Gunny Bunny

DEC 19, 2003 THE WHITEHORSE STAR PAGE: 3 Wolves take ninth dog snares come up empty Tobin, Chuck The ninth reported case of a dog killed by wolves occurred last Friday in the Mary Lake subdivision, though nothing has come to the attention of wildlife authorities since. Residents, however, must remain vigilant for the sake of their pets and the wolves, Tony Grabowski, the Department of Environment's wildlife enforcement manager, said Thursday. We are still asking people to keep their pets close to them, indoors or under supervision, he said in an interview. Public cooperation is essential not only for the safety of pets, but also to minimize any need to kill wolves, he said. The only reason the wolves are frequenting or hunting in the area of Annie Lake Road and around Mary Lake, Wolf Creek and Cowley Creek is because they've been rewarded with food a number of times, Grabowski added. Wolves, he said, move around in their search for prey. If they return to an area but are not successful, they're less likely to be in a hurry to get back there. Wildlife officials initially reported they suspected a lone wolf may have been responsible for killing the pet dogs. However, tracks around last Friday's kill-site suggested there were four wolves present at the time. It may be there are two groups, a group of one and the group of four, he said. Yukoners have to realize, however, that this is wolf country, and wolves know their way around, he said. Grabowski explained that conservation officers are not checking the neck snares everyday for fear of contaminating the area around the snares with human scent. They are very, highly-intelligent animals, he said. They have to be that way to make a living. They prey on large animals the size of adult moose; you know you have to be smart to avoid being killed trying to capture that kind of prey. He noted a report of a dog killed by wolves has come in from the Mendenhall subdivision west of Whitehorse. He suspects it's only a matter of time before officials start receiving reports of missing pets from other communities. The neck snares kill the wolf by choking it to death.

[quote name='puppies411']pits are an awesome breed but why do we find so much bad noose about them.[/quote] Your poll is inaccurate, some people may think that "Fighting Dogs" in of themselves are the problem. The balance of other ideas are only periperals.

[quote]Bewildering eh? You know what is bewildering...that there are people in this world as IGNORANT as you for saying that. I HATE to break this to you but ANY dog is capable of killing a young child. I read a story about a Dachshund mauling a child. A 2 year old child should definately not under ANY circumstance be left alone with ANY dog. Once people get that through their thick skulls it would solve a LOT of problems.[/quote] Well said...

[url]http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2003/12/06/news/californian/12_5_0323_02_50.txt[/url] Woman gets year in jail for dog-mauling death Jackie Star Batey gets a hug from her attorney, Heather Moorhead, as she is handcuffed after being sentenced to one year in county jail. By: JOHN HALL - Staff Writer FRENCH VALLEY ---- Emotions flowed from all sides Friday as a woman was sentenced for the dog-mauling death of a Murrieta toddler she was baby-sitting in June. Jackie Star Batey, 30, was sentenced to one year in county jail, the maximum sentence possible under an agreement reached in October when she pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter. Somer Clugston was mauled to death by a pit bull puppy named "Baby Boy" at her Phillips Road home in Good Hope on June 20. Somer's parents were separated at the time and still are. Her father, Jason Clugston, had made arrangements for Batey to baby-sit while he was at work. Batey left Somer and four other young children ---- the oldest being her 12-year-old son ---- alone at the home while her husband, Marco, slept after coming home at 5 a.m. from a 12-hour work shift. She left with one of her daughters to drive another young girl she was baby-sitting to school and to run errands. Batey gave an emotional apology to Somer's family for the first time publicly Friday as she addressed the judge. She turned to the family, clasped her hands together, and tearfully told them three different times how sorry she was about what happened. Members of Somer's family fought back their own tears as they told the judge why they believed Batey should get the maximum sentence. Somer's mother, 23-year-old Sarah Serrano, talked about how she'll never be able to see her baby grow up and get married. "I've been robbed of that," she said. Linda Collinsworth, Somer's grandmother, told the judge she can't even look at little girls anymore with out thinking of Somer and hates to hear children crying, "because I don't know if Somer cried out" when she was mauled. Collinsworth's son, Justin, said the family "lost a very precious little girl who we'll never get back again." Before the sentence was announced Friday, Batey's husband and defense attorney Heather Moorhead pleaded with the judge to not send Jackie Batey to jail. While addressing the judge, Marco Batey wept while holding his wife close to him with his left arm. "It wasn't her fault," Marco Batey said, adding that he and his wife "lay in bed every night ... asking why and asking for forgiveness." He told the judge that they are very sorry for what happened to Somer. "This woman doesn't deserve jail time," Marco Batey said. Jackie Batey's attorney became emotional as she tried to explain to the judge that there is much more to her client than seen in the police investigation or probation officer's report. Moorhead said that the Bateys were not able to directly apologize to Somer's family while the case against Jackie was pending because they were advised by attorneys not to. "Many times she wanted to talk to those people in the courtroom," she said. Moorhead told the judge that the Bateys have lost their home and Jackie has threatened suicide because of what happened. The attorney stressed that Batey has been remorseful since the beginning and takes the blame for Somer's tragic death. "She pled guilty to a charge that tells the world: 'I am responsible,'" Moorhead said. Jackie Batey has since started to get her life back on track, Moorhead said, getting a job at Wal-Mart last month and the Bateys voluntarily sent their children to other homes because the family was not yet stable. Moorhead asked the judge to sentence Batey to community service where she could do some good. "... putting Ms. Batey in jail will do no one any good," Moorhead said. Deputy District Attorney John Monterosso countered to the judge that there was "no way" he would accept Batey being a victim in this case. He said Batey was well aware that the dog was dangerous and still allowed it to roam the home freely. "This is a dog that surprises not one person in our society when it bites someone," Monterosso said. He called Batey "reckless, self-centered and callous," and asked for the maximum sentence. Before announcing the sentence, Judge Albert Wojcik pounded his fist and told Jackie Batey this was "an extremely tragic event; an event that simply should have never happened." Wojcik called it was "bewildering" that people keep pit bulls as pets and that Batey would leave a 2-year-old unattended. Saying he based his opinion on his review of the case and a probation officer's report, which included interviews with Batey and others involved, Wojcik called Batey "callous and uncaring." After quoting a portion of the probation report in which Batey says: "Honestly, I think I have been punished enough," Wojcik looked at Batey and said, "Wake up and smell the coffee." In another part of the report, Batey tells the probation officer that she is beginning to think she is a bad mother. Wojcik jumped on that comment and told Batey this "makes you an awful mother." He then announced the one-year jail sentence, along with a number of terms of probation Batey must follow for three years after her release. They included no contact with the victim's family unless preapproved by the Probation Department, that she can't work in child care including baby-sitting, she must attend a child abuse treatment program, and can not possess or own any dogs or other fierce or wild pets. After the sentencing, Somer's mother said the outcome "helps a little tiny bit." Serrano said that while she believes that time will help heal her emotionally, "the thoughts of Somer and the heartache will never go away." Linda Collinsworth said outside the courtroom that it hurts to see anyone punished but that Somer paid the ultimate price. Batey's sentence gives the family some closure, Collinsworth said. "Now I can go see Somer (at her gravesite) and tell her justice was done," she said. After the hearing, Monterosso said that, although he is pleased Wojcik sentenced Batey to the maximum term, "this is a case where nobody wins. Nothing good comes out of this."

[url]http://www.dailydemocrat.com/articles/2003/12/07/news/news92_.txt[/url] Baby sitter gets one-year sentence MURRIETA (AP) - A baby sitter whose pit bull fatally mauled a 2-year-old girl was sentenced to one year in prison. "It's astonishing to me that people would keep certain types of pets around children," Superior Court Judge Albert J. Wojcik told Jackie Star Batey, 30, on Friday. Somer T. Clugston was killed by a pit bull on June 20 at Batey's home in rural Good Hope. Investigators say Batey had left Somer and her year-old brother with several of her own children while she left to run errands. "The mere fact you put the girl and others in danger means you are not a good mother. You're an awful mother," the Riverside County judge said.

DOG BITE STATISTICS Dog bites cause lasting physical and emotional scars to millions of Americans. Here are the numbers: 4.5 million dog bites every year Dogs are twice as likely to bite males than females; The types of dogs most often involved in fatal attacks are pit bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds; 57 percent of fatal dog attacks involve children under the age of 10. Link: [url]http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?S=1548205[/url]

[url]http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E161%257E1805350,00.html[/url]

Currently several countries have total bans on fighting dogs including the UK, Australia, France. In addition, certain parts of Canada and the USA have bans on fighting dogs, presumably in time they will have complete bans. Please note the following: Pontiac, MI., USA No owners of pit bulls registered before the April 16 ban must: have their animals leashed and muzzled in public; have tattoo or microchip identifications on their animals; carry $100,000 in liability insurance; and keep their dogs in pens with walls or behind a fence with poles at least one foot in the ground. --- [url]http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1991/Ukpga_19910065_en_1.htm[/url] England 1.

"I think this just goes to the basic unpredictability of certain breeds of dogs," he said. "The dog was frenzied. The whole thing lasted about 45 seconds.'' [url]http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/11/24/BAGLV39DJD1.DTL[/url]

[url]http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=469521[/url] 12 held as dog-fight 'Premiership' ring is targeted in raids By Jason Bennetto, Crime Correspondent 03 December 2003 Twelve men have been arrested and more than 70 pit bull dogs and pups have been seized by police and RSPCA officers who have been targeting a suspected national dog-fighting network for nearly three years. Chief inspector Mike Butcher, of the RSPCA special operations unit, said they had been concentrating on the "Premiership" dog-fighting ring. About 50 men formed the hard-core, he said, and there were several hundred part-timers and observers. Over the past two days, the men have been questioned about illegal dog-fights and breeding animals for the bloody encounters, where thousands of pounds can change hands in bets. Officers also recovered dog-fighting equipment, including treadmills to build up the stamina and strength of the dogs, and veterinary kits to administer first-aid to mauled animals. Mr Butcher said the RSPCA became aware of an upsurge in dog-fighting about two and a half years ago, when several known fighters began operating again with their dogs. And there was a "Nationwide", or second division of dog-fighters, he said, who wanted to get involved but spent most of their time writing on the internet about the blood sport, rather than participating. In the raids, homes and outbuildings where fights are suspected of being held, were searched in Barnsley, Birmingham, Chesterfield, Gainsborough, Huddersfield, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Oxford and Scunthorpe. A total of 73 dogs were seized, several of which had signs of fight injuries. Officers also confiscated scales, veterinary kits that include staples and drips, treadmills, and so called "breaking-sticks" which are used to separate the jaws of dogs locked in combat. Blood and hair samples, believed to be from injured dogs, were also taken for DNA analysis. Ten police forces were involved in the raids, code-named Operation Gazpacho. A shotgun and cannabis was seized at one home in Kirkby, Merseyside, which was searched under laws introduced to tackle dangerous dogs. Three adult dogs, believed to be pit bulls, and three pups were also taken for examination by the RSPCA. A 38-year-old man was arrested then released on police bail pending inquiries. At a house in south Birmingham, a 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of cruelty towards animals. Two pit bulls were seized, both of which had signs of injuries. Dog-fighting equipment was also recovered. The RSPCA said the "blood sport" had its modern heyday in the 1970s. Dog-fights appeared to have nearly vanished in the mid-1990s, when the Dangerous Dogs Act legislation was passed and many owners took their dogs abroad. But the difficulties with enforcing the new laws and renewed interest among a band of enthusiasts appears to have led to a growth in fights. An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "A lot of these people treat dog-fighting as if it was a professional sport, such as boxing. Some people are heavily involved in betting, but most of the time they see it as entertainment. It is not about the money; it is almost the love of the so-called sport." She said that after a dog has won three fights the owner can charge up to

Family mourns dog killed by wolves by Chuck Tobin A Whitehorse woman whose family pet of eight years was killed by wolves feels the Department of Environment should have been quicker on the draw. Jessie Pierce says she recognizes Environment staff have their hands full. However, she also believes the circumstances now, and in the past, should have warranted a public warning earlier than it came.

Breeding Tragedy :evil: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's time for legislators to enact a ban on the breeding of fighting dogs. It's not as a knee-jerk reaction to an awful attack, but as a long overdue, well-considered piece of legislation designed to protect animals and the public. Recent events warrant this action. The much-publicized fatal mauling of San Francisco resident Diane Whipple by a Presa Canario dog would seem to have spurred a rash of similar crimes. In the week following Whipple's death, dog attacks were reported across the country. On Long Island, for example, where Ms. Whipple used to live, two incidents involved different pairs of pit bulls who attacked other dogs; one of the pairs also chased two young boys. In a third, a bull mastiff clamped his jaws onto a miniature poodle and killed him. Of course, dogs don't read newspapers, so what's really going on? The truth is that trouble is brewing all the time, but we don't hear about it until events take a tragic, and usually preventable, turn. Bane, the dog who attacked Whipple, was a problem long before he killed. A little digging by reporters revealed that residents of the apartment building where Bane, his caretakers, and Whipple lived had called police at least 40 times to report that the enormous dog was vicious. They were so fearful that they devised walking schedules with Bane's caretakers to avoid confrontations. Newsday reported that the pit bulls who chased the boys and then attacked the Labrador retriever who heroically came to their defense were known up and down the street to be dangerous. Neighbors even used a makeshift phone tree to spread the word when the dogs escaped from their yard: Bring your kids and dogs inside; Buddy and Casey are loose again. Better enforcement of existing laws, which means holding human handlers responsible for their dogs' actions before it's too late, would prevent many of the attacks. Perhaps if San Francisco officials had taken those dozens of calls seriously and Bane's caretakers had been forced to move the dog to a more suitable home or even to euthanize him, Whipple would be alive today. Law

:-? :Help_2:

[url]http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,---19706,00.html[/url] Diesel's Dog Takes Million Dollar Bite Thu, Dec 04, 2003, 10:12 AM PT LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Hunky actor Vin Diesel's dog apparently has a taste for the, er, finer things in life. Diesel, star of "Fast and Furious," is reportedly being sued for a monumental $8 million by a man who claims he was bitten in the crotch by the star's dog. According to industry reports, screenwriter Michael Kerner contends he was attacked by the hunk's 170 pound mastiff dog, Roman, while at Diesel's home to discuss a project they were working on together. The suit alleges the dog "lunged at (Kerner) for no reason and clamped down on his crotch," leaving the writer with "deep lacerations, nerve damage, loss of physical sensation, psychological harm and mental distress." Kerner reportedly received hospital treatment. The case is due for a jury trial on June 16 next year.

DEC 03, 2003 THE WHITEHORSE STAR PAGE: 4 Area dogs killed by wolves A wolf or wolves are eating pets in the Wolf Creek, Mary Lake and Cowley Creek subdivisions, a Department of Environment spokesman said this morning. We now have reports of seven or eight dogs that have been killed in the area this winter, Dennis Senger said in an interview. And other dogs have gone missing and owners have simply not reported them. We believe the pack may be the same pack that killed three dogs in the Wolf Creek subdivision last year. Senger said department staff will be working with city staff through the next couple of days to place a network of snares throughout the rural subdivisions that abutt each other south of the city centre. Warning signs will be placed along public trails and other areas where snares are set. While there are plenty of wolf tracks in the area, it's not clear if the problem is with a lone wolf or a small pack of two or three, he said. Pet owners, Senger added, are being asked to keep their animals inside or be well-supervised when they're outside. He said wildlife officers believe the dog killed a couple of weeks ago - originally thought to have been fatally wounded by a pig - was probably killed by this wolf or pack of wolves.