
Ranger the Rottweiler with Stephen Christopher Kachmar.
Three nurses in the victim’s family
(See also Rottweiler killing of seven-year-old brings murder charges in Virginia.)
WAYNESBORO, Virginia––Seven-year-old Olivia Grace Floyd’s mother, Alicia Floyd, 37, has for almost 17 years been a registered nurse at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisburg, Virginia.
Olivia Grace Floyd’s father, Brooks Floyd, 39, is a nurse practitioner in Staunton, Virginia, known on social media for trying to educate anti-vaxxers, COVID-19 denialists, and gun nuts about the realities of public health and safety.
Olivia Grace Floyd’s paternal grandmother, Penny Bashlor, 63, has for more than 23 years been a nursing supervisor at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Olivia Grace Floyd’s paternal grandfather-by-marriage since July 4, 2018, Stephen Christopher Kachmar, 60, owns a four-year-old Rottweiler named Ranger.

Olivia Grace Floyd.
“Nitemare”
Stephen Christopher Kachmar, also known on social media as Chris Nitemare Kachmar, was on January 30, 2022, charged by the Waynesboro, Virginia police department with possession of a dangerous dog.
“The Waynesboro Police Department,” explained a media release, “continues to investigate the death of a 7-year-old juvenile female of Augusta County,” Olivia Grace Floyd, “who was killed in a domestic dog attack on January 29, 2022.
“Waynesboro Police officers responded,” the media release said, to a mid-afternoon call to the Kachmar/Bashlor residence in suburban Waynesboro.

Penny Bashlor & Ranger the Rottweiler.
Adult female also injured
“When officers arrived on scene,” the release continued, “they discovered that a Rottweiler who belonged to the residence attacked the juvenile female. The juvenile female was then transported by ambulance to Augusta Health, where she would later succumb to the injuries sustained in the attack.
“During this attack,” the Waynesboro Police Department said, “an adult female,” who was not named but is believed to have been Penny Bashlor, “also suffered injuries. She was treated for her injuries and released.
“The Rottweiler was subsequently seized by the Waynesboro Police Department for standard quarantine protocol at a local shelter.
“This investigation continues. No further information will be released at this time,” the Waynesboro Police Department media release concluded.

(Beth Clifton collage)
Warned to keep his distance
Wrote Staunton News Leader reporter Brad Zinn, “A man taking a walk in the neighborhood declined to give his name, but said he was aware of the dog in question, and said he’d been warned by a neighbor to keep his distance from the animal.
“The man said the Rottweiler was typically kept in a fenced-in backyard, and said he sometimes worried he would jump the fence.”
Penny Bashlor praised Stephen Kachmar on their 2021 anniversary as “This man who totally gets me.”
Stephen Kachmar, in his Chris Nitemare Kachmar persona, announced his acquisition of Ranger the Rottweiler in 2017.
“My Xmas, Bday gift for the next five years”
“Ranger was born on March 25,” Kachmar told his daughter, Kayleigh Kachmar, calling the Rottweiler “My Xmas, Bday gift for the next five years.”
Penny Bashlor appears to have welcomed Ranger as warmly, posting a photo of herself nuzzling the pup on August 5, 2018.
By then, according to Kayleigh Kachmar on March 24, 2018, Ranger as of his first birthday was already “120 pounds of cuddles.”
But at some point during the next five years, between chasing tennis balls, Ranger allegedly bit two people, according to one Derek Wayne Coffey of Waynesboro in a Facebook posting on the Waynesboro Police Department page.

(Beth Clifton collage)
Body count
Olivia Grace Floyd appears to have been the first U.S. dog attack fatality of 2022. Her death, two days before the end of January 2022, continued a dismal streak that has seen at least one dog attack fatality in every month for at least five years, except for the month of April 2018, when there were no deaths after a month with six and just ahead of a month with five.
Rottweilers participated in killing five of the near-record 55 Americans and one Canadian who died in dog attacks in 2021. Among the more than 100 dogs involved were 65 pit bulls, eight Cane Corsos, eight dogs of other breeds, the five Rottweilers, and at least 14 dogs who were not identified after pack attacks.

(Beth & Merritt Clifton)
The Rottweiler toll of 116 human fatalities since 1982 is exceeded only by the pit bull toll of 561. No other breed type has figured in more than 34 human deaths.
(See Will there be a Tomb of the Unknown Pit Bull Victim? Body count 2021.)
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Prayers for all.
This is all very heartbreaking for many reasons. I personally know, after over 50 yrs of animal rescue, advocate living, AND Human services (ongoing)mission work, that no animal other than human, attacks and kills a human. I have worked with many pit bulls in rescue that had been fed gun powder etc. which causes brain damage and causes them to be out of control and quite vicious. I was once sent to a CHURCH that I found was doing dog fighting for FUND RAISING! I also personally know how very intelligent and sensitive Rotties are. I had one rescued as a pup for 16 yrs. ALL of the attacks and horrible tragedies like this one that took the life of a precious child need to be taken more DEEPLY seriously. What I mean by DEEPLY.to have the humans that were “owners” to understand THEIR role in ALL of this. I personally am wondering if this Rottie was Neutered, which as WE know is so important. Also, what occurred at the time to cause this attack and horrible tragedy. Was the child left alone to run or sadly fall on the dog etc. SOMETHING happened here that had this Rottie show this kind of aggression. Was this canine eating or playing with a toy and the child maybe ran up to the canine? Had this Rottie been left out to stay in the freezing temps we were having at the time? I am sorry to be troubled over this, but something had not gone well for this canine, and I feel this tragedy could have been prevented. These animals are voiceless and choiceless and it is up to US to be genuine caring AND responsible to help prevent negative and tragic things from happening. This is all so heart breaking and troubling. I am going to be praying for ALL involved in this tragedy.
If the dog had been almost any breed other than a Rottweiler, a pit bull, and their closest relatives, the outcome would at worst have been a treatable bite.