The History of the Los Angeles Animal Services Department

The pit bull dilemma questions where a certain breed’s perceived aggression stems from. Is it caused by genetics that are inherent to the breed? Is the behavior created by cruelty, mistreatment, and aggression training? Blame can often fall on 

the responsibility of pet owners, particularly the environment they raise their pet in.  Those with the view that certain dog breeds are inherently aggressive often point to a history of sensationalized headlines that help paint these misconceptions. Attacks on local residents can intensify pre-existing stigmas, leading to hysteria and fear that pressure city officials to enact breed-specific laws. Dozens of newspaper articles and clippings within the archives from the 1990s illustrate this concept. 

Woman in stable condition after dog attack (November, 1995)

Evangeline Simons, a 69-year-old woman from Mission Hills, was attacked by her neighbor’s 4-year-old Rottweiler while on an early morning walk in her neighborhood in November, 1995. A witness saw the dog biting and shaking Simons  by the neck. Her injuries included dog bites on her head and body. A motorist passing the attack clubbed the dog and another neighbor tried to fight off the dog. An LAPD officer later pepper sprayed and shot at the dog three times. The owner, Albert Galegos, said he had no idea why the dog would attack his neighbor, claiming the dog was well acquainted with Simons. 

Dog Mauls Canoga Park Man (June, 1996):

Gene Chen, a 45-year-old from Canoga Park, was hospitalized after being attacked by two pit bulls, leaving 67 bite marks and cuts all over his body. Neighbors surrounded the attack and scared the dogs away after hearing Chen’s screams. Animal Regulation Department spokesman Peter Persik launched an investigation to identify the owner and find details of the attack. The owner, Debbie Ports, apologized for the attack and said she would understand if the dogs had to be euthanized. The dogs were quarantined for 10 days at the West Valley Animal Care and Control Center. No one could explain why the dogs attacked. The neighbors were very angry, and said “Nobody with responsibility (for the dogs) was home to stop this.” A veterinarian stated that Staffordshire terriers are loyal and loving pets, but they can be dangerous if not properly trained: “a lot of it has to do with who's  handling the animals.”

Restraining Pit Bulls (August, 1996):

Animal control officers remove a stray pit bulls from a Canoga Park neighborhood after it attacked and killed a dog and wounded Rudy Rios’ 4-month-old puppy. Following this and other recent attacks in Canoga Park, including an incident involving an 8-year-old boy, Phyllis Daughtery wrote a commentary piece on the issue. She holds that the problem lies within the breed and not just the owner. She says, “we are faced with an entirely different strain of dog now - one that is being inbred, abused and/or trained into a frenzied insanity.” She believes this is the reason there has been an increase of dog attacks in the area. 

Woman, 85. Attacked by Dogs (September, 1996)

85-year-old Beatrice Powell was attacked by her neighbor’s two Great Danes. Doctors had to stitch Powell’s head, ears, and arms to close her wounds. L.A. Department of Animal Regulation spokesman Peter Persic said the two dogs were quarantined at the West Los Angeles Animal Care and Control Center. An investigation was launched to determine the circumstances of the attacks, whether or not they have been vaccinated, and if the dog’s have a history of being dangerous. Persic said city ordinances “demand dogs must be contained on the property where they reside.” 

Woman’s Foot Lost in Dog Attack (November, 1997)

A dog assumed to be a Rottweiler or pit bull mix entered a home and tore off the foot of a comatose woman. The foot was later amputated. A veterinarian said, “it’s highly unusual a dog would eat human flesh,” and was likely attracted by a smell. A team created in 1996 to round up stray dogs on the street were not able to find the dog. The news article highlights the growing number of stray dogs and licensing issues in Los Angeles, with only 137,489 licensed dogs out of 735,000 dogs kept as pets. Director of the American Humane Association stated, “This all boils down to the same thing: lack of owner responsibility.”

Foot of Dog-Attack Victim Amputated (November, 1997):

Another article on the story of the woman who had her foot chewed off by a stray dog noted how the search team from the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services has been unable to find the stray dog out of the thousands of other strays on the street. The woman’s mother said that the dog wandered into the “doggy door.”