Posted on August 19, 2009 by Colleen Lynn

2009 Double Dog Bite Fatality: Senior Couple Killed by Pack of Dogs in Oglethorpe County

Dogs Euthanized archived
UPDATE 08/18/09: Authorities have rounded up 16 dogs (11 dogs and 5 puppies) suspected in the attack that killed two people. The court-ordered euthanasia of the mongrel dogs1 began Tuesday. Authorities are still seeking two other dogs seen in the area. It was also reported that the Schweders owned 20 cats and seven dogs (eight if Sherry's missing dog is included). There were no witnesses to the attack, and their bodies were found a few hundred feet from their home.

Sheriff's deputies, code enforcement officers and other officials spent most of Monday and Tuesday rounding up 11 adult dogs and five puppies, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Capt. Shalon Huff said. One more was trapped Wednesday morning, leaving one still to be captured, she said.

"We're just lucky this hasn't happened before," said Susan Fornash, director of the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter in Danielsville, where the captured dogs were held before being euthanized Tuesday under orders from a local judge ...

It took about 90 minutes to euthanize all 16 dogs, several of which were maggot-infested, Fornash said. No one asked that they be checked for rabies, and the sheriff directed that the carcasses be cremated immediately, she said. - CNN, August 20, 2009

08/17/09: Dogs Kill Two People archived
Lexington, GA - A retired college professor and his wife were found dead Saturday along a rural northeast Georgia road after being mauled by a dozen dogs the night before. Oglethorpe County Corner James Matthews said it was impossible to determine "what kind" of dogs killed Lothar Karl Schweder, 77, and his wife, Sherry Schweder, 65, (also known as Sherry Allen) a longtime UGA librarian. Matthews said the suspected dogs were not aggressive when he arrived on scene.

The owner of the dogs, Howard Thaxton, had moved away from his home about a month ago. Neighbor Lanier Bridges said the dogs remained on the property after medical problems forced him to leave. A friend would bring him over to feed the dogs, Bridges said. He added that the dogs had never been a problem in the past. According to Matthews, Thaxton's dogs were rounded up Monday by animal control officers and showed no signs of malnourishment or rabies.

A report from Fox 5 News shows some of the dogs in a video clip, which appear to be mixed combinations of German Shepherds, Labs, Chows, and Dobermans and bred among each other as well. Investigators believe Sherry went for a walk Friday night when she was attacked by the animals. When she didn't come home, her husband went to look for her. He drove down the road in his car and when he discovered her body, he got out. The same dogs then attacked him.

As the investigation into the double fatal attack continues to unfold, open questions remain. First and foremost, are Thaxton's dogs actually to blame? The Schweder's reportedly owned 6 dogs, but no further information was provided about them. Matthews, who lives just two miles down the road from the attack, said: "There are a lot of weird circumstances with this one," he said. "I've been a coroner for 28 years, and this is one of the weirdest cases I've investigated."

deadly pack attack, Oglethorpe County, Sherry and Lothar Schweder

1The term "mongrel dog" refers to a lack of breed distinction amongst dogs born in the wild, or born into homes due to their owners allowing free roaming. We've gathered some of the dog images into a viewable PDF file. It must be noted that the first image appears to show a full-blooded Doberman Pinscher.

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Colleen Lynn

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Newborn Killed by Pet Pit Bull in Hardy County

Justin Kummer, just a few days old, was killed by a family pit bull, in Rio, WV.

3 Months or 3 Years?
UPDATE 08/18/09: The original article from the MetroNews has been updated to reflect new information, as well as a new time frame for owning the pit bull. Authorities now say the pit bull was purchased "three years" ago from a relative who lives in Maryland. To determine if charges apply, authorities are checking on the dog's history. Deputy Burrows told reporters, "I need to wait and speak with the agency where the dog is from to see if they had any complaints."

The Cumberland Times-News, however, continues to report that the offending pit bull is "1-year old," making a purchase three years ago, of the dog that killed a 3-day old baby, impossible.

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Leesburg Man, 20, Killed by His Two Pit Bulls Trying to Break up Fight

Carter Delaney, 20-years old, was attacked and killed by his brother's two pit bulls.

5 Dogs Found
UPDATE 08/12/09: The Washington Post reports that a total of 5 dogs were found inside the home: one pit bull puppy and caged cocker spaniel both unharmed, one dead pug-mix and two pit bulls "covered in blood," according to Adrienne Lawson of Loudoun County Animal Control. Delaney's brother and owner of the pit bulls, Thomas Delaney, will meet with police today to determine the fate of the dogs. No further information was provided about the pit bull puppy.

08/11/09: Autopsy Shows Death by Dog Bites
Autopsy results show that Carter Patrick Ridge Delaney died from lack of blood and oxygen due to multiple dog bite injuries. His body, along with a dead pug-mix and two pit bulls, was found inside of his grandfather's home by his grandfather. The pit bulls were owned by Delaney's brother, who was not identified, but Delaney was reportedly the dogs' caretaker. Police say the dogs were licensed and vaccinated. There is no indication the pit bulls were being used for dogfighting.

Pennsylvania Towns Seek Pit Bull Laws; Must Lift State Anti-BSL Measure

Ransom is Euthanized
UPDATE 07/30/09: The owner of Ransom, Oliver Yawn, called the dog "vicious" and surrendered it to the state to be euthanized. Yawn said he "didn't want to deal with the BS" of obtaining thousands of dollars in liability insurance and appearing in court. He also blamed the attack on the sound of the landscaper's weed whacker. Yet a week earlier, the dog broke through the home's 6-foot wooden fence and chased 21-year old Amanda Gray, who was not utilizing any tool.

According to Anne Irwin, director of the Bucks County SPCA, there's no agency that deems a dog "dangerous." Pennsylvania state dog law allows the court to make this ruling. She added that state dog law did not apply in this case because the owner relinquished the dog to the state. Though not clearly stated in the article, it appears the landscaper suffered severe injury in the attack. Yawn avoided the state dangerous dog court hearing by surrendering his animal to authorities.

Yawn is now free to buy a new pit bull and start the dangerous dog process from scratch!

07/27/09: Pennsylvania's Three-Strike Policy
Bristol, PA - Phillipe Berrocal, a landscaper, was recently working on a yard on Maple Street when a 5-year old pit bull named Ransom broke through the fence and bit him on the left leg, leaving him with lacerations, according to a police report. Now local officials are looking to State Rep. John Galloway, D-140, who has introduced legislation that would lift Pennsylvania's Anti-BSL measure and allow municipalities to create their own dog-control ordinances.

At least 9 other states share this same predicament: Colorado1, Florida, Illinois2, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma3, Texas and Virginia.

In addition to Pennsylvania's Anti-BSL measure, state law4 allows attacking dogs to be returned to their owners with a warning to keep their dogs "under control." (This is also true when a dog has "broken through a fence" for the purposes of attacking). Pennsylvania has a three-strike policy that allows the pet's return after two incidents unless a dog kills or grievously injures a person. After a 3rd mauling that does not qualify as grievous injury, the dog is euthanized.

The City of Wilkes-Barre
To the north of Bristol, the City of Wilkes-Barre is also experiencing an increase in pit bull attacks. Mayor Tom Leighton, who tried to ban pit bulls in 2005, recently announced that the city would seek state assistance to place tighter restriction on owners of pit bulls and other dangerous breeds. Leighton said he would wait until the state budget is passed before contacting legislators about changing the law to give Wilkes-Barre the freedom to craft breed-specific laws.

According to Department of Agriculture figures, 403 dogs have been deemed "dangerous" in Pennsylvania since 2005. Dogs can end up on the list (except when owned by James Harrison) for severely injuring a person, attacking people unprovoked, killing dogs or cats off their owner's property, or being used in the commission of a crime. 166 (41%) of the "dangerous dogs" are pit bulls or rottweilers, breeds communities often seek to regulate to prevent future attacks.

1Colorado: As demonstrated by the most controversial pit bull ban in the history of the United States, the City of Denver -- under "home rule" authority -- superseded the state's Anti-BSL law and legally carried out their pit bull ban.
2Illinois: After an attack left a teenager critically injured, Highland Park Mayor Michael Belsky called for a citywide pit bull ban. Belsky is currently working with state legislators to amend state law and to strengthen home rule authority.
3Oklahoma: Midwest City is currently appealing a court's ruling that overturned their pit bull ban. As a home rule charter city, Midwest argues that they have the authority to rule over local issues, including the regulation of animals.
4View the Pennsylvania state dog law and brief legal discussion by dog bite attorney Kenneth Phillips.

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