Posted on October 29, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

Ring Camera Video of Pit Bull Attacking Pomeranian in San Francisco Used in Vicious and Dangerous Dog Hearing

Video of pit bull attacking pomeranian is shown during the Vicious and Dangerous Dog Hearing.

Statement of Decision
San Francisco, CA - On April 25, 2023, a Vicious and Dangerous Dog Hearing was held to determine if a pit bull met the definition of "vicious and dangerous" set forth in the San Francisco Health Code. On February 28, 2023, the pit bull, "Chyna," flew out of an open garage door, grabbed a small dog by the neck, and "shook the dog for approximately five minutes," states the complaint. The pomeranian, "Bambi," did not survive her injuries. The brutal attack was captured on Ring camera video.

The 5-minute segment only shows the attack. The audio of the hour-and-a-half-long vicious dog hearing is available for download on the BSPics YouTube page in the description. Briefly, both dogs were female. Bambi, a 5-year old unspayed pomeranian, was outside for a walk with her owner to urinate that day. Bambi was not leashed. Chyna, a 7-year old spayed rescue pit bull, upwards of 50 pounds, who was "not normally aggressive," bolted from a garage and fatally attacked Bambi.

"Kuang said that on February 28, 2023, at 1:40 pm, she took her Pomeranian dog, Bambi, outside for a walk to urinate. Bambi was not spayed and weighed 18 lbs. A Pit Bull dog came out of nowhere and went straight for Bambi’s neck. Kuang, who was in shock, unsuccessfully tried to fight off the Pit Bull. Kuang ran to her garage to get a broom to try to fight off the Pit Bull. After minutes of screaming, her neighbor Michelle Sung ran out to help. Kuang lost hope but continued to hit the Pit Bull with her broom. When the owner, Ricardo Baldizon showed up, he begged them not to call the police, explaining that the dog was not normally aggressive." - Amended Statement of Decision

As you can see in the video, the attack is sudden, unprovoked and vicious. The pit bull executes the killing bite -- latching onto the dog's neck -- immediately. Then violently shakes the dog in its jaws for several minutes. As Bambi is being fatally injured and shaken, she cries out in fear and pain. Her owner grabs a broom and starts striking the pit bull with it, which does nothing to deter the pit bull. A neighbor rushes into help, and we hear both women screaming. Bambi has since stopped screaming.

"Michelle Sung, Kuang’s neighbor, testified that on February 28, 2023, at approximately 1:45 pm, she heard a dog crying in a high-pitched tone. Sung saw one dog on top of another and Kuang hitting the Pit Bull with a broom trying to get it to release Bambi. Sung tried to help by throwing rocks at the Pit Bull. Kuang froze and dropped the broom. Sung picked up the broom and struck the Pit Bull. No matter what Sung and Kuang did, the Pit Bull wagged its tail and continued pouncing on Bambi. She opined that the dog was unsocialized and did not know how to behave around other dogs.

Sung did not think the Pit Bull intended to kill Bambi. Rather, the dog enjoyed killing like a game." - Amended Statement of Decision

This pit bull certainly intended to kill the small dog, which is why the pit bull instantly executed the killing bite. There were no play bites or ear bites. The pit bull latched onto Bambi's neck, and quite possibly regripped a few times while the pit bull ferociously shook the dog in its powerful jaws until Bambi was rendered defenseless or dead. This was a classic pit bull attack. That the pit bull was wagging its tail during the vicious attack shows the dog's enjoyment of the act of fighting and killing.

"Physical and behavioral conformation mean that you cannot breed out behavior and keep the dog the same shape," Semyonova states. "Form follows function – you can’t have a dog whose entire body and brain are adapted to executing the killing bite without having, in fact, a dog who will execute the killing bite." - Alexandra Semyonova

The co-owner of Chyna, Taija Liscinsky, testified during the hearing that the sudden, unprovoked attack was an "accident," because her pit bull had "never aggressed on a dog before." Liscinsky also said that Chyna is an "emotional support dog" for her. Liscinsky and the dog's other owner, Ricardo Baldizon, said they had the locks and door handles changed to prevent Chyna from escaping in the future. Despite the vicious attack, Liscinsky characterized Chyna as a "gentle, loving senior dog."

Liscinsky was not present during the attack. Baldizon was inside their home. He ran outside barefoot and was able to pry Chyna off of Bambi. Then, according to Bambi's owner and Sung, the female neighbor who rushed to help, Baldizon begged them not to contact the police (a plea we have heard from the owner of a vicious dog too many times to count). Fortunately, Sung did report the attack to police, which resulted in an SFPD incident report and the Vicious and Dangerous Dog Hearing.

Despite Chyna's owners submitting eight letters in support of their cause, the hearing officer declared Chyna to be "vicious and dangerous for the remainder of her life," and placed restrictions on her ownership. Chyna must be leashed and muzzled when in public. Unless confined, Chyna must wear a "front attaching harness" using a leash no longer than three feet. The dog must wear a "rigid basket muzzle" and only walked in public "by responsible adults," according to the order.

The dog also has to undergo six hours of training in an effort to correct "problem behaviors" (genetic pit bull dog aggression is not correctable, but only manageable) and the owners must take steps to ensure the dog does not escape again, such as "installing self-closing hinges on the doors and installing a gate in the doorways," states the order. If Chyna is found to be off-leash or unmuzzled in the community, "ACC shall immediately seize Chyna" and another hearing will be held, states the order.

Other Parts of Testimony

We also reviewed the segment of testimony by Bambi's owner, who is assisted by a Cantonese interpreter, and Sung (starting at 14:30). In her full testimony, Sung comments further on the cruel nature of the attack, the pit bull was "playing with her like a cat and mouse," and "it wasn't just like one fatal bite," and that her own dog has been attacked by a pit bull in the past. Sung has now been affected by two acts of pit bull dog aggression outside of her volunteer work at the SF SPCA.

(20:30) "I think what was scariest is the pit bull could have killed Bambi in one bite. It's a very small fragile dog. It really was like she was playing with her like cat and mouse, and it wasn't just like one fatal bite. So Bambi died in the most cruel way possible, which is just heartbreaking for everyone..."

Regarding if she had ever had prior interactions with the dog, she said ... "My dog has been attacked by a pit bull in the past so, when I see a pit bull, I'm sure there's friendly ones, but I avoid it. So, we've never had any interactions besides that day." - Michelle Sung

Rescue Pit Bull Chyna

During the hearing, Liscinsky states that Chyna was adopted from a shelter in 2017. That shelter, "Front Street," is the city of Sacramento's shelter. Chyna was adopted out by a government shelter in one jurisdiction and became the subject of a dangerous dog hearing in another jurisdiction. Liscinsky states, "We will not deny that this situation was horrible and devastating too all parties involved. We will not say that this incident is not traumatizing. We will say this was purely an accident."

When testifying about Chyna's behavior, Liscinsky states, "We wanted to make her life easier by putting her only in situations where she was with humans." She added, "Our goal with her was to make her life happy. Animals just seemed to not do that for her." When asked by the hearing officer about Chyna's reactivity to other dogs, she described it as her dog having "uncomfortability" in outdoor situations other dogs. Chyna had never aggressed on another dog before, Liscinsky testified.

"Chyna is an anxious dog, and we wanted to make her life easier by putting her only in situations where she was with humans. A shelter dog, regardless of anything that could be perceived when meeting them, can change once you adopt them. Our goal with her was to make her life happy. Animals just seemed to not do that for her."

Hearing examiner: So, you've noticed some dog reactivity in the past?

"Not necessarily reactivity. Just uncomfortability. Not wanting to go to the park and be around dogs or anything like that, it was more of a situation where she just didn't seem comfortable and so we keep her out of those situations."

Hearing examiner: And how did her discomfort manifest itself?

"Anxiety, tucked tail. All of those factors. Not enjoying the time outside in those areas."

Hearing examiner: Has she aggressed on any dog before this incident?

"Never." - Taija Liscinsky

Summary

If Liscinsky's testimony is believable, Chyna escaped from her home on a single occasion after she was adopted in 2017. During this single occasion of escaping, the dog got through two doors -- the unit and garage doors, both doors were unsecured that day -- and fatally attacked Bambi in a wholly unprovoked attack at the "instant" this escape opportunity presented itself. Chyna is absolutely a "zero margin of error dog," which equates to being a "major liability dog" for these two young owners.

Pit bull attacking pomeranian San Francisco

Watch the longer segment, which includes Bambi's owner's and Sung's full testimony.

Images of Chyna the pit bull seen on the owner's Facebook page in 2017 and 2018.

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

Michigan Tribute to Victims of Dangerous Dogs Zoom Conference, Sponsored by Responsible Citizens for Public Safety

Michigan Tribute to Victims of Dangerous Dogs 2023 - A Zoom conference event (1:22 length).

Zoom Conference 2023
Lansing, MI - In the tradition of National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day, Michigan-based Responsible Citizens for Public Safety once again hosted the annual event, a Michigan Tribute to Victims of Dangerous Dogs, to honor victims of dangerous dog attacks, as well as to discuss legislative issues in multiple states and abroad. This year's event was a Zoom meeting with participants from Michigan, Texas and Virginia. The meeting was held on October 21. DogsBite.org provided the video editing.

Ann Marie Rogers, the founder of Responsible Citizens for Public Safety (rc4ps.org), hosted this year's event. Rogers, who lost her own mother in a violent dog attack in 2021, interviews two Michigan victims, Leticia Spagnuolo of Livingston County and Jill Deminiuk of Macomb County, each who have harrowing stories of a vicious dog-on-dog attack by a repeat offending dog, the loss of their own dog in the violent attack, and how the animal control agency and legal system failed them.

The event also included special guest Colleen Lynn, the founder of DogsBite.org, to discuss alternatives to breed-specific legislation that will protect public safety including: establishing a state dangerous dog registry, mandatory bite disclosure legislation, mandatory liability insurance for all dog owners, and mandatory intake by tax-funded shelters of dogs involved in vicious attacks. Dog attack victim advocate Bonny Lee, RN, of Virginia, also joined the annual roundtable discussion.

After Rogers' introduction, the main break points are: Spagnuolo shares her account of her dog's attack at 2:20 -- Spagnuolo intervened when a bullmastiff-pit bull mix attacked her dog Pearl; Deminiuk shares the account of her dog's attack at 11:45, and the "mind-boggling" legal shenanigans that followed. Discussing international breed-specific laws and alternatives to BSL starts at 43:26. Discussion of Michigan laws and attacks are scattered throughout, and Lee discusses Virginia at 1:07.

"I wanted to get the story out because I really thought that I was the exception to the rule that dogs were going to be taken care of ... Then I was really angry when I found out how many complaints had been filed against the owners of these dogs. They were basically breeding these dogs and they had 21 dogs bullmastiff-pit bull mixes and a rental house at one point." - Leticia Spagnuolo

"I walk around like a zombie depressed all the time. I do my life, but I just I'm so sad. I miss her so much. People are not getting justice. I've never seen anything so deranged in my life. It's out of control people are getting away with whatever they feel like and the dogs are glorified, like kings and queens. These dogs are put on a on a throne while we suffer, mind-boggling." - Jill Deminiuk

(We did experience significant video and audio challenges due to a poor capture rate during the meeting, which is why video was abandoned all together, and overlays were used instead).

Host Ann Marie Rogers and guests for the Michigan Tribute to Victims of Dangerous Dogs.

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Loose Pit Bull Kills 4-Year Old Boy on Detroit's Westside; the Dog Pulled him Through a Gap Under the Fence

Lovell Anderson, 4, was killed by a loose pit bull while playing in his grandmother's backyard.

Pit Bull Kills Child
Detroit, MI - A 4-year old boy is dead after being mauled by a pit bull. The attack occurred about 3:00 pm in the 9300 block of Pierson Street. The child was playing in the fenced-in backyard of his grandmother's home when the dog grabbed the child through the fence. Detroit Police Cmdr. Arnold Williams told CBS News, "She actually had to pull the child away because there was a dog that mauled the child; tried to pull the child under a gate of a fence. She was pulling the child back."

WBJK reports the pit bull did pull the child under the fence, then killed the boy. EMS pronounced the boy dead at the scene. Animal control took two dogs into custody. Police are still investigating the dog(s) involved and its owner. Family members told WBJK that they are terribly distraught. "As we know in Detroit, pit bulls are a big problem when you don't have them trained properly or tied up" or properly secured, the relative said. This could have been prevented if the dog had been secured.

"The tragedy is with the family and all we can do for everybody, for everybody who is looking at this is to support the family in this process," Cmdr. Williams told reporters at the scene. "So we're trying to do everything that we can just to help everybody through this. The loss of a child who hasn't really started their life is just something huge that nobody can really even fathom." An adult was home with the child at the time, police said. Family members believe the culprit dog belongs to a neighbor.

Child Victim Identified

Family members identified the child killed by an unsecured pit bull as Lovell Anderson. At the time of the attack, he was under the care of his grandmother -- his parents were not present, reports WBJK. The news agency also states the "dog managed to grab Anderson and pull him to the other side through a gap under the fence, before fatally attacking him." One of the two dogs taken into custody is believed to be the attacker. The other is a family dog that belongs to the boy's grandmother.

WXYZ spoke to Maple Blackshear and Monique Grant, who are sisters and the boy's aunts. Blackshear and Grant said the boy was an only child. He was visiting his grandmother's home and playing in the backyard when they were told a neighbor's dog jumped the fence and attacked. The family retained an attorney. “The event was so horrific that people across the street could hear,” attorney Peter O’Toole with Fieger Law said. “They're the ones who contacted authorities right away,” he said.

According to police, the dog then dragged the boy back to the other side through a gap in the fence. Neighbors from a block away heard the grandmother's cries for help. One neighbor "thought someone was getting beat." By late Thursday, the dog's owner had not been identified or charged. Media reports suggested the dog was a stray and had been seen by neighbors wandering the street previously. O’Toole said that it's still too soon to know who the owner is or if the city has any liability.

"We have to let the investigation take its course to find out who the owner is," O’Toole told CBS Detroit. "Then, we also have to find out if this is a repeated issue with that animal and that owner. And in that case, we will try to hold the city accountable. We want to seek justice for the family. Whoever should be held accountable, we will hold them accountable," O’Toole said. - Attorney Peter O'Toole, CBS Detroit, October 19, 2023

Broken Record in Detroit

Wayne County has a long history of fatal pit bull attacks. The county's 1.7 million population is smaller than San Bernardino County, California (2.2 million) and Harris County, Texas (4.7 million) -- the other two leading counties in fatal dog attacks. The fatal pit bull mauling issue is so persistent in Wayne County that a case study was published in 2007 that characterized pit bull mauling deaths in Detroit. In April, Daniel Bonacorsi, 58, was killed by two pit bulls habituating a vacant building in Detroit.

In late September, a northeast suburb of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Shores, which is partially located in Wayne County, passed an ordinance banning pit bulls. The ban passed in a 4-3 vote. However, the backlash from pit bull advocates and humane groups that largely reside "outside of Grosse Pointe Shores" was so extensive, that the city reversed the ordinance less than 4 weeks later. Detroit and Wayne County still retain the undesirable title as the "dogfighting capital" of the United States.

loose pit bull kills Detroit child, Lovell Anderson

A white and brown pit bull was seized after a loose pit bull killed a Detroit child.

A male tan pit bull was seized after a loose pit bull killed a Detroit child.

Graphic Medical study: Pitbull Mauling Deaths in Detroit, by Cheryl L. Loewe MD et al., The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, Vol 28, December 2007.

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Michigan Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

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 October 12, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Tomball Woman, 59, Killed by Pet Rottweiler in the Backyard of Her Home in Northwest Harris County

Jessica Wauters, 59, was killed by a pet rottweiler in the backyard of her home.

Woman Killed by Rottweiler
Tomball, TX - A 59-year old woman is dead after being attacked by one of her own dogs in her backyard, according to Harris County Precinct 4 deputies. Deputies responded to a residence in the 8200 block of Calico Canyon Drive after receiving a call from the victim's 30-year old son, who found his mother unresponsive. Upon arrival, deputies found the woman surrounded by blood. Multiple dogs were in the backyard, deputies said. One of the dogs, a rottweiler, had blood around its mouth.

The victim was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The rottweiler was euthanized (apparently at the scene), and two other dogs were transported to animal control. The sizes and breeds of those dogs were not released. Investigators are now waiting on autopsy results to see if the other two dogs were involved in the fatal attack. This is the sixth fatal dog mauling in Harris County since November 2021. Most of the attacks occurred in jurisdictions outside of Houston.

“The entire incident is under investigation. We’re still working on a few things but it appears to be consistent with an attack by the rottweiler dog,” Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said. KPRC interviewed Bob Holmes, a dog trainer who operates K-9 Obey LLC. Holmes said that rottweilers are an aggressive breed, due to being bred historically for guarding purposes. He also made the interesting comment of how rottweilers can start treating their owner "like an employee."

“They’ve been bred to be working dogs and they possess a little bit of aggression because they were also trained and bred historically to be guard dogs,” said Holmes.

“Sometimes they will assume the role and guard the house from strangers. Because if they start becoming a little bit aggressive, they will start treating their owner like an employee,” said Holmes. - K9 trainer, Bob Holmes, KPRC interview

KHOU reports the victim has been identified as Jessica Flores Wauters. She was found Sunday at an undisclosed time covered in blood, as was her pet rottweiler. "The victim was still alive," Constable Herman said. She was transported to a trauma center in The Woodlands, where she died of her injuries. KHOU also reports that all three dogs have since been euthanized, indicating the other two dogs in the backyard participated in the fatal mauling or cannot be excluded from participating.

Harris County Fatal Dog Maulings

In November 2021, Tiffany Frangione, 48, was killed by her own two dogs in the backyard of her Houston home. In February 2022, Drué Parker, 4, was killed by four pit bulls while visiting his aunt's home in Baytown. In June 2022, Nicolas Vasquez, 51, died after being brutally attacked by three pit bulls in Huffman. In August 2022, a 43-year old man was killed by dogs in Channelview. In February 2023, a 69-year old man was killed by two pit bulls that got into the backyard of his Houston home.

Just yesterday in Katy, which is part of western Harris County, two pit bulls attacked three people, including a Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy, leaving an 83-year old man with critical injuries. The attack was captured on a neighbor's Ring doorbell camera. The man's step-daughter grabbed an umbrella and started beating the pit bulls. A bystander jumped out of a car to help and was bitten too. A Harris County deputy, who was bitten multiple times, open fired on the dogs, killing them both.