California Injury Blog

A police officer in Glendora, who was responding to reports of a vicious pit bull at a local residence, became a Los Angeles dog bite victim, according to an article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The incident occurred the evening of May 31, 2009 in the 700 block of Hunters Trail. The officer suffered puncture wounds to his leg, but is expected to recover. Neighborhood residents apparently called police to report an unleashed pit bull that had children trapped in a car.

When the officer arrived at the scene, the dog ran down the street and back into its own yard. The dog bite occurred when the officer attempted to close the gate to contain the dog inside the yard. The dog's owner was cited for violating the leash law and having an unlicensed dog. The pit bull was taken away by animal control officials.

I wish this police officer the very best for a quick and complete recovery from his dog bite injuries. Here was an officer trying to protect a few children from a vicious dog and he got bitten and personally injured in the process. I commend the police officer for putting himself in danger to protect young citizens. He did his job well.

Continue reading "Los Angeles County Dog Bite Incident Injures Police Officer" »

This is Dog Bite Prevention Week -- a good time to consider the ways we can help prevent dog bite accidents. There is a lot of useful information out there for dog owners and others on how to prevent dog attacks. It is estimated that 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs every year. About 800,000 Americans who receive medical attention for dog bites each year are children. When a dog bites a child, the victim's small size makes the bite more likely to result in severe personal injury.

A majority of dog bite injuries in young children occur during everyday activities when interacting with familiar dogs. With the safety of children in mind, this year the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is introducing The Blue Dog Parent Guide and CD, an educational tool aimed at teaching children, 3 to 6 years old, and their parents how to avoid dog bite accidents.

Children are also frequently bitten on the face, which can result in severe cuts, infection or scarring. Plastic surgeons, just in the last year, have performed more than 16,000 reconstructive surgeries involving dog bites. There are three times more dog bites than there are brain injuries and still, there is very little information out there not only for community members who want to stay safe, but for dog owners about the importance of responsible dog ownership.

Continue reading "Dog Bite Accidents Continue to Victimize Children the Most" »

Martha Muro, a 26-year-old animal control officer lost part of her thumb in a Los Angeles dog bite accident when she was on the job. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the May 14, 2009 dog attack occurred when Muro was making a follow-up visit to a house on Live Oak Street to ensure that a dog owner had cleaned up "excessive dog feces" on his property. As Muro was talking to the owner at the front door, two pit bulls that were in the side yard, began lunging at a chain-link gate. Muro retreated from the front yard, but the dogs escaped, broke through a hole in a front gate.

A male pit bull grabbed onto Muro's baton and pushed her to the ground. The dog was "going for her face and neck," officials said. Muro was able to break free after a neighbor got help. The male pit bull was turned over to authorities by its owner and euthanized. Tests are underway to determine if there are any medical causes for the dog's aggression including rabies. The second pit bull, a female, has been quarantined for observation.

My heart goes out to Martha Muro, the animal control officer, who was involved in the pit bull attack as she was performing her job. Apparently doctors are still evaluating whether the severed thumb section, which was found later, can be reattached. I wish Muro the very best for a quick and complete physical as well as emotional recovery.

Continue reading "Los Angeles Dog Bite Accident" »

A San Pedro man shot and killed a pit bull that turned on him after attacking a neighbor's cat April 15, 2009, the Daily Breeze reports. The dog attack began when the cat's owner started screaming for help as her pet was being attacked by a loose pit bull. The man armed himself with a handgun from his house before walking outside to help. The dog charged towards the man as he walked down his driveway when he shot and killed it. The pit bull, which Los Angeles police officials said, weighed at least 60 pounds, had apparently escaped from another neighbor's yard and then attacked the woman's cat.

The woman had attempted to rescue her cat and even tried hitting the dog with a broom and then a brick. But according to the woman, the pit bull held onto the cat and "was just tearing it up." The badly injured cat had to be euthanized at a local veterinary hospital. The pit bull's owner was not cited because animal control officers had not seen the pit bull out of the yard or unleashed, first hand.

My heart goes out to the woman who lost her cat in this brutal dog attack. These incidents tend to be brushed aside because they don't involve any people. However, to pet owners, losing a pet especially in such a sudden, violent manner is devastating.

Continue reading "Los Angeles County Dog Attack" »

Gordon Lykins, 48, of Winterhaven, California, has died recently from injuries he suffered in a March 28, 2009 vicious dog bite attack in the community, which is located in the California-Arizona border. Lykins was apparently mauled by a pack of dogs that were running lose in the Bard area, near White Road, the Yuma Sun reports. A surgeon at Yuma Regional Medical Center reportedly said it was the worst case of trauma he had ever seen.

Police are still investigating and are yet to file charges against the dogs' owner who apparently owned 11 of these mixed breeds dogs. All the dogs were removed from his home and taken to an animal shelter. Those dogs are believed to have been loose at the time of the attack, but police are trying to piece together evidence. The main challenge, officials say, is to prove that the dogs taken from that owner's property were the ones that attacked Lykins. Police are also looking for any eyewitnesses who can identify the dogs. The unidentified dog owner, who lives near the area where Lykins was attacked, called in the dog attack.

My heart goes out to the family of Gordon Lykins and Lykins himself for the extreme trauma, pain and suffering he must have endured the last couple of weeks. I offer my deepest sympathies to them.

Continue reading "Fatal California Dog Attack: Man Dies After Being Attacked by Loose Pack of Dogs" »

Los Angeles County Dog Attack Injures Three

Three people including a 79-year-old woman were injured in a Chatsworth dog attack, KTLA News reports. The incident occurred on March 19, 2009 in the 11900 block of Hiawatha Street in Chatsworth when the elderly woman with a walker was attacked by two large boxer dogs. The dogs bit the woman and knocked her to the ground. Two men, who heard her screams for help, tried to get the dogs away from her. The dogs attacked the Good Samaritans as well.

One of them – a 58-year-old man – was bitten on the right wrist and suffered "serious injuries that are potentially debilitating," according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officials. Another 51-year-old man got a three-inch cut on his arm as he struggled with the dogs. Firefighters eventually managed to confine the dogs to a nearby yard. The animals have been impounded and the dogs' owner has been identified but not cited or arrested.

I'm extremely relieved that this vicious dog attack did not result in any fatalities. I shudder to imagine what might have happened to the elderly woman had it not been for these two men who came to her rescue. They are the real heroes here and I commend both for their courage in trying to stop this Los Angeles dog attack. I wish all three of the injured victims the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

Continue reading "Los Angeles Dog Attack" »

Fatal Dog Attack in Riverside County

Hill A. Williams Jr., 38, of Rancho Mirage was killed in an apparent Riverside dog attack after his own mastiffs mauled him to death, according to an article in The Desert Sun. Williams, apparently lived alone with his dogs and was found dead in his backyard on March 16, 2009. The dogs that weighed 115 pounds and 90 pounds each were turned over to animal control officials by Williams' girlfriend and were euthanized. Officials still do not know what triggered this vicious dog attack.

Neighbors told officials that Williams may have been trying to breed the two mastiffs. The Riverside County Department of Animal Services confirmed that neither dog was spayed or neutered and said the behavior of any animal is highly unpredictable when it is focused on mating.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Hill A. Williams Jr., who was tragically killed in this vicious dog attack. I offer my deepest sympathies to them.

I'm relieved that no one else was hurt or killed by these animals. In such a situation, the attack could easily have been on someone else – a young child who was visiting, a neighbor, someone who came to work for him. This is how dog attacks occur. And it is well established that a pair of dogs or more are more likely to attack than a single animal.

Continue reading "Riverside Dog Bite" »

Long Beach Girl Injured in Los Angeles Dog Attack

A 2-year-old Long Beach girl has been hospitalized with dog bite injuries after she was attacked by the family's cocker spaniel. According to this news article in the Los Angeles Daily News, the dog attack occurred at the home in the 1800 block of Gardenia Avenue on March 16, 2009. Long Beach fire officials and animal control officers, who responded to the emergency call, say the girl suffered deep cuts to her face.

The dog was taken into custody. It will be quarantined for 10 days when the dog will be evaluated for signs of disease. Depending on the results, officials will decide what to do with the dog. Officials say the girl's mother is "upset" and has not made a request to get the dog back.

My heart goes out to the family of this young girl who must be going through a tough time with their daughter's injuries caused by their own dog. I will pray for her quick and complete recovery.

Continue reading "Los Angeles County Dog Attack" »

The city of Lancaster is considering adopting strict penalties for owners of potentially dangerous and vicious dogs – particularly pit bulls and Rottweilers – which they say are used as weapons of intimidation by the area’s gang members. According to this news report in the Los Angeles Times, the proposed ordinance would also require spaying and neutering of all varieties of pit bulls and Rottweilers including mixed breeds that have the predominant physical characteristics of those breeds.

If this ordinance is approved, Lancaster will join many other cities in Los Angeles County that have adopted similar dangerous dog ordinances. But in this case, the city is going one step further by specifically identifying dogs that are potentially dangerous or vicious. California law allows government agencies to target specific breeds for spaying and neutering, but these specific breeds cannot be officially branded “vicious.” Under Lancaster’s ordinance, a hearing officer could determine an individual dog to be vicious if for example they behave aggressively. City officials say they particularly want to use this ordinance to crack down on local gang members.

Such ordinances almost always offend owners of pit bulls and Rottweilers, who understandably have a soft corner in their hearts for these animals. They argue that there is no scientific evidence that genetics cause a breed of dog to be aggressive, vicious or dangerous. While it is true that irresponsible or negligent dog owners should be punished or be held liable in dog attacks, consider these statistics. According to a news report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), pit bulls and Rottweilers accounted for more than 70 percent of dog attack fatalities in the United States between the years 1979 and 1996. This report clearly shows that when it comes to dangerous dog breeds, pit bulls and Rottweilers really do lead the pack.

Continue reading "Lancaster Considering New Dangerous Dog Ordinance" »

A woman was attacked in downtown Chula Vista by two pit bulls early morning on January 12, 2009 when she was walking her dog, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune news report. Two men who lived nearby apparently heard the woman scream for help on Jefferson Avenue near K Street.

One of the men, 30-year-old Lawrence Kijanka, said he and another man screamed at the pit bulls and chased them about a block away. The woman, who was attacked by the pit bulls, was trying to protect a small black dog she was walking. Kijanka said he saw the woman on the ground with blood on her forehead and apparent bite marks on her arms and legs. Chula Vista animal control officials have put the pit bulls under quarantine. There is no word about the dogs’ owner.

My heart goes out to the woman who was injured in this horrific San Diego County dog attack. I wish her the very best for a quick physical and emotional recovery as these vicious dog attacks can be extremely traumatic

Continue reading "Chula Vista Woman and Dog Attacked by Pit Bulls" »

Retired Marine Douglas Perry, 58, of Anaheim, was forced to stab and kill a loose pit bull that attacked his wife, Vicki Perry, and their two dogs. Both Douglas and his wife were injured in the dog bite attack, which occurred when the couple was walking their two dogs – a Siberian husky and an American Eskimo – in the 2800 block of West Elmlawn Drive in Anaheim. Our source for this blog was this news report in The Orange County Register.

Douglas Perry said a black and white pit bull pounced on Vicki and their Siberian husky and they “were rolling in a ball on the ground.” The husky was seriously injured and had to undergo surgery, but is expected to survive. Douglas Perry then went into a neighbor’s house, got a kitchen knife and stabbed the pit bull two times. It was only then that the dog let go of its “prey,” staggered away, collapsed and died on the street.

My heart goes out to this couple. What a tough, emotional day for them! Douglas Perry says it was hard for him to kill the pit bull because he is a dog lover. I wish the couple a speedy and complete recovery from this brutal dog attack. I’m relieved that both their dogs survived this brutal attack.

Continue reading "Orange County Pit Bull Attack Injures Couple and their Two Dogs" »

Drew Heredia, a 9-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero for saving a 12-year-old dog attack victim, who was bitten by a pit bull while walking her dog. According to this news report, Drew says he and his friend were walking a small dog on December 30, 2008 in their neighborhood when a pit bull jumped on the dog. The girl tried to save her dog when the pit bull turned on her and started attacking her.

Drew said he jumped on the pit bull and applied a choke hold that he learned while taking classes at a Brazilian jujitsu studio. The boy says he was scared, but did it anyway because it was the only way to save the girl from getting more seriously hurt. The girl, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital and treated for puncture wounds. The pit bull was quarantined at the animal control office where it will be euthanized after 10 days. The owner of the pit bull is yet to be located. The girl’s dog was seriously injured, but is expected to survive.

This is a frightening dog attack, which could have turned from bad to worse in a split second. I commend young Drew Heredia for his bravery and presence of mind, but I also shudder to think about what could have happened in this case.

Continue reading "Bakersfield Girl Injured in Dog Attack" »

Two people were bitten by a pair of loose pit bulls in Camarillo when they tried to pull the animals off another dog they were attacking, the Ventura County Star reports. One man sustained a bite to his hand and had to be taken to a local hospital for treatment. A woman was treated at the scene for a bite to her hand. The pit bulls ended up killing the dog that the two people were trying to rescue. Sheriff’s deputies captured the pit bulls and animal control officers impounded the animals.

It is extremely fortunate that the two people who tried to rescue the other dog were not more seriously injured by these pit bulls that were running loose in this Camarillo neighborhood. I wish both the injured victims the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.

This is the third Southern California dog attack in just the last week or so where two or more pit bulls have been attacking people or animals in packs. I’ve always maintained that pit bulls are extremely dangerous when they attack in packs rather than by themselves. They egg each other on and treat the person or animal they are attacking like prey in the wild. These breeds are nothing less than predators. They mark their targets and attack mercilessly.

Continue reading "Loose Pit Bulls Injure Two in Camarillo" »

Two Laguna Hills residents were attacked and bitten by three bullmastiffs on December 18, 2008 after the dogs got out of their fenced yard, according to this ABC News report. The large dogs weighing between 100 to 150 pounds got out of their yard, made their way up Terra Bella Street and attacked Ed Barnard, who was standing near his truck. The dogs bit Barnard in the thigh, but he was able to get away. The dangerous dogs then attacked their second victim, a woman in her 60s.

Neighbor Jim Warren, who helped free the woman from the pack of dogs, said he ran to help her when he saw “three huge dogs pulling this gal from the sidewalk to the middle of the street”. He said he saw the dogs mauling the woman. He then jumped on the dogs and got some help from another neighbor who picked up a shovel and hit the dogs over the head until they let the woman go. Barnard described the dogs as having a “pack mentality.” Two dogs followed the bigger dog in the pack and did everything that dog did, he said. Fortunately, the woman’s injuries were not life-threatening. The three dogs were apparently euthanized at the request of the dogs’ owner.

I’m relieved that this Orange County dog attack victim and the other victims who were preyed on by these bullmastiffs are not seriously hurt and are recovering from their injuries. I’m sure the woman must be undergoing intense emotional trauma at this point. I wish her the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

Continue reading "Laguna Hills Woman Mauled by Pack of Unsecured Dogs" »

Gerald Adelmund, 60, of Rubidoux, was mauled to death by his own two pit bulls when he stepped into the backyard of his home to smoke on December 19, 2008. According to this news report in The Riverside Press-Enterprise, Riverside County Sheriff’s officials are calling it an “unfortunate accident.” The dogs are described as a 4-year-old, 107-pound male part pit bull part mastiff mix and a 6 year old, 52-pound female pit bull. Both dogs, as well as the female pit bull’s nine puppies, were euthanized soon after the attack.

Adelmund’s neighbors were shocked by this brutal dog attack. One of his neighbors said the dogs were always “mild-mannered” and that he even took his own dog to Adelmund’s house to play with the pit bull mastiff. Adelmund always kept the male pit bull in an enclosure surrounded by a 6-foot tall fence, says his neighbor, who called it a “random” attack. However, other neighbors say they have always been afraid of Adelmund’s pit bulls and describe the dogs as “vicious.” One neighbor said the pit bulls always growled and snapped at her through a chain-link fence that divides their property. Other neighbors said they did not even know about the pit bulls.

Continue reading "Riverside Dog Owner Attacked and Killed By his Own Pit Bulls" »

A 22-year-old woman who was bitten by a police dog while sleeping in the garage of a Cypress home, has filed a legal claim against the city and the police department, The Orange County Register reports. Apparently, the police department’s German Shepherd bit Alicia Quinonez at about 2 a.m. on August 16, 2008.

According to Quinonez’s claim, she went to the hospital with severe bites to her leg, but police officers say her injuries seemed to be minor. Officers had permission from the homeowner to enter the home as they were looking for a robbery suspect. The homeowner forgot to tell officials that Quinonez was sleeping in the garage. Quinonez who was understandably startled when she woke up and saw the animal, screamed and was bitten. Her lawyer, April Blackman, has said she is trying to settle the case with the city for this Cypress dog attack.

Continue reading "Cypress Police Face Legal Claim After Police Dog Bites Woman" »

Pit bulls on the loose have been attacking and killing livestock by the hundreds in Mendocino County, according to this news report in the Press Democrat. So far no dog attacks on humans have been reported. A federal trapper who talked to the newspaper said he has killed at least 90 pit bulls while in the act of killing or chasing livestock just in the last two years. Many other pit bulls have been trapped and turned over to animal control.

Law enforcement officials in Mendocino County blame the increase in the number of dangerous and vicious dogs in the area to the cultivation of marijuana for medical uses in this area. They say marijuana growers are suspected of bringing these dogs to guard their gardens in the remote northern part of Mendocino County. These pit bulls apparently have been a huge problem for those who own livestock in the area. The dogs have killed ewes, miniature horses and a variety of other livestock. Officials say that while wild predators tend to kill one animal at a time to eat, pit bulls chase and kill or badly maim livestock just for fun. To them, it’s sport.

Continue reading "Pit Bulls Attack and Kill Livestock in Mendocino County" »

The Simi Valley City Council is considering legislation relating to pit bulls after a September, 26, 2008 dog attack that killed 5-year-old Katya Teresa Todesco.
Katya was viciously attacked and mauled to death by a 35-pound pit bull in a neighbor’s backyard. Council members, who are talking about a breed ban in Simi Valley, got a report from an animal regulation expert, who said that pit bulls “do not see a child under the age of 12 as a human.” Instead, children are normally viewed by these dogs as “prey” or “predators.” Our source for this blog is this news report in the Ventura County Star.

The State of California does not allow breed-specific bans. Pit bulls, however, are under scrutiny in certain California cities such as Manteca that have taken the right step and passed “dangerous” and “vicious dog” ordinances to regulate pit bulls.

Continue reading "Simi Valley City Officials Discuss Regulating Pit Bulls after Fatal Dog Attack" »

A national dog bite victims group has announced that it will release a video tribute to dog attack victims on October 25, 2008, a day recognized by pit bull advocacy groups as “Pit Bull Appreciation Day.” Their complete news release with information about their group, advocacy activities and the video may be found here.

The Seattle-based group’s 5-minute video will document 127 pit bull attacks on humans that occurred across the United States in just an 85-day period from July to September 2008. The video will include the name of each victim, where available, and the city and state where each attack occurred.

Continue reading "National Advocacy Group Dedicates Video to Dog Bite Victims" »

A Westminster woman, whose pit bull attacked and severely injured mail carrier David Carroll, has been found guilty of a misdemeanor in connection with that September 4, 2007 dog attack. The Orange County Register reports that 54-year-old Sheri Moody has been ordered to give up the dog she currently owns and has been told she cannot keep or own any dogs during her three-year probation period. Orange County Superior Court Commissioner Thomas J. Rees sentenced Moody to her choice of 30 days in jail or community service and three years of probation.

Moody’s pit bull, Maggie, attacked Carroll when he was delivering mail next door. The dog severely bit Carroll, who retained our firm soon after that 9/4/2007 dog attack incident. I personally saw how badly Carroll was mauled by Moody’s dog when he came in to my office for a consultation. He had a nasty wound from his left eyelid to the side of his nose, up across his eyebrow to his forehead and across the middle of his forehead to above his right eye. Bite marks were clearly visible on his face, which required numerous stitches. He was also emotionally devastated. He had trouble sleeping after the attack, had constant nightmares, was agitated and on the edge.

Carroll was not Moody’s first victim. In June 2007, Moody unsuccessfully appealed a decision by the city of Westminster to euthanize her other pit bull, Brutus, who mauled a visitor to Moody’s home.

Continue reading "Orange County Jury Finds Pit Bull Owner Guilty of Criminal Negligence in Dog Attack" »

The family of Lena Dickerson is suing Disneyland, claiming the toddler was attacked by a dog in the park's petting zoo on October 3, 2006 according to a report on Fox News. The child was bit several times on the face leaving her permanently scarred.

Court documents allege that a Disneyland employee brought her 6-year-old German Shepherd - Labrador Retriever mix dog to the park. The dog was placed on a box in the Big Thunder petting zoo. A park employee invited children to pet the animal, while holding its leash. Lena had petted the dog and was just about to leave when the dog attacked her.

Apparently, the shelter from which the dog had been adopted had called the dog “not very social” and even stated that the animal had a history of being aggressive. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the family’s medical costs and emotional trauma as well as punitive damages. Disney officials have not commented yet on this lawsuit.

In California dog attack cases, the owner of a dog is strictly liable for the damage, which that dog causes by biting someone, "regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness." (California Civil Code section 3342.) If the plaintiffs can prove that Disneyland was an owner of the dog, then they would have established liability for the compensatory damages that may be recoverable in their action. This doesn’t seem likely if the Dickerson family is alleging that “…a Disneyland employee brought her…dog to the park”.

Corporations become responsible for the acts of employees if it has knowingly ratified or accepted the benefit of the employee’s actions, like bring a dog into the petting zoo. The alleged use of the dog in the petting zoo and in parades might be consistent with Disneyland acting as if it is the owner of the dog.

Where, as here, the property is a commercial property open to the public which is invited onto the property, the owner is under a duty to frequently inspect their property and is charged with the knowledge of dangerous conditions it would have gained from those inspections. The plaintiffs might prevail if they can establish that Disneyland knew or should have known the dog was in the petting zoo and may be a danger to Disneyland patrons.

Continue reading "Disneyland Dog Attack Victim Sues Park" »

Treon Pique, 27, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that a Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputy instructed a police dog to attack him after he had surrendered. According to a September 26, 2008 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Pique is suing the county for $1 million for the dog attack. Court documents state that the police dog attacked Pique and bit him on his right arm leaving him with permanent injuries. The lawsuit alleges that Contra Costa Sheriff’s Deputy, Robert Jones, knew Pique posed no threat, but let the dog bite him anyway.

Normally in California a person bitten by a dog sues in state court under California’s Civil Code Section 3342 which provides in part: “The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog….” However, the same civil code section exempts bites delivered by police dogs on criminal suspects from the codes strict liability provision.” The code provides that a person who has been attacked and bitten by a dog cannot establish a strict liability claim against a police agency if:

1. The police agency had adopted a written policy regarding the use of a dog;


2. The person was a party to, or a participant in, or a suspect in the commission of a crime or a possible crime; and


3. If the bites occurred when an officer has a reasonable suspicion of the bitten person’s involvement in criminal activity, during the investigation of a crime or possible crime, during a stop or an arrest for a crime, or to protect the safety of the dog or a police officer or a bystander.

Therefore Pique is pursuing federal civil rights lawsuit rather than a California Civil Code Section 3342 lawsuit which pretty much gives police dogs free bites. All a police officer has to establish to free from liability under California law is that he was protecting himself or his dog when a suspect was attacked by a police dog to be free from the California “strict liability” law assuming all other conditions are meet.

Residents in a Fresno neighborhood are looking for the owner of a vicious dog that mauled two dogs to death and seriously injured two other dogs. According to this Sept. 30 CBS news report, neighbors near First and Ashlan are posting flyers in the area to find the dog owner after the pit bull attacked a small Pomeranian named Petie and then killed a Poodle mix named Buddy.

A neighbor reportedly shot the pit bull in the leg, but it continued its attacks until being captured by Fresno Animal Control officers. Neighbors are offering a $100 reward for information leading to the owner’s identity. The pit bull will likely be euthanized if he is not claimed. Anyone with information is asked to call 559-222-9781.

Continue reading "Pit Bull Owner Sought In Fresno Dog Attack" »

Katya Teresa Todesco, a 5-year-old Simi Valley girl died in a gruesome dog attack on Sept. 23 when she was playing in a neighbor’s yard and their pit bull attacked her. According to an article in the Ventura County Star, the dog attack occurred in a home on the 1000 block of Appleton Road. Katya was reportedly in a neighbor’s backyard when she physically bumped into the 35-pound pit bull mix.

Katya reportedly suffered severe bites to her face and neck and lost a lot of blood. The dog owner was trying to wrestle the dog off of the little girl, but the pit bull had latched on to Katya and refused to let her go. Officials said the pit bull would most likely be put down.

My heart goes out to the family of this little girl who suffered so much pain and trauma before her death. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Apparently, this is the second time a dog has killed a Ventura County resident, according to local officials. But on the day Katya was attacked, two other pit bull attacks occurred in Simi Valley. One pit bull attacked and killed a dog on Lysander Avenue while another pit bull bit a woman’s legs on Ballard Street. So far, officials are calling Katya’s death a “tragic accident.”

Continue reading "Simi Valley Dog Attack Kills 5-Year-Old Girl" »

Wanda Michelle Lawver, 34, of Oroville was mauled by two pit bulls during a Sept. 22 dog attack in the yard of an acquaintance who had invited her over, the Oroville Mercury-Register reports. Lawver says the two pit bulls lunged at her as soon as she entered the yard - just after being told that the dogs were “harmless.” The dogs followed Lawver as she ran out through the gate, pulled her down and mauled her on the sidewalk in front of the house. The dogs attacked and bit Lawver for several minutes before they were called off.

My heart goes out to this dog attack victim. I can only imagine the kind of physical and emotional trauma Wanda Lawver must have undergone. Oroville Animal Control officials are investigating the case and are in the process of determining whether any criminal charges should be filed in this case.

The news report says the pit bulls were fighting right before Lawver stepped into the yard. Did the dogs have a history of prior aggression or attacks? Had they attacked smaller animals in the neighborhood or terrorized neighbors? Most importantly, why was Wanda Michelle Lawver left on the sidewalk with those two pit bulls mauling her? What was the dog owner doing at the time of the attack? Why didn’t he even attempt to help her or call for help?

Continue reading "Oroville Dog Attack Severely Injures Woman" »

The family of Lena Dickerson is suing Disneyland claiming the toddler was attacked and bitten by a dog in the park’s petting zoo in 2006. According to this Fox News report, Lena, just 2 years old at the time, was mauled by a German Shepherd-Labrador Retriever mix on Oct. 3 2006. The dog reportedly bit the child several times on the face leaving her permanently scarred.

Court documents state than a Disneyland employee brought her 6-year-old dog to the park, two weeks before the incident. The dog had been placed on a box in the Big Thunder petting zoo. A park employee invited children to pet the animal, while holding its leash. Lena had petted the dog and was just about to leave when the dog lunged at her and attacked her.

Continue reading "Disneyland Dog Attack Victim Sues Park" »

I read this fascinating account of how a plastic surgeon in Pasadena re-attached the index finger of a 2-year-old boy after it was bitten off by a neighbor’s dog. According to this story in the Pasadena Star News, the toddler had stuck his hand through a fence and a neighbor’s pit bull bit off the tip of his left index finger.

Dr. Jeanette Martello, the on-call plastic surgeon at Huntington Hospital, took one look at the boy and was worried because there was no finger tip available to put back and no extra skin hanging off the finger to cover the bone. That would mean severely impairing the boy’s fine motor skills. He would even have problems writing or buttoning up his shirt.

The police had apparently scoured the boy’s and the neighbor’s yards for the finger tip, but couldn’t find it. And then, Dr. Martello had an idea – she thought it might be worth a shot to get the dog to throw up. So she got the required clearances from humane society officials and a veterinarian and administered a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to the pit bull. Sure enough, the dog threw up and out came the fingertip along with other undigested food.

The finger tip was still in good shape. After microscopically removing bits of food from the cut finger tip and drenching it with antibiotics, it took a two hour surgery to re-attach it. The doctor says it was “like a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces fitted perfectly.”

This is such a heartwarming story not just because of this surgeon’s out-of-the-box thinking and her creativity, but because of her courage to experiment and her extreme concern for the little boy. This plastic surgeon is a true hero.

Continue reading "Toddler Victim of Dog Attack Gets His Finger Back" »

San Bernardino Sheriff’s deputies have arrested two men in connection with a Dec. 25, 2007 dog attack on 45-year-old Kelly Caldwell, who was mauled to death in Yermo by a pack of pit bulls. According to this news report, the two 23-year-old men – Jeffrey Dwayne King Jr. and John Allan Peterson, have been charged with failing to maintain vicious dogs, causing death and/or serious bodily injury.

Here is the blog we wrote immediately after the accident. Kelly Caldwell was attacked by the dogs as she was walking near the intersection of Second Street and Yermo Road. Officials said then that it was the first time an adult was mauled to death in the area.

I’m glad that authorities finally filed criminal charges against these two men, who were clearly not responsible dog owners. If you are not able to restrain your animals and prevent them from causing serious harm to your neighbors or community members, you must pay the price for it. I hope both men are held criminally and civilly liable for their action, which caused Kelly Caldwell and her family tremendous pain, anguish and grief.

Continue reading "Yermo Fatal Dog Attack Results In Two Arrests " »

Huong Le, 71, of SeaTac, Washington, suffered severe injuries after she was viciously attacked Sept. 8 by two pit bulls that were running loose in her neighborhood. The Seattle Times reports that Le was walking down South 150th Street toward her home when she was mauled by the dogs. The carnage did not stop until King County Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed both pit bulls.

Huong Le is still listed in serious condition in an area hospital. Le reportedly suffered severe dog bite wounds all over her body as well as a broken wrist and/or arm. King County Animal Care and Control is investigating the dogs’ owner, a 36-year-old man, for failing to contain or muzzle his dogs. Sea-Tac’s Municipal Code Section 11.04.020 classifies all pit bulls, pit bull terriers and pit bull mixes as “dangerous dogs.” The law also mandates that owners or these dangerous dogs must contain or muzzle their dogs. Interestingly enough, Animal Control officers seized two more pit bulls owned by the same man.

I wish Huong Le the very best for a speedy recovery. Dog bite injuries are traumatic and victims are often left with lifelong scars even after they undergo plastic surgery.

Continue reading "Washington Dog Attack Victim in Serious Condition" »

City officials in Elk Grove, California, are considering how to handle troublesome animals, especially vicious dogs, on the heels of an Aug. 20 incident when the city’s police officers shot and killed one of two pit bulls that chased people in one neighborhood and attacked and injured another dog. According to an article in the Elk Grove Citizen, the other dog that was spared was not considered “vicious” under Elk Grove’s municipal code because it did not injure a human being or kill another animal.

The dogs’ owner was reportedly cited for letting the dogs run loose, failing to license the pets and not showing proof that the dogs had received rabies vaccinations. The Elk Grove City Council is considering changing the way the municipal code defines “vicious” and “dangerous” animals. Council members are also considering giving police officers more power in deciding whether to take an animal into custody.

There is no question that the City of Elk Grove should make and approve the amendments to their code. Consider these statistics: About 5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Nearly half of the dog bites occur among children below 14 years of age.

Continue reading "Elk Grove Dangerous Dog Laws Under Review" »

The city of Manteca, California, has passed a new law saying that if you own a pit bull breed you either have to get it fixed, qualify as a legitimate breeder of pit bulls or risk being charged with a crime or having the dog destroyed. According to a news article in the Manteca Bulletin, the law, which takes effect in October, was a reaction to a series of seven vicious dog attacks in Manteca. A majority of those dog attacks involved pit bull breeds.

California law prohibits local municipal ordinances from banning breeds of dogs. But it does allow breeds to be regulated including requiring them to be spayed and neutered. According to the newly passed law in Manteca, the first violation would result in the city impounding the pit bull and disposing of it in accordance with the municipal ordinance. The second offense is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in county jail for a period not to exceed six months and a fine of up to $1,000.

Continue reading "California City Hopes to Curb Pit Bull Attacks with New Law" »

A 4-year-old boy suffered severe facial injuries in a Chester, California dog attack, after a neighbor’s dog bit him, the Chester Editor reports. Avery Stout was reportedly playing with his older brothers in the neighborhood the afternoon of Aug. 12 when the attack occurred. Avery’s father Dan Stout said he saw a huge cut on his son’s face and his lower lip looked “like it was hanging off, like it was chewed off and just hanging there.”

It took 60 stitches to close up that large cut, which began in the center of Avery’s nose, continued through his lips and ended with a small cut on his chin. The little boy is now facing plastic surgery. Not only that, because Avery’s lower lip had no blood circulation for a long period of time, surgeons may have to remove it.

Chester’s dad is unhappy with the county for not promptly sending out an animal control officer to take custody of the dangerous dog and with the dog owner for letting his dog roam the neighborhood without a leash. I absolutely support the father’s assertion that the county put the entire neighborhood in danger by not catching the dog in a timely manor. Stout compares living with the fear of a dog attack to living in a neighborhood where drive-by shootings occur.

Continue reading "California Dog Attack Severely Injures Toddler" »

A woman in Canyon Country suffered severe injuries after both she and her Chihuahua were attacked by two Pit-Bulls during a walk. According to an ABC News report, Tempo Edwards was walking her dog when two pit-bulls attacked her. Edwards reportedly suffered bite marks on her hand and neck. The district attorney is looking at filing criminal charges against a Canyon Country man believed to be the owner of the two Pit- Bulls.

The pit-bulls first went after Edward’s dog and then her. One of the dogs locked its jaw around her neck and knocked her down. Neighbor Lillie Troncale, who came to her rescue, managed to scare the dogs and get them off Edwards, who reportedly had undergone a kidney transplant recently. Her doctors are now concerned about possible infection from the pit-bull dog bites.

Thank goodness Troncale was near by and acted quickly. She probably saved Edward’s life. I wish Edwards a speedy recovery. I also hope the district attorney goes through with the prosecution of the dog owner.

According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Pit Bulls and Rottweilers accounted for more than half the fatal dog attacks between 1977 and 1998. Over two thirds of the people I have represented in dog attack cases were bitten by either Pit Bulls or Rottweilers.

Continue reading "Canyon Country Dog Bite Victim Suffers Injuries" »

Breshan Coburn, 9, of Corvallis, Oregon, suffered punctures and bruises to his arms and . stomach after being attacked and bitten by a loose pit bull at Heartland Humane Society’s animal shelter in Corvallis, according to this article in the Gazette-Times. Breshan was reportedly at the shelter with his parents, Penny and Kevin Coburn, when he suffered the dog bite attack when a pit bull-heeler mix bolted from his kennel and attacked the boy.

Breshan’s parents found out that the pit bull got away because the kennel’s gate was inoperable. . It didn’t have a functional latching mechanism. Kevin Coburn, who managed to pull the dog off his son and drag it back to its kennel, found that the U-shaped latch was bent and could not be closed.

It is unfortunate that Breshan suffered such a traumatic dog attack in a place where he went to adopt a dog. The Heartland Humane Society and employees are responsible for keeping the animals secured and visitors safe.. The Humane Society’s officials knew the dog might pose a danger due to its known history. That knowledge imposed upon them a higher duty to protect visitors to the animal shelter.

Continue reading "Dog Bites Boy At Oregon Animal Shelter" »

A woman in Canyon Country suffered severe dog attack injuries after both she and her Chihuahua were attacked by two Pit-Bulls during a walk. According to an ABC News report, Tempo Edwards was walking her dog when two pit-bulls attacked her. Edwards reportedly suffered bite marks on her hand and neck. The district attorney is looking at filing criminal charges against a Canyon Country man believed to be the owner of the two Pit- Bulls.

The pit-bulls first went after Edward’s dog and then her. One of the dogs locked its jaw around her neck and knocked her down. Neighbor Lillie Troncale, who came to her rescue, managed to scare the dogs and get them off Edwards, who reportedly had undergone a kidney transplant recently. Her doctors are now concerned about possible infection from the dog bites.

Thank goodness Troncale was near by and acted quickly. She probably saved Edward’s life. I wish Edwards a speedy recovery. I also hope the district attorney goes through with the prosecution of the dog owner.

According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Pit Bulls and Rottweilers accounted for more than half the fatal dog attacks between 1977 and 1998. Over two thirds of the people I have represented in dog attack cases were bitten by either Pit Bulls or Rottweilers.

Continue reading "Canyon Country Dog Bite Victim Suffers Injuries" »

A 36-year-old female mail-carrier in Fresno was severely injured in a dog bite incident after she was attacked by a pack of four pit-bulls as she was delivering mail in the Mayfair area near McLane High School, according to an ABC news report. Luckily for the mail carrier neighbor Maria Nava intervened and warded off the attacking animals before the incident became deadly.

A related ABC news article states that these dogs had a history of violent attacks and neighbors said the animals should’ve been removed from their area well before this attack. These pit-bulls had already attacked other neighborhood pets as well as a partially blind 77-year-old woman and had not been rounded up as required by Tyler’s Law. This law, named after a 6-year-old Fresno County boy mauled to death by dogs already deemed “vicious,” was designed to stop dogs from attacking more than once.

A report states that this most recent attack has now forced Fresno county officials to re-examine the way they are controlling or keeping tabs on vicious dogs. They are learning that one of the loopholes in Tyler’s Law was that officials required solid proof of dog attacks such as dates, times and videotape evidence, which some of these dog bite victims could not provide.

Continue reading "Fresno Mail Carrier Injured In Dog Attack, Pit-bulls Had History Of Attacks" »

Two Stockton animal control officers were bitten by a pit-bull that jumped out of the open window and attacked them even as they were investigating a report of the same dog attacking and biting a girl, the Stockton Record reports .

The unprovoked dog attack happened when the two county officers, who have not been identified, arrived at the home on the 200 block of South Walker Lane in unincorporated east Stockton. The California dog bite happened after the canine jumped out of an open window and attacked the workers causing deep puncture wounds in the arm and midsection of one of the officers. Ernest Molieri, manager at the San Joaquin County Animal Control Division called this the worst dog attack on county animal control officers in recent memory. Both officers were treated and released from a local hospital.

The San Joaquin County has begun proceedings to designate this pit-bull as a “dangerous dog” and it has been quarantined in the animal shelter as required by California law.
This pit-bull should clearly have been restrained by the dog’s owner. Both times, the dog jumped out of an open window and attacked its victims unprovoked.

Under Stockton’s “Vicious Dog Regulation Ordinance any dog which, when unprovoked, on two separate occasions within the prior thirty-six (36) month period, engages in any behavior that requires a defensive action by any person to prevent bodily injury … can be labeled as a potentially dangerous dog. This process includes a public hearing for evidence after which the city determines if a dog is dangerous. It’ll be interesting to know if the pit bull that attacked the Stockton animal control officers had been determined to be potentially dangerous by another jurisdiction. Then, owning or even keeping this dog in Stockton becomes illegal.

Continue reading "Stockton Dog Attack Injures Two County Animal Control Officers" »

People are not the only ones suffering serious dog bites and attacks these days. DogsBite.org, a dog attack victim’s support group has released a report titled Dog Attacks on Livestock and Horses January - May 2008. The report is very timely and highlights a less discussed aspect of our nation’s growing dog bite problem – the damage caused by dog attacks on livestock and horses.

Roaming dogs can cause extensive losses to livestock owner. But, according to the report it is specific breeds of dogs - the “fighting” pure or combination bred American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, bull terrier, that present the biggest danger to livestock. The qualities of tenacity and refusal to back down coupled with natural aggression and physical strength of these breeds inflicts a significant toll on livestock, according to the article.

Livestock are often caught in their enclosures during attacks and a single pit bull type dog becomes as dangerous as a pack because it will eventually attack every member of an entire herd, including larger animals. The cost to the livestock owners can be devastating.

Continue reading "New National Report About Dog Attacks On Livestock " »

Sheri Moody, the 54-year-old Orange County woman whose pit-bull bit and seriously injured a mailman, will face the lesser charge of a misdemeanor instead of a felony in the Westminster dog bite case, The Orange County Register reports .

David Carroll, a longtime mail carrier was mauled in September 2007 by Moody’s pit-bull, Maggie who had gotten out of Moody's home in a Westminster neighborhood. In spite of his efforts to fight off the pit-bull, David, who is our client, suffered horrific bites, bruises and cuts on his face that needed numerous stitches. Deputy District Attorney Raymund Diaz filed a felony charge against Moody for allowing Maggie to cause serious injury.

Orange County Superior Court Judge John Nho Trong recently lowered the charges saying he was not satisfied with the evidence in the case and that the Westminster Animal Control should have cited Moody more often. Moody now faces only a year in jail.

Under California Civil Code section 3342 a dog owner is strictly liable for injuries inflicted by his dog upon a person, even if the owner was not negligent and the dog had never bitten anyone before, as long as the person who was bitten had the legal right to be where he was attacked.

There is evidence that Moody had more than one dog that had behaved dangerously and that the Westminster Animal Control knew this. Had Animal Control followed by the procedures established by the “vicious dog statute,” Maggie might not have been able to attack Carroll, and he would not have suffered the crippling injuries which continue to plague him.

Continue reading "Westminster Vicious Dog Attack Update" »

Tyrone Yates, an Ohio State Representative has introduced a bill that calls for a statewide ban on the pit bull breed, according to a recent report posted on Local12.com.

The change proposed to Ohio’s current vicious dog law would ban the ownership of a pit bull and require the dog warden to collect and euthanize any canines of this breed. A history of dog bite attacks involving pit bulls including a recent unprovoked attack by a family pit bull pet that ripped into a 12-year-old boy leaving bites to his feet, back, arms and legs prompted Yates to take action. Animal rights activists counter the bill saying the problem lies with the pit bull owners who train them to be violent. Yates recognizes the moral issues inherent to destroying a breed but is driven by his duty to public safety and is determined to keep these dogs off the street. If the bill doesn’t pass this time, Yates is determined to reintroduce it next year.

Continue reading "Bill Seeks To Tighten Ohio's Vicious Dog Law " »

Sonia Perez, 28, a Houston letter carrier was attacked and bitten badly by a Rottweiler last weekend, according to The Houston Chronicle.

The brief dog bite attack lasted only a few minutes but did enough injury to Perez to put her in the hospital with puncture wounds. The viciousness of the attack surprised even the experienced letter carrier causing her to forget her training in such a situation and use her Mace, said the news article.

I’m truly sorry for the injury suffered by Perez in this brutal and unprovoked attack and wish her a complete recovery. Postal employees across the country are always on the front line in dog attacks and Houston has earned itself the dubious honor of having the most dog attacks against letter carriers. California cities Santa Ana and Sacramento follow closely in the next two places.

California however has the most number of fatalities in dog attacks. Violent dog bite attacks can cause immediate and painful injuries as well as long-term damages including emotional scarring. Among the estimated annual 4.7 million-dog bite victims postal worker, children and the elderly are typically the ones who suffer the most. Additional studies also show this problem is getting worse.

Continue reading "Dog Bites Houston Postal Worker" »

An animal control officer will have to undergo surgery after he suffered injuries to his legs and arm, mauled by a pit-bull at a Lakewood home. The 28-year-old officer, who has not been identified, reportedly went to the home to speak to the resident about having too many pit-bulls and address certain dog violations at that residence, according to an article in the Daily Breeze.

The dog owner, who had five pit-bulls, agreed to let go of three. But when the officer tried to take the dogs, one of the pit-bulls attacked him, biting him in his legs and arm. The officer has a break in his knuckle, deep cuts and tears. Officials are concerned about possible nerve damage and infection.

There is no question that this dog bit victim will be entitled to workers compensation from his employer as well as from the dog owner. It is outrageous that this dog owner had five pit-bulls and tragic that this animal control officer got brutally attacked when he was trying to do his job.

Continue reading "Animal Control Officer Serious Injured In Lakewood Dog Attack" »

Two Buena Park men are recovering after they were bitten by a pit-bull while taking a walk in the gated community of College Park, according to a news article in The Orange County Register. Larry Zimmerman, 43, and his Siberian husky were the first to be attacked by the pit-bull. Then the dog attacked Zimmerman’s neighbor James Kim, 59 and his wife who were taking an evening walk down the street, the newspaper reported.

Zimmerman suffered bites on both of his legs and his left arm while Kim got five stitches in his chest. Zimmerman told the newspaper that he is a dog-lover himself but cannot understand why dog owners cannot control their dogs. As personal injury attorneys who have represented victims of dog attacks, we understand Mr. Zimmerman’s point of view.

We are ardent supporters of cities and county agencies holding dog owners responsible for their negligence. In this case, this pit-bull and another boxer which was apparently not involved in the attacks, were running loose attacking these unsuspecting residents who were doing nothing more than taking a relaxing evening stroll. What a rude shock for them!

Continue reading "Two Orange County Men Injured in Dog Attack" »

Two small children were severely injured in a frightening dog attack in Las Vegas after two pit-bulls escaped from their yard and pounced on the 5-year-old boys. One child was bitten on the face and another on the leg, according to Eyewitness News reports. Latest reports on the news station’s Web site say the boys are doing well now although one of them had to get 152 stitches on his face.

The dog owner in this case, will most likely face criminal charges, officials told Eyewitness News. Officials say the pit-bulls were running loose without any rabies vaccines or tags, which are all violations of Clark County laws. The animals have also been deemed vicious, which means the dog owner, Carlos Santiago, could face 12 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

Continue reading "Two 5-year-old Boys Hurt In Las Vegas Dog Attack, Dog Owner Could Face Charges" »

The Long Beach City Council, in response to recent vicious dog attacks in the city, has approved the creation of a new dangerous dog ordinance that would include stiffer penalties for dog owners, mandatory education on responsible pet ownership for owners who violate the law and implanting microchips on impounded dogs.

According to a news article in the Long Beach Press-Telegram, council members emphasized that they want to focus on how to better educate dog owners and make them responsible for pets that are under their care. Under the new ordinance, which is supposed to be an improvement on existing dangerous dog laws, the city will also impose tougher leash laws penalizing owners of animals that leave their property and encroach on neighboring yards.

The new law will also allow the city to impose fines or level criminal charges against owners of dogs that have attempted to bite, attack or threaten a human or another animal. The law will require owners facing criminal charges to take mandatory dog ownership responsibility classes.

Continue reading "Long Beach City Council Votes In Favor of Tougher Dangerous Dog Laws" »

A 3-year-old boy in Hillsboro, Oregon, is in serious condition after being bitten and mauled by two large dogs in Washington County, according to a news report. Anthony Jewell is still in intensive care after the Bullmastiff mixed breed dogs, apparently with no history of vicious and violent behavior, lunged at the boy and attacked him in the yard of a house in rural Washington County where he was playing.

Both attacking dogs were reportedly shot by their owner before animal control officers even arrived on scene. The dogs also bit three adults who tried to separate the toddler from the frenzied dogs.

Continue reading "Dog's Owner "Does the Right Thing" After Dogs Attack Toddler" »

An off-duty police chief and two neighborhood women had to fend off two vicious dogs as they brutally attacked a woman on the street in the city of Blythe, the Palo Verde Times reports. According to the article Blythe Police Chief Robert Whitney and two other women, who happened to be passing by, rescued 58-year-old Jilyne Gouvion who was viciously attacked by two American bulldogs while walking her friend’s dog.

Elaine Merritt and her friend stopped as they saw the commotion with the chief trying to fend off the aggressive bulldogs. The ladies immediately acted and were able to save the Australian Shepherd that Gouvion was walking, which was also being attacked by the bulldogs. The smaller dog was covered in blood when the women rushed it into their car, the article said. Whitney told the paper that one of the bulldogs must have weighed about 100 pounds.

Gouvion reportedly suffered severe bites and cuts to her hands and legs as a result of the dog attack. The dogs apparently first attacked the Australian Shepherd and then turned their attention to the woman as she tried to protect her friend’s dog. The dog’s owner, 37-year-old George Castro, not only got cited at the scene, but is facing additional felony charges relating to his dogs being a public nuisance, the newspaper reported. Both dogs have been quarantined at the local animal shelter and a decision will be made later about their fate.

Continue reading "Community Heroes in Blythe Save Dog Bite Victim From Vicious Attack" »

An off-duty police chief and two neighborhood women had to fend off two vicious dogs as they brutally attacked a woman on the street in the city of Blythe, the Palo Verde Times reports. According to the article Blythe Police Chief Robert Whitney and two other women, who happened to be passing by, rescued 58-year-old Jilyne Gouvion who was viciously attacked by two American bulldogs while walking her friend’s dog.

Elaine Merritt and her friend stopped as they saw the commotion with the chief trying to fend off the aggressive bulldogs. The ladies immediately acted and were able to save the Australian Shepherd that Gouvion was walking, which was also being attacked by the bulldogs. The smaller dog was covered in blood when the women rushed it into their car, the article said. Whitney told the paper that one of the bulldogs must have weighed about 100 pounds.

Gouvion reportedly suffered severe bites and cuts to her hands and legs as a result of the dog attack. The dogs apparently first attacked the Australian Shepherd and then turned their attention to the woman as she tried to protect her friend’s dog. The dog’s owner, 37-year-old George Castro, not only got cited at the scene, but is facing additional felony charges relating to his dogs being a public nuisance, the newspaper reported. Both dogs have been quarantined at the local animal shelter and a decision will be made later about their fate.

Continue reading "Community Heroes in Blythe Save Dog Bite Victim From Vicious Attack" »

Here is a story that is both interesting and deeply concerning. It’s about two neighbors in Chico. One has a permanent pack of pit-bulls as pets, one particularly dangerous pit-bull called Princess. The other neighbor, who shares the driveway with this dog owner, has been bitten by the same dog twice, which has attacked him unprovoked leaving him with a permanent scar on his body.

According to an article in the Chico Enterprise, city officials have agreed that this vicious dog is to be confined in the property and muzzled in public, but not be put down. Obviously, neighbors are concerned that someone is going to die because of this dog in their community. Many neighbors and witnesses who have seen the dog in action say it is potentially dangerous, the article states.

City officials filed a complaint and requested a hearing regarding Tyler Doman’s dog after the victim, Doman’s neighbor, Niels Cecil Nielsen had been twice attacked and bitten by the dog. The Domans have reportedly agreed to all demands made by the city including keeping the pit-bull confined and muzzled, getting the dog licensed, vaccinated, micro-chipped for identification and getting it spayed.

Continue reading "Owner Of Dangerous Dog Must Be Prepared To Assume Financial Responsibility" »

Here is a brief compilation of dog bite incidents and dog attacks from all over the country.

Vicious dog attack: A man in Wapato, Wash. reportedly lost his leg in a vicious dog attack and is still recovering from his injuries. According to an article in KIMA TV’s Web site, Lew Yallup was initially taken to the intensive care unit, but is now in satisfactory condition. The attack occurred when a pack of dogs attacked Yallup as he picked up cans on a city street. The dog owner faces four years in jail for the attack on Yallup and could pay up to $20,000 in penalties.

Rottweiler attack: A 6-year-old North Carolina boy had to undergo surgery after he was bitten by a neighbor’s Rottweiler, according to this news article. The boy, who was not named, was bitten in the face, neck and leg when he was playing in the neighbor’s backyard during a party with another child. The neighbor reportedly shot and killed the dog before police arrived.

Continue reading "Dog Attack Round-Up" »

A Santa Rosa woman, who was badly injured and scarred in a ferocious dog attack two years ago, has received a $1 million settlement, an amount that equals the upper limit of the dog owner’s insurance policy. According to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Wendy Rydberg received $900,000 and her husband and two children got $33,000 each, avoiding what promised to be an emotional jury trial.

The victim, Rydberg, who spent four days in the hospital and underwent three surgeries to fix the scars on her nose, cheek and lips, told the newspaper that she is relieved by the settlement and feels that she can now move on with her life. The incident reportedly occurred on April 6, 2006, when an American bulldog owned by 19-year-old Emmelia Dale-Pincus bit Rydberg on her face as she was walking her own dog.

Continue reading "Sonoma County Woman Gets $1 million Settlement in Vicious Dog Bite Case" »

Nancy Matthews, a veterinarian, is suing the San Diego Department of Animal Services for injuries suffered during an attack by two boxer dogs more than a year ago. She has filed an amendment to the lawsuit she filed last November, according to the North County Times. Matthews said she spent six days in the hospital after the attack, which left her with bites and scars over most of her body.

The civil lawsuit alleges that county animal officials knew the dogs had previously bitten two people and didn’t take appropriate action to prevent them from attacking again. After the original filing the county’s counsel requested a dismissal of the lawsuit arguing that the department was not negligent or legally responsible for the dog’ actions. The court ruled in favor of the county and gave Matthews an opportunity to amend her lawsuit.

County counsel George Brewster has stated, even before seeing the amended lawsuit, that he plans to ask the court once again to dismiss the Matthews lawsuit.

There is not way that Matthews is going to prevail in this lawsuit. It will have taken some clever drafting of the amended lawsuit by her attorney to get by Brewster’s next request of the court to dismiss this lawsuit. Even if she does get by the county’s motion to dismiss the complaint, she’ll have tough time proving her case. If she fails, she will be subject to paying the county’s costs of defending itself.

For someone to be liable for this dog attack, they must either be an owner of the dogs (strict liability) or a keeper of the dogs with knowledge of the dogs’ dangerous propensities yet did not do enough to protect Matthews (negligence).

Continue reading "Dog Attack Victim Sues San Diego Dept. Of Animal Services" »

An 8-year-old boy, who suffered severe dog bite injuries in Fontana, reportedly told police that someone intentionally set the dog on him. The boy and his brother who were walking down a neighborhood street told officers that a teen inside a house opened a door and let a 65-pound pit bull out the door and the dog in turn pounced on the boy and ripped his face apart, according to an article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

The boy suffered severe bite injuries on his face and was treated in the hospital and released. The newspaper reported that he had to get a number of stitches on his face. The dog ran back into its owner’s home after the attack and the owner reportedly tried to hide the animal in the backyard. However, animal control officials were able to locate the dog and tried to corner it, but the pit-bull was reportedly still very aggressive and charged at them even after they fired a bean bag round and used a taser gun against it. Finally, they had to shoot and kill the dog.

The dog owner could certainly be held liable in this case and should face criminal charges if the attack was intentional as the victim says. It is really sad that a little child had to undergo the trauma of a dog bite attack. He will probably also need plastic surgery on his scars. We’ve observed that even with plastic surgery some scars never go away.

Continue reading "Two Southern California Dog Bite Attacks Reported This Week" »

A 20-month-old San Jose girl and her grandmother were reportedly attacked and badly bitten by their pet dogs believed to be pitbull-boxer mixes, according to an Associated Press news report posted on KESQ TV’s Web site. The toddler’s grandmother, 48-year-old Elizabeth Cinco, was reportedly bitten on the neck, ear and right leg when she tried to fight off the dogs and protect her granddaughter, Anna Leigh Cinco.

The child had to have part of her lip and chin reattached at a clinic in San Francisco, the article said. A news report posted in the San Diego News Tribune, initially said only one of the dogs bit the pair. But an article in the San Jose Mercury News clarified the chaotic incident, which ended up traumatizing the entire family.

One of the dogs first attacked the grandmother, who threw Anna into a couch to protect her. But the dog pounced on the little girl ripping her lip down to her jaw line, the newspaper reported. Another dog also tried to attack Anna’s 9-month-old brother, but the parents were able to fend off the dogs and get the situation under control.

Continue reading "Pet Dogs Bite Causing Major Injuries to San Jose Toddler and Grandmother" »

Kelly Caldwell was bitten and mauled to death by four dogs on Christmas night – all said to be pit-bulls. Now, even as people are placing flowers and stuffed animals on the street in Yermo where the ground is still stained with Caldwell’s blood, her family members are trying to make sense of this brutal mauling and investigators are trying to determine if criminal charges must be filed against the dog and its owners, according to an article in the Desert Dispatch.

Officers had to shoot two of the dogs, which they say were acting aggressively and quarantined two others. They learned later that all four dogs were owned by two men who lived in the same house on that street. What do the men have to say? That their dogs have nipped trespassers before, but that they would never jump over the fence and attack someone who was just passing by, according to another news report in the Desert Dispatch.

Investigators say they have no evidence yet to file criminal charges. But family members who saw Caldwell lying on the street said her legs looked like they were run over by a car and pieces of her body were scattered around the scene. Several neighbors told police that the dogs were aggressive and terrorized the neighborhood, a report in the Riverside Press Enterprise states. There are no documented complaints against the dogs.

Continue reading "Fatal Dog Bite Victim’s Family Struggles to Make Sense Of Brutal Mauling" »

A 45-year-old Barstow woman is dead after being attacked by a pack of pit-bulls on the street on Christmas evening. According to a news article in the Desert Dispatch, the dogs (officials are still trying to determine how many) surrounded Caldwell and attacked her.

Police found Caldwell lying on the street around 9:30 p.m. Two of the pit-bulls that reportedly returned to the scene tried to attack officers who were trying to help Caldwell and determine what happened. Police shot both pit-bulls. Animal control officials took two other dogs, while another one is said to be at large.

Officials are still trying to determine who the dogs belonged to although they know at least two of the animals belonged to neighbors. They have also taken DNA samples from the two dead dogs, which confirm that they attacked the woman, an article posted on the local ABC station’s Web site reports. The two live dogs are being held as evidence, but will be released to their owners if it is determined that they did not attack Caldwell.

Police detectives are looking into whether the dogs’ owners knew whether the animals had any history of violence. If the dogs were dangerous and the owners knew about it, they could face criminal charges, officials told ABC. No arrests were made immediately, FOX News reports.

Continue reading "Pack Of Pit-bulls Maul and Kill Barstow Woman" »

This is one of those stories that you cannot even imagine happening to you or someone you know. Two LAPD officers are being honored for saving the life of a man who was being mauled by a pit-bull, according to a news article in the Los Angeles Daily News.

The horrific details of this attack are described in the Daily News article. Detective Mark Hahn and Andy Moody heard the 53-year-old man’s cries for help when they were driving near 97th and Hoover streets. The man was reportedly hiding under a parked car to escape the wrath of a pit-bull.

As the detectives ran to help him, the dog got under the car and bit the man’s leg, then actually dragged him from under the car and mauled him. By this time, people were gathering around to help the poor guy and stop the dog from killing him. Someone threw water on the dog. One of the detectives grabbed a shovel and hit the pit-bull on its head but even that didn’t stop the dog. It continued to maul the man, tearing down the flesh on his face and head!

Continue reading "LAPD Officers Shoot Pit-bull To Save Man’s Life" »

Sometimes, especially in dog bite cases involving young children, it’s hard to tell what’s scarier – the thought of a large dog viciously attacking the child or the denial of the dog owner who vehemently refuses to believe that his or her “pet” could do something like that. Take the example of this dog owner in Honolulu who denies that her dogs are vicious in spite of the fact that the animals repeatedly attacked children on the beach and she was even sentenced to jail time and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines in connection with those incidents!

According to an article in The Boston Globe, a jury in Hawaii made a decision against this particular dog owner, Mariko Bereday, and in favor of Keeton Manguso, a 2-year-old boy, giving the boy $856,000 in damages for injuries he suffered when Bereday’s unrestrained Rottweiler attacked the toddler on the beach.

Keeton’s mother, Veronica Tomooka, told the newspaper that she sued not for money, but to have a jury judge this particular dog owner and tell her that she is in fact negligent and liable for injuries her dog caused. And here’s the not-so-surprising part of this story – the dog owner is appealing the jury verdict saying that her dog did not bite the boy and that the photo of the injuries was phony.

Continue reading "Dog Owner Denies Her Dog is Vicious – After Two Attacks On Toddlers" »

By: Staff Writer

About 5 million people in the United States are injured each year as a result of dog bites. It is way too common and you don’t have to try too hard to find at least a dozen incidents that are serious enough to make their way to the day’s news. Just over the last few days we were able to find numerous dog bite news articles on the Web.

What is shocking is that fatalities are starting to become more and more common in these attacks. And it’s not just babies or toddlers who are the victims. We have grown men and women – who did nothing but pass by a dog; mail carriers are common victims. In fact, Bisnar Chase is representing David Carroll, a veteran mailman, who was mauled by a loose pit-bull in Westminster.

These incidents only reiterate the idea that we must hold dog owners responsible for their pets. If a dog runs loose and attacks or kills an innocent victim, guess who’s liable? The dog owner.

Continue reading "Recent Dog Attacks From Around the World" »

Dog owners must be held responsible for the full extent of the damages their dogs cause. This is especially so if they know their animals can be dangerous and can seriously injure or even kill someone. Take the recent case of a Westminster woman whose pit-bull, Maggie, attacked a veteran mail carrier causing severe injuries to his face and emotional well being.

David Carroll, who has been a mail carrier for the last 16 years, was the latest unsuspecting victim of one of Sherri Moody’s dogs. Carroll reported that he was delivering mail on his regular route in Westminster when, without warning or a sound, he was attacked from behind and knocked to the ground. Before he knew what was happening he was fighting for his life with a pit-bull on top of him biting and tearing at his face and head. Carroll says that if not for a passerby that jumped in to help, he may not have survived the attack. He said he felt the pit-bull was trying to tear him apart and kill him.

Carroll has a nasty wound from his left eyelid to the side of his nose, up across his eye brow to his forehead and across the middle of his forehead to above his right eye. A triple peanut shell shaped chunk of skin is missing from his forehead. Bite marks are clearly visible just above his nose. The stitches are so obvious and grotesque that he looks like he is auditioning for the part of Lurch in the Munsters.

Mrs. Shirley Carroll, David’s wife, reports that he isn’t sleeping since the attack. She said that in the moments of sleep he does get he constantly has nightmares. He is continually agitated and on edge since coming home from the hospital she said. She is most concerned for his emotional well being.

David Carroll says any time he lays down he sees the dog on top of him, feels the panic he felt and relives the pit-bull attacking him. Based upon the look of the injuries it will take substantial plastic surgery to clean up the physical scars. Based upon his emotional state, he is going need therapy as well.

Carroll said this attack was not totally unforeseen. He has been fearful of the dog for some time. He leaves notes for other mail carriers that deliver to Carroll’s Westminster route when he is off, warning them of this pit-bull.

Continue reading "Pit-Bull Attacks Orange County Mail Carrier " »

Earlier this month, we talked about a postal worker in Northern California, who was mauled by a dog as she was doing her route. This week, in Torrance, there was a similar incident -- only much, much worse. In this case, a 100-pound pit-bull mauled a 60-year-old mailman sending him to the intensive care unit with horrendous facial wounds.

According to a news article in the Daily Breeze, the beloved mailman, Moon Choi, who had served the neighborhood for 25 years, simply walked past the house where the pit-bull was lounging in the front yard. Choi told the dog owner he had no mail for him that day when the pit-bull came completely unglued, jumped over a 4-foot-high fence and took a bite out of Choi’s head and face.

Appalled residents who watched this incident helplessly told the Breeze that the vicious dog attack looked like a scene from a horror movie. Postal officials told the newspaper that Choi was mauled very badly on the right side of his face, had already gone through reconstructive surgery and required a tube in his throat to breathe. If this is what the pit-bull did to a grown adult, I shudder to think what the dog may have done to a young child walking by.

Last year, 3,184 letter carriers were bitten by dogs across the United States, according to a USPS news release. And here’s some more worrisome news. The same release also states that in the Orange County-Long Beach, Calif. area, postal employees suffered the most dog bites last year with 96, followed by Houston with 94, Sacramento with 82 and Los Angeles with 77. It also costs the postal service hundreds of thousands in terms of insurance costs.

Also disturbing is the fact that the owners of this vicious pit-bull involved in Monday’s attack, own yet another pit-bull and another dog. The postal service has temporarily stopped delivering mail to their house. Can you blame them? What postal worker would be comfortable going to that street again knowing there’s another 100-pound pit-bull lounging on the grass with a history of a horrendous attack?

Continue reading "Dog Attack on Torrance Mailman" »

Earlier this month, we talked about a postal worker in Northern California, who was mauled by a dog as she was doing her route. This week, in Torrance, there was a similar incident -- only much, much worse. In this case, a 100-pound pit-bull mauled a 60-year-old mailman sending him to the intensive care unit with horrendous facial wounds.

According to a news article in the Daily Breeze, the beloved mailman, Moon Choi, who had served the neighborhood for 25 years, simply walked past the house where the pit-bull was lounging in the front yard. Choi told the dog owner he had no mail for him that day when the pit-bull came completely unglued, jumped over a 4-foot-high fence and took a bite out of Choi’s head and face.

Appalled residents who watched this incident helplessly told the Breeze that the vicious dog attack looked like a scene from a horror movie. Postal officials told the newspaper that Choi was mauled very badly on the right side of his face, had already gone through reconstructive surgery and required a tube in his throat to breathe. If this is what the pit-bull did to a grown adult, I shudder to think what the dog may have done to a young child walking by.

Last year, 3,184 letter carriers were bitten by dogs across the United States, according to a USPS news release. And here’s some more worrisome news. The same release also states that in the Orange County-Long Beach, Calif. area, postal employees suffered the most dog bites last year with 96, followed by Houston with 94, Sacramento with 82 and Los Angeles with 77. It also costs the postal service hundreds of thousands in terms of insurance costs.

Also disturbing is the fact that the owners of this vicious pit-bull involved in Monday’s attack, own yet another pit-bull and another dog. The postal service has temporarily stopped delivering mail to their house. Can you blame them? What postal worker would be comfortable going to that street again knowing there’s another 100-pound pit-bull lounging on the grass with a history of a horrendous attack?

Continue reading "Dog Attack on Torrance Mailman" »

Man victimized by dog and then the by his own attorney.

Ernest Sevilla was severely injured in a dog attack by a Japanese fighting dog. The dog took chunks of flesh from his left hand. It took over a hundred stitches to repair the hand and days of hospitalization to overcome the infection. Being a self employed contractor he lost months of work and was nearly bankrupted.

Sevilla hired a personal injury attorney to handle his case against the dog’s owner. The attorney told him he had a winning case. Three years later Sevilla’s doctors told him he must pay his medical bills himself because his personal injury case was thrown out of court. He contacted his attorney to find out what happened and was told his case had been dismissed because he was a fault and suggested that he file bankruptcy.

After reading a copy of the court’s file of his case, Sevilla realized that he was victimized a second time. He discovered that his case was dismissed due to failures of his attorney and not due to the merits of his case. That’s when he hired Bisnar Chase.

Read Mr. Sevilla’s whole story of his case and his experience with our firm here.

If dog owners won’t take responsibility for their animals, they should face criminal charges and pay for the suffering they’ve caused innocent victims who get bitten and suffer serious physical and emotional trauma. It is comforting to know that more and more district attorneys are filing criminal charges against negligent dog owners.

Take this case in Petaluma where a man was arrested and charged with four felony counts of allowing mischievous animals to be at large causing bodily injury. According to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 50-year-old Kieran Burns’ two off-leash, 90-pound Rottweilers attacked a father and his son severely injuring both.

The father Roberto Kampfner Sr. told the newspaper that the dogs attacked him and his son, Roberto, as they were walking home from the local high school track on April 29. Kampfner Sr. tried to hold his son aloft to protect him from the vicious dogs, but the animals tried to snatch the boy from his arms, the distraught father said. The boy was bitten at least 20 times and some of his wounds penetrated all the way to his bone, the newspaper reported. This week Burns took a plea bargain, pleading guilty to two felony counts. The two other charges will be dismissed and officials say there’s a good chance he will avoid serious prison time and simply get probation.

That’s too bad as far as I am concerned. I would like to see Burns sentenced to a year. Then I’d hope that there would be a huge media buss about it so people would see someone going to jail for acting irresponsibly with their dogs.

This dog attack story is an example of why irresponsible dog owners deserves to be criminally charged and yes, do jail time. Burns’ dogs have a track record of violent behavior. Burns was under orders to keep his Rottweilers confined after an attack in February 2005. Then in August that same year, Burns was fined after the dogs bit a neighbor’s child, the newspaper reports.

Continue reading "Dog Attack Leads to Guilty Plea from Dog Owner" »

A Petaluma woman was brutally attacked by a Great Dane as she stopped to pet a leashed dog when she was on a walk, according to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. According to the news report, the woman, Lisa Sheean, her husband, Mike Sheean and their 9-year-old son were walking along a coastal bluff last Saturday night when a man walking a Great Dane crossed their path.

Sheean told the newspaper his wife actually asked the dog owner if the animal was friendly and that the owner replied that it was. When the woman bent over to pet the Great Dane, the dog, without warning, grabbed her by the head, Sheean said. The dog didn’t even growl before it pounced on her, he said. Lisa Sheean had stitches over one eye and her head and also had puncture wounds in her head, the article stated.

An investigation is ongoing and the dog has been quarantined for 10 days. Investigators are also trying to determine what caused the dog to bite, how severe the injuries are and the history of the dog. The dog could face restrictions even if the wounds are not severe, officials said. According to the article, the Sheeans themselves own two Rottweilers and so considered themselves to be very comfortable with dogs.

Now, it’s very easy to say in hindsight that Lisa Sheean should not have pet that dog, even with the consent of its owner. Of course, we don’t know if the dog had a prior history of attacking people or small dogs or children. Officials are saying never pet a strange dog. You never know what dogs are going to do. Sometimes, owners are in denial but other times, they really don’t know what their dogs are going to do either.

Continue reading "Woman Severely Injured By Great Dane She Tried to Pet" »

It must be nerve-wracking to be a postal worker. As someone who delivers mail and parcels for a living, he or she doesn’t know the viciousness that lurks behind an open door or gate. I’m of course talking about dangerous dogs here.

Take the case of Mai-Anh Nguyen, a Milpitas letter carrier who was mauled by a Pit-bull while she was delivering mail on July 14. According to an article posted on NBC News’ Web site, Nguyen was on her rounds walking on the sidewalk when she was attacked by the Pit-bull that charged at her from an open garage door of a house in that neighborhood.

Nguyen, who is quoted in the NBC article states: “There was not even enough time to pull out my dog spray. It happened so fast.”

The article states that dog bite incidents costs the U.S. Postal Service $25 million annually. That includes medical expenses, workers compensation, legal costs, delivery curtailment, worker replacement and other miscellaneous costs. Last week, the Postal Service also released the picture of the injured Nguyen, whose face was completely disfigured by the dog bites, to raise public awareness about the horrific aftermath of a dog attack.

Continue reading "Dog Attacks Post a Threat to Postal Workers Every Day" »

It is time to institute criminal penalties for irresponsible dog owners whose dogs injure people or other animals. Civil penalties are not enough, especially for those who are not able to pay for the damages their dogs cause. Irresponsible dog ownership has always been with us. What has changed?

Two major factors have changed. The number of severe dog attacks by bigger, stronger, more aggressive dogs causing horrific injuries to people and other animals is on the rise. The number of vicious dog attacks on dogs is on the rise. The number of insurance companies dropping coverage for dog owners or refusing to cover certain breeds and sizes of dogs is increasing dramatically.

A steady stream of people have contacted us who have been attacked by vicious dogs, their children have been horrifically mauled by dogs, their pets have been seriously or mortally wounded by dogs or who are afraid to walk the streets of their own neighborhoods because dogs roam their streets. My wife is reluctant to walk our Bichon Frises in our gate guarded community due to a previous attack on them by a much larger unleashed dog. Nearly every day I see large dogs being walked, without a leash, on the bike/horse trail on the side of our property where over a hundred people pass each day.

In Orange County, California we have an ordinance that states:

“No person owning or having charge, care, custody, or control of any dog shall cause or permit, either willfully or through failure to exercise due care or control, any such dog to be upon any public property unless such dog be restrained by a substantial chain, or leash not exceeding six (6) feet in length, and is under the charge of a person competent to exercise care, custody, and control over such dog” (OCCO 4-1-45).

Continue reading "Pit-bulls Maul Poodle in Irvine Park" »

Vicious dogs and especially vicious pit-bulls are a danger to society. My regular readers are familiar with my complaints about the more aggressive and vicious breeds of dogs. I have been unaware of the size, scope and cruelty of the dog fighting under-world.

Recalling a number of vicious Pit-bull attacks on our clients, I am wondering if some of those dogs were actually raised for fighting, inadvertently escaped from their owners and took out their pent up hatred of their handlers on the next human being they came in contact with. Could it be that a part of the reason we see so many really serious maulings of people and pets from Pit-bulls is that those particular dogs were from a line intentionally bred for their vicious and aggressive tendencies. Is the sub-society, that supports and participates in dog fighting partially to blame for the increasing number and severity of dog attacks by Pit-bulls in America?

The Human Society of the United States is campaigning the National Football League to punish, Michael Vick, a mega-star NFL player and alleged dogfighter in an appropriate manner. If you would like to weigh in on this matter and let the NFL know how you feel about this issue, the HSUS has made it easy for you, go to:

Continue reading "Protecting Pit-Bulls And Ourselves" »

An Orange County judge ruled last week that a pit-bull that aggressively attacked a woman, is a potential threat to the public and must be put down, according to an article in The Orange County Register. The judge turned down an appeal and desperate plea by the dog’s owner to spare her pet’s life.

Orange Court Superior Court Judge Daniel J. Didier determined that Brutus, a 1-year-old Australian shepherd and pit-bull mix, lunged unprovoked at a 23-year-old woman who was visiting the home of the dog’s owner, Sheri Moody. The judge also ruled that the dog’s release “would create a significant threat to the public health, safety and welfare, and is ordered to be destroyed by the city and its animal control department,” the newspaper reported.

The 53-year-old Moody, who owns three dogs including Brutus, wept when she was informed of the ruling, the article said. Moody insists that it was an accident and that Brutus is a “great dog” and “he never bit anyone before.” The city of Westminster had ordered, after an investigation, that Brutus be put down, but Moody had appealed the decision in court.

Continue reading "Pit-Bull Attacks Woman – Judge Orders Dog to be Euthanized" »

Two Pit Bull dogs are suspected of mauling their owners’ 2-year-old son, who was bitten so viciously on the head and neck that one of the animals broke a tooth, officials in Hesperia said last week, according to an article in the Riverside Press-Enterprise. According to the news report, the toddler suffered jaw fractures, a crushed bone around one eye, puncture wounds and gashes on his head and face after the Thursday afternoon attack.

The boy, whose name was withheld because of his age, is in critical condition at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Officials are not sure what provoked the attack, but say that when officers arrived at the home, the two Pit Bulls – a male and a female – had blood on them and were barking and growling. The article states that the boy had gone outside to the driveway where he was ambushed by the male dog. Officials don’t know what triggered the attack, but say it could range from the boy touching the dog to the child falling down thereby setting off the pack animal instinct of attacking a wounded animal.

The family had owned the male Pit Bull for only a month, but officials learned that the dog had displayed violent tendencies even within that time. Two weeks ago, the male Pit Bull had attacked and injured a neighbor’s dog, officials said. Both dogs will be quarantined for at least 10 days because they don’t have current licenses and rabies shots. A hearing will be held in the next 20 days to determine how and why the boy was attacked and what should become of the dogs, the article stated. If the family gives up the dogs, they will likely be euthanized, officials said. But they said the family has expressed a desire to have the female Pit Bull back.

Continue reading "Pit Bull Attack Causes Serious Injury to Hesperia Toddler" »

South Carolina authorities say they are likely to charge a local mom with negligent homicide charges in connection with the death of her 1-year-old son who died after being mauled by the family’s Pit Bull Monday morning, according to a news article posted on the First Coast News Website.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the family’s apartment after getting reports that a Pit Bull got out of a laundry room and killed 1-year-old Brian Palmer. According to investigators, the dog showed clear signs of aggressive behavior before the attack, killing a cat and attacking other dogs. The boy died in a local hospital Wednesday morning. Initial cause of death was reported as “lacerations to the throat.”

“When you have small children in the house, you may have to exercise better judgment,” Sgt. Michael Miller told the newspaper. “And it's going to be our job to investigate to see if this judgment was proper or not.”

Continue reading "Pit Bull Kills 1 Year Old" »

Two Rottweilers attacked an Inland Empire woman while she was taking a morning stroll, last Friday morning. Gail Theurer, 66, of San Antonio Heights was severely injured in the dog bite attack. She was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton where she was hospitalized in serious condition, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Apparently Theurer used a can of Mace or pepper spray on the dogs to protect herself after the initial attack. It did not stop them however. According to Beth Les, community-resource officer for the Inland Valley Humane Society in Pomona, neither dog was licensed. The Humane Society took possession of dogs. The owners of the dogs have not been located.

The dogs will be quarantined for 10 days, per state code, because the bites broke Theurer’s skin, said Brian Sampson, supervisor of animal services for the Inland Valley Humane Society. He said that vicious-dog charges will be filed against the owners due to the severity of the attack.

Continue reading "Rottweiler Attack Injures Local Resident" »

Should dog owners be held criminally responsible for severe injury attacks perpetrated by their dogs? Would the prospect of jail time, a fine and mandatory participation in a dog education program make dog owners more responsbile for their animals? Would such a law cut down on the number of vicisous attacks on children that happen nearly every day in our state?

If such a law saved ten vicious attacks on children a year, would it be worth it? If it was your child or grandchild that was saved, would it be worth it? You bet it would. Would such a law have prevented the following?:

A Monterey County Sheriff's Department's news release stated that on Thursday of last week, emergency crews from the North Monterey County Fire Protestion District and Westmed Ambulance Services treated a 7-year-old Las Lomas girl for severe dog attack wounds and then transported her to a local hospital. She suffered multiple lacerations to her face, back and leg.

The child's mother told authorities that a neighbor's dog, a Rottweiler, had broken loose from its chain and chased their family dog into their home where the 7-year-old and her 3-year-old sister were. The Rottweiler proceeded to attack and severely injury the 7-year-old.

According to The Free Dictionary "Rottweiler - German breed of large vigorous short-haired cattle dogs".

According to Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Rottweilers: Stocky and muscular, it stands 22 – 27 in. (56 – 69 cm) and weighs 90 – 110 lbs (41 – 50 kg).

Andrew Richesin, a 27 year-old Napa Valley College student and golfer, spent March 29th the way he spent most days-playing golf. After returning home that afternoon Andrew was anxious to spend some quality time hanging out, watching some TV, and relaxing with his dog, Jessie. Andrew seemed to fall asleep next to Jessie, and several hours later when Andrew’s girlfriend, Vanna Kalawa, returned from work she covered Andrew with a blanket, curled up next to him, and went to sleep.

Vanna recounted that about 3AM the next morning Jessie, Andrew’s 2 year-old boxer-pitbull, started barking and yelping in Vanna’s ear, startling her from a sound sleep. Vanna soon realized why Jessie was so unnerved. You see, Andrew had suffered a heart attack while he was sleeping and when Vanna checked Andrew she found that he had no pulse. Paramedics were called, but even shock treatments appeared unsuccessful, and Andrew lay in a coma for several days on life support. Then, miraculously, several days later, Andrew awoke from his coma, and now his condition is slowly improving.

As it turned out the doctors now say that they have never seen anything like this, and they marvel at the fact that they cannot figure out Andrew’s condition, and except for an enlarged heart Andrew seems to be improving. A brain scan was unremarkable, and the doctors pronounced his brain perfect.

Continue reading "Pit Bull Saves a Life" »

A 17-year-old boy saved a younger boy from a savage attack by two pit bulls Monday morning as they were walking to school according to story on a CBS website.

Jesus Jurado of Tempe, Arizona had just walked past his neighbor's pit bulls in a trailer park without incident when the dogs attacked a 12-year-old boy walking behind him.

Jurado, risking injury to himself, rescued the boy who had already been bitten by the pit bulls. Both boys climbed up onto the roof a nearby parked car to escape further injury. According to Jurado the dogs were coming up the car after the boys, so he opened the car door and got the younger boy through and into the interior of the car for safety.

Jurado said the dogs then came after him and he again got back onto the roof of the car.

It wasn't long before the police arrived. They got the same treatment from the pit bulls, the dogs went after them. The officers shot at the dogs, hitting them both. Animal control eventually arrived, captured the dogs and took custody of them.

Continue reading "Vicious Pitbull Attack Victim Saved by Courageous Boy" »

Alexandra Robinson Hinkle will tell you that she really loves living in Hayward, California. In fact, Alexandra said of her neighborhood, “It’s probably one of the best places to live in Hayward. There’s constantly families walking and people jogging.” And, that is exactly what Alexandra loved to do; take scenic walks with her dog, Tag, along Skyline Drive. That is, until last week when she and Tag were attacked by two neighborhood dogs that were running loose. And, these were not just any two dogs, but a Pit Bull and a Rottweiler. Alexandra suffered injuries to her hand, and cuts and bruises from being dragged by the Rottweiler, who was fittingly named Cujo. Her dog, Tag, suffered puncture wounds to his ear and his testicles. Only the intervention of a diligent neighbor, not the owner of the dogs, saved Alexandra and Tag from further injuries. Even more disturbing, Alexandra learned that several neighbors had complained to police and local officials about these same two dogs running loose. The dog’s owner, Matthew Marino, was due to testify at a closed hearing to determine what will become of the dogs. Alexandra wants a promise the dogs will not return to her neighborhood. For now, Alexandra lives in fear, saying, “It’s a shame they’re willing to let it [her neighborhood] become a place of terror and fear.”

Unfortunately, certain breeds of dogs have a bad reputation for being more dangerous, and even the average person knows that. In fact, certain dog breeds are known to be more dangerous, and those dogs are purchased by the military, police, etc. for their natural, inborn attack propensities.

Insurance companies have become aware of the risks of insuring homeowners who own certain breeds of dogs, and they have researched these risks; some of them even refusing coverage to homeowners who own dogs such as Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. These types of dog breeds are known to have more aggressive issues that make them dangerous not only to adults and other dogs, but especially to children.

This is all the more problematic, because Hayward is described ‘the heart of the bay’, the bay being San Francisco Bay. The dog owners should have taken heed after a recent high profile case; a few years ago in San Franciso 33 year old Diane Whipple was attacked and killed by two dogs an the owners of those dogs were originally charged with murder.

Continue reading "DANGEROUS DOGS AND THEIR OWNERS-WHEN WILL IT STOP?" »

In a dog bite attack, a 9-year-old boy’s top lip was ripped off when his pet dog, a pit-bull terrier, tried to snatch a cookie out of his mouth, according to BBC News report last week.

The family raised the dog, Simba, from the time he was a puppy, and although this is the first dog bite incident they have experienced, the family has since euthanized Simba and given away another pit-bull terrier they owned. Pit-bull breeds are listed by the CDC as being a dangerous breed. Click here to read the complete list of dangerous dogs, along with a list of dog breeds that have been deemed safe for families and environments that include children.

John Henderson, the dog bite victim, reportedly needed a skin graft to try and repair as much of the damage as possible, at least at this point in time. John must now wait six weeks before the extent of the damage is known.

According to the news report, the dog bit the boy’s lip and would not release. The boy’s mother said she would never have another dog after this traumatic incident.

“It was horrible - our worst nightmare,” she said.

Continue reading "Dog Bite Injury Causes Boy To Lose Lip " »

A dog owner, who shirks responsibility when his or her pet bites someone, could end up in some hot water, according to a bill that passed in the Michigan State House on Thursday.

An Associated Press news report states that this bill proposes criminal penalties for dog owners who leave the scene of a biting incident without providing vaccination information and assistance to the bite victim.

A violation will be considered a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine. The Bill is sponsored by Rep. Jee Mayes, a Democrat from Bay City, Mich.
The bill passed the House by a 98-5 vote. It now goes to the Senate.

Normally, bite victims can file civil lawsuits against dog owners. We should know. Bisnar | Chase has dealt with numerous dog bite injury cases, many of them horrific incidents involving small children, who have required plastic surgery.

But I agree that criminal prosecution should be an option as well. Dogs bite more than 4.7 million people a year in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of dog bites requiring medical attention has increased 15 times faster than the increase in dog ownership. In addition, there are 850,000 dog bites requiring medical attention in the U.S. annually and letter carriers suffer about 3,000 bites annually as they attempt to do their jobs.

These are alarming numbers and this is a problem that is getting worse, not better. Victims of dog bite attacks undergo a lot of pain and life-altering injuries, including deep skin wounds, loss of fingers, infections and scarring.

Continue reading "Dog Bites - A Crime?" »