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Virginia woman mauled to death by her dogs

Point37 said:
...all i know is the dogs in those photos are not 100lbs and 120lbs...they look smaller than mine and mine are 80lbs and 60lbs
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So what? Why are you so hung up on the dogs weight? So the cop doesn't get a job at the "guess your age and weight" gig at the carnival.
 
After an avalanche of phone calls and social media, Goochland County Sheriff James Agnew cleared up several previously made statements and offered some gruesome details after a long discussion with Stephens’ family. Stephens’ body was discovered by her father Thursday evening in a wooded area of Goochland. He said their organization opted for more transparency at Monday’s press conference “because the narrative on social media was so far off the mark.” “Let me cut right to the chase, the most important detail that we did not release because we were worried about the well-being of the family is that in the course of trying to capture the dogs early Friday morning...we turned and looked…I observed, as well as four other deputy sheriffs, the dogs eating the ribcage on the body,” Agnew said. Agnew said they made the decision to capture the dogs instead of shoot them immediately. Stephens worked for trainer Tori Trent, who knew the male dogs Tonka and Pac-man since they were pups. They were from the same litter and were around two and a half years old. Stephens adopted Tonka at eight weeks old and friends said she later adopted Pac-Man from a home that was abusive. Everyone has said the dogs were socialized, passive and had a significant bond with Stephens. Investigators will analyze excrement from one of the dogs that appeared to have "fibers" in it. One dogs had a significant amount of blood around neck and collar, the sheriff said. The sheriff recommended that the dogs be put down and the family gave their permission. The dogs were euthanized at 11 a.m. Saturday. The animals are being preserved and the Attorney General’s office has offered to help them find a lab to run toxicology on the animals. The toxicology report on Stephens will be complete in about 90 days. “What I observed personally, it was in the community’s best interest,” Agnew said. “Once a dog tastes human flesh it is not safe to have that dog around humans.” “Since this has happened, I spent a significant amount of time researching attacks by dogs of this sort and while it is not an everyday occurrence, it is not rare and it happens with some frequency in this country,” Agnew said. “I don’t want to disparage any particular breed, but if you do the research you will find that many of them are perpetuated by pit bulls.”
Mauled by dogs: Sheriff offers gruesome details hoping to end speculation
 
fencer said:
So what? Why are you so hung up on the dogs weight? So the cop doesn't get a job at the "guess your age and weight" gig at the carnival.
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just stating an observation, once...not sure how that qualifies as hung up, but anyway the dogs were euthanized and if the weights are correct i'm doubting the breed...i'd like to see their papers or a dna test instead of just tossing a label on them for ratings which is what is typically done by the media...def look like pits but could be muts

but they look like a 100 or 120 pounds right???
DRWrTCRWAAMztO1.jpg


Wendell said:
After an avalanche of phone calls and social media, Goochland County Sheriff James Agnew cleared up several previously made statements and offered some gruesome details after a long discussion with Stephens’ family. Stephens’ body was discovered by her father Thursday evening in a wooded area of Goochland. He said their organization opted for more transparency at Monday’s press conference “because the narrative on social media was so far off the mark.” “Let me cut right to the chase, the most important detail that we did not release because we were worried about the well-being of the family is that in the course of trying to capture the dogs early Friday morning...we turned and looked…I observed, as well as four other deputy sheriffs, the dogs eating the ribcage on the body,” Agnew said. Agnew said they made the decision to capture the dogs instead of shoot them immediately. Stephens worked for trainer Tori Trent, who knew the male dogs Tonka and Pac-man since they were pups. They were from the same litter and were around two and a half years old. Stephens adopted Tonka at eight weeks old and friends said she later adopted Pac-Man from a home that was abusive. Everyone has said the dogs were socialized, passive and had a significant bond with Stephens. Investigators will analyze excrement from one of the dogs that appeared to have "fibers" in it. One dogs had a significant amount of blood around neck and collar, the sheriff said. The sheriff recommended that the dogs be put down and the family gave their permission. The dogs were euthanized at 11 a.m. Saturday. The animals are being preserved and the Attorney General’s office has offered to help them find a lab to run toxicology on the animals. The toxicology report on Stephens will be complete in about 90 days. “What I observed personally, it was in the community’s best interest,” Agnew said. “Once a dog tastes human flesh it is not safe to have that dog around humans.” “Since this has happened, I spent a significant amount of time researching attacks by dogs of this sort and while it is not an everyday occurrence, it is not rare and it happens with some frequency in this country,” Agnew said. “I don’t want to disparage any particular breed, but if you do the research you will find that many of them are perpetuated by pit bulls.”
Mauled by dogs: Sheriff offers gruesome details hoping to end speculation
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so which one is it...abused or aggressive?...media sucks at getting things right

Police: Pit bull that mauled woman had history of aggression

By Associated Press December 22 at 7:57 AM

GOOCHLAND, Va. — One of the pit bulls that authorities say mauled a Virginia woman to death had a history of aggression.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Goochland County Sheriff James Agnew says the pit bull, named Pacman, had previously been adopted and returned because of concerning behavior.

Authorities believe Bethany Lynn Stephens, 22, was mauled by her two pit bulls while out on a walk last week. Investigators said the petite woman of about 100 pounds was killed by the dogs, which had a combined weight of about twice hers.

Agnew said Pacman’s previous owner returned him after he “snapped at her a couple of times.” Agnew said the investigation continues into the death, which has garnered international attention.

Police: Pit bull that mauled woman had history of aggression


Dadstoys said:
What do you think would happen if the handler wasn't there to pull the dog off?
When I was younger, a K9 Trooper who lived close by retired and decided to take the dog with him.
It went through a screen door and killed his toddler shortly afterward.
Once an animal views humans as prey your never going to change that and turning your back on one that's been trained to do so is a real bad idea.

In this particular case the Deputies who got there first actually witnessed the dogs eating her.
I love dogs and have had and trained them all my life.
Pits are a roll of the dice unless you can trace their line way back.
So are a lot of other breeds, just less capable of killing or maiming you or someone else.
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i would imagine they would keep biting...not doubting that...eating doesn't seem right but then again her Dad was keeping them outside in cold weather...maybe he wasn't feeding them so in that case it doesn't seem far fetched...what i am saying is dogs know when you're hurt...they will lick your wounds just as they do theirs...that doesn't make them more dangerous after
 
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Maybe they weren't abused or known to be aggressive, just got into a frenzy. Speculation is endless, we will almost certainly never know.

Friend was walking a brother/sister pair of mastiffs on leash, really great dogs, never known to be violent -- the female suddenly turned to her brother and all but bit his ear off, that turned into a full-bore dog fight. All she could do was drop the leashes and get out of the way.
 
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Well, this owner knew the dogs, knew where they came from, and apparently thought she had it figured out. Some of us think "There but for the grace of God go I." Some think "I'm smarter than her because I avoid such breeds/dogs with history/etc." Others think "I'm smarter than her because I know how to handle such dogs, and she obviously didn't." I'm sort of in the "There but for the grace of God go I." camp, as I don't think my appreciation of basset hounds is any more a product of intelligence than my preference for oatmeal cookies over chocolate chip.
 
some of the people on here talking about pits sound like leftists who hate "assault weapons" for their look

I go to into peoples house ever single day for work. The only types of dogs that have ever given any trouble are the toy "dogs" that I could boot across the room. You name the dog I have encountered it every single incident was a lap "dog"

If your dog is under 40 lbs.... you have cat
 
Problem with pit bulls are A. The clowns that tend to own them and B. The damage one can do if something goes wrong.

Big strong dog that can kill people. Most (but not all) dogs don’t really have the ability to kill an able bodied human.
 
rocket500 said:
Problem with pit bulls are A. The clowns that tend to own them and B. The damage one can do if something goes wrong.

Big strong dog that can kill people. Most (but not all) dogs don’t really have the ability to kill an able bodied human.
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Your first point there is the majority of it. The popularity of pits with clowns that don’t even know how to be a productive member of society let alone train a dog causes them unfair representation. The Staffies, mostly. American Pit Bull Terriers, in the other hand, half the people that hate pit bulls probably wouldn’t recognize most APBT’s. My little girl has been mistaken for a Catahoula, a Dutch Shepherd, a “what kind of dog is she, she has Pibble ears” (yeah, no kidding...) - and she’s a mutt. Shelter was told mom was pit and dad was mastiff, but we’re not really sure. Myself and the vet and a few “dog people” won’t be surprised if she turns out to be pure ‘Murican Pit. Beautiful little 40lb pup that’s as cuddly as a Great Dane, but strong as shit for such a little girl. Most trainable dog I’ve ever seen, though - she was only a few months old when we first met her at the shelter, within ten minutes of first meeting her my six year old daughter had her sitting, staying on command and walking beside her with leash slack. Incredibly trainable and eager to please.
 
I didn't even know that my neighbor around the corner has a pit, until today. I was driving down the street and met a man walking his yellow lab, who suddenly went berserk, and this 6', 200lb+ guy had his hands full trying to contain him on leash. I looked down the driveway to see what had the dog upset, and there was a beautiful gray and white pit just standing there. The owner had dropped the leash while unloading her groceries, and rushed to grab it.

Her dog wasn't the problem.
 
AntiHippie said:
Your first point there is the majority of it. The popularity of pits with clowns that don’t even know how to be a productive member of society let alone train a dog causes them unfair representation. The Staffies, mostly. American Pit Bull Terriers, in the other hand, half the people that hate pit bulls probably wouldn’t recognize most APBT’s.
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Our girl (Ginger Anne d'Pibble) is pretty much the prototype of an APBT. She was two when we got her last spring, and thankfully the people who had originally raised her were much better than the jerks we got her from.

Extremely biddable dog, with no aggression towards any critter. She ignored our cats completely, and when our grumpy old man cat swatted her for getting too close, she ran away.

This picture from the wikipedia page on APBTs could be her littermate.

1024px-AmericanPitbullTerrierBrooklynBr.jpg
 
KBCraig said:
And smart? Ginger loves to read the internet! :D

(This is an actual picture of her.)

View attachment 216143
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Looks like my girl watching Pitbulls and Parolees on TV the other day - no interest in the Pibbles, but she was utterly enthralled by a segment about a black lab getting adopted. Wouldn’t look away from the TV and barely blinked! She’s about the same build, just Black and Tan brindle with a dark snout (I think that’s where either the shelter or original owner that had her a very short time got the idea she’s part Mastiff - she has perfect mastiff coloring on her face, but Pibble shaped.)

Edit: She looks a lot like this puppy found through Google Images, but a darker snout and a goofier expression (with her ears usually pointing two different ways and her head cocked to one side):
american_pit_bull_terrier6.jpg
 
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KBCraig said:
Our girl (Ginger Anne d'Pibble) is pretty much the prototype of an APBT. She was two when we got her last spring, and thankfully the people who had originally raised her were much better than the jerks we got her from.

Extremely biddable dog, with no aggression towards any critter. She ignored our cats completely, and when our grumpy old man cat swatted her for getting too close, she ran away.

This picture from the wikipedia page on APBTs could be her littermate.

1024px-AmericanPitbullTerrierBrooklynBr.jpg
Click to expand...
Does the dog work at 1 memorial dr, Cambridge?:D
 
That’s a Pibble for you! Does she snore, too? My pup snores like you can’t imagine. Loves to snuggle up as close as she can and snore.
 
rocket500 said:
Problem with pit bulls are A. The clowns that tend to own them and B. The damage one can do if something goes wrong.

Big strong dog that can kill people. Most (but not all) dogs don’t really have the ability to kill an able bodied human.
Click to expand...


I think the question is whether there is third factor related to innate characteristics of the breed. You have a breed that causes >80% of fatalities but represents less than 10% of the total dogs in the US. Yes, they are a powerful breed, and yes, for a variety of reasons there may be issues with some of the types of owners, but does that explain the numbers completely?

Personally, I’ve have friends that own some great pitties, but I still feel like their temperament is quite different from Sheppards, another powerful bred. Even just subt behavioral stuff, tends to be different, in general, with pits.

American pits are pretty sweet though!
 
I love reading about pits, and dogs in general.

It sounds just like reading about gun control, or Fuddery. Pits being ARs is a great analogy. For the Fudd, you have no need for a pit, while my over-energized POS pointing dog that won't listen, runs around like a lunatic and charges at everyone is just fine. For anti's - the pit is just the face of why dogs are so bad. For those who love them, the pit is simply a Modern Sporting Dog that they use for recreational purposes like any other dog.

Me? I hate dogs (and ARs). I've found, however, that the pits I've met have been pretty good dogs, with a larger percentage of labs being more fit for a Korean buffet than being around people. I'm actually more concerned with the little rat killer dogs around my kids than a big scary dog.
 
tuna said:
I love reading about pits, and dogs in general.

It sounds just like reading about gun control, or Fuddery. Pits being ARs is a great analogy. For the Fudd, you have no need for a pit, while my over-energized POS pointing dog that won't listen, runs around like a lunatic and charges at everyone is just fine. For anti's - the pit is just the face of why dogs are so bad. For those who love them, the pit is simply a Modern Sporting Dog that they use for recreational purposes like any other dog.

Me? I hate dogs (and ARs). I've found, however, that the pits I've met have been pretty good dogs, with a larger percentage of labs being more fit for a Korean buffet than being around people. I'm actually more concerned with the little rat killer dogs around my kids than a big scary dog.
Click to expand...

I guess my take is a little different, to me pits are like a pretty sweet pistol that occasionally explodes. I would never want them banned, but as a dog person, it’s a breed (staffords) that I’d skip, although I understand the appeal.

There was another fatal mauling on Christmas Eve, family dog, killed the wife, husband injured.
 
Mass-diver said:
There was another fatal mauling on Christmas Eve, family dog, killed the wife, husband injured.
Click to expand...

Do you have a link? I'd like to read more about that incident. Only thing I could find was about a mauling by a neighbor's dog, while said shitbag neighbor was in jail for DV. Couldn't find the family dog one.
 
AntiHippie said:
Do you have a link? I'd like to read more about that incident. Only thing I could find was about a mauling by a neighbor's dog, while said shitbag neighbor was in jail for DV. Couldn't find the family dog one.
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Apologies, I was incorrect having only read the initial (inaccurate) reports. Your information is spot on, pair of dogs, owned by the neighbors. Sounds like the husband shot both of them, killing one?

Vicious Christmas Eve pit bull attack leaves Kentucky woman dead, husband injured

Here’s a well know example of a family dog(s) killing a child (2017), the family were outspoken pit bull advocates/defenders prior to the attack.

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Child Killed by Two Family Pit Bulls in Hart County, Georgia - DogsBite.org
 
Mass-diver said:
Apologies, I was incorrect having only read the initial (inaccurate) reports. Your information is spot on, pair of dogs, owned by the neighbors. Sounds like the husband shot both of them, killing one?

Vicious Christmas Eve pit bull attack leaves Kentucky woman dead, husband injured

Here’s a well know example of a family dog(s) killing a child (2017), the family were outspoken pit bull advocates/defenders prior to the attack.

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Child Killed by Two Family Pit Bulls in Hart County, Georgia - DogsBite.org
Click to expand...

You know what’s interesting to me about all of these recent (and not so recent) “pit bull maulings” - it seems to always be a pair of dogs.

I honestly don’t know what the significance really is to that, but it seems way too prevalent to be a coincidence.
 
Mass-diver said:
I think the question is whether there is third factor related to innate characteristics of the breed. You have a breed that causes >80% of fatalities but represents less than 10% of the total dogs in the US. Yes, they are a powerful breed, and yes, for a variety of reasons there may be issues with some of the types of owners, but does that explain the numbers completely?

Personally, I’ve have friends that own some great pitties, but I still feel like their temperament is quite different from Sheppards, another powerful bred. Even just subt behavioral stuff, tends to be different, in general, with pits.

American pits are pretty sweet though!
Click to expand...
Pit Bulls by the Numbers

It's just like the journalist's guide to firearms ID - all guns used in crimes are ARs and Glocks. Any dog that attacked was a pit bull.
 
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AntiHippie said:
You know what’s interesting to me about all of these recent (and not so recent) “pit bull maulings” - it seems to always be a pair of dogs.

I honestly don’t know what the significance really is to that, but it seems way too prevalent to be a coincidence.
Click to expand...
Pack mentality, it is basic canine behavior .
Liberals too, they get ballsy in numbers.
 

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