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Detroit, MI -- The owners of a dozen dogs that attacked Steven Constantine on Oct 2 are not currently facing any criminal charges, but are being sued, based on a Friday filing by Mark Bernstein of the Sam Bernstein Law Firm. The lawsuit says the pack of nearly 12 dogs, some of them puppies according to Detroit police, attacked Constantine on the 4500 block of Pennsylvania and "began eating him alive." They're owned by Derrick and Elizabeth C. Felton, according to the lawsuit. When police arrived, they shot and killed one of the dogs, causing the remaining to flee into the nearby home from where they'd escaped. Police and animal control workers removed and euthanized the dogs, described as pit bulls. Constantine lay in the hospital in critical condition. He is recovering but had his left arm amputated, underwent multiple surgeries to his limbs and torso, and is without use of his right hand and foot, which suffered paralysis and may also be amputated, … [Read more...]

LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) — The morning walk that would be the last of Pamela Devitt's life was more than just a routine stroll. It was part of the retiree's effort to keep fit for her golden years with a young grandson.  The fitness regimen and the plan to move out of state with her husband to be closer to their son's family ended tragically when four pit bulls attacked, biting her more than 150 times. On Friday, the dogs' owner saw his future plans evaporate when he was sentenced in Los Angeles County Superior Court to 15 years to life in prison.  The rare second-degree murder conviction in a dog mauling had come because Alex Jackson repeatedly ignored complaints about his dogs from horseback riders, neighbors and a postman. Prosecutors said he was well aware of the danger they posed and did nothing about it.  Devitt, 63, hardly stood a chance when the dogs leaped over Jackson's fence and attacked her in May 2013, on the home stretch of her two-mile walk in the high desert town of … [Read more...]

SAGINAW, MI — A week after Saginaw water-meter reader Dave Delgado suffered his third career dogbite, he is back in action. "I'm not afraid of dogs," said Delgado, 49. "As far as do I worry about dogs now more than before? Yeah, I do. But I can't let it get to me. And I don't. That's the attitude I've got to have." Delgado observed the injury as he was walking away from reading a water meter at a home on South Fourth Street. "Something wasn't right," Delgado said. When he pulled up his pant leg to take a look, the Saginaw city employee looked down to see a bite mark on his thigh from a pit bull mixed-breed dog that had charged him while he was at the house on South Fourth, on Saginaw's East Side, Friday, Aug. 15. Delgado said he had seen the dog while approaching the home and asked the residents to put the animal away so he could approach. Eventually, he said, a man came out of the house to hold onto the dog.  "He had a problem trying to hold the dog," Delgado said. "Finally he got … [Read more...]

DETROIT — A pair of dogs attacked and mauled to death a man as he jogged down a quiet, dirt road in rural Michigan. Craig Sytsma, 46, of Livonia died of his injuries Wednesday night at a local hospital, police in Metamora Township said. "He was jogging, doing what everybody else does out there, running and riding bikes," said Metamora police Officer Sean Leathers, who was one of the first on the scene. Sytsma, a divorced father of three, was unconscious and undergoing CPR when Leathers arrived.Sytsma worked in nearby Oxford and had apparently decided to go for a jog after leaving work. The dogs were apparently running free on the road where the attack took place. Neighbors fired shots into the air to try to scare the dogs off the jogger. Afterward, the dogs retreated to their owner's home. The dogs are cane corsos, an Italian mastiff-type breed that the American Kennel Club says were property watchdogs that hunted wild boar in their native country. Their name derives from the Latin … [Read more...]

A 74-year-old man was severely mauled by two dogs belonging to his neighbor near Hawthorne on Friday morning. Roy McSweeney, of 259 Old Hawthorne Road in Putnam County, was rushed to Shands at the University of Florida for extensive surgery including an attempt to save one of his arms. The other arm had been completely ripped off by the dogs, said Putnam County Sheriff's Capt. Johnny Greenwood. "He was in his yard doing yard work when the dogs jumped over the fence and attacked him," Greenwood said, adding that the fence was thin wire. "An investigator said the surgery would take six to eight hours." Greenwood said McSweeney's right arm was ripped off by the dogs. His left arm was partially removed and his face was injured, Greenwood added. Full Article … [Read more...]

Home surveillance video showed how a little boy in Bakersfield, Indiana was saved by a cat. The mother shared the video with local news station 23ABC and described the events seen in the video. Her little boy playing on his bicycle when a dog snuck up on him and started attacking his leg.The family cat, Tara, sprung into action and slammed into the dog, chasing it away. The video also shows the injuries the boy suffered and the stitches he needed to get as a result of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-Opm9b2WDk … [Read more...]

HUBER HEIGHTS -- A woman frantically calls 911, trying to get some help in Huber Heights. She was making the call as her dog mauled a utility worker in her backyard. CALLER: "Can you please hurry, my dog is attacking this lady in my backyard and I can't help her because I'm nine months pregnant." That utility worker has some serious injuries, but she is expected to be OK. She works for a company called USIC. They locate ground utilities for local utility companies. Police say she entered the fenced-in backyard to do her work, but the homeowner didn't know she was out there and let the dog out. When the dog saw the worker, the dog immediately attacked, biting the woman. It wasn't until police arrived and fired shots near the pit bull, when the dog finally backed off. That dog has been quarantined by the Animal Resource Center and will likely return to the owner in a few days. The company USIC has not returned our call, so we are not sure of the policy they have on working on … [Read more...]

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...]