PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Three pit bulls that mauled a woman to death in Portsmouth earlier this month were humanely euthanized later that day, a spokesperson with the city told News 3 Monday.
Early in the morning of April 12, a woman — identified on Monday as Cindy White — was found badly injured after being attacked by the dogs.
News 3 spoke to neighbors at the time, who said the pit bulls at the home where they say the incident occurred have been a problem.
“The first incident, the dogs bit a young lady on the arm. That was about three months ago," said neighbor Lawrence Davis. "Then, another incident. There were two kids riding bicycles down the street and the dogs ran out of the house, the front door was open, and the dogs attacked the kids."
After initially stating there had not been issues with the dogs, Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins later said he learned officers had responded to that location three times over the past year. One of those incidents was for a bite injury.
Police still have not said why White was on the property or if she knew the owners.
Portsmouth Police urged residents to refrain from trespassing or attempting to interact with animals without permission from the owners.
It's not clear what occurred in this case. Police do say, though, the dogs were secure when the attack happened. We reached out to local dog trainer, Kehli Walton, with Bare Knuckle Dog Training, to shed some light on the incident.
Portsmouth
Woman mauled to death by pit bulls in Portsmouth
“Some people will define secure as they’re in a room with the door closed," he said. "But I think from all of this stuff that’s going on I think we can pretty clearly tell that’s not the most secure thing."
Walton doesn't have a problem with the breed, however, he does have a problem if you don't train the prey breeds properly.
For him, the blame rests on multiple shoulders: authorities for not identifying the dogs as a problem earlier, the dogs for killing White, and the owner for lack of training.
“Let’s say I throw the ball, dogs chasing after the ball. I should be able to stop that dog halfway through," he told News 3. "I should be able to say 'down,' or 'come,' and the dog comply. Right? That is the bare minimum for any prey-driven dog."
For more on Walton's training experience, click here.
