Pit Bull Stabbed To Death In GA PetSmart

Clara. Courtesy of Clicks for Clara Facebook.
Clara. Courtesy of Clicks for Clara Facebook.

A Georgia man may possibly be in hot water after stabbing and ultimately killing a pit bull in a PetSmart?at the end of August.

PetSmart was holding one of its many adoption events in conjunction with the Newnan-Coweta Humane Society in Newnan, Georgia.?According to WESH?Orlando, Clara, a white and black spotted pit bull, was taken to the PetSmart to meet a potential adopter.


A volunteer was walking Clara around?on a leash outside the store when she broke loose and ran back into the store.?Police have stated that Clara went up to a Yorkshire terrier and began to sniff the animal and pull at its ear. This is when the owner of the terrier, Craig Emory Hayes, began to kick the pit bull and yell for help. After less than a minute, he took his pocket knife out and stabbed the dog three times in the neck.

Witnesses at the scene said the scene was grisly and that blood was everywhere.

Mike Wohler, a witness:

“When I rounded the corner, I seen blood all over the floor, and I seen the pit bull have the other dog by the back of the neck. It had a hold of the little dog, but it wasn’t biting or doing any type of aggressive movement as in it wasn’t thrashing around, shaking his head…it’s like they were in pause.”

Teresa Reeves, Wohler’s fiance:

“It is the worst thing I’ve ever seen. We heard screaming at the front of the store and went running to see what was happening. The pit bull had the smaller dog at the back of the neck holding the loose skin and fur there.”

Wohler also shared that he put his hand in the pit bull’s mouth, and she wasn’t biting “that hard.” According to First Coast News, he was able to pull?the dogs apart, and PetSmart employees reacted by spraying a mace-like spray and?blowing an air horn which are typically used in situations like this in the store.

Around 30 people, including children, were in the store and witnessed the scene. According to WESH Orlando, several of these witnesses said the stabbing was unnecessary.

Hayes contends that he only defended his terrier like he would his child. He also shared that he was afraid the pit bull would attack him and his child that was with him in the store, who also witnessed the stabbing.

However, Wohler stated a differing opinion and shared that Hayes stabbed the pit bull after the dogs were pulled apart.

“So the whole time that was going on, the guy is screaming ‘effing pit bull this, ‘effing pit bull that. I hate these dogs. I don’t know why they are even allowed around anymore… I understand he would want to protect his dog, but there are so many other ways to break up a dog fight than stabbing one in front of a bunch of kids and women in a pet store during an adoption day.”

Due to her injuries, the shelter was forced to euthanize Clara. Police are currently investigating, and charges may be pending depending on the outcome of the investigation.


As an avid pit bull lover and owner, I admit completely I am biased. However, I can understand they can look intimidating, and I know the reputation they have unfairly earned. The whole reason I was introduced to pit bulls stems from my mother wanting a “big scary dog” after?she woke up to a man crawling in her bedroom during a home invasion. It was either get her a dog or get her a gun, and we all agreed that was the last thing my mother needed (including the sheriff). When she saw a picture of a blue American Pit Bull Terrier, she said that was the scariest one, and that’s what she got. Although people refuse to get out of their vehicles now in her?yard if they aren’t familiar with her dogs, they would only be guilty of begging for their stomachs to be scratched.

I totally get wanting to defend your dog and child. My son will always come before an animal. But before condemning this man or condemning the dog, I’d really like to see some video footage from the store. I’m sure they would have cameras?considering it’s a major business. Anyone familiar with dog behavior could probably tell whether Clara was acting aggressive towards the Yorkshire terrier from a video. I don’t believe a shelter would take any aggressive animal to an adoption event in the public, so I’m having a hard time believing she was being overtly aggressive, but again, I want to see video footage to be fair.

Now, time for shameless sharing of pit bull pictures.

Lil' Bobo doing one of his favorite things: riding in the car with me! No, I was not driving while trying to take this picture. I parked!
Lil’ Bobo doing one of his favorite things: riding in the car! No, I was not driving while trying to take this picture. I parked!

 

Aggressive and dangerous? He's just happy he's in the air conditioning finally.
Aggressive and dangerous? He’s just happy he’s in the air conditioning finally.

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lizLiz Lee considers herself an uppity Southern woman and hails from the swamps of South Georgia. She has all her teeth and knows how to spell fairly well. She graduated high school and has some college learnin?. She is a wife to a man that ain?t her cousin, mother of one human child, mother to one furry American Pit Bull Terrier, and also your typical everyday Wonder Woman. When she hangs up her cape, you can find her curled up in her office sewing while gossiping, writing, playing World of Warcraft, or practicing banjo in hopes of being the greatest at pickin? and a grinnin?. You can follow her on Facebook to see what she is up to. She also has a Twitter she can’t figure out how to use and is working on a website at this time.