Pit Bull

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Authorities in Kalamazoo police say a pet pit bull that killed a family's 10-day-old baby has been euthanized. Police say the attack happened Saturday afternoon, and the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the baby's mother and 2-year-old sibling were home at the time of the attack. They say the mother was asleep in another room when the dog pushed its way into the baby's room and attacked him. WOOD-TV said Monday that the dog was euthanized.

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, N.J. (AP) - Authorities will take three days off a New Jersey inmate's sentence after he rescued an animal shelter worker from a pit bull attack. Justin Peggs was working off a 45-day sentence for assault at the Cape May County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center in Middle Township when the dog sank its teeth into Kathleen James' thigh. James told The Press of Atlantic City ( http://bit.ly/nWEeCB ) the 22-year-old inmate heard her cries and jumped on the dog, holding it down until the staff could subdue it. James needed stitches and the dog was euthanized.

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, N.J. (AP) - The New Jersey inmate who rescued an animal shelter worker from a pit bull says he's grateful the sheriff cut his sentence by three days. Justin Peggs says he feared the dog would attack him too as he wrestled it off Kathleen James and held it down. The 22-year-old, who says he weighs 400 pounds, told The Press of Atlantic City ( http://bit.ly/nyAe9L ) that the dog had blood in its mouth and was picking him off the ground with its hind legs.

SOUTH BEND — Sarah Bailey was attacked by a pit bull exactly three weeks ago. The dog bit off her ear, but doctors successfully reattached it. This past Monday, however, doctors discovered that the 5-year-old girl's ear was not functioning anymore. They had to remove it. It's a difficult image to process: A 5-year-old losing her ear. Her family is still taking this tragedy day-by-day, and it seems Sarah's zest for life is keeping the family strong and positive.

Potato chips were apparently not enough to placate a pit bull on Sunday, which reportedly bit one officer and lunged at others before it was shot and killed. According to police reports from the South Bend Regional Airport and St. Joseph County officers, the bizarre incident started just after 3 a.m. Sunday, when an Airport Authority officer spotted two dogs on the south side of the intersection of Lincoln Way West and Lexington Avenue. The officer was patrolling the area and stepped out of his vehicle after spotting the two pit bulls, a brown female and a black male.

CASSOPOLIS — A Cass County jury has returned a guilty verdict in the case of a Cassopolis man whose pit bull attacked a woman, disfiguring her face. Cass Prosecutor Victor Fitz said the jury found Leddrew Renard Smith Jr., 44, guilty of allowing the dog to maim the woman. Fitz pointed to Cass Animal Control Officer Ronald Butts’ testimony that the woman’s injuries were the among the most severe he had seen in his 19 years with Animal Control. Injuries suffered by the 20-year-old Cassopolis woman included the loss of portions of her lips and face, the prosecutor said.

SOUTH BEND — A 5-year-old girl was taken to the hospital  this morning after she was attacked by her grandfather’s pit bull. Police said the dog bit through the girl’s ear, pulling it off her head. The girl was identified as 5-year-old Sarah Bailey by her grandfather, Troy Gledura. Gledura said he didn’t see the attack, which was just before 9 a.m. at his home in the 1100 block of Lincoln Way West. He said the girl and the 2-year-old dog, named Spike, were playing in an upstairs bedroom.

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) - A foreclosed home in Saginaw that a man bought for $1,000 came with many things. It had some plumbing and appliances. It also featured a live pit bull chained inside one of the bedrooms, unpleasant odors and heaps of trash. Antonio Brooks lives next to the downtrodden, 896-square-foot, two-bedroom bungalow. MLive.com reports ( http://bit.ly/Idhq0t ) Brooks bought the home at auction for $1,000, plus $600 for deed transfer and other fees.

ST. JOSPEH COUNTY - A pit bull attacked two adults in their home at the 56000 block of Oak Road at 11a.m. on Tuesday, said police.  Nancy Peppers, 68, and Teresa Reeves, 47, were attacked by their pit bull after police say the dog had a seizure and Peppers went to the dog's aid. Then the pit-bull turned on Nancy and started to bite her. Police said Reeves then went to help Peppers and got involved in the attack. Peppers and Reeves own three pit bulls mixed but only one of them was inside the home when the attack happened.

SOUTH BEND — A young girl is recovering at Memorial Hospital on Wednesday night after a pit bull bit off her ear. Family members tell us 5-year old Sara Bailey was playing with her grandfather's pit bill when the dog suddenly acted out. The attack happened around 8:30 Wednesday morning on Lincoln Way West in South Bend. When WSBT spoke with her family, her uncle couldn't hold back tears, and her parents were still shocked. The pit bull belonged to Sara's grandfather.

Here's a story that'll just tug at your heart strings - two puppies abandoned in a wooded area in Pierceton. The dogs are doing fine now, but they're lucky to be alive considering wind chills dipped below zero this winter. Vader and Journey couldn't be happier playing outside. "They're just like any family pet you would have," said Tracy Landis, who rescued the pit bulls. Four months ago, their owner decided he didn't want them anymore and dumped the then 6-month-old pit bull puppies in the woods.

HAMLET - A Hamlet family says a police officer gunned down their puppy. The officer says it wasn't a cold blooded killing - he was protecting himself. "It was horrific," said Kenny Schoff. Schoff planned to raise his pit bull boxer mix in Hamlet for years to come. But now, his home is filled with flashbacks of someone killing his dog. "It's hard on us. He's a great dog," Schoff said. But police said this pet was a little too over protective of his family.

It was a normal Thursday for Rebecca Turner and her husband. They were spending time at home while their three kids were away. Just after 11 a.m. two men claiming to be from a gas company knocked on the family's front door. Turner says the men looked like legitimate utility workers, wearing reflective vests and showing official looking paperwork.  "I asked them to show me the paperwork and told them only one could come in," said Turner. The man said he needed to check their furnace.

According to the Humane Society of St. Joseph County, 12-year-old Buddy was found in a ditch with injuries that likely came from being used as bait in organized pit bull fights. Now he needs someone to give him a loving home. Buddy would do better in a home that has no children or other pets, according to the Humane Society. If you want to adopt this WSBT Pet of the Week, call the Humane Society at (574) 255-4726. Because of his age, the adoption fee will be reduced.

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) - A foreclosed home in Saginaw that a man bought for $1,000 came with many things. It had some plumbing and appliances. It also featured a live pit bull chained inside one of the bedrooms, unpleasant odors and heaps of trash. Antonio Brooks lives next to the downtrodden, 896-square-foot, two-bedroom bungalow. MLive.com reports ( http://bit.ly/Idhq0t ) Brooks bought the home at auction for $1,000, plus $600 for deed transfer and other fees.

Hackles raise, pupils dilate, body position changes to a more erect stance, ears perk up, facial twitches begin, and low growling can be heard from people on both sides of this issue. There is such a huge divide between both arenas; it becomes difficult to see answers. As with everything, there are radicals in both groups and always will be. Like my high school chemistry professor Mr. Zetterholm, I would suggest we throw out the best and the worst scores and concentrate on the average, the grey area and use a more common sense approach.

BAY SHORE, N.Y. (AP) - A homeless New York teenager who's a national Intel science competition semifinalist has been flooded with attention and support. Samantha Garvey is one of 61 Long Island students who have a chance at the competition's top prize of $100,000. Newsday (http://bit.ly/xc374g) reports that a day after her achievement became headline news, an anonymous donor came forward to fulfill one of her wishes. The donor arranged to kennel and vaccinate her pit bull, which she feared would be euthanized in the shelter where she lives with her family.

NILES - Allowing her two dogs, both pit bulls, to run loose proved costly Wednesday for a Buchanan area woman. Berrien County Trial Court Judge Scott Schofield sentenced Heather Marie Pruett, 33, of North Hamilton Drive on the western fringe of Niles Township, to 90 days in jail and 18 months of probation. In addition, she'll be required to perform 180 hours of community service at a local animal shelter. Also, she was ordered to pay $1,360 in fines and court costs and up to $30,000 in yet to be determined restitution to three Buchanan residents who are still recovering from injuries suffered when they were attacked by the dogs.

ST. JOSPEH COUNTY - A pit bull attacked two adults in their home at the 56000 block of Oak Road at 11a.m. on Tuesday, said police.  Nancy Peppers, 68, and Teresa Reeves, 47, were attacked by their pit bull after police say the dog had a seizure and Peppers went to the dog's aid. Then the pit-bull turned on Nancy and started to bite her. Police said Reeves then went to help Peppers and got involved in the attack. Peppers and Reeves own three pit bulls mixed but only one of them was inside the home when the attack happened.

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, N.J. (AP) - The New Jersey inmate who rescued an animal shelter worker from a pit bull says he's grateful the sheriff cut his sentence by three days. Justin Peggs says he feared the dog would attack him too as he wrestled it off Kathleen James and held it down. The 22-year-old, who says he weighs 400 pounds, told The Press of Atlantic City ( http://bit.ly/nyAe9L ) that the dog had blood in its mouth and was picking him off the ground with its hind legs.