Posted on March 25, 2009 by Colleen Lynn

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: 3-Year Old Boy Killed by Neighbor's Dog

Dustin Faulkner, 3-years old, was mauled to death by his neighbor's husky.

Wolf-Hybrid Noted
UPDATE 03/25/09: A person under the username "family" left a message about the death of Dustin Faulkner indicating that the dog that killed the little boy was a wolf-hybrid, specifically a "half husky-half wolf." The last response written (March 23), said that the dog had been put down. No other details were provided. DogsBite.org will try to locate more information about the involved breed, in addition to whether or not the attack occurred "on-property."

03/24/09: Victim: Dustin Elijah Faulkner
Wayne County, GA - 3-year old Dustin Elijah Faulkner was killed by a neighbor’s dog this past Sunday. Investigators are still puzzled as to why the dog, a pet husky that had played with Eli before, suddenly attacked. The dog was shot by its owner Aaron Ralph who attempted to rescue Eli at the scene. According to Detective Bruce Williams of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the dog had to break free from her collar on her chain before she could attack.

"Basically, what happened was the little boy and his neighbor were walking between the houses away from the dogs," Williams said. "The dog that attacked could not have gotten to them if he hadn’t gotten off his leash." Eli was walking with another child, a 5-year-old girl who lived next door. He got a sand spur in his foot, and was crying out as his friend tried to remove it when Tasha, the dog, suddenly broke free from her collar and attacked.

Williams said that she ran inside and got her mother’s roommate. He pulled the dog off and "shot the dog." Williams would not say at this point in the investigation whether or not negligence was involved in the case. Sheriff John Carter said that to the best of his knowledge, there have not been any problems with this dog showing vicious tendencies before. Carter also said that at this point, the case does not seem likely to lead to criminal charges.

Eli's mother had allegedly been reported to the Wayne County Department of Family and Children Services on more than one occassion. The incident is still under investigation.

04/23/18: Fatal Wolf-Dog Hybrid Attacks - The Archival Record - DogsBite.org

01/21/09: 2009 Fatality: Brianna Shanor, 8-Years Old, Killed by Chained Dog in Hanover
04/08/08: 2008 Fatality: Abraham Jonathan Tackett, Killed by Chained Dog

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Colleen Lynn

Ridgeland, Mississippi Passes Pit Bull and Wolf-Hybrid Ban

Ban Passes 6-0
Ridgeland, MS - In a 6-0 vote, the City of Ridgeland, Mississippi (population 21,000) passed an ordinance this week that deems pit bulls and wolf-hybrids "vicious." The new law also limits these dogs (and all dogs deemed "vicious") to one per household. Owners of these dogs must microchip their animal, pay a $100 registration fee, meet other national registration, training and enclosure requirements and consent to unannounced inspections as well.

Under the new law, any dog owner caught unlawfully harboring a banned dog could be fined up to $1,000 and jailed for 90 days. Talk of prohibiting specific dog breeds -- pit bulls and rottweilers -- began last year after resident April Scott complained about a neighbor's dogs. At the time, Gloria Grantham and her husband, Pete, housed four pit bulls, a rottweiler and a Jack Russell terrier. Officials have since ordered the couple to remove three of the dogs.

DogsBite.org praises Mayor Gene McGee, the Board of Aldermen and City Attorney Jerry Mills, who helped create the new law. The ordinance will undoubtedly prevent future victims of serious attacks by these dogs and require existing pit bull owners to be more responsible. The new law takes effect in 30 days. Ridgeland now joins the City of Greenwood, and Leflore and Bolivar counties in passing pit bull laws. View all related Mississippi ordinances:

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Colleen Lynn

U.S. Army Adopts Breed Restriction Policy for RCI Privatized Housing

Privatization Partners Pet Policy
UPDATE 03/17/09: DogsBite.org has received a copy of the official memorandum for Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management regarding the standardized pet policy for privatized housing. The document was signed January 5, 2009 by Paul P. Bollinger Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Energy and Partnerships.

SUBJECT: Pet Policy for Privatized Housing Under the Army's Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) Privatization Program

1. The purpose of this memorandum is to forward the Pet Policy for privatized housing (attached), as developed by the Privatization Partners, for tenants in RCI Housing developments. This policy is in response to the Army's request for standardization regarding pets in privatized housing. It takes into consideration the safety, welfare and quiet enjoyment of all residents in privatized housing and was developed with input from current residents, Garrisons and this Headquarters.

03/16/09: Pet Policy Adopted for RCI Privatized Housing
In January, the U.S. Army standardized its pet policy, banning breeds deemed "aggressive or potentially aggressive." The breeds (and their mixes) include: pit bulls, American staffordshire terriers, bull terriers, rottweilers, doberman pinschers, chows, wolf hybrids and any others that display a dominant or aggressive behavior. The U.S. Army enacted the new policy to prevent pet owners from encountering uneven policies when moving between installations.

DogsBite.org expresses great gratitude to the U.S. Army for taking steps to prevent future victims from suffering serious and fatal attacks from these types of dogs.

Prior to the new U.S. Army Pet Policy, Fort Hood had enacted a breed ban on its own. Officials began examining breeds after the fatal attack of 11-year-old Seth Lovitt. Seth was suddenly attacked and killed by the family pit bull after the dog jumped off the couch and bit him in the neck. Upon reviewing post records, officials found that in the last six years, 68% of the dogs declared dangerous were pit bulls. Rottweilers, in a distant second place, accounted for 8%.

The new U.S. Army Pet Policy was disseminated to installations in January. DogsBite.org has provided a list of installations governed by the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) that must abide by the new policy. There may be additional facilities that we have not listed as well.

Fort Bragg, NC
Fort Belvoir, VA
Fort Benning, GA
Fort Bliss, TX
Fort Campbell, KY
Fort Carson, CO
Fort Detrick, MD
Fort Dix, NJ
Fort Drum, NY
Fort Eustis, VA
Fort Gordon, GA
Fort Greely, AK
Fort Hamilton, NY
Fort Hood, TX
Fort Huachuca-Yuma, AZ
Fort Hunter AAF, GA
Fort Irwin, CA
Fort Jackson, SC
Fort Knox, KY
Fort Leavenworth, KS
Fort Lee, VA
Fort Leonard Wood, MO

Fort Lewis, WA
Fort Meade, MD
Fort Polk, LA
Fort Richardson, AK
Fort Riley, KS
Fort Rucker, AL
Fort Stewart, GA
Fort Sam Houston, TX
Fort Schofield Brks, HI
Fort Shafter, HI
Fort Sill, OK
Fort Story, VA
Fort Wainwright, AK
Aberdeen PG, MD
Carlisle Brks, PA
Hunter AAF, GA
Picatinny Ars, NJ
Pres of Monterey-Naval PS, CA
Redstone Arsenal, AL
Walter Reed AMC, DC
West Point, NY
White Sands MR, NM

See more: U.S. Military Breed Regulations

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Colleen Lynn

2009 Dog Bite Fatality: Rancho Mirage Man Killed by Two Mastiff Dogs

Fiancée Contests Mauling
UPDATE 04/02/09: New information has been revealed about the death of Williams. On March 26th, it was reported that William's fiancée, Anna Tucker, is contesting how he died. Tucker says that authorities have it all wrong. She said it's likely that Williams was suffering from a heart condition and the dogs were only trying to help him. "I don't believe that my dogs did it," Tucker said. "I think they were trying to help him. They knew something was wrong."

She never meant to have the dogs euthanized either. Tucker said she did not understand the paperwork she signed.

Tucker said she was unaware that Williams had an enlarged heart until the autopsy was completed. Williams had scratches on his arms that "were kind of deep," and bite marks on his ankles, but "there was nothing on his chest, neck and face," Tucker said, contesting the mauling claims. "The bites on his ankles wouldn't have caused his death." Tucker said she returned home with her 8-year-old daughter and found Williams' body in the house.

A similar "contesting" occurred after Ving Rhames' mastiffs attacked his gardener. Rhames' dogs were ultimately vindicated.

Initial reports said that Williams' was the owner of the dogs. And according to Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez, a neighbor of Williams' called the police and reported that he was bleeding profusely in his backyard. Responding deputies found the body and two large dogs in the backyard. A person, referred to only as a "friend," told news reporters that he was the first person at the scene and he reported that Williams had "severe wounds on his forearms."

Tucker also said that her dogs were Italian mastiffs, not bullmastiffs (the Neapolitan and Cane Corso are both Italian mastiffs). We've been speculating on the dog breeds involved as well. Given that the breed was stated as "some kind of bullmastiff mix," we wondered, mixed with what? Our research pointed to the black dog being a "bandog" (also called a bandogge or Swinford). The bandog is an unofficial breed that is comprised of 50% pit bull and 50% mastiff.

The Italian mastiff (Cane Corso) makes a lot more sense than a bullmastiff. Additionally, the investigation into Rhames' dogs took 5 months to complete.

03/17/09: Victim: Hill Andrew Williams
An autopsy confirmed that two large dogs were responsible for killing their 38-year-old owner in Rancho Mirage Monday night. Riverside County Sheriff's officials said Hill Andrew Williams died of "significant physical trauma" he suffered in the attack. Williams was found near death in his backyard Monday afternoon at the rear of his home. Animal Services Behaviorist Jackie Schart said each dog was "some sort of bullmastiff-mix."

03/17/09: Dogs Surrendered and Euthanized
Riverside County Animal Services reports that the bullmastiffs involved in the attack were signed over by the victim's girlfriend and euthanized today. The dogs were being held at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms. Officers were told the victim may have been trying to breed the dogs. The male, named Butter, was 3-years old and weighed about 115 pounds. The female, Ebony, was about 2-years old and weighed about 90 pounds.

An autopsy is scheduled today. The victim's name was not released.

03/16/09: Details Slim; Emerging Story
Rancho Mirage, CA- In a developing story, Riverside County may be faced with another fatal dog attack in less than 3 months. Back in December, 60-year old Gerald Adelman was savagely attacked by his family's two pit bulls while he took a "smoke break" in his back yard. Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokesman Dennis Gutierrez said that investigators arrived at the Rancho Mirage scene at 5:15pm today and found a dead man and "two large bullmastiffs."

DogsBite blog ::