Posted on June 12, 2020 by Colleen Lynn

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Infant Dies After Being Bitten by Family Dog in Hartford, South Dakota

A 6-week old baby boy died after being bitten by a family dog in Hartford, South Dakota.

Infant Dies After Dog Bite
Hartford, SD - An infant died Thursday after being bitten by a family dog, according to the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were dispatched to a home in the 900 block of Trojan Avenue in Hartford about 5:40 pm. Fire and Rescue arrived first and found a 6-week old boy with "several bite wounds" from a dog. Audio dispatch files from Minnehaha County Fire Dispatch 1 (and the police call log) indicate the call was in response to a cardiac arrest, not a dog bite.

After arriving on scene, Fire and Rescue determined it was a dog bite and requested law enforcement and animal control come to the scene.

The infant was airlifted to a hospital, where he died of his injuries. The dog involved, the family's Belgian malinios, was taken into custody by the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society.1 Audio dispatch files indicate the infant gained a pulse and then lost it again prior to the airlift. There were multiple dogs in the family's home, according to the dispatch files. Earlier this year, a 4-week old boy died from "multiple sharp force injuries" after a family pit bull attacked him in Lafayette, Indiana.

"What are the details? There is a 6-week old child, on the floor, bleeding but not breathing … There is bleeding. I don't know where from."2

Infants, less than 1-year old, have the highest age-specific fatality rate and make up 48% of all dog bite fatality victims 2-years old and younger. This has been true in most, if not all, multi-year dog bite fatality studies. Between January 2005 and December 2019, only two dog bite fatalities were recorded in South Dakota. Both deaths occurred on Indian reservations during a 2-year period: 8-year old Jayla Rodriguez in 2014 and 49-year old Julia Charging Whirlwind in 2015.

In the Hartford attack, the father's Facebook page shows up to five large dogs in the home and a litter of great dane puppies in late 2019. There was at least one Belgian malinois in the home. "Sig" appears to be a German shepherd. Eerily, the shepherd-type "Alf" appears to have been on "baby duty" one day before the fatal attack. It is unknown if there was more than one malinois in the home. We disagree that either parent was "well versed" on the Belgian malinois dog breed.

There were at least three shepherd-type dogs in the home. Maverick is a Belgian malinois.

A friend of the mother left this comment at the Dakota News Now-related Facebook post.

1What is unknown to us is whether this Belgian malinois was a working military, police or protection dog. Malinois are typically not family pets. There is a discussion in comments about this on the Tea Storm Chasers page.
2Minnehaha County and Sioux Falls Police, Fire, and EMS audio dispatch files, 6/11/20 (broadcastify.com).

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 June 10, 2020 by Colleen Lynn

Pit Bull Described as 'Mild-Mannered' Brutally Kills Female Owner During a Walk in the Province of Nova Scotia

Megan Milner, 38-years old, was mauled to death by one of her pit bulls in Nova Scotia.

Mega Built Bullies
UPDATE 06/30/20: On June 30, 2020, a commenter left a link showing when Megan Milner purchased her two pit bulls -- less than four years later, one brutally kills her while she was taking it for a walk. On November 8, 2016, Mega Built Bullies, a British Columbia-based breeder of "exotic" pit bulls (American bullies), congratulated Megan on her two newest "MBB family members" from a Tonka and Camo litter. The designer pit bulls were a sister and brother pair.

In October 2016, Mega Built Bullies stated on their website, "Welcome to the Home of Mega-Freak-A-Bulls." There is no mistake what Megan had been seeking, two extra large mega-freak pit bulls that we often refer to as "mutants." At that time, MBB Tonka was advertised on the stud page, and the breeding of Tonka and Camo was advertised on the breeding page. This breeding pair session produced one fatally attacking pit bull and one aggressive pit bull in the same litter.

The dogs were at least 4 months old when Megan bought them, indicating that one or both might have been returned to MBB beforehand for behavior issues. The littermates also had to be sold as a "pair."

Does everyone understand that MBB is breeding for size, not temperament or health? MBB is breeding for extra large heads, heavy bones and over 100 pounds in weight. That is all they are selecting for too. Megan seems aware of this and states in a post left at MBB on March 22, 2017: "Kaos, AKA Tonka Jr. 8 months old. Starting to grow a big head, just like I told him his one job is." In a nutshell, that sums up the problem with designer (exotic, extreme, etc) pit bull breeders.

We also noted among MBB's dogs that UKC's Most Wanted Kimbo is in the second generation of MBB Jesus. Back in 2014, one of Kimbo's offspring, Niko, destroyed a 4-year old girl in Louisiana. Afterward, Kimbo's owner, a California breeder named Gustavo Castro, came under fire because Kimbo was widely known to "throw" (pass down) human aggression to his offspring. Castro ignored this and continued breeding Kimbo, just like MBB will continue breeding Tonka and Camo.

Megan's dogs were XL pit bulls, also know as the American bully. Though recognized by the UKC in 2013, the AB was "developed as a natural extension of the American pit bull terrier." It can be an infusion of at least 7 different breeds: American Staffordshire terrier, American pit bull terrier, American bulldog, English bulldog, Olde English bulldogge, Staffordshire bull terrier and French bulldog (See: related post). They come in four separate "varieties" separated by height only.

Megan Milner killed by pit bull nova scotia

Megan Milner purchased her pit bulls from Mega Built Bullies in 2016. In 2020, one killed her.

The pit bull littermates were at least 4 months old when they were shipped to Nova Scotia.

06/13/20: Mauling Victim Identified
The 38-year old woman mauled to death by her alleged "mild mannered" pit bull near Halifax has been identified as Megan Milner. Her last public Facebook post was on June 5. She was found dead in a ditch on June 9 on a rural road in Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia. She had taken one of her two pit bulls for a walk outside of the village. A muzzle was also found at the scene. Mark Taylor, who lived near the attack site, later struck and killed the pit bull with his vehicle.

Just a few weeks before the vicious attack, Milner posted a photograph of her two pit bulls near a vase of flowers. Recently, Bronwynne Conrad Martin, a friend of Milner, claimed to know what Milner would want following her death. "Megan would not want an entire breed to be condemned from this tragic event," Martin wrote. But Martin does not know this -- no one does. Just like no one knows what Darla Napora would have opined about pit bulls after being killed by her own.

"Sorry for your loss, but please don't speak for the dead. Everyone loves their pits until it kills them, literally." - Commenter Ezekiel Roberts

Martin also claimed that people should, "Challenge the conversation with facts." In this case, the facts are clear. Milner was killed by one of her pit bulls, while taking the dog for a walk. Milner was a conscientious owner who would only walk her dogs one at a time outside of the village, and while armed with a sturdy muzzle. On June 9, one of her pit bulls brutally attacked her and left her dead in a ditch. Those are the grim facts, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Like the attractive female pit bull advocates before Milner, who were killed by their own pit bulls (Darla Napora, Bethany Stephens and more), gross speculation and conspiracy theories fueled by pit bull advocates has followed. Claims like, Milner must have been "struck by a car" or "she was killed by a bear." There is a reason why jurisdictions in 53 countries regulate this dog breed. The routine horrific injuries pit bulls inflict, including deglovings, have no place in a civilized society.

06/10/20: Pit Bull Kills Female Owner
Nova Scotia, CA - On Tuesday, a 38-year old woman was mauled to death by one of her two pet pit bulls. Police were called to the scene on Wittenburg Road just after 8:00 am. About an hour-and-a-half later, the attacking pit bull was discovered dead after being run down by a vehicle. At the time of the deadly attack, the victim was taking one of her pit bulls for a walk. One neighbor expressed shock after learning which of the two pit bulls was responsible for inflicting her death.

But the victim's neighbor said he was shocked to find out which of the dogs was responsible for the woman's death. He said one of the pit bulls she owned, which was at the victim's home at the time of the incident, was known to be very aggressive and had attacked the owner last year. The other that turned on its owner was always mild-mannered and well behaved, he said.

"When I found out it was that dog I was shocked, I couldn't believe it," he said. The man said he witnessed the dog being taken from the woman's home by Animal Services on Tuesday afternoon. - The Chronicle Herald

According to the neighbor, he and several other community members saw the other pit bull pin her down before she escaped unharmed in the past. He said the victim adored her two pit bulls. "Those dogs were the focal point of her life," said the neighbor who did not want to be identified. "They meant so much to her," he added. "I think she really tried to help the problem dog become a better dog." Yet, it was not the problem pit bull that killed her. It was the "mild-mannered" one.

Driver Ran Down Dog

About 3 kilometers from the attack site, a driver intentionally struck and killed the dog to prevent further injuries. "I'm glad I came across the dog and took care of it because it really bothered me to think about what else could have happened to the people that didn't know this was going on, so I'm very thankful," Mark Taylor said. After his daughter alerted him to the attack, he jumped in his van and began telling people along the road about the attack. Eventually, he caught up to the dog.

He was headed down the road that leads to his livestock when he saw the dog. Taylor said he made a snap decision to hit the animal with his vehicle.

"It was very fast. I don't know how to describe it, it was surreal," he said. "I didn't concern myself with any repercussions. I took care of the dog."

Taylor, who describes himself as an animal lover, says it was a tough decision to make, but he believes it was the right one. - Mark Taylor, CTV News

Muzzle at the Scene

Video shows the Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigating the scene. A large leather dog muzzle can be seen. The National Desk also talked to Taylor, who again emphasized, "It was quick." A teenage jogger and a woman driving her vehicle discovered the victim in the ditch. The jogger had run by the victim and her dog earlier when she was alive. When she returned along her route, she encountered the loose pit bull and the victim dead in the ditch. The teenager called 911.

Police have not release the name of the victim. It is unknown if the dog was wearing the muzzle at the time of the attack. The fact that she had a serious muzzle -- not a flimsy nylon one -- indicates the "well-mannered" pit bull may have also been problematic. Community members said the victim would deliberately walk her dogs outside of town, to be away from residents, as was the case on the day of the attack. (We have never heard of a pit bull owner being this conscientious before.)

Unpacking the Attack

According to neighbors, the victim loved her pit bulls, and knew that at least one of them was aggressive. Notably, she only walked the dogs one at a time too. Residents told news outlets that she often walked her dog on the rural road and the dog was usually muzzled. The victim took precautions to keep her dogs away from the village population, only walked each dog alone, and was armed with a muzzle on her walks. Yet, her "well-mannered" pit bull fatally attacked her.

Statistical data from a 15-year period shows that pit bulls are over 11 times more likely to kill their owner than any other dog breed.

Pit bull owners routinely make devastating choices that result in people and pet dogs being severely mauled or killed. They make devastating choices that result in their own death too. There is no other dog breed that kills their owners more frequently than pit bulls. Over the 15-year period of 2005 to 2019, there were 75 owner-directed attacks that ended in death. Pit bulls were responsible for 63% (47). German shepherds, boxers and mastiffs followed, each with 4 deaths.

Summary

Very often, the extreme violence inflicted by pit bulls is unpredictable; there is no known stimuli beforehand. What is always true is that when stimuli is known before the attack, it is either minor (movement while sleeping, taking away a treat or a baby in a bouncy chair) or at worst, moderate (the clap of thunder or a domestic family dispute). Thus, the act of killing by pit bulls is always a disproportionate response. There is no appropriate context for these behaviors in normal life.

"It's also not realistic to pretend that impulsive aggression is not pathological. The environments (the fighting pit, the baited bull, the escaping slave) for which these behaviors were selected as an adaptive response are so extreme that in fact there is no appropriate context for these behaviors in normal life." - Animal behaviorist, Alexandra Semyonova

Images from Megan Milner's Facebook page. She was brutally killed by one of her pet pit bulls.

The 2016 website of Mega Built Pit Bulls, where Megan purchased her defective XL pit bulls.

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Colleen Lynn

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Unreported Fatal Pit Bull Mauling of 2-Year Old Boy in Stockton, California

Brice Sanders, 2-years old, died on June 1 after being attacked by a pit bull.

Animal History Summary
UPDATE 07/22/20: In mid July, we obtained information from our June 10 records request to Stockton Animal Services. The dog that attacked and killed Brice Sanders on May 31 was a male intact pit bull named "Rocko." The animal history documents we obtained from animal services also stated the dog had Taser needles on his hind right backside and the left side of his neck -- the latter only penetrated the dog's harness. It's clear that arriving police used a Taser on this dog.

Rocko did not belong to a person at the residence in the 4400 block of Giselle Lane, where Brice and his mother were visiting. A member of that residence was "watching" Rocko for its owner, whose home was listed as being several blocks away. In our statistics, this is called a "double" visiting scenario. This is an exceptionally high-risk scenario for children: The child is visiting where the dog is being kept and the dog is being "watched" at the location while its owner is away.1

By combining these two scenarios are in our statistics, we located 55 deaths over a 15-year period (2005-2019) that met the criteria. Pit bulls carried out 80% (44) of these attacks, which is 9 times more frequently than rottweilers (5 deaths) and 44 times more frequently than any other breed (1 death each) involved in "double" visiting scenarios. Of the 44 pit bull attacks, 57% (25) involved the dog killing a family or household member. There is no other dog breed to compare this to.

Though the breed identification photograph provided in the animal history records is dismal, we were able to locate "Rocko" on the dog owner's Facebook page. Rocko was taken to the shelter on May 31, became an owner surrender on June 4 and was euthanized on June 17, according to shelter records. The records also indicate the dog was 4-years old, but it was not. Rocko was at least 7-years old. Along with photos, the owner has a 2014 video of this dog calling it "Rocko."

Photographs of the male, intact pit bull named "Rocko" that killed Brice Sanders in Stockton.

06/11/20: Fatal Dog Attack Confirmed
Stockton police confirmed that a pit bull killed a 2-year old boy. The attack occurred about 9:00 pm on May 31, while the boy's family was visiting a home in the 4400 block of Giselle Lane in Weston Ranch. Brice Sanders was airlifted to University of California, Davis Medical Center, where he died early the next morning. The pit bull continues to be held in bite quarantine at Stockton Animal Services. Police Department spokesman Officer Joe Silva was unable to provide further details.

"The fatal incident was not reported by Stockton police at the time," reports The Record. The attack occurred on the same night that officers were responding to multiple locations on reports of large protests and looting in the city. Stockton police Tweeted five warnings between 8:18 pm and 8:45 pm, including one that states: "Large protest occurring in Downtown Stockton. Do not endanger yourself, stay away from the area. Large amount of protestors and police presence."

The fund organized for his mother, Shantoya Cruze, to help pay funeral costs, has now reached over $41,000. Services for Brice were held in San Francisco on June 5. Yesterday, we submitted a public information request to Stockton Animal Services. The agency must respond within 10 days. Prior to learning the location of this fatal attack in Stockton, we confirmed the attack did not take place in San Francisco County, Suisun City, Gilroy, Sacramento County or Solano County.

06/10/20: On June 10, we became aware of the location of this deadly attack. We are preparing to request records from this Central Valley jurisdiction in San Joaquin County right now. Previously, we confirmed this tragic attack did not take place in San Francisco County, Suisun City, Gilroy, Sacramento County or Solano County. As suspected, this fatal dog mauling involves a pit bull.

06/05/20: Young Boy Identified
California - On June 1, a GoFundMe organized by Monica Lopez and Kelly Marriott for Shantoya Cruze was started. "It is with very heavy hearts, that we are informing you of our dear friend Shantoya’s loss of her precious two-year old son, Brice. He passed away early on the morning of June 1st." In just four days, the fund has nearly reached $40,000. Cruze and her family appear to be based in the Bay Area, and her name has numerous references to San Francisco addresses.

We first became aware of this possible fatal dog mauling on June 2, after a San Francisco-based father, whose son knows the victim's older brother, posted: "As if there isn't enough terrible stuff going on. A basketball teammate of Theo had a very tragic and traumatic couple of days. His little brother, 2-year old Brice, was killed in a dog attack. Here's a link to the family's GoFundMe page." Through social media comments, we learned that the attack occurred outside of the Bay Area.2

The victim's older brother, Tim, is an 8th grader and plays on the Bay City Basketball team in San Francisco. On June 5, we were able to learn the victim's full name, Brice Sanders. "We would like to offer our dearest condolences to the family of 2-year old Brice Sanders, who passed earlier this week. Brice’s brother Tim is a beloved 8th grader in our program … Rest in paradise, Brice." Without knowing the jurisdiction of where this fatal dog attack occurred, our hands are tied.

This is not only a lack of media reporting. This is a lack of police reporting, which typically issues news releases to the media, especially after a young child has been killed by a dog. Outrageously, that did not happen in this case. On June 3, San Francisco Animal Care and Control confirmed the fatal attack did not occur in their jurisdiction. The only other information that we have about family members is Brice's uncle, Edwin Rosario, who also publicly posted the family's GoFundMe.

Fund grows for family of 2-year old Brice Sanders, who was mauled to death by a dog.

A family member posted photographs of the memorial program for Brice Sanders to Facebook.

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

1The "double" visiting scenario is the combination of a "watcher," such as a babysitter or a person dog-sitting and the victim "visiting" or temporarily living with the dog owner/dog harborer at the time of the fatal attack.
2It does not make sense for a person who knows the family to fabricate a child "was killed in a dog attack."

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Colleen Lynn

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: 70-Year Old Woman Mauled to Death by Dogs in Country Club Hills, Illinois

Katie Amos, 70-years old, was mauled to death in her driveway by up to four dogs.

Woman Killed by Dogs
Country Club Hills, IL - A 70-year old woman was mauled to death by one or more dogs, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. Katie Amos was fatally attacked in the 3900 block of 167th Place at about 10:35 am on June 3. An autopsy determined that she died of her injuries. The manner of death was an accident. Country Club Hills police have not yet responded to a request for additional details. Amos' death marks the third fatal dog attack in Illinois this year.

Audio dispatch logs from Tinley Park and Orland Park Police, Fire / EMS show a call for an animal bite came in at 10:38 am. Ambulance 14 was dispatched to the scene. While en route, he reports, "An adult female being attacked by a group of large dogs. Police are en route." When the ambulance arrives at the scene, he reports, "The patient is in the rear yard." Google Maps shows that Amos lived at a residence with a gated area behind the home that leads to a garage.1

Afternoon Updates

Country Club Hills police said that Amos died after being attacked by four dogs in her driveway on 167th Place. Responding officers open fired on the dogs so they could enter the gated area in the back of the driveway where Amos was located. One of the dogs was shot and killed and the other three fled the driveway into the neighbor's yard. Cook County Animal Control took custody of all four dogs, which all belonged to Amos, and resided at the location where the attack occurred.

Merrill Amos also resides at this location on 167th Place and runs a backyard pit bull breeding operation, according to his Facebook page. As recently as February, he called four pit bull puppies "champions" and his asking price was $700. Police have not released the breeds of dogs involved.

A person living at the victim's home was selling pit bulls on Facebook as recently as February.

Katie Amos, 70, was killed by up to four family dogs on her own property in Country Club Hills.

The fatal dog mauling occurred in the 3900 block of 167th Place, near Pulaski Road.

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

1The audio dispatch logs do not say "West 167th Place," as media outlets are reporting, just "167th Place." Google Maps shows that 167th Place and Sunset Ridge Drive overlap, and that 167th Street runs parallel. Also, Fire and EMS were called to an address that was actually next door to the victim's home. The attack location was essentially in between the two homes behind a gated area that leads to a garage on the victim's property.

DogsBite blog ::