The Lost Dogs Part 13

One of the saddest and more perplexing cases, Willie came in as a mellow dog. When staffers stayed overnight with the dogs to keep them company, he was one that they most often brought out to snuggle with. But while he has made some progress in his overall training and behavior, he has also had a few incidents of aggression. He's fearful of other dogs and incapable of living with them. One staff veterinarian at Best Friends who studies posttraumatic stress disorder thinks Willie might be suffering from the condition, although there's also a school of thought that believes Willie may be suffering from some undetected physical ailment, and the a.s.sociated pain is what's making him lash out. Adding to the confusion is that at times, Willie is still a fun-loving, active dog who particularly enjoys car rides.

SUSs.e.x 2608: CHARLIE (GEORGIA SPCA).

Charlie was the only dog that went to the Georgia SPCA but did not end up with Brandon Bond. Instead he was sent to one of the SPCA's foster volunteers. Charlie, or Chuck as he's now called, was one of the better-adjusted dogs and he adapted quickly to life in a house. His foster family eventually adopted him and he's doing well.

SUSs.e.x 2609: LAYLA (BEST FRIENDS).

When Layla arrived at Best Friends she was on edge, living in a state of hyperawareness in which she reacted to everything going on around her by barking and charging. She paced and jumped and simply did not know how to settle down. On the positive side, she was one of the least fearful Vick dogs. She would walk right up to anyone, tail wagging, and say h.e.l.lo. She craves attention and gets plenty of it. And now that she has calmed down, one of her favorite things to do is simply lie back and get a ma.s.sage. She has not done as well with other dogs, although she can live side by side with them in crates or runs without a problem. She just can't live with them. Around the Best Friends compound she's a source of much joy, since of all the Vick dogs she may be the most clumsy and uncoordinated, tripping over her own feet in excitement when she sees people. Her favorite activity? Riding in a golf cart.

SUSs.e.x 2610: ROSE (ANIMAL FARM FOUNDATION) SUSs.e.x 2611: DENZEL (BEST FRIENDS).

Denzel arrived as an emergency medical case, his babesia driving him into a state of extremely poor health. He didn't have any fear issues, but he was in and out of the clinic for months, getting blood transfusions and a constantly changing mix of medicines. Finally, the vets found a combination that worked, and he's been in good health since. He's learned more tricks than any other Vick dog-he's best known for waving to visitors. And although he can't live with other dogs and currently lives in a separate run, he's learning to get along with them. He's walking with other dogs without becoming agitated but he's not yet ready for a playmate. He's been so easy to train and so willing to work that his caregivers have high hopes for him.

SUSs.e.x 2612: MERYL (BEST FRIENDS).

Meryl arrived with a history of lashing out at people and a court order stating that she would have to remain at Best Friends for life. When anyone she didn't know and trust (which was basically everyone) approached, she would glare, bark, growl, and occasionally snap. The staff realized these were defense mechanisms Meryl was using to deal with her fear. To help Meryl get over these trust issues, the staff limited her contact to only a few people. As she got to know those people and feel comfortable around them she became not just friendlier but downright loving. As those relationships built, Meryl gained confidence and eventually expanded the circle of people she could relax around. She was always friendly with other dogs and even enjoys hanging around with some of the cats at Best Friends, and today she can even deal with strangers as long as someone she trusts is nearby.

SUSs.e.x 2613: STELLA (SPCA FOR MONTEREY).

Stella has been friendly and enthusiastic from the start, doling out kisses and tail wags with little discretion. What she possessed in joie de vivre she lacked in basic skills-couldn't walk on leash, wouldn't walk through doors, didn't even know her name. Over time, the SPCA staff and Stella's foster family worked through most of those issues and now she's happily settled into her foster home. She loves attention and likes playing and wrestling with her foster family's dog, Pepper, even though she's comically uncoordinated and clumsy while doing so. Stella also loved to hang out with fellow Vick dog Red. When she was around Red, she chased him, b.u.mped him, and tried to entice him to play. Still, the easiest way to get Stella's attention is to tear open a bag of food; she'll come at a sprint to find out what it is and if she can get any.

SUSs.e.x 2614: HARRIET (RECYCLED LOVE).

Believed to be Vick's personal dog, she's likely never been fought, and because Harriet was so well-mannered and comfortable around people she received better treatment than many of the other dogs while waiting in government shelters. One attendant from the Suss.e.x shelter remembered her well and said that she was one of the few dogs regularly taken outside for walks and exercise. Because she was so friendly and well-behaved she also received a lot more attention, with people regularly stopping by her kennel to talk and play. Despite the advantages she had over many of the other dogs, Harriet, too, showed signs of fear and kennel stress, which gives some indication of how profoundly the long stay in government care contributed to the problems all the dogs struggled with.

She was taken in by Recycled Love and went to the home of Paul DeSantis, a Baltimore lawyer who was the group's president at the time. DeSantis has two other pit bulls that Harriet followed around like a puppy. She learned as much from the other dogs as she did from DeSantis, who worked with her on basic skills and obedience. He also took her to a nearby training facility where Harriet could partic.i.p.ate in cla.s.ses with unfamiliar dogs, and challenge herself and build confidence on an obstacle course that included bridges, slalom runs, tunnels, and teeter-totters, among other things. DeSantis has since moved to a farm in rural Maryland, where Harriet and her pals have all the room and freedom they could want.

SUSs.e.x 2615: TUG (BEST FRIENDS).

A big (sixty-five-pound) exuberant lug, Tug earned his name honestly-when he's on a leash he loves to drag anyone holding on along for a ride. That little behavioral tick is far more welcome than the one he had upon arrival: compulsively licking his fence. The obsessive behavior was probably a result of kennel stress and as Tug wound down through a steady course of training, agility drills, and lots of exercise, the unwanted activity cured itself. Now he's simply a big, goofy dog, especially around people he knows and feels comfortable with. Unless they have a camera. He's deathly afraid of them. He's begun working with other dogs and has done well, showing signs that he may one day be able to live with them. For now, he has his own run, where he loves to chase lizards and jump around. If any visitor is bold enough to enter his s.p.a.ce and sit on the ground, Tug will run at them full speed, jump in the air, and land right in their lap.

SUSs.e.x 2616: LUCAS (BEST FRIENDS).

One of Vick's two known grand champion fighters, Lucas is under court order to spend the rest of his days at Best Friends. He has been very sick at times with babesia, and he's had to do a few two- or three-night stints in the clinic while vets tinkered with his medications to find something that would work.

None of that has stopped Lucas from having his fun. Confident and friendly around people, Lucas loves being the center of attention and spends three days a week hanging around the executive offices at Best Friends, where he gets to bond with the staffers who work there and meet the many people who come and go during the course of a day. He loves his toys and the dog park, a gra.s.sy two-acre field where he can run free. He can't live with other dogs, but he doesn't react when another dog walks by or sits close to him. He even has a girlfriend, a female pit bull that lives in a neighboring run and licks his face through the fence that separates their living areas.

SUSs.e.x 2619: MYA (BEST FRIENDS).

Mya was originally sent to BAD RAP, but she was so fearful that the Oakland-based rescue group felt she would do better removed from an urban environment. If she couldn't deal with the world, how could they find an adoptive home for her? After a few phone calls between BAD RAP, Best Friends, and Rebecca Huss, it was decided that Best Friends would be the best place for Mya. (In return Iggy was sent to BAD RAP). At Best Friends she showed the same behavior toward people as she had at BAD RAP, barking defensively (and nonstop) at staff, rushing the gate of her run when anyone approached, hiding in the back of her crate when someone came to take her out and scratching at the door to get back inside the crate when she was near it. She couldn't even relieve herself when on a leash because having a person that close made her too nervous.

Slowly, the staff built connections with her. They moved her into a manager's office during the day, where she spent her time with Cherry Garcia, one of the calmest dogs of the bunch. The two dogs. .h.i.t it off-playing in the office when the manager stepped out, nestling into a single dog bed under the desk, and even sharing chew toys without any sort of conflict-and Cherry became a role model for Mya. Before long, Mya became one of the friendliest dogs around, stopping to say h.e.l.lo to anyone who visited the office. After Cherry was adopted, the staff moved Curly into the manager's office, and now Mya is acting as a role model for him.

SUSs.e.x 2620: ELLEN (BEST FRIENDS).

Ellen was one of the few dogs who showed no signs of fear or aggression. She was friendly and happy and would greet people with a wiggly body and a waggy tail. She preferred not to live with other dogs, but otherwise she arrived with only one flaw-she couldn't keep her mouth shut. It wasn't that she barked too much or showed any tendency to bite, but she wouldn't stop eating. She was noticeably overweight. The staff put her on a diet and got her moving with regular exercise and training sessions. She slimmed down and quickly learned all her basic commands, but that doesn't mean she stopped eating. During her time at Best Friends she's eaten rocks, plastic, and a stuffed toy that had to be surgically removed.

SUSs.e.x 2621.

A black-and-white female dog that had multiple scars and had been bred numerous times, she was so aggressive toward anything that came near her that she was beyond help. She was put down in October of 2007. Donna Reynolds says her one regret from the entire case was not naming this dog and giving it one day out of the kennel before it died.

VIRGINIA BEACH 27: CHERRY GARCIA (BEST FRIENDS).

Cherry arrived very fearful and shut down to the point that he refused to walk on a leash at first, but he adapted very quickly. Within weeks he figured out that no one at Best Friends was out to hurt him. He not only began walking on a leash, but he never even pulled. He also moved into one of the offices, where he acclimated to life around people and bonded with Mya, another dog who lived in the office. Cherry quickly became a staff favorite, especially because the change in him was so easy to see. He'd gone from a dog that was so visibly fearful to one that was so obviously happy. He was always excited to see people and if anyone sat on the ground, he absolutely had to sit in their lap.

In the summer of 2008 he was adopted by a family with another dog and a cat. He's adjusted well to his new life, but he does have a few quirks that make his adoptive family a little crazy. He refuses to go to bed at night until everyone is home, and sometimes he wakes everyone up in the middle of the night because he's up playing with the cat.

VIRGINIA BEACH 38: TEDDLES (BAD RAP).

A giant almost all white dog, Teddles was definitely not a fighter. For starters, bigger dogs generally don't fare well in the pit, and he showed signs of having spent some time in more friendly places than an outdoor kennel. He knew how to climb steps and jumped up on a couch in a way that indicated he'd done it before. He had also been photographed standing in front of a silver Chrysler with Vick in 2001 for a story that ran in Time Time magazine. magazine.

Upon arriving in California he went to foster with a family that had a toddler, and the child was the one who named the dog. He was later adopted by Cindy Houser, a nurse who works with special needs children. Houser already had one large pit bull, a female named Izzy that she had saved from a backyard breeder, and she was looking for a companion dog. Teddles was a perfect match in size and temperament. It took about two months for Ted to come out of his sh.e.l.l, but once he did, the two dogs became fast friends, sharing a large box of chew toys and romping around their backyard like a pair of wild hyenas. In late 2009, Teddles became yet another of the Vick dogs to earn his Canine Good Citizen certificate.

VIRGINIA BEACH 46: RED (SPCA FOR MONTEREY).

Red arrived with scars and fear issues, but those were the least of his problems. The SPCA's veterinarian found seven mast-cell tumors on his body. After surgery to remove the tumors, Red endured more than six months of chemotherapy. He began with weekly intravenous treatments that slowly tapered off. After every session, Amanda Mouisset, the woman who first fostered and then adopted him, would treat Red to his favorite delicacy: a cheeseburger.

Once he recovered from the chemo, Red went to work, helping Amanda-a trainer at the SPCA-work with aggressive dogs. Red was so gentle and relaxed, he simply sat in the training area, serving as a calming agent while Amanda and her client eased the other dog's aggression by redirecting its focus and energy. Amanda says that while Red loved to meet new people and animals, he also seemed to be able to sense whether others were nervous around him. If he got that feeling, he just sat calmly until they were comfortable. Red shared his new home with two children, two dogs, and a cat, and his favorite place in the world was right in the middle of Amanda's bed, where he slept between Amanda and her husband every night.

In November 2008, vets found another tumor in Red's body. It was removed quickly and he seemed to be doing well. But in March 2010 two more tumors appeared, one in his brain and another in his neck. Amanda and her family did what they could to keep him comfortable and on April 5 he succ.u.mbed to the cancer.

THE PEOPLE.

BILL BRINKMAN.

After being let go from the Surry County Sheriff's Department, Brinkman had other job offers with police outfits in Virginia, but he decided he needed a change. He accepted a training position with a private security firm that works with U.S. and Iraqi soldiers and Iraqi police officers. Since the spring of 2008, he has spent most of his days on the ground in Iraq.

JIM KNORR.

Knorr retired from the USDA on April 30, 2009, his fifty-seventh birthday, but not before he, Mike Gill, and Brian Whisler attended a black-tie function in New York City where each was given the ASPCA President's Award, a special commendation from the organization for his work on the case. He's enjoying his retirement, although in the summer of 2009 his beloved best friend BJ pa.s.sed. Knorr still has Surry, a beagle-collie mix given to him by Brinkman, and he has since added a new dog to the family, an Australian shepherd named Miss Jones.

WAYNE PACELLE.

The CEO of the Humane Society of the United States was quoted more than once in this book saying that the Vick dogs "were some of the most viciously trained dogs in America." The point of using the statement was not to make Pacelle look bad, but simply to reinforce the idea of how high the odds were stacked against these dogs. While it's popular in some circles to heckle HSUS's policies and actions, most objective observers realize the organization does an incredible amount to help people and animals all over the world. And all you need to know about Pacelle is that he was a big enough person to later come out and recant the original statement. In 2009 HSUS changed its official policy regarding dogs rescued from fight rings. Rather than euthanasia, the group now supports individual evaluations of each dog and the effort to save those deemed worthy.

GERALD POINDEXTER.

On September 25, 2007, Poindexter charged Michael Vick and all the members of Bad Newz with two Cla.s.s 6 felonies in the Commonwealth of Virginia-dogfighting and animal cruelty-which carry sentences of up to five years in prison and $2,500 fines each. After several delays, the case went before the court in November 2008, where Vick pled guilty to one charge of dogfighting on the agreement that the second charge would be dropped. Poindexter argued that the time Vick served and fines paid on the federal conviction were sufficient punishment. Vick was given three years, but the sentence was suspended. He paid a $2,500 fine. The a.s.sociated Press reported that after the trial Poindexter hugged Vick's mother outside the courthouse, saying, "At least some of this is over."

A few weeks before the trial, Poindexter was reelected to the position of commonwealth attorney in Surry County. Sheriff Harold Brown was reelected as well. When Vick was released from federal prison in February 2009 to serve the last four months of his sentence under house arrest, a local TV station sought out Poindexter for comment. "It's of absolutely no consequence to me," he said. "He received a fair and just sentence and he served his time."

CATALINA STIRLING.

She continues to work with Recycled Love and is currently completing the coursework necessary to become a certified dog trainer.

MICHAEL VICK.

When he went to prison Vick was supporting about ten friends and relatives, including his mother and brother, and maintaining six homes and multiple cars. Without any source of income he quickly fell into debt and in July 2008 he filed for bankruptcy. On July 20, 2009, he completed his sentence and although he was still officially suspended, he began seeking a position with an NFL team. On August 13, the Philadelphia Eagles signed him to a contract that would pay him $1.6 million the first year, if he made the team, and $5 million the second year, if they chose to keep him. In other words they could drop him at any time and not owe him another dime.

After meeting with Vick, Commissioner Roger Goodell decided that the quarterback could begin practicing with the team immediately and would be eligible to play beginning with the third game of the season. As the back-up to Donovan McNabb, Vick got on the field for about forty plays, completing fifteen pa.s.ses for 162 yards and two scores and running twenty-five times for 95 yards and one touchdown. His personal highlights included throwing for one touchdown and running for another against his former team, the Atlanta Falcons, on December 6, and throwing the longest touchdown pa.s.s of his career, 76 yards, against the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs.

During the season he finally reached a settlement in his bankruptcy case, the provisions of which are complex but basically a.s.serted that over the following six years he would be allowed to keep the first $300,000 he earned and the remainder would go to his creditors.

After the 2009-2010 season Vick expressed his desire to once again be a starter, but the Eagles did not opt to trade him to a team in need of a starting quarterback. Instead, the team traded the inc.u.mbent starter, McNabb, and planned to go into the 2010 season with Kevin Kolb as the starter and Vick as the backup.

THE CASE.

THE BAD NEWZ CASE remains unique in that, unlike Michael Vick, most dogfighters do not have the resources to fund the care of the rescued dogs, but that does not diminish its impact. The Vick investigation and eventual plea cemented the idea for law enforcement agencies that going after dogfighters almost always leads to the arrest of those involved in other sorts of crimes, especially drug- and gun-related offenses. And going after dogfighters is popular, which could lead to more funding for such investigations and more momentum to pursue them. remains unique in that, unlike Michael Vick, most dogfighters do not have the resources to fund the care of the rescued dogs, but that does not diminish its impact. The Vick investigation and eventual plea cemented the idea for law enforcement agencies that going after dogfighters almost always leads to the arrest of those involved in other sorts of crimes, especially drug- and gun-related offenses. And going after dogfighters is popular, which could lead to more funding for such investigations and more momentum to pursue them.

In the summer of 2009, a multistate, multiagency long-term investigation led to what has been called the largest dogfighting bust in history. The ring was centered in St. Louis and ranged across seven states, and its downfall led to the arrest of almost thirty people and the confiscation of more than four hundred dogs. With the Vick case as a precedent, HSUS, ASPCA, and other rescue groups, including BAD RAP, attempted to individually evaluate each dog and to save as many of the stable and well-adjusted ones as possible. As hoped, the Vick investigation had not only shed light on the disturbing game of dogfighting, it had inspired action and begun to change the public view of pit bulls from perpetrators of violence to victims of it.

Still, it's too soon to draw real conclusions. Many of the Vick dogs, as predicted, are doing very well, with little or no sign of lingering trauma. Others continue to struggle. Some still cannot be around other dogs and some do not fully trust people. It is possible that the worst may yet lay ahead. The Vick dogs are, after all, still simply dogs. Dogs of all breeds and backgrounds run into the street and get struck by cars, attack other dogs, and bite people every day. There are 4.7 million5 dog bites recorded annually in the United States, which comes to something like twelve thousand a day. Dr. Frank McMillan, the director of well-being studies at Best Friends, who has been carefully tracking the twenty-two Vick dogs at the sanctuary since the day they arrived, says, "We don't know yet. All the dogs have made progress, but we can't say what it means, not only for this group of dogs but for other dogs from other fight operations. There's still just not enough time or data." dog bites recorded annually in the United States, which comes to something like twelve thousand a day. Dr. Frank McMillan, the director of well-being studies at Best Friends, who has been carefully tracking the twenty-two Vick dogs at the sanctuary since the day they arrived, says, "We don't know yet. All the dogs have made progress, but we can't say what it means, not only for this group of dogs but for other dogs from other fight operations. There's still just not enough time or data."

McMillan's words might be somewhat disappointing for those seeking validation for the choices made, but, for better or worse, the picture will have to remain at least somewhat muddy for the time being. The truth is that the Vick case was unique, in that the available money and the notoriety presented an opportunity to do more than might otherwise have been done. It seems certain that some of the dogs saved from the Vick pack would have been put down in a different situation. That doesn't make it right or wrong as much as it reinforces the notion that each situation, just like each dog, is unique. It remains to be seen if the Vick dogs are a fair representation of the kinds of dogs that are typically found in dogfighting operations. After all, only a handful were seasoned fighters, and many were just young goofy pooches that had led a life of deprivation.

That of course has been the point from the beginning of the effort to save the dogs-sweeping generalizations do not apply. From the start the rescuers argued that it was wrong to look at the group of fifty-one pit bulls saved from Vick's yard and simply say "They're irredeemable, do away with them." No one would ever make any such sweeping statements about people.

The same goes for dogs. You cannot accurately a.s.sume that all the dogs saved from a fight bust are vicious and unstable or that all pit bulls are biting machines waiting for their chance to attack. It may be easier and less expensive to think that way, but it's not true. Yes, if pit bulls attack, they're equipped to do the job well-they're strong, agile, and determined-and they may even have some genetic inclination to be aggressive toward other dogs, but nurture plays as big a role as nature and every dog is different.

The most important legacy of the Vick dogs may be the idea that all dogs must be evaluated individually. Not as Vick dogs, or fighting dogs or pit bulls, but as Jasmine and Alf and Zippy. In this regard, those forty-two dogs that remain from the Bad Newz family may no longer go anywhere near a pit, but for each of them, just as it does for all of their kind and the people who advocate on their behalf, the fight continues.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

In the course of researching this book, I spoke with several people on the condition of anonymity, which makes it impossible for me to single them out for thanks. The domino effect of their request also makes it hard for me to acknowledge several other willing partic.i.p.ants, since the process of elimination might then expose the first group. In any case, I hope the people who took the time to share their thoughts and experiences, whether they see their name listed below or not, know how grateful I am for the contributions.

Among those I can publicly recognize, the list has to start with Jim Knorr and Donna Reynolds, both of whom I pestered with a near-constant stream of queries and requests for the better part of a year. Their knowledge and willingness to share was exceeded only by their patience. Others who gave so much of themselves include, in particular, Catalina Stirling, Cris Cohen, Tim Racer, Nicole Rattay, and Marthina McClay. Beyond that I was aided by a wide-ranging group of tolerant individuals, including (in alphabetical order) Ann Allums, Mich.e.l.le Besmehn, Brandon Bond, Linda Chwistek, Bernice Clifford, Sharon Corbett, Karen Delise, Lettie de Little, Paul DeSantis, Cindi Hauser, Carissa Hendrick, Maureen Henry, the Hernandez Family, Eugene Hill, Rebecca Huss, Joe Jackson, Mary Jarvis, Diane Jessup, Randy Lockwood, Frank McMillan, Melinda Merck, Karen Reese, Sara Varsa, Mike Wilson, Roo Yori, and Steve Zawistowski. The list of key facilitators includes Beth Brookhouser, Stacey Coleman, Anita Kelso Edson, John Polis, and Laura Taylor.

At Sports Ill.u.s.trated Sports Ill.u.s.trated I'd like to thank Terry McDonell and Jim Herre for allowing me to take on the project, and Chris Stone, who was instrumental in helping the original article make it into the magazine. Chris Hunt edited that piece and Rebecca Sun fact-checked it. My good friends Maura Fritz and Brad Dunn read early drafts of the book and gave me invaluable feedback, and Bill Syken helped make sure I didn't get anything wrong. As always, my fond appreciation goes to my agent, Matthew Carnicelli, and his a.s.sistant, Adrienne Lombardo, at Trident, and I'd also like to thank everyone at Gotham who worked on the project, particularly Patrick Mulligan, who first approached me about a book, and Jessica Sindler, who nursed the ma.n.u.script along with a welcome equanimity and incisive commentary. I'd like to thank Terry McDonell and Jim Herre for allowing me to take on the project, and Chris Stone, who was instrumental in helping the original article make it into the magazine. Chris Hunt edited that piece and Rebecca Sun fact-checked it. My good friends Maura Fritz and Brad Dunn read early drafts of the book and gave me invaluable feedback, and Bill Syken helped make sure I didn't get anything wrong. As always, my fond appreciation goes to my agent, Matthew Carnicelli, and his a.s.sistant, Adrienne Lombardo, at Trident, and I'd also like to thank everyone at Gotham who worked on the project, particularly Patrick Mulligan, who first approached me about a book, and Jessica Sindler, who nursed the ma.n.u.script along with a welcome equanimity and incisive commentary.

Grace and Alex deserve special mention for enduring my alternating bouts of crankiness and distraction while grinding against deadline, as does my father, George, for introducing me to dogs and helping me to develop a true appreciation for them. At the top of the list, in perpetuity, is Karin Henderson, for her editorial gifts and unending encouragement and for being a true partner in all things.

Last, I would like to thank the dogs, not just the Vick pack, but all of them, simply for being dogs, which is to say, tolerant and perseverant; willing to connect with a world that does not always return their affection; and for proving, time and again, that life, while messy, difficult, and imperfect, has the capacity to exceed our expectations and feed our undying hope.

NOTES.

Chapter 5.

1 Source: Judd, Alan, "In Game of Life, Vick Blitzed by Trouble," Source: Judd, Alan, "In Game of Life, Vick Blitzed by Trouble," Atlanta Journal-Const.i.tution Atlanta Journal-Const.i.tution, July 22, 2007.

Chapter 6.

2 Name and some identifying details have been changed. Name and some identifying details have been changed.

Chapter 21.

3 Much of the history and all the stats in this section derive from Much of the history and all the stats in this section derive from The Pit Bull Placebo, The Pit Bull Placebo, in which Karen Delise, founder of the National Canine Research Council, reviewed 150 years of newspaper archives and studied every account of a fatal or near-fatal dog attack. in which Karen Delise, founder of the National Canine Research Council, reviewed 150 years of newspaper archives and studied every account of a fatal or near-fatal dog attack.

Chapter 35.

4 Name and some identifying details have been changed. Name and some identifying details have been changed.

Where Are They Now?

5 According to a 1996 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (written by J. J. Sacks, M. Kresnow, and B. Houston). "Dog Bites: How Big a Problem?" According to a 1996 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (written by J. J. Sacks, M. Kresnow, and B. Houston). "Dog Bites: How Big a Problem?" Injury Prevention Injury Prevention 2 (1996): 52-54. 2 (1996): 52-54.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY.