Anthony Riggs (57) – Killed By A Rottweiler He Adopted Earlier That Day (Madison County, TN)


2016-01-02_15h06_36According to the Sheriff’s Office, the investigation determined that Anthony Riggs, 57, was killed by his newly adopted Rottweiler.

The Jackson Sun | jacksonsun.com
November 13, 2015
Facebook commenter and witness Teresa Sanchez wrote: “He wasn’t growling or showing teeth, he just bit us like he did it all the time or something. It was unreal what that dog did and he should have NEVER been adopted out period.”

Madison Co. man killed in dog attack

2015-anthony-riggs-fatal-rottweiler-attackThe Jackson Sun – 12:13 p.m. CST November 13, 2015

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office responded about 3:30 p.m. Thursday to a call concerning a dog attack in the 2200 block of Highway 70 East.

According to a news release, the investigation revealed that Anthony Riggs, 57, was killed by his newly adopted Rottweiler.

Deputies found Riggs on the floor and unresponsive, the Sheriff’s Office said. Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead at the scene. The dog had to be put down on site.

http://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/local/2015/11/13/madison-co-man-killed-dog-attack/75706936/


Man killed by dog ‘loved animals’

635832077883428006-IMG-0560KATHERINE BURGESS, [email protected] – 10:49 p.m. CST November 15, 2015

Anthony Riggs, who was killed last week by his newly adopted dog, was a good man who loved animals and was loved by them, according to his ex-wife.

“He never hesitated to be with dogs,” said Adrienne Riggs, Anthony’s ex-wife. “Sometimes I thought he related to dogs better than to people.”

Adrienne said Riggs left behind two children, their son Thomas Riggs, 20, and Matthew Riggs, 32.

During her marriage with Anthony, they owned many dogs, including a Rottweiler, a Doberman, a wolf-mix and more, Adrienne said.

Anthony Riggs, 57, adopted a 5-year-old male Rottweiler on Thursday from Jackson-Madison County Rabies Control, which is the county-run animal control facility, according to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The dog attacked and killed him later that same day, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Anthony had brought the Rottweiler to show Thomas around 10:30 Thursday morning, Adrienne said. Father and son had made plans for the holidays, hugged and said they loved each other.

At about 3:30 that afternoon, Madison County sheriff’s deputies responded to the call about the dog attack in the 2200 block of Highway 70 East. Deputies found Riggs on the floor and Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead at the scene, according to Tom Mapes, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

Mapes said Kathy Riggs, Riggs’ wife, called her husband from work at around 1 p.m., but did not get an answer. When she came home with a coworker, she found her husband dead, Mapes said.

Read more: http://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/local/2015/11/15/man-killed-dog-loved-animals/75840858/


2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Newly Adopted Rottweiler Kills Owner in Madison County, Tennessee

adopted-rottweiler-killed-anthony-riggs-jrc-1DogsBite.org reports

Outdated Shelter Policy

Rabies Control does no evaluation or assessment testing at all. Rabies Control releases animals unaltered and unvaccinated too.1 “Vaccinations and spaying or neutering are arranged by the owner after adoption,” according to Tedford. This is untrue in other states, mandated either by state law or county policies. The current Tennessee law is many years out of date. Tedford even stated that she hoped this deadly attack would not stop people from adopting at the facility!

The director of the county health department is asking the public to accept the risk of death after admitting they have no evaluation policy.

What more could stop people from losing faith in a public pound than adopting out a dangerous breed with an unknown history, with no evaluation or testing, that in 3-hours kills its new owner? State-of-the-art temperament tests are not “science,” and they do not measure unpredictable aggression. When administered properly, however, they can provide insights into the dog’s behavior. Temperament tests are the very least a county shelter can do to protect public safety.

Read more: https://blog.dogsbite.org/2015/11/2015-dog-bite-fatality-newly-adopted-rottweiler-kills-man.html


Rottweiler

Rott 1Rottweilers originate from Germany and are descendants of Mastiff-type dogs, sharing many of the traits and genetics of that canine lineage.  Most likely the Italian Mastiff was spread by the Roman legion as the army invaded Europe around AD 70. Rottweilers are one of the oldest herding and guard dogs and are thought to be descendants of ancient Roman drover dogs. They performed as excellent herders due to their eagerness to control and intimidate cattle. They were once referred to as “Rottweiler butchers’ dogs” because they often pulled carts with butchered meat to market in “Rottweiler”, which was a popular and important trade center. The Rottweiler population dramatically decreased when the railroads were built and the need for them diminished.  By WWI and WWI, the need for the Rottweiler increased due to their use as messengers, watchdogs, and guard dogs.

In North America from 1982-2014, Rottweilers were responsible for 535 attacks on humans, resulting in 85 deaths. Rottweiler mixes were responsible for 30 attacks on humans, resulting in 4 deaths.

Click here to learn more about the Rottweiler


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:

potentially-dangerous-dog-300x300Pit Bull Terrier Family

Mastiffs

Rottweiler

Akita

Boxer

Alaskan Malamute

Chow Chow

Doberman Pinscher

German Shepherd

Shar Pei

Siberian Husky

Wolf Hybrid


Featured Pages:


2015 Dog Bite Related Fatalities in the U.S.

Updated after each fatality following fact finding research on Protect Children From Pit Bulls & Other Dangerous Dogs on Facebook

10547672_495368667233242_7010835384586526883_n35 Dog Bite Related Fatality
by Breed.
27 by Pit Bull/Pit Bull Mix
2 by Rottweiler
1 by Golden/mixed breed
1 by American bulldog, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Labrador mix
4 Unknown/Pending

By Age :
14 Children
22 Adult

By State :

NM – 1 death
MD – 1 death
FL – 3 death
IA – 1 death
AR – 1 death
PA – 1 death
W. VA – 1 death
TX – 5 death
SD – 1 death
AR – 1 death
GA – 1 death
NV – 1 death
IL – 1 death
OK – 3 death
NC – 2 death
OH – 1 death
SC – 1 death
AL – 1 death
CA – 3 death
WV – 1 death
NY – 2 death
TN – 1 death
MI – 2 death

Names and ages of the deceased:

Unidentified Native American – about 40 y,o. – Gallup, NM – Pack of Feral Dogs [1.2.15]

Eugene W. Smith – 87- Frederick, MD – 1 Pit Bull [1.7.15]

Declin Moss – 18 months – Brooksville, FL – 2 Pit Bulls [1.19.15]

Malaki Mildward – 7yrs old – College Springs, IA – 2 Pit Bull/Bull Dog Mix [1.22.15]

Fredrick Crutchfield – 63 yrs old – Johnson county, AR – Pit Bull [ 2.4.15]

TayLynn DeVaughn – 2 yrs old – Pittsburgh, PA – Pit Bull [2.22.15]

Roy Higgenbotham – 62 yrs old – WHEELING, W.Va. – Pit Bull [3.8.15]

Betty Wood – 78 yrs old – SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX – Rottweiler [3.12.15]

Julia Charging Whirlwind – 49 yrs old – WHITE RIVER, SD – Pending [3.14.15]

Detrick Johnson – 36 yrs old – JEFFERSON COUNTY, AR – 7 Pit Bulls [3.21.15]

Neta Lee Adams – 81 yrs old – WASHINGTON, GA – Pending [3.31.15]

Kenneth Ford – 79 yrs old – NYE COUNTY, NV – Pit Bulls [4.14.15]

Brayden Wilson – 2 months old – Dallas, TX – Pit Bull [4.19.15]

Gaege Anthony Ramirez – 7 yrs old – NEW BRAUNFELS, TX – Pending [5.2.15]

James W. Nevils III – 5 yrs old – Chicago, IL – Pit Bull – [5.25.15]

Jordon Tyson Collins – 3 yrs old – Lawton, OK – Pit Bull – [6.28.15]

Norberto Legarda – 83 yrs old – Pecos, TX – Pit Bulls – [7.2.15]

Joshua Phillip Strother – 6 yrs old – Hendersonville, NC – Pit Bull – [7.7.15]

Annie L. Williams – 71 yrs old – Shaker Heights, OH – Pit Bull – [7.12.15]

Carolyn Lamp – 67 yrs old – COWETA, Ok – 3 Pit Bull/1 Rottweiler – [7.24.15]

Porsche Nicole Cartee – 25 yrs old – SPARTANBURG, SC – Pit Bull – [8.22.15]

Cathy Wheatcraft – 48 yrs old – DAVIE COUNTY, N.C. – Pit Bull – [8.24.15]

Barbara McCormick – 65 yrs old – Autauga County , AL – Golden/Mix – [8.2.15]

Emilio Rios Sr – 65 yrs old – Riverside County, CA. Pit Bulls – [8.8.15]

Carmen Reigada – 91 yrs old – Miami, FL. – American bulldog,Rhodesian Ridgeback, Labrador mix – [9.22.15]

Lamarkus Hakeem Hicks – 2 yrs old – Martinsburg, WV – Pit Bull – [9.28.15]

Edgar Brown – 60 yrs old – OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. – Pit Bulls – [10.16.15]

Tanner Smith – 5 yrs old – Vidor, TX – Pit Bulls – [10.19.15]

Amiyah Dunston – 9 yrs old – Elmont, NY – Pit Bull – [11.8.15]

Anthony Riggs – 57 yrs old – Madison County ,TN – Rottweiler – [11.12.15]

Carter Hartle – 11 months old – MARSHALL, NY – Pit Bull – [11.15.15]

Xavier Strickland – 4 yrs old – Detroit, MI – Pit Bulls – [12.2.15]

Rebecca Lillian-Kay Hardy – 22 yrs old – Port Huron, MI – Pit Bull, Husky-mix – [12.3.15]

Maria Torres – 57 yrs old – Gridley, CA – Pit Bulls – [12.16.15]

Nyjah Espinosa – 2 yrs old – Miami-Dade, Fl – Pit Bull Type (American Bulldog) – [12.20.15]

On average in 2015 someone was killed by a pit bull every 13 days. Some of these pit bull attacks were from the family dog that was well trained and had never shown signs of aggression before. The only common factor in these severe and often fatal attacks is not abuse or lack of training, it is breed. Choose the breed of dog you trust the lives of your loved ones with wisely.