Tag Archives: Rhode Island

2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull-Type Dog Kills Toddler in East Providence; Officers Dispatch Dog at the Scene

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Scarlett Pereira, 1-year old, was killed by a pit bull in East Providence, Rhode Island. Clarifications and Updates UPDATE 07/18/20: On July 16, East Providence police were dispatched to 99 Brookhaven Drive at 2:45 pm for a report of a "disturbance and confrontation." Police arrived to find a child dying with "significant" injuries from a vicious dog attack. Two adults were injured while trying to "intervene" to stop the attack, states a news release by police. The baby gir… [Read full blog post]

Pit Bull Attacks Rise in Pawtucket After State Preemption Law Muted City's Successful Pit Bull Ban

Veteran animal control officer John Holmes, a key proponent of the ban, retired in 2015. Pit Bull Attacks Rise Pawtucket, RI - Five years after Pawtucket was forced to lift its successful pit bull ban, attacks by pit bulls have risen sharply. Today, there are over 10 times more pit bull attacks per year in Pawtucket than there were during the ban years. The city was forced to lift its ban due to the state legislature, which passed a state preemption law in 2013 barring local govern… [Read full blog post]

Dramatic Decline in Attacks by Pit Bulls Since Pawtucket Adopted Pit Bull Ban in 2004

Bites Drop Dramatically Pawtucket, RI - The Valley Breeze recently published over 13-years of pit bull bite data showing the long-term success of Pawtucket's 2004 pit bull ban. The Breeze gained the data through an open records request to the Pawtucket Police Department and Pawtucket Animal Control. After enforcement of the ban began in 2004, attacks inflicted by pit bulls on people and pets in the city quickly plunged into scarcity. Citizens and their pets enjoy this same… [Read full blog post]