. . . . the boy’s head was inside the dog’s mouth. His scalp was ripped off during the attack. The head and the face were completely bloody. The child’s scalp was laying on the ground. One of his eyes was severely injured.
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Five-year-old Anthony Ivey was attacked by Charles Gay's pit bull on March 14th. Following the attack Anthony spent five weeks at Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston and at the Medical Center of Central Georgia.
Charles Gay, a Macon attorney, was jailed on the day of the attack on a child-cruelty charge and bonded out the following day. According to the Macon Telegraph his home appears to be unoccupied.
[Gay] was “very nonchalant and even laughed,” saying, “I just never seen him [the pit bull] do anything like that.”
Gay did nothing to restrain the dog during the attack.
Charles Edward Gay
Gay's dogs had a long history of violence. At least two of Gay's dogs, a Rottweiler and pit bull, were killed in his backyard by other dogs he owned. According to records a neighbor tried to kill one of Gay's pit bulls with a pitchfork in 2008 after it killed his cat. Animal control had removed one of Gay's pit bulls and put it to death for being dangerous.
Eddie Deeb, whose parents' home is next door to Gay, came to Anthony's rescue while Gay watched from the sidelines. Deeb said his elderly parents had not ventured into their own back yard the last few years, out of fear for their safety. “This (incident) should have never happened,” Deeb said.
Deshala Dixon, an assistant district attorney, said Gay’s case has been delayed since March 14th because she has been unable to talk with the five-year-old victim, who spent several weeks in hospitals.
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It is difficult to find positive outcomes following a mauling of this severity, but in this case there are several. Eddie Deeb deserves to be honored with a citizen hero award; other communities have honored those who rescue victims of pit bull attacks and Macon should not ignore their heroes. Also, the police are to be commended for arresting Charles Gay on the day of the attack.
Macon's excellent newspaper, The Telegraph, has provided thorough, intelligent coverage, with ongoing analysis of the attack on Anthony and its aftermath on his family and rescuer. A local rescue organization, Heart of Georgia Humane Society, offers free spaying to any female pit bull whose owners live in Macon. And finally, the Ousley Place neighborhood will be safer, now that Gay's pit bulls are gone.
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Sources:
The attack on Anthony Ivey::
Pit bull just like a demon, The Telegraph, March 15, 2013
Boy mauled by pit bull undergoes third surgery,
The Telegraph, April 2, 2013
Family fears psychological scars,
The Telegraph, June 30, 2013
The Telegraph special coverage:
Effort underway to control Macon’s pit bull population,
The Telegraph, June 28, 2013
Debate swirls around pit bull ownership,
The Telegraph, June 30, 2013
Related Material:
Overview of "breed specific" laws, Kenneth Phillips, Dog Bite Law
Statistics:
Statistics are from the 30+ year, continuously updated Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, published by Animal People. To view or download the current PDF click here. This page may also include information from Dogsbite and Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.
The information on euthanasia rates is from Pit bulls and Political Recklessness, by Merritt Clifton. Shelter intake and euthanasia rates are published annually in the July/August edition of Animal People.
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