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BUNNELL, Fla. - The Flagler County animal shelter where a dog recently escaped and attacked a family of three will reportedly not be accepting animals for at least the next year. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports thte Second Chance Rescue in Bunnell announced on Thursday that they will be closing for the time being after the attack last week. Investigators say Amanda Andrews had left her two kids in a van to finish up some work at the shelter when the dog ran to the van, jumped inside and attacked her 3 year old son. Andrews was also attacked trying to stop the dog, who broke loose again and attacked her 5 year old daughter. All three were treated and released from the hospital. The dog will be quarantined. … [Read more...]

On May 22, 2012 a new Ohio law became effective that reclassified problem dogs. The legistlation aimed to distinguish dogs as a "nuisance, "dangerous" or "vicious." The classifications are important because they impose requirements on dog owners whose animals are considered dangerous or vicious. Unfortunately, the new laws have not prevented as many dog attacks as hoped for, as noncompliant owners have allowed their pets to victimize people again and again. A fatal attack in Dayton, Ohio, illustrates the problem. Full Article … [Read more...]

Mitchell R. Driggers, 31, was arrested Tuesday in connection with a dog mauling case that put a DHEC worker in the hospital. Driggers, of Dillon, turned himself in to the Dillon County Sheriff's Department. According to Capt. Cliff Arnette, Driggers is charged with owning a dangerous animal which attacked a human being. The attack happened February 4 along the 1900 block of Wilderness Place. Deputies with Dillon County Sheriff's were asked to check on a truck parked in the middle of the road. At the same time, a DHEC worker was following up on a call for a dog bite the day before along Wilderness Place. The police report indicates there was a pack of four dogs, and two of them were attacking Eric Rogers, a DHEC worker. A deputy fired warning shots in an attempt to break up the assault. Two of the dogs were reportedly puppies and were not attacking the victim. Full Article … [Read more...]

A man who whose dog bit a bystander after the bystander tried to stop him from punching the dog was arrested on multiple charges early Tuesday morning, including animal cruelty. The dog, described as a pit bull by police and witnesses, bit the bystander and was later choked so hard by the owner with the leash and collar that it trembled and defecated, according to a Gainesville Police Department report. Witness Kami Hotchkiss said she and her friends saw Rene Paul Cohn Jr., 34, of 1740 NW Second Ave., outside his home dragging and kicking the white dog and trying to get it to bite the people just after midnight. Full Article … [Read more...]

PALATKA, Fla. -- Putnam County Sheriff's deputies tell Action News a Rottweiler found in the yard of a home off East Towles Avenue in Palatka may be responsible for biting a man's head and face.  Sgt. Hancel Woods says a Good samaritan stopped to help the man, who was kneeling on the side of the road. "He was somewhat upright on the side of the road, possibly on his knees, trying to get her attention so she stopped. He apparently said something to her about a dog and that's all she was able to get." Woods says the woman stayed with the man until help arrived. The man, who suffered from severe injuries to his head, scalp and face, was able to tell a paramedic that a Rottweiler was responsible before he was flown to Shands Gainesville for immediate surgery. Police soon found a 90-pound Rottweiler in a neighboring yard, and took it into custody. … [Read more...]

In August, the White House issued a statement against breed discrimination. The statement issued was an adoption of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's community-based approach to prevent dog bites: Research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are ineffective and a waste of public resources. In 2000, the CDC looked at 20 years of data about dog bites and human fatalities in the U.S. They found that fatal attacks represent a very small proportion of dog bite injuries to people, and that it's impossible to calculate bite rates for specific breeds. The CDC noted that the types of people who exploit dogs aren't deterred by breed regulations. Dogs of any breed can become dangerous when they're intentionally or unintentionally raised to be aggressive. For all those reasons, the CDC officially recommends against breed-specific legislation, which they call inappropriate Full article … [Read more...]

A pit bull mix that bit and seriously injured a Chicago Animal Care and Control worker Saturday was euthanized after the incident, officials said. The stray dog was being held at the pound and was scheduled to be euthanized if not claimed by an owner when it bit the woman several times Saturday morning. The woman, 47, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious to critical condition. Her husband instructed the hospital not to disclose any information about her condition, hospital spokeswoman Dianne Hunter said Sunday. Full Article … [Read more...]

The White House denounced dog breed-specific legislation, such as Denver's ban on pit bulls, as “a bad idea” in a statement last month. So, how will the edict from Washington impact Denver? Not at all—at least for now. The White House statement, which was in response to a petition calling for the federal prohibition of such laws, was more of an empty threat than an indication of any potential federal action against dog laws like Denver’s—but it does reflects a rising trend against breed-specific legislation. Full Article … [Read more...]

A dog owner arrested Thursday was charged with murder in an attack involving a frenzied pack of dogs that killed a 63-year-old woman who suffered more than 150 puncture wounds in the mauling. Pamela Devitt was attacked on the morning of May 9 by dogs in on a Littlerock road in the southeastern Antelope Valley, northeast of Los Angeles. Hours after the attack, authorities served a search warrant on a nearby home, confiscated eight dogs and arrested their owner on suspicion of growing marijuana. Six pit bulls and two mixed breed dogs — some with blood on their coats and muzzles — were taken from the home of Alex Jackson, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. DNA tests on the blood confirmed that it was that of the victim, which led investigators to the 29-year- old Jackson, who was charged Wednesday with murder. He was arrested Thursday at his home and bail was set at $1.5 million. Arraignment is scheduled for Friday. If convicted, Jackson, pictured below, … [Read more...]

A single mother of four lost both of her legs and one of her arms when a single bite from one of her dogs infected her with a bacteria that sent her body into a septic shock. Christine Caron, 49, of Ottawa, Canada, was placed in an induced coma for a month and a half three days after one of her Shih Tzu mixes bit her hand during a game of tug-of-war on May 22. When she woke up, as she told CBCS News, "My feet were black, and my arm was sort of — it was mummified." Full Article … [Read more...]