GUILTY MI - Craig Sytsma, 46, mauled to death by dogs, Lapeer County, 23 July 2014

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http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/26105423/livonia-man-dies-after-2-dogs-attack-him

Metamora Township Police say that Craig Sytsma was running on Thomas Road just south of Brauer when the two 3-year-old Cane Corsos mauled him.

Metamora Chief David Mallett said the dogs severed an artery in Sytsma's arm. He died from his wounds at McLaren Lapeer Region Hospital.

http://www.wltx.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/25/jogger-dies-dog-attack-michigan/14557757/

And even as she tried to revive him with CPR, the dogs came charging back out of the woods and she had to back away until the dogs retreated.

Sytsma's last moments, and the fear that had been building in the community for several months as the dogs ran loose, are documented in lengthy police reports and witness statements obtained by the Detroit Free Press under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

Two neighbors were bitten in the months leading up to the killing and some began to arm themselves with guns.

http://www.abajournal.com/news/arti...d_with_2nd-degree_murder_in_fatal_attack_on_/

A history of allegedly allowing two aggressive 100-pound dogs to run loose resulted in second-degree murder charges for a Michigan couple after a jogger reportedly was killed by the dogs last month.

If convicted, Valbona Lucaj, 44, and Sebastiano Quagliata, 45, could get as much as life in prison. The couple also face a charge of harboring a dangerous animal, resulting in death, in the Lapeer County case. That felony charge carries as much as 15 years upon conviction...

At last report, the defendants were being held in lieu of $500,000 bail. The dogs involved in the attack have been put down.
 
Poor man.

Why on earth were these dogs roaming free after previously having bitten two other people? Definitely a fail on the part of the owners - I hope they're prosecuted and sent away for a long time. But with previous bites and other calls about the dogs, why didn't authorities do anything earlier?
 
This makes me angry for so many reasons. Tragic, PREVENTABLE, death. Irresponsible dog owners :(
 
I get sick of these stories. PREVENTABLE is right! I love animals as much as the next person, but I am tired of hearing excuses. Shoot the damn the dogs! :hambirgisgrumpy:
 
How did this get this far? The dogs had attacked others in the past! No excuse!

Someone, a lot of someones dropped the ball big time. :( Inexcusable
 
Oh how horribly sad. I won't take my dogs for a walk alone for fear a dog is on the loose. Last time I took one of my dogs out alone a dog actually jumped over a fence to come after us. My screams brought the owner out of their house.
 
Oh how horribly sad. I won't take my dogs for a walk alone for fear a dog is on the loose. Last time I took one of my dogs out alone a dog actually jumped over a fence to come after us. My screams brought the owner out of their house.
I won't go alone with my dog anymore either, since my dog was attacked by 2 huge malamutes and nearly killed in front of me a few months ago...
 
I'm an avid cyclist and dogs are one of my biggest fears - I am terrified of being overtaken by one because you're absolutely defenseless. this poor man had no chance against this attack and he died in such an awful way.....geez this scares the cr@p out of me.
 
It is really pathetic that neighbors had to arm themselves b/c these people wouldn't do anything and neither would the police. Living in fear for months over dogs...I can't even imagine. I wonder why "an unknown individual" did not take out those dogs before this happened, although these owners would probably have new ones the next day.
 
They were breeding them? Seven puppies were removed and given to a rescue.
Shaking my head....so senseless...so sad and so tragic!


From link in first post

In the days leading up to his arrest, Quagliata remained concerned about his dogs and contacted Lapeer Animal Control to make sure that Toni, one of the dogs involved in the fatal attack, was getting adequate care for his gunshot wound.

Officials told his attorney that the dog was scheduled for euthanasia and that any medical treatment would have to be paid for by Quagliata.

The dogs since have been put down. Seven puppies seized from the home have been sent to a rescue league in Texas.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This is such a senseless and preventable death. In my family, there are many serious cyclist. My SIL considers it a power lunch when he cycles 10 miles around the big city and stops for a Smoothie before returning to his work as an architect. My priest and his buddies take ministry trips for hundreds of miles each summer.

Strap a can of mace to your bike. I keep a can of Raid in my car that sprays up to 15' which is much further than mace can go. Not sure Raid is legal to spray in someone's face but it can be washed out of their eyes.

Craig Sytsma's loss of life has brought tears. A Cane Corso is "noble, majestic, and powerful in presence". The Cane Corso is a muscular and large-boned breed that can weigh up to 120 pounds. They are also trained to be guard dogs. Sounds viscous to me.

Mr. Sytsma did not stand a chance against this beast of a dog. JSYK, my daughter has a gorgeous Great Pyrenees who weighs 120 pounds and thinks she is a lap dog. She possesses the most elegant bark. I can't imagine being attacked by two dogs that size and powerful. I am furious with the owners who, imho, deserve the DP.
 
This is such a senseless and preventable death. In my family, there are many serious cyclist. My SIL considers it a power lunch when he cycles 10 miles around the big city and stops for a Smoothie before returning to his work as an architect. My priest and his buddies take ministry trips for hundreds of miles each summer.

Strap a can of mace to your bike. I keep a can of Raid in my car that sprays up to 15' which is much further than mace can go. Not sure Raid is legal to spray in someone's face but it can be washed out of their eyes.

Craig Sytsma's loss of life has brought tears. A Cane Corso is "noble, majestic, and powerful in presence". The Cane Corso is a muscular and large-boned breed that can weigh up to 120 pounds. They are also trained to be guard dogs. Sounds viscous to me.

Mr. Sytsma did not stand a chance against this beast of a dog. JSYK, my daughter has a gorgeous Great Pyrenees who weighs 120 pounds and thinks she is a lap dog. She possesses the most elegant bark. I can't imagine being attacked by two dogs that size and powerful. I am furious with the owners who, imho, deserve the DP.

My next door neighbor had a Cane Corso ...I discovered this one morning ....he actually ate a hole in our wood privacy fence. I walked out back ....and this MASSIVE head was looking at me.
Apparently, he had befriended my Doberman (they've both since passed) the next day there was a hole large enough they could go back and forth. I'm thankful he was super friendly and lovable. Because he scared the heck out of me that first day!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...murder-trial-california-cane-corsos/21167969/

Sebastiano Quagliata, 46, and his wife, Valbona Lucaj, 45, will stand trial beginning Feb. 3 in Lapeer County Circuit Court. They face up to life in prison if convicted...

Prosecutors chose to charge the pair with second-degree murder — a rare prosecution in dog maulings — because the dogs had bitten at least two people leading up to the killing, and Lucaj had been warned by the family vet three months before that the dogs were dangerous and needed immediate training. And investigators say Quagliata admitted the day of the killing that the dogs routinely escaped from their kennel to run the neighborhood.

Under Michigan law, a defendant can be convicted of second-degree murder if he or she knowingly created a risk of great bodily harm or death, even if they didn't intend to kill or harm. The charge has sometimes been successfully used in prosecuting drunk drivers who killed somebody, but the use of it in a dog mauling case is unusual in Michigan.
 
I live in the same general area where this happened. I have a Doberman pinscher, A 96 pound German shepherd, 2 pit bulls, and a Labrador retriever (that is a therapy dog). I also foster large dogs including bully breeds, German shepherds, etc. All of the dogs that I have are friendly and none have ever bitten anyone, but I make damn sure that they NEVER get out loose! I have a 6 foot privacy fence backed by a 4 foot chain link fence with locks on the gates. I also have kennels with locks. I keep the front door of my house locked and never open it unless the dogs are shut in another room or are put in crates first. At the present time, I have 10 large dogs at my house and none have ever caused a problem for anyone. My own dogs are obedience trained also. It's called being responsible! If you can't control your dogs, don't get them! I would never get a dog like a Cane Corso because it would be "too much dog" for me to handle and control. It's terrible that this innocent jogger was ripped apart and killed by those dogs. The dogs should have been secured in a way that they could never get out or the people should not have had them!
 
I'm an avid cyclist and dogs are one of my biggest fears - I am terrified of being overtaken by one because you're absolutely defenseless. this poor man had no chance against this attack and he died in such an awful way.....geez this scares the cr@p out of me.

Same, I am chased regularly by two dogs that live on my route, have decided after this to call the council and complain. I actually don't understand why these dogs weren't taken by the council and put down after the other attacks, anybody?
 
Husband and wife whose two dogs mauled father-of-three jogger to death as he begged for help could be freed from prison in just 19 months after reaching plea deal

Father-of-three Craig Sytsma was mauled to death in Michigan last year

Dog owners Sebastiano Quagliata and wife Valbona Lucaj agreed to plea deal Friday to around 15 years in jail, though judge could add six months

Sytsma was jogging in July 2014 when the two cane corsos attacked him

He was bitten almost ten times and was 'screaming and begging' for help


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-mauled-Craig-Sytsma-death.html#ixzz3YID5gYVi
 
Same, I am chased regularly by two dogs that live on my route, have decided after this to call the council and complain. I actually don't understand why these dogs weren't taken by the council and put down after the other attacks, anybody?

In my case, my dog would have been killed had I not reached in and pulled the male off her neck. She didn't even attempt to fight back, just layed down and accepted her fate, and she's a big tall 85 lb. Lab with a barrel chest who can be ferocious when she wants to be ( you should see her hackles rise as she barks at thunder and squirrels and babies in strollers!). These beasts also mauled their pool woman just 10 days later and weren't taken into custody until that time. They were given back to the owner. There was a vicious dog hearing and they were declared vicious, but I still see them being walked without their muzzles, in fact as recently as the other day. I called the animal control officer on my case to go talk to them. I think the dogs have essentially 2 strikes against them, and maybe if they get a 3rd one they will put them down. I did put my wished for that in writing, but you'd think the damage they did to human and animal already would be enough. They did meet the legal definition of vicious- even though the owner and her numerous, influential character witnesses stated that they kissed babies!!!
 

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