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ANIMAL WATCH - A Los Angeles resident, 53, who lived in the city’s West Valley area, died on May 30,from dog bites she suffered in an attack by her two-year-old Pit Bull, named “Ice” according to L.A. Animal Services’ records obtained through a California Public Records Act request. The cause of death was described as “Bite to throat.”
The shelter records show that “Ice” was not neutered nor microchipped.
The Pit Bull, Ice, was impounded for behavior and he was made unavailable for adoption to the public until June 4, at which time the case was reviewed and he was declared “Dangerous,” and was euthanized. An entry in the records by Asst. GM Annette Ramirez states, “(t)he victim’s cause of death was a ‘Bite to throat,’ according to the hospital report, which had proved fatal.”\
However, the shelter was able to make contact with the next of kin in order to obtain the necessary signature approving immediate euthanasia.
“DOG FIGHT” WAS REASON FOR ATTACK:
The report of the L.A. Animal Services officer who responded to the call and updated the content states: “Victim was walking her dog, ICE, in the apartment complex with a neighbor, and her dog on a leash. The dogs got into a fight and Victim tried to break the fight up when her dog redirected towards her.”
The entry, “This has been updated to Level 6,” was later added, after the death of victim.
CAUSE OF DEATH: “SEVERE BITES”
The bite-severity level was first reported as a “Level 5,” and then changed to “Level 6” when the report of the victim’s subsequent death was official.
(Photo not taken at scene.)
According to the criteria of the Dunbar Scale, Level 5 is described as “those resulting in deep wounds, occurring multiple times and/or in multiple regions. This could be due to the dog making multiple bites in a single attack or due to being attacked several times over a prolonged incident.”
It refers to dog bites without mitigating circumstances, such as bites protecting itself from abuse or mistreatment and/or to protect itself from attack by a human.
Level 6 is the final level of dog bite and is the most severe. A dog reaches the sixth level when bites inflicted have resulted in the death of the victim.
At both levels 5 and 6, Dr. Dunbar defines the dogs as not safe around people and recommends euthanasia for the dog.
This attack followed a very similar occurrence in New York reported a month before.
ON THE EAST COAST – BRONX, N.Y. MAN KILLED BY PIT BULL HE “TOOK IN”
Karheen Robertson’s sisters called to the scene of the mauling by Pit Bull. (Photo Tomas E.Gaston)
Just over one month before the Los Angeles tragedy, New York news outlets were reporting an incident in the Bronx, with a disturbing similarity in the physical attacks by both Pit Bulls.
On April 26, 2024, the New York Post reports that police responded to a 911 call just after 3 a.m. for a “dog biting its owner,” and found Karheem Robinson, 41, inside his Bronx apartment, with the dog involved in a vicious attack and both officers “opened fire, striking the dog multiple times.”
The report states that the dog, a male Pit Bull named “Max,” had turned on its owner in a sudden and violent attack.
The shelter records show that “Max” was not neutered nor microchipped.
Police described that both the legs and throat of the victim had been targets of the attack and they had to shoot the dog to get it to release its hold on his jugular vein, which was “gushing blood,” according to ABC7 New York.
There was no mention in any of the numerous articles on this event that indicated there was any sign of injury or scarring on the dog which could indicate it had been used for dog fighting.
WARNING UNHEEDED
A friend of the victim reportedly told reporters he “feared the dog,” even though it appeared calm. “I told him that dog was no good. It’s a pit bull, they go berserk.”
A neighbor claimed that Kahreem Robinson was having trouble affording food and was cooking and sharing what little he got from “food pantries” with the Pit Bull adding, “(t)hey would also give out dog food. He would get a 6-pound bag every couple of days.”
No one seems to know where he got the dog or how long he had it, but the building in which he lived required that it be registered with management.
The victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, but “could not be saved,” police reported. The Pit Bull was pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds.
WAS “MAX” A THERAPY DOG?
Robinson’s relatives say they were happy he finally had a place of his own after years of struggling. He previously lived in a shelter and two years ago lost an 18-year-old daughter to cancer.
The family says that Robinson may have gotten the dog to help deal with his grief.
“We just found out about the dog ourselves, so we aren’t too sure, we’re trying to find out who he got the dog from, but that's all we actually know,” the victim's sister Kayesha Barnett said.
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PIT BULL ATTACKS?
“The devastating loss serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of life and the importance of vigilance when it comes to pet ownership,” Newsbreak advises in a comment on the horrific attack that killed Kahreem Robinson and could also apply to the death of a woman similarly killed in Los Angeles
However, this overwhelming acceptance of violence in Pit Bulls by “rescue” organizations, animal shelters (both of which adopt out dogs with a history of bites/attacks) and the tolerance of political officials—who introduce and support legislation which prohibits refusing known-aggressive breeds in public housing and all rentals—is indicative of a greater motivation.
Allowing endangerment or harm to residents and voters, whose complaints and opposition are quickly overcome by the promotion of this breed by major organizations is unconscionable and the reason behind it needs to be examined and exposed. (See Pit Bulls: Everything to Know | Best Friends Animal Society.)
Also, here is the last paragraph of the endorsement of Pit Bulls by the ASPCA, which states, “All dogs, including pit bulls, are individuals. Treating them as such, providing them with the care, training and supervision they require, and judging them by their actions and not their DNA or their physical appearance is the best way to ensure that dogs and people can continue to share safer and happy lives together.
Well, in Los Angeles and New York, both dogs just failed that test!
Also, see these two Reddit discussions: Can someone explain the Pit Bull Lobby to me? and Why is there a “pit lobby”? These explain who benefits and profits by promoting Pit Bulls as a breed and denying or ignoring the tragedy of increasing attacks to those who take them into their homes and lives believing the promotions that claim, “all they need is love.”
We don’t know how or why the woman in the West Valley area of Los Angeles nor the man in the Bronx, NY, had Pit Bulls, but we do know that the dogs on different coasts of the country behaved in the same violent manner in killing those who apparently showed them kindness, and that is not natural, explainable nor excusable.
(Phyllis M. Daugherty is a former Los Angeles City employee, an animal activist and a contributor to CityWatch.)
