Four dogs sentenced to die after mauling 10-year-old girl

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In Klamath Falls, four dogs have been ordered to be euthanized after they mauled a ten-year-old girl on June 1. Last Thursday, the Klamath County commissioners unanimously voted to kill the Mastiff dogs stating it was in the public’s interest to end their lives.

According to the Herald and News, dog owner, Vincent Berry has ten days to appeal the decision through the court system. Berry intends to file the appeal through Klamath County Circuit Court. The attack took place at Berry’s home where Berry’s neighbor, Alyssa Stevens, 10 had been playing with the four dogs in an enclosed yard while her father had been home next door. Deputies stated the child had been around the dogs many times, and there had never been any incidents. The dogs had never been reported to be aggressive or a menace to anyone in the past. Berry stated the child had no permission to be in his yard with the dogs.

Alyssa suffered serious injuries including a torn scalp, punctured lung and broken ribs. She remained hospitalized for several weeks.

Commissioners agree this has been a very difficult decision. No criminal charges were ever pressed against Mr. Berry, however the dogs were labeled “dangerous” and according to state law, the commissioners can order the dogs killed. The child’s father told authorities he didn’t see any alternative, considering the seriousness of the injuries inflicted upon his daughter.  Mr. Berry, however has proposed moving his dogs out of Klamath County to Washington where they would live in a very rural area. Evidence had not been provided how the dogs would be safely secured as to prevent any danger in the future. In the appeal, Berry will present his plan to safely keep the dogs separated.

Unless the case is appealed, the dogs will be die on August 21. The order also directs Berry to turn over a fourth dog not currently in custody; the other three dogs remain in custody. It had been previously reported that the other dog still with the family had not been involved in the attack.

Weigh in on what you think.

(Photo of likeness of the four dogs via Pixabay)

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43 COMMENTS

  1. They do not deserve to be murdered. The kid did not have permission to be there. Mr. Berry has offered to send them away. They should be sent to a sanctuary, maybe Best Friends?

    • Killing all the dogs including one that was not involved, I agree with you the 10 year old was trespassing and who knows what she did to provoke the dogs, so sad given Mr Berry would like to remove them and offer them life in a rural setting. Sadly murdering them is not the answer, sad officials rarely have compassionate rulings

    • And why are they now including the fourth dog, even though it wasn’t included in the original decision? Something sounds a bit fishy to me.

    • To begin with not only did she have permission, the owner actually ASKED her to care for the dogs while he was gone. They knew her as she routinely cared for them when the owner was out of town. The absolutely needed to be put down.

  2. Since the 10yo girldidnothave permission tobe inyard wth the dogs the owner shouldnt bechatged & dogs should NOT be euthanized!Matter of fact the childs father should be charged wth neglect!

  3. This is crap, the girl was there without permission, this is not the dogs fault but yet they are being killed. I feel sorry for girl but she is old enough to know NOT to trespass on someone’s property. Her parents should be keeping an eye on her as well, you don’t let a 10 year old wander alone.

  4. And once again, the dogs get all the blame. This kid did not have permission to be there, no one knows what she did to antagonize the dogs since she has been around them before and all was fine – give these dogs a chance – Mr. Berry needs to appeal and he has made arrangements for the dogs – and as usual, authorities are way too quick to kill animals – funny, these dogs were never dangerous before, and all of a sudden they attack a kid – not sure the whole story is being told.

  5. I don’t know why the girl was in this man’s yard, but she is old enough to know better. Also the 4th dog was not involved, there is NO way this dog should be turned over to be killed. I hope Mr Berry is successful in getting his dog’s death sentence overturned, they don’t deserve this!

  6. private property fuck them assholes ,sorry for the childs injuries but she had to of done something like pull on a tail or something,,do the childs parents believe they should be killed

    • You must be kidding me! Pulled on their tail? You really should investigate the whole story before you start throwing out stupid remarks. ????????‍♀️ A child almost died you moron!

  7. I don’t think any animal should be sentenced to death for protecting their yard when their owner is not there. The child was trespassing. Obviously her parents were not keeping an eye on her.

  8. How does the 10 year old involved feel? Does she understand the seriousness of her part? Did she do anything to cause these dogs to react? Does her father take responsibility for his child’s action to trespass? I understand that this child is probably traumatized and will not trust bigger dogs any time soon. What are her feelings about these dogs being KILLED because she trespassed on her neighbors property with no regard for her own safety???
    I’m not blaming the child……but…I am blaming her father.

    • Good question,, that’s what I was wondering… Plus dogs never left their property,,, she was trespassing! Owner please APPEAL THIS POS DECISION! SAVE YOUR FURBABIES!!
      CHARGE HER FATHER WITH NEGLECT,, SHOULD OF HAD HIS EYES ON HIS 10YEAR OLD DAUGHTER,, PLUS SHE IS OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER!!????ugh,,

  9. This sort of story always makes me see red the young girl did not have permission in being with the dogs in the first place. She was trespassing on someone’s property. The parents should had kept a eye on there daughter. You can’t blame the dogs when they are doing there job FFS. Yes i feel sorry for the girl in what happened to her and i hope that she gets over the attack.

  10. As bad as I feel for this child, and believe me I do understand, but this 10 year old child went over to this guy’s property withought his permission or knowledge, were was the parents of this 10 year old that did not monitor there child and her ware abouts? And why was she not taught you do not go on other people property withought permission. Why isn’t her father or mother being investigated for child neglect? So what I am trying to get at is there are so many moving parts to this machine and one couldn’t have worked with out the other. We will never know what happened in that yard that day, let’s face it how do we know the girl didn’t hit one of them or try and climb on them, kids sometimes can be cruel and sneaky, and I am not saying she was but I am saying we don’t know, so why are these dogs faced with a sentence for there life, I don’t agree with it, the dogs had no history and that should say something right there.

  11. this is so insane!!!!! I feel badly for the child but AGAIN the parents were NOT watching where there 10 year old was….she had no permission and she had been around them many times..so what was the difference here? is the whole story being told? drives me nuts when it comes to kids…they can kick, slap whatever and no matter what its the dogs/cats fault always….why should they be slaughtered if the owner will take them away from the area….why are they being marked “dangerous” that isn’t fair….always ready to SLAUGHTER that’s the humans way and its disgusting…if a kid came on property without permission and my dogs protected there yard or themselves ID BE DAMNED if anyone would slaughter them….when will the parents be held accountable…jesus shes only 10 yet no one watched her…OMG THIS IS A DISGRACE

  12. Relocate the dogs and prosecute the father of the girl for letting her wander and trespass. She should know better.

  13. Why are these dogs being given a life sentence because a CHILD WAS SOMEWHERE SHE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE???? ALSO, the fourth dog was not part of this horrible event….which proves these dogs are being sentenced to death JUST BECAUSE city officials do not like them….. that is NOT right!!!! Klaymath court system you should be ASHAMED and NOT ALLOWED TO DO THIS!!!! This is wrong and cruel on so many levels.

  14. It sounds like the owner is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his dogs secure. I think a suitable arrangement can be reached between everyone.The dogs can be saved and moved elsewhere.

  15. Ok first off this article is so misleading the girl did have permission to be there she was actually dog sitting the dogs, 2 she was returning one to the kennel it had escaped from 3 the dogs half her scalp off, punctured her lung, broke her ribs and she almost died and spent 3 weeks in a Portland hospital. There are text messages between the dad and dog owner asking for his daughter to take care of them, the fourth dog just had a litter of pups that’s why it wasn’t turned over but was indeed part of the pack. The owner of theses dogs keeps them in a kennel that is electrified and is a long haul truck driver. They are not well socialized and have escaped many times. It’s not ok to just move these dogs after showing this type of aggression towards people. The owner obviously doesn’t have the time to properly socialize and train them nor can he make 100 % sure they won’t get out again like they have in the past.

  16. She was asked BY Mr. Berry to care for the dogs while he was gone. The owner is a long haul truck driver and usually asked her to care for them during his prolonged absences. They all 4 had her clothing and hair in their feces. She WILL NEVER grow hair again and just underwent more surgery. They ATE HER alive. They NEED to be put down. These dogs knew her, she helped to raise one of them. They can not be rehabed or trusted. They need to be put down.

      • By reading the reports released by the police and knowing members of her extended family, as this happened in my home town. Alyssa is still in the hospital and just underwent ANOTHER surgery. She will never grow her own hair Again.

      • Tara, ok I will take you at your word BUT please keep in mind that everything you read and hear may not be the full story, more often than not the truth is somewhere in the middle even with police reports. You seem to be fixated on her hair though, who cares about the hair, that can always be taken care of another way.

      • My info came from the reports the police released, and her father. So yeah what I’ve read is EXACTLY what happened. Having grown up in the neighborhood this happened in, I know the area.

      • Don’t believe everything you read in police reports either, I live near Chicago and it’s a common occurrence here. Thank you Barkley’s Mom for shedding more light.

      • As a woman, imagine going through your life with major scarring all over your body, as well as being 100% bald. Imagine that for a second. That’s the life she is facing. She has her wound pump removed tomorrow and hopefully can go home sometime in the near future. She will carry the physical and emotional scars for life. Ske knew, loved and cared for these dogs. They ATE her.

      • I have read several conflicting reports, the girl was playing with the dogs, the girl was taking care of the dogs, the girl’s father had texted the owner and told him the dogs had growled at his daughter and she wouldn’t be able to take care of them anymore, She was only supposed to be giving them water via a hose from outside the fence. The story has changed with each telling of it, and who’s version it is. Somewhere in there lies the truth. Bottom line, were she my child I wouldn’t have allowed her near those dogs without supervision, to play, feed, or whatever she was supposed to do with them. It’s a sad situation and the girl is lucky to be alive. And as per usual it’s the “dog’s” fault for reacting when someone invades their territory, and per Klamath County commissioners, they must pay with their lives!

  17. This is crazy your going to put these animals down for protecting there own property??!! This is bs! So now your dogs are no longer safe behind your own fence protecting what’s there’s, you are basically saying if I put my hand in a fence with protective dogs and they bite it I can press charges or have the animal killed for doing there job! Wake up what message are you sending. I no my dogs are sweet but when I’m not home they are very protective that’s why we have a fence. This is like saying a burglar broke in your home and was mauled but now we need to put the dogs to sleep for defending the home ????Sorry for the girls injuries I have a child her she and she knows better then to trespass
    #freethedogs

  18. Mastiff breeds are known to be very protective and territorial. My mastiff is real sweet and friendly, but don’t enter my home uninvited, even if he knows you. Something must have happened that caused these dogs to attack this girl. I’m sorry the girl was badly hurt and I hope she fully recovers. However, I believe the adults are at fault. First, what parent would allow their 10 year old child care for 4 mastiffs, while the owner is absent? The picture shown above is a French mastiff. An adult FM weighs about 130 plus lbs. One dog probably weighs more than the girl. In fact any adult mastiff would weight more than this girl. Second, mastiffs want to be with their family. They become destructive if the owner or family is often gone for a long time. Mastiff puppies must be socialized at a very early age; otherwise as adults they may not be people, pet or children friendly. Additionally, an unsocialized mastiff can be aggressive and dangerous because of its size. If this is the case with these 4 dogs, the owner has no business asking the girl to care for the dogs while he’s gone.
    The dogs should not be killed because the adults failed to act in a responsible manner, nor should they be killed if the girl is trespassing. I believe an experience dog trainer should evaluate whether the dogs can be re-home to people who are mastiff savvy or to a sanctuary.

    • I am almost 60, We had dogs with “attitude” in our neighborhood. It was understood that you did not go in those yards.The dogs were very territorial about their yards, but children played within feet of those yards with no concerns–none of us even thought of broaching those boundaries….

  19. What set them off? She had played with them before. They had not hurt anyone. Something happened. It’s a real shame she was hurt and they may lose their lives. I hope their owner can get them safely away to WA. Big dogs such as these need room.

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