Posted on March 18, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman, 38, Killed by a Pair of Great Danes She Agreed to Feed in Perry County, Pennsylvania

Kristen Potter, 38, was killed by a pair of great danes in Perry County, Pennsylvania.

Woman Killed by Dogs
Perry County, PA - A 38-year woman is dead after being attacked by a pair of great danes she agreed to feed while their owners were away. The attack occurred on March 16 around 5:15 pm in the 700 block of Clouser Hollow Road in Centre Township, near New Bloomfield. Perry County Coroner Robert Ressler said that Kristen Potter died of multiple traumatic injuries sustained in the dog attack. The manner of death was ruled an accident. Both dogs were subsequently euthanized.

The fatal attack occurred about two days after Potter published a distressing post to her Facebook page: "My life should be full and thriving and yet I'm here just surviving." Other posts show that her 11-year old son, Trevor Potter, died in May of 2020 in a tragic accident. The boy's father, Ryan Potter, passed away three months earlier, according to the child's obituary. Both tragedies occurred when the pandemic reached our nation's shores, causing lockdowns, panic and fear.

Her finacee, Jacob Presley Fickett, told the Daily Voice, "She was the Light of my life ... She has done nothing but good to anything she touched. I love her so much I can't even believe that she is gone." Fickett is a combat veteran. "She was able to teach me to love myself and her deeply," he said. She was also looking forward to moving to Florida, where her family would start a new chapter. "She wasn't that unhappy," Fickett said. He added that he is now "lost without her."

During the 2021 Covid year, there was another fatal dog mauling in Perry County. Rhoda Wagner, 60-years old, was killed by three pit bulls she was dog sitting for her roommate. Also, two other women between the ages of 43 and 49 were recently killed a pair or more of their own great danes. In 2022, Mindy Kiepe, 43, was killed by her five great danes in rural Clay County, Iowa. In 2019, Mary Matthews, 49, was killed by her two rescue great danes in Warren County, Ohio.

Prior to these three deaths, our nonprofit has only recorded one other fatal attack inflicted by a great dane since 2005. In 2009, Barbara Chambers, 59, died after being attacked by her prize-winning male great dane named "Lemonade" in Garland, Texas. Information from the 19th Century CDC study (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998) shows that great danes were involved in seven fatalities during this 20-year period.

There was a third great dane at the home where Potter was attacked, but authorities say the dog was not involved. To add additional tragedy, Potter had gone to the home to feed the dog with her young son. He ran to get help when two of the three dogs attacked her, according to Ressler. Emergency responders were unable to reach Potter until animal control arrived and tranquilized the dogs. No information about the dogs' history or their owners has been released thus far.

A Penn Live article, behind a paywall, states the great danes are owned by Wendy Sabathne, who lives on the other side of the road from Potter's home. Sabathne was breeding and selling "AKC Registered Great Dane Puppies," according to her Instagram page, 240 weeks ago. In June 2019, a person on the Perry County Talk Facebook group reported there were "2 great danes running loose on Clouser Hollow." Sabathne chimed in saying, "They are harmless ... they just bark."

Dogs May Have Been Fighting

Potter's 10-year old son witnessed the start of the attack. “He screamed and ran down the driveway ... two of the great danes had attacked her from behind,” Potter's father Bill Keefer said. Despite being "attacked from behind," police speculated the dogs may have started fighting while Potter was feeding them and turned on Potter as she tried to intervene. Sabathne stated that her third great dane sustained injuries she believe is the result of the dogs attacking each other.

Keefer also said the same dogs had bitten Potter two or three years ago. It was also not the first time Potter had agreed to feed the dogs. Potter had agreed most recently because Sabathne was at a hospital with her mother, who is in intensive care and may not survive. “I’m heartbroken. I’m in shock. I’m in disbelief and I just want to die. I can’t believe this happened,” Sabathne told Penn Live. State police said the investigation is ongoing; it's unknown if any charges will be filed.

According to the audio log files at Broadcastify.com, Potter was found inside the dog pen. [Dispatcher] "Son found mother in a dog pen facedown with blood all over her ... mother is not breathing, is not conscious, has a lot of blood around the neck area. Also, one of the dogs does have blood on the muzzle" ... [Responder] "We have a dangerous situation here. We're not going to be able to get access into the patient .... we're going to need a [17] unit on scene," he said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help her two surviving sons and to help pay funeral costs.

woman killed by pair of great danes in Perry County

Potter posted this two days before she was killed by a pair of great danes in Perry County. The interpretation of this post is proving to be controversial among family members as well.

The dogs' owner, Wendy Sabathne, had bred/sold "AKC Registered Great Danes" in the past.

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 March 16, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

Arkansas Legislature - House Floor Debate for HB 1519, a Bill Prohibiting Cities from Enacting Breed-Specific Laws

Compelling Testimony by Representatives Who Opposed the Bill

Audio from the March 14 House Floor debate regarding HB 1519 in the Arkansas legislature.

Little Rock, AR - On March 14, there was an impressive House Floor debate concerning HB 1519, a bill prohibiting cities and counties in Arkansas from enacting or enforcing breed-specific laws. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. RJ Hawk (R-District 81), was defeated in a 34-45 vote. Representatives who opposed the bill had powerful, compelling arguments. Representatives who supported the bill voiced "well-worn talking points" from the Pit Bull Lobby. They lost the vote.

Further, supporters of the bill during the debate spoke a number of half-truths and untruths. HB 1519 would have eliminated all breed-specific ordinances in Arkansas, not just "breed bans," as they attempted to portray. Hawk even talks about the "capital city's” vicious dog ordinance, but fails to mention that Little Rock has had a breed-specific ordinance in place since 2009 that declares pit bulls "potentially dangerous." His bill would have killed this local ordinance.

Hawk did not have his facts straight about military breed-specific regulations either. He claimed there were none. The truth is, between 2009 and 2012, all three military divisions -- the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force -- banned dangerous dog breeds on bases and privatized housing, primarily: pit bulls, rottweilers and wolf-dog hybrids. These breed restrictions are still intact today and can be verified through the Department of Defense or that military division.

"As to Brown's testimony, said that the military has banned pit bulls. That's completely false. That is completely false!" - Rep. RJ Hawk

Bill supporters also made false claims about the constitutionality of pit bull ordinances. The false claims come just a few months after the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which governs the state of Arkansas, upheld a city's pit bull ban in November 2022. Further, the city of Maumelle's pit bull ban was upheld by the Supreme Court of Arkansas in 1991. Maumelle city council repealed its ban in April 2021, but not because it was allegedly "unconstitutional."

Rep. Pilkington, who opposed the bill, gave passionate testimony (at 5:57) that included the deaths of two young children, killed by a pair of family pit bulls last October. The family had owned the pit bulls for eight years. Rep. Wooten (at 13:11), corrected another untruth by the bill's supporters, who claimed the bill would only "encourage" cities to adopt breed neutral laws."This [bill] does not encourage [cities] it prohibits" them from having breed-specifics laws, he said.

Rep. Gazaway, a former prosecutor, who opposed the bill (at 17:28), has firsthand experience in prosecuting cases of vicious dog attacks. "Two to one they were pit bulls," Gazaway said. He then proceeded to share a terrifying account of a home-invasion attack by a pit bull: "The pit bull actually left its owner's yard, busted up inside of a person's house and attacked the young boy inside of his own home." The child almost died, "because [the bite] could have severed an artery."

"These breeds are inherently dangerous. They are inherently aggressive. They are by their nature capable of producing fatalities." - Rep. Gazaway

Rep. Brown also shared compelling testimony (at 27:15), including the fatal pit bull mauling of a young boy in Faulkner County in 2020. Robby had gone out to check the mail. When he did not return, his mother began looking for him. "She found his shoes in the driveway, she called 911. His 15-year old sister found his body in the field. He had been mauled to death by two pit bulls," he said. Brown was involved tangentially in the criminal case and would sit in court to watch.

"I had to look at the pictures of this child, this 9-year old boy laying down in the field with his jugular tore out," Brown said. "I had to look at the pictures of him on the medical examiner's table when he had his autopsy," Brown said. "But the most haunting thing I heard was his mother wailing in the courtroom." Having two young children himself, hearing Robby's mother wailing in the courtroom bothered him. "Usually, I am dealing with insurance or banking," Brown said.

Bill Sponsor Closes the Debate

When the debate concluded, Hawk took to the podium again and basically unraveled (at 31:36). In fact, we had to stop the audio at one point in order to make a clarification regarding the former Maumelle pit bull ban. Hawk lashed out at Rep. Pilkington's and Rep. Brown's testimony. Apparently, Hawk had no knowledge of the longstanding military breed-specific regulations on bases and privatized housing. Hawk has only been a state Representative for three months.

We encourage readers to send a thank you message to the Arkansas Representatives who provided powerful testimony in opposition of this bill, including: Rep. Aaron Pilkington, Rep. Jim Wooten, Rep. Jimmy Gazaway and Rep. Matthew Brown. Their email addresses are located on the Legislators List page. It's uncommon to see an assembly of well-versed legislators come together to defeat an anti-BSL preemption bill driven by a "little special interest" group.

"I want prevention. I want to stop this. This is not a solution. So that we can help some little special interest group 'get a win' here..." - Rep. Pilkington

On March 13, the House Committee on City, County and Local Affairs held a hearing for HB 1519. Best Friends Animal Society lobbyist Eric Swafford was the "guest" of Hawk during the hearing.

House Floor debate HB 1519, Arkansas House of Representatives

Left: Rep. Pilkington spoke passionately against the bill. Right: The bill's sponsor, Rep. Hawk.

House debate HB 1519, Arkansas House of Representatives

Several Arkansas Representatives that spoke against HB 1519 during the House Floor debate.

Transcript Opposition HB 1519 | Video of HB 1519 (starts at 1:57:44) | HB 1519 (Bill Text)

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Killed by Protection Breeds at Jurupa Valley Business Property in Riverside County

A man was killed by three Belgian malinois' and a cane corso in Jurupa Valley.

Dogs Kill Man
Jurupa Valley, CA - On Tuesday, a man was attacked and killed by four dogs near Jurupa Valley High School. Riverside County Animal Services responded to a property at the corner of Bellegrave Avenue and Martin Street after receiving a call from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for assistance. Deputies arrived at the property -- a residential home converted into a business -- at about 7:30 am after someone called 911 with a report of a person screaming.

The property owner was not present during the fatal mauling. When he returned, he surrendered all four dogs to officials -- three Belgian malinois dogs and one cane corso -- for humane euthanasia. The victim’s identity has not been released. “He was reportedly at the property to do some work for the owner. It was also reported that the victim did some prior work for the man and had been at the property previously without incident,” states a release from animal services.

Owning three Belgian malinois -- a breed most often used for police and protection ("bite") work -- is usually the role of a professional dog handler, not someone wanting a few “guard dogs.” The fourth dog, a cane corso, also used in protection work, just adds fuel to the fire. Both breeds are typically costly and papered. But the owner surrendered all four dogs, which is atypical behavior of an owner of purebred working breeds. Perhaps he had become afraid of his protection dogs?

NBC Los Angeles identified the business that owns the property, which is an electrical company. The property used to be a home that was converted into a supply yard for the business. "Beware of Dog" signs are posted all around the property, along with a "Guard Dog on Duty" sign. There are multiple surveillance cameras on the property too; the fatal dog attack might have been captured on one of them. The footage also shows two large metal dog pens on the property.

Two other dogs were found on the property that apparently were not involved in the attack. One neighbor said the dogs would often escape because workers entering and exiting the business would leave the gate open. On several occasions, she has seen the dogs chase students coming to and from the high school across the street. "It's scary," she said. The school's crossing guard has also been alarmed by the dogs being loose in the past, shouting at the dogs to "Go home!"

The Press Enterprise identified the victim as 42-year old Mateo Salvador. He had been hired to do construction work on the property and was attacked by the four dogs as soon as he entered the property. Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies found him unresponsive in the front yard suffering from dog bite injuries. He was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he died at 8:15 am Tuesday morning. Salvador had previously worked at the property without incident.

The back of the electrical company's Jurupa Valley property shows two large metal dog pens

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Dog Pack Kills 74-Year Old Man in Jefferson County, Alabama

The coroner’s office identified the victim as 74-year old Joe Cleveland Scott.1

Man Killed by Dogs
McDonald Chapel, AL - On Tuesday morning, just before 7:00 am, a man was discovered dead by a passerby in the 5700 block of Iceland Avenue with several dogs surrounding the body. Investigators said the dogs were hindering their investigation. Animal control came and trapped six dogs, as seen in the photo supplied by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and took the dogs into custody. At that time, it was unclear if the dog pack was involved in the man’s death.

Today, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office confirmed the man was fatally mauled by a pack of dogs and identified the victim as 74-year old Joe Cleveland Scott, who lived in the McDonald Chapel community, where the attack occurred. The attack is believed to have occurred at 6:49 am, according to Lt. Joni Money. When deputies arrived on scene, the man was unresponsive and surrounded by six large dogs. He was pronounced dead at 7:08 am, Lt. Joni Money said.

Before they could begin their investigation, animal control had to be called to trap the dogs. Trapping the dogs took over an hour, reports AL.com. “It is unusual for somebody to be attacked,’' Money said. “My understanding from these neighbors is these dogs have been in the area for a while and have not been aggressive.” Douglas Peterson, a neighbor, told WTVM that he had seen a pack of dogs before. A few years ago, a dog pack came into his backyard and killed his cat.

Thus far, investigators believe the dogs are stray or ownerless with a “pack-type mentality.” As most readers know, ownerless dogs are rarely involved in fatal dog attacks, even when these maulings occur on Indian reservations. From 2005 to 2020, we recorded 569 fatal dog maulings. The owners in 19 cases were unknown or unreleased by officials. Of the remaining 550 deaths, there were 3 deaths involving stray or ownerless dogs, comprising around 0.5% of all cases.

1The victim was initially identified as being 65-years old. He obituary notice states he was 74-years old.

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Compelling Testimony by Representatives Who Opposed the Bill