mix

colusa woman killed by her pit bull
Linda Leal, 51-years old, was mauled to death by her pit bull-mix.

Alive During Mauling
UPDATE 01/05/11: The Colusa County Coroner's Office reported that the victim was alive during the mauling. The time of death has not been determined and the cause of death is pending toxicology tests. Sheriff's Lt. Shane Maxey said the toxicology tests are needed "to make sure she didn't have something in her system that put her in that position." But it is unclear what position Maxey means. A healthy adult man may have been defenseless in the same position.

Maxey said the toxicology tests are necessary "to make sure she didn't have something in her system that put her in that position."

Interim Colusa police Chief Ross Stark said there was no indication of a struggle at the scene.

"We have no indication of foul play," said Stark, adding that the police investigation would be wrapped up soon, and the matter turned over completely to the Coroner's Office. - Tri-County Newspapers

01/05/11: Autopsy Expected Today
Colusa, CA - In a developing story, a 51-year old woman appears to have been mauled to death by her pit bull-mix, Toby. Linda Leal Castillo was found dead by her husband in the backyard of their home Tuesday morning. Emergency responders found the victim with extensive head and neck trauma consistent with a dog attack. Despite this, neighbors want to believe that the dog did not attack Leal, but tried to "drag her to the house in safety" after she fell or was injured.1

Neighbors said Leal was very close to her white, pit bull mix, named Toby. Another dog the couple kept was confined to a pen in the backyard.

"We never had any problems with them, especially with the kids around, never, ever," said Lupe Diaz, whose parents live next door...

Neighbors said they did not hear any sign of a struggle and that they could not imagine Leal being hurt by her own dog.

"She fell outside or something and the dog, since they were really, really close, the dog probably tried to drag her back in or let the guy know that she was outside in danger," speculated Diaz. - News10/KXTV

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google Map: California Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.
1Extensive head and neck trauma is nearly always fatal and an unlikely area for a dog to grab hold of for the purposes of dragging a person to safety.

Related articles:
11/18/10: 2010 Fatality: Dillon County Man, 25, Killed by Pet Pit Bull
02/07/10: Carolyn Baker, 63-Years Old, Allegedly Killed by Family Rottweiler
08/12/09: 2009 Fatality: Leesburg Man, 20, Killed by His Two Pit Bulls...

Blog Dispels 'ATTS' Myth Used as Arsenal by Pit Bull Advocates

The ATTS Hoax
Bloodhound mythDogsBite.org - Since August, The Truth About Pit Bulls blog has dispelled several myths disseminated by pit bull advocates to distort the truth about pit bulls, including the Bloodhound and Nanny dog myths. On New Years Day, the site released a post about the American Temperament Testing Society (ATTS). Though ATTS test result data is not based upon a scientific random sampling of any dog breed, pit bull advocates use the misleading data to support their cause.

The detailed post touches upon many aspects of the ATTS temperament test, including: The history of the test, the test requirements, what the test involves, how the test is evaluated, criticisms of the test, why it's junk science, and examples of pit bull owners who acknowledge the test's biases. In a nutshell, and as pointed out by the writers, evaluating these areas shows why a dog breed responsible for roughly 50% of all fatal attacks can score better than Lassie.

We encourage readers to review the full post. There is no other thoughtful analysis of the ATTS on the Web with an emphasis on the pit bull community. If you are already aware of the test and how pit bull advocates harness it to advance the Safe Pit Bull cause, the post serves as an excellent refresher. For instance, the test was originally designed to test working dogs for jobs such as police work (schutzhund) and favors bold, assertive dogs over shy ones.

The post also references Carl Herkstroeter, President of the American Temperament Test Society, who said: "Just because a certain percentage of dogs in a certain breed fail, this does not necessarily indicate aggression. Dogs fail for other reasons, such as strong avoidance. If you look at our statistics just from a perspective of aggression or non-aggression, they can be very misleading." He added that 95% of the dogs that fail do so because they lack confidence.

After reading the post, you will understand why a person even with minimal understanding of critical statistical analysis who utilizes ATTS test result data in debates concerning the adoption of a pit bull ordinance would be guilty of fraud. The only persons who buy into the misleading data -- in that the pit bull's pass rate indicates a non-aggressive dog breed -- have a preconditioned bias in favor of pit bulls. The ATTS testing data does not support this position.

Related articles:
09/10/10: New Blog Dispels "Bloodhound" Myth Invented by Pit Bull Advocate
08/18/10: New Blog Dispels "Nanny Dog" Myth Invented by Pit Bull Fanciers
06/17/08: Comment: High Marks on the ATTS Test is Pit Bull Propaganda

Photo: The Truth About Pit Bulls

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Houston-Area Baby Girl Killed by Family Rottweiler

infant killed by one of nine dogs in Houston home
Jeannette Vaughn, 3-months old, was killed by one of her family's rottweilers.

Criminal Charges Unlikely
UPDATE 12/21/10: New information reveals that baby Jeannette Vaughn was inside the home when one of the rottweilers pushed through a washing machine and a heavy slab of marble and mauled the infant to death. In a separate article, Chris Glaser of Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC)1 was quick to point out to abc13.com reporters, "You can't judge the family unless you know exactly what happened" and "you can't judge the dog breed."

This is despite the fact the Vaughn family had over 1,000 pounds of dogs -- all rottweilers and rottweiler-mixes -- in their home, two of which had known problems with the baby and were kept away from her, and that rottweilers trail only pit bulls in serious and fatal mauling attacks. Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said there will likely be no charges filed. "As of this time right now, we're looking at it as a tragic accident," he said.2

Hoarders and Breeders Pile Up

The combination of hoarders and breeders continues to pile up in 2010 fatal attack statistics. This case marks at least the 9th (27%) of the 33 recorded deaths this year. Hoarding incidents include: Michael Winters, 30 (OH), Cason Byrant, 5 (AL) and Kaden Muckleroy (TX). Breeder incidents with six or more dogs on property3 include, Johnny Wilson, 56, (IL), Christina Stab, 37 (PA), Violet Haaker (FL), Taylor Becker (WI), John Reynolds, 84 (MO) and Jeannette (TX).

12/20/10: Mother Hysterical, "In Shock"
The newest fatal dog attack is being blamed on a rottweiler of at least 150 pounds. The dog -- one of nine dogs in the home -- forced open the back door and attacked the 3-month old girl who was in a baby swing. Authorities said the child's mother, Alva Vaughn, 41, thought she had secured the back door by "sliding a washing machine and slab of marble" behind it before going into the bathroom to bathe the biter’s father, a 200-pound rottweiler.4

Harris County Sheriff’s homicide sergeant Felipe Rivera said, "It’s a horrible, horrible deal. But a child is dead. Parents have to put the child first, animals later. You have to maintain the child’s safety." Rivera added that the scene was chaotic with so many dogs running around. Eight dogs were in the backyard when the attack occurred. Animal control removed all nine dogs -- four rottweilers and three mixed-breeds. The case is being referred to a grand jury.

12/20/10: Texas Infant Mauled by Dog
Houston, TX - In a developing story, a 3-month old baby died in northwest Houston Sunday after being mauled by the family dog. Harris County deputies responded to the incident. They did not release the child's name or any details about the dog. The child was rushed to Texas Children's Hospital but did not survive its injuries. No charges have been filed by authorities so far. This latest fatal dog attack follows the death of an East Texas toddler in November.

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State
1Glaser is employed by the City of Houston to, "promote and protect public health and animal care," not to defend dangerous dog breeds.
2While these occurrences are tragic, they are not accidental.
3At the time of Violet's death, Lori Haaker only had 4 dogs on the property, but Haaker was an established breeder operating the Dream Bulldog Ranch.
4News continues to unfold in the fatal mauling of Jeannette Vaughn. Click2Houston.com and KHOU.com are reporting that authorities do not know which of the rottweilers killed the baby. They also upped the family's dog count from eight to nine.

Related articles:
10/25/10: 2010 Fatality: "Very Loving" Pit Bull Kills Baby in Jacksonville Home
04/15/10: 2010 Fatality: Pit Bull Kills 7-Day Old New Port Richey Boy
02/24/10: 2010 Fatality: 5-Day Old Infant Killed by Family Pit Bull
08/18/09: 2009 Fatality: Infant Killed by Pet Pit Bull in Hardy County

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 55-Year Old Man Killed by Pack of Dogs Near Gallup

Death Due to Bites
UPDATE 03/30/11: New information has been released about a 55-year old man who was discovered dead last December. Autopsy results from the state Office of Medical Investigator show that bite wounds inflicted by dogs killed Larry Armstrong on December 6. Investigators wrote in their report that they didn't know if Armstrong, who had a history of seizures, suffered one before the dogs attacked or if he was conscious when the dogs began attacking him.

Investigators do appear to know the owners of the dogs responsible for killing the man. Rob Platero, the Navajo Nation's chief of criminal investigations in Window Rock, is mentioned in the article. Platero said that samples from the dogs were "sent out for examination to test for rabies or other diseases." When the results come back, "an investigator will meet with a tribal prosecutor to determine if a complaint will be filed against the owners of the dogs," he said.

12/10/10: Victim Identified
McKinley County sheriff's deputies said they arrived to find a pack of dogs gnawing on the body. Deputies said they didn't know if the victim was alive or dead at the time of the mauling. The victim was identified as Larry Armstrong. Because the incident occurred on tribal land, the FBI and Navajo police will conduct a joint investigation. Deputies believe the man "could have been hit by a vehicle before the attack" due to nearby tire marks and vehicle debris.

The state Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the cause of death.

12/10/10: Sparse Information
Gallup, NM - In a developing story, the Gallup Independent reports that a 55-year old man was attacked and killed by a pack of "wild dogs" on Wednesday. The incident occurred just west of Sundance Road. The photo depicts a "rez dog" (short for Indian reservation dog) near the clothing of the victim and a law enforcement's vehicle with an open door. No further information was provided in the brief article. Please leave additional links in the below comment section.

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google Map: Fatal Dog Attacks on American Indian Reservations.

Learn about breed-specific laws on Indian reservations in our Breed Safety Laws section.

1The incident involving Armstrong is similar to the January 2011 mauling that left Howard James Paul dead.

Related articles:
08/19/09: 2009 Fatality: Senior Couple Killed by Pack of Dogs in Oglethorpe County
08/15/09: 2009 Fatality: Winterhaven Man Killed by Pack of Dogs