The New Normal

In the short time since SRUV first addressed the NH SPCA earlier this week, more incidents involving these dogs have come to our attention. 

NH SPCA

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SRUV recently addressed a series of posts to the New Hampshire SPCA. The subject was the adopting out of fighting breeds. As part of the series SRUV  listed a number of dog attacks, all committed by recently adopted pit bulls which had been placed in family homes by animal shelters and humane societies.

The current news is once again filled with accounts of attacks by rescued pit bulls.

One of the more trenchant accounts is of the attack and fatal mauling of a 10-year old Yorkshire Terrier named Zoar. Zoar's human companions, Alda and Rikk Crill of Longmont Colorado, were walking their two Yorkies when a large pit bull charged and ripped Zoar's chest open.

Animal control ticketed the owner of the pit bull, Courtney Ebert-Hein,  on "suspicion of failure to control an animal and possession of an aggressive animal."  The pit bull "happily greeted animal control officers while still covered in Zoar's blood," and was returned to the safety and comfort of his home. Ebert-Hein, the mother of two children, said her family plans to keep the pit bull. She would like to apologize to the Crills.

We're sorry Courtney, but in this case saying you're sorry would not suffice.

The pit bull had been adopted from the Longmont Humane Society three months ago.  Current news also carries accounts of attacks by recently adopted pit bulls in Gainesville, Florida and Elgin, Illinois.

Liz Smokowski, the executive director of the LHS, said that the pit bull's record shows that she had a good record of playing with other dogs. Ebert-Hein, on the other hand, told officers that she had been warned that the dog had been involved in a fight at the shelter.

Smokowski also claimed that humane society staff counseled the new owners that the pit bull must remain on a leash. "It is important that you take precautions," she said. "This is why there are leash laws in effect."

Leash laws? Do these people realize what they sound like when they say stuff like this? Has she been living in a cave? All Ms Smokowski would have to do is browse the internet for five minutes to learn how frequently pit bulls break restraints, crash through windows, invade homes, and break through fences, so they can pursue an attack. She can, in fact, read numerous stories to this effect here on the pages of SRUV.

This is not the first time that LHS has been in the news. Last year, following a pit bull attack in a nearby town, it was the the LHS director of behavior and training, Aimee Sadler, who cautioned readers that the attack "doesn't mean that people should be wary of all pit bulls."

On the very same day the Longmont attack was in the news, a pit bull entered a yard and killed a cat in Deltona Florida. The animal control officer who responded to the scene there "found both owners at fault because both animals were unrestrained."  The victim was a cat in its own front yard.

Is this the new normal?

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News Source: Pit Bull attacks 10-year old Yorkie; Longmont Times-Call
News Source: Pit bull enters yard, kills cat, Daytona Beach News Journal

Related post: NH SPCA

See Also: Today's pit bull attacks in the US

NH SPCA: III

Pit bulls which are adopted out to families by SPCAs and shelters continue to make the news. In the short time since SRUV first addressed the NH SPCA earlier this week, more incidents involving these dogs have come to our attention. We've listed several below.

An 18-year old Elizabeth woman was bitten more than 20 times today by her dog, which then turned on a police officer who shot and killed it. . . . . The woman was first attacked by the dog, a pit bull rescue, inside her home.

The Star-Ledger, New Jersey

A 6-year-old Rochester Hills girl was hospitalized Saturday night after a pit bull bit her in the face and thigh. The homeowner told sheriff's deputies the pit bull is a rescue dog.
Rochester Hills Patch

And from a news story posted on April 5th:

Three year old Ryland Moody was in critical condition after undergoing surgery at Arkansas Children's Hospital, a spokeswoman said. The child was attacked by a pit bull his mother adopted less than a month ago, and is being treated for severe trauma to the face and head.
Arkansas News

Finally, also on April 5th:

I saw the dog throw the kid around, one neighbor said. It was clamped so tight on him you couldn’t get him free. If we hadn't managed to finally free him the dog could have grabbed his neck and he would have been done for. The pit bull was adopted from the Humane League of Lancaster County in February.
WHPTV.com, CBS21

What the headlines fail to tell us is the extent of the injuries in these attacks. An attack to a child's face is nearly always a disfiguring attack, with long term economic and human costs. Amaya Hess, who suffered a facial disfigurement attack as an infant in 2006, recently endured her 57th reconstructive surgery.

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News:
NH woman, dog, recover from pit bull attack
Girl attacked by pit bull to have 57th surgery

NH SPCA pit bull promotions:
Film showing follows pit bull attacks in N.H. (March 30)
Beware of pit bull bias, handlers say (March 4)

See Also: Today's pit bull attacks in the US

Columbus, GA

Radical animal rights activists have targeted Columbus with a national misinformation campaign, alleging animal abuse and mistreatment at the city's Animal Control Center.

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, March 29, 2012

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To: Teresa Tomlinson, Mayor, Columbus GA

We read with interest the article in the Ledger-Enquirer, which describes in detail the tactics used by advocates of fighting breeds to attack your city's Animal Care & Control. Similar tactics have previously been employed elsewhere in the country, and have led to the termination of dedicated employees at animal care facilities. 

I'm certain that, after reading the newspaper coverage, many people must have thought as I did: What's Wrong With This Picture? Perhaps you (or others) can add to my list below:

1. The city gave the dog to Animal Ark Rescue. This was the first mistake in this chain of errors, and it is the most understandable. Cities across the country are under increasing pressure to lower euthanasia rates, and are too quick to pass their animals off to unqualified rescue organizations. The organizations which "rescue" the dogs then take extraordinary measures, often with little oversight, to place them in new homes.
2. Animal Ark was irresponsible in placing this dog in a home with two smaller dogs.
3. Animal Ark was, additionally, irresponsible for placing the dog in a home without assuring that he was neutered and inoculated.
4. The adoptive owner did not fully inform herself of the hazards of adopting a fighting breed.
5. Animal Ark is demanding the return of the dog.
6. Katherine Poteat, a local animal rights activist, demanded that the Mayor divulge the dog's whereabouts, and also informed the Mayor that the issue was now in the hands of "The Lexus Project."
7. The city paid a contract veterinarian for an evaluation and continues to pay for the shelter and care of a dog that has a history of aggression and has little hope of being adopted.
8. The city has hosted a series of dog-and-pony shows for attorneys and reporters, all of which divert time and resources away from the animals who justifiably deserve them.

All this expense of time and money on behalf of a dog that has been declared vicious? Have we lost our senses?

As we mentioned above, the tactics described in the newspaper coverage have been employed by no-kill extremists before, but we have never before seen  news coverage of any successful resistance to them. We applaud you, your staff, and your city for resisting the extremists and for bringing these bullying, coercive tactics into the public view.

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Source:  Animal rights activists attack Columbus, GA

Google News:  Today's pit bull attacks in the US