Pit Bull survives axe attack, neighbor arrested

 August 29, 2006

Pit Bull survives axe attack, neighbor arrested

VIDEO Watch this story

By Anita Kissee
and KATU Web Staff

CLACKAMAS COUNTY - A Pit Bull puppy is recovering after being struck several times with an axe and now the dog's owner is left wondering why someone would lay such a vicious attack on an animal.

A 35-year-old man, Corey Kimble, is now in jail and has been charged with Animal Abuse in the First Degree and Probation Violation - DUII.

Police were called to a home at 8417 S.E. Cornwell Street on August 22 after a witness reported seeing Kimble use an axe on a Pit Bull.

Kimble told police the animal was being aggressive toward him. The attack took place in a shed.

The dog that was injured is 10-month-old Dozer. The dog somehow got away from his home a few blocks away.

Some of the wounds on Dozer's head were almost an inch and a half deep. His legs were also cut down to the bone and one cut was so deep that it broke his toe.

 While Kimble sits in jail, the dog's owner, Joe O'Donnell, wonders why someone would take an axe to his dog.

"It takes a pretty messed up guy in the head to do something that bad," he said. "It just ain't right."

Dr. Denny Koontz, DVM, with Northwest Veterinary Specialists said Dozer was found wandering along Southeast 82nd Avenue.

 

"They had tried to take him to another hospital and they wouldn't accept him because he was injured and would probably be put to sleep," she said. "So they came here and the good Samaritan was actually willing to pay for some of his medical bills, even though they didn't have money to pay until later in the week."

"It's awesome," said Gloria O'Donnell, Joe's mother. "We can't believe someone would do that."

No one knows how Dozer got out. O'Donnell said the gates in his yard were locked.

With Dozer's care costing up to $1,800, O'Donnell said he plans to sue Kimble.

There is also a chance that more people could be charged in the case because there is the possibility that another person may have held the dog down during the attack.

As for the good Samaritan, O'Donnell said he would like to know who that person is so he can give them a huge 'thank you.'

Man Killed In Deadly Dog Mauling In The Redland

At least it wasn't a pit bull and wasn't falsely portrayed as one!

(CBS4 News) THE REDLAND A dog has fatally mauled a South Florida resident -- the second fatal dog attack in less than two weeks.

Miami-Dade police say Pablo Fleites, 56, was found dead Monday night in a dog pen located at a home at 20280 SW 190th Street. Fleitas lived in a structure on the property.

Inside the pen were two boxers -- a five-year-old male and a six-month-old female puppy.

Police say Fleites, who witnesses say was intoxicated throughout the day, was attacked by the older boxer. The dog was found covered in his blood. The dog will be taken by animal control.

The first fatal dog attack happened on August 18th in Broward County. Shawna Willey was killed in Coral Springs while bathing her 120-pound Presa Canario.

Homicide investigation veers into secret world of pit bull fighting

http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17087403&BRD=2287&PAG=461&dept_id=512588&rfi=6


Homicide investigation veers into secret world of pit bull fighting
By: F.A. KRIFT, The Enterprise
08/20/2006
CLEVELAND - Thomas Weigner, shot above the right knee, bled to death Aug. 1 in rural Liberty County.

His tied-up family, including three children, witnessed it while the gun-wielding robbers searched for money and firearms.

Here - in a brick ranch-style home down County Road 2252, which eventually leads to the Trinity River bottom - is where at least three masked men raided Weigner's fenced-off property.

Weigner, 27, was awakened by his barking American pit bull terriers, about 300 of them on 24 acres about 60 miles west of Beaumont.

The crime could have been a common thug's smash-and-grab job gone wrong, but investigators also suspect Weigner's dogfighting ties and money might have been factors.

Weigner's death opened a small gateway into the dogfighting subculture that local authorities rarely glimpse, according to Southeast Texas investigators. The dogfighting society stretches throughout the region as well as across the nation and overseas, they said.

Lawmen believe Weigner was at or near the top tier of the dogfighting underground, and authorities from the FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating the case.

"It's all part of a larger dogfighting operation," said John Goodwin, a deputy manager of animal-fighting issues and investigator for the Humane Society of the United States. "It didn't end with Thomas Weigner being shot. ... He's in a network at the top of the (dogfighting) list."

The dogfighting network ties together men like Weigner and his Westpenn Kennels, his elite-bloodline breeding operation, and local amateurs and "hobbyists" entering the game with dogs not genetically altered to be the true pit fighting dogs that Weigner developed, Goodwin said in a telephone conversation from his Washington, D.C., office.

Southeast Texas authorities who investigate pit bull operations said the subculture is so closed and secretive that busts are rare.

In Jefferson County, authorities had 23 dogfighting cases in the last two years, Assistant District Attorney Ann Manes said, adding that one person could be charged with a count for each dog involved. Overall in the region since 2000, at least 52 people have been arrested and 25 dogs seized in connection with suspected dogfighting.

Nationally, hundreds of dogfights are busted each year and as many 20,000 people, mostly men, are involved, Goodwin said.

Goodwin said the traditionally rural activity has become more popular in urban areas such as Beaumont and Houston. However, the city operations are largely disorganized and difficult to bust, he said.

Manes, who prosecutes local cruelty cases, said dogfighters typically are charged with owning or training a dog with the intent to use it in a fighting exhibition - a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Rarely are they caught during dogfights, attended by screaming spectators throwing down bets.

"It's almost always circumstantial (evidence)," Manes said.

A difficult pursuit

Sgt. Mark Timmers, a Houston Humane Society and Harris County animal cruelty investigator, said a "blind man" could recognize a fight occurred with so much evidence spread over a crime scene. This includes evidence such as a pit, blood-smeared walls and scar-faced dogs.

Nevertheless, culpability is tough to prove, creating a frustrating and sometimes futile chase for investigators, Timmers said.

Beaumont police Detective Tina Lewallen, who investigates Beaumont's animal cruelty crimes, regularly sees fighting dogs with punctured necks, scarred snouts and torn-off ears when they are seized from owners suspected of animal cruelty.

But a significant dogfight hasn't been busted in Beaumont since November 2003, when police arrested eight people and animal control took 15 dogs.

When police arrived, spectators scattered like startled quail, Lewallen said. Money flew in the air while officers detained anyone they could grab.

Meanwhile, the dogs kept fighting, she said.

Beaumont Animal Control Supervisor Greg Parker, who arrived at the scene 20 minutes after police, remembered bloody, exhausted dogs on Idylwood Street.

Pit-bull handlers regularly train fighting dogs inside the city limits, Lewallen said, and then they take them to large fights in surrounding rural towns such as Cheek and China so the fighting dogs and rowdy bettors avoid attracting unwanted attention.

"They have secret codes to find out where the dogfights are," Lewallen said.

Sheriff's department officials in Hardin, Newton and Tyler counties believe dogfighting occurs within their jurisdictions, but there have been no busts in recent memory.

It takes surveillance, manpower and extensive intelligence to make a bust, Timmers said.

Often, it's just by accident or luck.

In 2000, for example, the Jasper County Sheriff's Department arrested 49 spectators who attended a dogfight. Attending a dogfight is a Class C misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of a $500 fine.

Jasper County Sheriff's Detective Aaron Tippett said officers just happened to be within 15 minutes of the fight's location just west of Kirbyville.

Like the Beaumont bust, money flew in the air, onlookers screamed and then dashed in every imaginable direction, Tippett said. Two men even ran through a barbed-wire fence, according to The Enterprise archives.

"The problem is most of the people that (attend) pit bull fights are thieves anyway," Tippett said. "Thieves stealing from thieves. It doesn't get reported that often."

Breeding operations such as Weigner's Westpenn Kennels are easier to find, but even in this case, it was not because of a complaint against dogfighting. It was Weigner's death that exposed the operation and led to the seizure of 285 dogs living in cruel conditions.

"Law enforcement, we're basically unaware of what is going on," Timmers said. "It's very organized. ... I'm not talking about the backyard stuff."

In fact, many Web sites associated with the guarded society require references to gain access. Only the highly trusted are invited.

A growing concern

In the fighting underground, the dogmen romanticize their "sport," claiming they return the breed to its 19th century English roots when fighting's popularity grew, Diane Jessup, a Washington-based pit bull breeder, authority and author, said in a telephone conversation. The dogfighters have made the breed a status symbol for machismo. They live through the breed and attract younger men by dramatizing the sport.

Bloodlines developed largely by venerable white men now are being promoted by a hip-hop culture, Jessup said. The bloodline history and the American pit bull terrier's gameness fascinate some common citizens.

"There are a whole bunch of people out there that are attracted by dogs with game pedigrees," she said.

The breed's keenly aggressive nature makes them the elite fighting dog, better than any other breed, Jessup said. So owning a pit bull is a statement of dominance, she said, and for some, hopefully, an invitation into the dogfighting world.

Goodwin said the pit bull breeding industry grows with it. And the fighting involves new players who are more aggressive and violent.

For lawful breeders, illegitimate practices have smeared the breed, pit bull enthusiasts say. The dogs are human-friendly, they say, but the over-breeding and the haphazard sale to anyone willing to buy has put the breed in the wrong hands.

"They're scumbags," said Jessup, who trains pit bulls for police work. "There's no mystique there in the dogfighting rings. When you're close to it, you see it's really a disturbed bunch of individuals that are living through their dogs. They talk about how much they respect them. ... No, they're idiots."

Secret world revealed

During the Aug. 7 pit bull seizure at Weigner's property, training equipment, including a treadmill and water tank, was discovered, said Liberty County Sheriff Greg Arthur, whose department is handling the homicide investigation.

However, investigators found no evidence on site of dogfighting, Arthur said.

But where the investigation could lead is what compels authorities.

"This is the first time when it's been such a high-level player," Goodwin said of Weigner's homicide and its connection to dogfighting. "This time it was somebody big."

Goodwin says Weigner was a professional dogfighter on whom Goodwin and the Humane Society have kept watch since he gained prominence in the fighting world two years ago - about the time he moved to Liberty County from Pennsylvania.

Dick Wheelan, the attorney for Weigner's wife, Julie Laban, said in a telephone interview from his Houston office that Laban denied all claims of dogfighting.

Arthur said the crime's link to suspected robberies of alleged dogmen in Michigan, Georgia and South Carolina is being investigated.

Goodwin believes the crimes are linked.

"When you have these high-end dogfights, you have violent men who come in for a violent blood sport," Goodwin said. "They gamble large sums of money on it. Of course, they all bring guns, because they don't want to be robbed and lose those hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"When you mix that sort of adrenaline and testosterone with a violent blood sport and all that money, you've got yourself a combustible situation and sometimes it erupts.

"We've heard about shootouts at fights, but now it's moving to a new level where they are following people to their homes and killing them."

For Liberty County's Arthur, the homicide is a top priority that uncovered a world he knew little about.

"I didn't realize dogfighting was as big an industry as it is," Arthur said in his office. "I've learned more about dogfighting than I wanted to know."

fakrift@beaumontenterprise.com

Breed bans won't stop dog attacks

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0608210197aug21,0,595343.story?coll=chi-newsopinioncommentary-hed

Breed bans won't stop dog attacks
Laws should regulate behavior of all dangerous dogs--and owners

By Adam Goldfarb, an expert on dangerous dogs with the Humane Society of the U.S
Published August 21, 2006

There's an adage that says, "When a dog bites a man, it's not news, but when a man bites a dog, it is news." These days, dog bites don't just lead to news, they lead to fights between neighbors, lawsuits and controversial legislation. Unfortunately, laws that ban certain breeds of dog from a community provide nothing more than the illusion of safety.

Many communities struggle with issues related to dangerous dogs. Some have responded with breed bans, yet time and again such laws have failed to solve dangerous-dog problems. Lawmakers who educate themselves and understand this issue quickly recognize that a truly effective law must address all dangerous dogs, regardless of breed.

There are many factors that contribute to a dog's temperament, but breed bans only address one of those factors. If elected officials are comfortable with regulation of such a limited scope, then the one factor to be targeted should be the most common.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70 percent of dogs involved in biting incidents are intact (not neutered) males. No other single factor is so highly represented in dog attacks. Mandatory pet sterilization is certainly a viable option, but this can also be easily addressed without legislation, through government-subsidized spay/neuter programs and community education about proper pet care.

Being a responsible pet owner is not difficult, but there are individuals who either don't care about their pets or who intentionally create aggressive animals. Too often, these individuals are the ones who cause problems for the community. The behaviors of these individuals are easily recognized and should be the target of dangerous-dog legislation.

Dogs that live chained up are nearly three times more likely to bite, the CDC says. Dogs that routinely run loose can cause numerous problems in their neighborhoods. Dogs that are trained for fightingalready have criminal owners.

Communities rely on animal control to enforce the laws, but most animal-control offices are already understaffed and underfunded. Because of the inherent difficulties of enforcing breed bans, they would only add more strain to an already overextended department. Breed identification is tricky and unscientific.

Laws that clearly identify dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs are the best tools for animal control and law enforcement officials. This is so important because in nearly all serious dog attacks, the dog involved was either known to the neighborhood or animal control as a roaming nuisance, had previously bitten or was being kept for inappropriate reasons. Laws addressing potentially dangerous dogs consider the many factors that contribute to a dog's likelihood to bite and single out behaviors that are indicative of aggression. These laws can be reactive by punishing the owners of dogs that have menaced people or other animals, or the laws can be preventative by targeting irresponsible and dangerous owner behaviors.

If Chicago truly wants effective laws to prevent dog attacks, a breed ban is not the answer. The city will be better armed with comprehensive dangerous-dog legislation, dog-bite education and enforcement of responsible laws on keeping pets. Legislation aimed at holding dog owners responsible rather than punishing the dogs is the most effective way to reduce the number of dog bites and attacks. Non-breed-specific laws that are enforced offer an effective and fair solution to the problem of dangerous dogs in all communities.

BSL update

MyDogVotes Candelight Vigil - TONIGHT 8:00 p.m. (EST)

 

Please join thousands of dog owners worldwide on Sunday, August 20th, 2006 at 8 PM EST, to remember the victims of breed bans in the 2nd Annual My Dog Votes Candlelight Vigil Against Breed Bans.

Please also remember to light a special candle for our dear friend and faithful BSL fighter, Judy Schreiber. Judy was critically injured in a car accident on Monday, August 14, 2006, and needs all of our thoughts and prayers.

BSL Victories!!

*Humbolt, Iowa - BSL voted down - WE WIN!!!!!!

*Northlake, Illinois - Removed breed specific language from the city ordinance

*Sacramento, California - Declines to adopt mandatory spay/neuter ordinance

*American Dog Owners Association (ADOA) Wins Judgment Against City of Englewood, New Jersey To Overturn Breed Specific Law.

Looking up...

Middletown, Ohio
Looking at removing breed specific language from ordinance

We still have the chance to make a difference!

Brandon, Mississippi
Police and other officials are delaying the enforcement of a newsly enacted pit bull ban while city officials review the ordinance. They are looking at other cities' handling of these matters. We might have a chance.

Mayor Carlo Martella
City of Brandon
P.O. Box 1539
Brandon, MS 39043
Phone: (601) 824-4578

 

James L. Morris
Alderman at Large
3155 Louis Wilson Road
Brandon, MS 39042
Phone: (601) 825-4486

 

Barbara Mangum
Alderwoman, Ward 1
808 S. College Street
Brandon, MS 39042
Phone: (601) 825-0381

 

David "Grumpy" Farmer
Alderman, Ward 2
585 Shiloh Road
Brandon, MS 39042
Phone: (601) 591-0658

 

Tim Coulter
Alderman, Ward 3
37 Sunline Ct.
Brandon, MS 39042
Phone: (601) 668-9998

 

Lu Coker
Alderman, Ward 4
650 Burnham Road
Brandon, MS 39042
(601)825-4038

 

Yvonne Bianchi
Alderman, Ward 5
10 Hunters Point
Brandon, MS 39042
(601) 825-5303

 

Gene Sirmon
Alderman, Ward 6
132 Richmond Drive
Brandon, MS 39042
Phone: (601) 825-6073

 

Mark Baker
City Attorney
306 Maxey Drive
Brandon, MS 39151
Phone: (601) 824-7455

North Liberty, Iowa
Looking at alternatives to BSL (but BSL still on the table)

Mayor:
DAVE FRANKER
625 Pebble Court
North Liberty, IA 52317
665-6171
david.franker@northlibertyiowa.org

Council Members:
MATTHEW J. BAHL
15 Hickory St.
North Liberty, IA 52317
626-6071
Email: mbahl@southslope.net  

GERRY KUHL
1180 Saint Andrews Drive
North Liberty, IA 52317
626-6576
gerry.kuhl@northlibertyiowa.org

JAMES MOODY
115 Vixen Lane
North Liberty, IA 52317
400-2824
Email: james.moody@northlibertyiowa.org

TOM SALM
35 N Dubuque Street
North Liberty, IA 52317
626-2754
Email: tasalm@terracon.com  

JAMES WOZNIAK
1572 Deerfield Drive
North Liberty, IA 52317
626-3704
james.wozniak@northlibertyiowa.org  

Fall River, MA
Looking at alternatives to BSL (but BSL is still on the table)

City Hall
One Government Center
Fall River, MA 02722
Phone: (508) 324-2000
Fax: (508) 324-2211

Fall River City Council City Council President
William Whitty 508-324-2232

Fall River Mayor
Edward Lambert 508-324-2600

Fall River City/Town Manager
James Smith 508-324-2600

Fall River City/Town Clerk
Carol Valcourt 508-324-2220

Olathe, Kansas
Considering alternatives to BSL (but BSL still on the table)

John Bacon
At Large
Term: 4/03 - 4/07
913-269-6305
jbacon@olatheks.org

Bob Montgomery
At Large
Term: 4/01 - 4/09
913-980-8278
bmontgomery@olatheks.org

Marge Vogt
Ward 4
Term: 4/03 - 4/09
913-269-0625
mvogt@olatheks.org

Kathleen Huttmann
Ward 3
Term: 4/03 - 4/09
913-269-6360
khuttmann@olatheks.org

Jim Randall
Ward 2 and Mayor Pro Tem
Term: 4/03 - 4/07
913-522-2729
jrandall@olatheks.org

Beverly Wittenborn
Ward 1
Term: 4/03 - 4/07
913-269-6302
bwittenborn@olatheks.org

Mayor Michael Copeland
Term: 4/03 - 4/07
913-971-8500
mcopeland@olatheks.org

BSL PENDING

Memphis, Missouri
BSL being considering - next meeting is September 7, 2006

Memphis City Hall
135 South Main Street, Memphis, MO 63555
(660) 465-7285
(660) 465-7342(fax)

Merriam, Kansas
BSL being considered

Mayor Carl Wilkes
9416 W. 49th Terrace
Merriam, KS 66203
(913) 722-1312
mayorw@merriam.org  

Bryan Burks, Ward 1
Council Vice President
9821 West 50th Terrace
Merriam, KS 66203
(913) 262-6546
bryanb@merriam.org  

Chad Rowe, Ward 1
4749 Knox
Merriam, KS 66203
(913) 831-0144
chadr@merriam.org  

Dan Leap, Ward 2
5848 Merriam Dr.
Merriam, KS 66203
(913) 631-5326
dan@guitarlamp.com

John Crabtree, Ward 2
10113 W. 59th Terrace
Merriam, KS 66204
(913) 789-9028
jcrabtree@eventconceptsinc.com  

Nancy Hupp, Ward 3
Council President
10172 Edelweiss Circle
Merriam, KS 66203
(913) 831-4471
nancyh@merriam.org

Christine Evans Hands, Ward 3
10206 Edelweiss Circle
Merriam, KS 66204
(913) 384-5340
chrish@merriam.org

Gayle Stephens, Ward 4
8117 W. 61st St.
Merriam, KS 66204
(913) 789-7958
gstephens1@kc.rr.com

Shawn McConnell, Ward 4
8323 W. 61st Street
Merriam, KS 66204
(913) 384-0764
shawnm@merriam.org

City Hall
The City of Merriam
9000 W. 62nd Terrace
Merriam, KS 66202-2815
(913) 322-5500
(913) 322-5505 fax

Gonzales, LA
Considering BSL

City of Gonzales
120 South Irma Boulevard
Gonzales, Louisiana 70737-3698
(225)647-2841

Horicon, WI
BSL may be on the agenda for the August 22nd meeting, so lets get some correspondence out to all these people.

Doug Plier
City Attorney
dougplierlaw@powerweb.net

Mayor
mayor@horiconwis.com
Phone: (920) 485-2495

City Clerk
David Pasewald
(920) 485-3500

Chamber of Commerce
writeus@horiconchamber.com

Mayor James Grigg 485-9945

Council President Steve Neitzel 485-2821

Legislative Home/Office Phone Numbers
Alderperson, 3rd District Donald Butler 485-4504
Alderperson 1st District Richard Marschke 485-2484
Alderperson, 1st District Jerry Billington 485-2356
Alderperson 2nd District Steven Neitzel 485-2821
Alderperson, 3rd District John Forster 485-4387
Alderperson 2nd District Carl Fausett 485-0566
http://www.horiconchamber.com/home.cfm  

James R. Wegner,
Municipal Judge
hmcourt@gdinet.com

Beaver Dam, WI
Considering BSL

Mayors Office
Mayor
Jack Hankes
Phone: 920-887-4600 ext 398
Email: mayorjack@charter.net  

City Clerk
Gary H. Dummer
Phone: 920-887-4600 ext. 338
Fax: 887-4605
Email: gdummer@charter.net  

City Attorney
Mary Ann Schacht, Esquire
222 South Spring Street
Business (920) 887-4638

Montgomery, Alabama
Meeting on the 21st

Physical Address
City Hall
103 North Perry Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36104

Mailing Address
Post Office Box 1111
Montgomery, Alabama 36101-1111
Phone: (334) 241-2000
Fax: (334) 241-2600
E-mail: mayor@ci.montgomery.al.us  

Receptionist/Proclamations Clerk
Belinda Forte'
(334) 241-2000
bforte@ci.montgomery.al.us  

Executive Secretary to the Mayor
Katie Cord
(334) 241-2004
kcord@ci.montgomery.al.us

Executive Assistant to the Mayor
Jeff Downes
(334) 241-2002
jdownes@ci.montgomery.al.us

Executive Assistant to the Mayor
Michael Briddell
(334) 241-2005
mbriddell@ci.montgomery.al.us
Wanda Fox, Executive Secretary

Assistant to the Mayor
Felecia Holley-Martin
(334) 241-2427
fholley@ci.montgomery.al.us  

Assistant to the Mayor
Willie Peak

DISTRICT 9: CHARLES W. JINRIGHT
President
B: Jinright-Turner Insurance & Bonds, Inc.
4216 Carmichael Rd. (36106)
P. O. Box 230308 (36123)
272-1200

DISTRICT 4: JAMES A. NUCKLES
President Pro Tem
H: 3143 Patrick Road (36108)
834-4015

DISTRICT 1: JIM SPEAR
H: 648 Pimblico Road 36109
272-2558 Fax: 272-1846
spearj@bellsouth.net

DISTRICT 2: TIMOTHY WAYNE HEAD
3809 Wares Ferry Road 36109
B: 271-4228

DISTRICT 3: JANET THOMAS MAY
1412 South Perry Street 36104
W: 269-0093

DISTRICT 5: CORNELIUS CALHOUN
1055 Largo Lane 36116
H: 280-7899

DISTRICT 6: WILLIE COOK
P. O. Box 201441 (36120)
H: 281-7775

DISTRICT 7: MARTHA D. ROBY
2243 Country Club Drive 36106
H: 262-0604
martharoby@knology.net  

DISTRICT 8: GLEN O. PRUITT, JR.
H: 8642 Sturbridge Drive 36116
B: Locke & Associates
4144 Carmichael Road, Suite 20 (36106)
272-7400 FAX: 272-6106

Independence, Missouri
BSL is expected to pass on 21st

Office of the City Council
Sheila Saxton Council Aide
Phone: (816)325-7022
Fax: (816)325-7012
E-mail: ssaxton@indepmo.org

Mayor Don Reimal
Phone:(816)325-7022
Home Phone:(816) 461-6044
Fax:(816)325-7012

Councilmember Will Swoffer
Phone:(816)325-7022
Home Phone:(816) 257-1888
Fax:(816)325-7012

Councilmember Renee Paluka
Phone:(816)325-7022
Home Phone:(816) 478-8641
Fax:(816)325-7012
reneepaluka@comcast.net  

Councilmember Jim Page
Phone:(816)325-7022
Home Phone:(816) 252-1198
Fax:(816)325-7012

Councilmember Jim Schultz
Council Phone:(816)325-7022
Fax:(816)325-7012
E-mail: onelaw3@swbell.net  

Lees Summit, Missouri
Mayor-Karen.Messerli@lees-summit.mo.us  

Council
jhallam@mid-west.net  
hofmann.kathy@gmail.com
rrhoads@mid-west.net  (opposes)
rwilliam@mid-west.net  (doesn't want ban, but might be o.k. with BSL)
jspallo@sbcglobal.net
cockrelled@yahoo.com  (he has proposed the legislation)
jffreeman@att.net
Swearngin@gmail.com

Administrator
Steve.Lewis@lees-summit.mo.us  

Abby York
Kansas City Dog Advocates

Oak Grove, Missouri
Requesting additional information

Meetings are held the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:00 pm at the Civic Center

City Hall is located at:
1300 S. Broadway Street
Oak Grove, Missouri 64075
Phone: (816) 690-3773
Fax: (816) 690-8478

Mayor
Mark Fulks

Alderman - Ward 1
Mary Holzbaur
Hank Melhorn

Alderman - Ward 2
Brad Alexander (Mayor Pro-tem)
Larry Moore

Alderman - Ward 3
Don Myers
Jody Gorham

Administration
1300 S. Broadway St.
Oak Grove, MO 64075
Phone: 816-690-3773
Fax: 816-690-8478

Long, Bryan City Administrator
blong@cityofoakgrove.com  816-690-3773 ext 1000

Scott, Judy Deputy City Clerk
jscott@cityofoakgrove.com  816-690-3773 ext 1005

Smith, Cathy City Clerk
csmith@cityofoakgrove.com  816-690-3773 ext 1004

BSL PASSED

Barboursville, West Virginia - Passed BSL

Clinton, Mississippi - Passed BSL but the law is being challenged

Heartbreak of the week

Kansas City, Kansas
Pit bull amnesty ends - 180 innocent pit bulls euthanized

City officials are so proud of themselves for "successfully pursuading" owners to turn their dogs in to be killed. Another senseless tragedy...

Support the Cause

The American Canine Foundation (ACF) is doing all it can to fight for our rights and has recently filed several lawsuits challenging BSL. PLEASE donate to and support the ACF. Please do all you can to help those fighting for our rights. It takes an incredible amount of money to file and defend a lawsuit, and positive outcomes can result in good things for everyone around the country.

American Canine Foundation 23969 NE State Rte 3 Suite G101 Belfair Wa 98528 or paypal at (legislation2003@hotmail.com )

Letters to Officials

You can find 3 different form letters, from simple to detailed, that can be modified and sent to the above officials at www.defendingdog.com.  Please voice your polite and respectful opposition to breed specific legislation!

 

Mistaken Idenity

Reports online initially described the dog in the article below as a PIT BULL, however the dog was not a pit bull.  Just another case of media hype making another mistake and not correcting it.  There have been no retractions.

 

===========================

Woman fatally mauled while bathing dog
Associated Press

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — A Florida woman is dead after being attacked by her own dog.

Police say 30-year-old Shawna Willey was killed Friday when the 120-pound Presa Canario mauled her while she was trying to give it a bath in the backyard of her house in Coral Springs. Willey's daughter witnessed the attack and alerted a neighbor who called police.

Police spokesman Rich Nicorvo says when officers arrived, the dog was standing over the woman's body near the swimming poll and made aggressive movements toward them, so they shot and killed it. They don't know what prompted him to attack his owner.

Florida court records show Willey was cited several years ago for having dangerous dogs.

Posted by a shelter worker

posted by an anonymous shelter worker to an email listserve

I am posting this (and it is long) because I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will. First off, this is a forum to for adoption and/or rehoming as clearly stated in the rules. All of you breeders/sellers on craigslist should not only be flagged (and I hope the good people on craigslist will continue to do so with blind fury), but you should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know...that puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs. The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her...". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard...". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her...we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog". Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is?

Well, let me tell you...your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off...sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy...if it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc...) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted. If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed...it may get a stay of execution...not for long though. Most get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression...even the sweetest* *dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles...chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down". First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash...they always look like they think they are going for a walk...happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the breaks when we get to the door...it must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process...they will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk... I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed...waiting to be picked up like garbage.

What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind...it was just an animal and you can always buy another one right?

*I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head...I do everyday on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter. Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

*My point to all of this...DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER
PETS DIE! Hate me or flag me if you want to...the truth hurts and reality
is what it is...I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this thing on craigslist and it made me want adopt"...that would make it all worth it."*

Dog ban is 'unconstitutional

http://www.heraldnews.com/site/news.cfm?
newsid=17058813&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784&rfi=6

FALL RIVER - A proposed breed-specific dog ordinance was sent back to committee Tuesday night after the City Council heard impassioned pleas from several residents opposed to the legislation and received a letter from the city's attorney stating the City Council's proposed breed-specific dog ordinance was "unconstitutionally vague."

About 150 concerned residents, some wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase "Blame the deed not the breed," attended Tuesday night's meeting to voice their displeasure with the council's proposed ordinance.

The ordinance would have required all owners of pit bulls and Rottweilers to keep the dogs confined behind 6-foot high fences. The dogs would not be allowed off their properties except to go to the veterinarian. Also, those two breeds would not be allowed to be sold within the city limits.

In his letter to the council, Corporation Counsel Thomas McGuire said, as currently drafted, the dog ordinance is unconstitutional.

He said the state's Supreme Judicial Court in 1989 ruled that a similar breed-specific ordinance penned by the Lynn City Council was unconstitutionally vague.

"As I stated to the Committee on Ordinances at its meeting on July 11, the ordinance, as presently drafted, appears to be unconstitutional," McGuire wrote. "I am therefore unable to approve the legal character of the ordinance in its present form."

McGuire's legal argument against the ordinance was bolstered by a more emotional argument from countless members of the public who addressed the council Tuesday night.

Several dog owners said it was unfair to judge all dogs the same way, and asserted the council lacked an education on dogs in general.

"There's no such thing as a bad dog. There are bad owners who don't know how to train their dogs," said city resident Joe Silvia. "We really need to educate owners. Dogs need exercise. If you pen them in, they become more violent."

Worcester-based attorney Rebecca Carner, who said she has already been retained by angry Fall River dog owners, said she is prepared to challenge the ordinance in court if need be, but said she and her clients would much rather work with the council on a more sensible dog ordinance.

She also questioned the relevancy of a breed-specific dog ordinance, asserting that criminals the ordinance is intended to root out would adjust to the change in law, leaving law-abiding dog owners with the heartache.

"Drug dealers are already ignoring your laws," Carner asserted. "They will just switch breeds."

The most emotional plea came from city resident Anthony Babine, who told a story about his sister's Rottweiler, Coco, that silenced the 150 or so audience members.

Babine said one day Coco began relentlessly pounding his head up against his sister's bedroom door to get the family's attention. When Babine finally came to the door, he found it was locked. But Coco would not stop slamming into it.

Babine said he eventually broke the door down and found his sister choking to death on her bed.

"Coco saved my sister's life," Babine said.

Although opponents of the proposed ordinance won a victory Tuesday night, the matter is still open. Instead, it was referred back to committee where it can be reworked and resubmitted to the full council for another vote.

City Council President William F. Whitty said the Committee on Ordinances will now reassess the issue. "This ordinance was not just pulled out of the air," Whitty told the audience members. "We tried to be fair with it."

A date when the Committee on Ordinances next meets has yet to be scheduled.

E-mail Gregg M. Miliote at gmiliote@heraldnews.com.

ADOA Wins! New Jersey to overturn breed specific law!!

American Dog Owner's Association Wins Judgment Against City of Englewood, New Jersey To Overturn Breed Specific Law
Sun Aug 13, 8:00 AM ET

Englewood, NJ (PRWEB) August 13, 2006 -- The American Dog Owners Association (ADOA) and two of its members, Natalie Wells and Mia Rodriguez, who reside in Englewood, New Jersey, were granted an interlocutory judgment against the City Of Englewood in New Jersey Superior Court this week in the challenge to overturn the city's illegal breed specific ordinance, Docket No. BER-L-5285-06. Judge Jonathan Harris found that the city's aggressive dog ordinance, which defined specific breeds of dogs as dangerous, was a clear and direct violation of state law, which explicitly prohibits breed discrimination.

The American Dog Owners Association, the country's largest independent dog owner's organization, had asserted that the City of Englewood, New Jersey failed to provide its residents equal protection under the law by denying the residents' applications to license their dogs and has subjected them to harassment

"Breed discrimination is illegal in New Jersey, and now all good dog owners with good dogs in Englewood can breath a sigh of relief", said Maureen Hill-Hauch, ADOA's Executive Director. She noted that New Jersey's Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Act is one of the strongest dangerous dog laws in the country. "The City of Englewood has a duty to protect the public health and safety of all of its citizens, as well as protect the rights of responsible dog owners, regardless of breed. We're so pleased that the court will require the City of Englewood to comply with state law".

Breed bans and other breed-specific measures are strongly opposed by all major animal welfare and veterinary medical organizations, as well as the Center For Disease Control, as being ineffective against the prevention of dog bites or attacks. The list of New Jersey-based organizations opposed to breed specific laws and measures includes the New Jersey Federation of Dog Clubs and the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association.

The New Jersey Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Act, N.J. S.A. S.S.4:19-36, explicitly prohibits breed discrimination, stating, "any law, ordinance, or regulation concerning vicious or potentially dangerous dogs, any specific breed of dog or any other type of dog inconsistent with this act enacted by any municipality, county or county board of health".

The City of Englewood argued that it's Ordinance N.99-66 did not violate N.J.S.A.S.S 4:19-26 by defining the following breeds as aggressive: Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweilers, or "any dogs of mixed breed which has the appearance or characteristics of being predominately of the breeds", and
bans them from being kept within the City of Englewood.

Flora Edwards, counsel for the Plaintiffs, previously told the court that under the city's illegal breed-specific ordinance, even Rufus, this year's winner of Best In Show at the prestigious

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden, would be unwelcome in the City of Englewood, and his owners would run the risk of having the world's top dog seized and impounded. Rufus, a Colored Bull Terrier, resides with his owners in Holmdel, New Jersey.
An interlocutory judgment was granted the Plaintiffs, the American Dog Owner's Association, Natalie Wells and Mia Rodriguez, on Monday, August 7, by the Honorable Jonathan Harris in Bergen Country Superior Court against the City of Englewood. The order prevents the city from enforcing or implementing any section of the city's dangerous dog ordinance. In his ruling, Judge Harris called Englewood's Ordinance 66-99, "outright contradictory".

Judge Harris cited numerous issues with the Englewood dog ordinance, stating that Ordinance N.66-99 shifts the burden of proof to the pet owner, changes the process by which a dog can be declared dangerous, and provides a different array of sanctions in conflict with state law. Furthermore, he stated that t not granting the judgment would subject the dogs to immediate
seizure and cause the Plaintiff's irreparable harm.

The Plaintiffs, Ms. Wells, a stock analyst, and the owner of Sentry, a twelve-year old American Pit Bull Terrier, and Ms. Rodriguez, a respected artist and owner of Cyrus, also a rescued American Pit Bull Terrier, say they both lived in fear that their dogs will be seized by the City of
Englewood, and have been subjected to a pattern of harassment by the city's Department of Health since trying to obtain licenses for their dogs. Both dogs are well cared for and well socialized, and pose no threat to the public.

"Now I can walk Cyrus in public and not worry the police will stop me", said Ms. Rodriguez. Ms Rodriguez rescued her dog, Cyrus, as a puppy and helped nurse him back to health from a near-fatal bout with parvovirus with the help of donated services from a local veterinarian.

Ms. Wells, who suffers from lupus, is looking forward to visiting Englewood's City Hall to obtain a license for Sentry. Ms. Wells bought a home in Englewood late last year and was unaware of the town's breed specific ordinance. "Now I don't have to worry the city will take my dog away".

Barbara Haywood, ADOA's volunteer communications coordinator, said that the American Dog Owner's Association lawsuit has received tremendous support from dog organizations throughout the country as well as letters of official endorsement from dog clubs, notably the Bull Terrier Club of America, the parent club for the world's top dog, Rufus, the colored Bull Terrier. The ADOA filed suit on behalf of its members, and actively sought other resident dog owners in Englewood with the breeds or mixes of breeds of dogs banned by the city to join the lawsuit free of charge.

The American Dog Owners Association, ADOA, founded in 1970, is the country's largest independent dog owner organization representing individual dog owners, breeders, handlers, and dog clubs of all breeds, mixes and backgrounds. The American Dog Owners Association recognizes the special relationship between dogs and humans, and advocates for the protection and preservation of responsible dog ownership and education of the public about responsible dog ownership and strong dangerous dog legislation.

On the web at www.adoa.org
Media Contacts:
Maureen Hill-Hauch 800-266-6233
Barbara Haywood 201-396-0974

TERRIBLE Reasons given for giving an animal up at shelters

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/469368.html
Why owners dump their petsExcuses appall animal rescuers
Denise Flaim, Newsday
What is the most pathetic excuse for giving up an animal? Living as we do amid an epidemic of tepid commitment and laser-sharp detachment, people routinely discard their companion animals. Some reasons -- like a child's allergies or sudden homelessness -- are understandable. But many are not -- at least not to those who consider their animals family members, a status that is not usually negotiable.
Folks in the animal-adoption community -- you know them by the plastic airline crates in their hatchbacks, and the Milk-Bones in their glove compartments -- are in the nonprofit business of cleaning up the messes people make with the sentient beings they've brought into their lives. With big hearts and tiny budgets, they grit their teeth as clueless, oftentimes obnoxious owners hand over the leash -- or cage, or tank.
People need to have realistic expectations when bringing home an animal, said Mondy Lamb, marketing director for the SPCA of Wake County. When they don't, lame stories can result.
"I think a lot of these excuses come from people being embarrassed at their own failure," she said.
Frustrated owners last week returned a cocker spaniel mix named Bailey to the SPCA. Having adopted the dog when he was about 3 months old, the owners brought back Bailey five months later because, among other things, he chewed on stuff, wasn't housebroken and -- get this -- bothered the owners when they watched TV.
"This was the last straw for those people," said Molly Stone, the animal behavior specialist at the SPCA. While telling this story, she noted a couple of (what should be) obvious facts: puppies chew on things and need to be taught to take their bathroom business outside.
Another dog was brought last week to the Durham County animal shelter after the owners disapproved of the way the pooch cooled himself during the heat wave.
"He kept lying down in the koi pond," said Susan Teer, president of the Animal Protection Society, the group that manages the shelter. The dog wasn't attacking the fish, but the owners didn't want to build a fence around the pond.
Excuses -- the animal adoption folks have heard them all before.
Moving is a perennial reason for dumping animals. "It's everyone's favorite," says Barbara Williamson of Best Friends Society, who polled staffers. "Nobody here can even begin to understand how you move into a place that doesn't accept pets when you have pets."
(Another head-scratcher: The person who returned a cat to the Utah sanctuary because its neurological condition "wasn't bad enough." In other words, the cat wasn't special-needs enough.)
Another catalyst is the arrival of a sweetheart. Lovers or spouses who hate dog hair or slobber issue ultimatums, and their not-so-better halves comply.
The dissolution of a marriage is a prime reason for relinquishing animals, as is the arrival of diminutive two-leggers.
"When the excuse is that the owner is having a baby, I send her to the president of Alaskan Malamute Rescue of New England," says Malamute fancier Susan Conant, who writes dog-centric mystery novels. "She is the mother of triplets."
Yep, family ties can be nooses for some animals. Marjorie Lipson of Long Island, N.Y.-based Second Chance Labrador Rescue offered up the interesting approach of blaming the kids: "My youngest child is now in college -- it was her dog that we purchased 14 years ago," one owner told her as he turned over his gray-faced dog. "We never wanted a dog -- the kids did."
Norwegian elkhound fancier Lexiann Grant of southeastern Ohio had this doozy: "An Akita was surrendered because the family decided to do away with their current 'Japanese landscaping' and go with a southwestern theme."
If you find it hard to believe that people can be that superficial, consider this chestnut from Barbara Sawyer-Brown, a Ridgeback breeder and longtime rescuer from Chicago: "We redecorated, and the dog no longer matches the decor."
File this under "craven compassion": Pam Dennison, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training," had a friend who took in an 18-month-old schnauzer. "She had a kidney problem, and the owners 'loved her so much they couldn't bear to watch her die.' "
(Postscript: The friend kept the dog, switched her to a raw-food diet, and five years later, the dog is still going strong.)
People dump their bunny rabbits with such infuriating regularity that Mary Cotter of the House Rabbit Society keeps a list of common excuses. Some have simply performed a cold-hearted calculation: "He's sick -- we're not going to pay $50 for a vet visit for a pet that cost $15."
Debra J. White of Tempe, Ariz., started volunteering at animal shelters in 1989. "I have seen and heard the most dumb, pathetic and lame excuses," she says. "The cat meows. The dog barks."
But nothing prepared her for this beaut, delivered by a pregnant woman who was jettisoning her child substitute to make room for the real thing.
"My fetus," she proclaimed, "is allergic to the dog."
Staff writer Matt Ehlers contributed to this report.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner.
Staff writer Matt Ehlers contributed to this report

Media Bias - Pit Bulls, Dog Bites, Dog Breed Define Coverage

MEDIA BIAS

http://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/Jade/06-Media_Bias-07.asp
by Ms. Jade

When is a scratch considered a front page dog mauling story? When the dog has short hair, nobody got a good look at it, and it might have been a "pit bull". So, when is a serious dog bite unworthy of anything more than a photo caption on the back page of the newspaper? When the dog is an AKC registered Akita show dog and wins Open Bitches at the Oklahoma City Summer Classic all breed show. Even more insulting, the Daily Oklahoman dismissed this embarrassing incident with the title "In the line of duty" and excused this breach of canine etiquette by making sure to mention that the attack occurred because another dog crossed the path of the Akita and bit her. Never mind the poor judge captured memorably on film trying to keep the blood off his suit. If this incident had happened at an ADBA or AADR sanctioned American Pit Bull Terrier show the dog would have been banned for life, its points for that show rescinded without a refund and the owner/handler immediately escorted off the show grounds by security. Further, the dog most likely would be euthanized regardless of titles or pedigree as we have a zero tolerance for "man biters" within the "fraternity". But the Akita "did not lose her award, show officials said", according to the Oklahoman.

But wait! What if the news report was wrong? Actually, at least when it comes to dog stories, it happens all too often. You see, I had a friend competing at this particular show and she informed me that both dogs involved in the one round fight were disqualified. Hey, but at least the dog's handlers weren't sentenced to seven years in prison for felony dog fighting and all the canines in attendance confiscated and killed for their own good…HSUS and PETA like to tell the authorities how to do their job in the "Sooner State" (and pretty much everywhere else)! Now THAT would have been a story worthy of the Oklahoman.

Today marks the one year anniversary of my "mad as hell and not going to take it any more" epiphany. I have spent the last twelve months reading news reports from around the world on dog related issues and one thing has become crystal clear: how (or even if) a dog bite story is reported is directly related to the alleged breed involved. If you own a Rottweiler, Doberman or American Pit Bull Terrier, then feel free to sing along. (Even if you don't really know the words, I'm sure you can hum the tune.) If you own any dog over 30 or 40 pounds, get ready to audition for the choir.

Never mind the fact that we have about fifty murders every day in this country, plus kidnapping, car jacking, rape, child molestation, armed robbery and a variety of other atrocities perpetration on humans – by humans, Those news stories are so commonplace that society has become desensitized. We have come to expect this type of behavior from our own species. But when humans allow "mans best friend" to be in a position to cause harm, STOP THE PRESSES! The traitorous act leaves us outraged. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The media scans police radio listening for specific dog breeds (among other things). A "pit bull" puppy at large call warrants a four alarm response, with firearms at the ready and makes for great videography, but an actual bite by another breed might be lucky to get a prompt response from animal control services, let alone a news crew unless there's an awful lot of blood.

When a French woman required an experimental face transplant last year because she was mutilated by her own Labrador Retriever, the media frenzy focused on the science involved in the procedure and how her supposed history of depression may have led her to attempt suicide, but the dog itself was glossed over. If she had owned a "pit bull" would the dog be alive today and would the media in our country have covered every painful moment in this woman's life from the horrific moment it happened? I think we all know the answers. It's no wonder the naïve public has a grossly distorted perception of the relative danger that any individual dog may possess. Check out: http://www.coldsteelpits.com/coldsteelmedia.htm

This should outrage you no matter what type of dog you own. We have a Constitutional right to equal protection under the law. Say an extra prayer for anyone who is injured by an OTPB (other than pit bull) as they might not elicit the same sense of urgency.

For example, let's compare two actual dog bites that happened recently, during the same week:
Attack #1 about a Cocker Spaniel mix named "Killer" (internet search revealed only one story, KFOXTV.com - News – "Family Dog Mauls Boy") that latched onto a toddler's face in the family home. The parents justified Killer's behavior by saying "He was eating. My son, I guess, got close to him". To quote the report "Family members ran into the room to find 'Killer' mauling the boy" and "D.J. received 9 stitches to his face." Contrasted with this Associated Press syndicated story:
Attack #2 is about an 8-year-old "border collie-pit bull" mix breed named Peppe who was promptly euthanized after an unsuccessful attempt at an introduction to the family's infant. (This one had countless internet links with headlines that included "Baby Girl Will Need Surgery After Pit Bull Attack", "Baby Girl Mauled By Family Pit Bull", and "Santa Barbara Child Mauled by Family Pit Bull".). While most of the reports did mention pit bull mix somewhere later in the story, only the local television station that personally interviewed the family seemed to mention the dog's Border Collie ancestry. The 11 month old child was treated and released at a local hospital and will likely need some cosmetic surgery. "Police said the dog had no history of biting humans, and that the mother is unlikely to face charges in connection with the attack."
Since neither first responders nor news reporters are breed experts, canine misidentification is commonplace. Almost every mongrel is reported as a "pit bull" mix, unless proven otherwise. Even then, if editors are forced to recant, it's buried somewhere among the obituaries. No wonder Thomas Jefferson wrote "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers". A television report has long since moved on. I still encounter people who believe that "pit bulls" killed Dianne Whipple in San Francisco in 2001 when it was actually two pure bred Presa Canario's. Not surprising when you consider that "pit bull" is just a slang term encompassing several breeds and mixes thereof.

Now the scary part…the most often quoted breed related bite statistics used as the basis for making public policy are collected from news reports! There is no national standard scientific method for collecting and analyzing this data because total breed populations cannot be accurately determined. Without a denominator, the numerator has no relevance. However, the March 2006 issue of Pediatrics analyzed regional studies where breed population could be reasonably determined by administrative district records. The medical charts of minors seeking medical attention for dog bites were referenced to the breed as verified by the veterinarian providing proof of rabies vaccination. The margin for error not withstanding, the resulting risk index showed that German Shepherds were five times more likely to cause bite trauma to minors that required medical attention than "pit bulls" over a ten year period (Sorry, Rin Tin Tin.) They also said that "we did not identify any of these fighting dog breeds to be likely to attack more frequently than the average". Pediatrics blamed the increased public awareness of those breeds on the media.

And it's even more eye opening to compare dog bite coverage of the same event from different news sources. I have files full of relevant inconsistencies. Most witnesses couldn't pick a real American Pit Bull Terrier out of a line up. Take the test yourself at:www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html but keep in mind that your 25 choices are all pure bred dogs. That makes it easier for a breeder, exhibitor or judge than "John Q. Public" (I easily identified all but three). So ask your friends and relatives to give it a try. Throw in an equal number of smooth coated mixed breeds and the difficulty would increase exponentially.
The November, 2004 mauling of a Cambridge newspaper boy that fueled the "pit bull ban" in Ontario, Canada (which includes every dog with "substantially similar" characteristics) was later grudgingly credited to a mixed breed named "Lyric" without any American Pit Bull Terrier in him. This sounds strikingly reminiscent of a 2002 Canadian television report "Vancouver girl badly injured in pit bull attack". A widely covered and very severe attack, further reporting eventually revealed the dog to be a Rottweiler-Mastiff mixed breed. (For more recent "media bias" in Canada try: http://chicobandido.blogspot.com/2006/07/peter-worthington-master-of.html

Cause of death should only be determined by the coroner. Speculation undermines journalistic integrity. When 41-year-old Glenda Jackson's body was found dead in the middle of a Bakersfield, CA street with apparent dog bites on her legs a few weeks ago, the Associated Press reported that "four stray dogs -- all pit bull mixed breeds -- found near the body around 4 a-m Friday were captured and will be euthanized. Three days later, dog bite was ruled out as the cause of death, but I could only find one news source that carried an update to the story.
This bears a remarkable similarity to the December, 2002 New York Post headline "Killer Pit Bulls Rip Granny to Shreds", which the New York Times ran as "Pet Pit Bulls Kill Woman, 80, in Her Home". The family hired a forensic pathologist who determined that although the victim had sustained some bites, all were non-lethal and post mortem." Granny" it seems, was not ripped to shreds but died from cardiac arythmia and the dogs (a female "pit bull" and a Lab/"pit bull" mix) were eventually returned to their owners. Perhaps, as has been claimed about the French face removing Labrador Retriever, these dogs were only trying to wake someone up.!
When the body of twenty five year old Brandon Coleman was discovered in his West Virginia home with dog bites to his neck, Morgantown police Chief Phil Scott would only state that "It would be premature for us to say anything publicly until we have the facts". The news report showed less restraint and made sure to mention that Coleman owned a "pit bull". Although the medical examiner's office determined that the dog did actually end up causing his death, something else was also revealed; the police chief said it appeared that Coleman also had a seizure, and that during the seizure the dog may have tried to help him, but in the process ended up causing the damage.

The untimely demise of (yet another) San Francisco resident, 12 year old Nicholais Fabish in June of last year is now rumored to have been caused by head trauma, not dog bite as reported. The coroner's findings have been requested and will be made very public at the conclusion of the trial. Animal rights activists exploited this horrific and preventable tragedy just because the mother of the year locked him in the basement while the families "pit bulls" were fornicating upstairs. This event was the sorry excuse for SB861 which now threatens the rights of every dog breeder in CA, and potentially the rest of the country.

Canine villains go in and out of fashion but the media machine marches onward. Even if the doggy genocide advocates were to eliminate "pit bulls", Rottweilers and the like from the face of the earth, the media would certainly fill the void. Last fall, Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass devoted an entire article to the recommendation that every dog over 15 lbs be subject to a $1,000 yearly ownership privilege fee, and that the state should license animal trainers to evaluate dogs temperament and obedience skills at least twice a year in order to qualify for a discount. Non compliance would result in immediate confiscation and destruction of the offending dog, without due process! That's not all; Kass goes on to suggest a $3,000 annual breeder permit as well, all in the name of public safety. (His mommy should have named him Jack Kass…) So, does the reckless power of the press concern you yet?

Most frightening of all is the fact that it only seems to take one single sensationalized media report of a "pit bull" incident to initiate the hasty writing of additional (and usually unnecessary) restrictive laws, the attempted enforcement of which financially burdens every taxpayer. It doesn't even matter if that jurisdiction has never, ever had a "pit bull" problem before. The media will rally the troops.

Kansas City Star commentator Greg Clark just led with the statement "Keeping pit bulls, chows and Rottweilers in our cities is just like playing Russian roulette with fangs" in a story with a headline of "ENOUGH TALKING, TIME TO BAN PIT BULLS ". He then goes on to state that he's been banging this drum since the1990's but complains that policy makers just aren't doing enough to trample our civil liberties. He ended with "Now, please, no more talk. Just ban the animals. Otherwise our cities will continue to play Russian roulette with fangs." Feel free to call him at (816) 234-7803, or better yet, contact the Editor and Vice President of the "Star" Mark Zieman at (816) 234-4878, before Clark has a chance to collect his pension.

In recent history, there have been human fatalities caused by over thirty breeds including a Pomeranian, "Yorkie", Alaskan Malamute, "Westie", Airedale, "Lab", Border Collie, Great Dane, St. Bernard, Siberian Husky, etc. This spring, a ten lb. "terrier mix" contributed to the death of a 91 year old alzheimers patient in a Tuscon, AZ assisted care facility when she tore away most of the flesh (from the wrist to past the elbow) off the woman's arm, according to the medical examiner's office. The Arizona Daily Star reported on July 15th (in the only story I've seen on this), that the facility owner "surrendered the dog to Pima Animal Care Center immediately following the May 20 (2006) incident. The dog had no rabies or other health problems, and staff at the center found her to be friendly and well-behaved. Animal behavior experts agreed, and the dog was adopted by a new owner on July 3". (I'll bet they renamed her "Lucky" - lucky she wasn't a "pit bull" that is!) And don't forget the countless human maulings by "OTPB's". These stories (however horribly graphic) for some reason lack the impetus to change public policy in the same way that the sensational reporting of the vicious "pit bull" attack does.
Don't despair! There is a tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel. After a year of reading tabloid style journalism, I finally did find an in depth and well researched article on the American Pit Bull Terrier. (Hey, the best reporting is on the internet anyway. I mean you're reading TheDogPress, aren't you?) Check it out at: http://www.alibi.com/index.php?story=15663&scn=featureand be sure to send a note of appreciation to the journalist with the integrity to write it. It's only a start, but if we hold the media accountable as individuals, we can turn the tide. Ok, everybody sing along, all together now! A one and a two and a three and a four…

"Don't wanna be an American idiot.One nation controlled by the media.Information age of hysteria.It's calling out to idiot America."by Green Day

Ms. Jade, TheDogPress Legislative ReporterJade@TheDogPress.com

more officials caught with neglect

Why is it always pit bulls that are targeted by those who don't care and have no respect for life.  These dogs deserved much better

Complaints lead to death, decay

Investigators find sick, dead dogs at home of former Stateville official

MICHAEL R. SCHMIDT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The decaying remains of an animal, which state investigators believe is a pit bull, lie Tuesday afternoon beneath a garbage can in the back yard of a home in Crest Hill.

By Joe Hosey

staff writer

CREST HILL — State investigators found two dead dogs — the charred remains of one crawling with maggots — and five ailing pit bulls in a filthy pen outside the home of a former Stateville official's home.

The official, Robert Griffin, was not home when the two investigators, a state trooper and Joliet Township Animal Control officers canvassed his home Tuesday outside the Stateville prison walls on Illinois 53.

A Stateville employee for nearly 23 years, Griffin became the assistant warden of programs at Pontiac Correctional Center in April 2005, said Derek Schnapp, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections. He still lives on the Stateville grounds and commutes to his job at the Pontiac prison.

A state animal investigator, Bob Darrin, said he received a complaint about animal abuse on the property. Township animal control also received a citizen complaint that was routed through county animal control, said animal control Director Andy Ivanicky.

Animal control alerted state police. A trooper arrived to take a report on the matter. State police said Tuesday evening that they still did not know who resides at the house.

Five living but debilitated pit bulls were recovered from a chain link pen that stank of feces. A pail in the pen was filled with muddy brown water.

An animal control officer took custody of the living dogs. They were to be checked by a veterinarian before they would be transported and impounded at a facility to be determined, Ivanicky said.

Animal control officers also lifted an upside-down trash and found burned, maggot-infested remains of another pit bull. A dog could be heard barking inside Griffin's house.

Reached on his cell phone, Griffin said he was trying to "place" 10 puppies recently spawned by his female pit bull.

"I'm a very responsible dog owner," Griffin said. "I just happened to have 10 puppies at the same time."

Griffin explained that the puppies turned on each other.

"They were challenging each other, fighting and one puppy got killed," Griffin said.

He denied any knowledge of the rotting, maggoty dog carcass and theorized it may be the remains of a coyote killed by his dogs. He was not sure how the dead animal got beneath a garbage can.

"The reason I have those dogs, that field out there is full of coyotes," he said.

Griffin said he feeds the dogs twice a day and that they have clean water. He said the dogs had fouled the water seen Tuesday.

"They play in it," he said. "They're dogs."

- Contact Joe Hosey at (815) 729-6054 or e-mail him at jhosey@scn1.com.

08/02/06

Pit Bulls Out of the Doghouse

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pitbulls3aug03,0,550792.story?coll=la-home-headlines

A long-maligned breed is getting an image makeover. But skeptics say those fighting genes are hard to overcome.

By Carla Hall, Times staff writer
August 3, 2006

The bar is crowded, but Karen Dawn doesn't hesitate to enter with her two dogs in tow. Paula sports a pink bandanna around her neck; Buster, a camouflage kerchief.

Oblivious to the din of voices and music, Paula and Buster quietly make their way through the tangle of patrons' feet, pausing to bask in the massage of hands reaching down to pet them. "They're usually on someone's lap," says Dawn, who seeks out animal-friendly restaurants and bars like this one in Venice.

Monica Paull, sitting nearby, gushes, "Your dogs are amazing!" She pats the empty spot next to her and Paula hops up.

At this moment, it's difficult to believe that Paula and Buster share a heritage with dogs that have, this summer, fatally mauled a man in San Bernardino County and seriously wounded an 11-year-old girl in a school bathroom in the San Fernando Valley and an 11-month-old girl in Santa Barbara.

But Paula, with her wide cheekbones and brown-and-white color, is unmistakably a pit bull. Buster is a pit bull mix.

So how is it that two dogs belonging to a breed that is controversial, feared, banned by some cities and possessed of the worst public relations in the canine world end up cuddling with beach community hipsters?

Paula and Buster are evidence of a phenomenon that is emerging in some unexpected parts of the city: the well-socialized pit bull.

From the lofts of downtown to the streets of West Hollywood to the bungalows of Venice, pit bulls increasingly can be seen strolling with their people. Oscar winner Jamie Foxx has two pit bulls. Britney Spears' husband, Kevin Federline, made celebrity magazine news walking with a pit bull in Malibu.

And even television has offered up a trusty pit bull: The young heroine of "Veronica Mars" has a canine companion named Backup.

The city of Los Angeles issued licenses for 3,040 pit bulls in the fiscal year that ended in June — more than twice as many (1,664) as the city gave out four years ago. Los Angeles County, which licenses 265,000 dogs in the unincorporated parts of the county as well as 49 cities, has registered 10,708 pit bulls.

No one is suggesting that pit bulls have replaced the Chihuahua as the new "it" dog — at least not until Paris Hilton gets one. And county statistics show that the biggest concentrations of licensed pit bulls are in Compton and Lancaster, not Malibu or Beverly Hills. But trainers and animal shelter staffers and rescuers see a trend: increasing adoptions by families, professionals and others willing to attempt to raise a civilized pit bull.

"As far as I'm concerned, pit bulls are one of the most popular breeds," said Shell Jones, a professional dog walker for nine years. On a recent morning at the Laurel Canyon Dog Park, she and her husband, Vance Floyd, who run their service together, were shepherding a canine flock of about 20, including pit bulls Bernadette, Figgy, Louis and Bridie.

"With pit bulls, [behavior] just has to do with who takes care of the dog," she said.

Bobby Dorafshar, 49, who has been training dogs in the area since 1989 and rescuing them for nearly a decade, points to the so-called gentrification of the pit bull: "You go to West Los Angeles, you go to the higher-class areas, you see people adopting pit bulls. I see that a lot more these days."

At the city's West L.A. shelter, staffers enthusiastically promote the pit bulls they believe are temperamentally agreeable. "The best dogs," said Charla Fales, an animal-care technician and volunteer liaison at the shelter, "are the female pits who've had puppies. They mother everyone — dogs, kids."

David and Adriane Borkin showed up at the West L.A. shelter looking for a family dog in late May. In an outdoor enclosure, they met Diamond, a brown brindle-coat pit bull, 2 or 3 years old, who had spent four months at the shelter and successfully undergone obedience training.

"We weren't really looking for anything in particular," said David Borkin, 33, an assistant building manager. "Just something that would go well with an apartment and a couple of kids and who'd be alone during the day."

At their first meeting, Diamond rolled over and turned her big brown eyes up at Adriane and David. The couple grinned and David rubbed the dog's belly.

Diamond found a new home with the Borkins and their children, Madison, 10, and Spencer, 8. She also acquired a new name: Daisy.

Kansas City is the newest "Denver"

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/15155304.htm

PIT BULL CRACKDOWN KCK seizes 20 dogs

Animal-control officers in Kansas City, Kansas, had rounded up 20 pit bulls by Saturday afternoon, the Police Department reported.

The Unified Government on Friday announced a crackdown on pit bulls after Jimmie Mae McConnell, 71, died after a dog attack Thursday.

By Saturday afternoon, a pit bull hot line — (913) 573-8911 — had received 44 tips. Only one dog had been dropped off voluntarily at the city’s animal control center. Animal-control workers had gone on 14 calls dispatched by police.

Pit bulls are illegal in Kansas City, Kan., but there is a two-week amnesty period for owners to turn in their dogs. For more information, call (913) 321-1445.

China Massacres 50,000 Dogs

http://www.comcast.net/news/international/asia/index.jsp?cat=ASIA&fn=/2006/08/01/446255.html&cvqh=itn_dogs

Chinese County Massacres 50,000 Dogs
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 1, 3:26 AM

SHANGHAI, China - A county in southwestern China has killed as
many as 50,000 dogs in a government campaign ordered after three
people died from rabies, official media reported Tuesday.

The five-day massacre in Yunnan province's Mouding county spared
only military guard dogs and police canine units, the Shanghai
Daily reported, citing local media.

Dogs being walked were taken from their owners and beaten on the
spot, the newspaper said. Other killing teams entered villages
at night, creating noise to get dogs barking, then honing in and
beating them to death.

Owners were offered 63 cents per animal to kill their dogs
before the teams were sent in, the report said.

The massacre was widely discussed on the Internet, with both
legal scholars and animal rights activists criticizing it as
crude and cold-blooded. The World Health Organization said more
emphasis needed to be placed on prevention.

"Wiping out the dogs shows these government officials didn't do
their jobs right in protecting people from rabies in the first
place," Legal Daily, a newspaper run by the central government's
Politics and Law Committee, said in an editorial in its online
edition.

Dr. Francette Dusan, a WHO expert on diseases passed from
animals to people, said effective rabies control required
coordinated efforts between human and animal health agencies and
authorities.

"This has not been pursued adequately to date in China with most
control efforts consisting of purely reactive dog culls," Dusan
said.

The Shanghai Daily said 360 of Mouding county's 200,000
residents suffered dog bites this year. The three rabies victims
included a 4-year-old girl, the report said.

"With the aim to keep this horrible disease from people, we
decided to kill the dogs," Li Haibo, a spokesman for the county
government was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News
Agency.

Calls to county government offices rang unanswered on Tuesday.

China has seen a major rise in the number of rabies cases in
recent years, with 2,651 reported deaths from the disease in
2004, the last year for which data was available, according to
the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Experts have tied the rise in part to an increase in dog
ownership, particularly in rural areas where about 70 percent of
households keep dogs. Only about 3 percent of Chinese dogs are
vaccinated against rabies, according to the center. Access to
appropriate treatment is highly limited, especially in the countryside.