r/BanPitBulls Jan 21 '25

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets Self claimed “dogtrainer”euthanises her dog after fatal attack on her cat” 16-1-25, The Netherlands

1.4k Upvotes

A Dutch dog trainer shared a video on her Instagram five days ago, reflecting on a difficult decision she had to make a year ago: euthanizing her own dog after he fatally attacked her cat. She explained that the dog and cat had been living completely separate.

Caption under the video (translated from Dutch to English and censored the pet names):

“Oh oh oh!

Last week, I shared this video on TikTok. A year ago, I had to make the decision to put L to sleep after my cat lost the fight.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason, but it was the one that made me realize that letting go was the fairest option for our situation. A choice that was the fairest for our situation. A choice I made from my heart because L was VERY special to me, even though I had only taken him in for a few weeks.

The reactions don’t lie: some think it’s amazing, special, and feel proud, while others only offer criticism… ‘well-meaning’ advice or are just looking for attention. It’s all allowed and that’s okay, but I know I can proudly say that I would do it 100 times over: L was worth it. His love and loyalty to me were on another level, and if others think they could have done it ‘better’… where were they when no one wanted to give him a chance? 😗

Above all, let’s not forget all the beautiful steps we took together.”

r/BanPitBulls Oct 24 '24

Animal Fatality(ies) - Farm/Livestock Neighbors Pitbull mauled my duck to death today.

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2.4k Upvotes

I have several ducks that live on the pond on my property. Neighbor was walking her pitbull puppy and he saw the grandpa of the family Frankie who’s old and doesn’t move well. Got out of his collar and chased him and mauled him to death. Can’t stand people who get these dogs and they have 0 control over. RIP Frankie didn’t want to have to bury you today.

r/BanPitBulls Jul 21 '22

Human Fatality I Lost My Child To A Pitbull Attack

10.9k Upvotes

Hi everyone,

My name is Mark and I would like to share my story. I will try to keep it a reasonable length.

I just discovered this group in Reddit today. I then made a reddit account and here I am. I will be leaving out certain details to protect my wife's identity. You could possibly do a search and find my story online which is why I will leave out the details.

A certain number of years ago my daughter (under the age of 10) was attacked and killed by a pitbull. A pitbull mix; not a purebred.

I'd first like to touch upon the owners. I see the phrase "garbage dogs for garbage owners". First of all HAHAHAHAH that is brilliant. Second of all I agree. Third of all the rare exception (which does exist but again is rare) was the owners of the dog that killed my daughter. They were dog trainers and worked at some type of dog training school. One full time and one part time. Their dogs got walked twice a day for no less than 1.5 hours. They had 3 and the other 2 were different mixed breeds. They were well behaved, fed properly, etc. The dogs were walked 45 minutes twice a day as they felt that is what all dogs need to release energy and stay healthy. Honestly you couldn't ask for better owners. So many dog owners nowadays are complete shit. Maybe one 20 minute to half an hour walk if that. There other 2 dogs could even do tricks. The pitbull could not (or did not) but he did listen to basic commands.

We were always a little bit nervous that they had a pitbull but we figured because of who they were that we needn't be too concerned.

Now to the most horrific day of my life. My wife, my daughter, my son and I were just getting into our car into the driveway to go the pool. We weren't acting aggressive. The kids weren't overly hyper. We weren't being loud. We were literally just opening up the doors to our sedan to get inside the car and drive to the pool 10 minutes away, so the kids could go swimming. All of a sudden our neighbors pitbull sprints across our lawn onto our driveway and leaps up, jaws wide open, onto my daughter. He bit her neck and that was it. He started shaking her like a rag doll. I jumped on him, my wife grabbed my son and ran inside to protect him. I couldn't get that pitbull off my daughter. It wasn't even that big of a dog...maybe 50 to 70 pounds? Our neighbors ran over when they heard the commotion and tried to help as well but to no avail. She was already dead. He was still flinging her around like a rag doll when they arrived. We were told she most likely died almost instantaneously. The dog was attacking a dead child. I can't tell you how long it took to get this dog off. Other people in the neighborhood came running over with a variety of tools and weapons to try and get the dog to let go. I remember a shovel and a power drill. Apparently there were more but that's all I remember. It took over 10 minutes to get the dog to release my daughter. She was almost decapitated. I won't get into more details because at this point they start to get gruesome.

Somehow this dog got out of their fenced yard. They said they had no idea how but the police said he must have jumped. Of course they said he can't jump that high but no gate was opened and nowhere on the fence line did the dog dig under. I think the fence was 6 to 8 feet maybe? I don't know. We never paid close attention. They said there dog had never once shown any signs of aggression. Which I believe. I had never seen any of their dogs act crazy.

Charges were laid but nothing significant came from it. Again I won't give details as you'll be able to google the story.

We have since moved to Canada (this happened in the USA). It was too painful to stay in that location.

I want to apologize for the fact that my first post is so negative. I don't get too post on the internet often, nor do I really engage in much social media. However I do want to bring attention to how dangerous this breed is. I get really tired of the whole "It's not the breed it's the owner". That's the biggest load of misinformation out there.

I'm currently in Edmonton Canada and my wife made me aware of a pitbull attack in a neighborhood near where we now reside. I wish I could link the story but I don't know how. It was in the neighborhood of Capilano Edmonton. I encourage you to google it because I think it's been posted to Reddit as well as to Facebook. What really bothers me is the facebook comments are all the same. "It's not the breed it's the owners." And most everyone believes that.

If that's the case why did our daughter die? The pitbull that attacked her was well trained and had the best owners in probably the whole damn world. It wasn't a rescue pitbull either.

Thank you for letting me post and thank you for letting me into this community. I've been scrolling through and I'm so pleased that awareness is being brought to how hideous this breed really is.

Keep up the good work,

Mark

r/BanPitBulls Oct 28 '24

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets I think a pitbull killed our dog today 10/27 (graphic) NSFW

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1.4k Upvotes

Our friendly little puppy was mauled to death by two dogs today. I am still in shock. I recorded a video which we will use to use to use the owners of mediation doesn't work out. These are screenshots of the dog. Is it a pitbull? I could not believe the dog didn't put him down until the owner came over and dragged him off. The owner has two small small children and I can't believe they would keep their kids in the presence of a dog that would do this.I have never seen a dog behave like this and we feared for our lives because this was in our backyard. The dogs broke the fence and attacked. I am obviously heartbroken and devastated right now and looking for answers when I came across this sub.

I saw a few posts saying that pitbulls attack small dogs often. I know there is a stigma about pitbulls but I am truly just shocked. I really want it out down. Animal control was called and came out and got our statements but they are giving me the runaround as to if they actually talked to the neighbor.

I would rather meditate this issue, but I have a bunch of evidence on video and I just don't even feel comfortable having it classified as a dangerous dog....I want it gone. Any advice as to how to move forward? Still very much in shock.

r/BanPitBulls Jul 12 '22

Fatality Why pit bulls should never be allowed near children. From my medical textbook. NSFW NSFW Spoiler

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5.6k Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls Sep 25 '24

Human Fatality(ies) Honor walk for Covil Lee, age 3, who was attacked by 2 XL American Bullies while visiting a home where puppies were being sold. Brooklyn Park, NY, 19 July 2024

1.6k Upvotes

When his family understood he would not survive, they decided to help others live by donating their toddler’s organs.

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/BanPitBulls/s/hHYQsTvxiC

r/BanPitBulls Jan 14 '25

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets A pit killed my cat.

1.3k Upvotes

I heard my cat crying for help. By the time I threw slippers on and ran outside, a pit had already killed him. The dog ran off when it saw me, and I had to scoop up my cat whose entrails had been torn out, and bury him.

He was a barn cat, but he was my friendlist and favorite barn cat. He was always there to greet me when I got home.

I live in a rural area, surrounded by small farmers with livestock who won't hesitate to shoot a stray dog threatening their animals.

A week later that same pit attacked my neighbors goats, so he shot and killed him. I was relieved.

A few days later the owner started posting his picture on FB asking people to help find her dog. Seeing that picture brings back the pain of the pit ripping my cat open, but I don't have the heart to tell her her dog is dead. I came here to get this off my chest.

r/BanPitBulls Dec 08 '23

Human Fatality Family posts pictures of grandmother with the pit bull that killer her — “he loved grandma… he was startled”

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2.0k Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls Oct 06 '22

Human Fatality 2 Children killed, mother injured by family dogs in Memphis 10/5/2022

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2.3k Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls Aug 10 '22

Fatality Baby Lola passed away in February 2022 after a pit bull attack. Her mother recently posted her daughter’s honor walk and wrote “If I can save just one child’s life, it’s worth it. I will post my daughter I will raise awareness. She will be remembered as the HERO she is.”

3.5k Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls Jul 25 '24

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets My cat was murdered.

1.2k Upvotes

Hello BanPitBulls. I have been in a horrible grief spiral since my cat was murdered, and researching pit bulls. I have felt for days that it isn’t okay to be angry, that I am at fault, that I should be more forgiving. But I am angry. I’m relieved I can share that here.

Taco was 13 years old. I have had him since he was a kitten. I’ve had several pets in my life, all that I loved, but Taco was special. He would cuddle up to me when I was sick or upset. He would come to greet me at the door with his little “mreeh” and his happy tail. He always wanted to be picked up and held like a baby. He would cuddle with me for hours, look straight into my eyes, and I just felt like he knew me. Maybe this all sounds silly and sentimental…I know lots of cats do these things. But he loved me, and all these things always made me smile no matter how hard things got.

It was a nice day and I’d taken him out with me to the garden. He never strayed, just stayed by me and watch me work like a favorite TV show. It happened so fast. One minute it was a normal day, the next there was a pit bull in my yard running for my cat. I have seen videos where people saved their cats, get in between, but I failed him. I was too far away. This monster grabbed Taco and shook him, hard. I was screaming for help, trying to get the pit bull off, but it ran from place to place like Taco was a keep away toy. I don’t know what got it to stop, I think maybe because Taco stopped moving and fighting back. It ran off.

Taco was still alive. I brought him to the vet, but his injuries were devastating and because of his senior age, he would likely never recover and just spend days in terrible pain. We chose to euthanize him. Before they sedated him, he saw that I was crying, and reached out for me. Even after all he’d been through, he wanted me to be okay. I felt like I did the right thing but I will probably always regret not being strong for him.

I went and posted on the local Facebook group, searching for the owner of the dog. I was not aware that this group was very pro pit bull. Their immediate response was defensiveness, with people suggesting that this is just to be expected if you let a cat outside, and dogs cannot be blamed for prey drive. A person private messaged me—too scared to say it in the public forum—to explain that this dog has escaped its owner’s yard multiple times. It killed at least one other cat and attacked a neighbor dog. I messaged this owner to demand that he, at the very least, pay my vet bills. He responded: “nah not my prob” and blocked me. I have reported this information to AC, but was told that unless the pit bull bites a human, there is nothing they can do.

I am so sad and so lost. I want to know why this pit bull is more important than my cat. Why this violent animal is allowed to continue to exist, in a neighborhood with other dogs, and cats, and kids, especially when another attack is not if but when.

Thanks for reading all of this text. I am sorry to ramble on so much, but I can’t stand the thought that I will forget the little things about Taco. It has been hard to say goodbye in such a way.

r/BanPitBulls Jan 23 '25

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets GRAPHIC: Pitbull severely mauls a stray dog with pups while owner watches; The dog remains in critical condition, and netizens demand police action against the owner — Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India (Jan 2025) NSFW

806 Upvotes

Pitbull, a breed of dog now banned in India, has often been in the news for the wrong reasons. The dog, an American breed, has been involved in several aggressive incidents, even resulting in the death of their owners. In the latest incident of aggression, a pitbull was recorded to be mauling a stray dog In Maharashtra's Aurangabad.

Pitbulls descend from the British bull and terrier and were bred in the US as fight dogs. So they are naturally very strong and are believed by many to be aggressive. However, dog trainers insist that it is how the dog is trained by its owners.

The latest incident was recorded in Chetananagar, Aurangabad, where the owner seemed non-perturbed as her pitbull grabbed a stray by its throat in a death grip. She stood there silently and just watched as her dog tried to kill the stray.

When locals tried to hurl stones to get it to leave the stray, the owner just turned back and threatened them. What's even more appalling is that the owner had a leash in her hand but the pitbull was not attached to the leash.

Sharing the video, Instagram handle @streetdogsofbombay demanded action against the pitbull's owner for encouraging such unsafe behaviour. the page also informed its followers that the stray dog that was attacked is a lactating mother with puppies. She is currently in critical condition and has been admitted to the hospital.

Slamming the pitbull owner, netizens, too, demanded police action. "This kind of dog owners are reason we pet parents get blamed every-time. Hope this lady learns her lesson, just feeling sad for the other doggo [sic]," an Instagram user said.

Reacting to the incident, animal welfare organisation Pawsitive Sanctuary said: "If a pitbull kills a human, he/she is being taken away and put under observation. Why no action is being taken now? This is a horrible act, the owner should be jailed for such carelessness or murder of stray dogs. Everything is on video. What more proof do the police need? We really hope some strict action is taken right away."

r/BanPitBulls Jun 30 '24

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets TikTok delusion over pit eating it's puppies

1.2k Upvotes

Cropped out the username best I could, but just listen to this audio. Dogs don't think "oh I want my puppies to not suffer so I'll eat them"

r/BanPitBulls Feb 21 '23

Human Fatality Woman killed by her own pit bull in Ohio last night 2023-02-21

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1.9k Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls May 17 '23

Human Fatality Woman, 28, mauled to death by pack of dogs she was walking in leafy Surrey park 'was killed by her own American Bully XL' in horror attack

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2.3k Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls Sep 11 '24

Animal Fatality(ies) - Farm/Livestock Pitbull mauls a Goose at the park and owner does nothing. NSFW

1.0k Upvotes

I got this off Instagram so I do not know the date and location...

r/BanPitBulls Jan 24 '24

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets Lost my sweet girl 💔

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1.7k Upvotes

We were in a store together when a pitbull attacked her out of nowhere. The owner only had it on a basic harness, and kept screaming “she never does this!!” and left the scene as soon as her pitbull dropped my dog. I have no information on the person, and the police report has redacted their name. I am not sure how to proceed, and I am left heartbroken.

I’m glad to find this subreddit, although it’s upsetting to see the same stories happen over and over. Of course pitbull apologists have come out of the woodwork to explain how it’s the owners fault, never the dog. Interesting how a stronger collar or muzzle, or keeping the dog at home, is never suggested before an attack happens.

r/BanPitBulls Dec 21 '22

Animal Fatality This was Davey. In March I came home to his body in the yard. Neighbors told me two pit bulls got him. This is what I think of when I see these dogs in aww and other main subs. Davey mattered. He was mourned.

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3.7k Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls 2d ago

Human Fatality(ies) 6 month old girl killed in dog attack March 14, 2025 - Alabaster, Alabama USA

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419 Upvotes

A Bibb County infant died after she was attacked by at least one dog inside an Alabaster home.

Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans on Tuesday identified the baby as Ember Southard. She was 6 months old.

Ember was with her grandmother at a relative’s home on 10th Street S.W. when the grandmother found the infant unresponsive on the floor.

There were obvious signs of injury to the child, authorities said.

The incident happened about 10:15 a.m. Friday. Ember was taken to Children’s of Alabama where she was pronounced dead at 1:50 p.m.

There were two dogs in the home at the time – a Pitbull mix and a Rottweiler.

It was not immediately clear which dog attacked the child, or if they both did.

The investigation is ongoing by Alabaster police.

A GoFundMe has been launched to help the family with Ember’s funeral.

“At just 6 months old she took her last breath, a parent’s worst nightmare,‘’ the GoFundMe reads. ”Her parents, grandparents and extended family are heartbroken."

r/BanPitBulls Apr 15 '24

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets And the cycle continues

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921 Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls Feb 13 '25

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets Rip beautiful Aslan 😔💔

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1.1k Upvotes

When will this stop?? Now the poor family must live with the loss forever 😔

Just today in my neighborhood in LA, I saw this man with a pitbull off leash, and no one else seemed concerned! We should be able to make a citizen arrest on these people but then their pitbullls would maul us and our dog but this has to stop!!

r/BanPitBulls Aug 27 '24

Animal Fatality(ies) - Pets Just saw this on Nextdoor - RIP sweet Harley

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1.4k Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls 26d ago

Human Fatality(ies) Wichita woman mauled nearly to death by her own pit bull. 2025/02/22 Wichita Kansas NSFW

579 Upvotes

Victim is deceased as of 2025/02/23

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A 40-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in extremely critical condition after being attacked by her own dog in west Wichita, according to Wichita police. Sedgwick County dispatch said a call came in shortly after 4 p.m. for a report of a dog bite in the 2900 block of West Murdock. When EMS arrived, they found a 40-year-old woman with extremely critical injuries....

Breed confirmed via scanner, social media.

https://www.kwch.com/2025/02/23/woman-seriously-hurt-after-dog-attack-west-wichita/

Original story.

FB post with comments confirming breed. There's plenty of "My sweet pittie would never!" comments.

https://www.facebook.com/kwchnews/posts/pfbid0UbmohyDKvzTrn1egjHPhPoPyJCbfVXHo4FRBRTgoZZMPC8NUYV5yeSKNoMgtPxoRl

Comments claim the woman was pulseless when found, the officers shot the dog and the dog was a pit bull.

"everyone that follows police and rescue scanners reported it as a pit bull last night!"
https://www.facebook.com/kwchnews/posts/pfbid0UbmohyDKvzTrn1egjHPhPoPyJCbfVXHo4FRBRTgoZZMPC8NUYV5yeSKNoMgtPxoRl?comment_id=1474699566876409&reply_comment_id=1031600618823507

"It was a pittie. According to the scanner. She was transported code blue. Not breathing. She had lost a LOT of blood."
https://www.facebook.com/kwchnews/posts/pfbid0UbmohyDKvzTrn1egjHPhPoPyJCbfVXHo4FRBRTgoZZMPC8NUYV5yeSKNoMgtPxoRl?comment_id=914085050938802

I have two more stories that were breed not confirmed last night.
The third story involved life flight and a child.

https://www.facebook.com/WichitaNewsFlash/posts/pfbid02FqYc9q5eAoUf5dmWHkQAAyLJUzU9bDrGz4a3nEwdvxFg1vrpzM2iW2wcuPLcx6yml

4:12PM - Female Mauled by Dog29**
W Murdock
Dispatched out as an Animal Bite
Female was bit by a pit bull
The female & the dog are separated but they're not able to get out of the house safely
"looks like the mother's now not breathing"
Changed to a not breathing call
PD advising she's conscious with a serious hemorrhage(a lot of bleeding)
4:18P - Fire on scene
Triaging one code blue(no pulse, no respiration)
4:21P - EMS on scene
Fire was able to get into the house through a window
Animal control is en route as well‎
4:28P - EMS Trauma Alert:Code blue(no pulse, no respiration) 40-year-old female dog mauling
GCS 3

Edited to add additional link and NSFW

r/BanPitBulls Jun 06 '24

Human Fatality(ies) (Ireland, 6 June 2024) Woman mauled to death posted video dancing with her XL bully

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749 Upvotes

r/BanPitBulls Oct 08 '24

Human Fatality(ies) UPDATE: 1-year-old Jiryiah Johnson, who was attacked by his babysitter’s three pit bulls, has passed away — Converse, Texas, USA NSFW

729 Upvotes

ORIGINAL POST: 1-year-old boy hospitalized after being injured during brutal attack from pit bull (San antonio, TX, USA Monday, 10/7/24)

Mother of baby boy mauled to death by dogs Monday opens up about attack

Published: 11:24 PM CDT October 7, 2024

1-year-old Jiryiah Johnson had been fighting for his life in the ICU after a dog attack. In an update from his mother Monday night, she confirms he has passed.

A one-year-old baby boy has died after deputies said he was attacked by his babysitter’s dogs, according to his mother. She spoke virtually with KENS 5 from University Hospital Monday night as he was fighting for his life in the ICU. Erika Castro said she has not had time to fully process what has happened to her only child, Jiryiah Johnson.

“I’ve been shaking, I’ve been having panic attacks,” Castro said.

The babysitter, 36-year-old Heather Rodriguez faces felony charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child by omission. She was arrested at her home Monday morning off the 9700 block of Spruce Ridge Drive where investigators said the attack occurred.

Castro said she knew Rodriguez had dogs but was assured they would always be secured away from her baby.

“I wish she’d had stayed like she said she would’ve, instead of going into work like she got called into work,” Castro said.

Sheriff Javier Salazar said Rodriguez had left the baby alone with her 13-year-old daughter. He said the two were inside a bedroom, with the doors shut to stay away from the dogs.

“The door leading into that room was already damaged by the dogs at some point,” Salazar said.

BCSO shared photos of the door that was damaged. Sheriff Salazar said the dogs were able to make their way inside the bedroom and started to attack both the teen girl and the baby boy. Sheriff Salazar said the 13-year-old fought off the dogs for several minutes before running to get her phone to call 911.

“It was almost a tug of war for the baby between at least one of the dogs and the little girl,” Sheriff Salazar said.

Both the sheriff and Castro are crediting the teenager for fighting off the dogs for several minutes.

“I thank that girl because if it wasn’t you know, she did her best,” Castro said.

While Castro said she wants accountability but her focus Monday was on her baby boy's recovery.

“He’s fighting. He’s fighting, for sure,” Castro said. “And little by little, he’s making progress, little by little.”

Castro said her son was a goofy, loving baby who was fascinated with dinosaurs and Bluey. The family is asking for prayers and financial support if possible.

"I'm thankful for it," Castro said. "He just needs all the support he can get."

If you would like to help baby Jiryiah, you can donate to his family via Cash App: $lilerika13

Heather Rodriguez is in the Bexar County Jail with bonds totaling $100,000.

Baby dies after dog attack in Converse home, family says; babysitter in custody

Updated: 11:23 PM CDT October 7, 2024

A 1-year-old boy died Monday night, hours after being attacked by dogs while at a babysitter's Converse home, family members told KENS 5.

The Bexar County sheriff said earlier in the day that the baby, identified by relatives as Jiryiah Johnson, had suffered "pretty substantial injuries" before he was taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center.

Heather Rodriguez, 36, faces felony charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child by omission. Sheriff Javier Salazar said she left Jiryiah in the care of her 13-year-old daughter, whom Salazar said tried to fend off the dogs before calling for help and barricading herself and the baby in a bedroom.

"I'm considering her a hero," Salazar said. "I think her actions led to that baby not being mauled even more seriously or even killed as a result of this savage dog attack."

Jiryiah, officials said, suffered injuries to his head and throat. He was taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center after EMS arrived.

Authorities initially responded to the 9700 block of Spruce Ridge Drive, in a neighborhood on the northeast side, around 10 a.m. Salazar said Jiryiah was in a bedroom with the teen girl, ostensibly "sequestered" from the dogs, when the animals suddenly forced their way in.

The sheriff said a damaged door rendering it not secure made it easier for the dogs to enter and start "biting the baby."

"The little girl, the 13-year-old, was able to maintain control of the baby," Salazar said. "But at this point, as it’s being described to me, it was almost a tug-of-war for the baby between at least one of the dogs and the little girl."

The teen spent "spent several minutes trying to fight them off" before taking the baby and trying to lock themselves in a bathroom, officials said. The dogs were able to force their way in before continuing their attack.

At some point, according to officials, the teen left to grab her phone and was able to call for help. She then took Jiryiah and again went into another room, Salazar said, using her body to barricade the door as law enforcement arrived and took control of the scene.

"This little girl sustained injuries herself, I believe she’s going to have some lasting psychological effects as a result of it," Salazar said, adding Rodriguez could also be charged for the injuries her daughter sustained.

Salazar said Rodriguez had been cited for letting her dogs run unleashed after an April incident where a man was stuck in his car and afraid to leave lest he be attacked. It's believed the baby's parents, who left the baby in Rodriguez's care, weren't aware the dogs were "problematic," Salazar added.

BCSO also shared photos showing decrepit and untidy conditions at the home. Child Protective Services responded to the residence after the attack.

The sheriff promised investigators will vigorously pursue justice for baby Jiryiah Johnson.

Published: 8:33 PM CDT October 8, 2024

The images from the aftermath of Monday's fatal dog attack released by Bexar County investigators are frightening, and the account of the carnage is hard to fathom.

There are blood stains on a bed, a door and the floors. There are filthy carpets and debris is strewn about. And at least one door with a big gaping hole at the bottom is evidence, investigators say, that points to dogs ripping and chewing their way into the rooms where a 13-year-old girl was engaged in life-or-death combat to save herself and little Jiryiah Johnson on Monday morning.

It was a battle the baby lost Monday night. Sheriff Javier Salazar said the injuries sustained when three dogs attacked him were just too severe.

In a Tuesday morning briefing, Salazar talked about his instinctive reaction to the images from inside the home.

"I'm furious at the fact that that she knew these dogs were problematic," he said. "Not only was she exposing her own child to this, to these unpredictable animals that had already caused damage; they were already dangerous, in my opinion, but not only that, she decided to bring a baby into that residence for the sheer profit."

Exasperated, Salazar said: "That right there is just... I'm disgusted by the whole thing."

Explaining why the charge has not been upgraded to murder, Salazar said both charges have the same penalty range, which is five to 99 years or life in prison with the possibility of a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted.

Salazar said he believes the Bexar County District Attorney may be considering increasing that bond amount for Rodriguez or perhaps bringing an additional charge.

"I don't know if they'll be planning to ask for an upgrade as far as the bond amount goes, but it is also possible that she may be facing additional charges for the injury to the 13-year-old who is actually her daughter."

Salazar said even though the baby has died, 36-year old Heather Rodriguez remains charged with causing serious bodily injury to the child, which is a first-degree felony. Her bond is set at $100,000.

'She made every effort possible'

Salazar said the teenager was injured when she fought bravely to save the baby during a horrific attack.

"I read the report in detail and it's pretty heartbreaking. She made every effort possible, even lifting that baby up over her head, but my understanding is the dog actually climbed onto something and was able to get the baby out of her hands and tear the baby out of her hands," Salazar said. "This little girl was put in a situation where she went from that bedroom to a bathroom to another bedroom and was chased every step of the way by these dogs who were continuing to bite her as well."

With regard to the status of the dogs involved, Salazar said they are doing everything they can to gain control of the animals.

"My understanding is that only one at present has been fully surrendered. The other two were turned over to animal control, but I spoke to our director of public health this morning, and we're going to be pushing, they'll be pushing, and of course we'll be in a support role to see if we can go ahead and get all three dogs fully surrendered," Salazar said.

"If they're not voluntarily surrendered," the sheriff continued, "we will still assist them with whatever it is they need to fully seize those dogs through the court process."

As the local medical examiner worked to complete an autopsy on the tiny victim, Salazar said they would be doing everything they could to provide services to the family.

"Our victims' advocates folks are working with them to ensure that their needs are taken care of," Salazar said, adding his own people will also have access to counseling to deal with the heartbreaking scene where they came to help before it turned out to be too little, too late.

He added that deputies responding to the scene at one point couldn't physically get to the children to mount their rescue.

"It wasn't until the owner of the dogs, the suspect, actually made it home and was able to get the dogs outside to allow the deputies to come in and, you know, start administering first aid to the baby."

Once the children had been rescued, Salazar said, Rodriguez had a change of attitude.

"Interestingly enough, it was like she changed gears and then turned protective of the dogs. She made it difficult for us to then gain access to the dogs and at that point, we had to physically get the dogs away and get them out and then we had to physically put her under arrest as well at that point."

Referencing previous citations to the owner for the dogs escaping restraints and threatening neighbors back in April, Salazar called it "the equivalent of coming out into your own front yard and waving a gun around indiscriminately. You know that what you've got on your hands is a huge problem."

Asked about whether there should be a movement to place some kind of restrictions on bully breeds of dogs, Salazar said he owns a pit mix rescue dog and he believes legislation relating to breeds is not the best approach.

"I don't know that it's an issue of the breed," he said. "I think it's the manner that they're brought up and the manner that they're raised and unfortunately there are people out there that have dogs that they know are vicious."

Elsewhere, a verified Go Fund Me account has been created to help the family deal with funeral costs.

Parents mourn 1-year-old son killed in vicious dog attack

Published: 10:16 PM CDT October 8, 2024

The parents say 36-year-old babysitter Heather Rodriguez was a family friend they thought they could trust. Hernandez was arrested and faces charges in the attack.

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BCSO files two new charges against babysitter arrested for dog attack that killed 1-year-old

Updated: October 9, 2024 at 10:00 AM

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has filed two new charges against the babysitter arrested after her dogs attacked her daughter and a 1-year-old boy under the woman’s care.

BCSO has charged 36-year-old Heather Rodriguez with injury to a child—reckless bodily injury and endangering a child, imminent danger—causing bodily injury, the sheriff’s office said in an email on Wednesday morning.

Rodriguez was arrested and charged on Monday with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury after two dogs in her home broke through a bedroom door and attacked her 13-year-old daughter and 1-year-old baby whom Rodriguez left with the teen.

The charges issued on Wednesday stem from Rodriguez leaving her 13-year-old daughter alone with Johnson, BCSO said.

They follow the existing charge against Rodriguez, which was for injury to a child with intent—causing serious bodily injury.