A California dog breeder met an untimely demise when his dogs mauled him to death, creating a bloodbath in his backyard, where his girlfriend would find his mutilated body. The gruesome discovery was the stuff of horror movies and has since sparked discussion online, with many expressing very little sympathy for the man.
An unnamed 35-year-old California dog breeder was brutally mauled to death by the very dogs he cared for in his own backyard, only to have his mutilated body discovered by his unsuspecting girlfriend. The slain man was found lying in a kennel area on a Friday morning. The distressing scene, which has been described as a “backyard bloodbath” by The Blaze, prompted the woman to call 911, but nothing could have prepared authorities for the horror they were about to face.
The Compton Fire Department, along with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, responded to the call from the victim’s significant other, arriving at the scene of the gruesome discovery at around 7 a.m. on the 900 block of North Thorson Avenue in Compton, California. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities found the Compton home’s backyard teeming with pit bulls, which had already killed one man.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC), authorities cautiously rounded up 13 pit bulls. Of the 13 dogs, five were adults and eight were puppies aged four to six months, leading animal control to believe that the slain man had been involved in breeding and selling the dogs.
“Preliminary information suggests that the deceased individual was involved in breeding and selling pit bulls,” animal control officials said in a statement.
First responders swiftly took action to corral the dogs into a neighboring yard to access the victim, LA County authorities revealed in a press release. However, it wasn’t easy. According to reports, authorities had to traverse the victim’s roof, a neighbor’s yard, and an alley in order to corral the dogs, L.A. County’s DACC said.
Aerial footage captured a woman carefully scaling a fence in an attempt to exit the backyard, not wanting to be the dogs’ next victim. With the help of firefighters, she was able to climb out of the yard of the home where the man was fatally mauled as the agitated dogs ran loose and attacked each other, a helicopter video showed, according to KTLA.
As the tragic incident was being investigated, it was discovered that surveillance cameras had captured video footage of the fatal mauling. Shockingly, the dog attack had taken place the evening before the body was discovered, having occurred between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday when the man was feeding his dogs.
“He was feeding the dogs, at which point maybe there was an altercation between some of the dogs, and [they] ultimately attacked and mauled the victim,” Michael Gomez with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau explained.
Cooperating with authorities, the father of the deceased dog owner “consented to signing over the dogs,” and it was reported that animal control officials took custody of the dogs and would determine if any of the deadly pit bulls needed to be euthanized. Meanwhile, DACC Director Marcia Mayeda offered sympathy to the victim’s family and friends while vowing to ensure the safety and well-being of the community as well as the animals involved.
“Our deepest sympathies are extended to the family and friends of the victim,” DACC Director Marcia Mayeda said. “We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to determine the facts and ensure the safety and well-being of both the community and the animals involved.”
An animal welfare worker who responded to the scene said he hoped the tragedy would also serve as a lesson and raise awareness about the potential dangers that come with pit bull ownership.
“It sucks that it brings awareness from a death,” Damian Wesley with the Compton Animal Rescue told KTLA. “I hope that awareness is spread… that people need to take great care of their dogs. People need to understand that these dogs can kill somebody and hurt people.”
As news reports garnered the attention of social media users, many expressed very little sympathy for the man who lost his life to dogs. Instead, the consensus seemed to be that he got what he deserved when he decided to breed pit bulls. In fact, many expressed relief, thankful that it was the breeder who paid the price and not an elderly person or child from the neighborhood.
“He was held accountable by the dogs,” one YouTube user commented while another asked, “Why is he breeding dogs in a family oriented neighborhood?”
“I can’t muster up any sympathy here,” another admitted, adding, “Maybe it’s all the trouble I’ve experienced from an irresponsible and careless neighbor that let his pit bulls reign terror in my neighborhood.”
“Imagine living next door to this guy,” another wrote as yet another echoed similar sentiments, commenting, “Neighbors are now happy living in peace.” [Source: YouTube comments]
With unfavorable and downright horrific incidents involving pit bulls plaguing the news, it’s easy to see why people have such a seemingly cold reaction to a breeder being killed by his violent and aggressive dogs. How many have to die before we consider the fact that perhaps these bully breeds have no business being family pets? At a minimum, should there not be some restrictions as to who can own such animals, let alone breed them? Before you decide, ask yourself if you would want your neighbor to house five adult pit bulls. Although I’m typically all for freedom, I’m with the social media commenters on this one—I wouldn’t want this in my neighborhood either.
