UPDATE 2/O8/14: Local media outlet KRON 4 has picked up the story of DE LA CRUZ's at large pit bulls.
UPDATE 2/06/14: A neighbor caught video of COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ's new pit bulls loose in the yard where Hunter Kilbourn and his family lived before they moved. Thankfully Hunter's parents removed him from this awful PTSD inducing nightmare. The people who are now renting that property are not so lucky. The new occupants report they cannot let their little girls play in the backyard because the new pit bulls bark non-stop at the fence line. And the father of the two little girls has encountered the pit bulls loose, in his driveway, barking at him. The horn honking and yelling you hear in the video is the mail carrier refusing to get out of his truck and yelling at DE LA CRUZ's husband RICK to get the maulers back in the house.
Luckily, this was captured on video and will be shown to animal control. Also, RICK is aware that his free ranging maulers were recorded.
UPDATE: an anonymous tipster wanted it to be known that the call to 911 came from Melody Ralls, Hunter's mother, who was not at the scene when the attack happened. Neither owner of the mauling pit bulls called in to 911. Hunter was life flighted to a trauma center and COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ's son was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment of a bite inflicted by his family pit bull.
There are so many horrible pit bull attacks, but some just stick in your mind. In the case of Hunter Kilbourn's horrific attack, the gravity of his attack combined with pit bull owner COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ's reaction stuck with me.
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| Creepy, pensive, sexay and silly Courtney de la Cruz and hubby are still mauling narcissistic sociopaths |
One pit bull ripped off a large portion of his face and the skin on his head and part of his ear. Melody Ralls, Hunter's mom, was next door, heard Hunter's screams, and ran to him. In the immediate aftermath, Hunter told his mother repeatedly that he was afraid he was going to die. He required skin grafts, and sustained permanent nerve damage to his face. He will require continuing surgeries and care which will be provided to him by a Shriners Childrens' Hospital.
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| The mauling pit bulls removed flesh here and his skull was visible |
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| Hunter's mom called this "the good side" |
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| These are skin grafts taken from Hunter's groin. All of this flesh was removed by the mauling pit bulls. Luckily the skin grafts took. |
Two month's progress
In the obligatory "pit bull owner speaks out after the attack"story, the reporter attributes "heartfelt apologies" to COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ, however there is no video of it.
Here are COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ'S own words on camera:
"No words can explain how you feel in a situation like this," pit bull owner Courtney De La Cruz said. (How about: "I'm sorry, its all my fault. I hope Hunter will be OK. I feel terrible because, as I said, it's all my fault.")
DE LA CRUZ, the owner of the mauling pit bulls, did not want to show her face. She says the public ridicule and scorn from neighbors that's directed at her family has been too much to bear after her mauling pit bull was accused of mauling Hunter on Monday.
"I worry about my family's safety, people judging us because of the fact that we're pit bull owners," she said.
Do you see what she did there? First, she identifies herself as a pit bull owner as if that is an inalienable part of her identity like one's race or culture. And then she turned herself into the victim. In her mind, the ridicule and scorn (and i would add fear, loathing, and anger) coming from the victims and other neighbors is a result of the entire neighborhood's prejudice against pit bull owners - not a result of her choices, actions, inactions, and heinous lack of responsibility that led to an ACTUAL MAULING OF A CHILD. She's worried about her family's safety from the angry prejudiced mobs. No mention of her responsibility for an entire neighborhood feeling unsafe around her family or for the horrific injuries and pain she inflicted on Hunter. And we're supposed to care that the mauling pit bulls brought her family great joy.
This story got to me because of COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ'S brazenly stupendous lack of humanity. But it was more than that. As horrific as her attitude and statements were, they had an odd ring of familiarity - I knew I'd read these sentiments before, but I couldn't immediately remember where.
Turns out I should have started my search right at the heart of the big money pit bull "advocacy" and propaganda machine. It was in an article on the Best Friends Animal Society's page, in their pit bull initiatives section - Ledy VanKavage's creation.
The article I recalled describes an "historic" event - the first time ever in Illinois history that a pit bull owner was able to overturn a dangerous dog designation after her pit bull attacked another dog. Ain't that something to celebrate - another aggressive pit bull freed from the cruel confines of a muzzle. The historic event was described as saving the mauler's life even though a dangerous dog designation in Illinois does not lead to the dog being euthanized. The immediate consequence of the dangerous dog designation that most affected this nutter, LYNN PETERSON, was that she'd have to put a muzzle on her mauler when she took it for a walk to protect the neighborhood pets. That didn't set well with LYNN PETERSON even though this small adjustment may have put her neighbors at ease and saved the lives of other pets.
She contacted Ledy VanKavage who got her in touch with a lawyer. But it was oh so much bigger than not wanting to be a good neighbor according to the article, yes there were lofty goals involved in this legal exercise.
Behold the righteousness of the cause:
"it was the right thing to do;"
"the designation wasn't fair"
"the case was legally symbolic"
She wanted to fight against "stereotypes" bred by "a few judgmental neighbors'
and the "lies and myths by a sensationalistic media"
She was to "embark on a turbulent legal and social road in a quest to save her pit bull's life." (remember the pit bull's life was not in jeopardy)
"a story of perseverance to stand up for her dog's good name and the reputation of pit bull terriers"
She hopes she is "an inspiration."
Indeed she was an inspiration to COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ. The "My mauling pit bull and I are victims of prejudice" language is exactly the language COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ used, but DE LA CRUZ took it to the next level and used it to defend human aggressive pit bulls. Ledy would be proud.
At the end of LYNNE PETERSON'S story, LYNNE PETERSON "wins." She gets that dangerous dog designation removed. However, she also so completely alienated herself from her neighbors that she felt she had to move her family out of the entire county to a more "accepting" community (meaning the neighbors were never informed that her pit bull had attacked a pet).
DE LA CRUZ didn't get that "win" after her pit bulls seriously mauled a neighbor child, Hunter Kilbourn, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Ledy VanKavage's blueprint for refusing to accept responsibility or be a good neighbor or be a decent human being was followed by nutter DE LA CRUZ as well. She appealed the ruling that the pit bulls be euthanized not minding one iota the additional stress and trauma fighting for the lives of her maulers would put on Hunter Kilbourn's family.
When she couldn't save both mauling pit bulls by claiming, contrary to Hunter's testimony, that Hunter provoked the attack, she tried to save one of the mauling pit bulls by claiming, contrary to Hunter's testimony and forensic evidence, that one of the mauling pit bulls did not participate in the attack. Thankfully the judges in this decision didn't buy one bit of COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ'S fabrications and the mauling pits were ultimately euthanized.
Evidently unsatisfied with the amount of hurt and trauma she had already heaped on Hunter and his family, she went out and got some more pit bull puppies. It wasn't enough to maul Hunter, leave his family with medical costs, blame him for his own mauling in an attempt to get her maulers back, she had to traumatize him with more pit bulls in the neighborhood. Hunter's family, who had planned to move eventually, were forced by these incidents to quickly find a new home and neighborhood and get Hunter away from the toxic atmosphere that was giving Hunter nightmares and causing him anxiety.
Sadly, other neighbors will be subjected to DE LA CRUZ's stupendous sociopathy until her mauling pit bulls maul again. According to local law, she won't lose the privilege of owning dogs until she allows two heinous attacks, and then only for 3 to 5 years.
COURTNEY DE LA CRUZ' horrific attitude, that she shared without fear or shame, has been cultured and nurtured by the pit bull propaganda machine. The pit bull propaganda machine doesn't create narcissistic and sociopathic pit bull owners, they embolden narcissistic, sociopathic pit bull owners to publicly reveal their mental illness and "make a stand" for their narcissistic and sociopathic pit bull owning pursuits, in their turn inspiring the next mauling pit bull owner to follow suit.
The upside to this story - Hunter's family and friends and community came together and worked hard and supported this family in an unbelievable way. Hunter's future surgeries and continuing care will be taken care of by Shriners Hospital
Benefits and fundraisers, Gifts and Support:
HS ball player Lucas Halstead and the Power Showcase
McGah's Pub & Piano Bar
Contra Costa Cinemas
Local Moose Lodge
Great Clips
Kinder's Meats Deli BBQ - all 7 locations
Origami Owl Custom Jewelry
Buffalo Wild Wings in Tracy, Stockton, Brentwood and Modesto
Baby Beau Foundation
Mountain Mikes Pizza in Martinez
Many friends & supporters
Inside Bay Area for covering Hunter's story
East County Today for covering Hunter's story
Contra Costa First Responders
Sarah Brewer
Rickey Lee of Diablo Ink
WWE
Oakland A's
Josh Reddick
San Francisco's 49ers
Lego corporation
San Jose Sharks
Kaylie's Candlelight Vigil
classmates & team mates
More details at Hunter Kilbourn's Recovery facebook page
First Pit Bull in Illinois to have dangerous dog designation overturned
Boy attacked by pit bulls faces multiple surgeries
Owner of pit bull that mauled Antioch boy speaks out
