Pit Bull Owner Gets A 15-Year Jail Sentence For Mauling Of Woman And It’s Still Not Enough

The owner of four pit bulls in California has been handed a 15-year prison sentence for his conviction of second-degree murder after his dogs mauled 63-year old Pamela Devitt to death. The dogs jumped a fence and attacked this poor woman to the tune of over 150 bites and a severed arm. She died at the scene of blood loss. I’m glad this pit bull owner gets a 15-year jail sentence but for this crime, he should be serving life in prison.

According to WTNH News, dog owner Alex Jackson had repeatedly ignored complaints from neighbors about his dogs and the dangers they posed. He was arrested when police officers searching for the dogs discovered a marijuana-growing operation in his house. Clearly, these dogs were trained to be vicious to protect the product for this piece of pond scum. The fact that people expressed their concerns and he ignored them to further his own interests at the risk of others means he deserves far more than the 15 years he got:

In Jackson’s case and others like it, there was a record of complaints that the dogs were dangerous.

”His actions in this case show that he has a nearly psychopathic disregard for the lives and well-being of others,” Deputy District Attorney Ryan Williams said of Jackson in his sentencing memo.

The Devitts bypassed Jackson’s house by a quarter-mile because the racket from the dogs interrupted the peacefulness of their walk, but they had never had an incident with the animals.

But nine other witnesses testified about frightening encounters. One equestrian had offered free fencing to Jackson, but he did not accept the help.

 

I know pit bulls have a bad reputation for being vicious and violent but obviously, Jackson went out of his way to make these dogs a menace to the neighborhood. Someone offered him free fencing and he turned it down? I understand that he wanted his pets but his right to own these vicious animals and have then enclosed by a fence they are able to easily jump over is trumped by the desire of his neighbors to stay safe.

I hope this case is a wake-up call for other pit bull owners and the owners of any dogs, really- it is up to the owner to keep everyone else safe from their dog. This is for the sake of their neighbors and also, the sake of the dogs. According to the article, the dogs had to be put down. Of course that was the right thing to do in this situation but if Jackson loved his pets like he claimed he did this never would have happened in the first place. I own a 20-lb. terrier but even he is never off-leash and we take every precaution to be sure he is never in a position to want to defend himself by snapping or biting. That is the bare minimum that the owners of dogs of any breed should be doing. Jackson should be in prison for life but I hope that at least the fact that he is doing any prison time serves as a warning for other dog owners like him. I hate to read that an innocent life is ended because of the irresponsibility of another.

(Image: David Robert Perez/Shutterstock)