News

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...]

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...]