VA - Bethany Stephens, 21, mauled to death by her 2 dogs, Dec 2017

[rsd1200]

I've seen that doc. numerous times in fact I believe I bought it in video. That horse, I believe, was an orphan and stallion
and was raised by an inexperienced owner that treated it like a dog, not a horse. She caused the horse to be an outlaw. Sad for the horse, but it was totally woman-made.

I've not seen it. I might have to look it up. Folks treating animals like something they are not is a problem too. Animals do not think like we do. Period. Just because it looks like an animal is smiling does not mean it is happy.

 

[rsd1200]

Makes perfect sense. We all want to feel "special". Take a look at those who have a close affinity to lions and tigers and snakes - oh my! They all want to feel they can tame the wild beast, become that ONE, special person in it's life. But we can't. We aren't animals, we don't have their life experiences or genetics. In the end, a great many "special" people ended up dead, some were eaten. This leads me to believe animals don't have the same feelings we do. I've seen documentaries where lionesses would eat their own dead cubs, whether for the protein or making it a part of them - you are what you eat.

It's always easier to blame someone or something else to mitigate your own stupidity - yes, stupidity, and that's what I think all of those who "play around", like Bethany did are guilty of. I've read some forums by pittbull breeders. They make no bones about the traits, good or bad, about the breed. They are realists. Today's back-yard, emotional owners, have no idea what they are playing with, nor do they have any idea what they are subjecting our pets and ourselves to.

Sometimes (God forbid I said this) I feel the serious breeders, trainers, should be allowed to fight their dogs in a controlled environment. That IS what these dogs are bred for. If not, get RID of the breed because they serve no other function that I can see. I know this won't be popular, but it makes sense to me. These dogs LOVE to fight and kill. That IS what they were bred for.

My opinion, of course.

I understand your viewpoints, it's like if you leave Game to their own devices, two roosters in a barnyard, will fight, until one is exhausted, and backs off. Where this comes to be a problem, is when humans intervene and start buying hormones, and fighting spurs, to put on the roosters, and fighting them to the death. The birds are sliced to pieces. Just watching roosters fight in a barnyard is one thing, carrying it to a revenue built off of gambling and torture, is another. The problem with pits, is that there are few dogs who can defend themselves from them. Big mastiffs, possibly my big Rott , if it were a smaller pit like the one that went after my spouse, and his dog was able to roll it with sheer body weight. One pit would likely tire out and trot away if left to two pits fighting, naturally, say, over a female in heat. Our little 30 pound, pit mix, could put dogs twice his size on the fly. We really knew nothing of pits when Dad brought him home. This was in the early to mid 70s and I was very young. We loved that little dog to pieces. He was solid white with a bit of cream on his ears, and had a boxy head, broad chest, and was no more than 14" - 16", at the withers, but looked like a solid little tank.

Dad brought the pup home, and said a friend at work, had a dog who'd had a litter, and he'd picked the little white one, for us kids. The guy told Dad that the pup was a pit bull terrier mix, but no clue what the stud dog was. We told folks our little alligator with fur was a Heinz (as in Heinz 57... There could have been 57 different possibilities, or more, as to the stud dog's breeding.)

That little dog could take on, and win, against dogs much larger than him, but no dogs died. Again, with the terrier tenacity, he just would not give up. He didn't care about his own injuries either. Didn't bother him at all. After a particularly tough battle, he may rest for a day, but he was back with a spring in his step, the next day. That's the thing, it's few dogs who can take on a pit and win. That's why I hate seeing "Free to Good Home". These pets are sometimes taken and used as bait animals, for folks who do fight pits, to allow their fighting dogs to destroy them, and get their fighting dogs even more geared up. I think a partial solution is to euth dogs coming from fighting situations, and them (and any breed), if they get out and injure/kill, others livestock, pets, or someone, and make it mandatory to spay / neuter them, no matter where they came from. In a perfect world, I'd also like to see first time owners, adopting from shelters, take an adopted pit to dog to obedience classes, with the owner attending too, and learning, with the dog (This is something that would be good for any first time, large dog, owner, of adopted dogs, because you do not know the background of these dogs, most of the time.).

 

[jamicat]

What is it about this case that makes you reject the idea her pitbulls killed her? There are multitudes of pitbulls attacks, thoroughly documented, that prove these dogs WILL and DO attack their owners. Anyone can go on the 'net and find case after case where they HAVE done just that. Maybe they were also FEEDING on the body, but LE didn't want to, or had no need to be so graphic. We don't know this.

What EXACTLY, about this case makes you question the truth of her dogs attacking and killing her? Was it the "friend" whom I haven't read anything about since. Has anyone else questioned the facts? EXACTLY why are LE being vilified and convolutions being made to exonerate the pittbull dogs? Don't you believe pittbulls attacks? What? I'm at a loss here.

I do not reject the idea that the dogs killed her. In fact, from the get go, I was clear that I believed it was the most likely thing to have happened. It was the simplest most straightforward explanation which is by far the most likely

However, LE made false statements right from the beginning. They exaggerated the size and weights of the dogs and had to take back those remarks as incorrect as well as recant the assertion they made that her dogs were bred specifically for fighting. Also, what was said was that she was so terribly ravaged that one could not tell what happened in her chest area

In response to her friends and community response to his remarks, some of which had to be corrected, LE then let out the fact that the dogs were eating her which was why they could not tell what was what with her chest. That bit of grisly info was released after discussion with parents supposedly to end any speculation that something or someone else caused her death.

Well, it does not That the dogs were feed on her has nothing to do with whether they killed her. Hungry creatures will eat any carcass. And creatures and carcass can be human as well as dog. History has so shown.

I walk my dogs and then let them loose in an expanse often. I do not assume that they will protect me though, yes, nice to think they would. I believe they might... and they might not. They run away in a frenzy when I first let them loose and it takes about 10 minutes for them to return. I’ve had heated conversations, very much heated ones with family members and my dogs do not react. My guys also physically horseplay that looks way out of hand I doubt very very much that if any of them attacked me or each other that either dog would protect.

Bethany was in a bad situation with a relationship gone wrong. Gone so wrong that she had gotten death threats. From someone who knew her well and the dogs too. Likely have lived with the dogs and Alpha to them. Someone that they may just allow to harm her. Who may have harmed her already in front of the dogs with no reaction from them.

So in my mind, yes, dogs have killed their masters, but rarely. Statistically rarely. For all the pit attacks out there, the numbers per population still a small %. Threatening SOs, like ex boyfriends and husbands may kill as many or more people.

Again, this is not a theory that I am stuck on. But s distinct possibility. She need not have even been killed by this other person. If Alpha to the dogs, they may well have even gone after her and killed her after he attacked her. I have seen dogs go into frenzied when owner or person goes down.

Hopefully the autopsy eliminated this possibility. Bethany’s friends felt that the involvement of someone was likely given her situation and threats made. None of LEs statements to me completely confirmed the dogs did the killing strikes and it really bothered me that they felt that the dogs feeding on her was the definitive proof. Hopefully the ME was able to definitively pinpoint cause of death and from what i read later, that was done. Also the whereabouts of the person in question were established and apparently he was cleared.

I have a friend who owned show boxers. Extremely well trained and were beloved house pets. I don’t think anyone ever doubt they’d protect her nor did anyone think they’d attack her. Well, both situations occurred , though not in tandem and not in severity. It can happen.

Though, I tell you it did not occur to me that my two dogs would ever turn on me, I guess it’s an unlikely, very unlikely possibility. I carry pepper spray when I walk them in case we run into stray dogs that might want to engage them in battle. Or stray person. I do believe my odds of a person attack are greatly diminished just by the fact that I have two 50 lb dogs accompanying me, but my odds of a dog approaching mine are increased. But odds are just that. Diminished does not mean gone

To be clear here, given that an autopsy had been done, and the ME, whose job is to declare cause of death had done so and says it was the dogs, I am content to close the case as such. Also LE did question and check whereabouts of the person who threatened to kill a Bethsny.

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

Hate to say it but there are innate differences amongst dog breeds. Yes, there are.

 

[Bohemian]

Murder conspiracies rage over case of woman believed mauled to death by her own dogs
news.com.au
Marnie O’Neill
JANUARY 1, 2018 7:34pm

‘WARNING: Graphic

POLICE have released more gruesome details in the case of a young woman believed to have been mauled to death by her dogs in a further bid to end speculation she was murdered.’

‘In the latest development, the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office has released results of necropsies (post mortem examinations for animals) on the dogs, announcing human hair had been found in the dogs’ faeces.

The hair was described as “light coloured and wavy” and further tests will be carried out to establish whether or not it belonged to Ms Stephens.

Investigators released the new detail as further proof that the young woman was mauled to death by the dogs rather than murdered.

Ms Stephens was found with her right breast missing and her arms had been stripped of skin. A large portion of the centre of her face had been eaten and she was completely naked except for one boot. The other shoe was found nearby.‘

‘Sheriff Agnew confirmed that police were aware of a person considered to be a threat to Ms Stephens but ruled out his involvement after concluding there was no foul play.

CAT scans and X-rays of Ms Stephens’ body showed no broken bones or signs of strangulation. It was also determined she had not been sexually assaulted. Her mobile phone was found in half with bite marks on it.

“We had a number of witnesses come forward and we were able to put a time frame together and people’s movements together and they don’t fit with that particular narrative,” Sheriff Agnew said of the speculation the victim was murdered.

“Having said that, we are still following up on those; we are still doing forensic tests.”’

Read more at:

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...s/news-story/0a7d1bf5cafdcf79068049ce6580eb30

 

[rsd1200]

Murder conspiracies rage over case of woman believed mauled to death by her own dogs
news.com.au
Marnie O’Neill
JANUARY 1, 2018 7:34pm

‘WARNING: Graphic

POLICE have released more gruesome details in the case of a young woman believed to have been mauled to death by her dogs in a further bid to end speculation she was murdered.’

‘In the latest development, the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office has released results of necropsies (post mortem examinations for animals) on the dogs, announcing human hair had been found in the dogs’ faeces.

The hair was described as “light coloured and wavy” and further tests will be carried out to establish whether or not it belonged to Ms Stephens.

Investigators released the new detail as further proof that the young woman was mauled to death by the dogs rather than murdered.

Ms Stephens was found with her right breast missing and her arms had been stripped of skin. A large portion of the centre of her face had been eaten and she was completely naked except for one boot. The other shoe was found nearby.‘

‘Sheriff Agnew confirmed that police were aware of a person considered to be a threat to Ms Stephens but ruled out his involvement after concluding there was no foul play.

CAT scans and X-rays of Ms Stephens’ body showed no broken bones or signs of strangulation. It was also determined she had not been sexually assaulted. Her mobile phone was found in half with bite marks on it.

“We had a number of witnesses come forward and we were able to put a time frame together and people’s movements together and they don’t fit with that particular narrative,” Sheriff Agnew said of the speculation the victim was murdered.

“Having said that, we are still following up on those; we are still doing forensic tests.”’

Read more at:

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...s/news-story/0a7d1bf5cafdcf79068049ce6580eb30

This reminds me a bit of the Kenneka Jenkins case. No one could accept the results that the poor girl drank too much, and mistakenly walked into that freezer, passed out, and froze. This poor girl underestimated her dogs and herself.

If folks want to own pit bulls, then cool, own pit bulls. It is your right as an American. Just keep them up, with the same precautions that one would use if you harbored an exotic animal. I prefer not to have one, and don't want anyone else's on my property, or near my grandkids. One of the reasons one of kids is moving is because the neighbor keeps theirs tied outside all the time, on a pole on their deck, and it can get to my kid's porch, where it sits, when my grandchild goes out to play. They're in an apartment complex and no one seems to want to do anything about the problem. There's another neighbor up the street from them, that keeps theirs tied to a tree. Always, tied to a tree. Always. That's not a pet, that's a prisoner. :sigh:

 

[Francesca]

Following this case with interest. My gut feeling is that the pit bulls killed Bethany, and LE were originally very sensitive in their presentation of what they saw when they arrived on the scene - partly to spare the family and partly because it must have been horrific.
So I think family/ friends are fired up because the LE story has "changed" in their perception. Plus, they said that Bethany had received death threats recently. So it is understandable under those circumstances, that her friends/ family would automatically have believed that the death threats were the foreshadowing of her death, not her beloved dogs.
I hope for the family's peace of mind that the police do interview the person/ people who sent her death threats, just to rule them out and also maybe as a sharp lesson not to send death threats, even if it's only to protect yourself from suspicion if the person happens to die under mysterious circumstances.

 

[jjenny]

I read that at the time of the attacks, dogs went from living with her at home to living at the kennel outside. So the dogs likely weren't very happy at the time of the attack.

"Paul said, “The breed in and of itself is a high-energy breed, they like to have a lot of structure and a lot of exercise, so by keeping them in a pen, alone, undersocialized, away from people, that energy is just building up and building up and building up and that’s when you start to see dogs fighting more regularly, that’s when you start to see more negative scenarios.”"
https://nypost.com/2017/12/20/trainer-reveals-why-dogs-may-have-mauled-owner-to-death/

 

[Bernina]

I've seen that doc. numerous times in fact I believe I bought it in video. That horse, I believe, was an orphan and stallion
and was raised by an inexperienced owner that treated it like a dog, not a horse. She caused the horse to be an outlaw. Sad for the horse, but it was totally woman-made.

OT...I believe that woman had a whole boat load of stallions, and had just brought the one to the "clinic".....was this the stud that struck Buck's assistant in the round pen? That woman was WAY, WAY out of her league.

I've had my Arab stud for almost 27 years, from the time he was born (owned his dam). I just treated and trained him like any other horse, had him run with the mares when he was a youngster so they'd teach him to be a gentleman, corrected him just like any other horse, and he has been a sweetheart. He has sired 35 foals. He actually has been with the mares when they have foaled and acts as a babysitter/surrogate when they are weaned between 4-6 months. We had 2 colts (1 is his, the other is a mini) this past summer and he plays with them. My kids could come home from school, whistle for him at the front gate and get a ride up to the house, no halter or bridle.

His colt we are keeping, my stud has a rapid bony growth on his upper palate (inoperable) that will eventually dislodge his upper teeth. We've had to soak his pellets for the last year and have his teeth floated every 6 months due to the rapid shifting of his teeth. We're hoping his son will take his place when the old guy passes, that could be a year or maybe ?, who knows.

I've run into horses that would just as soon kill you as have a halter put on them. Others, with time and patience, have become the wonderful horses they were meant to be.

Knowledge and constantly learning, being open to new methods, as much as you can about any type of animal you choose to have makes you a better owner.

It might also save you from a tragedy..............

 

[MelmothTheLost]

A propos of this case, I found this item in the Wail pertaining to a dog and its deceased owner.

Loyal dog is found lying next to the body of its owner who had died weeks earlier in Hungary

A severely dehydrated dog was rescued lying alongside the body of her owner who had died weeks before.

The nine-year-old Havanese, called Zsazsa, was found in a Budapest apartment on Wednesday, but is now recovering, an animal rescue group spokesperson said.

Although the dog had some dry feed to eat, vets said she would have died within a couple of days if she had not been found, explained Gabor Pataki, head of the animal rescue group Allatmento Liga.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5239455/Loyal-dog-lying-body-weeks-dead-owner.html

 

[MzOpinion8d]

Murder conspiracies rage over case of woman believed mauled to death by her own dogs
news.com.au
Marnie O’Neill
JANUARY 1, 2018 7:34pm

‘WARNING: Graphic

POLICE have released more gruesome details in the case of a young woman believed to have been mauled to death by her dogs in a further bid to end speculation she was murdered.’

‘In the latest development, the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office has released results of necropsies (post mortem examinations for animals) on the dogs, announcing human hair had been found in the dogs’ faeces.

The hair was described as “light coloured and wavy” and further tests will be carried out to establish whether or not it belonged to Ms Stephens.

Investigators released the new detail as further proof that the young woman was mauled to death by the dogs rather than murdered.

Ms Stephens was found with her right breast missing and her arms had been stripped of skin. A large portion of the centre of her face had been eaten and she was completely naked except for one boot. The other shoe was found nearby.‘

‘Sheriff Agnew confirmed that police were aware of a person considered to be a threat to Ms Stephens but ruled out his involvement after concluding there was no foul play.

CAT scans and X-rays of Ms Stephens’ body showed no broken bones or signs of strangulation. It was also determined she had not been sexually assaulted. Her mobile phone was found in half with bite marks on it.

“We had a number of witnesses come forward and we were able to put a time frame together and people’s movements together and they don’t fit with that particular narrative,” Sheriff Agnew said of the speculation the victim was murdered.

“Having said that, we are still following up on those; we are still doing forensic tests.”’

Read more at:

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...s/news-story/0a7d1bf5cafdcf79068049ce6580eb30

Ok.......I believe the dogs killed her, but I gotta say this article makes me wonder why clothing fragments weren't found in the dogs intestinal tracts as well as the hair?

 

[Deleted member 158085]

Ok.......I believe the dogs killed her, but I gotta say this article makes me wonder why clothing fragments weren't found in the dogs intestinal tracts as well as the hair?

This is what I thought, too. Honestly, they keep releasing information meant to clinch the case for the dogs being the only ones involved in her death, but that actually make dog people more suspicious.

Throw a block of cheddar on the floor that's still in the plastic wrapper and see if any dog is going to spit all the plastic bits out while consuming the cheese. Not going to happen. This is precisely why so many dogs have gastric surgery each year. They often consume wrappers, paper towels, and other bits of inedible material while getting into food not meant for them and end up with life threatening blockages.

ETA - and I'm in the camp of people who believe that the dogs killing her is the most likely scenario, but I also believe there are plenty of things that do not add up in this case, and if they were humans who were going to stand trial, there is plenty of reasonable doubt. LE would have to come up with more evidence than this to have an airtight case.

 

[Catmommy]

I watched my Akita systemically strip the covering off of a tennis ball bit by bit and spit every bit of it out

 

[Deleted member 158085]

I watched my Akita systemically strip the covering off of a tennis ball bit by bit and spit every bit of it out

Unless it had peanut butter injected inside it, I'd say that's pretty normal (although plenty of dogs would eat that, the stuffing out of the couch, and all of your tube socks for no reason).

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[keeleydoll]

I watched my Akita systemically strip the covering off of a tennis ball bit by bit and spit every bit of it out

My labs do the same to tennis balls but will happily really chow down on a beautiful wool walking cloak or tuxedo pants waiting to be taken to the cleaner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rsd1200]

My labs do the same to tennis balls but will happily really chow down on a beautiful wool walking cloak or tuxedo pants waiting to be taken to the cleaner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My Rott got into the motorcycle parts box last night. We had it put up but she found it, and pulled the top off.She delicately opened a tiny box and scattered the tiny items all around, pulled out my muffler cover, chewed on a footboard rest and destroyed some other items. We get her the giant tennis balls for fear she'll choke on the others as she rolls the normla ones all the way back into her throat.. We had a dog to swallow a ball one time. Very pricey surgery.

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[keeleydoll]

My Rott got into the motorcycle parts box last night. We had it put up but she found it, and pulled the top off.She delicately opened a tiny box and scattered the tiny items all around, pulled out my muffler cover, chewed on a footboard rest and destroyed some other items. We get her the giant tennis balls for fear she'll choke on the others as she rolls the normla ones all the way back into her throat.. We had a dog to swallow a ball one time. Very pricey surgery.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Yes it is, one of my friends dog ate a piece of clothing that compacted in her intestines. We only keep the black Kongs now and use our doors and gates to keep them out of things that may hurt them. Our Rottie passed away last December and while he was incredibly gentle with humans, cats, rabbits and chickens, he would destroy (and I feared eat) any other toys than the super strong ones. The Rottie and male lab could both go out to their kennel area and literally eat a deer femur or ham bone in under an hour.


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[rsd1200]

Yes it is, one of my friends dog ate a piece of clothing that compacted in her intestines. We only keep the black Kongs now and use our doors and gates to keep them out of things that may hurt them. Our Rottie passed away last December and while he was incredibly gentle with humans, cats, rabbits and chickens, he would destroy (and I feared eat) any other toys than the super strong ones. The Rottie and male lab could both go out to their kennel area and literally eat a deer femur or ham bone in under an hour.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm sorry about your Rott. It sure hurts to lose a good dog. Our dog that ate the ball was a very small dog, and the vet said he didn't know how she got it down her throat! When he brought it out, we looked at it, and It was actually one of the kid's it had gotten hold of. We started getting the little dogs the red Kongs and filling them w/treats or peanut butter, and the big one's the black Kongs, but my Rott doesn't really care for them. She likes tennis balls so we found the giant ones at Tractor Supply. She also likes metal. I have no decorative lawn lights anymore... I gave up replacing them. They just end up being little pieces of twisted chunks. Deer are all time being hit up and down through here and apparently one had bounded over into the back field, and died. I look out the door, and there was the Rott, on my front porch, with the whole leg of a deer. Just nommin' away. It was not fresh either. :notgood: I mixed up a bath and de-scented her after I got rid of her prize. I gotta say, it was unpleasant.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

Falmouth father stabs pit bull to death after dog attacked 1-year-old daughter

The father of a one-year-old girl in Falmouth stabbed the family’s dog to death Sunday after the pit-bull terrier attacked the child, causing “major trauma” to her face, according to police.

Police believe the attack was not provoked. The family has owned the dog for five years and has no history of aggression, the statement said.

Another case of an unprovoked attack on a person by a pit-bull. This case involved a one year old girl.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...ld-daughter/UgYaeH0NDLBpmU9wSDEHUO/story.html

 

[Jax49]

Falmouth father stabs pit bull to death after dog attacked 1-year-old daughter




Another case of an unprovoked attack on a person by a pit-bull. This case involved a one year old girl.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...ld-daughter/UgYaeH0NDLBpmU9wSDEHUO/story.html

Another article about the attack:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5246835/Dad-stabs-death-pit-bull-mauling-baby-daughter.html

Father stabs family pit bull to death as it mauls his one-year-old daughter's face so badly she needed three blood transfusions and lengthy surgery

• Dog attack happened Sunday morning in Falmouth, Massachusetts
• The dog, a pit bull terrier, had inflicted severe trauma to the one-year-old girl before its owner killed it
• Girl's father first tried to shoot the dog but his gun was not loaded
• Toddler was airlifted to a hospital in Boston where she underwent blood transfusions and hours-long surgery, with more to come

Falmouth fire Lt Scott Stanbard tells WBZ-TV the toddler's injuries are believed to be life-threatening.

The victim's relatives later revealed to Fox 25 the little girl had three blood transfusions and underwent an hours-long surgery overnight to repair some of the damage. She will also require plastic surgeries in the the coming weeks.