From attacks in the Los Angeles Animal Services shelters to the streets of Canada and India, children and adults are being killed, disfigured and maimed for life by dog attacks--especially Pit Bulls--in an epidemic ignored by political and health leaders.

Bringing this matter to public attention now does not diminish the priority, importance and tragedies of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) during the first two months of 2020.

This is a reminder of another critical threat in any city, state or country that can happen to anyone during the course of daily activities--while walking down the street or exiting your car in a parking lot, or on a school play yard--and can mean that a child, a parent or other loved one does not come home.

PIT BULLS - ONLY BREED OF DOG PROTECTED BY U.S. LAWMAKERS

With statistics from proven sources showing 36 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities occurred in 2018. with pit bulls contributing to 72% (26) of these deaths, why is Best Friends Animal Society systematically (See: Who Is The Pit Bull Lobby? ) opposing any laws to restrict and control the breeding, sale or create responsible ownership of a type of dog bred selectively for its propensity and ability to kill?

Equally important, why are politicians with no indicated interest in dog breeds, suddenly more interested in the rights of dogs that harm than victims who vote?

With the growth of this epidemic of attacks that tear flesh and crush bones of innocent infants, children, pregnant women, working parents, and disproportionately injure or kill the elderly and beloved pets unable to defend themselves grows, it is becoming obvious that maintaining lax laws is not random.

And, while Best Friends claims that the specific breed (pit bulls are a breed-type) cannot be visually identified, why are there photos Pit Bulls promoted all over their site?

Why are politicians entrusted with public safety wearing blinders about one group of dogs whose value is in a brutal blood-sport connected to the gambling industry, illegal gun sales, drug cartels and human trafficking? Will that answer be connected to money--not protection of a "misunderstood" breed?

THE ANATOMY OF A GROWING PIT-BULL ATTACK EPIDEMIC

Pit bull attacks and deaths reported in the news 2020...

Already in 2020, media reports show a total of 87 humans in the U.S. and Canada have been attacked by Pit Bulls.

National Pit Bull Victim Awareness.org tracks and provides the location of media-reported attacks and fatalities in the United States and Canada involving human victims and provides an Interactive Map here.

(That number may increase if more incidents have occurred but are not yet released by law-enforcement agencies or posted by a reliable news source.)

Remember that most attacks are not reported by the media and many kill or maim pets only and are not included in this count.

A Pit Bull Attack Database is also provided, which shows the source of information for each incident.

NO ONE PLANS TO BE ATTACKED

Here are just a few attacks that happened to real people IN FEBRURY 2020-- while they were making other plans for their lives or dreaming of a future:

Feb. 10, 2020, Boy, 5, attacked, killed by family's pit bull...

ORO GRANDE, CA — A five-year-old boy died after he was attacked by his family’s pit bull just before 3 p.m. on February 10, the Victorville Daily Press reported.

The caller reported that the family dog was attacking the boy and “would not let go,” authorities said. The victim was later identified as Sterling Vermeer.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies and medical personnel responded and found the boy dead due to “traumatic injuries,” according to officials.

Family members told CBS that they "have had the 12-year-old pit bull since it was a puppy and trusted him around children."

A cousin who was babysitting the boy with another relative said they stepped out for "two seconds," and when they returned the dog had the boy by the neck and would not release him.

.“He was a loving dog,” she said. “He was not a vicious dog, but how it snapped, we don’t understand.”

San Bernardino County Animal Control removed the dog after the owner signed over custody. An investigation is being conducted.

According to DogsBite.org, citing a 2019 Texas pediatric attack study, "Parental presence was reported in 43.6% of cases ... The most commonly identified breed was the pit bull ... Pit bulls were also the most commonly identified breed involved in major injuries."

February 27, 2020 - 7-Year-Old Girl Bitten in Face by Pit Bull While Giving Dollar to Homeless Woman

The WestSiderRag (NYC) posted a photo of the corner of 79th St. and Broadway, where, around 3:40 p.m. on Feb. 27, a 7-year-old child walked up to give a homeless woman a dollar, provided by her mother. The woman is reportedly often at that location with her Pit Bull.

When the child approached, the Pit Bull reportedly latched onto the child’s face and she “was slammed to the sidewalk,” according to an eyewitness.

The mother of the little girl and the dog owner could not pull the dog away, according to T. Nardini, who walking his dogs on the block. However, a man wearing a “Marine jacket” was able to finally get the dog off the child.

”The little girl was bleeding profusely from her face,” Nardini reported. He told CBS News, “.The dog dragged the little girl by her face before bystanders were able to pry the dog off. That little girl is flopping around....”

When police arrived, witnesses reported they didn’t even wait for an ambulance. Instead, officers covered the child’s wounds and rushed her to a hospital in a police vehicle. The child remained at the hospital Thursday night. Authorities say she will need extensive surgery.

The dog was taken by animal care and control to be tested for rabies. Its owner was taken into police custody for questioning but has been released and is not facing any charges, according the report.

Two questions remain unanswered: Who is going to pay for the extensive surgery needed by this child? Is the Pit Bull going to be released back to this woman to attack again?

One commenter said it should be removed from the owner, placed in a “no kill” shelter and adopted.



A 25-year-old man died at Loyola Medical Center from dog bites after a pit bull attack that injured four of the dog’s owners and prompted police to shoot the dog inside their home in Plainfield, a Chicago suburb.

Devin J. White, 25, died Monday from severe dog bites to his arms during a Pit Bull attack on Feb. 8 in the second-story of a home.

Police said they responded to reports of an “unprovoked” dog bite in the home about 9:15 p.m. Officers struggled to control the dog, according to police, who said the “dog was ultimately euthanized," according to NBC News.

Three other family members, 25-year-old woman and two men, 52 and 19, were transported to the hospital for minor injuries and released, police said.

The incident remains under investigation by Plainfield police Department and Will County Animal Control.

February 18, 2020 - 'Beverly Hills Cop' Actress Heather Parkhurst Mauled by Her Own Pit Bulls...

Heather Parkhurst, who appeared in "Alpha Dog," "Beverly Hills Cop III," and "NYPD Blue," was severely injured by her two pit bulls and could have lost an arm, according to a TMZ report on February 18.

TMZ says when her two pit bulls "turned on each other" and bit the actress' right hand and arm "in the middle of the violent melee," which was described later by her fiancé.

TMZ states, "She was rushed to the hospital to treat gruesome injuries, including crushed bones in her hand, torn ligaments and other deep cuts throughout her arm," and adds that the couple intends to keep the dogs.

February 2, 2020 - Valley Village Man Attacked by Neighbor's Pit Bull

Matthew Gutierrez and his partner were exiting the elevator of their Valley Village apartment complex with their Maltipoo-Shih Tzu, Milo, on Feb. 2, when a neighbor's leashed Pit Bull lunged at them, Gutierrez told KTLA News, but "instead of getting my dog, he bit my abdomen."

Gutierrez was forced to start "punching the dog on the nose," he said, because it would not let go. Finally the dog released its bite, and Gutierrez was rushed to the hospital.

The severe lacerations inflicted by the Pit Bull extended into the muscle of his leg. He is expected to recover but there was serious concern about the risk of infection, according to the report. C

Geraldine Hamlin, 64, of north Shreveport, LA, was mauled in an attack that occurred at her residence. Shreveport Police Corporal Angie Willhite says the woman shared a home with her son and the dogs.

“Her son had been gone and when he arrived back at the house he found his mother with multiple dog bite injuries to her arms,” told LouisianaRadioNetwork.

The victim was taken to a hospital where she died on Friday morning. The dogs were reportedly owned by the family for four years.

Deadly pit bull attack leaves Victorville family angry, devastated...

On February 25, 2020, Martin Estacio of the Daily Press told the tragic story of two beloved large ten-year-old family dogs, which had been killed in their own yard by a neighbor's pit bulls, who then reportedly threatened the owner's mother.

Leona and Bear, both appearing to be Labrador-mix, were raised from puppies by Alice Berrera’s children, the report states. Leona was a rescue from a local shelter.

Alicia Becerra told the DP what she doesn’t understand and enrages her is that City Animal Control informed her Pit Bulls owners will only receive a warning." (A City official clarified that “they are working with all involved to determine {the] next steps,”) DP later reported.

Becerra’s parents had left the house but returned when they thought they heard fighting. They found Leona being attacked by both Pit Bulls in the garage. Bear was already dead on the grass.

It was her frustration with the fact that her dogs are dead and how the City is responding that caused her to post the photos of her two dead dogs, showing the blood-smeared wall and mauled bodies, on a Facebook community page, Becerra said. The story received over 1,000 comments, the Daily Press reported.

February 20, 2020 Terrifying Moment - Loose Pit Bull Terrier Attacks Girl, 5, in Colorado Church Parking Lot

On February 20, a video released by The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) shows a black Pit Bull terrier-mix dog running into a church parking lot in Colorado Springs, CO, to viciously attack a five-year-old girl walking with her parents, who tried desperately to stop the attack.

According to the report, the owner of the dog, was arrested and charged with illegal possession of a harmful animal, and he authorized the dog to be euthanized after the assault.

The Human Society of the Pikes Peak Region posted the surveillance camera video clip on its “Bite Blotter,” to support the community and keep track of pet bites.

"As providers of Animal Law Enforcement, public safety is a top priority -- it is our duty to protect people from pets, and pets from people,” said Jamie Norris, director of Animal Law Enforcement at HSPPR, in a statement to media Wednesday.

“If you witness any violence or abuse to an animal or by an animal, we urge you to contact our team," Norris added. "We’re better together, and with community support, we can make 2020 a safer year for both the people and the pets of El Paso and Pueblo counties.”

Kudos to Jamie Norris and HSPPR for caring about both animals and humans and keeping both safe!

ATTACKS IN CANADA (for a complete list see NPBVA Database)

February 29, 2020 - 3 people injured after being attacked by dogs in Winnipeg, Canada

Three adults were taken to hospital early Saturday morning after a group of dogs attacked them in a Winnipeg motel parking lot around 12:30 a.m., according to Global News. The dogs were first reported to be Pit Bulls, but later identified as American Bulldogs (a large white bully breed.)

.. “These people were being viciously attacked so I think people were trying to go out and maybe help them but then were being chased back into units by the dogs,” Const. Rob Carver told reporters..

Thirteen police units were called, including two K-9 units and the tactical support team, according to the report.

“You can’t have dogs of this nature running around in a neighbourhood,” Carver said, “We’re actually lucky no one got killed last night.” Police say two of the victims are men and they sustained severe life-altering injuries inflicted all over their bodies and remain in the hospital . These are really, really, really serious injuries.”

"Blood still can be seen staining the snow in the parking lot of the motel," the Global News comments.

Carver says the owner of the four dogs was the most severely injured and he may be facing criminal charges and bylaw offences.

ATTACKS IN OTHER COUNTRIES BY BULLY BREEDS (posted at Hoodsite.com)

Hoodsite.com posts videos of alleged attacks all over the world--primarily involving pit bull-type breeds. (Some are U.S. clips and have appeared in verified news sources. Some are allegedly from local video and cannot be verified for authenticity. However, the number of viewers demonstrate a growing concern that this epidemic of attacks is spreading.)

hoodsite.com › 20-year-old-man-saves-5-year-old-boy-from-pitbull-a...

January 28, 2020 - Pit Bull Attack - 12-year-old boy Seriously Injured in JalAndhar, India

A 12-year-old boy was seriously injured when he was attacked by a Pitbull in Jalandhar, India, on January 28, 2020. After hearing the young boy's screams, neighbors came out of their houses and tried saving the child. They started beating the dog with buckets and brooms. Despite their efforts, the pit-bull wouldn't let go of the boy's leg. They eventually managed to get the animal off the child, who ended up seriously injured during the attack.

In a February 10, 2020, article - Dog Attacks: How Many Deaths are Needed ..., we listed the five fatalities that had already occurred in 2020, according to Dogsbite.org.

A WARNING ABOUT "LOVING"

It is hard to believe a beloved pet could maim or kill. Much of the refusal to accept the danger of Pit Bulls is the hype that they are just abused or neglected and we MUST "save them." It appears that the owned dogs in the above cases had "loving" owners who didn't see, couldn't interpret--or did not heed-- the warning signs, if there were any.

It is also popular to claim this breed is "trained to be aggressive" and therefore can be "untrained," which ignores their genetics.

This type of "loving" is a growing problem that harms or kills. We don't have to hate the breed to realize that attacks are becoming an epidemic that needs to be addressed honestly and with greater responsibility.

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