Posted on May 4, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Dog Kills Infant, Critically Injures Grandmother in Waterloo, Iowa

The home on Scott Avenue where a dog attacked two family members, killing one.

Family Dog Kills Infant
Waterloo, IA - An infant is dead, and a grandmother is seriously injured after a family dog attacked them both. First responders were dispatched to the 1200 block of Scott Avenue at about 7:20 am after a report of a dog attack inside the home. The 9-month old infant died at the scene. The child's grandmother, 49, was also critically injured in the attack. She was taken to UnityPoint-Health Allen Hospital and then flown to the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, police said.

A reporter from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier captured a photograph of the dog as an animal control officer led the dog away on a snare pole. The dog is described as a 9-year old "neutered male boxer-hound mix." The animal has since been euthanized, and its remains were taken to the state veterinary lab at Iowa State University for testing, reports the Falls Courier. Authorities said there were no prior calls about this dog. The identities of the victims have not been released.

Fatal Dog Maulings in Iowa

Fatal dog maulings are rare in this Midwest state. From 2005 to the present day, our nonprofit has only recorded 8 deadly dog attacks in Iowa. Three of these deaths have occurred since January 2022. Preceding the infant's death are the deaths of 43-year old Mindy Kiepe, who was killed by a pack of her own great danes in Clay County last August, and 27-year old Chaille Morgan, who was killed by a pack of vicious dogs on the Meskwaki Nation Settlement in Tama County last March.

Identified as Pit Bull by Reporting Party

The audio dispatch log files from Black Hawk County Fire and EMS located on Broadcastify.com clearly state that the "reporting party," who was "also injured as well" -- indicating the caller was the grandmother -- identified the dog as a pit bull. A person inside the home, familiar with the dog, identified the dog as a pit bull, not a "boxer-hound mix." Several minutes after this exchange, while EMS was en route, EMS requested a second ambulance. "It's on the way," dispatch replied.

"334 for an animal attack on an infant ... The animal control, PD ... received a report that a 9-month old child possibly killed by a pit bull. Our reporting party was also injured as well ... Scott Avenue ... 10-4, send a truck ... Respond 334 for an animal attack ... for a pit bull that's attacked a 9-month old child, possibly killed it. We do have animal control and PD in route as well. Our reporting party was also injured. I don't know the extent. It does sound like the pit bull might be in the backyard, in a fenced-in backyard." - Black Hawk County Fire and EMS Dispatch

The father of the child, who today posted the baby's GoFundMe to his Facebook page, is a fan of pit bulls and identified the attacking dog, "Echo," as a pit bull in 2018. In 2019, the household also had a purebred pit bull and a boxer-mix, according to photographs posted by the father. Note the underbite and the docked tail. Echo, on the other hand, has neither boxer trait. Echo also has the distinct "rose ears" of a pit bull, as identified in the 1977 American Pit Bull conformation standard.

"His existence today was not because he was bred only for gameness. He was not bred only for power. He sure as hell was not bred only for his intelligence, loyalty, boldness, round eye, rose ear, red nose, or his inclination for dragging children from the paths of speeding trains. He was bred to win. That's right folks, he was developed for competition." - Pit Bull Gazette, Volume 1, Issue 3, 1977

The Falls Courier article has been updated to include that the grandmother was babysitting the baby at the time. The mother had started a new job, police said. At one point, the grandmother set the infant down and the dog attacked the baby. The grandmother intervened to save the baby and in the process was bitten on the arm, police said. Mind you, that "bite to the arm" caused the grandmother to be airlifted to a Level 1 trauma center, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

According to the family's GoFundMe organized by Chase Dunbar, the child victim was a female, named Navy. "After hearing tragic news on May 4th Tyler and Alyssa lost their sweet daughter Navy in an accident, we want to relieve them in any way we can," states the fundraiser. "Please consider helping our close friends with any expenses that come they’re way in this difficult time. All proceeds will go the Smith Family. Thank you." So far, the fund has raised over $15,000.

On May 8, the Falls Courier confirmed the child's identity is Navy Smith. The 49-year old grandmother, who intervened to try to save the infant, is Susan Smith. Her medical condition remains undisclosed. By May 22, the family's GoFundMe had reached over $36,000.

family dog kills infant in waterloo, Iowa

The attacking dog, "Echo," seen in photographs posted by the baby's father to Facebook.

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 April 29, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Tulsa Woman, 71, Killed by Neighbor's Four Dogs While Searching for One of Her Beloved Cats

Glennaroy Blackwelder, 71, was killed by four dogs belonging to a neighbor.

UPDATE 12/02/23: In late November, DogsBite.org obtained records from the Tulsa Police Department and the Tulsa Animal Welfare Department after submitting a public records request regarding the death of Glennaroy Blackwelder. After the April 18 fatal dog attack, police did not release the time the attack occurred or the dog breeds involved. The attack occurred at approximately 4:30 pm. Three pit bulls and one Belgian malinois were taken into custody and euthanized after the fatal attack.

Blackwelder was discovered deceased in the backyard of a home next door to where the dogs resided. Fence lines and heights are not explained in the police incident report, nor is the location of where the attack started (on or adjacent to the dog owner's property). According to the narrative, only the three pit bulls were involved in the attack. However, we do not have the supplemental reports. Therefore, we cannot exclude the malinois, given that this was a complicated multi-dog attack.

"TPD explained she had been mauled by the three pit bulls resulting in her death. I spoke with the dog owner redacted redacted. He was visibly shaken by the encounter. He received a call that his dogs attacked someone, and got to his house to secure the dogs for TPD and the medical examiners. He did not want to own the dogs anymore and willingly loaded the three attack dogs and one malinois that he'd received a complaint on before." - Tulsa Police Incident Report

Tulsa woman killed by dogs while searching for beloved cats

The three pit bulls and a Belgian malinois involved the death of Glennaroy Blackwelder. From top left: Bergle (female), Boba (female), Billy (male), and Josh, the Belgian malinois, (male).

04/29/23: Attacked Through Fence
Tulsa, OK - Another adult is dead after being attacked by dogs in Tulsa. The fatal attack occurred on April 18, but no confirmation was provided by local news outlets until April 25. Glennaroy Blackwelder, 71-years old, died after being attacked by four dogs belonging to one of her neighbors. The deadly attack occurred near Blackwelder's home in the 1400 block of North Delaware Place. The time of the attack was not released by Tulsa police, nor were the breeds of dogs involved.

In late March, 66-year old Donald Gibson of Tulsa died after being viciously attacked by at least one family pit bull after trying to break up a dog fight. That attack happened in east Tulsa, about 15 miles east from Blackwelder's home. Longtime neighbor and friend of Blackwelder, Diane Wise, spoke to KJRH. Wise said that "everybody liked Glenna." Wise has lived just a few doors away from Blackwelder since the 1980s. She has known Glennaroy Blackwelder for decades.

Wise affectionately called Blackwelder a "crazy cat lady," who rescued and cared for cats. Wise said that Blackwelder was looking for one of her cats that day when she was attacked by the four dogs. According to Wise, Blackwelder was walking between her friend’s house and another neighbor’s house, which had a short chain-link fence separating Glenna and the dogs. The dogs attacked Blackwelder through the fence, Wise said, grabbing ahold of one of her arms, killing her.

She died in a neighbor's yard who had known and cared about her, Wise said. “The guy that she died in his yard was just heartbroken,” she said. “‘She is such a good neighbor,'" he told her. “He had only lived there about five years, but he was very attached to her," Wise said. That man was not identified. A spokesperson for the city of Tulsa said the dog attack is still under investigation. The four dogs involved in the attack were surrendered to Tulsa animal welfare and euthanized.

Glenna was "was passionate about rescuing & feeding animals including cats, more cats, stray cats, birds, squirrels, a resident possum and OH! Did I mention her love of cats," states her obituary. She volunteered at "Catholic Charities and local animal shelters, often bringing home animals that needed extra love and care." It describes her death as a "sudden passing" that has left a "deep void in the hearts of her family, friends and cats." She will be dearly missed, the obituary states.

In October 2020, Curtis Wickham, 26-years old, was killed by three pit bulls in west Tulsa. That attack occurred about 7 miles west of Blackwelder's home. The dogs' owner, Benjamin Ryan Spence, pleaded no contest to second-degree manslaughter in connection to Wickham's death in May of 2022. Prosecutors had initially charged Spence with second-degree murder for directing his three pit bulls to attack Wickham, but corroborating that in court proved to be too difficult.

More Unreported Fatal Dog Attacks in Tulsa

Several days after publishing the post, Animals 24-7 reported that at least two other adults were killed by dogs in Tulsa recently -- neither were reported by police, animal control or local media outlets. John "Pops" Hunter, 78 years old, was apparently killed by a family pit bull, possibly his own. The source of this information was Hunter's daughter, Becca, who told Animals 24-7 that she had previously been bitten by the same dog. The date of Hunter's death was not provided.

The victim in the other apparent fatal dog mauling in Tulsa was John Reed. “John Reed, 55-60 years old, badly bitten near Sheridan and 36th Street North,” who after the pit bull attack “went into his house and bled to death," according to a confidential source of Animals 24-7. A funeral for his death was apparently held on May 1, 2023, but it was not publicly announced. Reed is believed to have been killed by his own pit bull. The Reeds are said to be of Native American heritage.

Blackwelder's home of 71 years in the 1400 block of North Delaware Place in central Tulsa.

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

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

Macro-Level Forces Report: Covid Impacts of 2021 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Capture Rate of Nonprofit

Dog Bite Fatalities Surged in 2021; a 69% Increase from 2019

DogsBite.org - Last September, we published the 2020 Macro-Level Forces Report for U.S. dog bite fatality data. During 2020, the first Covid year, our nonprofit had a 15-victim deficit compared to CDC Wonder underlying cause of death (UCD) data, a 28% difference in the number of deaths. The victim deficit during the second pandemic year is even higher. CDC Wonder data shows there were 81 dog bite fatalities in 2021. Our nonprofit only recorded 52 deaths, a 44% difference.

81 fatal dog attacks in a single year are the most ever recorded by CDC data. This is a 69% increase from 2019 and a 131% increase from 2018.

Prior to these two pandemic years (between 2005 and 2019), the largest deficit of unreported deaths our nonprofit had compared to CDC data was 4 each for the years of 2005 and 2010. During the 2021 Covid year, there was a deficit of 29 unreported deaths. The disparity during the second year of the pandemic is greater than the first year, even though media reports only fell by 35% in 2021, compared to falling 47% in 2020 from the pre-Covid baseline year of 2019.

A regional breakdown of dog bite fatalities in 2021 shows that the South and West had the most unreported deaths. According to CDC data, 51% (41 of 81) of the victims in 2021 were ≥ 45 years old. Our nonprofit only captured 20 of these deaths, 49%. However, we already knew the 50 and older age group was underrepresented in media reports. We discussed this disparity in the 2020 discussion notes (Comparing 15-Year Data Sets - DogsBite.org Data and CDC Wonder Data)

2021 macro-forces report - dog bite fatalities

U.S. dog bite fatalities during the 2021 pandemic crisis by Census region and age group.

Characteristics of Unreported Fatal Dog Attacks (2005 to 2021)

Over the last decade, we have uncovered 20 unreported deaths through FOIAs or other means. The most likely unreported fatal dog attack from 2005 to 2021 is an adult ≥ 40 years old (14) killed in an attack involving a single or pair of pit bulls (12 of 14) in an urban area (11 of 14) within a state that prohibits or limits breed-specific laws. Of the 20 total deaths, 80% (16) involved pit bulls, and of that, 75% (12 of 16) involved a single or pair of family pit bulls killing a household member.

80% (16) of the total unreported fatal attacks involved family dogs killing a household member, and 70% (14) involved a single dog attacking.

During 2021, the 2 unreported deaths we uncovered involved infants in a rural area. Both infants were killed by a male family dog, a pit bull, and an American bulldog. Of the 5 total unreported deaths of children, including the ones just mentioned, 3 were killed by pit bulls, and 2 were killed by American bulldogs. The only other unreported death -- outside of the 14 deaths in the ≥ 40 years age group -- is a 21-year old male who was killed by his roommate's pit bull in 2017.

Nonprofit dog bite fatality data compared to CDC Wonder data over 17 years (2005-2021).

Discussion

Initially, the chart appears to reflect the pandemic kicked off a visible increase in year-to-year deaths. However, the largest increase is from 2018 to 2019, a 37% rise, which occurred pre-Covid. From 2019 to 2020, there was a 29% rise in deaths, and from 2020 to 2021, there was a 31% rise. The chart also shows that during the 37% rise in deaths from 2018 to 2019, our capture rate was not impeded. When Covid-19 macro-forces erupted in 2020, our capture rate declined.

The chart also shows that between 2005 and 2018, the average number of deaths per year captured by our nonprofit was 33.79, compared to CDC Wonder data of 33.64. The annual number of deaths during the period gradually increases but otherwise has slight variation. After two years of Covid conditions, between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, the average number of deaths captured by our nonprofit rose to 49.5, and CDC Wonder data shot up to 71.5.

Thus, one must ask what happened between 2018 and 2021, when the number of deaths per year rose by 131% (from 35 CDC Wonder deaths to 81)? The number of dog bite fatalities increased during that period much faster than from 2005 to 2018. After years of annual deaths in the 30s range, CDC data skips deaths in the 50s range and skips deaths in the 70s range. CDC data shows that in 2019, there were 48 deaths; in 2020, 62 deaths; and in 2021, 81 deaths.

Pre-Covid Trends

In our nonprofit's data, several trends were rising before 2019. Between 2005 to 2018, the ages and genders of victims between the first and third periods (2005-2009 and 2015-2018) show that the percentage of fatal dog attacks involving adults, 50-69 years old, rose 82%. This rise was largely driven by females, 30-49 years old, which rose 108%, and females, 50-69 years old, which rose 91%. During this same period, the percentage of fatal attacks involving pit bulls rose by 30%.

While the number of "known" rescue dogs involved in dog bite fatalities is relatively small, the percentage of people killed by rescue dogs jumped from 2% of fatal dog attack victims during the first period (2005-2009) to 14.7% during the third period (2015-2018). Owner-directed deadly dog attacks rose from 10% during the first period to 16.8% during the third period. Those were some trends heading into 2019, which began the steep ladder increase in CDC data from 2019 to 2021.

Covid 2021 Conditions

By mid-April 2021, over 200 million Covid vaccines had been administered in the U.S., according to the CDC. Stay-at-home orders were over, and indoor gatherings and air travel had rebounded. Possible Covid conditions contributing to the disparity of 29 unreported dog bite fatalities in 2021 aren't as straightforward as in 2020. Though there continued to be a reduction in media reports and a reduction of media releases from police, which impacted our ability to capture more deaths.1

Previous report:
Trends: 14 Years of U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities in 3 Periods (2005 to 2018) - DogsBite.org

Summary

During the 2021 Covid year, there was a 35% reduction in dog bite fatality media reports, according to our citations. There was a surge in unreported fatal dog attacks, 29 deaths, and a rise in the total number of fatalities to 81 -- the highest ever recorded in CDC wonder data. This is a 69% increase from 2019 and a 131% increase from 2018. Victims ≥ 45 years old accounted for the most unreported fatal dog attacks, and most attacks occurred in the South and West regions.

Given the increase of fatal dog attacks during pre-Covid 2019 and the surge that followed, we predict another rise in unreported deaths in 2022.

Though there was a significant increase in deaths during the 2020 and 2021 Covid years, the growth began ramping up in 2019. The largest increase occurred between 2018 and 2019, with a 37% rise in dog bite fatalities. What drove that growth likely continued through the Covid years, combined with being impacted by Covid conditions (2- and 3-fold increase in dog bites2). At the same time, our nonprofit's capture rate declined due to lowered media reports instigated by Covid.

1"More than 6,150 news workers were laid off amid the COVID-19 pandemic," by Hana Joy, Columbia Journalism Review, December 10, 2021 (cjr.org) | "After increasing in 2020, layoffs at large U.S. newspapers and digital news sites declined in 2021," by Elisa Shearer and Emily Tomasik, Pew Research Center, October 13, 2022.
2At least in pediatric studies. No studies about adult dog bite injuries during the pandemic have been published so far. | Dixon, et al., Dog Bites in Children Surge during Coronavirus Disease-2019: A Case for Enhanced Prevention, J Pediatr, 2020 Oct; 225: 231–232. | Tulloch et al., Paediatric emergency department dog bite attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic: an audit at a tertiary children’s hospital, BML Pediatrics Open, 2021;5:e001040.

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Man, 22, Killed by Brother's Four Pit Bulls While Dog Sitting in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Dezmond Trawick, 22-years old, was killed by his brother's four pit bulls while dog sitting.

Pit Bulls Kill Man
Brooklyn Center, MN - On Thursday afternoon, a 22-year old man was killed by a pack of four pit bulls he was dog sitting, according to the Brooklyn Center Police Department. The violent attack occurred in the 5700 block of North Halifax Avenue. Upon arrival officers found the victim "had most of his clothing ripped off and had extensive bites on a majority of his body." The victim was "intubated at the scene" and transported to a local hospital. He did not survive his injuries.

Brooklyn Center Police Department - April 13, 2023

Earlier this afternoon Brooklyn Center Officers responded to a report of a dog attack in near the 5700 block of Halifax Ave N. Upon arrival officers found four (4) dogs attacking someone in a backyard, they then deployed a less lethal round, striking at least one of the dogs, which dispersed all of the dogs back into the residence. Officers were then able to secure a garage door and begin to render aid to the victim. The victim had most of his clothing ripped off and had extensive bites on a majority of his body. The victim was then intubated at the scene and transported to a local area hospital where he was immediately brought to surgery. The victim will likely be hospitalized for an extended period of time (possibly several weeks).

All of the dogs were transported to PUPS and are quarantined pending a dangerous dog evaluation process. There was a very large police presence in the area. We were assisted by Brooklyn Center Fire Department, City of Crystal Police and Community Service Officers, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and North Memorial EMS Paramedics.

This concludes the information about this case that we are able to share with the public.

Police initially believed the man would be hospitalized for several weeks, but he died at the hospital overnight. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Dezmond Thomas Trawick. A police news release said, "The four dogs were of American Pit Bull Terrier dog breed," reports KARE. Investigators are in contact with the dogs' owners and say criminal charges could be filed. Police said they are unaware of any additional incidents involving the dogs.

Brooklyn Center authorities said the four pit bulls did not live at the home where the attack occurred, but were staying there for the day. The man was dog sitting the animals for a family member at the time. The victim's mother posted on her Facebook page, "I CANNOT LIVE THIS LIFE WITHOUT MY SON Dezmond Trawick." She also states the attack was unexplainable. "YES, DEZMOND LOVED THOSE DOGS AND THEY LOVED HIM... UNEXPLAINABLE," she wrote.

Police confiscated all four pit bulls, which were transported to Pets Under Police Security (PUPS) for quarantine and are "pending a dangerous dog evaluation process," according to the police news release. The KARE news video states that neighbors told them the dogs "made them feel uncomfortable." One female neighbor told KARE, "She would keep her kids in the house whenever the dogs were outside." Indicating the pit bulls had a history of being at Trawick's home.

The Star Tribune reports that Trawick died due to "complications of dog attack," barely an hour after arriving at North Memorial Hospital Health, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office. The manner of death has preliminarily been classified as an accident. Brooklyn Center Police Cmdr. Tony Gruenig said the dogs lived elsewhere with a brother of Trawick, who was caring for the dogs that day. No one else was home at the time of the attack, Gruenig said.

KSPT reports the time of the attack, 12:45 pm, and audio dispatch logs from Broadcastify. "Dogs are attacking a person he is unconscious and bleeding," dispatch states. KSPT also spoke to a neighbor who heard Trawick screaming in the backyard. "He just kept screaming, and his voice kept getting lower and lower and I’m like are you okay but he couldn’t hear me,” said Lisa Yang, who lives next door. “I’m very shocked that the dog would attack the family, I’m really sorry."

KMSP-TV also spoke to a neighbor who witnessed the attack. Jerry Nelson, Trawick's neighbor, who is wearing U.S. Postal Service uniform during the interview, said that he saw Trawick tossing a tennis ball to the four pit bulls in his backyard. As we have heard witnesses say before, at first he believed the dogs were playing, "you know, jumping on him," Nelson said. As Trawick began fighting the dogs off, things became more serious. Trawick asked him, "Can you come help me?’"

Nelson called 911 then began throwing rocks and sticks at the dogs to try to stop the dogs from attacking Trawick. Nelson described the canines as, "big, giant, dogs and I couldn't get them off of him," indicating the dogs were likely a pit bull designer breed, such as the an XL bully. Nelson said the thought of Trawick dying never crossed his mind at that moment. "I knew that he was hurt," he said. But "death wasn't even on my mind." Trawick died one hour after arriving at the hospital.

Deaths Involving 20s Age Group Rising

Over the 15-year period of 2005 to 2019, dogs killed 522 Americans. 3% (17) of these victims were in the 20-29 year old age group. Pit bulls were responsible for 15 of these deaths, 88%. The majority of these attacks also involved multiple dogs, 65% (11/17). Over the 3-year period of 2020 to 2022, (known as the "Covid Years") our nonprofit recorded 153 dog bite fatalities. 7% of those victims (11/153) were in the 20-29 year old age group, a noticeable rise from the earlier period.

The watching category, which includes dog sitting, -- dog bite fatalities involving a babysitter or relative watching a child or the dog being "watched" by a person other than its owner when the dog fatally attacked -- did not see a doubling. From 2005 to 2019, 17% (89/522) of fatalities involved this scenario. During the Covid Years, 18% (27/153) involved this scenario. However, many deaths during the Covid Years, which we are still examining, lacked information in this area.

Scene outside the home where Dezmond Trawick, 22, was killed by his brother's four pit bulls

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Dog Bite Fatalities Surged in 2021; a 69% Increase from 2019