A woman, 73, was killed by vicious dogs at her condominium complex in Ashville. Other people and dogs were also attacked. The dogs had a history of violence, including killing dogs previously.
Police Bodycam Video
UPDATE 10/24/24: Bodycam footage was released Wednesday by the Ashville Police Department. On October 17, a pair of pit bulls broke through a screen door on a patio and attacked Jo Echelbarger, 73, who had been crouched on the ground weeding her flower bed. The video shows officers arriving at the scene on Kildow Court. The officer immediately fires on Apollo, the tan pit bull, and it flees. The officer then approaches the victim, who is blurred in the video, still lying in the flower bed.
“Is that your wife?” the officer asks. “That’s my wife,” the man answers. “That’s the wife right there. We need medics,” the officer tells his partner.
The other pit bull, Echo, is still near the victim. The officers discuss “putting the dog down.” Then one officer fires five shots into the pit bull. The dog continues to stand. Dirt from the flower bed is seen splayed on the patio ground outside of the blurred area. Echo remains hearty and upright, clawing at a nearby door. “We need medics. We’ve got several lacerations to a female’s head,” the officer tells dispatch. Echelbarger was transported to a local hospital, where she died of her injuries.
After Apollo fled, he appeared near Teays Valley East Middle School, where he killed a Golden doodle being walked by its owner. “I was screaming, yelling. My male was trying to get the pit bull off. I got dragged to the ground,” Courtney Johnson said. She unhooked both of her dogs and ran to safety. The female, “Sunny” did not survive. The male, “Barkely,” was unharmed. “She saved my life and saved Barkley’s life,” she said. “She’s definitely always the leader of the pack.” The dogs were littermates.
Arrest and Lawsuits
On Monday, Susan and her son, Adam Withers, were arrested and charged with felony involuntary manslaughter. Both are being held at the Pickaway County Jail. Two civil lawsuits filed this year that we could not access last week are now online. The first is an injunction against the Withers to force the removal of their dogs by the Ashton Village Condominium Association. Since 2015, the Withers have been sent seven complaints about their off-leash dogs, leading to heightened complaints in 2021.
In April 2021, the notice states the Withers dogs had bitten a person and attacked another dog. In March 2022, the Withers dogs were leashed but still attacked two other dogs. In November 2023, after Apollo attacked Kimberlee Black and killed her dog, another notice was sent. This time, it was a notice to terminate the right to maintain an animal. The notice was resent in January 2024. The association filed the injunction lawsuit in April 2024. A judge awarded the injunction in September 2024.
The Withers had still not removed their two pit bulls by October 17, 2024, when they fatally attacked Echelbarger. Black filed her own lawsuit in September 2024, nearly one year after she was attacked in a “common area” at the complex. The lawsuit makes multiple claims and names multiple defendants: Susan and Adam Withers and another resident of their home at that time on Kildow Court, The Reserve at Ashton Village Condominium Association, and Towne Properties Asset Management Company.
10/21/24: Pit Bull Owners Arrested
In a significant development, two people were arrested Monday after two pit bulls killed a 73-year old woman and at least one dog last week at the Ashton Village condominium complex in Ashville, Ohio. The local paper, The Scioto Post, states that around 6:00 pm Monday, Pickaway County Swat arrived at the dog owner’s home on Kildow Court and “locked down” the area. At least one of the people arrested was Adam Withers, whose pit bulls have a long history of problems at the complex.
The Columbus Dispatch reported earlier today (paywall) about court filings that are still inaccessible to the public on the Pickaway County Common Pleas website. After his dogs attacked Kimberlee and her dog last October, one of his pit bulls — Apollo presumably — was declared “dangerous.” In December, Withers was cited for not complying with the dangerous dog restrictions. He was also cited twice in May 2024 for violating Ohio’s dangerous dog laws — failure to confine and failure to register.
The lawsuit filed by the condominium association against Withers in April 2024, states there had been problems with multiple dogs from the Withers home dating back to 2015.1 In November 2023, the association revoked the owners’ right to keep two specific dogs, Apollo and Echo, at the condo. According to the Dispatch, in 2015, 2017, 2020, and twice in 2021 the association sent notices to the Withers warning them to keep their dogs on leashes when outside as required by the HOA rules.
After the seventh warning, the association began fining Withers and his mother, who owns the condo. By the time the termination notice was sent, the pair of pit bulls had engaged in multiple altercations with people and dogs. Apollo had killed at least one dog, and Echo had attacked a person, prompting the April 2024 lawsuit. Withers claimed their dogs had been provoked and refused to cooperate with authorities. Adam Withers requested a jury trial to resolve the issues, which was set for November 20.
The lawsuit filed by Kimberlee Black came in September 2024, about a year after she and her dog, “Nemo” were attacked by Apollo. Nemo was killed in the attack. Kimberlee sued Withers and the other residents of the their Kildow Court home, The Reserve at Ashton Village Condominium Association, and Towne Properties Asset Management Company. Since her lawsuit has been filed, resident Jo Echelbarger and a third dog have been killed by the Withers’ two vicious pit bulls, Apollo and Echo.
Involuntary Manslaughter
The Columbus Dispatch reports (non-paywall article) that Adam Edward Withers, 35, and his mother, Susan Ann Withers, 61, both of Ashville, have each been charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter, which is a third-degree felony, in connection with the dog mauling death of 73-year-old Jo Echelbarger. The “mother and son” pair have also been charged with one count of failure to restrain “vicious” dogs. Both are being held on a $55,000 bond, according to Pickaway County Jail records.
During the arraignment hearing on Tuesday, Judge Elisa Peters raised the bond to $500,000. Posting bond (10%) will require each defendant to pay $50,000 or put up significant bail bond collateral. Conditions of their release includes no contact with the victim’s family and no custody or control over any dogs. A friend of the victim watched both defendants appear in court; she said that neither displayed any remorse. The Withers are due back in court on October 30 for a preliminary hearing.
Felony charges after a fatal dog attack in Ohio are rare. We recorded the first modern case in 2016 after Annie Williams, 71, was killed by a pit bull with a violent past in front of her great-grandchildren in Shaker Heights. Leon Morton pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 30-months in jail. In that same year, a babysitter was convicted of six felonies after her pit bull with a violent past killed a baby in her care in Dayton. Kimiko Hardy was sentenced to three years in jail.
Left: Adam Withers, 35, Susan Withers, 61, and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Swat vehicle.
10/18/24: Woman and Dog Killed
Ashville, OH – A woman died after being attacked by dogs in her condominium complex on Thursday. Police received the 911 call at 3:11 pm. Jo Echelbarger, 73, was outside when two dogs escaped a home and started attacking people, according to witnesses. First responders were dispatched to a residence in the 600 block of Kildow Court, part of The Reserve at Ashton Village. Echelbarger was transported to Grant Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 4:00 pm.
Ashville Village administrator Bert Cline said the attack was “kind of a shock to the system,” adding that dog attacks in the complex are uncommon. He was told that legal action to remove the dogs had been filed in Pickaway County two weeks ago. Cline did not know the details. But a woman named Kimberlee told a private group, “I was attacked by the dog that killed my neighbor last October 26, 2023 2:36 pm. That day forever changed me and sent my life into a downward spiral of PTSD hell.”
She publicly discussed the attack on her Facebook page last year. “To date the dog owner failed to meet his requirements … to date dog was evicted by HOA and have ignored the 14 day notice … to date the HOA and the Pickaway Co. Dog Warden want to play a game of tug-o-war over who is responsible for removing the dog.” Her puppy “Nemo” was also attacked. “Had he not been with me when I was attacked, I would have been Apollo’s casualty that day. I can never unsee the attack on my sweet boy.”
Kimberlee refers to the dog owner as “Adam,” and says she was “Apollo’s” third human victim and that Nemo was Apollo’s third dog casualty.
In the recent attack, a woman who witnessed it wrote on Nextdoor: “I heard the screaming and ran down to see the dogs on top of her.” She said police shot one of the dogs five times, but it still retreated into a home. Police had to enter to verify the dog was dead. The second dog also attacked people before it was killed. Shift Capt. Jeff Rosencrance of Harrison Township said that fire and EMS had responded to the same set of condos at least three times in the past year for animal attacks.
Rosencrance did not know if the multiple calls involved the same dog owner or the same dogs. But the dogs that attacked Echelbarger reside on Kildow Court, Rosencrance said. He described the victim’s injuries in the recent attack as “a vicious and gruesome attack.” Audio dispatch logs from Pickaway County Police and Fire, published by Broadcastify, state on October 17 at 3:13 pm: “You’ve got an active dog attack. 645 Kildow Court. Caller is advising the dog is attacking a male and his dog.”
The local paper, The Scioto Post, published details on Facebook yesterday. “According to reports, two aggressive pit bulls were in the area of Kildow Court where at least one of the dogs attacked a person causing serious injuries.” An officer “was forced to use lethal force to protect himself and others in the area.” The second pit bull was described as brown. “Within a few minutes, there was a second report of a brown pit bull in the area of Ashville Middle School, where it was attacking another dog.”
“Apollo” is a tan male pit bull, owned by Adam Withers. He also owns “Echo,” a brown and white male pit bull, potentially of the XL variety. Yesterday, Withers accused a person of shooting “innocent dogs inside private property.” He also said, “My neighbor is dead.” Some commenters chimed in, “I hope they put you in jail” and “Your dog killed another dog and an old lady.” His Facebook page is loaded with pit bull and bully breed memes. It’s unclear if Withers has any interests beyond pit bull breeds.
Civil Lawsuits In Progress
On September 16, 2024 Kimberlee sued Withers and the other residents of his Kildow Court home, The Reserve at Ashton Village Condominium Association, and Towne Properties Asset Management Company. Due to “upgrades” on the Pickaway County Common Pleas website, the Complaint is not available to download. On October 8, 2024 Withers Answered the complaint as a pro se defendant. The case status is “open.” Black, Kimberlee v. Withers, Adam et al Prk (Case No. 2024CI0211).
Prior to this, on April 4, 2024, The Reserve at Ashton Village Condominium Association sued Withers and the other residents of his Kildow Court home. It is a complaint for “permanent injunction and monetary damages with exhibits filed.” A decision was issued on September 11, 2024 that could be favorable to the condo association. A trial is scheduled for November 20, 2024. The case status is “open.” Reserve at Ashton Village Condominium Assoc. v. Withers et al Prk (Case No. 2024CI0095).
We have requested the Complaints from the Pickaway County Clerk in each lawsuit to learn more.
The suspected fatally attacking dogs, two male pit bull terriers, Apollo and Echo, respectively.
Jo Echelbarger was killed by vicious dogs at the Ashton Village condominium complex.
Comments on the Scioto Post Facebook post mention a local court victory.
Related articles:
07/03/24: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: 6-Year Old Boy Killed by Dog in Lorain, Ohio
09/26/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Toledo Woman, 70, Killed by Family Pit Bull-Labrador Mix…
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Wow I’m disgusted that his killer dog was kicked out from hoa.he ignore the notice his killer dog killed or attacked
someone else before.he didn’t give a dam about it.now his killer dog killed another lady.he tried his best not them to get his pitbull.now she is dead wow she must’ve horrified getting killed by those ugly pitbull.jo she live to be 70 and she got killed by dogs.I hope he get years in jail and they put the pitbull down.
that owner is scary in part because there so many like him . i have had death threats fron these ex military types for daring to say they aren’t good dog trainers, best descibed mysoginsit violent uneducated drunk pit bull nutters! ……..
100%
How is it not animal cruelty to have dogs that leave home and kill other dogs?
Killing other pets should be felony animal cruelty with the punishment, at least to include, permanent ban on any and all dog ownership or handling, for the entire family of adults. For Life.
It’s impossible to know when something’s truly disgusting negligence or when it’s actually permitted and enjoyed by sadistic Bloodsport thing owners.
The one woman who was drunk and was encouraging her Pitbull to kill a man got charged with his death. Had she not been drunk, and kept her mouth closed, she would not have been charged in all likelihood
Being banned from any dog ownership or contact will not affect a person or family unless they’re livelihood/income generation comes from breeding dogs. However I do think it would have a major impact on those who use anti-dogs in their various ways.
Also how many type of pitbull are there first I thought there was only one type pitbull the pit bull terrier there pitbull XL staffy pitbull.
They are breeding their pits with any dog they think might make it larger and have more muscles. They also are never fixed so if there is an oops litter, very good chance, one parent is pit bull. And it always seems that their aggression is a dominant trait even when mixed.
Adam Withers — another seriously sociopathic pit bull owner let loose on society. And none of the local authorities appear to have been doing their jobs — only the first responders, of course, who always get called in when it’s too late to do anything but clean up the sickening, blood-soaked crime scene.
Adam Withers — the name needs to become synonymous with wanton murder in Ashville, Ohio.
Oh I didn’t fully read the story they shot dead those monster. What a happy ending those pitbull can no longer hurt anyone. I wonder if they catch him if he going to be in jail for a long time.I already know the excuse he come up if he was interview my dogs aren’t monster .they was looking for me. They was scared it the old lady fault. They lying about my dogs because they’re pitbull they are misunderstood dogs my dogs are pitbull and everyone hate them and they get a bad rap. I don’t why my pitbull did this I don’t why they snap.
omg the owner is best described as a violent aggressive ex marine with anger and drinking issues….i know they type its scary
What baffles me is why anybody with PTSD thinks pitbulls are a good choice. They’re more likely, with their aggressive natures to *increase* the incidents of PTSD rather than mitigate them.
A goldie, or labrador or some friendly breed that can be trained to stand as a bulwark between the sufferer and anything that could trigger them (including people) or lead the sufferer out a door when they need to escape is a far better choice and teaching the dog to do this, isn’t rocket science. It’s basic training with a bit added on. Add in their steadfast companionship and gentle natures.
This woman is dead because pitbull culties convince veterans that this apex predator is a benign choice for someone who has complex needs.
Pitbull culties are addicted to violence. It’s part of the process of violentization. They attract others unable to leave these cycles as well.
We don’t allow the mentally unstable (in most places, anyway) to possess weapons that can be turned on themselves or others in the middle of an episode. Yet, somehow they’re allowed to possess a weapon that can go off at random, even without their input.
It’s why pitbulls need to be completely illegal. If you can’t possess them, they can’t do harm in communities.
The answer as to why these kinds of people choose pitbulls is easy to understand. Many people own these aggressive dog breeds to be aggressors by proxy. In other words, they let the dogs aggress on other people and animals, and they don’t have to do it directly themselves. Then they do all the actions that you’ve seen described here, claiming that their dogs are sweet, that they were provoked, that they never harmed anybody else, etc etc. What amazes me is that legal authorities have not recognized what’s going on here. Those people may as well put a landmine in their front yard. Owning a dog like that is aggression by proxy.
I think it’s often driven by fear. Fear of other people, fear of other dogs, fear that they’re not “nice” enough so they have to “rescue” some dog so they look “kind” when they’re pressured to take by a shelter organization instead of a dog they could reasonably manage. Some think a dog will save them from the violence of the outside world
Sure, some pitbulls are owned by people who live in poor neighbourhoods where decent breeds are expensive but pitublls are cheap and available–often given away by organizations on “take a dog home for free” days.
Add in the dogfighters and those guarding their properties. From what I’ve seen, those aren’t the majority of owners although they compromise a subset.
It’s a multi-faceted problem.
There’s no way to address all of those people. The simplest solution is to ban ownership outright and to decrease spay/neutering of friendly mongrels so they become to “go to” dogs for people who can’t afford the outrageous prices now demanded by breeders. That’s a whole other problem, as well. When you can buy a second-hand car for the price of a poodle, there’s a serious problem in who can get, what kind of dog. When shelters are overloaded with pitbulls but not beagles and friendly mixes–that’s a huge problem.
There’s a massive sales pitch constantly going on for pitbull ownership. Add in that, and instant friendship online as well as instant friendship on the street.
We’ve allowed this to become a problem. We need to un-allow it.
Colleen dont be silly hes got lots of interest outside bully breeds? drinking and violence seem to be prevalent hobbies
This was not the dogs first attack victim! Why didn’t animal control take action immediately after the first incident? Now, because of a nut job owner who wouldn’t control
his dog a woman has paid the price for his neglect.
I’m sick of hearing this shit!
I love animals but if a killer dog was allowed to run the neighborhood I’d shoot to kill if it came into my yard.
Recall that in 2012, with the help of Best Friends Animal Society and local and national pit bull “defender” groups, the Ohio state legislature repealed the only state-level pit bull law in the U.S. Section 955 declared pit bulls “vicious” and required owners to carry insurance. The law was not a ban. In 2012, the state legislature replaced Section 955 with a statute drafted by Best Friends Animal Society, et al., that makes it “virtually impossible” to declare a dog dangerous or vicious (aka the death of Klonda Richey in 2014 and the subsequent lawsuit). Legislative efforts to modify parts of the post-2012 Section 955 (The Klonda Richey Act) have failed. It passed the Senate, but not the House.
Once again, tragic on so many levels. More than 20+ years ago, there was a story out of eastern Washington about a man who was dragged from his wheelchair and mauled to death by two pitbulls. At the time, I found out that these dogs tend to prey on the disabled, children and the elderly. In other words, the most vulnerable in society. As a woman in my 70’s, i’ve stopped walking our beautiful trails and parks. Even my lovely neighborhood no longer feels safe. (We have 2 pits around the block. The owner thinks it’s cute to let them off lead to roll around in people’s front yards.) When I garden outside my fence, I’m on high alert now. My point is that this phenomenon of so many pits/mixes is not only increasing, it’s also a major public safety issue. And, yes, it’s been building up for decades. I rack my brain so often thinking what will it take to stop this senseless violence? It’s a rhetorical question in that nothing so far is being done. I think about this elderly woman being mauled to death my those hell dogs. She was just walking her dogs, and enjoying her twilight years. What a way to go.
I’ve stopped walking in our rural town and instead cross the highway to the cemetery or drive into the country to walk. It’s so incredibly unfair that normal people should have to fear walking in public spaces – especially those specifically designed for walking! – because of the risk of being mauled by pitbulls. We have a German Shepherd – Pitbull mix (terrible combo) next door to us who fortunately has never gotten loose, but the fear it will one day is always in the back of my head. About a block and a half away, there is a dilapidated trailer with FIVE pitbulls, and that owner often lets them run loose. For some unknown reason, city government allowed themselves to be persuaded to rescind a longstanding pitbull ban years ago, before we moved here for my husband’s job. You are correct – the problem is escalating, as are the fatal and disfiguring maulings. I can’t believe we allow people to own supposedly domesticated dogs that kill over and over. Isn’t this why we domesticated dogs – so they would be beneficial to us and NOT kill and maim us?!?! And yet this breed that is demonstrably violent is allowed to be owned most often without any restrictions. I often wonder (and despair over) what it will take to tip the scales. I truly hope and pray this owner is prosecuted, but this was an entirely preventable tragedy.
It’s why I always walk armed. It’s a shame, but I refuse to either be intimidated or be a victim. I know that that not everyone is comfortable with firearms and not everyone is “allowed” due to jurisdictional laws. It’s a shame a jurisdiction will prevent a person from protecting themself while at the same time allowing murder dogs to roam free. Ridiculous. It’s a shame that everyone cannot walk in their own neighborhoods without fear of murder dogs attacking them.
I agree completely. I’m definitely not opposed to firearms and they are allowed pretty broadly in my state, I’ve just never fired one and find the idea of learning intimidating… but it would give me more peace of mind, especially when walking with my children, so I may have to do it eventually.
For starters, carry pepper spray. It will have limited effectiveness with more than one dog, but with one dog you stand a good chance of repelling it. I have used it successfully with a couple of pit bulls and a few other aggressive dogs in the neighborhood where we walk, a rural area on a gravel road.
Otherwise, I’d like suggest to you the Smith Smith & Wesson M&P, 9mm. It’s very small, lightweight, easy to use, semi-automatic and you can buy a type of ammo that will be lethal to these dogs easily at close range. And that’s what handguns are all about, allowing you to protect yourself at close range. Let’s face it, most of the time, there isn’t adequate restriction or adequate enforcement of any existing restrictions for these types of monsters. We have to take care of ourselves.
I second all of these sentiments. A few years ago I moved to a fairly rural area in Northern California that is also home to mountain lions and bears — but it’s the dogs, including loose (and aggressive) pit bulls, that have stopped me from taking walks in my otherwise peaceful neighborhood. What should be pleasant outdoor exercise is just too risky and stressful.
This response was directed to Ashley’s and Teresa’s comments.
One month before Kimberlee’s attack (September 2023), Preston Schumacher was named the Pickaway County Dog Warden. He posed in this photo with a “lab-mix.” Schumacher was in charge when Kimberlee and her dog were attacked. He served as the interim director beforehand too, so he actually took over in July 2023. She repeatedly refers to the “POS dog warden” in her online postings but does not name him specifically. “I was in constant contact with the POS dog warden, and he never advocated for me…”
I feel very sad knowing Kimberlee suffered a horrible attack and a public official named Preston Schumacher was paid tax dollars to love and protect her attackers. Laws and policies do need to change. And when will Best Friends take responsibility for the havoc they have caused?
When their own pitbulls eat them.
/snark mode, off
When the pitbull advocating grift stops paying off. <<<That part was serious.
It is my opinion that there are far too many folks in our country who do not understand that owning dogs means you will keep them confined, train them,
and keep them as members of your household. They are pets, not fur babies or children. Their behavior must be shaped. If one doesn’t know how to train, there are affordable sources available.
One needs to figure out what type of dog fits well with the family. Maybe a cat or no pet fits best. Virtually no one asks a veterinarian for help in recommending a breed of dog. This may be for the best, as few veterinarians know about personality traits of different breeds of dogs. Few
veterinarians have trained dogs.
If people were objective in choosing breeds of dogs, there would be fewer pitbulls in homes. There would be fewer dogs rehomed. There would be less people choosing euthanasia by car
as a great way to get rid of a dog. What if the car just fractures the dog? Then these folks may show up in veterinary clinics for free treatment.
Most of the pitbulls in the USA, in my opinion, are not well loved pets. If they were, no one out walking would be mauled and/or killed. Pitbull owners too often are victims of their own dogs. Maybe they should select their pets more carefully.
People choose pitbulls because they are either
1) HATEFUL scumbags who have little, if any, regard/respect for other living things
2)PARANOID sad sacks who think the pitbull will keep them safe
3)MISINFORMED wanna be “dog whisperers” who project their own feelings of persecution onto the oh so “misunderstood” pitbull
My daughter’s friend and co-worker in Chicago, fostered pit bulls. The last one she rescued, tore her hand up , and she had to have surgery to be able to use it again. She also had to wear a Skelator- like brace on her hand for months, in addition to having PT too, to get the tendons and fingers working again. Her apartment looked like a crime scene in the pictures I saw. She is very lucky to be alive and to be able to use her hand again.
Did she learn her lesson or does she still advocate for those “poor misunderstood dogs”?
You should read the August/September “Good Dog” column from Garden & Gun magazine. There’s a lot in there of the patterns that are seen in these dogs, the rescues, and their owners (prone to crashing through windows and screens to get at small dogs, going ballistic when a bus or dog passes by, rescue doesn’t disclose the behavior issues until after when the new owner calls back to inquire, single female who is a savior of a “rescue”). I got goosebumps and felt sick when I read, “ he stood beside the bed and stared at me with a crazed look, wagging his tail but also growling”. Who would not return that dog immediately to the so-called-rescue.
https://gardenandgun.com/articles/a-rambunctious-pit-bull-mixs-unexpected-calm/
I read the article. The owner has no concern for the danger she is imposing on everyone who gets near her dog.
An elderly woman was mauled to death but for some reason the news leads with the death of a golden doodle?
Like THAT is the big tragedy here?
Oh No! there is one less golden doodle!
Oh yeah, a woman got killed but back to the golden doodle.
I get it, her dog should not have been mauled to death.
It infuriates me how they just gloss over the actual human death.
I guess the trend of people watching dozens of people getting mowed down in a movie and not reacting but bawling their eyes out if the dog gets hurt has crossed over in to real life.
They may have done this because the Golden Doodle’s owner spoke to them, but the human victim’s family did not. I’m not saying it’s right, but they will lead stories where they have an interview (of a dramatic retelling of an attack). It was interesting to us because the Golden attack happened in a different location. The killing of the Golden happened after the killing of the woman too — that’s a seriously hellbent on killing pit bull. It’s even more serious that it was a Golden Doodle, which is a sizable dog. It wasn’t “one fatal bite” to the dog, like how pit bulls frequently kill small (toy breed) dogs (because one well-placed bite on a small dog, crushing it’s head, neck or back, will kill the animal). A lot of the dog-on-dog attacks we see in media reports that involve pit bulls attacking medium to large-sized dogs results in severe injury for the larger dog, not death. The woman was smart enough to run after assessing the situation, leaving her dogs to fend for themselves — sorry dog lovers, but blindly trying to save your dog from a pit bull “hellbent on killing” your dog can get you killed too. At minimal getting fingers bitten off, which means being disabled for the rest of your life. She has three children and appears to be a fitness trainer. I bet she has undergone self-defense training too! https://www.facebook.com/cjjohnson110
Colleen, I was just telling my spouse this – to run, and allow the dog being attacked to be a “time-buffer” so the human can
get to safety. It is a hard thing to do, I know. Thank you for mentioning this.
Allen, very true. So many people have been killed or horribly mauled trying to save their dog from a pit attack. Of course, if it were a child, I’d fight to the death. I also see this as a cultural phenomenon. Not long ago, a woman in Florida tried to fight off an alligator that was attacking her little dog…the alligator killed her. This has happened a number of times in Texas and Florida. Beyond that, we see people in the path of a life threatening hurricanes/fires-whatever-that won’t leave home because of they can’t take their pets. Some see this as heroic, I see it as perplexing.
Assessing a situation prior to acting is a learned skill; that is why I think she may have self-defense or even law enforcement training. Without training, one is more likely to act with zero assessment — such as trying to save a dog from an alligator! She also unhooked her dogs, giving them a chance to run without a leash. That was smart too.
One of the smartest tips I’ve seen is to climb onto a car roof.
Most pitbulls do not have their nails trimmed low enough for them to be able to grip the slippery metal and climb up. If they do manage to jump, they’re going to slide back down.
For those of us old folks and disabled though–it’s not a useful tip.
The writer of the story reported what a witness told the reporter about what the witness actually experienced.
The writer made the choice to start with this first-hand information instead of hear-say stories repeated by someone who wasn’t an actual witness to the attack on the lady.
I do agree that many folks will tear up at the thought of an animal suffering, but don’t when it is a human suffering.
This post has been updated with the arrests.
I just want to clarify what a Goldendoodle is. This is a big breed combination if the poodle is a standard poodle. If the poodle is a toy or miniature poodle, the offspring are not large. Then some folks will breed the Goldendoodle with a toy poodle sire to a toy or miniature poodle. Offspring from
this combination are small dogs.
To those who don’t know how this is done, one simply collects semen from the male and artificially inseminates the bitch. This is quite easy to do.
Goldendoodles with a small poodle sire may be called miniature Goldendoodles.
Since these are mixed breed dogs, I doubt if much pedigree information is
available.
The psycho and his mother should have been arrested and the dogs euthanized after they failed to comply the FIRST time.
This part of the story really bopped me over the head:
“After the seventh warning, the association began fining Withers and his mother, who owns the condo.”
Seven warnings. Let that sink in.
I was stunned at that, too.
Absolutely! They are psychopaths and have no business in polite society. They apparently care about no other people, just themselves. I despise them. I despise their choice of murder mutts and hope they all spend many miserable hours, days, and months incarcerated while reflecting on their ridiculous choices.
This tragedy should have never taken place. Law enforcement & animal control should have gotten involved a long time ago. All of our government systems (federal, state, local) are anti-humanity for allowing demonic dogs to exist on this land (pitties, staffies, bullies, mastiff, & other types of aggressive dangerous dogs). You can’t have a love for humanity when these types of actions are allowed to continuously take place over & over again. There is never punishment given to the aggressor until it is too late. My sympathies are with the victim’s family.
Saw this on The Columbus Dispatch “Judges have the discretion to order euthanasia of dangerous or vicious dogs after the first unprovoked attack. Often, it’s left up to the dog owner.
If a dog is already deemed vicious, gets out and kills a second person, the judge must order euthanasia”
Guess you have to wait till someone dies and maybe two people die before the dogs can be removed. How many victims must suffer these attacks? Bet there are thousands.
https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/video-shows-pickaway-county-law-enforcement-searching-for-pit-bulls-after-fatal-attack its foolhardy to allow dogs like where is no yard anywhere so they walk them on prong collars I suppose? its actually been a cliche for two decades in dog training ;I need to get my sons pit bull trained because the son is in jail or has dumped the dog on unsuspecting elderly parents/mother etc etc its a nightmare out there and no listens……………
There’s a new video from the Scioto Post on FB of police responding to Echelbarger’s home on the 17th. It shows the pit bull being shot to death (in a blur, as it was standing beside the victim)- dog is shot multiple times and is still standing and trying to escape. It appears to be the white/grey pit bull “Echo” so the brown one “Apollo” must have been the one running around killing the third dog. What a complete shitshow.
My hope is that a precedent is set in OH with these two scum, and they get 20 years each. No parole. The more I read about this case, 20 yrs doesn’t seem like enough though.
Dayna, considering what happened to poor Klonda Richey, I’m not optimistic.
This case does not stop — “Weeks after a Pickaway County judge ordered the removal of two pit bull terriers from the Ashville home of Susan and Adam Withers in September, police say they responded to a call at the home in which they believed the dogs were under the influence of cocaine.” https://myfox28columbus.com/news/local/police-ashville-pit-bulls-under-the-influence-of-cocaine-weeks-before-deadly-attack
This is what Dog Warden Schumaker told ABC6 News last week, one day after the deadly attack.
“I think it is a learning thing. There’s a lot of people learning that’s coming into the job, that’s still into the job,” he said. “But, we take every case extremely seriously.”
Schumaker sounds like he’s mentally challenged in some way. He should be held responsible as well as the owners.
Landlords/ rental properties these days don’t want to properly enforce dangerous dog lease violations. My apartment neighbors abandon their pit bulls on the patio for days, let their pit bulls run loose or come bursting out the doors dragging their owners towards me/my small quiet dogs and no amount of written complaint gets these dogs removed. Forget to bring your trash can in after pick up gets you a $25 fine ASAP though. Priorities! All of these dangerous dogs have “ESA” protection and the landlords don’t want to get involved.
I can’t help thinking that there would be a huge market for dog-free apartment complexes. Not to mention dog-free HOAs and just plain old neighborhoods.
Says YQN, who was jolted out of yet another sound sleep by barking.
Holy crow yes! I’ve convinced my husband when he retires we are moving to a property that is big enough and situated so that our neighbors are far enough away I won’t hear their stupid dogs. I’m so done with the barking and inconsiderate owners. Not to mention the uptick of pit bull ownership everywhere I look. Even my sister who is a trauma nurse has seen 5 horrific injuries in just the past two weeks, all by pit mixes.
not sure if you saw this Colleen but the most severe case of ‘Nutter; I ever saw ;her mixed breed thats covered in scars ‘ https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victim-of-horrific-dog-attack-in-townsville-wishes-she-could-have-saved-her-pet/ar-AA1tb0Hj?ocid=BingNewsSerp
Give her this, she at least is advocating to look into the dog’s background.
“Ask a vet”? Vets are clueless about animal behavior most of the time. Prozac. Neutering Yeah, that’s a solution for Cujo after murdering the cat and snarling at the baby.
Very few dog trainers specialize in working with aggressive dogs and those that do welp, I’ve yet to meet Mr/Ms average pitbull owner follow even half the instructions they’re given. They want Cujo for a housepet, not to spend the next 15 years in behavioural management with the whole family having to follow strict rules.
This woman has a severe case of learned helplessness aka “battered wife syndrome” and as such, hasn’t the capacity to ensure discipline and boundaries with a teacup poodle, never mind an apex predator.
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