by Brad Woodard / KHOU 11 News

khou.com

Posted on January 6, 2014 at 7:16 PM

Updated Tuesday, Jan 7 at 7:55 PM

HOUSTON – Authorities have identified the woman Monday killed in a vicious mauling by a pack of pit bull dogs over the weekend in southeast Houston.

According to the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office, Christina Bell Burleson, 43, died after she and two more people were attacked early Sunday.

Her last known address was at the Servants of Christ United Methodist Church in southeast Houston. That’s because she and her husband are homeless.

Burleson had been a member of the parish for nearly ten years and volunteered for its Crossroads Outreach program for the homeless.

“Christine was a wonderful person. She loved animals. She loved people,” Will Reed, pastor, said. “Always spoke to everyone when she saw them. Here in the community everybody knew her. Well liked and well loved in this community.”

Meantime BARC Animal Shelter has impounded a second dog in the case. This one isn’t believed to be a part of the attack, but the owners have surrendered it.

They also surrendered a second dog, a pit bull mix, which is being quarantined because it was involved in the mauling.

“The owners of the animals have received a number of citations both for the conditions in which the animals were being kept, which were deplorable and for allowing the animals to run at large, for not having their city required pet licenses and for not being current on their vaccinations,” Chris Newport, spokesman for BARC, said.

Homicide detectives with the Houston Police Department have been working with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether or not to pursue criminal charges.

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Officials identify woman killed in pit bull attack in SE Houston

Pit bull that killed Christina Burleson and pit bull puppies at dog owner’s home.

American Pit Bull Terrier

*The APBT is of medium intelligence, and it is athletic. They have plenty of energy and exuberance for life. They are affectionate companions are often referred to as a “nanny dog”, which leads many families to believe that they are suitable companions for children. Many can live happily with children and never have an issue, but there are many cases of the family pit bull suddenly attacking or killing a child in the household. The Pit Bull advocacy group Bad Rap recently retracted their original “nanny dog” statements

In North America, from 1982-2013, Pit Bull breeds and mixes have seriously attacked 2,990 humans that resulted in 1,777 maimings and 275 deaths.

POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOG BREEDS

This is a list of dog breeds that have a history of being potentially dangerous to people, especially children. Daxton’s Friends for Canine Education and Awareness understands that any dog has the ability to bite or inflict serious harm to humans. This list consists of several dog breeds that have a higher than average number of recorded human fatalities. Please use extreme caution if you choose to bring one of these breeds into your home. Rental communities and homeowners insurance may restrict many of the dog breeds on this list due to the likelihood of a serious incident.

Pit Bulls, Mastiff, and Rottweiler lead in fatalities and are listed first. The rest of the breeds are listed in alphabetical order:

Pit Bull Terrier Family