Police say pit bulls who allegedly mauled their owner were neglected

Countless inspiring stories of rescue, friendship, and love humans and their best friend, the dog, have already been written. While dogs are among, if not the most, tamed animals, they are still beasts who have beastly instincts. These instincts can kick in if we neglect them and treat them without respect. This gruesome story from Virginia, USA is a gruesome reminder that we should always remember to treat animals correctly.

Bethany Stephens was a loving mother to two pit bulls, Tonka and Pac-Man. Her Facebook account was filled with pictures of her cuddling dogs, The 22-year-old woman treated Tonka and Pac-Man like kings in their household.

But when Bethany was going through a rough divorce, she handed both dogs to her father, John. Sgt. Mike Blackwood from the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office stated that John didn’t take care of the dogs because he didn’t see them as his responsibility. This change in lifestyle and attention caused what they called a “negative scenario.”

Certified dog trainer Valerie Paul explained the scenario as:

“The breed in and of itself is a high energy breed, they like to have a lot of structure and a lot of exercise, so by keeping them in a pin, alone, under socialized, away from people, that energy is just building up and building up and building up and that’s when you start to see dogs fighting more regularly, that’s when you start to see more negative scenarios.“

Local authorities ruled out foul play due to the forensic reports saying that it was a relatively small animal that caused the bite marks and scratches. Goochland County Sheriff James Agnew said:

“There was no evidence of any larger animal there. The medical examiner made it pretty clear that it was not a large animal because the bite wounds didn’t puncture her skull. There were also scratch marks consistent with a smaller animal than something like a bear.“

Tonka and Pac-Man have been euthanized with the family consent while other family friends believe that the dogs were innocent. Agnew defended the euthanization saying that it was all for the safety of the community.

“What I observed personally, it was in the community’s best interest. Once a dog tastes human flesh it is not safe to have that dog around humans.“

Do you think Bethany’s murder was done by her dogs? Does this reinforce the stereotype of pit bulls being dangerous dogs? Share your thoughts, reactions, and opinions in the comments section below!