Latest news with #AmericanStaffordshireTerrier
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Broward animal control officer hospitalized after dog attack, police say
A Broward County Animal Care officer was hospitalized Thursday evening after an American Staffordshire Terrier attacked her at a home in Fort Lauderdale, police and Animal Care officials said. A woman called 911 shortly after 7 p.m., screaming about a dog 'mauling' an animal control worker in the 700 block of Southwest 14 Terrace, according to Fort Lauderdale Police spokesperson Casey Liening and the 911 call released Friday. The animal control officer was on a call for a wellness check at the time of the attack, Zachary Rinkins, spokesperson for Broward County Animal Care, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 'Emergency, please!' the woman who called 911 screamed. 'What's the address?' the dispatcher asked. 'The dog is mauling her! There's a dog mauling her!' the woman shouted back. The caller said the woman who was being attacked was 'screaming for help.' The dispatcher struggled to get any information out of the woman who called 911. She screamed and shouted for help to come continuously. Her son was trying to help the woman, she told the dispatcher. The dog could be heard growling and barking at one point in the background while the woman who called 911 yelled 'No!' repeatedly. Fort Lauderdale Police arrived three minutes after the 911 call. The animal control officer was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, Liening said. She remained there Friday with serious injuries but is expected to recover. The woman was taken to the trauma unit at the hospital, Rinkins said, and the dog was humanely euthanized. The dog had been injured during the struggle when witnesses tried to intervene, Liening said. She did not provide further information about how the injuries occurred. Broward County Animal Care is investigating, along with police, Rinkins said. Liening said the department is not expecting to conduct any criminal investigation as of Friday.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Burglar shoots and kills dog inside Midtown home
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police say an intruder broke into a Midtown home Friday afternoon and shot and killed a family pet inside. The burglar kicked in the back door of the house in the 900 block of South Willett Street, just off Crump. Jeremy Smith said his five-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier named Brody likely heard the commotion, came downstairs, and was shot two times. Smith found the dog an hour later when he returned from work. 'I went to my front door. I saw my dog lying on the ground,' said Smith. 'I saw the blood on the ground, then I saw my back door was wide open.' Smith said someone moved in the direction of the security camera outside their back door. While the video doesn't show anything, you can hear the gunshots and the dog yelp. The break-in happened around 1:30 p.m. while a large construction crew was renovating a house just two doors away. 'My wife works from home on Fridays. By the grace of God, she had the urge to go to Starbucks and work from Starbucks today,' said Smith. 'Any given Friday, she would have been home around this time.' He said the burglars ransacked an office on the first floor of the home and stole a gun. Police spent the afternoon collecting evidence, but Smith said he was disappointed by MPD's response time. 'I understand the zip code we stay in isn't as fluent as Central Gardens, but Central Gardens is two streets over from us. There shouldn't be an hour-and-a-half arrival time for the police, and when someone says the house has been broken into and my dog has been shot and killed. I'm not armed, can somebody please help me secure my house.' Smith said his oldest son grew up with the dog, and he never expected anything like this to happen on his street. He said he's concerned about his family's safety and wants to know that his neighborhood is being monitored and protected. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
He promised to rehabilitate dangerous dogs. Then he killed them and pocketed the money
The former director of a local Humane Society in Ohio has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison after promising pet owners and rescue groups to rehabilitate dogs or find them new homes for a fee, but instead keeping the proceeds for personal use and euthanizing the animals without permission. Steffen Baldwin, 44, former humane agent and executive director at the Union County Humane Society, was sentenced Friday to 15½ years in prison by Union County Common Pleas Court Judge Daniel Hogan after being found guilty on 32 counts, including animal cruelty, bribery, theft and other charges in a January 2024 bench trial, according to court records. On top of the prison time, Baldwin is prohibited from owning or caring for companion animals for life, court records show. Baldwin presented himself as a caring lover of dogs and claimed to have a 99% successful adoption rate for behaviorally challenged dogs. He promoted himself as someone who could rehabilitate dogs that no one else could. But he did not work with the dogs entrusted to him. Baldwin would have dogs euthanized and lie to pet owners or rescue groups − sometimes for months − saying the dogs were alive and well rather than admitting he was unable to help, according to court records. The Union County Humane Society did not respond to a request for comment by Monday afternoon. One of the dogs, a 3-year-old male pit bull named Remi was rescued from the Trumbull County Dog Kennel by Litsa and Angelo Kargakos, owners of No Fear Rescue, on May 26, 2016. But Remi had been designated a "dangerous dog" after two bite incidents. The Kargakoses knew Remi would not be adoptable unless the "dangerous dog" label was removed. Baldwin met with the Kargakoses on May 31, 2016, and told them he could have the "dangerous dog" designation removed based on his position as the humane agent in Union County, according to court records. Baldwin told the Kargakoses it would be $1,000 to remove Remi's "dangerous dog" label, which they paid in three separate payments, and Remi was transferred to Baldwin on Sept. 9, 2016. But Baldwin never took any steps to remove Remi's "dangerous dog" designation and had Remi euthanized on Dec. 28, 2016, claiming the dog was severely injured after a fight with another dog that supposedly left the other dog dead. But according to court records Remi was not injured or sick and was otherwise healthy. The doctor, having believed what Baldwin told her, euthanized Remi. From January to April 2017, Baldwin repeatedly lied in communications to the Kargakoses when they asked about Remi, saying the dog was alive and well. For another dog named Gucci, Baldwin deceived the people at Blue Chip Rescue in Dallas, Pennsylvania, from October 2016 to June 2017, telling them the dog was happy in a forever home when the 1½-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier was euthanized on Oct. 10, 2016. Baldwin was arrested in August 2020 and charged with 42 felony counts, which included charges of cruelty to companion animals, grand theft, bribery, telecommunications fraud, tampering with evidence and impersonating a peace officer. The charges related to the deaths of at least 18 dogs, The Dispatch reported at the time. Baldwin was credited 23 days of jail time because of time spent in custody prior to sentencing. Upon completing his prison term, he will be on post-release control, more commonly known as parole, for up to five years and no less than two years, court records show. Reach Maria DeVito at mdevito@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-county Humane Society leader killed dogs, pocketed owners' money
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Puppy Bowl XXI: Meet the pup from Maine set to tackle your heart
Will you be rooting for Team Ruff or Team Fluff in this year's Super, I mean, Puppy Bowl? Warner Bro's Puppy Bowl XXI is an annual television program similar to the American football championship, the Super Bowl, but featuring puppy players. It is returning for its 21st year on Sunday, February 9 and will feature 142 rescue puppies from 80 shelters across 40 states and two countries. The event will also include 11 "inspiring special needs dogs." While there are no puppies from New Hampshire this year (rude), there is a puppy from Maine and several others from New England. Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland (Westbrook, ME) Tula, Siberian Husky / Great Pyrenees (Team Ruff) Great Dog Rescue New England (Andover, MA) Bark Kent, Shih Tzu / Dachshund (Team Fluff) Lex Woofer, Shih Tzu / Dachshund (Team Ruff) Connecticut Humane Society (Newington, CT) Jubilee, American Staffordshire Terrier / American Pit Bull Terrier (Team Ruff) Danbury Animal Welfare Society (Bethel, CT) Marigold, Chihuahua / Miniature Schnauzer (Team Fluff) Sprinkle, Australian Shepherd / Great Pyrenees with special needs - Blind & Hearing Impaired (Team Ruff) Zoey, American Pit Bull Terrier / American Staffordshire Terrier (Team Fluff) Dog Star Rescue (Bloomfield, CT) Linen, American Staffordshire Terrier / American Pit Bull Terrier (Team Ruff) Suds, American Staffordshire Terrier / American Pit Bull Terrier (Team Ruff) Lucky Dog Refuge (Stamford, CT) Clark, Australian Cattle Dog / Labrador Retriever (Team Ruff) Vivian, Bulldog / Boston Terrier (Team Ruff) Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue (Ridgefield, CT) Huxley, Australian Cattle Dog / American Staffordshire Terrier (Team Fluff) The three-hour event is scheduled to air on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET. The Puppy Bowl XXI will be simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, Discovery+, TBS, truTV, and Max. Team Fluff will face off against Team Ruff to take home the Walmart 'Lombarky' trophy and the MVP (Most Valuable Puppy) title. During the game, the event will include 'Adoptables segments' that will feature puppies and kittens available for adoption. "With more puppies than ever before, Puppy Bowl XXI will highlight their inspiring journeys from birth to adoption, as well as the tremendous dedication of the rescues and shelters that help find animals their forever homes," Warner Bros. said in a news release. Contributing: Saman Shafiq This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Puppy Bowl 2025: How to watch Maine puppy compete for Lombarky trophy
