Posted on September 14, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: 32-Year Old Man Killed by 'Alligator' Pit Bull in Polk County, Tennessee

Rusty Shane Burris, 32, was killed by an "alligator" pit bull in Polk County, Tennessee.

Pit Bull Kills Man
Polk County, TN - Over the weekend, a dog killed a man in Polk County, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. The fatal attack occurred early Sunday morning at a home on Swallows Drive in Old Fort. Deputies arrived at the scene just after 2:00 pm with EMS personnel. Deputies found 32-year old Rusty Shane Burris unconscious and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Sheriff Steve Ross said the canine, a pit bull, was owned by the man's family.

Burris suffered severe injuries to both arms. The dog also had a history of aggression. "He was defending himself from the dog, and that's why he got so many bites on the arms," Sheriff Ross told WTVC. "The dog had been aggressive before, and it was on a cable, but at some point during the night it broke the cable and came after Mr. Burris," Ross said. The family secured the pit bull in a car after the attack. They asked for the dog to be euthanized, which a deputy did at the scene.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said they found Burris behind the family's home, next to the fence line. Sheriff Ross said the dog bite fatality was a "first" for his agency. "We have the occasional dog bites, but this is a first for us, as far as someone actually dying from a dog bite. This was a very brutal attack," Ross said. The sheriff had hoped to hand the dog over to an agency for euthanasia, but none could take the animal. On scene euthanasia was the only safe option.

"Alligator" Pit Bull

WDEF reported the dog was an "alligator" pit bull. This presumably refers to CH Plumber's Alligator bloodline. Though, not to be confused with CH (Crenshaw's) Rodriguez' Gator bloodline. Both are serious fighting dog bloodlines in the south. However, many breeders falsely claim "Alligator" or "Gator" bloodlines. "Gator Pit Bull is a common name used by backyard breeders to boost their marketing appeal, as well as 'gator mouth pit bull,'" states Goodpitbulls.com.

Back in 2017, the owner of two family pit bulls that killed a child in Georgia claimed one dog was a "Jeep Rascal and Gator Gotti. No mixing in that bloodline at all (sic)." We will not begin to explain how implausible that is or how full of marketing nonsense that is. But it seems to be common bragging rights among some pit bull owners in the south to claim to own a "Jeep" or "Alligator" or "Gator" from a famous fighting dog bloodline that such individuals are unlikely to have access to.

Adult Male Age Group

Over the 17-year period of 2005 to 2021, very few men in the 30 to 39 year-old age group have been victims of fatal dog attacks. In fact, there have only been 10 men, according to our records, within the approximate 621 total dog bite fatalities during this period. 80% of these 10 deaths involved pit bulls. Half of these attacks, 50%, involved the dog killing its owner or a household member. These rare fatal attacks of men in their 30s are disproportionately inflicted by pit bulls.

A family member who lives at the same location as the victim shows a male pit bull on her Facebook page as recently as July. Pit bulls from earlier years are seen on her page as well.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Tennessee Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

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 September 8, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

Doctor Discusses Risk Factors for Bringing a Dog into Home and Dog Bite Injury Studies with Breed-Related Findings

Dr. John Fuhrman discusses the risks of dog ownership and dog bite injury studies.

Discussion with Doctor
Prescott, AZ - In July, Dr. John Fuhrman of the Fuhrman Clinic published an informative post and video that discusses risk factors for families that are considering bringing a dog into their home; dog bite injury studies; and breed-related findings within those studies. Some of the medical studies discussed appear in our Level 1 trauma center table. Fuhrman also discusses studies pertaining to pit bull identification and references several high court rulings on the matter.

We encourage you to watch the entire video, which is 30 minutes in length. It is valuable to listen to a doctor discuss medical study findings in an informal, conversational manner. Such findings are not always easily interpretable to lay persons. Dr. Fuhrman emphasizes that children (50%, 1 in 2) are at a higher risk of sustaining a dog bite in their lifetime than adults (20%, 1 in 5) and that "most victims are involved in normal, non-provoking activities before the dog attacks."

About 70% of all dog attacks are from a dog known to the victim, he writes, not the proverbial stray. Most bites also occur inside or near the family's home, particularly bites and attacks to children. "Dog familiarity may confer a false sense of safety," states a 2015 pediatric dog bite injury study. "Unfortunately, familiarity may lead to injury," states a 2017 pediatric dog bite injury study. A 2018 pediatric study found that "parental presence was reported in 43.6% of cases."

"Infants are 4 times more likely to be bitten by a family dog. When infants are attacked, usually the baby is asleep. There is nothing less provocative than a sleeping baby, yet dogs attack them." -Dr. Fuhrman

Breed-Related Findings

What was almost "universally found in the 17 or so papers that I looked at," he states about his literature review, is that "when humans went to the emergency rooms, and when humans went to the operating room because they needed a surgery from a dog attack, and when humans died because of a dog attack, pit bull-type dogs were more responsible for those things than any other type of dog," he states. There were other breeds, but "pit bull was stand out number one."

Dr. Fuhrman then proceeds to quote breed-related findings from over a dozen scientific medical studies, some of which found that pit bulls inflict the highest prevalence of injuries and the highest severity of injuries, compared to other dog breeds. "Of the more than 8 different breeds identified, one-third were caused by pit bull terriers and resulted in the highest rate of consultation (94%) and had 5 times the relative rate of surgical intervention," states a 2015 dog bite injury study.

Pit Bull Identification Studies

Dr. Fuhrman next discusses key "Find the pit bull" studies and points out their flaws. The first one, (Hoffman, 2014), is based on 20 photographs. "No actual dogs were shown to the participants. Instead, one photo of each dog was shown. The photos were not standardized. They were taken at different angles and some do not include the dog’s whole body," he writes. Participants self-selected to take the survey for the study too. "Better to select participants randomly," he writes.

He notes that the second pit bull identification study, (Olson, 2015), coded the dog "pit bull-type" if results from the DNA test only showed 12.5% of the breed's composition. "I think this standard is too high," he writes. "If the dog is 1/8 pit bull by genetic testing, then the authors count that dog as a pit bull. I would not expect the staff to look at a dog that is 1/8 pit bull and identify it as pit bull." Yet, even with this 1/8 DNA standard, "most of the time staff agreed with each other," he writes.

Dr. Fuhrman also questions the conflict-of-interest statement in the Olson study, "None of the authors of this paper has a financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper." Yet, the study was funded by Maddie’s Fund. "I invite you to go to Maddie’s Fund’s website, search for 'pit bull,' and decide for yourself if the search results show any bias about pit bulls at Maddie’s Fund," he writes.

Even as a newbie into the area of pit bull identification studies, which often have "self-selecting" study participants, flawed study designs, use non-standardized 2-dimensional photographs, and often lack conflict-of-interest statements, Dr. Fuhrman is clear that something is amiss. Welcome to the world of "Find the pit bull" studies, where conflict-of-interest statements may be wholly omitted and the studies are funded, co-authored or both by pit bull advocacy in secrecy.

Case in point, Dr. Fuhrman was unaware that one study he cited, (Reese, 2020), was co-authored by Laura A. Reese, a pit bull advocate, who failed to disclose her conflicts of interest, "The authors have no conflict of interest in this project," states the study. Reese co-authored a policy paper in 2016, Pit Bulls, Perceptions, And Public Policy,1 laden with decades old pit bull propaganda, and wrote an editorial condemning breed bans after four pit bulls killed a boy in Detroit in 2015.

In Conclusion

Dr. Fuhrman concludes by summarizing risk factors for families that are considering bringing a dog into their home for the first time and what breed or type of dog that should be. As he states, the research suggests, even as secondary trends that, "It seems that female dogs are a lower risk for attacking" and, "It seems that dogs which are not chained up are a lower risk for attacking." What should be strongly emphasized, however, is that pit bulls are inflicting the most severe injuries.

"Thing that really should be underlined is that pit bulls are the number one dog for sending people to the emergency room. Sending people to the operating room. And, sending people to the morgue." - Dr. Fuhrman

Dr. Fuhrman also reminds parents deciding on whether to bring a dog into their home that there are many breeds to choose from. "I mean even if it is just the top ten offenders, you scratch those off the list, you are still left with over 200 breeds to choose from," he states. "So, knowing what you know now, along with all of the other information that you are going to use to make your decision. But knowing the medical literature statements on this, what breed would you choose?" he asks.

Lastly, we don't think Dr. Fuhrman studied the pit bull identification studies too deeply. He did not need to. His insights show that a scientific mind just scratching the surface of these studies can find a lot of flaws and false conclusions. We doubt he looked deeply into Maddie’s Fund either, who strives for a "no-kill nation now." But he quickly realized that the funding source for the Olson identification study, "made possible by support from Maddie’s Fund" was not neutral.2

"Pit bull dogs possess unique and readily identifiable physical and behavioral traits which are capable of recognition both by dog owners of ordinary intelligence and by enforcement personnel." - Ohio v. Anderson, 57 Ohio St. 3d 168 - Ohio: Supreme Court 1991

1Ironically, Reese's policy paper points readers to the online test, "Pick the Pit," which was created circa 2011 and is now defunct. These online quizzes, "Find the pit bull," were the first iteration of pit bull identification games using unstandardized and deceptive photos. These online quizzes then began being recreated in studies, where participants were recruited via convenience samples and/or individuals who self-selected to take the online survey.
2Dr. Julie Levy, who co-authored the pit bull identification study with Olson is a faculty member of the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where the study was carried out. Maddie’s Fund did not just fund the Olson/Levy study, they established and underwrite the shelter medicine program. The Olson/Levy study was also part of a "bigger umbrella study," as noted in the study, involving a large Internet survey of 5922 self-identified "dog-experts" that were shown photographs of the same dogs used in the Olson/Levy study and asked to determine breed. That portion of the study was funded by the National Canine Research Council, a subsidiary of Animal Farm Foundation, both are primary members of the American pit bull lobby.

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

Teenage Victim Shares Chilling Account of a Family Pit Bull Mauling; She Suffered Devastating Injuries

In late June, a teenage girl sustained life-altering injuries from a family pit bull.

DogsBite.org - In late August, we were contacted by Nicole Baker (a pseudonym), 16-years old, who was attacked by a family pit bull and sustained devastating injuries. The dog latched onto her leg and tore out a large chunk of tissue, tendons and muscles, leaving a large, gaping hole in her leg. The attack occurred on June 26 at 10:26 am. At that time, her step-father Zach was home, along with her mother, who was upstairs, her two younger brothers and her grandfather.

The attack occurred days before her sweet sixteen birthday, Nicole said. The family pit bull had been living in the household for over a year. She said her family acquired the dog when it was 11 weeks old from a UKC breeder in Virginia, specifically Sudden Impact Kennel, which breeds American pit bull terriers and American bullies. Nicole has shared her chilling account of the brutal attack in her own words with us, along with photographs of the catastrophic injury to her lower leg.

hi my names nicole i’m 16 years old and i was attacked june 26th right before my sweet 16 i’m trying to get my story out…

june 26th i was attacked. there was a small propane torch leaking in my room, i was freaking out because me and my mom have always been afraid of that stuff, running out of my room, the nauseating smell of propane slapping me in the face, then i open the gate at the end of the stairs and heard the growl, the growl i knew wasn’t a playful growl, the look in his eyes that i’ve never seen before, as i quickly turned so he wouldn’t get my face or throat, i tried to get back up the stairs before he actually locked onto me but i couldn’t, he got my leg, the dog that’s been in the same house with me for more than a year just hanging off my leg, ripping, tearing parts of my leg that i didn’t even know could hurt, feeling his teeth graze my bone, watching zach sweating and stressing trying to get what we thought to be one of our protectors completely attack me, no one could have predicted this, it was extremely terrifying, so so painful in the moment but it’s still no one’s fault. sitting there on those stairs screaming “i’m fucked” over and over again, thinking in my head there goes my plans of getting my permit on my birthday, as i’m watching my blood cover the floor, walls, and doors, going through towel after towel soaked in my blood, muscle, tendons, etc., all i could think about is how did this just happen? why did this just happen? did i do something wrong? why me? but the other part of me was so thankful it didn’t happen to one of my little brothers. let’s say the ambulance just arrives, i’m still frantic, they’re all trying to calm me down but i can’t calm down i just can’t, they undo the belt zach put on to act as a tourniquet, then they did the actual tourniquet i remember the exact pinch i felt, that was the only feeling i had left at that point my leg was numb, i was in shock, but i felt that little pinch from the tourniquet. they couldn’t fit a stretcher at the place i was in the house, i knew i couldn’t walk my leg had a chunk gone out of it, i was scared so scared, i was scared to go in the transport chair, i was scared to bend my leg, i was scared of it all. finally i’m in the ambulance but wait why haven’t we left to the hospital yet? another 10 minutes and we’re still waiting the blood isn’t even under control, another 20 minutes 2 more ambulances show up i’m thinking what the hell is going on, i need to be seen, i need my leg fixed, why are we still waiting in my driveway? a paramedic comes in the ambulance i was in, still hyperventilating scared didn’t know what was gonna happen or what was going on, the paramedic puts two ivs in my arm, i bleed from one of them, just seeing more of my blood come out even just from a small iv made me want to lose it, i thought come on i’ve already lost enough haven’t i? ivs are done, they hook me up to fluids in one and then they were getting pain medicine ready, two doses of fentanyl they gave me, that made me even more nervous, that’s killed so many people, i looked at zach outside of the ambulance trying to make eye contact enough with him so he could see i was scared to have that medicine, it didn’t do much at all, it didn’t help the pain like they said it would it just made me feel shitty, so they gave me morphine next via iv that barely touched the pain, at this point we’re almost to glens falls hospital, i was scared to go there i didn’t think they’d be able to work on it, so we get to glens falls hospital, i get in a room, does vitals and everything, then comes in the doctor with a few nurses. when i tell you he picked up one piece of gauze didn’t even see the entire wound he set that piece of gauze down so quick and stepped back, looked at me and said you’re gonna have to go to albany, my heart dropped even though i was already expecting it, i didn’t really wanna hear it, i knew i was gonna need immediate surgery, i was so so scared, i had never had surgery, never put under or nothing, i was terrified, so the ambulance shows up to bring me to albany, that was just a shitty ride i was still in pain, nauseous, it felt like that driver just hit every pot hole they saw, definitely didn’t make the journey any better, finally at albany, i don’t remember much from the beginning honestly at albany, but i remember right before going into surgery, i was terrified, i had zach take my piercings out because i had to, i was so scared to not be with my mom and zach they had been by my side the entire time, all my piercings were out, i start to break down because it was getting closer and closer to go into surgery, they finally wheel me away from mamma, i was so scared the only thing i remember is being wheeled into the operating room then i just felt the tears getting heavier, i have no memory of anything after that, hours later i wake up all curled up in a ball with a blanket in a dark room by myself instant tears again, i didn’t know what was going on, i knew but i didn’t, i didn’t know where everyone was, i felt alone for the first time through this entire thing. to me what felt like a hour was probably only like 15 minutes i finally get wheeled out on the stretcher to see everyone, i was so scared and happy and just so full of all emotions, i was so happy to see everyone, my mamma my zachypoo, my sissy and, sethypoo were all waiting for me, all i cared about was how surgery went, within those hours after surgery i had talked to so many different doctors, groups of surgeons, and nurses i couldn’t tell any of them apart. after stuff finally calmed down i was attached to a stupid tube wound vac, in a room with my mamma, zach, sierra, and seth and everything just hits, my brain is going crazy thinking how did this happen, thinking how are we gonna afford all of this, psh the ambulance bill alone is over 2 thousand, what about the multiple surgeries i have to go through, not even that what about gas money for my mom and zach to get back and forth to see my brothers, how’s zach gonna get back and forth to work? but i can’t let them know i’m worrying about that stuff. time goes on the nights almost over everything’s becoming more and more real, the feeling in my stomach won’t go away, i can’t get the thought of it all out of my head. why me i keep wondering, how did this happen? it was like i didn’t know it was happening but at the same time it was all so real. - Nicole, August 24, 2022

When Nicole sits on the stairs screaming, "I’m fucked" over and over again, "thinking in my head there goes my plans of getting my permit on my birthday," you can see how the brain misfires when the body undergoes acute trauma. The brain cannot compute the severe damage while it shuts down vital functions to enter into survival mode. Also as she sits, "I'm watching my blood cover the floor, walls, and doors, going through towel after towel soaked in my blood," she said.

Nicole was in traumatic shock, heavily bleeding, most of her leg was numb, but she remembers "the exact pinch I felt," when emergency responders applied the tourniquet. "They undo the belt Zach put on to act as a tourniquet, then they did the actual tourniquet," she wrote. "I remember the exact pinch I felt, that was the only feeling I had left at that point my leg was numb." Amazingly, a team of doctors were able to save her lower leg. Amputations could be more common.

We have seen what Nicole describes next after many severe and fatal pit bull attacks. The first hospital is not equipped to treat the injury. The patient must be transferred to a Level 1 trauma center, in this case, located in Albany. "Then comes in the doctor with a few nurses. When I tell you he picked up one piece of gauze, didn’t even see the entire wound, he set that piece of gauze down so quick and stepped back, looked at me and said you’re gonna have to go to Albany."

Current Condition

Nicole said that she is currently starting physical therapy and that her wounds are almost closed. She still can't put much weight on that leg. She said that "some days are harder, some are easier" and that "each day's different." She added that she has made good progress. "I’ve come really far since the beginning," she wrote. Most of the time she has to keep her leg elevated, so her daily activities are limited. She said that doctors told her she will have to learn to walk again.

The attack was only two months ago. It's too soon for doctors to know how the next couple of years will go. However, doctors believe the pain will increase as her leg heals because of the inner damage to the muscles and tendons. Looking at her photographs, one can only imagine how intense that pain will be. Nicole said she also sustained severe nerve damage in her lower leg and her big toe is paralyzed. Nicole has suffered all of these physical horrors by the age of sixteen.

"Chunks" of Flesh

We recently wrote about the Tya Lucas attack. Her dominant arm was "more or less eaten off" by a family pit bull in May. She shares short videos of her recovery on her TikTok page. We wrote then, that a "family dog," an XL pit bull in her case, "ate her arm," consuming chunks of flesh. The pit bull in Nicole's home, "latched onto her leg and tore out a large chunk of tissue, tendons … leaving a large hole in her leg." She even felt the dog's teeth graze her lower leg bones.

We didn't ask Nicole what the scene looked like after the attack. But she did describe the scene while sitting on the staircase, saying that blood covered the "floor, walls and doors." We imagine the scene was as gruesome as the Lucas attack. Any citizen or law enforcement officer who did not know the scene was the aftermath of a "family dog attack," would assume that a violent crime or murder had taken place. Both acts, however, were perpetrated by a family pit bull.

Any dog breed that is known to suddenly attack a person unprovoked, as pit bulls historically are, -- by tearing off "chunks of flesh" muscle and tendons, and in the process "consuming" parts of it -- do not belong in any household. Nicole said that "no one could have predicted this." The dog had been living at her home for over a year. Lucas said that as her family pit bull ravaged and ate her arm, she screamed at the dog, "Hercules It's me!" But there was no recognition by the dog at all.

Over the 16-year period of 2005 through 2020, pit bulls killed 380 people. Just over half, 53%, of these victims were family or household members.

Sudden Impact Kennel

Sudden Impact Kennel appears to broker pit bulls with "sudden impact," of which pit bulls were already selectively bred for. There are two words involved, "sudden," as in a sudden unprovoked attack with little to no stimuli beforehand (Nicole had opened up the gate at the base of the stairs). The second word is "impact," as in a completely disproportionate response -- a severe mauling -- to minor stimuli. What better states "impact" than Nicole's injuries -- a catastrophic hole in her leg?

"Sudden impact" does not imply "sudden impact to intruders only." It could potentially involve anyone around the dog, including its owner and family members. Nicole states, "watching Zach sweating and stressing trying to get what we thought to be one of our protectors completely attack me." The alleged "protector" that suddenly turned into the family attacker, because the dog makes little to no distinction among its victims, a quality of being bred for explosive aggression.

Summary

Nicole's account of her attack is terrifying. From the brutal attack to her blood covering the floor and walls, to the two tourniquets being applied. From the ambulance lingering in the driveway for 30 minutes, to the two doses of fentanyl that made her feel "even more nervous." From the doctor who said, "send her to Albany," to the emergency surgery she was terrified of undergoing, and finally, to her trying to understand what "was happening but at the same time it was all so real."

Nicole has a long road ahead of her. The injuries she sustained are devastating. She is only 16-years old, yet will face a lifetime of permanent disfigurement. It is unknown how much function and feeling will return to her lower leg. We do know one thing. We have seen severe injuries like hers before, and after many surgery procedures, they heal remarkably. Medical advances move quickly too. There could be options available to her three years from now that aren't available today.

Visit her GoFundMe to help cover medications and medical supplies that she needs.

Editorial note: On December 19, 2022, we edited this post by replacing the word “produce” with “broker” because according to Sudden Impact, who wrote into us, “The puppy they obtained from us [Southpaw, AKA Southy] was brokered and not bred here on site. None of our dogs are directly related to him.”

The male family pit bull, "Southy," that inflicted the attack. Southy was from a Colby bloodline and UKC registered. The photo on the right is when the dog is being seized after the attack.

The family acquired the male pit bull over a year earlier from this breeder in Virginia.

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

Victim of Domestic Pit Bull Attack Reemerges After TikTok Suspends Account Over Graphic Content

Why Did My Dog Try to Eat Me Unprovoked?

Tya Lucas, 40-years old, suffered life-threatening injuries in a domestic pit bull attack.

Watch Recent Video
Lewisville, TX - On May 16, Tya Lucas, 40-years old, was viciously attacked by her daughter's large pit bull. The dog destroyed her dominant arm. Medical professionals told her she was lucky to be alive. While hospitalized, Lucas began sharing her story on TikTok. That proved to be too controversial (no surprise). In short order, TikTok silenced her voice. Lucas is now back online, hoping to share how she is recovering. We will take readers through several of her key videos.

Released from Hospital

The dog first attacked her boyfriend. Lucas ran outside to see if her daughter and her son-in-law were there -- they were not. So, she knew she had to help him by herself. "The dog was attached to the back of his neck," she said. He had to get about 18 staples. She put him into the bathroom for his safety. Then the XL pit bull started attacking her. Despite her screaming that she was dying, her boyfriend did not or could not try to help her. He's "not my boyfriend any longer," she said.

There was a history of interpersonal violence in the home. The dog had gotten between Lucas and her boyfriend fighting in the past. This time, however, the dog attacked the boyfriend then attacked Lucas, essentially eating one of her arms. An earlier video also describes the attack. "I was getting thrown all over the house. Watched the skin literally peel off my arm," Lucas said. When police arrived, the swat team was upstairs, "my dog was basically sitting in my bedroom eating my flesh."

Now we learn about the bloody bathroom door. During the attack, Lucas had been banging on the bathroom door, where her boyfriend was protected. She could not get inside the room. He did not open the door for her, or come outside to help. "It's kinda messed up," she said nearly in tears. Fortunately, her daughter's husband arrived and began "beating the dog off me, saving me, taking me outside. Last thing I said was, 'I love you,' and passed out from blood loss," she said.

"I saved somebody's life who never came out of the bathroom to help me," she said. "Also has barely been to the hospital to see me."

Elevated to National News

In June, a local publication, the Denton Record-Chronicle, reported her attack. Eight months earlier, Lucas' daughter, Tana Dollar, 20, her husband, Harley Dollar, 21, and their pit bull named Hercules, had moved into the apartment Lucas shared with her then boyfriend. The young couple had found the dog on the side of the road two years earlier covered in cigarette burns. "He was always happy-go-lucky," Harley Dollar said. "He never showed any signs of aggression."

She remembers yelling, “Hercules, it’s me!” but he still had his teeth sunk into her arm, thrashing his head and shredding her skin and muscles.

Panicking and trying to get away, she left blood splatter everywhere she went. She tried desperately to get into the bathroom where her boyfriend had fled. But she said the door wouldn’t budge, even though there was no lock, as if her boyfriend was braced against it.

Tana and Harley Dollar arrived home to find the carpets, walls and bathroom door all painted red with blood. They could make out a forensic trail of Lucas’ and the dog’s movements. - Denton Record-Chronicle, June 9, 2022

We learned of this attack in June while reading the Record-Chronicle piece, which linked to a study co-authored by Laura A. Reese, a pit bull advocate, who failed to disclose her conflicts of interest, "The authors have no conflict of interest in this project," states the study. Reese co-authored a policy paper in 2016, Pit Bulls, Perceptions, And Public Policy, loaded with pit bull propaganda, and wrote an editorial decrying breed bans after pit bulls killed a boy in Detroit.1

Days after the attack, a GoFundMe to help pay Lucas' medical costs was launched, labeling the animal an "XL dog." The photographs of Lucas' injuries on the GoFundMe are gruesome. By mid-June, her medical bills were roughly $180,000 after spending 19 days in the hospital. She also made a TikTok video. That was when her account got suspended due to graphic content. Despite news articles about her attack going national in July, Lucas' fund has yet to raise over $6,000.

Fortunately, Lucas also created a back-up TikTok account. On July 20, she shared about her recovery, including that some muscles in her arm "are firing," as in they are learning how to function again. But her hand still lacks functional use. Lucas stopped creating video updates for awhile because she started having suicidal thoughts. Then something happened. "Things started to get better," she said. "Maybe I could become an advocate for dog attacks?" She said.

"This is a really controversial issue," Lucas said. "There will be people that blame me for this. That is why I get death threats. Or, I'm ignorant and stupid because I had a pit bull. Well, it wasn't my dog. It was my daughter's. And the only way she was going to move in is if I let her bring that dog. So, if I want my kid, I've got to take her dog too." - Tya Lucas

In mid-August, Lucas provided another update (she explained that it took a few months to get her TikTok account back). One can see improvements in her dominant arm, though, her wrist still dangles. She is undergoing physical therapy twice weekly, and also went back to work as a server. How are you going to work with one arm, the staff asked her? She said, "Wait a minute. I have two arms. One just doesn't work the same as the other." Lucas said her job is working out just fine.

Her daughter and son-in-law have since returned to Tennessee. Her mother, who lives in Florida, is now staying with Lucas. "There are still certain things I can't do," she said. "Like sometimes I get stuck in my shirt. I can't get it over my head," she said. "Or, I can't put my own hair up. Or, I did my make up today," but I am still learning how to use that hand, she said. Now that her account is active again, she hopes to make more videos. Lucas asks that you follow her and like her videos.

XL Bully Designer Breeds

Hercules is yet another hulking "designer" pit bull breed -- known interchangeably as an XL pit bull or XL bully -- that has inflicted a horrific attack. Hercules falls into the same category as "Blade," the XL pit bull-type dog that killed Serenity Garnett in March; "Beast," the XL bully that killed 10-year old Jack Li last November; the 120-pound beast that killed 41-year old Amber LaBelle last September; and "Nikko," the 130-pound monster that killed 4-year old Mia DeRouen back in 2014.

To gain a better idea of how large Hercules was, review the nearly 40 images Tana Dollar, the dog's owner, attached to a Facebook post in May, where she said, "I will never own this dog again in my life. I let everyone face their own opinion, but me and my family do not need you saying that the bite marks do not add up so it’s fake, reporting our pages, name calling, and death threats because none of us knew that we would wake up and our lives would be changed forever."

Summary

Herein lies the problem with pit bull injuries. Pit bull-type dogs disproportionately inflict permanent disfiguring injuries, requiring multiple surgical interventions, including reconstructive surgeries and skin grafting. That a "family dog," an XL pit bull in this case, "ate her arm," consuming chunks of flesh, is a behavior that earlier generations of dog owners never would have tolerated. But pet pit bulls "consuming chunks of flesh" from household victims today has become "normalized."

That domestic violence existed in the household prior to the pit bull arriving, is significant as well -- we see this factor in fatal dog maulings at times. When there are perpetrators of violence and/or victims of violence in a household (actively or with a history of), and a pit bull is added to the home, a dog breed selectively bred for fighting, the results can be devastating. Lucas ditched her former boyfriend and Hercules was put down after the attack, hopefully ending this cycle.

Images showing the bloody bathroom door and where the dog dragged Lucas around.

Images of "Hercules" posted to the dog owner's Facebook page after the violent attack.

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DogsBite blog ::

Why Did My Dog Try to Eat Me Unprovoked?