Posted on June 26, 2020 by Colleen Lynn

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: 72-Year Old Woman Killed by Her Daughter's Two Pit Bulls Near Mandeville, Louisiana

Barbara Cook, 72, died after being attacked by her daughter's two pit bulls near Mandeville.

The Dogs' Owners
UPDATE 06/28/20: On Friday, multiple news articles clarified that the two pit bulls belonged to one of the victim's daughters, Janell Callender. She and her husband Cody Callender also lived at Cook's home on Nancy Street. Cody has a long history with the law, starting over a decade ago. As recently as July 2019, he was charged with a parole violation, simple battery, at 635 Nancy Street. On June 25, Barbara Cook was brutally attacked and killed by the couple's dogs.

According to Cook's other daughter, Charlotte Guidry, this was not the first time the pit bulls had attacked Cook. In fact, there had been more than one previous attack. "They bit her in the face and throat, on the lip, gave her a black eye," Guidry said of the previous attacks. "One time the excuse was that she was bending down to kill a roach and the dog thought she was going after Janell." It is unknown if the previous dog bite incidents were reported to local authorities.

It is unlawful in St. Tammany Parish to fail to report a dog bite, especially if it caused serious injury. It is the duty of the owner "immediately to notify the parish department of animal services, and surrender said dog of animal to any representative of the parish department of animal services" after a bite. "Any law enforcement officer or animal control officer may take possession of any animal that bites a person or is reported to have bitten a person within the limits of the parish."

We also learned that Cook had been trying to protect her 10-year old grandson from the dogs when the dogs attacked her. This grandson is the son of Cook's youngest daughter (neither Janell or Guidry). After the 10-year old tried to stop the attack, he ran next-door to get help, where Cook's daughter-in-law lives. The daughter-in-law and her son rushed over and tried to break up the attack. The daughter-in-law is the person who called the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office.

Note: Six days after Janelle and Cody's two pit bulls killed Barbara, Janelle began selling the recent litter of puppies from the two pit bulls on Facebook. One person asked her, "You are selling puppies that will carry genetics/traits from the poorly bred pit bulls that killed Barbara? And posting this on Facebook with none of that information being passed on?" Janell claimed the puppies were "Staffordshire terrier and Razor edge blue" and her asking price for each puppy was $100.

06/26/20: Pit Bulls Kill Elderly Woman
Mandeville, LA - An elderly woman died at the hospital after being attacked by two family pit bulls Thursday at her home, authorities confirmed. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (STPSO) responded to a home around 2:15 pm in the 600 block of Nancy Street. Both pit bulls were still attacking the victim when deputies arrived. When deputies intervened to stop the attack, the dogs turned on them. The deputies open fired on the dogs, killing one. The other dog fled the home.

After applying a tourniquet to the woman and providing other medical aid, the deputies located the second pit bull in a nearby yard. The dog charged them, and once again, deputies opened fired, this time killing it. A child at the scene, who also tried to stop the attack, received superficial injuries from the dogs. The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical but stable condition. Late last night, one of her niece's posted a photo of her. She is identified only as "aunt Barbara."

A neighbor also sustained bite wounds and was treated by paramedics at the scene. "This is very sad," Sheriff Randy Smith said. "My thoughts and prayers go out the victim’s family and to the neighbor who was injured trying to help her. I also thank the deputies who responded and provided medical care in an effort to try and save this woman's life." Barbara marks the third victim -- all females, 60-years and older -- killed by family pit bull-type dogs in Louisiana this year.

Afternoon Updates

The victim has been identified as Barbara Cook. At the time of the attack, she was babysitting her 10-year old grandson at her home on Nancy Street. According to one of her daughters, Charlotte Guidry, after one of the pit bulls snapped at the child, Cook placed herself between the dog and the boy to protect him. Both pit bulls then viciously attacked Cook, biting her on the arms, throat and face. Cook died Thursday night, as doctors were preparing to do surgery, Guidry said.

Guidry said Cook had been attacked by these dogs before, which belong to Janell Callender, another daughter of Cook who lives at the home. "They bit her in the face and throat, on the lip, gave her a black eye," Guidry said of the earlier attacks. "One time the excuse was that she was bending down to kill a roach and the dog thought she was going after Janell." Guidry's daughter, Naquisha Forstall, warned Cook that if she did not get her aunt out, these dogs could kill her.

Forstall also confirmed the pit bulls had recently had a litter of puppies.

Pit bulls routinely kill family members and their owners. Pit bulls belonging to a son or daughter that kill their mother is common too. This occurred as recently as June 3, when Katie Amos, 70, was killed by her son's four pit bull-cane corso mixes. This scenario also occurred in the Shreveport attack in February, when Geraldine Hamlin, 64, was killed by her son's two pit bulls. Cook's death is especially egregious, given that Janell's dogs had previously attacked Cook.

Police should seriously consider filing elderly endangerment charges in these cases.

The male pit bull belonging to Janell Callender; one of two pit bulls that killed Barbara Cook.

WDSU obtained video of deputies arriving at Cook's home in the 600 block of Nancy Street.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Louisiana 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 June 18, 2020 by Colleen Lynn

The City of Aurora, Colorado Dog Bite Statistics by Breed and Intake, Euthanasia Data Over a Three Year Period (2017-2019)

Aurora, Colorado dog bite statistics over a three year period: 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Virtual Town Hall
Aurora, CO - Aurora city officials recently announced that a public hearing would be held regarding the Restricted Breed Ordinance, Aurora's longstanding pit bull ban. "Do our residents wish to retain the ordinance or repeal the ordinance?" The announcement asks. The virtual town hall is June 18 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm Mountain time. Any person can watch the archive here. In 2014, during a first ever general election vote, Aurora citizens upheld the ban by a 64% to 36% margin.

In February, when the adjacent city of Denver was also debating a ban repeal, we analyzed Denver dog bite statistics by breed and injury severity. Despite banning pit bulls, the breed appeared among the top three biting breeds in Level 4 and 5 bites, the most severe bites. We stated then, "Pit bulls have a small population in Denver because of the longstanding ban, but this did not stop them from achieving the title of a top-biting breed." The same is also true in Aurora.

Aurora Dog Bite Statistics

The Aurora ban is specific to dogs that meet the definition of an American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier and Staffordshire bull terrier. As a caveat, there is also a "Pit bull" category in the raw data we obtained from Aurora. Thus, we show two views of our data. The "Pit bull (restricted)" category contains the three breeds in the ordinance and the "Pit bull (all)" category includes the "Pit bull" group -- dogs, apparently, that failed meet the definition of the ordinance.

View: Aurora Dog Bite Statistics Graphical Charts (2017-2019) | Raw Data

Among the top-biting breeds, the "Pit bull (restricted)" group nearly tied for second place, inflicting 104 bites. This breed group followed Labrador retrievers (121 bites) and German shepherds (105 bites). When combined into the "Pit bull (all)" group, pit bulls catapulted to the lead with 151 bites. Although Aurora has a reduced pit bull population due to the decade plus ban, the "Pit bull (restricted)" group is already biting as frequently as German shepherds, which are not regulated.

Of the total dog bites reported during the 3-year period, over 100 different dog breeds inflicted 1180 bites. In the "Pit bull (all)" group, the 10 top-biting breeds inflicted 60% of all bites. The "All others combined" group contained 90 different dog breeds, which inflicted 40% of all bites. The top-biting breeds are in part a reflection of the population of the breed in the community and the breed-purpose. Notably, Cane corso made the list, a mastiff-type with paltry population numbers.

If the Ban is Repealed?

Data from our report, Biting Incidents Across U.S. Cities and Counties, shows that without regulation, the "Pit bull (all)" category, which currently inflicts 13% of all bites, will quickly rise to 25% and over twice as many as any other breed. Depending upon how fast the pit bull population grows in Aurora, pit bulls could rise to 40% to 50% of all bites and four times more than any other breed. The latter is true in Kansas City, despite having a mandatory pit bull sterilization law.

If Aurora's pit bull ban is repealed, there will no longer be a "restricted breed" category. There will only be the "Pit bull (all)" group, which includes a sizable number of unqualified pit bulls. As one can see, this already significantly impacts how Aurora top-biting breed statistics are viewed. This even further impacts pit bull intake and euthanasia. All three areas are relevant to the ban. A pit bull ban reduces the pit bull population, whereby lowering pit bull intake and pit bull euthanasia.

Aurora Intake & Euthanasia Data

On a national level, pit bulls and their mixes average about 33% of all shelter intake, but in large cities, the numbers are as high as 40% to 65%.1 In Maricopa County, Arizona, pit bulls comprise 75% of kennel space. In a hard to refute estimate by Pet Smart Charities, pit bulls comprise 40% to 45% of kennel space at shelters nationally. As you will soon see, this is over four times higher than pit bull intake in Aurora. Intake of the "Pit bull (all)" group in Aurora is 10% of the total intake.

View: Aurora Intake, Euthanasia Graphical Charts (2017-2019) | Raw Data

If one pairs this down to only the "Pit bull (restricted)" group, intake falls to 6%. This is similar to Denver, whose pit bull intake over the same period was 4%. These adjacent cities have had uninterrupted pit bull bans for 15 years. Despite modest enforcement of their bans, both city shelters benefit enormously from the reduced intake of unwanted pit bulls. Remember, "Laws can have a beneficial effect, even when there is little enforcement and some people flout the law."2

Pit bull euthanasia percentages are twice as high in Aurora (133/629, 21%) as in Denver (195/1959, 10%). It is unclear why. Denver may have a more robust rescue network that can place more pit bulls outside of the county.3 During the 3-year period, Denver's total dog intake was twice the number of dogs as Aurora (14716 vs. 7116). In Aurora, the "Pit bull (all)" group euthanasia percentage is 37%, five times higher than the next closest dog breed, American bulldogs, 7%.

When reviewing all outcomes for dogs within the "Pit bull (all)" group over the 3-year period, which is a different measurement, 40% (306 of 766) of pit bulls were released, 30% (231) were euthanized, 16% (122) were adopted, 10% (77) were transferred and 4% fell into other categories, such as field release or died. Thus, of all dogs euthanized, the "Pit bull (all)" group accounted for 37%, and among pit bulls held by the shelter during this period, 30% resulted in euthanasia.

If the Ban is Repealed?

In 2017, Dr. Emily Weiss of the ASPCA analyzed data from the ASPCA Animal Stats Database and bluntly stated, "Looking at euthanasia rates, we see an incredibly sharp contrast, with 40% of all canine euthanasia being of pit-type. The sharp, and I mean sharp, drop for the next breed type of 9% for Labradors is compelling." That ASPCA Pro post has since been removed. The data used in Weiss' analysis is from 68 shelters across the country that submitted their data to the ASPCA.

Unlike Denver, Aurora's pit bull euthanasia data nearly reflects the estimated national average. Whether using Aurora's 21% or 37% euthanasia data, both appear to be an increase from 2014, when Cheryl Conway, a former spokeswoman for the animal care division, stated, "Euthanasia of pit bull dogs is down 93 percent" since the ban was enacted. "Of those few that are put down, they are primarily those that come in as strays and their owners don't come to claim them," she said.

If the ban is repealed, which will remove all pit bull breeding restrictions, pit bull intake will triple, just to get started. Using numbers from the "Pit bull (all)" group, the current intake percentage of 10% will rise to 30% to 65%. Kennel occupancy could rise to 80% in 15 months too, just like it did in Cincinnati after they repealed their longstanding ban. There will not be enough homes to adopt this surplus of pit bulls to and the Aurora Animal Shelter will be stuck with a glut of these dogs.

Summary

Although Aurora does not track injury severity, we can look to Denver for this information. Despite having an uninterrupted pit bull ban for 15 years, pit bulls are among the top three biting breeds in Denver for Level 4 and 5 bites, 5 being the most severe, and classified by a recent scientific medical study as a "mauling injury."4 In Aurora, lacking injury severity data, the "Pit bull (all)" group is the number one biting breed and the "Pit bull (restricted)" group, ties for second place.

If Aurora repeals their longstanding pit bull ban, severe injuries and maulings inflicted by pit bulls will rise. There are now 14 Level 1 trauma center studies across all major geographical regions in the country that confirm this. As the founder of DogsBite.org told the Sentinel in November 2019, when Aurora first began discussing a ban repeal, "I don't know why you would like to become like the rest of the U.S. where these injuries are staggering and growing," Colleen Lynn said.

If the ban is repealed, the most conservative outlook is that bites inflicted by pit bulls will double to 25% of all bites and over twice as many compared to other breeds, according to our review of jurisdictions in 20 states. According to estimated national shelter statistics, pit bull intake in Aurora will increase from 10% to 30% and, shelter occupancy of pit bulls will grow to 40% to 45%. A responsible city council would not invite these well-identified maladies upon the public.

Aurora can prepare for the following:

"There were 6683 dog bites reported to Harris County Veterinary Public Health between the years of 2013 and 2016 ... Pit bulls had the greatest frequency of bites (25%) ... Pit bulls tended to bite multiple body parts more often than other breeds." In bites recorded as "severe" or "mauling" ... "pit bulls had the greatest frequency of severe injuries (49.57%)," nearly four times higher than the next closest breed. - A look at the incidence and risk factors for dog bites in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, USA, by Hasoon B, Shipp A, and Hasoon J, Vet World, 2020 Mar; 13(3): 419–425.

1This statistic is unsourced, but can be found in abundance on the Internet. It seems few people would argue it. Also, the 2015 shelter survey from Animals24-7.org shows pit bulls account for 32% of all intake nationally.
2David Hemenway, While We Were Sleeping, Success Stories in Injury and Violence Prevention, University of California Press, 2009 (Pg. 10).
3Data from 2015 to 2018 shows a sudden doubling of pit bull euthanasia in Aurora, indicating that more residents may be flouting the ban. Quincy Snowdon, "TOTAL BULL? Aurora looks at ending breed ban, allowing forbidden ‘pit bulls' back in," Sentinel, November 10, 2019 (sentinelcolorado.com)
4"Mauling injuries were recorded when 3 or more bites occurred over 2 or more distinct regional anatomic areas, typically the craniofacial region, back, torso, and extremities." | Khan K, Horswell B and Samanta D, Dog-Bite Injuries to the Craniofacial Region: An Epidemiologic and Pattern-of-Injury Review at a Level 1 Trauma Center, J Oral Maxillofac Surg, [2019 Nov 14, Epub].

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Colleen Lynn

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: 'Mastiff' with History of Aggression Killed Portland Owner in April; No News Release from Police

Frederick Shew, 70-years old, was violently killed by his mastiff on April 11 in Portland.

Mastiff Kills Owner
Portland, OR - On June 15, it was reported for the first time that a 70-year old man was brutally killed by his mastiff in April. On the night of April 11, police were called to the Southeast Portland home of Frederick Shew, where he lived with two housemates. One of Shew's housemates, Kenneth Miller, told The Oregonian that after he went to bed, he heard a loud thump outside his door. He then found the massive dog latched onto Shew's neck and shaking it "like a ragdoll."

The burly beast was an intact 2.5 year old male mastiff, named "Thor." Miller estimated the dog weighed 160 pounds and that Shew weighed less than 100 pounds. Miller was able to wrestle the large dog away from Shew and put the animal in his room. Miller called for his housemates to wake up and bring towels to try to stop the bleeding. One housemate called 9-1-1. "I was beating the dog off him" and trying to help save Fred," Miller told The Oregonian. "I was just too late."

"He was sitting there and blood was shooting out of his neck ... He bled out right in front of me. His last words were 'Don't call 9-1-1.'" - Kenneth Miller

Miller speculated that Shaw did not want 9-1-1 called because Miller did not want his dog taken away. Shew had purchased the mastiff for $3,500 as a 4-month old puppy two years earlier. Yet, the dog had become dangerous, according to Miller. A month before Thor killed Shew, Thor "about took my nose off my face," Miller said. Before that incident, Thor "bit me through my hand," he said. Those two biting incidents were not reported to authorities until the day after Shew died.

Yet, Miller complained that Shew refused to neuter the dog or to enroll him in obedient classes. "He couldn't even walk the damn thing, he was just too strong," Miller said. It's unclear how a housemate (who designates Shew as a "family member" on Facebook) could bear living with such a brutish dog, which could conceivably be classified as a bullmastiff or South African boerboel, as well as, a mastiff. When medical responders arrived at the home, they pronounced Shew dead.

Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS) did not arrive to seize the dog until the next day (apparently, there is no night duty officer at the department). While Miller and his roommate were attempting to lift the dog into the MCAS truck, the dog slipped away. They eventually recaptured it and hoisted the massive dog onto the truck. Shew's daughter gave county officials permission to euthanize the dog. And that was the end of "Thor," the mastiff, bullmastiff or boerboel beast.

MILLER stated on April 11, 2020 around 2200hrs, he and his girlfriend went to bed. MILLER stated he heard a "thump outside my door and the dogs right there shaking his [SHEW] neck like a ragdoll". MILLER stated "all I could see was blood shooting out of his neck". MILLER stated he was able to get the dog off of SHEW by twisting the collar enough to choke the dog. MILLER then secured the dog in his bedroom. MILLER said "All Fred's doin' is sittin' there bleedin' to death. And I'm trying to [yell to others] "get some towels! Wake up! Get some towels! "I'm trying to stop it, but it just didn't, it didn't work that way". MILLER stated SHEW was still speaking at this point, but was bleeding heavily. SHEW died at the scene and was confirmed later by medics … MILLER also stated that "Thor" bit him about a month ago, resulting in a significant injury to his nose, and then also bit him on the hand a few months ago. None of this was reported. - Incident Report, Multnomah County Animal Services, April 12, 2020

Summary

It is devastating what Frederick Shew suffered in his final moments. It is devastating what Miller and the other housemates witnessed and now have to live with for the rest of their lives. It is alarming that the Portland Police Department did not issue a press release after this extremely violent attack. It is alarming that Miller and The Oregonian hint that a mere neutering job would have solved this dog's escalating aggression, which resulted in "Thor" executing the killing bite.

In the Incident Report, Miller calls this dog "King Mastiff." It is unclear if "King" is a kennel name. If you know the breeder or seller of this dog, please leave this information in comments or send us email at any of the addresses on our Contact Us page. Your identity will remain confidential.

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).

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