Posted on March 8, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

Injuries "Severe"

UPDATE 03/08/10: Lee County Coroner Alfred Elmore confirmed in a phone call today with DogsBite.org that Ethel Horton suffered severe injuries in the pit bull attack. There was no mistake in the tone of his voice. "Oh they were severe," he said. The death of Ethel Horton indeed qualifies as a U.S. fatal dog attack, despite animal experts such as Richard Polsky who declare otherwise:

Polsky's website: "For example, there was an incident in March 2010 incident in Lucknow, South Carolina involving a 65-year-old lady in which all news stories initially reported a fatality caused by a pit bull attack, but subsequently the autopsy indicated a fatal heart attack was the primary cause of death (presumably from the stress of the attack). Hence, this incident cannot be included in the database."

03/05/10: Severity Injuries Unclear
The Lee County Coroner reports that the victim died of a heart attack "before the dog did much damage to her." The question is the amount of damage -- were the injuries severe or not? As noted by our language, "Deaths involving non-dog bite injury, minor dog bite injury or cases that lacked a "reasonably clear" determination of death due to dog bite injury are not included in DogsBite.org statistical fatality data."

DogsBite.org will follow up with the Lee County coroner's office shortly.

03/04/10: Mauling Victim Identified
Authorities report that the victim, Ethel Horton, was killed by the pit bull while trying to beat the dog off her 71-year old husband, Jerry Horton, who was first attacked by the animal. The two had been taking care of the 10-year old pit bull, Brutus, for their nephew who lived next door. Apparently, while Jerry was feeding the other dogs in the yard, Brutus "snapped," broke its chain and violently attacked Jerry.

Jerry suffered severe injuries and was taken to a hospital in Hartsville.

03/04/10: Woman Killed by Pit Bull
Lee County, SC - In a developing story, a 65-year old woman who was caring for her neighbor's pit bull was attacked and killed by the animal. Sheriff E.J. Melvin said the attack happened off Stokes Bridge Road near the town of Lucknow. Officials have so far not identified the victim. Melvin said the dog belonged to the woman's neighbor, and she and her husband were caring for the pit bull when it attacked both of them.

Since 2005, South Carolina has suffered at least 6 fatal dog attacks, including the most recent incident. Of the six attacks, five (83%) are attributed to pit bull type dogs. To clarify the WISTV article, 22-month old Allen Young was mauled to death by his father's four pit bulls in 2006. In 2007, the father, Michael Anton Young Jr., 25, was charged with involuntary manslaughter. It is unknown what resulted in these charges.

South Carolina Fatal Attacks

Related articles:
02/04/09: A Recent Review of South Carolina Fatal Dog Attacks (2006-2008)

Photo: WISTV.com

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

Dogfighter Bill Stewart Kills Himself After Criminal Operation Discovered

From left: Bill Stewart, Pit Bull Reporter, seized marijuana and firearms.

"Rushin Bill"
Romance, AR - It is reported that the editor and publisher of dogfighting magazine, Pit Bull Reporter1, Bill Stewart (aka "Rushin Bill")2 shot himself to death. The incident began after a grass fire broke out on Stewart's property. When crews arrived to distinguish the fire, they discovered $124,000 of marijuana, more than 40 guns, pit bulls and a dogfighting ring. Just after the discovery, Stewart shot himself.

The incident involving Stewart, a "star" figure among dogfighters, demonstrates the true nature of dogfighting, which is organized crime. The criminal endeavor of dogfighting goes hand-in-hand with gambling, illegal drugs, weapons and more. These elements cannot be separated from it either, thus showing the importance of police authorities to aggressively pursue reports of dogfighting operations.

"When you walk into the residence and there are guns strategically located throughout the house, when you have guns in the bathroom, in the laundry room, in each bedroom, guns outside of each door and then you start noticing the window blinds. There were squares cut in the blinds that can be used for ether observation or to fire a rifle or pistol out of.”
Sources say Stewart is considered a godfather of dog fighting and went by the name Rushin Bull in the violent dogfighting underworld. He even edited and published an underground publication called Pit Bull Reporter.
"To find out this person is also the editor and publisher of a dog fighting magazine, it just goes to show you what all it reaches into, really shocking,” Grimes said. (David Goins, Fox16.com)

1Pit Bull Reporter ceased publication in 2007 following the arrest of Michael Vick. The website appears to have ceased publication in 2009. The web archives of this website still remain live.
2Bill Stewart also organized and hosted a monthly "swinger" party.

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 'Ax Men' Jesse Browning's Stepdaughter Killed by Rottweiler

Ashlynn Anderson, 4-years old, was killed by one of her step-father's rottweilers.

Female Rottweiler archived
UPDATE 03/02/10: It has been clarified that the victim, Ashlynn Anderson, was Jesse Browning's stepdaughter. Ashlynn spent half of each week at the home of her father and the other half with her mother, D'Ette Browning, and Jesse. Apparently, the two paired up when Ashlynn was about a year old. Jay Browning, Jesse's father, said the girl's mother went out to check on the child and she was laying there bleeding and the female, spayed rottweiler, named Cornelia, was nearby.1

Ashlyn Anderson, daughter of Brian Anderson and D’ette Browning, was found dead outside her family’s home on Feb. 28. Two of the family’s dogs, Junior, a 17-month-old, 104-pound, neutered male Rottweiler/Newfoundland mix, and Cornelia, a 3-year-old, 80-pound, spayed female Rottweiler, were seen near the child. The investigation concluded that Cornelia was positively involved in the attack. - Lori Tobias, The Oregonian, March 18, 2010

03/01/10: Reality TV Star's Daughter Killed archived
Astoria, OR - 'Ax Men' star Jesse Browning's 4-year old daughter was killed by a family dog near Astoria. The attack occurred outside the family home in the 4200 block of Hillcrest Loop Road. Ashlynn Anderson, was airlifted to Portland's Oregon Health and Science University Hospital, where she died. "Everyone was there in minutes, but she was pretty severely mauled. By the time they got her to OHSU, she had lost too much blood," said Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin.

According to Bergin, "The mom just happened to look out and saw the dog and the child laying there. Apparently, the dog just snapped." The Brownings own two rottweilers, both of which were removed and quarantined at a local animal shelter, where they will be "adopted or euthanized." Four months earlier, an Astoria deputy was forced to remove a third rottweiler from the Browning home "because it had gotten aggressive," reports The Oregonian. That dog was euthanized then.

In 2009, the combination of pit bulls (14) and rottweilers (4) accounted for 56% of all attacks resulting in death. Over the 5-year period from 2005 to 2009, this same combination accounted for 70% (103) of the total recorded dog bite deaths (148) in the United States.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State

1The offending female rottweiler was reportedly two-and-a-half years old.

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 3-Year Old Mauled to Death by Pit Bull Type Dog in Ocala

Champion Haaker's Uno of OHK and GC Haaker's Uno of OHK GTT2

Breeding Operation Ends archived
UPDATE 02/24/10: Officials report that the offending male dog named Uno (right photo) was euthanized Wednesday. Today, the three remaining female American pit bulldogs seized at the Haacker's Dream Bulldog Ranch were euthanized as well. "No one witnessed the actual attack on the child, but all of the [dogs] in the pen potentially had access to the little girl during this fatal attack," said Animal Services Director Jill Lancon. "We can't risk another tragedy."

02/21/10: Mother Ran Breeding Operation
Lori Haaker, the mother of the child, is an active breeder of Scott type American bulldogs and hybrids. The two Haaker dogs depicted in the photo clearly illustrate pit bull type dogs (See: Pit bull faq) and once again raises the issue of exactly how to classify the Scott type American bulldog. The Scott type and breed standard is by definition a pit bull-mix, as the breed was directly developed by crossing early Johnson lines with the American pit bull terrier.

Pit bull breeders, owners and kennel clubs of have been disguising the pit bull's name since 1936. The Scott type American bulldog seems to be the latest outcrop. Though Haaker's website, dreambulldogranch.com, appears to be offline, one can browse the site's web archives. We found this page particularly ironic: "We are working toward a personal goal in our breeding program where the emphasis is on a temperament that is above all, people and child friendly."

The Department of Child and Family Services is investigating the parents of the little girl, whose name has still not been released. Details of the attack, such as how did the child wander into the pen, remain unclear. Four American pit bulldogs were chained to different trees inside the pen. Only one dog is believed to be responsible for the deadly attack. The child was dead by the time emergency responders reached the scene. The couple has four other children.

02/20/10: Another Child Dead Due to a Pit Bull
Ocala, FL - Another fatal pit bull attack occurred today -- two in one day. The incident happened in Ocala, Florida. Jenifer Fisher, of the Marion County Sheriff's Office, said a woman was in her yard with her daughter, cleaning out the pen where the family keeps four pit bulls chained to trees. The woman went into the house and she didn't see her daughter when she returned. The woman later realized the girl had entered the pen and was being mauled by one of the dogs.

DogsBite blog ::

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Kills 65-Year Old Woman in Lee County

Injuries "Severe"

Dogfighter Bill Stewart Kills Himself After Criminal Operation Discovered

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 'Ax Men' Jesse Browning's Stepdaughter Killed by Rottweiler