Posted on June 16, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Lorain County Man Killed by 'Rescued' Dangerous Dog Breeds

The property where Mychael Wynters lived with his father.

Breed Info Released
UPDATE 06/16/10: A report issued later in the day presented even more disturbing information. The nine dogs involved in the attack included: 5 bullmastiffs,1 1 rottweiler and 3 pit bull-mixes. It is important to point out that Kywa (who said "my dogs" in the 911 call) was not "rescuing stray dogs." He was only rescuing dog breeds known to be dangerous. As was put to us in a recent email, "The victim could have had a machine-gun and still have been in desperate trouble."

When deputies arrived, they shot and killed one bullmastiff and the rottweiler. Kywa had managed to coral the remaining seven dogs into the garage. The dog warden then tranquilized the dogs through a window and a vet later euthanized them at the scene.2 The tenth dog was not put down. This dog was a yellow Labrador that was inside the family's home during the horrific attack. This dog appears to be the only true family dog and likewise was kept inside the residence.

A subsequent news article by The Morning Journal posted parts of the 911 call:

Warning: Disturbing content.

06/16/10: Photos of Scene Released
In a disturbing update, the Chronicle-Telegram has published quotations from the 911 call that Michael Kywa made upon finding the victim's body. The group also published photos of the crime scene and deputies posed to shoot aggressive dogs. County Dog Warden Jack Szlempa Sr. said his office was called out to the home about a year and a half ago after several dogs attacked another dog. No report was taken on the incident because it occurred on private property.

06/16/10: Family Rescued Stray Dogs archived

The Plain Dealer reports that Michael Winters and his father Michael Kywa rescued stray dogs and cared for them at their home on Ohio State Route 511. The two tried to find homes for the dogs in their care. They had about a dozen dogs of various sizes and breeds including a 200-pound mastiff. Kywa found his son lying in the driveway heavily bleeding with hundreds of bite wounds covering his body. His clothes had been ripped off by the attacking dogs as well.

Authorities believe multiple dogs were involved in the attack, but have declined to provide "breed information" thus far. Though clearly a fatal pack attack scenario, it is important to point out that such scenarios usually involve a pack of roaming dogs that attack strangers, not on-property dogs who attack and kill their keeper. Authorities eventually caught all of the dogs. Police shot and killed two of the dogs because they were aggressive toward officers.

06/15/10: Victim Dies Violent Death
Henrietta Township, OH - In a developing story, 30-year old Mychael Wynters was killed earlier today by a pack of dogs his family kept in a fenced-in yard. Investigators said around 11:30 am, the father left the house and then returned at about 12:15 pm. At some point during that period, his son came home and was attacked by the 8-10 dogs in the driveway. His father Michael Kywa called 911. Winters was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel.

1Five bullmastiffs easily equates to 500 lbs of dogs and likely more.
2Only in the most horrific fatal attacks are the dogs "euthanized at the scene" by animal control or veterinarians.

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

Oceanside Letter Carrier Dies After 'Non Bite' Injury from Rottweiler

Letter carrier dies after being ambushed by a rottweiler in Oceanside, California.

Fatal Brain Injury
Oceanside, CA - A 33-year old letter carrier died earlier this month after a rottweiler lunged at him along his Oceanside route, causing him to fall and suffer a fatal head injury. Letter carrier Hao Yun "Eddie" Lin encountered the dog while delivering mail on May 25 in the 500 block of Stanley Street, according to postal inspector Slivia Torres. Oceanside police were alerted to the incident at about 4:13 pm that afternoon and found Lin lying in the street with a severe head injury.

According to the victim's wife, Teri Lin, doctors induced a coma to try to control severe brain swelling. But he did not recover. Eddie Lin died from the injuries June 3. A coroner's report shows the cause of death as "blunt head trauma." Lin leaves behind his wife and three children ---- a 10-year-old girl, 4-year-old boy and a 5-month old girl. San Diego Humane Society, who has the animal control contract for Oceanside, said the dog was euthanized at the owner's request.

On Friday, Teri Lin told North County Times she's frustrated that officials still aren't sure exactly what led to her husband's death. She said she knows the dog somehow pushed or jumped on her husband, but she doesn't know how it got out, where it came from, or how her husband reacted -- whether he tried to use Mace, fight or flee. She heard he had a tear on the back of his uniform, and she also heard that the same rottweiler attacked a different letter carrier four years ago.

The postal inspector said that investigators were still trying to "piece together" exactly what happened. Torres said they have talked to witnesses, but have not finished their work. North County Times could not determine if the Oceanside Police Department was conducting its own investigation; telephone messages left with supervisors on Friday were not returned. Teri said her husband was devoted to her family. A funeral is scheduled Thursday at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Noted:
Incidents involving non-dog bite injury1 that led to fatal brain injury in the past year include: letter carrier Hao Yun "Eddie" Lin, Animal Control Officer Theresa Foss, knocked to the ground by a pit bull and Beverly Head, knocked to the ground after being entangled in a leash as a mountain biker riding alongside with his two huskies passed her on a trail. It's interesting that even non bite-related deaths by dogs involve the top killing dog breeds: Pit bulls, rottweilers and huskies.2

1Deaths involving non-dog bite injury are not included in DogsBite.org statistical fatality data.
2From January 1, 2005 to March 8, 2010, DogsBite.org recorded 158 U.S. fatal dog attacks. Pit bulls were responsible for 56% (88) of these deaths. Rottweilers, the second leading killer, accounted for 15% (23) and huskies took third position with 6% (9).

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 9-Year Old Kokomo Girl Mauled by Family Pit Bull Dies

Savannah Gragg, 9-years old, was killed by her family pit bull in Kokomo.

Girl Dies of Severe Injuries
UPDATE 06/03/10: It was reported today that Savannah Gragg died this afternoon due to the severe injuries inflicted by the family pit bull last Saturday. Marion County Deputy Coroner Carrie England ruled her death was caused by lacerations to the trachea that created a lack of oxygen to the brain.1 Savannah had been opening the door to let the pit bull outside when the dog suddenly pounced on her, knocked her to the ground and savagely bit into her neck.

06/01/10: Victim's Condition Still Critical
Kokomo, IN - Over Memorial Day weekend, 9-year old Savannah Gragg was nearly killed by the family pit bull when she opened the door of her home to let the dog outside. The pit bull did not go outside. Instead, it jumped on Savannah, knocking her to the ground, clamped onto her neck and "shook violently," according to the Howard County Sheriff's Department. This type of attack -- knock the victim to the ground then attack the head or neck region -- is intended to kill.2

Savannah Gragg’s grandmother witnessed the attack and managed to free the child. When Deputy John Cipriano responded to the scene, he reported the girl was unconscious and unresponsive and had stopped breathing twice before medics arrived. Cipriano performed CPR and restored her breathing. Savannah was rushed to Howard Regional Health System then airlifted to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Her condition Monday was still listed as critical.

Cipriano said the family told him, which includes Savannah's mother, Stephanie Gragg, father Nicholas Gragg, and the unnamed grandmother, that the dog had "never shown aggression before" and that it was a "freak accident." Pit bull owners commonly use both phrases after their dog violently attacks, despite the well-known history3 of the breed to attack unpredictably, without provocation or warning signals4, and to inflict such attacks on family members.5

DogsBite.org has added "letting your dog out" to our list of pit bull attack triggers.

1Doctors pronounced her brain dead shortly after 3:30 pm.
2This is not a "dog bite" readers, this is an attack of malicious and deadly intent.
3"The Care of Pit Bulls in the Shelter Environment," by Leslie D. Appel, DVM Director of Shelter Veterinary Outreach ASPCA.
4Dog Bite Prevention for Law Enforcement and Other First Responders, by Randall Lockwood, PhD, Tawzer Dog Videos, 2004 (View partial transcript).
5Animal Agency, PSPCA, Distorts History of 25-Year Old Pit Bull Problem, DogsBite.org, May 11, 2009.

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 2-Year Old San Bernardino Boy Killed by Family Pit Bull

Front cover and anti-BSL article in Atomic Dogg, Winter 2010, Issue 12.

Parents Adored Pits
UPDATE 05/29/10: It was also reported Friday that the child's parents were pit bull aficionados. According to the Press-Enterprise, though the blinds were drawn at the family's home on Friday, pasted in a front window of the home was a sticker for Atomic Dogg Magazine, a magazine devoted to the "American Bully Breed," which is a pit bull characterized by a stocky body and oversized head, or as Kinneman pit bull kennels states, "built to have the look of a buff athlete."1

The blinds were drawn Friday and no one answered the door at Nathan's house. Jim Keller said the family was with relatives. The driveway, smeared with dried blood where the mauling occurred, painted the grim story. A Red Flyer wagon and Little Tikes tricycle languished a few feet away. Nearby lay a torn, blood-stained T-shirt that said: "You can move a mountain. You can't budge a dog."

Pasted in a front window is a sticker for Atomic Dog, a magazine dedicated to the "bully breed" -- pit bulls. Only one of the dogs attacked Nathan, but city animal control has impounded both for 10-day quarantine before deciding their fates, Robertson said.

At the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter at Chandler Way, the pit bulls, housed in kennel 9, wagged their tails and barked occasionally as visitors peered into their cage. Police said the family owned the attacker for three months -- the 1-year-old black male. The older and bigger dog, a blue female, wasn't involved, Robertson said. -The Press-Enterprise, May 28, 2010

05/28/10: Pit Bull Was New to Home
New information has been released about the death of 2-year old Nathan Aguirre. According to San Bernardino police Sgt. Gary Robertson, the toddler lived with his father, Raul Aguirre Ramirez, mother, Kitziha Navarro, 8-year old brother and the two family pit bulls. The dog that killed the child, a 17-month old2 male pit bull, had only been with the family for three months. The parents got the dog from a person in Muscoy. No other details were provided about the person.

Prior to the attack, the boy had been riding his tricycle in the backyard when his father stepped away briefly. The mom, who was in the house, then came out to check on the child. She found the toddler in the pit bull's mouth. The mother grabbed her son, ran into the house and notified authorities. San Bernardino police called the incident a "tragic accident," just as San Bernardino County Sheriff's officials did after a family pit bull killed 3-year old Omar Martinez in January.

05/28/10: Victim: 2-Year Old Nathan Aguirre
San Bernardino, CA - A 2-year old boy, severely mauled by a family pit bull Thursday, died at 1:18 am this morning according to coroner's officials. Yesterday, the child was rushed to Loma Linda University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. In an earlier report, an eyewitness said the child was playing in his backyard when the family pit bull "snapped" and attacked the boy. Authorities took two pit bulls from the family home, but only one participated in the attack.

2010 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities: January 1 to May 28

Thus far in 2010, canines have killed 13 Americans. Of these victims, 8 (62%) were mauled to death by pit bulls and include: Omar Martinez, 3-years old (Apple Valley, CA), Johnny Wilson, 56-years old (Chicago, IL), Anastasia Bingham, 5-years old (Terry, MI), Christine Staab, 37-years old (Philadelphia, PA), Jane Doe, 5-days old (Conyers, GA), Ethel Horton, 65-years old (Lucknow, SC), Thomas Carter Jr., 7-days old (New Port Richey, FL) and 2-year old Nathan Aguirre.

1According to Kinneman Pit Bull Kennels, the American Bully came on the scene about 10 years ago. The breed is not recognized by the AKC or UKC and is only recognized as an "American pit bull terrier" by the UKC.
21.5 to 2-years old is when pit bulls reach maturity and begin to do what they were bred to do: "grab ahold of things and shake it until it's dead." Many serious attacks occur when a pit bull is in this age range.

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

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