Near-fatal attack at Kentucky boarding kennel & alleged mass hoarding case in California spotlight how “rescue” hobby has evolved into big business LOUISVILLE, Kentucky––The two biggest dog stories of the third week in March 2026 riveted attention on a March 21 horrific attack by two XL Bully pit bull variants at Shamrock Acres County […]
Warren Cox: Dean of U.S. humane work
“Everything” about Warren Cox A few weeks ago Warren Cox called, while my wife Beth and I were putting up cat climbing ramps and resting boards in our new back porch “catio,” and asked if we could put together “everything” we had written about him into a little booklet, so that he could show his […]
Predatory pit bulls kill the very young & the old in Michigan & Mississippi
Five-day old victim died in seconds. 75-year-old suffered for five weeks. NOVI, Michigan; OKOLONA, Mississippi––Predatory pit bull behavior was again starkly evident in Novi, Michigan and Okolona, Mississippi on March 17, 2026 and two days earlier, in the mauling deaths of five-day-old Freya French and 75-year-old Cereise Watson. Predators typically attack the youngest and the […]
Louisiana SPCA does what an SPCA should never do: ignores cruelty
The definition of “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” has not changed in more than 200 years NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana–– The term “SPCA,” since the 1824 formation of the London SPCA, renamed the Royal SPCA in 1840, has meant “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.” But perhaps changing times have changed […]
Verdict in long-delayed Elisa Pilarski pit bull death trial not due before June
Charged with manslaughter in the 2019 case, fiancé Christophe Ellul is expected to receive light sentence SOISSONS, France––The legal outcome of the most publicized pit bull attack ever, the November 16, 2019 dismemberment death of 29-year-old Elisa Pilarski, six months pregnant at the time, will for her fiancé and manslaughter defendant Christophe Ellul, 51, remain […]
Bullies at large, breeding, & lax animal control bring 4 deaths, none of owners
Failures of public policy contributed to dog attack deaths of all four victims LOS ANGELES, California; PHOENIX, Arizona; PINE BLUFF, Arkansas; MURPHY, North Carolina––Three victims of fatal dog attacks in three days toward the end of February 2026 and the first reported victim of March 2026 all appear to have been killed by multiple bully […]
Six recent animal advocate deaths of note
New York City veterinarian Ashraf Hussein, Alabama humane officer Mary Stanley Mosely Mansour, California broadcaster Jerry Cesak, sanctuary founder JP Novic, and eagle advocate Sandy Steers, as well as Canadian bee expert Sheila Rafaela Colla Vet died on the job Ashraf Hussein, DVM, 56, died from carbon monoxide poisoning inside the Low Cost Vet Mobile […]
Leo Grillo, 43 years at DELTA Rescue, faces 20 years for alleged kidnap plot
Feds, mass media, & Grillo himself via blogger all have versions of how Southern California no-kill pioneer landed in hot water LOS ANGELES, California–– Leo Grillo, 77, founder of the DELTA Rescue no-kill shelter in Acton, California, “has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with the attempted kidnapping of a former employee […]
How Los Angeles normalized shelter dog attacks, by Ed Boks
What $31.85 million reveals about systemic failure How disclosure failures, shelter metrics, and a reactive approach to public safety turned Los Angeles into a case study in preventable dog attacks –– and what reform could look like. This ANIMALS 24-7 guest column originally appeared as the January 26, 2026 installment of author Ed Boks’ own blog, Animal Politics […]
L.A. Animal Services’ pays $31.85 million to victims of shelter dog attacks
The Los Angeles Animal Services payout for allowing dog attacks since allegedly achieving “no-kill” status in March 2021 could have bought 127,000 dog spays, preventing half a million puppy births LOS ANGELES––Los Angeles Animal Services, for the fourth time in as many years, will be shelling out a seven-figure settlement for injuries resulting from non-disclosure […]