There are a limited number of studies concerning the number of human deaths caused by dogs in the United States, and the number of attributed fatalities is difficult to validate or cross-compare with other study results because:
studies dependent on surveying news reports may not find all the relevant news items
different studies use different data collection methodologies and evaluation criteria
breed identification requires a subjective evaluation based on observation of outward physical attributes against imprecise breed standards.[3]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1974–1975
The first epidemiological study of dog-bite fatalities in the United States was conducted by an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1977.[4] The study reported that all but one of the cases involved male dogs. The breeds reported in these incidents were St. Bernard, German Shepherd, Dachshund, Basenji, Collie, Husky, and Great Dane. Most incidents involved victims who were smaller or weaker than the dog. Thus, children under 5 years old accounted for the majority of victims. The study concluded that human behavior which the dogs perceived as threatening was the single most important factor contributing to these incidents.
University of Texas Study: 1966–1980
A study[5] conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School identified 74 fatal dog bites during the period 1966–1980 from news media and medical literature.
Most fatalities were young children, including 23 infants under 1 year old. In most cases, the dog was owned by the victim's family. In only 3 of the incidents was the dog reported to have been provoked by kicking, hitting, or having stones thrown at it. However, several incidents involved a child attempting to pet or hug the dog.[5]
In 6 of the incidents, there was no information available about the kind of dogs involved. In ten fatal attacks, the dogs were only described as "mixed-breed".
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1979–1998
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study in 2000 on dog bite-related fatalities (DBRF) that covered the years 1979–1998. The report concluded that relying on media coverage of dog-bite-related fatalities presents a biased view of the dogs involved. They stated that media reports are likely to only cover about 74% of the actual incidents and that dog attacks involving certain breeds may be more likely to receive media coverage. They also reported that since breed identification is difficult and subjective, attacks may be more likely to be "ascribed to breeds with a reputation for aggression".[6]
The study found reports of 327 people killed by dogs over the 20-year period. Some breed information was available for 238 (73%) of the fatalities. Of 227 incidents with relevant data, 133 (58%) were unrestrained dogs and on the owners' property; 55 (24%) were loose off the owners' property; 38 (17%) were restrained dogs on their owners' property; and only one (less than 1%) was restrained off the owners' property.[6]
The study defined dog attacks as "a human death caused by trauma from a dog bite". Excluded from the study were deaths by disease caused by dog bites, strangulation on a scarf or leash pulled by a dog, heart attacks or traffic accident, and falling injury or fire ant bites from being pushed down by a dog. The study also excluded four deaths by trauma from dog bites by police dogs or guard dogs employed by the government.
Wolfdogs killed 14 people during the study period, and dogs identified only as "mixed-breeds" or "unknown" killed 15. Deaths from wolfdogs, also known as wolf hybrids, plummeted after most states banned them as pets.
This 27-year study collected data from the CDC Wide-Ranging OnLine Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) program.[1] It looked at cases in which the cause of death according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes was dog bites. It did not include fatalities secondary to an infection from a bite. During those 27 years, the study found 504 deaths due to dog bites. They estimated that there were likely many additional deaths due to dog bites that were not reported by the CDC WONDER program.
They found that the most of the victims were male (58.1%). Alaska had by far the greatest incidence per capita at 11.83 deaths per 10 million population. The rest of the states ranged from 0 to 2.56 deaths per 10 million population. The majority of victims (55.6%) were less than 10 years old. Regarding race of the victim, they found that 14.3% of the victims were black, despite the fact that only 3% of dog owners are black. 2005 had the most attacks during the study, with 33 deaths. 2003 had the next most with 32, reflecting the fact that populations of both humans and dogs increased during the study period.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association: 2000–2009
The most recent study of the epidemiology of fatal dog bites in the United States was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2013.[8] While earlier studies were based on television and newspaper reports, this was the first study to be based on law-enforcement reports, animal control reports, and investigator statements. It identified preventable factors in the fatal incidents. They found that the most common contributing factors were: absence of an able-bodied person to intervene, no familiar relationship of victims with dogs, owner failure to neuter dogs, compromised ability of victims to interact appropriately with dogs (e.g. mental disabilities), dogs kept isolated from regular positive human interactions versus family dogs (e.g. dogs kept chained in backyards), owners' prior mismanagement of dogs, and owners' history of abuse or neglect of dogs. Furthermore, they found that in 80% of the incidents, 4 or more of the above factors co-occurred.
The authors found that in a significant number of DBRFs there was either a conflict between different media sources reporting breed and/or a conflict between media and animal control reports relative to the reporting of breed. For 401 dogs described in various media accounts of DBRFs, media sources reported conflicting breed attributions for 124 of the dogs (30.9%); and where there were media reports and an animal control report (346 dogs), there were conflicting breed attributions for 139 dogs (40.2%)
According to this study, reliable verification of the breed of dog was only possible in 18% of incidents.
Media reports of fatal dog attacks in the United States
Attacked by her friend's lap dog in her theatrical agent's office in New York City. Her face was badly mutilated but she recovered and returned to the stage; one month later, after suffering greatly, she succumbed to the later stages of rabies and died on March 4.[9][10]
The dog attacked its owner while she was having an epileptic seizure. A neighbor tried to beat the dog away with a poker. It then attacked him and Carrie Cobus's mother.[13]
Fatalities reported in 1904
Date
Category of Dog
Victim's name
Victim's age
Circumstances
February 10
"Pet house dog"
William Huston
57 years
The dog had been poisoned by someone, so the man decided to shoot it to put it out of its misery. As he prepared to shoot, the dog bit him on the hand. He died several months later of rabies.[14]
The victim was described as a "cripple" who was killed by her pet Chow Chow.[20]
Fatalities reported in 1939
Date
Category of Dog
Victim's name
Victim's age
Circumstances
May 14
"a large dog"
Raymond Gene Smith
4 years
The boy was torturing a small dog by wrapping a sack around its head while it yelped and struggled to escape. The larger dog, a lifelong companion of the boy, reportedly attacked while coming to the aid of the smaller dog.[21]
Found in a pool of blood beside the crouching, growling dog with severe lacerations to the neck, arms, and shoulders. She died before arriving at the hospital. Investigators concluded she had fallen down some steps before the dog killed her. The SPCA killed the dog.[22]
August 27
"big black dog"
Dorothy Whipka
21 years
The woman was attacked by what was described as a "big black dog".[23]
The boy was killed while sledding. The dog reportedly had been in an incident the day before where it had attacked four children.[28] An article reported that the Philadelphia boy was "torn and mangled".[29]
The girl was dragged from her bassinet and killed. The girl's father said that the dog had never been vicious, but was jealous of his other child, 18-month old Lawrence May.[30]
The dog was 6 months old and had been acquired by the boy's family two weeks prior to the attack. The family said the dog had not shown any previous aggression. A veterinarian suggested that Michael may have made a sudden movement interpreted by the dog as a threatening gesture.[34]
A neighbor found the pack attacking the child. Afterwards, a group of 100–150 people armed with guns and clubs searched the area and killed 15 dogs and wounded or captured 3 more. The pack was a known nuisance in the area and they may have attacked the boy for food, as they were found eating his body.[37][38]
The dog was a full-grown male and prize-winning show dog. The victim was the owner of some local dog kennels, and there were no witnesses to the attack. Officers arriving found the dog in "a state of uncrontrollable wildness". The dog had lived alone with Frances since her husband's death six months earlier. The house was found in complete dissaray, with furnishings overturned and torn.[39]
Mauled by an Alaskan Malamute when he was left alone on a car seat with the dog. The five-year-old dog had been purchased a month prior as a watchdog.[41]
The dog had had been recently acquired for the purpose of hunting wild hogs. It had been severely mistreated at some point in the past, showing obvious signs of fear and stressed eating habits. The boy had wandered to the area of the yard where the dog was usually kept, chained, and the attack happened silently. The owner said that he'd had dogs all his life, but that this one "was a screwball".[42][43]
The girl was attacked by the family's chained Siberian Husky. The county coroner ordered a rabies test to be performed, believing that the dog had been scratched or bitten by other dogs.[44]
The dog had attacked the woman twice prior to the fatal attack. One month before the fatal attack, another attack had required 2 weeks of hospitalization.[45]
When the attack happened the boys were playing in a nearby creek. The dogs were owned by a neighbor who often kept them penned up but let them loose to work on his house. They had recently been accused of killing pets in the area, but had never shown any animosity towards children, and had even played with the boys on several occasions.[48]
Mauled by her family's dog in the front yard of her home in Lookout Mountain, GA. According to the sheriff, the dog "killed the girl accidentally, during a playful romp" and that it "didn't appear vicious". She bled to death from wounds inflicted by the dog.[49]
The child's parents left her in a pen with the dog, which was owned by a friend. They returned 15 minutes later and found the baby bleeding from multiple bites. The baby died two hours later at the hospital.[52]
The girl was attacked by the dog that neighbors said she had thrown rocks at and punched in the past. The attack occurred while she was watching nearby construction work and the owner said the dog had "always been gentle before".[53]
Killed by the 4-year-old pedigreed dog that belonged to his family and had known the boy all his life. The boy was following his mother around when the apparently unprovoked attack took place, and afterwards the dog roamed the house growling and barking.[54]
The husband said they were sitting in the living room when the 7-year-old dog, which they had had since it was a puppy, latched onto the woman's throat and she died within minutes.[62]
The dog was usually kept on a chain, but the chain was broken and the dog was being kept with just a rope. The dog broke the rope, broke through a screen door and killed the boy before being shot dead with a .22 by the boy's father. The father said the dog had always been gentle when he was on the chain.[63]
Killed after the mother left her alone for 1.5 hours with the starving, 4-month-old, 15-pound, female dog. Mother was charged with negligent homicide, however the charges were later dropped.[69]
The boy was playing with the dog and had a stick in his hand, when the dog apparently "became angry." The 7-year-old dog was said to have "never even growled at anyone."[70]
Fatalities reported in 1977
Date
Category of Dog
Victim's name
Victim's age
Circumstances
January 3
unknown
Darrell Enneking
6 years
Attacked by a large dog while walking home from school.[71]
The boy was killed after being left alone for a few minutes by his deaf babysitter. The 11-month-old dog entered the boy's playpen and the babysitter said the dog was "only playing with the child."[76]
The German Shepherd had attacked at least 3 other people prior to this incident. The Irish Setter was also suspected, but no human remains were found in its stomach.[77]
The boy died after the 6-year-old dog chewed off his legs while the mother slept in a nearby room. The dog was described as well-behaved by neighbors and friends.[80]
The dog had been given to the family a week before the girl was born. It was always kept outside, but managed to open the door and enter the house before turning over the bassinet and biting the baby on the head.[84]
The woman had long been afraid of her neighbor's dogs in the trailer park where they lived. The dogs were usually kept chained to a post, but the day they attacked they were loose and killed the woman when she bent to pick up a newspaper. The adult dog had been trained as an attack and guard dog.[99]
The woman was killed after she fell on the 8-year-old, intact, male dog. The dog, named King Boots, was a prize-winning show dog and rated top dog of his breed by the American Kennel Club.[105]
Fatalities reported in 1985
Date
Category of Dog
Victim's name
Victim's age
Circumstances
June 27, 1985
"family dog"
Melissa O'Rourke
3 years
The girl was killed, and her grandmother injured when attacked by the family dog.[106]
Fatalities reported in 1986
Date
Category of Dog
Victim's name
Victim's age
Circumstances
January
Feral dogs (8) (with an appearance "similar to pit bull dogs")
Stephen Fiengo
6 years
While playing alone in a field near his home, he was attacked by 8 wild dogs.[107] He died later from infection of his wounds. Although the dogs were reported to be wild, the sheriff's sergeant said they had an appearance "similar to pit bull dogs" and was suspicious that they were involved in dog fighting.[108]
Early in the morning, her father heard her scream and ran downstairs to find the dog biting her head. The dog, "Toby", was 80 pounds, eight years old, and had been their family dog for nine months. She died of several bites to the head and neck. Experts expressed surprise, noting that the breed had been well known for its gentleness and for being good with children.[120]
The baby was found chewed to death after being dragged from her crib by her mother's 100-pound dog. The mother faced criminal charges for the attack in addition to other drug-possession convictions.[122] The dog had a history of also biting the mother, other humans, and attacking other dogs.[123]
The baby was fatally mauled by the family's pit bull.[126]
Fatalities reported in 1989
Date
Category of Dog
Victim's name
Victim's age
Circumstances
January
2 male dogs (breed never specified) and 1 female Doberman/Labrador mix
April Loveless
4 years
The child was found badly injured on her family's rural property, covered in scratches and with a deep, fatal wound to one thigh; a large chunk of flesh, including blood vessels and the femoral artery, had been torn out. April died of blood loss at a hospital. Though the parents said they suspected the dogs, police suspected her parents of torturing her to death, and they were convicted in late 1989 of her murder. In 1992, after the couple's new lawyers got access to ER and autopsy photos showing evidence of dogs, their convictions were vacated.[127]
Autopsy determined he died from bites inflicted by the 4- to 6-year-old dog. The dog, which had belonged to his son, attacked Mr Bunting's wife earlier that day. It killed Mr Bunting while the wife was at the hospital being treated for her bites.[129]
The girl was bitten on the face while playing with her father's tenant's dog. She was brought to the hospital for surgery and her heart stopped during the operation. She died 2 days later from lack of oxygen to the brain. Her death was not directly due to the dog bite.[136][137]
The girl's father was a police officer and the dog was a police dog he worked with. The 5-year-old dog took the baby from her bassinet in the family's home.[138]
The dog was a guard dog kept in the vacant lot behind an alcohol treatment facility. The boy had been teasing the dog by shooting rubber bands at it. When he entered the yard to retrieve the rubber bands he was attacked and killed.[139]
The boy had found the dog and was leading it through his neighborhood on a leash looking for its owner. He had also taken along his own dog, a Rottweiler-Chow mix. When he was attacked by the lost dog, his own dog reportedly tried to defend him.[142]
Jeffrey David Mann, 35 years-old at the time, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for ordering his 70-pound pit bull to attack Kaplan, his girlfriend. It was later determined that Mann had earlier sexually molested the oldest of the two daughters he had with Kaplan along with three of her girlfriends.[147]
The dog attacked the boy after breaking out of a fenced-in enclosure where it was usually kept. The victim's mother was in the yard at the time of the attack, but was unable to drag the 121lb dog off her son in time to prevent it killing him. Neighbors said the dog was frequently allowed out of the kennel to play with local children as long as a parent was present, and no one could recall the dog frightening or attacking anyone before.[148]
The dog was usually kept chained to a water heater outside the house. She somehow got loose, got into the house, and killed the sleeping baby. The dog was later euthanized along with its four 10-week-old puppies.[151]
The boy was killed when visiting the trailer where the dogs lived to check on one that he had hit earlier in the day with his go-cart. The boy's father and cousins were accused of burning the trailer where the dogs lived in retaliation.[155]
The Rottweilers, one male and one female, had rarely left the fenced-in backyard since they were puppies. Alec's uncle came home and let the dogs into the yard, where Alec's 8-year-old cousin and others had regularly played with the dogs in confidence. Alec, visiting from another town, followed his cousin into the yard, and the attack occurred. His grandmother stopped the attack, but not before it caused severe wounds to the head and neck. Alec was found unresponsive by EMTs and taken to intensive care. The dogs were seized and taken into quarantine. The decision to take Alec off life support was made just after noon on Sunday. The dogs were euthanized on Monday. No charges had been filed as of Tuesday.
A woman in Tennessee went outside of her home to check the weather and was fatally mauled by two Rottweilers owned by a neighbor; the dogs had attacked and injured the woman 1 month before the fatal attack.[153]
The Crivitz, WI family had adopted the two dogs after they had been found as strays. The girl was alone with the dogs in the back yard when she was bitten and left with multiple puncture wounds. She died at the hospital that day. The sheriff said that the 50 to 60-lb dogs were not Pit bulls or Rottweilers, but unknown mixed-breeds that looked as if they had Labrador retriever and German shepherd ancestry. Before the attack, the girl and dogs had played together with "no problems". After the attack, the dogs were destroyed and tested negative for rabies.[170]
The child was asleep in bed before his grandparents heard a noise and then found the dog shaking him in its mouth. The family had owned the dog for 9 years.[171]
March
Unclear (see text)
Darrel Roberson
42 years
A newspaper carrier found the man with the two dogs chewing on him. The dogs were never identified or found, but police said they were "relatively sure" they were Rottweilers or Doberman Pinschers.[172]
The child was mauled to death by his family's 3-year-old dog, which seemed to be an outdoor dog kept on a tie-out. The child's body was found by his sisters; the dog was standing over Daryl's body, growling. Neighbors had to beat the dog back to retrieve the child's body. The neighbor who retrieved Daryl's body said there were bite marks on the neck, and that his shirt was torn. It was thought Daryl was attacked in the morning, but his body wasn't found until afternoon.
Dorothy Stewart was a census worker who had gone to the rural home to survey the occupants. The owners of the dogs had been cited for failing to restrain them on multiple previous occasions.[175]
The infant was in a baby swing in her grandparent's bedroom as her mother ran to prepare a bottle. One or both dogs bit the baby in the head, crushing her skull.[176]
Playing in the backyard of his Baton Rouge home when he got too close to a tethered pet, "Baby", who bit him repeatedly, severing an artery. Died within hours in the hospital. Family had the dog destroyed.[178]
Killed by her neighbor's two dogs in the hall of her San Francisco apartment building.[179] The incident sparked an extensively publicized aftermath and the owners went to prison. The dogs, "Hera" and "Bane", had reportedly been mistreated and trained for violence by previous owners.
The girl's 16-year-old mother, Lisa Small, gave birth to the baby and then threw her into the backyard for her to be eaten by the dog living there.[180][181]
Killed by stray dogs in a park where he had gone alone to play. His mother went to jail and lost custody of her other son for not supervising the child. Sparked review of Animal Control procedures because neighbors complaints about the free-ranging dogs in the park had not been successfully responded to. Sparked a police round-up of ten stray dogs in and around the park: two chows, a Rottweiler, a German shepherd and six mixed-breed dogs.[183]
Killed by her neighbor's six dogs. The dogs' owner received 2 years in prison for leaving her alone with the dogs which had previously exhibited dangerous behavior.[195][196]
Killed by her babysitter's dog when she left her alone in the house. The babysitter was sentenced to one year in jail for involuntary manslaughter. The dog had previously bitten two other children.[211]
Killed by her neighbor's three dogs, one of which had attacked another neighbor seven months earlier. The owner was sentenced to six months in jail for owning a dangerous dog that caused death.[216]
Killed by her neighbor's six dogs. The owner was convicted of manslaughter[217] and sentenced to 12.5 years in prison.[218] Some news articles reported the dogs were "Labrador-pit bull dogs",[219] but other articles and court documents referred to them as just "pit bull mix."
Wandered with his brother from his parents, a farmer and his wife who were working their land, onto an adjacent farm. Got too close to a chained dog, who, although well-fed and watered, appeared to spend most of his time tethered in place.[222]
Killed by his father's four dogs.[226] The father was charged with involuntary manslaughter and a federal charge of assaulting a postal worker who tried to rescue the victim.[227] He was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after being convicted on the assault charge and related drug and weapons charges.[228]
While she was sleeping next to her mother at a friend's house, the dog grabbed the child, dragged it down the hall, and killed it. The dog was usually kept outside but brought inside that night because it was cold out.[238]
Killed by a neighbor's 3 dogs while playing in the front yard at the home of her birth parents. This was not the girl's regular residence because she had been living with a foster family for four years. The neighbor who owned the dogs had been cited two weeks prior because the dogs had gone into another yard and attacked a neighbor's dog.[239]
Severely mauled by his next-door neighbor's two dogs.[241] The dogs were frequently loose in the neighborhood. One female dog was described as "part pit bull." The other male dog "had a large head and other characteristics of a pit bull," but investigators weren't sure if he had pit bull breeds in him.[240]
Died of hypothermia after being attacked by 4 dogs (3 pit bulls, 1 mixed-breed dog) while walking alone at night in a rural area, one-half mile from home[242]
The dog's owner was abusing the dog at the time of the attack and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.[243] The dog's owner had been arrested several months earlier for beating another dog to death.[244]
Attacked by two dogs owned by Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears tight end Darnell Sanders and a third dog while watering his own back yard. One dog was referred to as a Cane Corso and the other two were variously described as American Bulldog, "American Terrier," or Pit bull dogs. The man died of directly related complications (cerebral blood clot) 11 days later.[251] Investigators later determined that the Cane Corso played only a minor role in the attack.[252] An attorney for dog owner Darnell Sanders argued that the dogs only knocked over the man. However, the local animal control officer stated that she saw 7 bite marks on Assad when she interviewed him the night of the attack.[253]
Killed by her in-law's two dogs, they were later arrested for were arrested on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice and false informing and sentenced to 4 years in prison.[260]
There were two dogs in the home. The boy's mother felt that the male dog was acting possessive toward the female dog because she was in heat. So when the mother left to run errands, she locked the boy in the basement to keep him separated from the dogs. While she was gone, the boy left the basement and was killed by the dogs. The boy's mother was charged with felony child endangerment.[262][263]
Killed by at least one of the two Pitbull mixes in his home, the dogs were used to guard a crop of marijuana and the parents were sentenced to three years in prison.[269]
Killed while out for a walk. Of four dogs initially suspected, one was cleared by bite mark examination[288] and DNA results on two others were inconclusive.[289]
Mauled to death by one or more of her 9 wolf-dog hybrids. She bred the hybrids, but lacked the proper licensing to own them. Her body was found in the pen where the wolf hybrids were kept.[295]
Killed by six dogs while walking home. In 2009, it was revealed that dogs attacked and killed the child for food and the owner was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of keeping unconfined, dangerous animals.[307]
Killed by his father's four dogs after he was moving to a new trailer and took the dogs off their chains and left them in the new trailer unsupervised with his young son, the father was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter[308]
Killed when she wandered into a neighbor's yard, her mother was later charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct in connection to her daughter's death after admitting she had been using methamphetamines in the hours before her daughter wandered away[328]
Killed by her mother's boyfriend's dog when she set her down to warm a bottle of milk, the dog was later put to sleep and the owners of the dog were later arrested for involuntary manslaughter and child abuse and one was sentenced to 6 months in prison.[334]
Neighbors said the dogs had been roaming the area for several years. No one claimed ownership, but the woman's son-in-law said he fed them on occasion.[341]
Killed by his family's dog. Two years later, a grand jury indicted both his mother and grandmother on one count of manslaughter and a count of reckless serious bodily injury to a child[343]
Killed at her friend's home by her friend's dogs, both having earlier been determined to be legally "dangerous". No charges were filed because it was on property.[344]
Killed outside her home by roaming dogs which were later shot by Police Uniforms, the owners were later charged on suspicion of failure to control a mischievous animal resulting in death.[349]
Killed in his own home by a neighbor's dog. The following year, Camp Lejeune adopted a privatized housing policy that bans pit bulls, Rottweilers and wolf-hybrids[354]
Killed when he wandered next to his neighbor's chained guard dog. Because it happen on the owner's property and the dog was chained, no charges were filed, the dog was later put to sleep at owners request[358]
Killed by the family's 10- to 12-week-old puppy that had not been fed in days. The teen mother was convicted of manslaughter for leaving her baby unattended in a swing for over 6 hours with the hungry puppy.[360]
Killed in his own back yard by his neighbor's dogs, the owner of the Pit's were later sentenced to 3 years in prison and was given 5-years probation[363]
Killed by a dog belonging to her mother, a dog belonging to her mother's boyfriend, and a puppy produced by those two dogs.[379] Prior to the attack two of the dogs were chained up. The third dog, who was pregnant, was not chained at that time.[380]
Killed by a 100-lb dog that was chained outside a camping trailer that the dog used for shelter, the dog was later put to sleep as well as 2 others on the property.[385]
While walking her own dog, the woman was bitten by a different dog when she attempted to feed it. She died several days later from the subsequent infection.[388]
Killed by his great-grandmother's two dogs after she stepped away to warm a bottle, both dogs were later shot to death by police officers. Grandmother indicted for felony injury to a child, but died before case went to trial[391]
Killed when visiting a friend by dogs owned by the friend's family.[396] A jury awarded a US$7 million verdict for negligence against the dogs' owners.[397]
After wandering 4 blocks from his home, the boy was killed when he crawled into a dog house where the dog was chained, the city later banned Pit Bulls.[405][406]
Killed at the home of her babysitter's boyfriend by one of the boyfriend's dogs.[407] The dog was usually kept on a chain outside, but had slipped free from its collar.[408]
The father, boy, and their dog were together in their Apple Valley, CA backyard, but the father stepped inside, leaving the dog alone with the boy, and the dog attacked. The aggressive dog kept EMTs away until police arrived and shot it to death. EMT found him unresponsive and took him to the hospital where he was declared dead two hours later. No charges were filed as of press time.[419][420]
Killed by his daughter's six dogs[421] Police said the dogs were pit bulls, while the animal care and control commissioner said they were mixed-breed dogs.[422]
The woman died of a heart attack when she went outside to get her dog. Media reported that the woman was killed by her pet dog and was found in her driveway with numerous bite wounds.[423] Although the woman's family said they did not believe the dog was responsible for the death, the dog was euthanized after a pathologist determined that severe dog bites contributed to her death. The county coroner stated that the bites appeared to have been from the dog's attempt to drag her to safety after she collapsed.[424]
Killed while walking to a friend's home. Investigators unable to locate dog(s) involved.[425] Sheriff's deputies initially reported that a pit bull dog was responsible.[426] Authorities were never able to find or identify any dog responsible for the attack. The dogs that were first thought to be responsible were found not to be involved. However, investigators "received confidential tips that stated that there were three other pit bulls, owned by the child's relatives, that were killed and dumped in a wooded area."[427]
The dog, which had a history of biting people, was roaming freely and bit Mr Bock at a storage facility where the man was a manager. Mr Bock died of Capnocytophaga canimorsus sepsis from the bite several days later.[429][430]
While Christine Staab was fighting with her mother, she was killed by one of her mother's six dogs. The family stated that the dog was protecting the mother.[431][432]
Killed when she became entangled in the chain restraining one of the dogs at the family's American-Bulldog breeding facility, the attacking dog along with 3 others were later put to sleep.[433][434] It was originally reported that a pit bull was responsible.[435]
Killed while in bed next to his mother who slept through the attack. After the attack the dog went outside and attacked another Pit Bull that was on a chain.[440][441]
May 20
Sled dog (6)
Krystal Brink
3 years
Killed by at least one sled dog when she wandered into her neighbor's sled dog yard, her uncle's brother later shot all 6 sled dogs to death via shotgun[442]
The man was a USPS letter carrier. The dog was in a house, but pushed open a door, ran after Lin, and caused his head to strike the ground. He died nine days later. Authorities did not say if the attack included bites.[443]
Killed by his nine dogs. Unknown which dogs/breeds participated in the attack. (5 Bullmastiff, 3 Pit bull–Boxer-mix, 1 Rottweiler-mix), 2 were killed by police officers, others were put to sleep.[446]
Killed by at least one dog owned by his mother's live-in boyfriend. The boyfriend pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous animal death and the mother pleaded guilty to child abuse and manslaughter. The mother was also charged with "accessory after the fact" because she tried to dispose of her boyfriend's marijuana plants before calling 911.[447][448]
Suffered a fatal heart attack when attacked by two of his neighbor's dogs, the neighbor was charged with Reckless Homicide and four counts of Felony Reckless Endangerment.[449] The dogs had attacked another neighbor 2 days earlier.[450]
Killed by three of his step-grandfather's dogs. Grandfather arrested for manslaughter.[451] The dogs had decapitated the family's pet Akita and killed the family's pet Chihuahua and parrot within the prior year. The dogs, which were kept in a garage, had previously shown aggression toward the boy.[452]
Edward Mitchell was bitten while disciplining the dog, which belonged to his nephew. He died two months later from complications of his injuries.[469][470]
On an Indian Reservation, near Gallup, NM, found still alive but soon died from mauling by multiple dogs. Mentioned in passing an article about the problem of such dogs on the reservations.[474]
Killed by her neighbor's two dogs in her own yard.[476] The neighbor pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 to 24 months in prison.[477]
Killed by landlord's three dogs while crossing the yard from a trailer home to landlord's home. Evidence showed the dogs appeared not to have eaten or been watered for a long time; the owner was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison (15 years suspended).[479]
January 26
Stray dogs
Howard James Paul
76 years
The victim was a homeless man found dead in a vacant lot. The medical examiner determined he bled to death after being attacked by stray dogs.[480]
Killed by the family's dog when left unattended while child's mother was intoxicated. The girl's mother was subsequently convicted of endangering the welfare of a child.[484]
Killed by a dog that was chained to the front porch of a neighbor's house. The dog had bitten other neighbors in the month preceding the attack.[485][486][487]
While at home, the man was bitten and dragged by a police dog that was searching for an unrelated suspect. This led to the amputation of his leg and then death on July 27, 2011.[493]
While visiting his aunt and uncle, the boy was briefly left alone in a room with their dog and was bitten. The medical examiner determined that the boy died of cerebral edema as a consequence of a single bite to the head, and ruled that the death was accidental.[499][500]
Killed by his grandfather's dog when it escaped its enclosure.[504]
August 30
Unknown (3)
Addyson Paige Camerino
9 days
The child was killed in the kitchen of the family's home. There were five dogs in the home, a Pit bull, bulldog, Alaskan Malamute, German Shepherd, and German Shepherd-Bulldog mix. Three of the dogs were involved in the attack, but the news media did not report which three.[505]
Severely injured on her property when a neighbor's dogs slipped through a hole in their fence and attacked her.[513] She died of her injuries several days later.[514]
While trying to break up a fight between her two dogs, she suffered a seizure and was attacked on November 13. She succumbed to her injuries on December 6.[516] Some news sources initially described the dogs as pit bulls and later described the dogs as American Bulldogs.[517]
The victim was attacked by her neighbor's two pit bulls on June 18; she succumbed to her injuries on December 24. The pit bull owners were convicted on February 13, 2013 of voluntary manslaughter and of owning a dangerous animal causing death;[520] one owner was sentenced to four years in state prison.[521]
Suffered a stroke when attacked while delivering mail and soon died of stroke with heart disease and dog bite listed as "contributing factors". The dog, which had been resting unchained in a garage with some juveniles, was later seized by animal control and later euthanized. It was reported she suffered the stroke immediately after getting attacked, but also that a witness said there seemed to have been something wrong with her before the bite, which the dog seemed to notice and spurred it to attack. The witness also noted that the dog had a reputation as trustworthy and friendly. The medical examiner said that the wounds were not very bad, but that soon after the frightening attack her speech began to slur, she became unresponsive, and was taken to the hospital where she was declared dead the next day.[526][527]
Found dead in his car port with dog bite injuries.[540] The dog was identified via DNA testing and the dog's owner, who was a neighbor, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and obstruction of justice.[541]
Killed by a single bite from one of three pit bulls owned by the mother's roommate.[545] Immediately prior to the attack, the dog was on a bed with the mother's roommates who were smoking marijuana. The dog reportedly became "frisky," at which point they pushed it off the bed and it bit the boy. The cause of death was given as "penetrating craniocerebral injuries due to a dogbite."[546]
Killed by his own dog when it bit through his IV tube while he was undergoing at-home dialysis.[547] Media reported the dog as several different breeds. The SPCA Cincinnati Officials said that the dog was a "rare breed" Alapaha Blue-Blood Bulldog.[548]
Killed by at least one of two pit bulls that belonged to his girlfriend's son. Relatives said that Hagerman was scared of the dogs, which were kept in a cage. They also reported that the dogs had previously killed a dog and that they bit people that they did not know.[550]
First name also spelled "Brayton", was playing in his yard when he disappeared. His body was found in the woods, dead of dog attack. Neighbors suspected a roaming bulldog they had seen in the neighborhood, which authorities captured and were trying to determine if this was the dog that killed Bryton.[553][554]
Killed by own dogs, which had bitten people on previous occasions, including the owner.[555]
September 11
Pit Bull mix
James Hudson
10 Months
Killed by the family dog.[556] Animal shelter officials identified the dog as a Labrador – American Bulldog mix. The dog's owner and police identified the animal as a "pit bull mix."[557]
Outside checking his mail when two dogs owned by a neighbor mauled him to death. Police shot and killed the two attacking dogs and subsequently removed more than 30 other Rottweilers from the neighbor's residence.[558]
An hour before the attack, police responded to the home for a domestic dispute between the infant's parents that included injuries. While the police were taking witness statements, the boy was left alone in a room with the dog and was attacked. The dog had been responsible for a "minor bite" in 2011. It had also been picked up by Animal Services in 2010 for running loose.[559]
Killed while using a rake to stop an attack in which the pit bulls killed a pug and injured two terriers. Authorities euthanized the seven attacking dogs.[562]
Killed by the dogs at a house she was hired to clean.[565] The owners are being investigated for owning 24 marijuana plants found at the home.[566] The owner was breeding the dogs for sale.[567]
Visiting his relatives when killed by their neighbor's dogs.[569] Other neighbors said that the dogs had a violent history and were always roaming loose in the area. A month earlier they had killed a neighbor's dog. However, Animal Control said that they had never received a complaint about the dogs.[570]
The woman was "mauled by a Boston terrier." No other details are known as this death was never directly covered by the media. It was mentioned briefly in an article in 2014 about another fatal dog bite.[571]
Killed by a pack of stray feral dogs while snowsledding on a hill near his home, the dogs killed four goats weeks before and were later put to sleep. Charges were later filed by the FBI[573]
Emergency Medical Technicians found the victim with dog bites to the neck, head, and face, and could not revive her. Her twelve-year-old granddaughter had attempted to pull the dog off her. According to the owners (the victims son and daughter in law), the victim had visited the house numerous times weekly and the dog had never shown aggressiveness towards her.[574] Later, a local online newspaper reported that the Todds didn't report the dog's previous aggression. However, the Greenwood County Sheriff's Dept stated that the dog's past had been reported the night of the attack by both Mr. & Mrs. Todd. The dog had a history of violence and had killed a Siberian Husky that it lived with. Prior to the attack on Ms Todd, the owners had attempted to reduce the dog's aggression by neutering it.
Found dead with dog bites in motel room that she shared with her son and the two dogs. Autopsy results to determine if she died before or after being bitten are pending.[576]
Killed by a dog that was kept chained in the back yard of a home he was visiting. The dog may have been let off the chain by the boy or may have broken free before the attack.[578][579] The dog's owners had been cited previously for letting their dogs run loose. Officers had also been called to their house on reports that dogs were not being fed. Although no criminal charges were filed in relation to this dog attack, one of the owners, Jereme Carter, is now in jail on murder charges from an unrelated case.[580]
When babysitter, baby in her arms, let her two 45 lb. dogs in the house from the backyard of her home, they became "nippy", jumping up at the pair, so she batted them off. The dogs then attacked, and mauling her, shredding her clothing and knocking her down, causing the boy to hit the ground, whereupon the dogs attacked him. The babysitter tried stop the attack, and redirect the dogs' attack onto her. A neighbor heard screams but did nothing. She got the child away from the dogs and called 911. The boy was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and by helicopter from the hospital to a medical center later that day, where he was pronounced dead of dog attack. Before the attack, the veterinarian center where they had been spayed, neutered, and otherwise cared for had not been seen as dangerous, but one was described as "standoffish" while at the facility. The owner said she had gotten the three-year-old dogs as puppies and that they had never shown signs of aggression. After the attack, the dogs were euthanized and tested negative for rabies, and the authorities decided not to press charges against the babysitter.[581][582][583]
Killed by dogs belonging to her mother's boyfriend.[584] An autopsy confirmed that the child died of injuries consistent with a dog attack.[585] The child's mother was subsequently charged with Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree.[586]
Attacked while riding his bike by his neighbor's two dogs and died 5 days later. The owner a week prior had received a citation for allowing his aggressive dogs loose and is currently facing criminally negligent manslaughter charges.
A woman was killed after being attacked by a dog that has terrorized the neighborhood for months, according to authorities and residents.[594][595] The dog, reported to be a female pit bull/mastiff mix, was also reported to have attacked neighbors in the past.[593] Claudia Gallardo was killed after jumping into the fenced yard where the dog was kept.[593]
Four-year-old Jordyn Arndt, was mauled by a pit bull at her babysitter's home. The owner of the dog, 24-year-old Jana Marie Wright, was supposed to be babysitting Jordyn.[597][598] She was convicted and sentenced in July 2015 to 10 years in prison for child endangerment causing serious injury, 10 years for neglect of a dependent person, 2 years for interference with official acts, and 1 year for assault on a police officer, to be served concurrently.[599] Neighbors say that they had previously filed several complaints about the dog.[597] The babysitter had a history of arrest on drug-related and child-neglect charges.[600]
The boy was killed while the mother stepped away to use the restroom. The dog was 8-years-old and neighbors said they had never thought it was aggressive.[601][602][603][604]
The attack happened at home involving a male dog registered to her husband. The dog was 100–150 lbs and 3 years old. One neighbor said that the dog has been aggressive and guarded the house.[605] News sources reported that she died four days after the attack; however, the date given in her obituary was 2 days after the attack.[606]
Freeman, a bi-lateral amputee at the knees, was driving in his wheelchair when he was attacked by a pack of four dogs that neighbors said had been roaming the neighborhood on-and-off for months. He tried to fight the dogs, but was unable to and was pulled from his wheelchair. The incident happened on May 8, and Freeman died on May 12. The coroner says he had lacerations and bites "from his legs to the top of his head." Initial reports said that three of the dogs belonged to a woman who is Freeman's neighbor and relative.[609][610][611] The Sheriff's Office later announced that the four dogs were feral and did not belong to anyone.[612] Sheriff's reports described the dogs as "brown dogs" and Animal Control claimed that they were mixed-breed "with possible 'pit bull' influence."[608] However, multiple news sources stated that they were pit bulls. Photos of three of the dogs are available.[608] One of the four dogs has not yet been found.[613]
The woman was walking near her home when she was attacked by a pack of dogs. DNA results later confirmed that four of the eight dogs owned by a local man had been involved in the attack.[614] Local residents reported that the area repeatedly has problems with packs of dogs running loose.
The owner of the dogs was charged with second degree murder for the attack. He was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon for a previous incident in which his dogs attacked a horse and rider and he threw a stone at the rider. He also faced several charges related to a marijuana growing operation he was running.[614] The dogs had been involved in several other attacks for which the owner was cited, and he had also been cited for failing to vaccinate, license, spay, neuter or microchip the dogs.[615] He was also in violation of the legal limit in that jurisdiction of owning no more than 3 dogs. In 2006, he had had four other dogs confiscated and destroyed after they attacked emus.[616][617][618][619][620]
Killed inside the home of family friends near Jessieville, Arkansas where he had been staying for two weeks because his family's home in Moore, Oklahoma had been destroyed by tornados. After the child had started loudly crying, the 150 lb. dog came running out of a back room and attacked him. The dog's owner stopped the attack, but not before the boy had received serious wounds to the neck and face. He was rushed to a hospital in Hot Springs, AR where he was declared dead. The dog ran away, so authorities began trying to find it and euthanize it. Investigators declined to say just yet whether or not the owners would face any charges.[623][624]
The boy was attempting to ride the dog "like a horse" when he was bitten a single time on the top of the head.[625] The two-year-old, un-neutered male dog had been acquired as a guard dog[625] and was kept in the backyard of the family's home.[626] After the bite, the family did not think he had been seriously injured and expected him to be fine "after a couple of stitches."[625] He was brought to the hospital 2 1/2 hours after being bitten and died two hours later.[625] The dog had up-to-date rabies shots and was properly licensed.[627]
Killed after walking up to a chained dog that belonged to her aunt.[628] The dog had been kept on a chain in violation of the county's laws against prolonged tethering, and animal cruelty charges were being considered against the owner.[629]
She was killed by a dog that she had taken in as a stray. The incident occurred while she was attempting to stop it from attacking her other "small brown wiener dog."[633]
September 15
Husky-Mix(es)
Jordan Reed
5 years
Jordan was found dead after being mauled by one or more loose dogs.[634]
Killed by up to five dogs that belonged to his grandmother, in the back yard of her house. Authorities do not know how the boy ended up in the yard with the dogs, and occupants of the house said they heard no screams or other noises, but the boy was found dead with bite marks to his face and neck. Neighbors had complained to authorities about the noise and "stench from the yard" where the dogs were kept. A photo of one of the dogs is available.[636] The boy's grandmother and uncle were later arrested in Colton, California.[637][638]
Her dog, Boosie, which she originally acquired for protection[640] and had raised from a puppy. It had previously attacked a family member and Douglass, who carried a large facial scar as a result. Boosie had been taken away by authorities, but Douglass had fought to have Boosie back, and he had recently been returned to her apartment in Balitimore, MD. Officers speculated Douglass, a handicapped woman, may have fallen on the dog, and described the scene as "horrific".[641]
Went out to the kennel behind their home in Kernersville, NC to feed the dogs as usual, but this time they attacked. They belonged to her boyfriend. The dogs were euthanized and will be given a necropsy for clues as to why they attacked.[642]
On her daily walk about a mile from her home in Spanaway, Washington. The dogs had escaped from a nearby property and attacked from the rear. She fought the dogs with her umbrella and called her husband. A passerby tried to help. He told her husband the location, who called 911. Another neighbor gave the passerby a gun and he shot one, which fled. Police arrived and shot them, and an ambulance took her to the hospital. Her arm was especially badly mauled ("shredded"). Almost a week later, when she was sitting in the hospital waiting for her discharge paperwork, she died of a heart attack thought to be brought on by "extremity contusions, lacerations and fractures due to dog bites". The Sheriff recommended the county prosecutor file charges, but it was not yet clear whether they would.[643]
Visiting a home in White County, Arkansas. The boy "managed to get out of the home" and "enter a fenced-in area where three pit bulls were being held."[644] Emergency crews brought him to the hospital where he died. At press time, police were investigating which of three pit bulls were responsible; what the fate of the dogs, which were taken into custody, would be; and whether any charges would be filed. The owner was cooperating with the investigation.[645]
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas[646] The owner of the 87-pound dog said it would frequently "bite out of fear". It had previously bitten an intoxicated family member in the face, bitten a neighbor in the face, and bitten its owner on the arm and leg. The attack occurred after the dogs were let outside unsupervised, off-leash in an unfenced yard.
Attack occurred in the Columbus, Ohio home when the parents were sleeping. Mia was a premature baby who had only come home from the hospital Thanksgiving.[648]
Her own dog. She had gone outside, where the dog was kept chained up in a pen, to break ice on the dog's water bowl, when it attacked. Her brother found her body and shot the dog. Her eleven other dogs were taken away by authorities.[649]
New Braunfels, Texas: Elderly widow was walking alone when neighbors' dogs badly mauled her. She was saved by another neighbor and her boyfriend, who used a gun to scare off the dogs, but not before receiving wounds that caused her death in the hospital 16 days later. After the attack, the dogs were euthanized and their owners were arrested for allowing a dog attack that resulted in a death.[650] The attack was first reported in the news media 4 months after the incident in an article about an unrelated attack.[651]
Vick and his wife tried to break up a fight at their home in Bullhead City, AZ between their two dogs when one of them turned on them. He died soon after arriving at the local hospital; she survived and was flown to a Las Vegas, NV hospital.[652]
Killed by a pack of dogs in an attack in which 2 other people were also injured. The owners of the dogs had previously received multiple citations for keeping the animals in deplorable conditions, not licensing or vaccinating them, and allowing them to run at large. Homicide detectives were determining whether to press criminal charges.[654]
Died from blood loss following injuries sustained to head and neck after being attacked by the dogs while her grandmother was babysitting Kara and her 2-year-old sister. When the grandmother attempted to intervene, the dogs turned on her and she then focused on protecting the 2-year-old child and was unable to stop the attack on Kara. Emergency personnel were called and Kara was taken to a hospital but died from her injuries. The dogs were surrendered to McLean County Animal Control where they were euthanized after a 10-day observation period. No charges were filed against the owners.[655][656]
The dogs belonged to the woman's grandson. He told police they had no history of aggressive behavior.[657] No other details are not known as there is little media coverage available from the incident.
Two male dogs were involved. Complaints had been made before to animal control about the dogs being at large. The victim had made 6 prior calls to animal control about the dogs, concerning their barking and the conditions they were kept in with inadequate food and water.[660] There is discrepancy in the media about the breed of the dogs. Dayton Police said the dogs looked like pit bulls; however, the Montgomery County Animal Rescue Center said the dogs were licensed and listed as mastiffs. The dogs' two owners pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of failing to control dogs. A bill named after Richey, the Klonda Richey Act, aimed at reducing future attacks, was proposed in the Ohio State legislature.[661]
The girl's family was watching a friend's female dog and its two puppies. They were being kept in the back yard. The 2-year-old girl went out into the yard alone without her parents' knowledge and was attacked by the mother of the two puppies.[662]
Was playing in her yard when her family's dog suddenly attacked. Her mother tried to stop it, but the dog attacked her as well. The family said the dog had never been aggressive, but neighbors said it had escaped and attacked a dog. Both mother and daughter were taken to the hospital, where Braelynn died. The dog was taken by authorities and scheduled to be euthanized after police finished their investigation.[663][664]
Walking home from the playground with an 8-year-old girl, when the dog accidentally escaped from his owner's garage and attacked the girl. A teenage boy saved the girl, but then the dog immediately attacked Raymane and dragged him off. Someone shot at the dog, frightening it into dropping the boy and running back into the garage. Police and EMTs arrived and took them both to the hospital, where doctors saved the girl but the boy died of penetrating and blunt injuries.[667]
Family's pet pit bull attacked while she was watching television with her mother. The mother, also injured, had to barricade herself and the injured child in a bedroom until police arrived. Responding officers were forced to shoot the pit bull in order to enter the apartment.[668] The dog, Niko, was of an unusually large size, weighing in at 130 lbs. The victim's family has refused cooperation with authorities into further investigation. Another dog, a 6-month old female, was removed from the scene.
Christopher Malone's mother found the boy's body behind the family's Holmes County home. The Holmes County Sheriff's Department said it happened around 4 p.m. No one saw the attack. Family members said they've had the dogs since they were puppies, and the dogs have been around children their entire lives.
A woman was found dead at her home in Kaufman on Monday afternoon, and police believe that pit bulls are responsible for the killing. It was around 4:45 p.m. when authorities were called to a residence in the 1400 block of East First North Street. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered 85-year-old Dorothy Hamilton dead in the living room of her home. Investigators also found a pair of aggressive pit bulls inside of the house. Animal control put down the two dogs that were inside the house when police found Hamilton. Authorities said that the dogs were being held in a bedroom, but it looks as though they broke down the door in order to attack the woman.
Playing outside his home when neighbor's dog, between 80–100 lbs., attacked. His 9-year-old brother couldn't get the dog off him, so he ran in the house and got his father, who shot at the animal, which broke off the attack and fled. After the attack, a neighbor called the EMTs, and an ambulance took him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The dog was taken to a veterinary clinic. Before the attack, John and the dog had played together; the dog had been legally allowed free range with no previous complaints; and the town had had a nuisance law but no leash law.[671][672]
In her friend's yard playing with the dogs. When she picked something up from the ground, one of the dogs attacked, and the other two joined in. She suffered extensive bite wounds over her body and a severe head injury and died about a week later. At press time no charges had been filed and the dogs were still in mandatory ten-day quarantine.
The woman was found dead of a methamphetamine overdose. An autopsy found that she had bites that "appeared to come from a canine" and which "contributed to the death."[674] At the time that she died, neighbors had seen three aggressive pit bulls running loose in the neighborhood. Investigators attempted to link the dogs to the woman's death with DNA. They were able to show by DNA that hairs on her were of canine origin, but were unable to match the DNA with that of the specific dogs.
The child had gone with his pregnant mother to visit one of the mother's friends and was playing in front of the home with the dogs, whom he had reportedly played with in the past. At some point the mother looked outside to see the three pitbulls attacking the child and rushed to help him, at which point the pitbulls attacked her. Nearby HVAC workers attempted to beat the dogs back with PVC pipes and were unsuccessful. The child was pronounced dead on scene by paramedics, the pregnant mother was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries and monitoring of the unborn child. The dogs had not been vaccinated against rabies and were euthanised.[675]
When the dog tried to get on the sofa where the baby was on his uncle's lap, the uncle pushed it off. The dog then attacked, biting the baby on the face and neck. Father was injured prying him out of its jaws. EMTs tried to revive the baby and airlifted him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Prior to the attack, the dog had lived with the family for four years. It had bitten a person once, but had drawn no blood. After the attack, the dog was euthanized.[676]
The victim was out jogging in the evening. A neighbor who witnessed the attack successfully drove off the dogs after wounding one with a gun. According to police, dogs at the same address had attacked and bitten two other people in the previous two years who were walking or jogging in the neighborhood.[677] An unprovoked attack on a jogger by two 100-pound Cane Corsos was reported in Lapeer, Michigan. The jogger died. The two owners of the dogs were charged with Second degree murder, which carries a potential sentence of Life in Prison, and ultimately pleaded guilty to "owning a dangerous animal, causing death", receiving a prison sentence for a minimum of 57 months to a maximum of 15 years. The couple may also face deportation, as they were under investigation for falsifying citizenship documents at the time of the mauling. "The dogs involved in the attack have a history of escaping from their kennel and have bitten at least twice before."[678][679]
Mauled to death by his uncle's guard dogs after being left unsupervised while his parents left to consume cannabis.[680] The boy's grandmother said that the family knew the dogs were vicious.[681] Neighbors also said that the dogs were known to be vicious.[682] Although early speculations stated that the child may have let the dogs out of their cages to play with,[683] family members later stated that the uncle had left the dogs free to roam the yard and "to protect his property."[682]
"American Staffordshire terrier also referred to as a pit bull"
The dog got past a baby barrier, and the boy's stepgrandmother picked the boy up from a car seat on the floor. The dog then jumped and bit at the two of them, the stepgrandmother tried punching the dog and grabbing its collar, then the dog bit the boy's head and ripped his scalp off. The dog had prior behavioral issues. Following the incident, the dog was seized and euthanized in September 2014, and the stepgrandmother was sentenced to three years in prison in June 2016.[684]
Was playing with her 2-year-old grandson in the yard when the dog attacked. A neighbor beat the dog off with a walking stick, but she was already dead, with multiple wounds to the head, neck, and body. The dog had not shown previous aggression; the child used to climb and put weight on the dog. After the attack, the dog was to be destroyed.[686][687]
Babysitting aunt let the child and the two dogs outside her house and sat to watch TV. No one saw the attack. She looked outside and saw the body in the driveway. The authorities arrived and determined that the dogs had killed the boy. After the attack, the dogs were removed by animal control officers and scheduled to be destroyed. The aunt had been babysitting the child when his father went to work for weeks. The aunt said she had never had any problems with the dogs before the attack, and police said the boy and the dogs had been together on a regular basis.[688][689][690]
Grandmother, 58, had set the child down after feeding her when the 80 lb., 10-year-old dog attacked. Wounds to the head and neck were the cause of death, not those to her back and stomach. Grandmother, who lost the tips of her fingers trying to save the child, ordered her brothers, 5 and 8 years old, to run for their lives. They ran and got the next door neighbor to call for help. She used a steak knife to end the attack, but the child was pronounced dead at the hospital. Before the attack, the dog had behaved aggressively. After the attack, the dog was destroyed.[691] The dog was usually kept locked up in a back room and it is unclear how the dog got out to attack.[692]
In the evening, the boy was at home with his father. The father then went into a bedroom to smoke marijuana and cocaine with his girlfriend. The next morning the boy was missing. They later found him outside dead. The father and girlfriend were charged with child neglect. The father also had an extensive criminal history for dealing drugs.[694]
Ms. Payne's daughter arrived and found the elderly woman dead on the floor of her home with apparent bite marks on her face, neck, and arms inflicted by her own pit bull. Police responded to a 911 call made by the woman's family, who were able to get the dog into the back yard where it was eventually put down by police officers.[697]
Attacked by her granddaughter's 4 dogs. The victim's daughter in law said that the dogs were left to roam in a large fenced area, were known to be vicious, and had caused problems in the neighborhood before. Relatives and neighbors had repeatedly asked that the dogs be restrained. They had previously called police and the Department of Social Service to intervene, but the situation of the dogs had remained unchanged.[700]
The man was out walking and was attacked by the pack of dogs. The bleeding and the stress of the attack led to him dying of a heart attack. The dogs were known to be aggressive, according to neighbors, law enforcement, and local mail carriers.[701]
While sledding near her home, the girl was attacked by a pack of dogs. Witnesses to the attack were unsure of how many dogs were involved or what were their breeds.[706]
The man died after suffering bites to his arms and face from his dog. No one else was home to witness the attack. The man's girlfriend said they had given the dog a bone for Christmas and he was extremely aggressive and protective of it. The girlfriend also said that she had told Mr. Cahill to euthanize the dog in the past because he was "extremely aggressive and unpredictable."[707]
The child was attacked and killed by his grandfather Joaquin's 4 Rottweilers in the grandfather's yard. The dogs broke little Christopher's neck and tore open his throat; there were bite wounds and abrasions to his entire body, as well as lacerations of his kidney, spleen and pancreas. Animal control seized the adult Rots and a Pekinese from the home; the Rots were euthanized. Joaquin retained a litter of Rottweiler puppies. Authorities disturbed by the violence of the boy's death pressed for charges against his parents, who both tested positive for meth, oxy and other illegal drugs. Neighbors told CPS that the Rots had been aggressive in the past, including attacking people, and the grandfather had been informed. They also said his house was the center of constant drug activity. Animal Control records showed multiple calls about the grandfather's address. His 32-year-old mother Claudie Scarbrough and his 30-year-old father Christopher Louis Camejo were charged with third-degree murder in his death; both were under the influence of illegal drugs when the attack occurred. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter.[708]
Playing on his family's porch when the family's two pit bull mixes attacked.[711] His grandfather tried to pull the dogs off, but when the ambulance arrived, he was already dead. Before the attack, the two dogs had played with Declan since they were puppies and they had never shown any aggression. After the attack, the two dogs were removed by animal services.[712]
Playing in his yard with the six-month-old pit bull mixes[713] — a 25-pound female and a 35-pound male — as he had done with no problems since they were small puppies. There were no witness; relatives came outside and found him unresponsive. The dogs stood calmly by while EMTs tried to revive him. They were calm and friendly as they were taken away until they along with the family's third dog were put down, just as they had reportedly always been with everyone before the attack.[714] When his father sold their litter-mates, he described them as "pitbull English bulldog-types. Malalaki was pronounced dead 50 minutes after the attack. No charges were filed.[715]
Found dead by a family member. Investigators concluded that he was killed by a family member's three loose pit bulls, which he knew well, on the pit bull owner's property. The pit bulls were impounded.[716][716][717]
The family had been staying with the residents for days and the dog had shown no sign of aggression. At about 8:45 p.m. the dog suddenly bit her face and shook her, killing her very quickly.[718] She was pronounced dead at the hospital; the dog was euthanized, and no charges were filed.[719]
This man was killed while trying to resuscitate the dog's owner from a heart attack. The pit bull was not registered with the city, despite ordinance requiring all pit bulls in the city be registered. Both men were pronounced dead at a local hospital.[720]
Found dead by her daughter in the home where she lived alone. Investigation concluded she had been killed by the dog that she had owned for five years. The dog was scheduled to be destroyed and tested for rabies.[721]
Arrived at a garage for a car repair appointment, when seven guard dogs got under the fence and attacked him. He ran and got on the roof of his car, but was not saved. Police arrived and tazed a dog, but it had no effect, so he shot it dead. Animal control tried a tranquilizer gun on another, but that failed, so three more were shot dead, one escaped, and animal control captured and euthanized two. Before the attack, reports had been filed with the police about the dogs. After the attack, the escaped dog returned to the garage, showed aggression towards a deputy, and was shot along with an eighth dog which had been missed the day of the attack.[723][724] The owner pleaded guilty to a felony manslaughter charge on April 1, 2016.[725]
Brutally attacked and killed by his cousin's pit bull while visiting his home. The dog belonged to the boy's cousin, who was away when the violent attack occurred.[728][729]
killed by a pit bull while under the care of his babysitter. The pit bull fatally bit the little boy's throat. Police said the child had been around the dog before without any problems.[730]
attacked and killed by three pit bulls belonging to his daughter's next door neighbor while feeding his daughter's labrador. The neighbor's pit bulls somehow entered into the backyard and began attacking Legarda and the labrador. When police arrived, the pit bulls were still attacking the dog and a man was lying in the backyard. Police had to pepper spray and taser the pit bulls to reach the injured man. Shortly thereafter, Legarda was pronounced dead.[731]
July 7
Hendersonville, North Carolina
Joshua Strother
6 years old
pit bull
brutally killed by a pit bull belonging to his neighbor who had adopted the male, neutered pit bull from the Asheville Humane Society (AHS) three weeks earlier. The deadly attack occurred after Joshua climbed the fence to enter his neighbor's yard. Joshua had been climbing over the fence to visit the dog since its arrival, as well to play with his neighbor's young daughter.[732]
July 12
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Annie Williams
71 years old
pit bull
attacked and killed by a pit bull that had escaped from the back yard just after she exited her car in a residential neighborhood. Annie was picking up her two great granddaughters from a home in Shaker Heights, where they were with their father, when the pit bull belonging to someone living in the home attacked her in the driveway.[733] The dog's owner pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. His mother pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and received a six-month suspended jail sentence.[734]
July 24
Redbird, Oklahoma
Carolyn Lamp
67 years old
pit bulls (3) Rottweiler (1)
violently killed by up to four dogs. Witnesses said she was walking down South Main Street in the small town of Redbird when the animals attacked. One man chased the dogs away, but it was too late. The dogs savaged the woman's face and ripped off all of her clothing. Witnesses said she was left unrecognizable. She died on scene.
The man, an armed-robbery suspect was bitten multiple times by police dogs while resisting arrest. An autopsy determined that he died four days later of infection from those dog bites. During the arrest, Mr Gracia had hit the dog several times and attempted to drown it in a lake.[735]
Wheatcraft had just stepped out and was walking toward her mailbox when attacked. The dog, which may have been riled from a storm, had escaped through a neighbor's window while its owner was away. It had been declared a "nuisance animal" three months earlier, after leaving its owner's property and fighting with another dog. A neighbor of Wheatcraft was attacked while trying to assist her, until a police officer arrived and fatally shot the dog.[737]
McCormick was apparently mauled to death by her family's pet dogs. When she was found, two dogs were off their leash, and one was tied up. The county sheriff speculated that the dogs may have gotten into a fight during feeding, and she may have tried to break up the fight or been accidentally knocked down prior to the attack.[738]
The man was out for a morning walk near his home when he was attacked by the dogs. The dogs also attacked a woman, leaving her in a hospital with major injuries. They ran off when police arrived, and were later captured at a nearby residence.[739]
American bulldog mix, Rhodesian ridgeback mix, German shepherd mix
The woman was found in her home in a pool of blood, missing the skin of her scalp and most of her face, with bites on her head, neck, arms and legs. Her great grandson's three pet dogs were suspected. A forensic dentist matched the mouths of all the dogs to the bite marks. Miami-Dade Animal Services confiscated the dogs, declared them dangerous, and wanted to euthanize them, but the owner fought to spare two of them. His attorney argued that the bulldog, found covered in blood, may have been the aggressor, and that the other two dogs, found without blood, were trying to help her. A March 2016 ruling ordered their euthanization.[740]
The toddler was attacked by a 1-year-old pit bull mix named Bubba, which was chained in the yard of a neighbor who owned and bred pit bulls. The pit bull bit Hicks in the face; the child died of the injury after being flown to a trauma center. The pit bull was euthanized. Authorities declined to press charges against the pit bull owner or the parents, ruling the death was accidental. This was a legal definition to explain the lack of criminal charges; it was not meant to imply that the child's brutal death was an accident or that the pit bull's attack was accidental.[741]
Man was attacked on October 6 by five pit bulls when he went to a friend's rental home to take out the trash, and died on October 16 in a hospital from a number of complications.[743]
Amiyah was visiting her father and playing outside with 2 other children when a family friend's 2-year-old male pit bull "Kane" aka "Beast" attacked her, biting into her head and neck and throwing her around. Police have to shoot the pit bull to end the attack. Amiyah dies at the hospital, bite wounds all over her body.[744]
Attacked and killed by a 5-year-old pet Rottweiler he had adopted only that same day. His wife called deputies who shot the dog killing it. Riggs was pronounced dead on the scene with multiple bite wounds all over his body.[745]
Attacked and killed while walking with his mother to volunteer at a local school. The pits escaped from 41-year-old Geneke Lyons' poorly fenced yard, grabbed the child and dragged him back under the fence; once inside the fence, they mauled him to death as he screamed for his mother. Police arrived and shot 3 pits fatally, the other was taken away by animal control. The child was rushed to a local hospital where he later died of his injuries. Pit owner Geneke Lyons was arrested by police; he was charged in January 2016 with second-degree murder, manslaughter and possessing dangerous animals causing death. His lawyer called it an accident. Neighbors say his pit bulls routinely escaped his property and terrorized locals.[747][748][749]
The woman, a young mother, climbed onto a decrepit fence of a yard housing a pit bull known to be vicious; a witness said the pit bull, King, pulled Hardy down off the fence. It mauled her head, tearing out her throat, one eye, both ears and part of her nose, as well as breaking her spine. There was a white husky in the yard, and a litter of pit/husky mixes in the house. The husky joined in the attack later. Owners Andrew Scott Miller and Jessica Rae Johnson were cited for lacking dog licenses.[752]
5-year-old male American Bulldog Pit bull mix[753]
The girl was visiting her father at his home when his dog attacked her. The girl's grandmother called the dog a pit bull on social media,[754] but Animal Services said it was an American Bulldog mix.[755]
While under the care of CPS, Tyler was allowed an unsupervised weekend visit with his sister. She left him alone for about 3 hours, in a small trailer with her 3 pit bulls, who she said had never shown aggression toward humans. When she returned, he was dead, a victim of mauling.[756]
Payton was attacked on January 6, 2016 under the care of her babysitters. The dog which belonged to the babysitters bit Payton in the head. She was airlifted to a hospital and died two days later.[757]
While playing with his siblings in a field, Talan was charged by three dogs. The male pit bull terrier broke his neck killing him after he was bitten multiple times by the other dogs. The three dogs tested negative for rabies. The pit bull, who suffered from severe heartworms, became overexcited and died at the scene. The other two, who were female and had young puppies, were euthanized.[758][759]
Aiden was lying in a laundry basket when the family dog bit his head. He was dead at the arrival of the police. The death was ruled accidental as the forensic pathologist that performed the autopsy said the dog was only trying to pick the baby up.[760]
Story was mauled to death inside her home by her 1.5-year-old 100-pound male Boxer-Pit bull mix. The dog had attacked her while she was cleaning its crate; her sister heard her screams and pulled the dog off her and shut it into a bathroom. The dog broke a hole in the bathroom door, forced its way out and resumed its attack, holding her down, mauling her, and ripping her throat out.[761]
Story had adopted Buddy from a newspaper ad placed by his former owner, Cheryl Davino, only weeks before it killed her. The dog's breeder, Mike Brown, told reporters Davino had told Brown that she sold Buddy after he attacked her small dog; Davino never mentioned Buddy's violent attack to Story.[762]
While visiting her daughter's home, Flowers slipped or fell onto a dog's bed. The daughter's family dogs, a male and female, initially played with Flowers, then became increasingly aggressive, biting her head and neck, and causing substantial blood loss. According to the Medical Examiner's Office, Flowers died of "blunt force neck injuries due to dog attack." The two dogs were euthanized three days after the attack.[763][764]
Two parents were watching television in bed with their newborn son and 2-year-old, neutered family pit bull Polo, which they'd adopted from the San Diego Humane Society five months previously; the SDHS advertised Polo online as "vivacious, bubbly and cheerful."[766] The mother coughed, and the 76lb pit bull responded by biting the newborn infant in the head. After a struggle to get Polo to release their child's skull, the parents drove Sebastian to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Polo was quarantined by San Diego County Animal Services, which euthanized it days later, at the request of the owners.[767][768]
May 10
Saint Louis, Missouri
Adonis Reddick
45 years
Pit bulls
attacked and killed by one of his own pit bulls in St. Louis County, authorities said "penetrating and perforating wounds to the victim's neck" had caused his death.[769]
June 4
Stockton, CA
Earl Wayne Stephens Jr.
43 years
Pit bull
Victim was helping the pit bull's owner repair a scooter when the pit bull bit victim an undisclosed number of times, killing the victim[770][771]
June 4
Bangor, Maine
Hunter Bragg
7 years
Pit bull
Victim was playing outside with the pit bull when the dog attacked the boy's throat, according to the animal control officer's report. Report states the attack was unprovoked and the dog had a history of attacking other pets belonging to the previous owner of the pit bull.
Appeared to be Labrador retriever-great Pyrenees mixes (4) and husky-Australian cattle dog mixes (2)
McCleskey entered the gate to a property to serve court papers, and was attacked by several dogs. Neither the dogs' owner nor any witnesses were present during the attack. 14 puppies were also found on the property. No humans lived at the house, where the six adult dogs were kept for breeding purposes.[775][776] A court ruling to euthanize the dogs was made on June 24, 2016.[777]
June 20
New Haven, Connecticut
Jocelyn Winfrey
53 years
American Bulldog Mixes
Jocelyn Winfrey was attacked, bitten and mauled by two dogs when she and her friend, Hamilton Hicks, who is the owner of the dogs, were walking to his house. During the attack, Hicks tried to pull the dogs off of Winfrey but he was also attacked and suffered non-life threatening injuries. Neighbors also intervened by throwing rocks at the dogs during the incident. After the attack, Winfrey underwent surgeries to remove both eyes and one leg. Winfrey died one week after the attack.[778][779] Hicks was charged with misdemeanor possession of crack cocaine, and there was "speculation as to whether or not the dogs may have gotten into some narcotics", but the dogs were too aggressive to test without anesthetics, which would have polluted the sample. The dogs were scheduled to be euthanized.[780]
A mother left her infant "for a few seconds" on a sofa, and her brother's two pit bulls, which she thought were tied up outside, entered through an open door and attacked the infant. The mother heard screaming and ran to rescue the baby. Susie Kirby died at the hospital. The pit bulls were surrendered to the Central California SPCA to be euthanized.[781][782]
^Patronek, GJ (2013). "Co-occurrence of potentially preventable factors in 256 dog bite-related fatalities in the United States (2000–2009)". J Am Vet Med Assoc. 243 (12): 1726–36. doi:10.2460/javma.243.12.1726. PMID24299544.
^Winters, William (1889). Brief Chronicles. Google e-books. p. 48. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
^Charles Warren Stottard (September 1905). "Ada Clare:Queen of Bohemia". National Magazine. Retrieved June 30, 2013. She was patting the lap dog of a friend, when it flew at her and cruelly mutilated her fae. She recovered from the attack and reappeared on upon the stage; but later on, returning one night from the theater, she was seized with a violent paroxysm and died in the horrors of hydrophobia. She perished miserably….
^"Pit bull destroyed after mauling 2-year-old to death". Knight Ridder, Inc. April 19, 2000. Retrieved April 17, 2013. A pit bull terrier named "Baby" has been put to death after mauling a 2-year-old boy to death. Armini Virgil was playing in the back yard of his home near this New Orleans suburb on Saturday when the family dog reached out from his tether and bit the toddler several times. The boy died about three hours later at a hospital.An autopsy showed the boy died from bites and a severed artery. At the family's request, the dog was destroyed Monday
^Katz, Michelle (March 6, 2001). "Teen Mom Throws Baby to Hungry Dog". nydailynews.com. New York Daily News. Retrieved May 30, 2016. Fire Lt. Dennis Murphy arrived at 590 Bainbridge Ave. and found in the icy, muddy yard a pit bull/Rottweiler mix gnawing on...
^ abGinis, Kerri (July 17, 2005). "Laws with teeth". Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on August 15, 2005. Retrieved September 9, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^Chavez, Andrew (January 16, 2009). "Toddler in Fort Worth killed by dog after crawling through fence". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
^"Bourbonnais infant killed by family dog". Chicago Tribune. January 20, 2009.
^Vidonic, Bill (January 20, 2009). "Mother of mauled girl: 'I can't blame somebody for what an animal did'". Timesonline.com. Retrieved April 22, 2013. State police Sgt. Eric Hermick said the dog involved in the attack, a part-Rottweiler weighing more than 100 pounds, was quarantined by a Lawrence County dog officer and was to be destroyed.
^"Omar Martinez Pit Bull Attack: 3-Year-Old Boy Dead From Family Dog". Huffington Post. October 1, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2013. Authorities answered a 911 call Saturday afternoon reporting that a boy had been attacked by a dog and had stopped breathing. Paramedics found the boy unresponsive and took him to the hospital, where he died about two hours later. Authorities say the dog was aggressive toward firefighters when they arrived at the Apple Valley home, and a sheriff's deputy shot and killed the animal. The coroner's office says an autopsy will be conducted on the boy, and sheriff's deputies and animal control officials are investigating.
^Cruz, Mike (October 1, 2012). "Apple Valley boy, 3, bitten, killed by family pit bull". Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Retrieved May 12, 2013. Omar and his father were in the backyard, according to fire officials. When the father went inside the house, the dog bit the boy.
^Lohmann, Patrick (July 15, 2013). "Serious 'Rez' Dog Problem". ABQ Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2013. Roughly 445,000 dogs — four or five per household — are present on the Navajo Nation, most of which are free, said Kevin Gleason, the reservation's animal control manager, in a 2011 Associated Press article. That year, a pack of dogs near Gallup was found tearing into the body of 55-year-old Larry Armstrong, who died from the bites.
^"Postal Worker Who Died After Dog Attack ID'd". 10News.com. City News Service contributed. September 3, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2013. died from complications of a stroke she suffered immediately after getting attacked by a pit bull...An autopsy determined that the cause of her death was a hemorrhagic stroke, with contributing factors of cardiovascular disease and dog bites to her legs, the coroner reported....
^Montanaro, Julie (September 18, 2012). "[Update] Boy Dead After Dog Attack in Southwest Georgia". WCTV (Associated Press). Retrieved May 25, 2013. Neighbors believe a reddish-blonde bulldog that was abandoned in the neighborhood may be to blame. Yet the sheriff says no one witnessed the attack or heard it....The sheriff says they caught that reddish-blonde bulldog at about 4:30 Friday afternoon. He says investigators are now trying to figure out what to do next, whether it's possible to do any DNA testing or an autopsy to try to confirm whether it's the dog that killed Brayton.
^"Bond Increased To $250,000 In Dog Mauling Case". Gray Television, Inc. Retrieved April 9, 2013. The owner of the two pit bull mixes that police say attacked and killed a 7-year-old boy is now being held on a $250,000 bond.
^Petrimoulx, Drew (June 9, 2013). "5-Year-Old Boy Killed By Bullmastiff in Jessieville". Arkansasmatters.com. Retrieved June 10, 2013. 'The child was putting on some shoes and was crying and upset,' said Garland County Deputy Scott Hinojosa. 'The dog possibly took that as being aggressive and at that time the child was attacked.' Hinojosa said a 50-year-old woman named Lynn Geiling owns the dog with her husband. Lynn told police she tried to pull the dog off the boy, but by the time she got them separated the boy had injuries described by deputies as 'major lacerations' to the head and neck.
^"Boy, 5, in Alaska dies in dog mauling". UPI. September 16, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2014. KOTZEBUE, Alaska, Sept. 16 (UPI) – A Kotzebue, Alaska, boy, 5, was found mauled to death by a dog or dogs after being reported missing from his front yard, police said.
^Hinton, John (November 5, 2013). "Woman found mauled to death by dogs in Kernersville". Winston-Salem Journal. World Media Enterprises Inc. Retrieved November 14, 2013. Atkins had been around the dogs since they were puppies, and there was no history of aggression with the dogs, investigators told FOX8/WGHP
^Sullivan, Jennifer (November 7, 2013). "Spanaway woman dies week after attack by two pit bulls". Local News. The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 13, 2013. The dogs' owner told KOMO-TV that he doesn't know how the animals got out of his fenced yard. "They're really nice dogs," he said.
^Quiquivix, Jorge (November 11, 2013). "Name released of 4-year-old boy killed by dogs". KAIT Channel 8 Local News, ABC affiliate. Retrieved November 13, 2013. White County, AR (KAIT) – A small child died Friday afternoon after being attacked by dogs at a home in White County. According to White County Chief Deputy Phillip Miller, the sheriff's office received a call at around 3:24 p.m. after 4-year-old Levi Watson, was attacked on Piker Road in the Bradford area. Bradford fire crews and EMS arrived to the scene and treated the child. Deputy Miller said the child was taken to the White County Medical Center where the child later died. Miller said deputies and detectives with the sheriff's office are investigating the incident and the owner is cooperating with them. The White County Sheriff's Department has taken three adult pit bulls into custody until the investigation is completed. Deputy Miller said no charges have been filed in this incident. They will determined what will happened to the dogs after the investigation is completed.
^Wilkerson, Daniel (January 3, 2014). "Details released in Hot Springs Village deadly dog attack". THV-Channel 11. CBS News. Retrieved January 4, 2014. ...arrest warrants were issued for two women reportedly involved in the...attack, which killed 75-year-old Joan Kappen...
^Manning, Allison (December 11, 2013). "Family dogs kill baby on West Side". The Columbus Dispatch. The Dispatch Printing Company. Retrieved December 29, 2013. A baby girl was killed by the family dogs yesterday morning while her father slept on the couch in their West Side condo, Columbus police said.
^"Valencia County woman mauled to death by pit bull". The Santa Fe New Mexican. December 14, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2014. Valencia County sheriff's officials say Michal Nelson, 41, was killed Friday afternoon by her own pit bull.
^"Bullhead City man dies after attacked by dog". ABC TV News. December 29, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2014. The Bullhead City Police Department says 64-year-old Thomas J. Vick died from his injuries after being brought to a hospital....tried to break up a fight Saturday evening between the family's boxer and cocker spaniel. Both were attacked by the boxer. The dogs are being held at the Bullhead City Animal Control facility.
^Geary, Mark (February 27, 2014). "Police: Child Dies After Family Dog Attacks". WFNY News 2. Gannett. Retrieved March 8, 2014. A 3-year-old child died after her family's pit bull attacked her. A family spokesperson says Braelynn Rayne Coulter was playing when the dog suddenly attacked. Coulter's mother tried to save her, but the dog also attacked her.
^Gately, Paul J. (March 5, 2014). "Medical Examiner: Local Toddler's Mauling Death Was Accidental". www.kwtx.com. KWTX-TV News 10 Waco (Gray Digital Media). Retrieved July 31, 2014. The boy was killed and an 8-year-old girl was injured when the bull mastiff attacked them as they walked home from a neighborhood playground.
^Dave Phillips; Dustin Blichock (June 6, 2014). "Dog mauls, kills baby in Davisburg". Oakland Press. 21st Century Media. Retrieved July 12, 2014. Officials said the family has owned the Catahoula — the state dog of Louisiana, traditionally used to hunt wild boar — for about two years. It bit a neighbor on the arm several months ago but did not cause a serious injury and did not result in a response from deputies. The Catahoula is described as "tough, agile, fearless and intelligent" by the Dog Owner's Guide at canismajor.com. "The breed developed from dogs abandoned by Spanish explorers crossed with Indian dogs living with the local tribes," the site states. "The Cat is a dedicated guard dog and hunting companion and can be a faithful family pet if socialization and training begin with young puppies and continue throughout the dog's life."
^Undersheriff Brett Beauchamp (August 8, 2014). "Updated Child Death Investigation". Levy County Sheriff's Office. Levy County Sheriff's Office. The child had injuries consistent with being attacked by a dog or dogs. The subsequent investigation revealed that the child had been left in the care of his paternal aunt, Heather Claar. Claar resides at the incident location. Claar had allowed the Victim to go outside the home to play at the same time she allowed two of her pit bulldogs outside. For unknown reasons, the dogs attacked and killed the child outside the residence. There were no eyewitnesses to the attack. The Victim was not a stranger to the dogs and had been around them on a regular basis. Animal Control personnel removed multiple dogs from the property for quarantine purposes.
^Sullivan, Dan. "Mom says toddler killed by dogs was "an amazing kid". www.tampabay.com. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 26, 2015. The animals remained in the custody of the Hernando County Animal Services at the Brooksville animal shelter. Their fate was uncertain. Meanwhile, Hernando sheriff's investigators continued Tuesday to probe what happened Monday morning as Declan played on the porch of the mobile home he and his mother shared with her parents at 16251 Cherokee Road. The dogs, a pair of mixed-breeds named Thumper and Max, had been with the family since they were puppies, said Moss, 26. Thumper was 6 years old. Max was 18 months, the same as Declan. Neither had ever caused a problem for the family or shown any sign of aggression, Moss said. Her son loved the dogs, she said, as well as the horses and cattle he encountered in their rural northeast Hernando County community. Declan's grandfather, Gregory Moss, 51, was supervising the boy when the dogs attacked, authorities said. He tried to pull them off. By the time rescue personnel arrived, Declan was dead.
^Nelson, Andrew J. (January 23, 2015). "7-year-old Iowa boy dies after attack by 2 family dogs; both have been euthanized". Omaha.com. Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 30, 2015. two 6-month-old dogs, said Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer. The dogs — a 25-pound female and a 35-pound male — were mixed-breeds with some bulldog heritage, he said. But neither would be considered a pit bull. And neither had ever indicated it might be vicious, he said. Palmer saw the dogs in the pound Friday morning before they were euthanized. "Those puppies today … they showed no aggressiveness," he said. "When I went in this morning, they were still wagging their tails. "Malaki's family also had another dog, a bulldog type that wasn't involved in the attack, put down Friday morning, the sheriff said.
^Bergan, Shain. "Family Member's Dogs Killed Johnson County Man, Sheriff Says". 5newsonline. Tribune Broadcasting. Retrieved September 26, 2015. Johnson County (KFSM) – The Coal Hill man found dead in the woods near his home earlier this month died from "canine injuries" from a family member's dogs, according to newly-revealed autopsy results. Fredrick Crutchfield, 63, was found dead Feb. 4 by a family member. Investigators sent his body to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to determine a cause of death. An autopsy revealed Crutchfield died from loss of blood due to "multiple canine injuries," according to a statement released by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office on Friday (Feb. 20). Deputies said the dogs involved in the death belonged to a family member. The animals have since been impounded, according to the Sheriff's Office.
^Cain, Jackie (February 23, 2015). "Girl, 2, mauled to death by dog in West Mifflin Victim identified as TayLynn DeVaughn, of Forest Hills". WTAE Action News 4 - Pittsburgh. Hearst Stations Inc. on behalf of WTAE-TV. Retrieved September 27, 2015. A Pit Bull Mix Named Jake Snapped. Came in the living room and the dog was just shaking her and – Corey says he and his daughter had been staying with relatives since Wednesday. Taylynn had been around the dog since then and everything was fine until the attack that took her from him. When he let her go, she was gone because of her face, it's just like a blink of an eye, my baby's like gone.
^Slagle, Eric (March 5, 2015). "West Mifflin dog blamed in toddler's death set to be euthanized". Triblive. Trib Total Media, Inc. Retrieved September 27, 2015. ... a pit bull terrier mix — which is 3 to 4 years old and weighs about 80 pounds — was aggressive and uncooperative the night of the attack but has been somewhat withdrawn since. "The dog is still doing the thousand-mile stare. This dog is odd," Ferree said. "It's been here 10 days and you still can't read this dog." Allegheny County police Lt. Andrew Schurman said no criminal charges have been filed as a result of his department's investigation. "The (district attorney's) office will make the final determination," Schurman said. Allegheny County District Attorney's Office spokesman Mike Manko said he had nothing to report on the investigation....The Medical Examiner's Office ruled the toddler's cause of death as accidental from injuries to the head and neck caused by a dog. She was pronounced dead at Jefferson Hospital the night of the attack.
^Rogers, Alexis (April 3, 2015). "Family of man killed by pit bull attack seek justice". World Now and KATV. Retrieved September 30, 2015. Deputies were dispatched to C.J.'s Garage Monday morning to follow up on the report of a sighting of a Pit Bull Terrier that had returned to the property after getting away on Saturday. Once the deputies approached the animal, the dog became aggressive. The responding deputy fired a shot killing the dog. A second Pit Bull Terrier, which was not accounted for originally, was captured and is being kept by authorities. There has been a total of 5 Pit Bull Terrier's killed and 3 captured.
^Sela, Alvaro (April 3, 2015). "Update: Deputy kills dog involved in deadly attack". Retrieved September 30, 2015. Maj. Woods said no arrests have been made in connection with the incident, but the Sheriff's Office is still investigating and they're currently working with the 11th Judicial West Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Maj. Woods also said reports have been filed in the past regarding Smith's dogs.
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