At approximately 9:30 on Wednesday, January 6, area police, rescue personnel and animal control units were dispatched to a home in Grayson County, Virginia. Reports have emerged that a pit-bull mix named E.J, mauled a 15 month old baby girl. When medics arrived the child was in such poor condition that she was flown to Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C. Despite the efforts of the rescue personnel, the child succumbed to her injuries and died.
The adults in the residence, who were babysitting the child, were arrested for felony child neglect and possessing a vicious dog. Even though animal control stated there were no prior reports of the dog attacking others, witnesses have come forward stating that the dog has a history of aggression.
From 2005-2014, Pitbulls and Pitbull mixes were responsible for the deaths of 203 Americans according to the website, dogsbite.org. The majority of these victims were attacked by a dog they either owned, lived with or were temporarily staying with when the attack occurred. Many of the attacks were spontaneous and some involved packs of dogs. The victims or victims’ families gave statements to the press stating that the were most horrific attacks they’d ever seen.
In 2007, Michael Vick was convicted of facilitating an illegal dog fighting ring. It was also found that Vick had drowned and hung dogs that were poor performers. Because of Vick’s fame as a Quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and a Heisman Trophy winner, his arrest and conviction was a media frenzy. Unfortunately, many members of society became sympathetic to the pitbull breed and a grassroots effort of “re-homing” and “re-branding” was born. In 2007, there were just 78 attacks that resulted in severe injury, maiming or death in the United States. In 2014, the number of attacks resulting in maiming, severe injury, and death was 603. The exponential growth in the number of attacks may be attributed to the rising number of unsuspecting people willing to bring these dogs into their family homes because of the misinformation perpetuated by pitbull advocacy groups.
During my research what was most surprising to me was the number of dogs that attacked their owners. One owner who suffered face, neck, and scalp lacerations requiring over 300 stitches said that she’ d merely told the dog that was leaving and that he couldn’t come with her. She said that she’d owned the dog for over two years and let the dog sleep on her bed. She has no idea what provoked the attack, if anything.
Dog Bite Injury Statistics
Dog bites result in approximately 44,000 facial injuries each year.
Children comprise 60% of the dog bite victims.
Severe injuries occur almost exclusively in children less than 10 years of age.
The face is the most frequent target (77% of all injures).
Bites can cause severe permanent disfigurement, loss of extremities, infection and death.
Owning a dog that has a history of aggression puts everyone at risk.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of an animal attack call The Thomson Law Firm today for a free consultation. (540) 777-4900
