People often perceive pit bull rescuers, shelters, and animal control officers to be experts on pit bull behavior and safety. Potential adopters often believe they can rely on these perceived experts' knowledge, judgment and temperament testing procedures to give them sound advice about pit bull safety and to match them with safe pit bulls.
Sadly, these perceived experts often are not required to have much expertise at all. More importantly many have sworn no oath and have no mandate to protect public safety and they are often extremely misguided. They refuse to acknowledge the inherent dangers of pit bulls and believe if they foist off an "iffy" pit bull on someone, well, it gives the pit bull another chance for a home, and it might turn out alright. Sometimes, the shelter does tell the adoptive owner that the pit bull has "dog aggression" and minimizes the significance of the danger to neighborhood pets and protective owners. Other times, shelter workers have reportedly failed to provide known information about aggression, and in some cases, when pit bulls attacked right after being adopted, they blamed the adopter.
It may surprise people to know that while these perceived experts often have little knowledge or expertise in safely adopting pets, dangerous dog advocates have been educating shelters in how to avoid liability when adopting out potentially or known dangerous dogs.
The following list shows the results of these misguided priorities and lack of mandated responsibility or accountability by these animal care "experts." Most of these articles are about recently adopted pit bulls that launched a serious attack, sometimes killing a person. Many of these pit bulls came with assurances that the pit bull was non-aggressive and/or had been temperament tested. A few articles concern other dangerous dogs, and some articles concern attacks that occurred while the dog was still in the care of the animal control, shelter, rescue or foster. The list is not complete or comprehensive, but merely highlights the growing and seriously dangerous problem.
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2021 NS - Fly With Me Rescue sent a second very dangerous pit bull to a foster family. The pit bull came with tranquilizers to be taken every 12 hours. The pit was so aggressive the man in the family was in constant fear of being attacked. And, as usual, when the foster family tried to communicate their worries about how dangerous the pit was, the rescue simply rebuffed their worries.
This is so incredibly irresponsible and dangerous.
2021 CO - A boy was mauled by a pit bull that was recently adopted out from the Aurora Animal Shelter. This is the first mauling by a rescue pit bull in Aurora since the City Council ignored the will of the public and voted to repeal the pit bull ban. When given a chance to vote on the issue, 63% of voters voted to keep the pit bull ban. Then the City Council got rid of it anyway. The boy was hospitalized with gruesome injuries to his face from the rescue pit bull that was going to be his best friend according to his family. They had asked for a pit bull that was good with kids and AAS assured the family that this mauler was good with children. AAS also gave the pit bull the SAFER temperament test which is completely useless on pit bulls.
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| The third Pit bull adopted by AAS after the pit bull ban was repealed mauled this child |
2021 NS - Known Aggressive Pit mix from Georgia was sent to Canada and adopted out without telling the adopter, Stacey Lynn McMullen, that the pit had a history of aggression, only that it "didn't like" dogs. Four days later, the pit killed a bichon while on a leash and injured 3 people trying to stop the attack inflicting broken ribs and deep bites. The owner found out that the the pit had a attacked another dog only after adopting it. The rescue that deceived the owner threatened to sue her for handing the dangerous dog over to AC as she was obliged to do. As part of a plea deal, the rescue "Fly With Me" is banned from adopting out dogs that are not dog friendly.
2021 PA - A pit bull coonhound mix had been adopted by a family, but 5 months later began showing signs of aggression. After the family had decided to rehome the pit mix, it attacked their 3 year old child. "Ripped his face down to his jaw bone, ripped his leg open, fractured his femur, punctured his femur bone, ripped his arm apart," Chelsey Royer said.
2020 FL - A pit bull that had been rescued two weeks previously from Mastiffs of Florida Rescue killed the new owner's elderly mother. Before killing the woman, the pit bull had slept in the victim's bed with her. This is the second vicious attack in Broward county within a week. After the pit bull killed a woman, pit bull advocates defended the killer pit bull.
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| Click to enlarge and read the depraved advocacy for a killer |
2020 FL - A foster pit bull attacked two children in the foster family, one son stabbed the pit bull to stop the attack. The foster "mom" had a couple scratches, while both sons were sent to the hospital. A dog trainer is associated with the same address. The mauler was first treated for its stab wounds and then euthanized. This attack is also found in the list of pit bulls stabbed to stop an attack.
https://bit.ly/2Qnp2ts
https://bit.ly/2Qnp2ts
2019 FL - Reporting on a lawsuit against PAWS (Panhandle Animal Welfare Society) for adopting out a pit bull with previous serious attacks that severely mauled a child in 2017 revealed that the pit bull attacked several people and a cockapoo in a veterinary clinic in 2015 and had to be stabbed in the neck to stop the attack.
2019 TX - Austin Animal Center is adopting out dangerous dogs that bite and kill pets AGAIN!. Scroll down to 2016 for the last report on this. One Pit bull was brought home newly adopted and killed the owner's other dog. The excuse, once again, is that they're spread thin. They are also over capacity, a state they seem to have been in since 2016. This is all due to No Kill policies. They do not work and are dangerous.
https://bit.ly/2ko5Wag
https://bit.ly/2mp9bPt
2019 CA - No Kill LA Animal Shelter allowed a German shepherd dog that had been dropped off for biting and aggression to be put up for adoption. While a father and two young children were meeting the dog, it bit one of the children in the face very seriously with no provocation. The child had to be transferred to a second hospital equipped to do the extensive kind of reconstructive surgery required to repair the damage and ay lose an eye. No Kill must be abandoned or outlawed because of the great harm it does to children and pets.
https://bit.ly/2kOjtIr
2019 VA - A pit bull mix that has put two people IN THE HOSPITAL is up for adoption again. One victim was the foster handler for BANDIT'S ADOPTION & RESCUE OF K-9's. She couldn't walk or live independently for 2 months. The second victim was the AC officer who took the dog after the first attack. She was hospitalized and couldn't work for a while. BARK took back the dangerous pit mix and put the thing up for adoption three years later without revealing the SERIOUS bite history of this dog. The operators at BARK have no care or concern that their actions put two people in the hospital already, and they have zero concern that they will put more people in the hospital if they adopt the pit out again. The investigative report revealed the dangerous pit's adoption page, which seems to have subsequently taken down.
https://bit.ly/2kI2Z4r
https://bit.ly/2mc7hl9
2019 FL - A pit bull that was up for adoption killed a volunteer at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County.
https://bit.ly/2DqOMT3
https://bit.ly/2ko5Wag
https://bit.ly/2mp9bPt
2019 CA - No Kill LA Animal Shelter allowed a German shepherd dog that had been dropped off for biting and aggression to be put up for adoption. While a father and two young children were meeting the dog, it bit one of the children in the face very seriously with no provocation. The child had to be transferred to a second hospital equipped to do the extensive kind of reconstructive surgery required to repair the damage and ay lose an eye. No Kill must be abandoned or outlawed because of the great harm it does to children and pets.
https://bit.ly/2kOjtIr
2019 VA - A pit bull mix that has put two people IN THE HOSPITAL is up for adoption again. One victim was the foster handler for BANDIT'S ADOPTION & RESCUE OF K-9's. She couldn't walk or live independently for 2 months. The second victim was the AC officer who took the dog after the first attack. She was hospitalized and couldn't work for a while. BARK took back the dangerous pit mix and put the thing up for adoption three years later without revealing the SERIOUS bite history of this dog. The operators at BARK have no care or concern that their actions put two people in the hospital already, and they have zero concern that they will put more people in the hospital if they adopt the pit out again. The investigative report revealed the dangerous pit's adoption page, which seems to have subsequently taken down.
https://bit.ly/2kI2Z4r
https://bit.ly/2mc7hl9
2019 FL - A pit bull that was up for adoption killed a volunteer at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County.
https://bit.ly/2DqOMT3
2019 NY - Once again a friendly pit bull mix (this one was falsely being called a boxer mix) that had never shown aggression severely mauled a child in the new adoptive home. This one only waited 24 hours to maul. And it isn't even certain that the pit bull will be put down.
2019 OH - A pit bull mix that was being fostered by the Pit Bull Advocates of Armstrong County (PA) allowed their pit bull with a known bite history to severely maul a dog groomer. The pit bull had to be tased and then stabbed to get the attack to stop and the victim has severe facial wounds and compound fractures in both bones of one of her forearms as well as other injuries. This pit bull, Lucian, is believed to be the same pit bull that severely mauled a 5 year old girl the day after it was adopted five months previously in April.
https://bit.ly/2lRxVzp
2019 OH - An American bulldog mix was adopted out by the Trumbull County Trumbull County Dog Warden with the assurance that it was good with everyone. The next day it severely mauled a 5 year-old girl. It later was revealed that the huge pit bull mix had shown protective and aggressive behavior and one person had said the dog should not go to a home with children.
https://bit.ly/2lRxVzp
2018 PA - New investigative report on yet another county animal control service that is adopting out dangerous dogs with bite histories, mostly pit bulls, in order to maintain a No Kill status. This time it is Lebanon County PA Humane Society. Look below for 4 previous investigations into the same kinds of reports into the unethical No Kill practices in Contra Cost CA (2016), Fairfax County VA (2016), Austin City TX (2016), Albuquerque City NM (2015).
https://bit.ly/2NF0toc
2018 FL - A pit bull mix that had been adopted out, and temperament tested by, Pinellas County Animal Control 7 months previously killed a 7 month old girl. (This baby was born just about the time this pit mix was adopted out). The foster father and his father, the pit bull owner, both were Clearwater Police Detectives. This is a second killing in a week by a temperament tested, adopted pit bull. Know this - temperament tests DO NOT and cannot predict unprovoked attacks from pit bulls.
https://bit.ly/2pMQ9AM
2018 IL - An adopted Pit bull from, and temperament tested by, South Suburban Animal Rescue in Chicago Heights 9 months previously sent two people to the hospital in separate attacks. One person was an insurance adjuster who entered the rental unit when the pit bull’s owners were not present. The second person was a police officer who was later dispatched to search for the loose pit bull.
2018 MD - A pit bull named Bullet and renamed Snowball was surrendered to the Logan County Pound in West Virginia and was eventually slated for euthanasia for lack of space. At least two rescues, The Paws Squad (WV )and Ray of Hope Rescue (MD) and a dog transport rescue, Wheels 4 Paws, worked together to raise funds for Snowball, arrange for transportation and vetting and got him to Robin Conway who agreed to foster Snowball. Two weeks later, Snowball killed Conway after having been taken for a walk. None of the rescues have publicly expressed regret for having been a part of delivering a killer pit bull to its victim or seem to have noticed that friendly pit bulls in the hands of knowledgeable and caring owners will kill with no warning or provocation.
https://bit.ly/2IqQxxC
https://bit.ly/2IqQxxC
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| Snowball the killer pit bull with his rescue and his rescuer victim |
https://bit.ly/2vnjd4w
2018 CA - A medium-sized, male shepherd-mix that was up for adoption severely mauled a volunteer who was walking the dog. The volunteer believes that had the behaviorist who had been recently fired been there to evaluate the dog, he could have warned her about the dog's behavior. LAAS wants to maintain its "No Kill" status which could account for them keeping so many dangerous dogs.
https://bit.ly/2mWbUwK
https://bit.ly/2mWbUwK
2018 OH - A family took in a stray pit bull. After five days with the pit bull behaving friendly towards adults and children, the pit bull viciously mauled a grandchild inflicting damage that required a life flight. Perry County animal control took the pit bull and said the pit bull would be quarantined for 10 days as required, and then euthanized. However, the family found the pit bull listed for adoption with the small caveat that blames the victim and lies to potential adopters. When a family member called to say the pit bull should be put down, the employee at the shelter said that she was told the child had been taunting the dog. Which is untrue. As of this writing, the ad has been taken down, but despite multiple calling, there has been no statement issued that indicates the shelter will dog the right, legal, moral and appropriate thing and put the mauling pit bull down.
2018 NV - Recently Adopted Mastiff Killed Owner three days after a couple adopted it. The dog was adopted from the Animal Foundation. The husband had posted on facebook asking if anyone had info about the breed saying he planned to take the dog on hikes in the mountains, to lakes, and parks.
2018 NV - Recently Adopted Mastiff Killed Owner three days after a couple adopted it. The dog was adopted from the Animal Foundation. The husband had posted on facebook asking if anyone had info about the breed saying he planned to take the dog on hikes in the mountains, to lakes, and parks.
2018 NV - Two pit bulls adopted from the Henderson Animal Shelter viciously mauled and killed their new owner after 8 months.
2018 IA - A "large dog" attacked two shelter workers when one of the victims was trying to take the "large dog" out to the exercise area. The second victim rescued the first victim, and then was subjected to a protracted attack which attracted the attention of nearby workers and a bystander with a gun who shot the dog TWICE before it released. Both victims received bites to the neck and face (kill bites) and the woman received bites to her legs as well. This has all the hallmarks of a pit bull's attack.
https://bit.ly/2ru8zqK archive
2018 TX - The Humane Society of North Texas allowed a chihuahua mix in an unsupervised pen with two pit bulls for unsupervised play. One of the pit bulls played the game pit bulls were bred to love - "kill the dog". The humane society says that all dogs must be supervised during play. They don't say they will stop the horrific practice of putting small dogs in pens with pit bulls. Pit bulls kill regularly when they are being supervised.
http://bit.ly/2pu0hht archive
2018 ME - A young man was interested in adopting a pit bull from the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society shelter and was allowed to take it for a walk to get to know it. He took it to his friend's house where the pit bull immediately grabbed and killed the friend's family's dearly beloved 5-year-old yorkie named Rocco Armani in front of the family.
http://bit.ly/2u5E4M6 archive
2018 OH - Veterinarian blows whistle on the Muskingum County Dog Warden and Adoption Center revealing that it has been adopting out dogs with aggression and bite histories. The vet revealed that one dog was brought into his clinic that hat been adopted out three times and returned twice for aggression. The third adopter paid to put the dog down so the highly irresponsible county animal control could not adopt it out a fourth time.
http://bit.ly/2EsV2Wd
2018 IL - A delivery person was seriously attacked by a pit bull at the no-kill Cache Creek Animal Rescue in Frankfort IL. She is suing for more than $50,000. She alleges that the attack was unprovoked and vicious.
http://bit.ly/2ncNU95
2017 TX - A toddler was mauled unprovoked by a pit bull mix that was up for adoption at an adoption event in a park in Dallas. The toddler was with his mom and had just pet the pit bull without incident and walked away. When the mom and toddler turned back toward where the pit bull was, it launched an unprovoked attack. Amazingly, the rescuers and animal control are so incompetent that they cannot determine from the severity of this unprovoked attack that the pit bull needs to be put down. They are calling in "experts" to evaluate the pit bull that failed the real world temperament test by launching a vicious, unprovoked attack on a toddler.
http://bit.ly/2pfJr95
https://bit.ly/2ru8zqK archive
2018 TX - The Humane Society of North Texas allowed a chihuahua mix in an unsupervised pen with two pit bulls for unsupervised play. One of the pit bulls played the game pit bulls were bred to love - "kill the dog". The humane society says that all dogs must be supervised during play. They don't say they will stop the horrific practice of putting small dogs in pens with pit bulls. Pit bulls kill regularly when they are being supervised.
http://bit.ly/2pu0hht archive
2018 ME - A young man was interested in adopting a pit bull from the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society shelter and was allowed to take it for a walk to get to know it. He took it to his friend's house where the pit bull immediately grabbed and killed the friend's family's dearly beloved 5-year-old yorkie named Rocco Armani in front of the family.
http://bit.ly/2u5E4M6 archive
2018 OH - Veterinarian blows whistle on the Muskingum County Dog Warden and Adoption Center revealing that it has been adopting out dogs with aggression and bite histories. The vet revealed that one dog was brought into his clinic that hat been adopted out three times and returned twice for aggression. The third adopter paid to put the dog down so the highly irresponsible county animal control could not adopt it out a fourth time.
http://bit.ly/2EsV2Wd
2018 IL - A delivery person was seriously attacked by a pit bull at the no-kill Cache Creek Animal Rescue in Frankfort IL. She is suing for more than $50,000. She alleges that the attack was unprovoked and vicious.
http://bit.ly/2ncNU95
2017 TX - A toddler was mauled unprovoked by a pit bull mix that was up for adoption at an adoption event in a park in Dallas. The toddler was with his mom and had just pet the pit bull without incident and walked away. When the mom and toddler turned back toward where the pit bull was, it launched an unprovoked attack. Amazingly, the rescuers and animal control are so incompetent that they cannot determine from the severity of this unprovoked attack that the pit bull needs to be put down. They are calling in "experts" to evaluate the pit bull that failed the real world temperament test by launching a vicious, unprovoked attack on a toddler.
http://bit.ly/2pfJr95
2017 LA - A rescue lied to a family telling them that a pit bull mix was a mastiff mix. The family was used to small dogs. After spending 3 hours with the pit before adopting him, and having him home 2 hours, the pit bull attacked a five-year-old boy.
http://bit.ly/2ipbUmU
2017 NY - A child and an adult were attacked by a rescue pit bull during a Mermorial Day celebration at the Pound Ridge Fire Department.
http://bit.ly/2uv81Du
2017 WI - A pit bull mix being fostered for Shelter From the Storm rescue escaped it's foster's fence and attacked two dogs being walked by a woman. The pit killed one dog and injured the other and severely injured the dogs' owner. The rescue is lying about the breed saying the pit mix is a shepherd greyhound mix which is ridiculous when you look at both the photo that was shared AND the nature of the the attack.
http://bit.ly/2poaoXr
archive
2017 MI - A newly adopted pit bull mauled a child with no warning or provocation.
http://bit.ly/2i2Qzif
2017 PA - A volunteer for Angel Ridge Animal Rescue brought her 4 and 7-year-old daughters with her to the rescue. While she was walking a pit bull, it attacked her younger daughter. She got the pit off her daughter, and was being severely mauled when a man came, got the pit off her, and tied a belt and a leash around each arm as tourniquets. She is in the hospital in serious condition after surgery. Her daughter was also hospitalized. The man said he'd never seen a dog persist in an attack like that. That's what pit bulls do.
http://bit.ly/2p4393t
https://bit.ly/2vjxe6C archive
2017 NC - A rescue group volunteer and her son were attacked by two rottweilers at a private shelter, For the Love of Dogs. The child sustained severe injuries including large lacerations over all of his body.
http://bit.ly/2oG0xM5
2017 NM - The Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department has been found once again to be adopting out dangerous dogs. After designing a process that had 3 experts designate dogs that needed to be euthanized for aggression, the new director has once again been found to be unilaterally removing dogs from the euthanasia list and putting them up for adoption.
http://bit.ly/2nK5qQu
2017 NV - The founder of Happy Acres Animal Sanctuary was seriously mauled by a newly acquired dangerous pit bull and was in fair condition at the hospital. Sanctuaries take unadoptable animals, including animals that are dangerously aggressive, instead of humanely euthanizing them. The new dangerous pit bull that attacked Steve Benson was attacked by another pit bull which is believed to have saved Benson's life.
http://bit.ly/2nFGCc9
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| Killer Pit Bull Passed Off As GSD/Greyhound Mix |
http://bit.ly/2i2Qzif
2017 PA - A volunteer for Angel Ridge Animal Rescue brought her 4 and 7-year-old daughters with her to the rescue. While she was walking a pit bull, it attacked her younger daughter. She got the pit off her daughter, and was being severely mauled when a man came, got the pit off her, and tied a belt and a leash around each arm as tourniquets. She is in the hospital in serious condition after surgery. Her daughter was also hospitalized. The man said he'd never seen a dog persist in an attack like that. That's what pit bulls do.
http://bit.ly/2p4393t
https://bit.ly/2vjxe6C archive
2017 NC - A rescue group volunteer and her son were attacked by two rottweilers at a private shelter, For the Love of Dogs. The child sustained severe injuries including large lacerations over all of his body.
http://bit.ly/2oG0xM5
2017 NM - The Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department has been found once again to be adopting out dangerous dogs. After designing a process that had 3 experts designate dogs that needed to be euthanized for aggression, the new director has once again been found to be unilaterally removing dogs from the euthanasia list and putting them up for adoption.
http://bit.ly/2nK5qQu
2017 NV - The founder of Happy Acres Animal Sanctuary was seriously mauled by a newly acquired dangerous pit bull and was in fair condition at the hospital. Sanctuaries take unadoptable animals, including animals that are dangerously aggressive, instead of humanely euthanizing them. The new dangerous pit bull that attacked Steve Benson was attacked by another pit bull which is believed to have saved Benson's life.
http://bit.ly/2nFGCc9
2017 IA - A pit bull was transported from Louisiana to the Clinton IA Humane Society where it was adopted out to a family. Less than two hours later the pit bull had attacked a 15-month old child doing horrifying, permanent damage to his face.
http://bit.ly/2nRdiPx
2017 LA - Pit bull attacked the deputy director of the St. Lanry Parish Animal Control Shelter and her dog. The pit bull was put down and the shelter has been closed.
http://bit.ly/2nGtrvu
Archive
2017 GA - Two women have filed a lawsuit against Macon’s All About Animals Rescue Inc., alleging they were mauled by a pit bull while volunteering at the no-kill shelter in 2015. During a walk, and without provocation from the volunteers, Hooch “viciously attacked and mauled” Archibald, according to the lawsuit, filed in Bibb County State Court on March 3.
http://bit.ly/2nGr77o
2017 FL - After at least two recent instances of pit bull mixes adopted by the shelter biting people, Lake County Animal Control has changed its rules so that those adopting the animals know up front whether the creatures have been aggressive at the shelter and whether they’ve been returned by an owner for biting. Excellent opinion piece about this craziness.
http://bit.ly/2nwHx1T
2017 MI - A woman went to the Center for Animal Health and Welfare in Williams Township to adopt a sweet beagle named Penny. They were just about to take Penny home when a pit mix broke free from its handler and mauled Penny horribly for no reason. Penny's throat was ripped open and her jaw was left hanging. At last report she had had surgery. The pit bull was put down, thankfully.
http://bit.ly/2jzFa9E
2017 CA - A 10-year-veteran Animal Care Tech was viciously mauled by a pit bull at LAAS North Central Shelter. She required a 5-hour-long surgery, both arms are bandaged from her fingers to her shoulders and from photos, one person believed her entire biceps were gone on one arm.
http://bit.ly/2oZSfi7
2016 TX - Dallas Animal Services gave a pit bull to Dallas Pets Alive (DPA). DPA took the pit bull to an adoption event where it seriously mauled a 2-year-old child. When a municipal court ordered the pit bull to be humanely euthanized, DPA filed lawsuits to keep the mauling pit bull alive.
2016 CA - Yet more shelters are found to be adopting out dangerous dogs that are known to be aggressive and bite histories. This time it is Sonoma County that is the subject of an expose by DogsBite.org .2017 FL - After at least two recent instances of pit bull mixes adopted by the shelter biting people, Lake County Animal Control has changed its rules so that those adopting the animals know up front whether the creatures have been aggressive at the shelter and whether they’ve been returned by an owner for biting. Excellent opinion piece about this craziness.
http://bit.ly/2nwHx1T
2017 MI - A woman went to the Center for Animal Health and Welfare in Williams Township to adopt a sweet beagle named Penny. They were just about to take Penny home when a pit mix broke free from its handler and mauled Penny horribly for no reason. Penny's throat was ripped open and her jaw was left hanging. At last report she had had surgery. The pit bull was put down, thankfully.
http://bit.ly/2jzFa9E
2017 CA - A 10-year-veteran Animal Care Tech was viciously mauled by a pit bull at LAAS North Central Shelter. She required a 5-hour-long surgery, both arms are bandaged from her fingers to her shoulders and from photos, one person believed her entire biceps were gone on one arm.
http://bit.ly/2oZSfi7
2016 TX - Dallas Animal Services gave a pit bull to Dallas Pets Alive (DPA). DPA took the pit bull to an adoption event where it seriously mauled a 2-year-old child. When a municipal court ordered the pit bull to be humanely euthanized, DPA filed lawsuits to keep the mauling pit bull alive.
2016 CA - Jack was a 5 lb yorkshire terrier who was beloved. His owner took him everywhere had an Instagram page for him. Her room mates brought home a friggin pit bull that killed Jack hours later. The room mates had brought Jack to meet the pit bull without his owner's knowledge and since the pit bull didn't kill Jack right away, the San Diego Shelter was more than happy to put Jack's life in danger by adopting the pit bull to the idiot room mates. When confronted by the owner the San Diego Shelter essentially said, and I'm paraphrasing, "Not our fault and no big deal and FU, we're giving the pit bull back to your room mates."
2016 NJ - A pit bull attacked an 11-year-old boy inflicting such serious damage that the boy required 80 stitches. The pit bull that had been adopted from the Bloomfield animal Shelter a couple weeks previously during the week of October 10th. A judge allowed the irresponsible shelter to take the mauling pit bull back. They plan to find a sanctuary for it. And they want more money to do so.
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Derrick the pit bull that tore up an 11-year-old is Safe.
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http://bit.ly/2dfeOYm
http://bit.ly/2cltoMU
2016 FL - A man was bitten by a shepherd mix that he had adopted two days previously from the Gulf Coast Humane Society. When he returned the dog, he was told that it had happened before and the man wants to know why he wasn't told. Other workers at the Humane Society said the dog had been returned, but not for aggression or violence.
http://bit.ly/2c0doC3
2016 PA - A pit bull attacked and severely mauled his owner putting him in the hospital and will need to be in a nursing home for a few weeks to recover. The owner said he'd rescued the pit bull a year earlier when it was six months old. He called his pit bull a "gentle giant" who was not aggressive and said he'd nursed it back up to a healthy weight and cared for it with love to be part of the family. Then one night, the pit bull, believed to be scared by a storm, mauled.
http://bit.ly/2brDMFy
2016 CA - Contra Costa Animal Services killed another innocent dog with one of their adopted pits. On the very day a pit bull was adopted, it grabbed a 6 lb Maltese named Teddy and killed him on the street in front of an ice cream store.
2016 CA - An update to the investigative report about the dangerous dogs Contra Costa Animal Services is adopting out describes how a pit bull killed a cute little maltese the very day it was adopted out to a woman. The ugly pit bull had been at CCAS for a month, but had not been temperament tested. They just won't stop even after they've been exposed.
http://bit.ly/2bo9vEH
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| Pit Bull Gets to Kill a Sweet Maltese Before It Gets Put Down because shelter workers wanted to give it another chance (to kill) |
2016 VA - An update to the investigative report about the dangerous dogs Fairfax County Animal Services describes how a dangerous pit bull with a known history of aggression was adopted and just a few months later it killed an adorable and beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel leaving his owner devastated because he adored his little dog.
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| An adorable and beloved little dog was killed because shelter workers callously adopt out known aggressive pit bulls like the one that killed Kaiser. |
2016 VA - Fairfax County Animal Services is yet another publicly funded animal control that is striving to achieve No Kill status and in doing so, is keeping dangerous dogs alive, exposing shelter workers to dangerous dogs, and adopting out dangerous dogs to the public. Once investigative reporters began looking into the situation and exposed the fact that several shelter workers had been seriously mauled and that people had been bitten by adopted dangerous dogs that were returned and then adopted out again, the interim Shelter Director resigned. A pit bull, pit mix and a German Shepherd were identified as among the attacking breeds in the investigative report.
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| Virginia Pit Bull Vern was photographed in a cute bow tie the day before he mauled a shelter worker as she took him out to show a potential adopter |
2016 CA - Contra Costa Animal Services knowingly and purposefully adopted out a German Shepherd to a couple that was so aggressive the veterinary director of CCAS said that staff could not touch him to examine him. The German shepherd also attempted to bite a dog trainer in the face. That veterinarian said that CCAS is jeopardizing public safety to keep their “live release rate” numbers up. That live release rate is a useless measure created by No Kill advocacy that is putting people at risk around the country. CCAS director Beth Ward asks this question which proves that she is incompetent. “Do you euthanize any animal that shows any kind of negative behavior?” If by “negative behavior” you mean “aggressive” or “unstable" behavior the answer is yes, Beth. It is yes. Especially when you say you’re so overburdened with dogs that you don’t have time to thoroughly examine the dogs you have.
"The dog was a mutt and a member of the Board of Directors emphasized that "this was not a vicious pit bull attack." The member also said the dog has never shown reason for concern and the volunteers were in shock after the attack."
Both those statements were later deleted. In an update posted 2 days after the attack, the dog was identified as a pit bull mix:
"UPDATE: Representatives from the city of Las Vegas say the dog was a pit bull mix and is being evaluated at the Animal Foundation."
Diana England, the rescue's founder, who lied to protect pit bulls, was still in the hospital 4 days after the attack.
http://bit.ly/29JVv70
http://bit.ly/29JVKPp
2016 AL - A 12-year-old boy was brutally attacked by his mother's rescue pit bulls. The news report suggests there was a breeding pair with puppies, but the mother says on her facebook page that all the pit bulls but one were rescues.
http://bit.ly/28Qp4TE
http://bit.ly/28QlsRg
http://bit.ly/28PxkC7
2016 OH - Two pit bulls bust out of a gate for the express purpose of killing a little dog being walked on a leash knocking down the 60 year old owner. The owners say the pit bulls are "rescue" dogs.
http://bit.ly/28O9Cto
2016 TX - Austin City Animal Control has sent over 500 aggressive dogs to Austin Pets Alive! No Kill animal shelter. Really obscene lack of responsibility here.
"Max is one of more than 500 dogs quarantined for biting, which the city then transferred to APA in the last five years, according to city records. More than 200 of those dogs appear to meet the city's own definition of a dangerous dog: attacking unprovoked and causing injuries. In at least 40 of those attacks, city staff said the person received moderate to severe injuries. Hundreds more dogs are noted in city records as "aggressive" but were still given to APA." And they are defending their actions. Wow!
http://bit.ly/1TLWKSd
http://bit.ly/25Debzc
2016 CA - Brenda Barnett of LA Animal Services allowed someone who claimed to represent a rescue in Arkansas to take an extremely dangerous pit bull that had bitten a AC worker. That pit bull, after released, but still in LA, attacked a potential adopter. The vicious pit bull had to be stabbed 19 times to stop the attack and was later euthanized. (This attack is also listed in Pit Bulls That Must Be Stabbed to Stop an Attack)
http://bit.ly/27TgvAO
2016 MI - A family adopted a pit bull from the Taylor Animal Shelter. The family said that as soon as they brought it in the home, it attacked their daughter. The shelter took the dog back and gave them their money back. The rescue won't put the dog down. They want a rescue to take it.
http://bit.ly/1O4Wcd1
2016 WI - A recently adopted pit bull mix jumped over a 4 ft fence to get into a yard so it could kill a lab dachshund mix. After several people, including the pit bull's owner, tried to get the pit bull off the victim dog, a neighbor got a gun and shot the pit bull dead. The report didn't bother to mention how the victim dog was doing. The mauling pit bull was adopted from a shelter in Rice Lake, WI. (This attack is also listed in Invasion Attacks.)
http://bit.ly/23vDEUV
2016 NY - In July 2015 a boy and his mother went to the city animal services shelter in Rochester to find a dog to adopt. A "boxer mix" was brought out for them to look at. The mother got confirmation that the dog was "suitable for children". After a brief introduction, the "boxer mix" was taken off the leash at which time it immediately mauled the child, biting him in the abdomen resulting in severe and permanent scarring and disfigurement." The mother has filed a lawsuit. This story was not reported when it happened. "Boxer mix" often means pit bull and this shelter is full to the brim with pit bulls.
http://bit.ly/1Tm0wkp
2016 CA - The pit bull mix that killed a 3-day-old baby had been adopted from the San diego Humane Society 6 months previously. The pit mix had been judged as an individual by experts to be "a happy, social dog who enjoyed going on walks and playing with other dogs" that had shown no signs of aggression. The head of the San Diego Humane Society, who just wrote a book about how to understand animal communication seems unaware that happy, well adjusted pit bulls are known for mauling and killing unprovoked with no previous signs of aggression. It has been less than a year since the Asheville Humane Society adopted out a pit bull that killed a boy a few days later. That pit bull had also been deemed non-aggressive by "experts."
http://bit.ly/1YUHgP9
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| The recently adopted pit bull that killed a a child soon after passing a temperament test |
2016 TX - Two volunteers, one a teenage girl, at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter allowed two pit bulls to attack a little dog. An off-duty sheriff who was about to adopt a dog saw the teenager trying to get the pit bulls off the little dog. He decided not to shoot, but to hit one of the pit bulls with a board. This worked to stop the attack and get the little dog away from the pit bulls which began attacking each other. The sheriff was accused of beating dogs by people on social media as thanks for saving the teenager.
http://bit.ly/1VVdeMQ
2016 MD - A child was bitten by a dog at the humane Society of Hartford County. The child was flown to the hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. The breed of dog has not been released. The vast majority of dogs at the shelter are pit bulls.
http://cbsloc.al/1NpZqaA
2016 ON - An illegal pit bull that had been recently adopted escaped its owner's condo and pushed through the front door of a neighbors condo and killed the neighbor's dog in a bloody, vicious, horrific invasion attack. The owner said he could tell his April was already dead in seconds because the pit bull had literally ripped April completely open. One of the neighbors was scratched trying to keep the invading pit from attacking their other dog. (This attack is also posted in invasion attacks).
http://bit.ly/1WfTmTy
2016 NJ - A pit bull escaped from a home, rushed to a woman walking a baby stroller and attacked the 11 month old girl in the stroller. The pit bull was recently adopted from a shelter. The baby girl was hospitalized for three days, received 70 stitches and plastic surgery. (This attack is also listed in attacks with no provocation or warning.)
http://bit.ly/1S0EGFk
2016 IN - A woman went to the Marion-Grand County Humane Society. A pit bull that had been deemed safe for adoption was led into a room to meet the potential adopter and immediately jumped up and bit the woman on the face sending her to the hospital. On top of that, the Humane Society gave her the runaround for DAYS about whether the pit bull had been vaccinated for rabies. It had not. And now she is waiting to see if the pit bull will show signs of rabies. That is a very bad idea since she was bitten in the face.
http://bit.ly/1S0FaOL
2016 CT - A rescue pit bull escaped containment and attacked a donkey while at large. The owner says the pit bull will be returned to the rescue after the 14-day quarantine period is over.
http://bit.ly/1pI4oFe
2016 CO - The Longmont Humane Society, the only HS in the country to have been charged as an irresponsible dangerous pit bull owner with allowing a dangerous dog to attack, has adopted out another dangerous dog with a history of biting animals and people. This time an American Bulldog recently adopted from LHS bit a meter reader and inflicted "significant" injuries to the woman who needed surgery. Longmont HS prides itself on taking problematic pit bulls from all over the country and "rehabilitating" them. Then they dump them on the city of Longmont and environs. The citizens of Longmont then have to deal with the fact that this "rehabilitation" is fantasy.
http://bit.ly/24mP5l6
http://bit.ly/1tm0Sul
Craven Desires - Longmont Humane Society
2016 AZ - A 7 year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after being attacked by a pit bull terrier mix that had been adopted 6 months previously. She had non-life threatening injuries to her hand and scalp.
http://bit.ly/1K5BZSm
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In 2015, 9% of the attacks resulting in death were inflicted by dogs rehomed by c
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2015 CA - A family is suing Labrador and Friends Rescue and San Diego County after a lab they adopted from the rescue severely mauled their son. They later found out that the dog had attacked a woman just two weeks previous to the adoption, both SDAC and the rescue knew about the attack, and no one told the family.
http://bit.ly/2tdiiob
2015 NS - The St. Mary’s University student was about to leave for work when a pit bull showed up and chased, Diamond, her pomeranian from their yard into the living room of her home on Fourth Street in Dartmouth. She tried desperately to save her little dog whom she regarded as her child, but the pit bull ran off with her baby's lifeless body. The pit bull owners feel their pit isn't aggressive because it didn't also try to kill the people in their own home and that their killer pit bull shouldn't be put down. The pit bull had been recently bought from Homeward Bound Rescue (yeah, it was homeward bound alright.) (Also listed in the invasion attacks list.)
http://tinyurl.com/h34fv3s
http://bit.ly/1UAmA0t
2015 MD - A 5 year-old boy suffered serious facial injuries after an attack by a "boxer-bulldog mix" (pit bull) that had been adopted earlier the same day. The county animal shelter suspended adoptions to review their adoption protocols, but did not find that adopting out pit bulls and lying about the breed were problems.
http://bit.ly/1ZLSWDh
http://tinyurl.com/hdyyb73
2015 VA - A family is suing the Fluvanna SPCA for adopting an aggressive dog to them without informing them of previous attacks by the dog. The dog, Max, attacked a 5 year-old child of the family. Previously, SPCA adopted out a dog that killed a puppy the same day it was adopted. Max is supposedly a German shepherd and husky mix. However neither of those two breeds would have given Max terrier ears.
http://bit.ly/1jkA13Q
http://www.webcitation.org/6dJi4ILmm
2015 SC - TWO children were bitten by a male, one-year-old “boxer mix” from the Charleston Animal Society in a busy public square. At the time of the attack, The Charleston Animal Society’s adoption page showed only one dog labeled as 1-year-old male boxer, and that dog was obviously a pit mix. After the first child was bitten in the leg, police told the foster handler of the pit mix to stay at the event which is when the second child was bitten in the shoulder requiring surgery. The Charleston Animal Society said that the dog had passed multiple aggression tests and had never shown any aggressive behavior before the two attacks.
2014 CT - A pit bull that had been adopted only months before ran out of a house to attack a 93 year old woman leaving devastating wounds. The shelter reports conducting extensive testing, training and socializing. The shelter director also prides herself on "rehabilitating" vicious dogs. Neighbors and the shelter say the owners were good people and extremely responsible about owning their pit bull. The victim died 6 weeks after the attack.
2015 OH - Lucas County Pit Crew adopted out a pit bull to a couple and three days later the pit bull bit the husband leaving a gash that required two stitches. Lucas County Pit Crew and founder Jean Keating have been criminally charged with obstruction of official business and violating rabies quarantine. Keating insists that Bosco, the biting pit bull who was declared dangerous, has never shown aggression despite the fact that Bosco bit a man.
http://bit.ly/21G6inf
http://bit.ly/21G6inf
2015 NS - The St. Mary’s University student was about to leave for work when a pit bull showed up and chased, Diamond, her pomeranian from their yard into the living room of her home on Fourth Street in Dartmouth. She tried desperately to save her little dog whom she regarded as her child, but the pit bull ran off with her baby's lifeless body. The pit bull owners feel their pit isn't aggressive because it didn't also try to kill the people in their own home and that their killer pit bull shouldn't be put down. The pit bull had been recently bought from Homeward Bound Rescue (yeah, it was homeward bound alright.) (Also listed in the invasion attacks list.)
http://tinyurl.com/h34fv3s
http://bit.ly/1UAmA0t
2015 MD - A 5 year-old boy suffered serious facial injuries after an attack by a "boxer-bulldog mix" (pit bull) that had been adopted earlier the same day. The county animal shelter suspended adoptions to review their adoption protocols, but did not find that adopting out pit bulls and lying about the breed were problems.
http://bit.ly/1ZLSWDh
http://tinyurl.com/hdyyb73
2015 VA - A family is suing the Fluvanna SPCA for adopting an aggressive dog to them without informing them of previous attacks by the dog. The dog, Max, attacked a 5 year-old child of the family. Previously, SPCA adopted out a dog that killed a puppy the same day it was adopted. Max is supposedly a German shepherd and husky mix. However neither of those two breeds would have given Max terrier ears.
http://bit.ly/1jkA13Q
http://www.webcitation.org/6dJi4ILmm
2015 TN - A man adopted a rottweiler from Jackson Rabies Control and later that same day the rottweiler mauled him to death.
2015 TX - A pit bulls was adopted from the Corinne T. Smith Animal shelter on Oct 22 and on Nov 9, it was reported that the owner stabbed and beat the pit bull after it killed two other household pets and began attacking a third pet in front of a 4 year old child. The pit bull was reportedly stabbed to stop the attack, but it is unclear whether the pit bull was tied up before or after it was beaten. The shelter blames the owner saying they told the owner the pit bull wasn't good with cats. The focus of most of the reporting has been on the pit bull as a victim. The bloodbath the pit bull created and the two pit bull mauling victims have barely been reported. The rescue wants to adopt out this pit bull again and has shown no concern for the pets that were killed and ignores the dangers to people and pets of this highly predatory pit bull.
2015 MA - A pit bull that had been rescued six months previously attacked an 18 month old baby after an 8 year old sibling opened a door and the pit bull rushed in from another room. The toddler suffered injuries to the sides of her head and ears.
2015 CA - San Diego AC, against policy, gave a lab that had almost amputated the finger of an adult woman to a rescue which then adopted it out without telling the new family about the severe bite the lab has inflicted. Days later, the lab bit off the nose of a 21 year old family member.
2015 WI - A pit bull that was adopted October 19 leapt out of a car window for the express purpose of killing a little bichon on October 21. The pit bull was put down.
2015 OH - A sweet little dog was boarded at Promway kennel so often, he was called "The Prince of Promway." Then the owner of Promway Kennel decided to foster a rescue pit bull. The rescue pit bull killed the sweet, loving little prince of a dog. His owners are devastated.
2015 GA - A volunteer was attacked at the Cobb Animal Shelter by a chow. The shelter refused to pay the $16,000 medical bill their chow inflicted serious wounds on the volunteer.
2015 OH - Clermont County has been suffering from many pit bulls attacks recently. The most recent victim was a young woman with special needs who was attacked by a pit bull her mother had recently adopted. Neighbors report seeing many pit bull attacks recently.
2015 NY - A rescue pit bull brought home on a trial basis attacked the potential adopters a couple days later. The SPCA of Niagara is now "evaluating" it. Both the man and the woman received medical treatment.
2015 NY - A recently adopted pit bull being walked on a leash by a young boy attacked and killed a pomeranian that was being walked on a leash. The mother of the boy said she was going to turn the killer pit bull in to the SPCA.
2015 MI - Police were called to a home by a 23-year-old pit bull owner after the pit bull attacked him. The man's other dog, a pomeranian, lunged at the pit bull to protect the man and the pit bull killed the pomeranian instantly with one bite. The pit bull had been adopted just 7 months previously and had multiple bite mark scars and what appeared to be two bullet holes. The pit bull will be put down.
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| The 1-year-old male "boxer mix" up for adoption at the Charleston Animal Society |
2015 NY - A pit bull named Alex attacked a 16 year old girl minutes after her father had adopted it and brought it home from All Breed Rescue in Williston VT and NYC ACC. The father says he was made to feel confident that the pit bull would be a safe family dog. He had seen temperament tests and an ad that said the pit bull would be great with any family. It took the father several minutes to get the pit off his child, and police needed two tranquilizer darts to calm the pit enough to get it back to AC to put down. The girl stayed overnight in the hospital with injuries to her arm and face including removal of part of her lip.
https://bit.ly/2xPbL6K
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2015 OH - The family pit bull attacked a girl and her father jumped in front of her to protect her. The pit bull then turned on him. The family says they got the pit bull from a rescue that specializes in rescuing pit bulls that were bred, conditioned and used for dog fighting. An updated story says that the pit bull was rescued from a friend of a friend, not a formal rescue, and that the owner believes the pit bull was used as a bait dog which made it unstable. The family is keeping their other pit bull and will adopt more. The attacking pit bull will be put down.
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| Securing the Fighting Dog Weapons Drawn |
2015 CA - An 11-year-old boy was taken to the hospital after a pit bull his neighbor was fostering attacked him in Costa Mesa, police said. The dog chased the boy and bit him on his right leg. Some of the lacerations were four to six inches in length. There are questions about whether it will be euthanized or adopted out.
2015 TX - Family wins lawsuit against Petsmart which hosted an adoption event. A rottweiler up for adoption at the event launched an unprovoked, serious mauling on a 4 year old girl. Lawyers for the girl said, "This was a preventable injury. Had Petsmart had in place a requirement that potentially dangerous breeds of dogs, such as Rottweiler’s and Pitbulls be muzzled before being brought into the store, this would not have happened. We hope that PetSmart will make a policy change to require muzzles on potentially dangerous breeds inside their stores." (Also posted on the list of attacks inside of PetSmart)
2015 IL - The Animal Protection League is still set on adopting out a pit bull that attacked one of their volunteers unprovoked. The volunteer is trying to sue the APL to force it to do the responsible thing and put down the dangerous dog.
2015 WV - A pit bull broke out of its cage Saturday morning and attacked a hound dog returning to the shelter after a walk. Several employees tried to stop the attack but could not, so an employee grabbed a gun from his vehicle and shot and killed the attacking pit bull. A shelter employee was injured while attempted to stop the dog fight.
2015 OH - Five months after an Ohio couple adopted a rescue pit bull from a shelter in California, it escaped containment and attacked a woman and her little dog on the street unprovoked. The woman required 10 stitches and the little dog required 25 stitches. The couple want to give the pit bull back to the rescue.
2015 GA - DeKalb County Animal Shelter employees were allowed to take a dog into their office as an office dog. One employee decided to take a pit bull that has never showed aggression in the three months it had been there. When another employee walked past the office and fell, the pit bull slipped its collar and seriously mauled her.
2015 MS - A previously friendly pit bull that all staff had interacted with attacked a shelter worker during a routine kennel cleaning that the pit bull was familiar with. The pit bull mauled the employee's leg and an animal control officer was attacked when he got the pit bull off the shelter worker's leg. Both people attacked had "vicious dog training certificates" (whatever that is) and neither had anticipated that this pit bull would attack. The two supposed experts are "trying to figure out" why the pit bull attacked because they are apparently unaware that friendly pit bulls regularly launch vicious attacks out of the blue. The shelter worker had to have two reconstructive surgeries on her leg.
2015 NC - A pit bull was accidentally allowed to roam in the Columbus Animal Shelter and killed a cat and 13 kittens. The pit bull was either given to a foster or adopted out "to a new home, one without cats."
Accessed: 2015-09-09. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6bPFOjPPi )
2015 NC - A 6 year old child was killed by the neighbors' newly adopted pit bull from the Asheville Humane Society right around the time the Humane Society had launched a new "Project Pit Bull" initiative to encourage people to adopt more pit bulls. The neighbors left the pit bull outside unattended in a fenced yard while they were away. The boy left the house and climbed the fence to see the pit bull in the few moments the mother took to go to the bathroom. Reportedly, the child had played with the pit bull before and the pit bull had given the boy kisses through the fence, and the mother and owner believed the pit bull was safe and friendly. The AHS subsequently wiped their Facebook and web pages of all traces of their "Project Pit Bull."
2015 NC - About a month before an Asheville Humane Society pit bull killed a boy, AHS had adopted another temperament tested pit bull to a family with a 5 year old boy. Less than 24 hours later, the pit bull seriously mauled the boy according to a commenter on a news story who claimed to be the mother who adopted the pit bull.
2015 KY - The Smith County Animal Control Director was attacked by a pit bull when she tried to put him back in his kennel and had to lock herself in her office to stop the attack. Another AC officer was forced to kill the pit bull. Still, the director says she'd love that the mauling pit bull if it hadn't been shot to death because "these dogs are my life."
2015 CA - Animal control head, DR. JENNIFER HAWKINS, removed the "vicious" dog label from a pit bull that had bitten someone in the face. The label would only have required the pit bull to be leashed and muzzled. The pit bull then launched an unprovoked, off property attack on a pregnant woman requiring that labor be induced so the victim could undergo reconstructive surgery.
2015 FL - A newly adopted pit bull mix from an adoption event at the Alachua County shelter bit a toddler the very next day so badly that she needed reconstructive surgery.
2015 CT - A pit bull severely mauled an assistant animal control worker at her home and also injured another person at the home. The pit bull was a "rescue" pit bull that she was caring for in her home, presumably as a foster arrangement. The animal control worker had to be life-flighted to a larger hospital remained hospitalized.
Accessed: 2015-06-14. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6ZI7wZ7a3)
2015 DC - A rescue pit bull in the care of a rescue/for-profit-doggie-day-care business called Wagtime was allowed to attack a yellow lab owned by a paying customer of the daycare service. The owner of the non-profit/for profit combo business acknowledged the pit bull attacked, but minimized the injuries and asked that the aggrieved lab owner shut up because he might ruin the chances of the pit bull getting adopted and damage her business.
2015 NE - A woman was attacked seriously in the leg by a pit bull she had adopted 10 months before. Neighbors from across the street heard her screaming and came to her aid. The news outlet refused to mention breed, but displayed a photo of the pit bull.
2015 AR - A toddler was attacked by a pit bull adopted 3 days before. The toddler's father tried to kill the pit bull because it would not leave off the attack. The pit bull escaped outside and police had to shoot it. The family had been told the pit bull had never shown signs of aggression when they adopted it.
2015 NM - Former employees allege that the Albuquerque city animal shelter director adopted out over one hundred dogs that failed temperament tests, were demonstrably dangerous, or had histories of attacking people or killing pets. Some of these dangerous dogs have attacked people and pets after they were adopted to the public.
2015 CO - A pit bull that had just been adopted from the humane society was let off leash to play fetch, but instead decided to chase a deer which got away. The pit bull then saw a woman walking two dachshunds and it killed one of them in a brutal, unprovoked, off property attack. This same story also describes a home invasion attack which is listed on the invasion attack list page.
2015 CO - A little girl was severely mauled by a new neighbor's pit bull in her front yard when the new neighbor accidentally let the pit bull slip out the front door. The pit bull owner had previously said that the attacking pit bull had been abused and still had behavior problems when he adopted it.
2015 PA - A "very friendly" pit bull attacked a mother and her two children two days after it was brought home from ACCT, the local publicly funded animal control, during a promotional pit bull 1/2 off sale for St. Patrick's Day. The mother and daughter were treated and released at the local hospital, but the son was transferred to CHOP because injuries to his arm were severe including a broken arm. It was subsequently reported that the pit bull had shown extreme aggression to a dog before and the AC organization that adopted it out knew about it.
2015 TX - A sheltie named Piper was being walked on a leash when she was attacked by a cattle dog mix that busted out of a house window and made a bee line for the sheltie. The sheltie was seriously injured. The cattle dog mix was known to be aggressive and was being fostered by a volunteer for Critter Shack Rescue.
2015 AK - A shelter volunteer was attacked by a pit bull when she tried to put it back in its kennel after exercising it. The pit bull had never shown aggression before. The attack was savage, but after inflicting serious injury, the pit bull abruptly stopped the attack and acted calm as if nothing had happened. The shelter volunteer refuses to admit that this is a pit bull problem and hopes that protocols will change for all dog handling. She thinks volunteers must be trained to handle normal dogs as well as pit bulls and that only professionals are capable of taking normal dogs as well as pit bulls in and out of kennels.
2015 TX - A shelter volunteer was attacked by a pit bull she was exercising. She suffered serious injuries. The shelter willfully ignored the problem of breed and says they're going to change temperament assessment protocols for all dogs even though temperament tests can't predict which pit bulls will attack and does not address the problem: pit bulls' willingness to launch unprovoked attacks with no warning.
This is the victim's description of her injuries: I am the volunteer who was attacked at Bastrop Animal Sheter and almost mauled to death last February. I spent 27 days in Brackenridge, had 7 blood transfusions, 12 surgeries and spent months and months in painful rehab. I had my finger torn off and reattached, my face and neck ripped open, and I have a dead persons nerve in my arm so it can partially function. My leg is full of skin grafts and looks like it was attacked by zombies."
2014 WA - Report reveals that one rescue worker who adopted dogs through Petsmart adoption events was responsible for adopting out 3 dogs that killed pets soon after they were adopted or fostered. One of these was named as a pit bull, the breeds of the other two maulers wasn't mentioned.
2014 BC - A pit bull adopted from the Humane Society in Whitehorse, Yukon and brought to Vancouver launched an unprovoked attack on a 5-pound miniature pinscher, a therapy dog for its autistic owner. The owner of the pit bull told neighbours the pit bull came from a dog fighting background, yet she did not ensure it had a proper muzzle or leash. The Humane Society had originally quarantined the dog before a behavior expert assured them it was safe for adoption.
2014 TX - A rescuer is killed by pit bulls she was fostering. She worked with a rescue called For The Love Of Strays. A commenter on the story said that he had to return a pit bull he adopted from her because it was too aggressive. The victim was trying to adopt it out again. She also had allowed two pit bulls to escape in the past.
2014 OH - Pit bull rescue told a foster family the pit bull was a great dog. Two days later it put a grown man in the hospital for 3 days - turning from sweet to aggressive in a split second. And the 501c3 rescue had let its insurance lapse.
2014 OR - Face tattooed ex-con set up his own self-styled, unregulated, dangerous pit bull "rehabilitation" rescue in a residential neighborhood. He failed to make his dangerous pit bulls inaccessible to anyone who wanted to open the fence and one of his pit bulls "somehow" got loose and immediately took down a 16 year old girl, seriously injuring her. There had been previous calls for a bite to person and a fatal dogfight. The offending pit bull had gotten loose before and neighbors had called about dangerous dogs several times, telling Animal Control that someone was going to get hurt.
2014 UT - A 5 year old boy was attacked while playing with the pit bull the family had adopted 2 weeks before from an unnamed shelter. The pit bull broke the child's ribs, ripped open his body cavity to expose his bowels, and nearly ripped off the child's ear.
2014 PA - Woman fostering at least three pit bulls for a shelter was severely attacked by one of the pit bulls when she tried to break up a fight between pit bulls. She was hospitalized. A police officer said that it is an extremely rare event in that area for anyone, especially an owner, to be attacked severely enough to require hospitalization.
2014 IL - A new No Kill director was at the helm when Oak Park Animal Care League adopted a dog to a family and 3 hours later, the dog killed the family cat. After the dog was returned, long-time employees felt like they were forced to lie to the second family who adopted the dog without being told that the dog had killed a family pet cat. Employees, volunteers and community members are upset about safety issues and conditions in the shelter since the new director decided to make the shelter No Kill. One former employee described "the dishonest practice of marketing dogs as ready for new homes and good pets despite a history of violent behavior toward humans and other pets."
2014 MA - An unnamed Rescue Network adopted a pit bull to a couple that seriously attacked a man, a woman and their dog in an unprovoked, off property attack on a sidewalk. Instead of having the pit bull put down, the owners gave the pit bull back to the rescue network. The victims found out later "that the dog was not euthanized. Instead, the volunteer network tried to find a new home for the dog by posting a listing on its website that indicated the animal had no history of violence."
2014 NC - Rowan County AC adopted an aggressive, stray German Shepherd that had bitten a Sheriff's Canine Deputy who was assessing it to a "certified trainer." While "socializing" the dangerous dog in a public park two weeks later, the GSD attacked the two women handling the dog, and a deputy had to shoot the GSD.
2014 - The number of people attacked by dogs in or recently adopted from shelters is skyrocketing according to this report by Merritt Clifton.
2014 NY - A pit bull owner wanted to keep and not put down their pit bull after it had bitten two people, so the shelter agreed to keep it for the 10 day rabies quarantine. They observed the pit bull for 10 days and saw no signs of aggression. Hours before the pit bull was to be given back to the owner and allowed to bite the public, the pit bull attacked four people in the shelter, two severely. The shelter workers reveal they are unaware that pit bulls are unpredictable and that friendly pit bulls can suddenly and severely maul for no reason and with no warning.
2014 IL - Dog rescuer allowed her pit bulls to escape twice and on each occasion, they killed a small, neighborhood dog.
2014 CT - Stamford Animal Shelter manager was fired, arrested and charged with three counts of reckless endangerment for repeatedly adopting dogs out with bite histories and not telling potential adopters about the dangers. Despite her arrest, she has passionate followers and defenders because she saves dangerous dogs.
http://bit.ly/1lKaHCo
http://bit.ly/1lKaHCo
2014 CT - A pit bull that had been adopted only months before ran out of a house to attack a 93 year old woman leaving devastating wounds. The shelter reports conducting extensive testing, training and socializing. The shelter director also prides herself on "rehabilitating" vicious dogs. Neighbors and the shelter say the owners were good people and extremely responsible about owning their pit bull. The victim died 6 weeks after the attack.
2014 TN - Blount county Animal Shelter was sued for negligence after newly adopted pit bull attacked a child unprovoked
2014 OH - After BAD RAP's Tim Racer and Donna Reynolds, nationally acclaimed pit bull "expert evaluators," temperament tested and gave the green light for adoption to six fight bust pit bulls, two of the fight bust dogs that had passed a temperament test conducted by the "experts" had to be put down for dangerous behavior concerns.
2014 WV - A rescuer adopted a fight bust pit bull to an 18 year old girl assuring her that the pit bull was "peaceful." The pit bull launched its first full blown attack while the family was snowed in. The pit bull chewed through two doors to get to the family while the family waited 2 hours barricaded in the basement for animal control to get there.
2014 - "We were talked into adopting a rescued pitbull ... One day we let it out, and it attacked my son ... Luckily, I had a gun in the home"
2014 NY - A shelter allegedly withheld info about a pit bull's past and the pit bull attacked children a day after it was adopted. The shelter blamed the new adoptive owner who was having none of it saying that he was an experienced dog owner.
2014 GA - A newly adopted pit bull showed never-before-seen aggression and attacked a boy completely unprovoked.
2014 NY - A woman attacked by her adopted pit bull sued the town for not disclosing violent pit fighting history of the dog.
2014 Jun IL - A pit bull in foster care created a "bloodbath" in a vet office seriously injuring 2 veterinary assistants. The foster owners want to "save" mauling pit bull. The rescue owner was fined $250 for allowing a dangerous dog to attack.
http://bit.ly/1kszUhK
2014 Mar FL - A volunteer at the Second Chance Animal Rescue brought her children, 3 and 5 years old, to the rescue. While there, a pit bull escaped from its kennel and lept through passenger side window of the volunteer's mini-van and attacked her 3-yr-old in the second row. She wrestled it out and into its cage where it broke out and went through the window a second time attacking her daughter. (This attack is also listed in the list of invasion attacks)
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2014 Mar FL - A volunteer at the Second Chance Animal Rescue brought her children, 3 and 5 years old, to the rescue. While there, a pit bull escaped from its kennel and lept through passenger side window of the volunteer's mini-van and attacked her 3-yr-old in the second row. She wrestled it out and into its cage where it broke out and went through the window a second time attacking her daughter. (This attack is also listed in the list of invasion attacks)
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2014 Feb OH - A happy, playful pit bull seriously mauled a Hancock Co. Humane Society volunteer who had taken the pit bull out for exercise and playtime. The pit bull joyfully began using a human being as a chew toy and would not let go inflicting serious injuries. The Humane Society admits that all three of the recent attacks on volunteers and workers were inflicted by pit mixes. The HS is now installing panic buttons and implementing a "buddy system" to protect themselves from pit bull maulings. These are some of the suggested protocols the ASPCA developed specifically for keeping pit bulls but then abandoned and hid when they decided to pretend pit bulls are just like other dogs (link below).
2014 Jan MA - A pit bull that was adopted less than a month ago from BARCS in Baltimore mauled a woman and two of her children. The two brothers ages 10 and 11 were playing basketball outside their home in York County, when a neighbor's pit bull attacked unprovoked. The pit bull pulled away from the leash when it heard the boys playing and went to them specifically to attack. When the boys' mother pulled the pit bull off her child then the pit bull attacked the woman.
http://bit.ly/1nCwZXd
http://bit.ly/1nCwZXd
2013 CO - Longmont Humane Society placed a pit bull that had been designated "dangerous" in another county in foster care in the community of Longmont because they felt they had "rehabilitated" it. Then the "rehabilitated" pit bull attacked a dog and a person, just as it had done several times before. LHS may be the first Humane Society to be fined for allowing a dangerous dog to attack. Longmont takes in dangerous and aggressive dogs from other locations, "rehabilitates" them and adopts them into the community.
2013 NC - Gaston County Animal Shelter showed a prospective adopter and her 7 year old son a pit bull puppy they thought would be a good match for them, and the pit bull puppy promptly attacked both the mother and son.
2013 IL - Recently adopted pit bull with supposedly stellar temperament attacked the family's other dog in front of young child. The pit bull had to be shot by police to stop the attack.
2012 AZ - A 5-year-old girl was hospitalized after being attacked by a pit bull the family had adopted a month before from Santa Cruz County Animal Control.
2012 PA - Owner cited after a newly adopted pit bull seriously, and without provocation, mauled a child it was familiar with . The pit bull had supposedly passed behavior tests at the shelter, but had only been at the shelter for five days before it was adopted out again.
2012 IL - Three days after a couple adopted a pit bull from the Huntley Animal House Shelter, it suddenly yanked free of its leash, left its property for the express purpose of mauling a basset hound. The new pit bull owner sustained wounds necessitating a 2 night stay in the hospital and it cost $1,100 to care for the damage the basset hound sustained.
2012 CO - Longmont Humane Society lied and said a pit bull was "dog selective" when actually it was predatory. It had attacked a dog in the shelter. Three months after it was adopted, it viciously ripped apart and killed a Yorkie.
2012 MI - A child was bitten on the face and thigh. She was taken to a hospital for treatment after being mauled with "heavy bleeding". The department described the dog as a "rescue animal" that had been adopted by the family.
2012 AR - A child had to be air-lifted to a hospital with a trauma center after he was attacked on April 4 by a pit bull that his family had adopted from the local Humane Society in March.
2012 PA - On April 4, a three-year-old Pit Bull adopted from the Humane League of Lancaster County in February 2012 mauled a seven-year-old boy at about 5 p.m. outside the owner’s home at 25 Parkside Drive, in Penn Township, according to Police Sgt. George Pappas. Pappas told WHPTV that the boy’s arm, shoulder and ear were badly torn up in the brutal attack.
2012 NY - One year after adopting a pit bull from an unidentified pit bull rescue organization, a woman decided to put the dog down because of increasing aggressive tendencies. While being euthanized, the pit bull bit the woman in the face, sending her to the hospital.
2012 KS - Rescued pit bull with known "dog aggression" was touted as friendly with people. It killed 2 year old Savannah Edwards
2012 CA - Beloved 21 year old little pup named Penny was savagely attacked by three pit bulls from Shadow's Fund rescue that were at an adoption event in a park. The pit bulls also severed Penny's elderly owner's finger and she required surgery on both hands.
2011 PA - A veterinarian who was attacked by a pit bull up for adoption at Animal Protectors Shelter in New Kensington blows the whistle on dangerous adoption practices. Pit bulls that were considered adoptable were one that killed another dog at the shelter and another that had bitten the foot off another dog at the shelter. Still another pit bull had bitten a police officer. The article says that none of the attacks were reported.
2011 MA - Seven months after being adopted, "the nicest" pit bulls from MSPCA got into a vicious fight. They bit the owner when he tried to stop the fight. The pits had to be euthanized because of their viciousness and the severity of their injuries.
2011 - Pit Bull owned by Wadena County Humane Society attacked a border collie service dog at a pet expo event. The Humane Society blamed the service dog for provoking their pit, but witnesses said the service dog was just sitting quietly in the shade of a tree when the Humane Society's pit attacked. TheWadena County Humane Society shirked their responsibility and refused to apologize or pay for the vet bills their pit caused by their irresponsible handling of their pit bull.
2011 - recently adopted fighting "boxer" (pit bull) attacked the newly adoptive owner's other dog. The owner mourns for the mauler that they put down.
2011 MI - The owner of a dog boarding facility who agreed to house a pit bull for a rescue and then got attacked sued the rescue.
2011 NYC - Social Tees Rescue adopted and fostered out two pit bulls that seriously attacked two dogs in separate incidents. In addition, the same rescue's pit bulls were responsible for several less severe attacks at a dog park in New York City
2011 MO - Shelby was a sweet little dog housed in the St. Louis county pound with a pit bull that mauled the poor little dog. The pit bull had to be shot to get it off Shelby. Shelby's leg was almost torn off and she needed surgery and a long rehabilitation period.
2011 CA - Lucky was attacked by a pit bull while in the care of 46 yr old humane society volunteer FRANCINE M LUCAS. Lucas failed to seek medical care for the little dog whose leg was so badly injured, he chewed off the injured portion. FRANCINE LUCAS pled guilty to felony animal cruelty and will be sentenced to jail and 3 years probation. Lucky had the rest of his leg amputated and has been adopted.
2010 RI - One day after the Warren Animal Shelter adopted a pit bull to a family, it severely mauled a passive, leashed labrador retriever. It injured two people who tried to help the labrador victim. The labrador required 5 hours of surgery.
2010 CA - Shadow's Fund pit bull "rescue" brought pit bulls to an adoption booth set up in a public park. A 22 year old 14 pound dog was attacked and her owner had a finger removed by one or more of the pit bulls that escaped from the booth to attack.
2010 DE - An undisclosed chapter of the Delaware SPCA adopted out a pit bull that displayed severe aggression to both people and pets on several occasions culminating in a severe attack on the adopter's pet dog despite rigorously following guidelines that were supposed to rehabilitate the pit bull. The adopter returned the pit bull saying that it should be put down, but the SPCA decided to adopt it out to another family.
2010 IN - Humane Society of Indianapolis is sued after a recently adopted pit bull launched a terrible attack two months after adoption.
2010 NY - Out of the Pits Rescue in New York adopted out a pit bull that attacked Frankie Flora who initially required 1,000 stitches and will require years of reconstructive surgery.
2010 SC - Amanda Conrad is a pit grifter who collected donations for dogs she didn't have. But she also allowed one of her mutants to bite another pit nutter.
2009 TN - Eleven Eleven Bully Rescue in Tennessee adopted out a pit bull that attacked a man and a woman, the new adoptive owners, 30 minutes after being adopted. The woman needed 60 stitches and the man needed reconstructive surgery on his leg.
2009 CT - The lawyer pit bull rescuer allowed her american bulldog to attack two small dogs at a park. The little dogs' owner was bitten trying to save her dogs.
2009 ID - Pitbull attacks owner 24 hours after adoption.
2007 OH - a rescue in the Chicago area adopted out a pit bull to a woman planning a move to Ohio. That pit bull attacked a horse in a public park soon after being trafficked across state lines. The pit bull owner refused to name the rescue group during her deposition. During the deposition it was stated that the dog had been "given away" two more times after the attack on the horse.
2007 CA - Rescuer believes she can magically rehabilitate a sick and abused American bulldog that in hindsight she says was a very bad idea. The bulldog attacked and nearly killed her, crushing her trachea and turning her arm into ground beef.
2003 NJ - Ten days after adopting a doberman pinscher from the Associated Humane Societies Shelter in Newark, NJ, 66 year old Valerie deSwart was mauled to death. The shelter did not disclose that the dog had been turned in to be killed after it seriously attacked its previous owner.
2003 NY - Six weeks after adoption from a shelter where it had lived for a year, a pit bull killed the 75 year old owner in a ferocious, unprovoked attack. Presumably, after living at the shelter for a year, the staff were very knowledgeable about the pit bull and deemed it safe for a 75 year old woman to adopt.
2002 SC - A pit bull attacked a woman in the animal shelter parking lot after being held there for biting another person. Dottie Watson, 62, and her granddaughter were leaving the New Hanover County Animal Control shelter with Watson's Jack Russell terrier, Ladybug, when the attack occurred, said Animal Control Supervisor Judy Evonko.
1988 - Ft. Walton Beach, Florida - Four-year-old Nathan Carpenter killed by a neighbor's recently acquired hybrid that had been featured as "pet of the week" at the shelter from which it was adopted; Panhandle Area Welfare Society (PAWS) paid a $425,000 settlement to the boy's family.
Studies indicating temperament tests are not reliable or have not been tested for validity or reliability:
"The overall inter-rater reliability of the B.A.R.K. protocol was moderate to strong however the test–retest reliability was relatively weak. Amongst dogs that initially passed the test and were subsequently rehomed, the predictive validity of the protocol was also quite poor, with ‘fear’ (r = 0.42, n = 67, P < 0.01) and ‘friendliness’ (r = 0.49, n = 67, P < 0.01) being the only measures that proved to be predictive. The results of the study imply that a standardised behavioural test may be of less value in identifying the suitability of dogs for placement in the community than is currently believed. If so, this has significant implications for how such tests are employed."
Mornement KM, Coleman GJ, Toukhsati S, Bennett PC. Development of the behavioural assessment for re-homing K9′s (B.A.R.K.) protocol. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2013; Article in Press.
http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(13)00266-9/abstract
http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(13)00266-9/abstract
Abstract states that these tests are only erroneously called "temperament" tests because they actually test behavior.
"Few (behavior tests) have been tested for reliability and validity. Those that have either fared very poorly or are not feasible within the constraints of normal workplace practices.
This clearly presents a significant problem for those wanting to assess canine behaviour. The use of invalid tests may result in dogs being incorrectly classified as safe or unsafe, with potentially devastating consequences. Mornement K, Toukhsati S, Coleman G, et al. Reliability, validity and feasibility of existing tests of canine behavior."
"Few (behavior tests) have been tested for reliability and validity. Those that have either fared very poorly or are not feasible within the constraints of normal workplace practices.
This clearly presents a significant problem for those wanting to assess canine behaviour. The use of invalid tests may result in dogs being incorrectly classified as safe or unsafe, with potentially devastating consequences. Mornement K, Toukhsati S, Coleman G, et al. Reliability, validity and feasibility of existing tests of canine behavior."
AIAM Annual Conference on Urban Animal Management, Proceedings. 2009;11-18.
http://www.aiam.com.au/resources/files/proceedings/AIAM%202009/KMornement_Reliability.pdf
http://www.aiam.com.au/resources/files/proceedings/AIAM%202009/KMornement_Reliability.pdf
"Our results strongly suggest that there are certain types of aggressive tendencies that are not exhibited reliably during temperament testing using the techniques de- scribed above. A significant number of dogs passing this temperament test exhibited aggressive tendencies in situations suggesting motivations such as territorial, predatory, and intra-specific aggression."
Aggressive behavior in adopted dogs that passed a temperament test in a shelter setting
http://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/aggressive-behavior-in-adopted-dogs-that-passed-temperament-test.pdf
http://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/aggressive-behavior-in-adopted-dogs-that-passed-temperament-test.pdf
In the study, 55% of the dogs that were deemed to be food aggressive based on the fake hand test were judged to be not food aggressive by the adopting family. Conversely, 22% of the dogs that passed the fake hand test in the shelter and were deemed to be not food aggressive based on the test, were reported to be food aggressive in the adoptive home.
Food-related aggression in shelter dogs: A comparison of behavior identified by a behavior evaluation in the shelter and owner reports after adoption
http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(13)00181-0/abstract
Food-related aggression in shelter dogs: A comparison of behavior identified by a behavior evaluation in the shelter and owner reports after adoption
http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(13)00181-0/abstract
Caution: what the researcher's results indicate is that the fake hand test for food aggression is not reliable to identify or rule out food aggression. The conclusion they draw from those results, that it is OK to adopt out dogs that show aggression on temperament tests is foolhardy, however.
Read more about this problem:
What Happens When ‘Save Rates’ Trump Common Sense?
Read more about this problem:
What Happens When ‘Save Rates’ Trump Common Sense?
Fitchburg becomes third public shelter to suspend operations due to liability concerns about pit bulls
Stamford shelter manager is first in U.S. to be charged with reckless endangerment for rehoming dangerous dogs
Shelter dogs wreak havoc at either end of the Taconic Parkway
http://bit.ly/1iT7ZeK
Pet Therapy: Adopters of imported rescue dogs must consider liability
Pet Therapy: Adopters of imported rescue dogs must consider liability
