Original Story: Freep.com
One of two dogs that fatally mauled a Livonia man this week as he jogged along a road in southern Lapeer County had been involved in at least one prior attack, according to a woman who said she sued the owners after being bitten two years ago.
Craig Sytsma, 46, died Wednesday evening after he was attacked by a pair of Cane Corsos — an exotic breed of dogs bred to hunt wild boar in their native Italy — along a quiet, dirt road in rural Metamora Township, just north of the Oakland County line.
“He was jogging, doing what everybody else does out there, running and riding bikes,” said Metamora Township Police Officer Sean Leathers, who was one of the first on the scene.
Sytsma, a divorced father of three, was unconscious and undergoing CPR when Leathers arrived. He died of his injuries at a local hospital, police said.
Oxford resident April Smith said she was attacked in 2012 by one of the dogs and is horrified that the owner is still in possession of the dogs.
“It’s just crazy to me,” Smith said. “Animal control should have done something. It should have never gone this far. The fact this has led to a death, it’s sickening.”
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Sytsma worked for Eltro Services in nearby Oxford in northern Oakland County and had apparently decided to jog after leaving work.
Cane Corsos are an Italian mastiff-type breed that the American Kennel Club says were property watchdogs that hunted wild boar in their native country. Their name derives from the Latin “Cohors,” meaning guardian or protector, according to information on the club’s website.
The dogs, which are younger than 5 years old, are quarantined at the Lapeer County Animal Shelter while the investigation continues. Lapeer County Sheriff’s Detective Jason Parks said the dogs were brought in by their owner, a 45-year-old man, and authorities will seek to have the dogs destroyed if he relinquishes his rights to them or they will take the matter to court if he fights to keep them. Parks said it would be in the public’s best interest to destroy the dogs, given the nature of the attack.
No decision has been made on criminal charges, but the Lapeer County Prosecutor’s Office is involved, and the owner has retained an attorney. The owner could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.
Under Michigan law, a person may be charged with involuntary manslaughter if he or she owns a dog involved in a fatal attack on a human. In 2008, a Livingston County woman was sentenced to 3½ years in prison after her American bulldogs mauled to death a neighbor man and a woman who was jogging along the road.
The Cane Corsos involved in this week’s attack were described by Parks as black and brindle in color, well-muscled and aggressive. Cane Corsos typically weigh 90-110 pounds, Parks said, noting that the dogs involved in the attack appear to be of average weight for the breed.
“They definitely react when people are inside the room. … They’re aggressive dogs,” Parks said.
Katherine Houpt, the principal consultant of the Animal Behavior Consultants of Northern Michigan and a board-certified American College of Veterinary Behaviorist, said aggressive behavior among Cane Corsos is not uncommon.
“They are banned in some countries, like England,” Houpt said. “I don’t think they’re known for attacking familiar people as much as unfamiliar people. These dogs were obviously not under control.”
Houpt said experts recommend that only someone who has a great sense of responsibility should own a dog of this breed.
“You have to wonder why someone would get a dog who is known to be so aggressive,” she said.
The dogs were apparently running free on the 5500 block of Thomas Road where the attack took place. Neighbors fired shots into the air to try to scare the dogs off the jogger.
Afterward, the dogs retreated to their owner’s home, where there is at least one other dog and an unknown number of puppies, although Parks said authorities do not know the breed.
Authorities have been called to the area at least twice for dog bites in the past, with one incident happening in 2013, Parks said. He did not have information about the result of the calls.
Smith said she and her sister were walking two dogs in the 5500 block of Thomas Road in May 2012 when she was attacked by one of the Cane Corsos.
“When I was attacked, I didn’t even see it running up to us until it was directly behind me with its teeth out and growling viciously. We were about three houses past the yard the dog lives in, so he ran 50 yards to catch up to us. He tore my leg in three different places and I had to get medical attention. There was a lot of bloodshed and it was very severe. I had bruising for months and had to endure physical therapy. This caused me a lot pain.”
Smith said the attack was stopped by the owner’s son who was around 14 or 15 at the time.
“He called the dog and it came off of me,” she said. “Obviously it’s very territorial.”
She said she filed a lawsuit against the owners, which has been settled. She said she was represented by Sam Bernstein’s law office but declined to give out any more details. She said the owners have no fence around their house, which was one of the stipulations in the lawsuit.
“I cannot believe this happened to someone,” Smith said. “I’m not mad at the dogs, I’m so upset with the owners. I thought something would be done with these dogs, but nothing was done. Nothing was ever done. Those dogs are vicious. It’s not a joke.”
Parks said authorities have not been able find anyone who recalls another fatal attack on a human by an animal in Lapeer County in at least 50 years.
“It’s something that is out of the norm, and it’s something you’d hope would never happen,” Parks said.
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