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ANIMAL WATCH - A long-time and very devoted volunteer at the Orange County Animal Care shelter in Tustin, CA, was viciously attacked by a dog identified as a Labrador-Beagle-mix dog, named Blaze, which reportedly bit her 18 times, leaving 96 puncture wounds across her neck, arms, legs and buttocks. Although this horrific incident occurred in In 2023, The Los Angeles Times announced that, additionally, she was just awarded $450,000 to close the case.
But there are still questions being asked in worldwide news coverage – the most obvious of which is, “why are there no photos of the attacking dog being shown in the media discussion? Is there something else being hidden? Is this really a Pit Bull, which the shelter did not want to admit was dangerous? If so, why was it being offered to the public?
A subsequent media release assured readers the dog has been euthanized, but the public’s faith in reports has become more guarded as words and concepts take on new meaning in the electronic age.
There is also a growing concern about the need to enforce laws mandating shots for disease, immunities and numbers of animals per residence, along with a hefty fee for anyone who wants to breed and sell any animal from a residential or other zoning, and increased need for mandatory tax enrollment and reporting on breeders in homes all over California, for health and safety reasons, but also because it has become a lucrative, unreported source of income. Breeding dogs has never been considered the “business” it has become, but just because the owner does not have to rent a separate location or set up any special facility to breed animals does not change the fact that this is a money-making enterprise, with little—if any—oversight.
Americans and dog lovers all over the world are going to have to accept spay/neuter and euthanasia as part of the solution to the problem created by greed in breeding animals and carelessness in doing so without committed homes. Our animal shelters all over the country are constantly overcrowded and the burden for the humane care of these unwanted pets falls on taxpayers, many of whom are struggling to survive and raise families, and on “responsible” pet owners who adhere to all the rules.
VOLUNTEER WAS TRYING TO HELP DOG THAT ATTACKED HER
The incident at the heart of the lawsuit, filed in 2023, occurred after this same volunteer had just taken a new photo of a presumed Beagle-mix, named Blaze, earlier that day to help him find a new home.
Although the dog was impounded as a Labrador-Beagle-mix, the attack was aggressive, vicious and unrelenting and would have been unusual for either a soft-mouthed Retriever or the highly social Beagle, both of which are affable hunting breeds. (link to article) Thus, it appears that the male Pit Bull must either be peacefully sedated to relieve his stress.
“The key here is about ensuring there is accountability by Orange County Animal Care,” said Mancuri’s attorney, John Montevideo, at the Dog Bite Law Group in Irvine, CA. “This is a story about a preventable incident caused by a dereliction of duties that unnecessarily increased the risks of working with neglected dogs in Orange County.”
WHERE WERE THE PHOTOS TAKEN AT THE SHELTER BY THE VOLUNTEER?
The news release on this tragic incident stated that the victim, Emoli Mancouri, a long-time shelter volunteer, was taking photos of the dogs available for adoption at the Orange County and had already photographed “Blaze” but apparently no photo was provided to the media, other than one obtained by the L.A. Times.
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACK
The fact that the Orange County Shelter did not release the photos of the dog is strange because it is public record. Was there something the shelter did not want the public to see or know? Could the description of “Labrador Beagle-mix” been applied for the purpose of hiding the fact the dog might be a Pit Bull-mix?
Neither Orange County, CA, nor anywhere in the U.S. can afford to play politics with potentially dangerous animals. These dogs are lethal weapons that make frequent news headlines because of constant attacks and, too often, the tragic death of an innocent child or pet.
Pit Bulls are affecting the safety of adults who come volunteer or work in animal shelters all over the country. And those who are benefiting financially, including the majorhumane” organizations that receive millions of dollars in untaxed donations to “save” animals seem not to care.
(Phyllis M. Daugherty is a former Los Angeles City employee and a long-time animal welfare advocate. A contributor to CityWatchLA, she is known for her investigative reporting on animal shelter operations, misuse of public funds, and the dangers of poorly regulated pet adoption policies. She is a strong proponent of public safety in animal control, advocating for stricter oversight of aggressive dog breeds, especially pit bulls, and for breed-specific legislation.)
