Posted on April 16, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

Pit Bull Attack Victim, Tanya Barnes, Recounts Life Threatening Attack in Columbia, Mississippi

Tanya Barnes recounts the violent pit bull attack from her hospital bed in Columbia, Mississippi.

04/16/10: Permanent Disfiguring Injury
Columbia, MS - In a stunningly candid account, Tanya Barnes, 47, describes how a friend's pit bull tore off part of her face on April 12, 2010. The powerful interview is about 10 minutes long. Phrases you will not forget include: rip the flesh, soak a pork chop, my eyeballs, my jugular, jaws, like a rattlesnake, 30-seconds, hundreds of stitches, extreme amount of blood, and clothes "cut off." Barnes adds: "[Pit bulls] are not cute fluffy little puppies forever. They grow up and their natural instincts kick in."

"This is not okay. Somebody needs to be responsible for this."

Barnes has had two surgery procedures so far and will need more. Barnes could not afford the COBRA insurance co-payments after the death of her husband. She currently has no insurance. She does not know how she and her children will get through this. She also wondered why there is no taskforce for dog attack victims. "It seems like that when somebody comes in gushing blood and having to have their clothes cut off of them in front of people," there would be resources available to help them.

Tanya Barnes Interview Transcript

... wrong with these dogs. They're just, they were bred to be killers. Their jaws are so massive so they could rip the flesh off your bones.

This dog had her lower jaw in my mouth, and it looks like, you know, when you soak a pork chop overnight so you can get it thawed out fast?

I don't know she what did, but it just...like up in my mouth and you know it just ripped it to shreds. One of the teeth was in the corner of my eyeball and if it had been a quarter of an inch up further, it would have ripped, busted both my eyeballs. If it had been down just a little bit more, it would have been my juggler.

Interviewer: Take me back take me back before the attack. What happened?
My 13 year old son and I had gone to a family friend. He had been family for several years and he had just suffered the loss of his girlfriend. We were there, just you know spending some time trying to remember happy times.

The owner got up and told me he would go to the restroom, and he got up and walked out of the room. Well, as he got up to walk out of the room, the one pit bull, the larger male, kind of followed him, but as the male pit bull got off the couch, he stepped on the back of the puppy. The puppy was laying there with his little legs out ... yells out, "Ouhhh!"

And like a rattlesnake, I didn't even see the dog move. I felt the power and it just took my head, and it had its lower jaw in my mouth and upper jaw with her teeth right here. You can see and hear yanking and just pulled, and as she pulled up, she shook my head like you're trying to mix up a chocolate shake or something you know.

It's slow motion and instantaneous all at the same time because my son had talked me into letting him go next door and play X box. I was like, “Thank god my baby's not here” because he would have never thought anything wrong about walking over and picking up a puppy. They had several puppies but all of them died of parvo except one or two. You know so my son is a really wonderful kid but he's small framed and this lasted about 25 to 30 seconds, and hundreds of stitches and blood ...

I grabbed a rag and, I put it on my face. It was laying on the arm of the couch and I screamed “Get in here! Call 9-1-1! I need help hurry!”

He managed to get in there and grab the dog, and the male dog got back on the couch, and the male dog saved my life. He yanked that dog, his front paw ... This is where he was pushing trying to pull the female dog off me. That's how much force was from his foot. He grabbed the female dog, and he pulled her off and the owner grabbed the back of the collar and just flung her over to the side and immediately the male dog went over and laid down, cowering by the door.

I mean they were raised as house puppies. They weren't raised and trained, they weren't fought, they weren't in a raised to be aggressive, but it's in their nature and they're so massive.

A lot of places require that you have at least a $500,000 rider on your homeowners insurance to cover something like this if it happened.

I did have insurance, but when my husband died, the cobra copay, versus my widow's survival benefits was too much for me to handle and the insurance would drop. I don't have any insurance. I don't know how we're going to get through this. I know somehow some way it's going to work out, but you know I want my kids to go to school. I want them to have a future, and we don't have money socked back in an account somewhere. This is taking our light bill money to get prescriptions filled when we get out of here.

I just want people to know that these [dogs], they grow up. They're not the cute little fluffy little puppies forever and, they grow up and their natural instincts kick in. This mother was trying to be maternal but that doesn't make it okay.

This this is not okay.

Somebody needs to be responsible for this.

It's not my fault and I didn't do it. This animal is a dumb animal, and there has to be a human who is going to be able to stand up and say, “I'm going to help.”

I don't know if there's a task force anywhere for victims, but it seems like that when somebody comes in just gushing blood and having to have their clothes cut off of them in front of people. Then they should automatically notify somebody that's going to tell my mama that it's going to be okay, that there are resources available to help. But so far, I don't know what those resources are. Dr. Pecunia has assured me that he's not going to worry about my insurance exactly at this moment that he's going to make sure I'm okay.

He's been Godsend. I've heard his name several times before from other people who he's treated. Their scar lines were so minimal, and I pray that my body cooperates and that we can get through this as quickly and as easily as we can. But I don't think the word “easy” is in my vocabulary right now.

Interviewer: During that day or during the time that you were there, did you have any interaction with the mother dog?

The mother dog was laying on the floor. When I first came in, the owner picked up the puppy and the mother dog growled while looking at me. But [the owner] was like “Sassy!” and she put your head down. So, I reached out ... said this is mama.

Interviewer: Did you ever let the mother dog sniff you to get familiar with you?

I was sitting on the floor, less than the distance then from here to the end of the bed, and I didn't show fear. I was conscientious of the pit bulls because of their reputation, but I wasn't afraid because I didn't feel that I had a reason for fear. But she raised up and looked down at the puppy a couple of times you know, and the male dog got up on the couch showing, “this is my house.”

I have dogs. I respect that they are trying to show, “this is my house,” but not, “Your blood is for me to eat if I think you're going to do something.” Or, you know, “I can lunge at you anytime I want and just kill you.”

Interviewer: You grab the phone and you call 9-1-1?

After about three attempts, I got through.

Interviewer: What was your friend doing?

He was just in shock. He was just in shock. He was like, “let me see, let me see,” and I was like, “No, no, no!” Because it wasn't just bleeding, it was going up and coming down oh my arm ... it was just, a very extreme amount of blood.

Interviewer: You dialed 9-1-1?

I dial 9-1-1, and I’m screaming, “A pit bull attacked me! A pit bull attacked me! Get here hurry, help me!”

Everything went gray, and I lost consciousness in the ambulance after I yanked on the man's arm. He said, “I don't know her name. I don't know her history,” and I'm telling him, giving him a phone number to call. He finally figured it out that that's what I was doing. I mean, we play “what if” with my kids. What would you do if this happened? Always be prepared with a phone number and make sure your kids know how to get in touch with somebody.

They got through and by the time the ambulance got here, my family was already arriving. I remember somebody asking me if they could cut my clothes off. I said yes. I don't remember anything else until I woke up in this room and Dr. Pecunia was standing down at the end of the bed and telling me that everything went really well. I couldn't imagine when I started going unconscious -- I thought I died.

This transcript was made from a video created by Zupf, who recorded the original video (it is a recording of a recording). Therefore, in some parts, it was difficult to understand her words.

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Pet Pit Bull Kills 7-Day Old New Port Richey Boy

Thomas Carter Jr. before his mauling death and his father, Thomas Carter Sr.

Repeat Offender
UPDATE 04/15/10: Details continue to emerge in the Pasco County fatal attack. After killing the newborn, Sidon attacked another household pit bull that was chained in the backyard. Kevin Doll, a spokesperson for the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, said the infant's mother underwent a toxicology test to determine why she slept through the attack. He said that authorities had visited the home in December when Carter Sr. was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery.

Carter Sr. was accused of punching a man so hard that he had to be flown to a hospital for surgery to relieve swelling of his brain.

Possibly due to the widely published photographs of Sidon, Dawn Adams stepped forward and told WTSP.com, "Oh my God, I know that dog!" Adams said Sidon used to live near her with different owners and that it attacked both pets and people. "It was out of control. It was vicious," she said. It must be noted that the vast majority of dogs involved in serious and fatal maulings are not photographed by the media, disallowing the dog's identification by persons like Adams.

The roommate who performed CPR on the baby says that Sidon was always in the bedroom. Jackie Welch says Nicole was a good mother and that what happened was just a "freak accident."

But Dawn Adams says this was an accident waiting to happen. "Oh my God, I know that dog!" she exclaimed when she heard about the attack.

Adams says Sidon used to live near her with different owners and that it attacked both pets and people. "It was out of control. It was vicious. The dog's mean," she said. - Kathryn Bursch, WTSP, April 15, 2010

04/14/10: Two Pit Bulls in Household
New information1 has been released about the death of Pasco County infant Thomas Carter Jr. Jackie Welch, whose brother Jonathan Gibson and girlfriend live with the baby's parents, resides next door and had slept over the previous night. It was Welch who opened the door when her friend, Jackie Frishe, came to visit at 11:45 am. Welch administered CPR to try to revive the infant. According to Welch, the pet pit bull routinely slept in the bedroom with the baby and his parents.2

Welch said she heard the baby cry at 9:30 am for about two minutes and after that it became quiet. She said she never heard a sound from the dog. "The dog didn't make a noise or nothing -- no growling, no barking, no nothing," Welch said. She also said there is "tension" between Sidon and her brother's pit bull, named Buddy, who allegedly spent the night in her brother's bedroom. An analysis of the 911 call, shows her statement to be questionable (See: 911 Transcript.)

This is the second child in Moon Lake to be killed by a family dog in four months. In December 2009, Dallas Lee Walters was killed by a relative's rottweiler-mix during a birthday party.

04/14/10: Infant Killed by Pet Pit Bull
New Port Richey, FL - Newborn Thomas James Carter Jr. was mauled to death today by his parents' brindle pit bull, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Neighbors say the infant died while sharing a bed with his sleeping 16-year old mother in their Moon Lake Estates home. The mother, whom neighbors identified as Nicole Koezeno, didn't discover her infant son was dead until a neighbor said she knocked on the mother's door and woke her around noon.

The attack was reported to 911 at 12:02 p.m. Paramedics took the infant, who suffered life threatening injuries, to Morton Plant North Bay Hospital where the infant later died. The pet pit bull, named Sidon, belongs to the infant's father, Thomas James Carter, 20. Pasco County Animal Services took the animal away, according to the Sheriff's Office. The mother's brother, Jason Koezeno, 18, said that his sister was excited about her pregnancy despite her young age.

1As demonstrated by the most recent depiction of the dog, April 14 5:53 EST, we are very concerned about the scars on this dog's face. It's uncommon for the media to have access to dogs involved in fatal attacks. It appears there may be a reason why they were allowed to photograph this dog: the suspicion of dogfighting or abuse.
2Pasco authorities have taken the unusual step of having the dog's DNA tested to determine the dog's breed despite Welch saying the dog was a full pit bull and that "breed DNA" tests for pit bulls are unreliable (See: Mars Wisdom Panel FAQ: "Does Wisdom Panel Professional test for "Pit-bull?").

Related articles:
02/24/10: 2010 Fatality: 5-Day Old Infant Killed by Family Pit Bull

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities: January 1, 2005 to March 8, 2010 - DogsBite.org

DogsBite.org - From time-to-time, advocates and elected officials ask us for up to the minute statistical data regarding U.S. fatal dog attacks. Our combined results of just over five years show that pit bulls and rottweilers continue to be the top killers, just as they were in the 1979 to 1998 CDC report.1 During the 1980s and 1990s, fatal dog attacks averaged 17 per year.2 The death-by-dog-bite rate now is nearly double this amount at over 30 per year and largely due to pit bulls.3

Five Years and 67 Day Period

From January 1, 2005 to March 8, 2010, DogsBite.org recorded 158 U.S. fatal dog attacks.4 Pit bulls were responsible for 56% (88) of these deaths. This is equivalent to a pit bull killing an American citizen every 21.5 days during this time period.5 Rottweilers, the second leading killer and positioned far behind pit bulls, accounted for 15% (23) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers accounted for 70% (111) of attacks that resulted in the death of a U.S. citizen.

Pit Bull and Rottweiler Deaths - January 1, 2005 to March 8, 2010

Year	Total Deaths	Pit Bulls	Rottweilers
2005	28	16	5
2006	30	16	8
2007	35	21	4
2008	23	15	0
2009	32	14	4
2010 (67 days)	10	6	2
Total	158	88	23

1Breeds of Dogs Involved in Fatal Human Attacks in the United States Between 1979 and 1998, by Sacks, Sinclair, Gilchrist, Golab and Lockwood, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000
2This number is often misquoted as 12 by researchers, reporters and the CDC itself. Attorney Kenneth Phillips lays out an excellent argument as to why this number is actually 17. To summarize, it is more accurate to combine the multiple fatal dog attack reports during the 18-year period from 1979 to 1996, which shows that 304 U.S. citizens died from these attacks. This is an average of 17 deaths per year. It must also be noted that the 20-year CDC report (1979 to 1998) only focuses on deaths where breed identification is known (238), not the total number of persons killed by dogs during this time, and if one divides 238 by 20, the number 12 appears again.
3The 20-year CDC report (1979 to 1998) shows that pit bulls and their mixes killed 76 U.S. citizens, an average of 4 per year. In the last five years alone, pit bulls and their mixes killed 82 individuals, an average of 16 per year.
4Data was gathered through media accounts that were available at the time of the attack or found through Internet archives. A copy of each news article pertaining to each death is available at the "Bite Statistics > Fatality Citations" section of DogsBite.org.
55 years (1,825 days) plus 67 days in the year 2010.

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Rottweilers at Home One Day Kill Baby on Iowa Tribal Land

Justin Lopez, 9-months old, was killed by two rottweilers near Perkins, Oklahoma.

Two Rottweilers
UPDATE 03/11/10: The Journal confirms the breed of dog that killed a 9-month old child: Two adult rottweilers. A source close to the family said the dogs had been brought into the home Sunday night, reports The Journal. Just hours later, the little boy crawled out of his crib and was killed by the animals. The child's mother, Stephanie Easley, was at work at the time of the incident. Easley was taken to Stillwater Medical Center to be treated for emotional distress and shock.

The incident was reported to Iowa Tribal Police at 11: 11 a.m. Monday, March 8. Officers were dispatched to a home at 750801 S. 3380 Road to find the baby boy had been mauled by two adult Rottweiler dogs.

A source close to the family said the dogs had been brought into the home Sunday night. The attack apparently occurred Monday morning in a hallway outside a bedroom where the baby and his two year-old brother had been sleeping with their father, Juan Lopez. It is not known how the nine-month-old got out of his crib ...

The source said the two dogs, a male and a female, were killed and taken to Oklahoma State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for necropsy. - Cindy Sheets, The Journal, March 11, 2010

03/10/10: Fatality Victim Identified
The name of an infant who was fatally attacked by a dog south of Perkins, Oklahoma has been released by the state Medical Examiner’s office. Justin Lopez, 8-months old, died of blunt force trauma to the head, medical examiner’s spokeswoman Cherokee Ballard said. Firefighters responded to a call that a child had been attacked by a dog at about 11 am Monday. The incident occurred on Iowa tribal land in Payne County. The tribe continues to have no comment.

03/08/10: Dog at Home One Day
Perkins, OK - In a developing story, an infant was killed Monday morning at a rural residence, south of Perkins, after being attacked by a dog. The attack happened in Payne County, on Iowa Tribal land. Iowa Tribe Police Chief confirmed the fatal dog mauling, but would not release any other details, adding, "We have no comment at this time." A cousin of the victim, Stephen Wood, said the dog that killed the infant was a rottweiler the family had brought home on Sunday.

An infant, new to the household, plus a new pit bull or rottweiler added to the home, is a ruinous and possibly deadly combination, as demonstrated by this horrific incident, which will soon become "yet another fatal dog attack statistic." The risk associated to this combination rises wholly off the charts. One should not expose an innocent and defenseless infant to any breed of dog, but to expose such a child to the top two killing dog breeds is as reprehensible as it is tragic.