Joan Caffiel: Nevada woman, 89, with severe dementia MAULED to death by family pit bull
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: 89-year-old Joan Caffiel was killed by her own pit bull after it gored her to pieces on Tuesday, August 9. Calls of the old lady being attacked by a dog in the 4100 block of Pennwood Avenue at around 9.45 in the morning, were initially made to the Las Vegas Police Department.
According to KVVU-TV, emergency response workers declared the old lady dead immediately after they landed at the scene. When the authorities arrived at the scene, they discovered the dog at a neighboring residence and sent him off to animal control.
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Joan Caffiel was suffering from severe dementia and was being taken care of by a nurse when the dog assaulted her. In an interview with KVVU-TV, Caffiel's grandson, Peyton Faircloth stated that the pit bull he raised for six years, Buc, was a rescue and had never been hostile.
"He would never intentionally hurt her. He was probably trying to protect her from somebody or something," said Faircloth. "There was not a mean bone in that dog's body, that dog would sleep with us every night and he loved grandma." He also mentioned that Buc was extremely protective of the deceased woman. "She called me and she was screaming," said Faircloth, speaking of his grandmother.
A neighbor told KUVV-TV that she stayed "cautious" around Buc. "I've just seen them with the dog unleashed. They let the dog loose. They would live upstairs and the dog would come downstairs unleashed," said the neighbor, who decided not to reveal her name.
As per records (1994) shown by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 4.5M individuals are assaulted by dogs each year, and 800,000 of those victims require medical attention for bite wounds.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, most dog attacks may be avoided if one takes a few important precautions, such as:
1. If you have a puppy, socialize it by exposing it to humans and other pets at an early age so that when it grows up, it feels comfortable with others.
2. To ensure your ability to manage your dog if it gets hostile, be certain to utilize a collar while you walk it out in open.
3. Being a pet parent means making sure your pet is involved in regular physical activity. You should make sure you pick a dog that is suitable for the household and see to it that it receives the proper training it needs.
4. Teach your kids or any small members of the family the proper way to mix with dogs and when they should do so.
5. Watch a dog's body language and actions to see whether it shows signs of stress, fear, or aggression.
6. Learn when you shouldn't engage with a dog and how you can prevent potentially hazardous circumstances from getting out of hand. Furthermore, you should never approach a dog when it is napping, eating, ill, wounded, playing with a toy, or spending time with its pups.
