South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog

A Broward County judge ruled earlier this month that four dogs, a pit bull and her three puppies will not be returned to their owner, according to The Miami Herald.

Our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers know that pit bulls raised in the wrong environment can lead to vicious attacks and severe injuries sustained from dog bites in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere.

The puppies Dexter, Petunia and Meatball and their mother were removed from a home with a suspected pit bull fighting ring in the yard. The puppies are in foster care and the mother dog had to be housed in a veterinary clinic due to her poor health.

With proper care and plenty to eat, the dog is now doing well. The owner of the dogs faces three counts of confinement of animals without sufficient water, food or exercise and four misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty. A civil hearing was requested by the Broward Sheriff’s Office to gain custody of the dogs, which will eventually be up for adoption.

Deputies found the three puppies in the owner's apartment infested with fleas and lying in their own waste. Their mother was found outside with no food and very little water; she was very thin and lethargic according to the deputies.

The owner admitted during the civil hearing that he hadn't fed the mother dog in two weeks because he could not get outside due to injuries from an auto accident. He later changed his story and said a cousin was feeding the dog. He also denied any dog fighting activities at his home.

A new owner should be leery when it comes to adopting dogs with a past history of neglect and abuse. Their previous history could make them a danger in the future. Not to mention that pit bulls are an aggressive breed by nature and have a strong instinct to chase and catch running objects like small animals and children. Adopting a previously neglected or abused dog takes a lot of work on the new owner's part to train it properly.

Dog bite statistics include:

-In 2010, there were 33 fatal dog attacks, although pit bulls make up 5 percent of the dog population they accounted for 67 percent of the attacks.

-Pit bulls and Rottweilers accounted for 79 percent of fatal dog attacks in 2010.

-Between 2005 and 2010, pit bulls killed 104 people, about one victim every 21 days. Rottweilers killed 25 people, roughly one victim every 88 days.

-In 2010, 61 percent of the attacks happened to children ages 11 and younger; 39 percent happened to adults; 75 percent of the attacks on children happen to those ages 4 and younger; 60 percent of the young victims were male.

-Over a third of the fatal attacks involved more than one dog and 9 percent involved chained dog in 2010.

-73 percent of the fatal attacks in 2010 were by family owned dogs and almost 90 percent of the attacks happened on the owner's property.

-In 2010, California had the most fatal attacks with 7 in which pit bulls caused 6 of the deaths. Florida had 3 deaths followed by Georgia, Illinois, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas each had 2 deaths.