Jimmy Ray Cowan III, 52, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was sentenced this week to serve 20 to 24 months in prison because his two pit bulls killed a neighbor. The body of Charles Gilbert Dalton, a father and grandfather, was found on March 14, 2006. He had bled to death from multiple dog bites, including wounds on his face, scalp and hand. (Click here to read the article.)
This canine homicide presented two indicators of danger, as measured by the Dog Attack Danger Scale. First, the involvement of a pit bull, Rottweiler, Akita or Chow. Where death is the result, the dog is most often a pit bull or a Rottweiler.
Second, the pack mentality. 3 dogs are worse than 2, 4 are worse than 3, etc. It is well established that docile dogs often become uncharacteristically violent and vicious when they are in a pack. (Click here to read about the scale on Dog Bite Law.)
