Media Mauls Dogs First, then Snaps Back at ActorThe National Canine Research Council reports that while "Mission Impossible" actor Ving Rhames' dogs are not guilty of killing their caretaker, the media is guilty of creating the news instead of reporting it.
Slanesville, WV (PRWEB ) August 16, 2007 -- The National Canine Research Council (NCRC) reports that within hours after the discovery of the body of Jacob Adams on Ving Rhames' Brentwood, California property, the media was quick to release hundreds of speculative, inaccurate and sensationalized stories proclaiming Mr. Adams was "killed" or "mauled to death" by the dogs. Ironically, some in the media now shamelessly insinuate that Mr. Rhames, the owner of the dogs, is being injudicious in his released statement containing his condolences to the family of Mr. Adams and the preliminary findings of the Los Angeles Coroner's Office. (more...).
When I first saw the news of the "mauling" at CNN, I wondered which types of dogs were implicated. Mastiffs are mentioned generically in different places but the dogs don't appear to be purebred "English Mastiff". As I found more articles, I noted that some reports said the wounds on the man who had reportedly been MAULED to death were
superficial and this was confirmed by the coroner. Curiouser and curiouser! All of which does not add up. Then a lot of the media went silent on this matter. Definitely some weird stuff going on here.
As to the breeds involved, I did run into comments about Presa Canario and Fila in comments and interviews about his dogs, but a
recent blog post at Celebrity Dog Watcher mentions another journal in which is pictured a male "Ambullneo Mastiff" named Samson with some of his puppies, an interview dated back to 1999. So if the sire of some of Ving's dogs is an American Bulldog/Neopolitan Mastiff mix, with no mention of the mother of the litter, if Ving had kept one or more of the babies then it is no wonder that the background of the dogs remain generically reported.
The
National Canine Research Council article in the quote box above, is a must read. As dogfolk know, some of the so-called dog attacks in the news often have elements and circumstances surrounding the attack which are simply not reported. Every case of a dog attack can appear unprovoked with this kind of reporting. Of course, we can't rely on news to give accurate reporting of anything any more. Whether they cover local news, crime, war, dog legislation and anything else, many reporters are now little more than puppets of tabloid style journalism -- follow the money. Where in the world are investigative reporters that know the subject areas that they cover? You really do have to go to specialist journals for that. JQP does not. A steady diet of tabloid style journalism has certainly dumbed down public opinion on many things. Issues of public policy on mandatory spay and neuter among these such as AB 1634 in California!
BTW,
Celebrity Dog Watcher is a fun and interesting blog. Even if you have little interest in the personal lives of celebrities, the pet pictures are often amusing glimpses into elements of JQP attitudes about dogs.
EDIT: 1:30pm- Celebrity Dog Watcher upate links to
this article at People Magazine-
. . .
The actor says he called Los Angeles police and was told there had been a lack of bites on any fatal areas, but detectives were questioning if the dogs had any part in Adams's death.
Once Rhames returned to L.A., he says he contacted Adams's family in Toronto. About a week later, he says, police and the coroner told Rhames they had ruled out the dogs as well as the heart attack as the cause of death.
"There was such a lack of blood at the scene," Rhames explains. "They think possibly an aneurysm in the brain. They're doing a toxicology report. They will know [the results] in six to eight weeks. Closure for me will be when the coroner says what was the cause of death."
. . .
EDIT 2: 8PM Go here for
an analysis of this case at National Canine Research Council
Labels: Animal_Rights, BSL
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