THIS IS ABOUT A BABY!” a friend wrote on Jeff’s timeline

“THIS IS ABOUT A BABY!” a friend wrote on Jeff’s timeline. “Stop posting picts of pits and babies!

The next day, the media began copying parts of his postings and placing them into news articles, “Father of boy killed by pit bull attack shares grief.” This caused the “invasion” by breed advocates to intensify further. Close friends and family members posted more messages telling them to “BACK OFF!” At this stage, family members were using Jeff’s timeline to get information out to people about where to send flowers and cards, which was the Monroe Funeral Home.

While bombardment tactics are common in “mauling threads” — comment sections following a pit bull attack news story — harassing the father of a deceased child on his own Facebook timeline is not. At one point on March 7th, Hannah Hoyt begins arguing with Jeff’s wife, telling her, “I am very sorry for your loss, BUT … it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s the owner.” Hoyt continues to taunt and antagonize Kim even after Kim states multiple times to stop and “leave us alone.”

Readers of this website already know about the multiple studies regarding owners of vicious dogs, which characterize these owners as antisocial and deviant. In the case of Jeff, many of these breed advocates lacked all social boundaries, even when confronted directly by one of the boy’s parents. Armed with narcissism and an “impoverished conscience,” pit bull advocates continued swarming and flogging Jeff’s Facebook page in the aftermath of his son’s horrific death.

Susan did not escape similar harassment. Pit bull advocates immediately lined up to prove she was a “bad owner” who “abused her dogs” in order to justify the unprovoked, prolonged attack that left an innocent baby dead. On June 14th, over three months after the attack, Jeff commented on a Brew City Bully Club post (a meme glorifying pit bulls). He quickly learned that Michelle Serocki, who runs the group, secretly private messaged his friend who was commenting beside him.

Serocki wrote to Jeff’s friend stating, “The dogs that did this were not well cared for though. I saw them and they were neglected – in my professional opionion almost criminally. You and I can have different opinions on how to care for dogs – but by social and veterinary standards these dogs were neglected.” Zealous breed advocates lie and use “perceived expert” tactics all the time. Serocki’s deceitful method, however, sheds new light on the “organized” pro-pit bull effort.

Via a private message, Serocki flat out lied under the auspices of “quasi-credentials” to blame Susan and change the mind of Jeff’s friend.

When Jeff learned about the message from Serocki, he called her out in a new comment: “Detective Michelle Serocki on the case … pay attention cause this is not what the real detective told me … maybe we should reopen the case?” Jeff added: “there was a reason no charges were brought … there was no history of abuse or neglect.” He then suggested that Susan join the discussion, the dogs’ owner and the “only witness to my son’s murder … Let’s do that, shall we?”

Serocki never responded to Jeff’s invitation. See private message conversation in full.

While Susan was sitting in the ambulance — still in the driveway of her home — she signed the surrender forms allowing authorities to take her dogs. She wanted nothing more to do with the pit bulls she had raised from babies. The two dogs were taken to a private veterinarian and put down in a matter of hours. Susan was still in the emergency room at Mercy when she was told by a police officer that the dogs had been euthanized. Serocki never laid eyes on those pit bulls.10

Last year in Milwaukee, a pit bull jumped from a second story balcony to attack another pit bull being walked by its owners (See: Aerial-attacking pit bull). The 55-year old male owner intervened to save his dog and became the next victim. The man was hospitalized with serious injuries. “Detective” Michelle Serocki became a “safety” expert in this article essentially saying the man should have just taken “some deep breaths” and “not screamed” during this frenzied attack.

“In this case, onlookers had to literally ram a moving car into the dog in order to break the victim free.” (Blogs.citypages.com)

This was a shocking attack to this community. Fox 6 Now turned to alleged “pit bull expert,” Michelle Serocki, who is nothing more than a self-proclaimed pit bull rescuer, to frame this attack to the whole community, specifically from a safety perspective? Earth to Fox 6 Now: There is no safety protocol for an aerial-attacking pit bull. Their portrayal of Serocki as a pit bull and safety expert is embarrassing and unbelievably deflected the reality of this obscene attack.

Both Jeff and Susan expect more harassment, but it won’t stop either of them from warning people about the myth that forever destroyed parts of their lives. As Jeff stated in the WISN interview, “This could easily be your son or daughter too.” He does not want any parent to experience a similar tragedy first hand and only then realize the myth is sheer propaganda, designed solely to protect a dog breed with an unmatched 30-year track record of mauling, maiming and killing.

Zero Margin of Error Rule

On Father’s Day, another tirade unfolded on Jeff’s timeline. In this case, the “So sorry for your loss … BUT” post related to the perfect dog owner concept or what DogsBite.org calls the “zero margin of error” rule for pit bull owners. If only Susan had “exactly” followed the rules set forth by the boy’s parents, Dax would still be alive. Susan was imperfect on March 6th and broke the “zero margin of error” rule for pit bull owners by carrying Dax outside while letting the dogs into the run.

If there had been two poodles in the run that day instead of pit bulls, would the result have been the same?

Many pit bull owners — particularly those duped by the myth, “It’s all how you raise them” — are unaware of this rule until it is too late. The margin of error between humans and normal dog breeds is a vast meadow. Humans and dogs can make small, medium and large errors within this area without significant repercussions. Pit bull owners, however, have “zero margin of error” — one simple error or oversight can result in a catastrophic or fatal pit bull mauling.

Perfect dog owners are similar to perfect parents — both are nonexistent. There are strengths and weaknesses in each role, even average and great, but never perfection. Susan did not leave this child unattended on that day, which was the other option, to leave Dax in a room in the house alone while the dogs took a bathroom break. Zealous pit bull advocates would have the public believe that perfect dog owners and the “zero margin of error” rule are reasonable.

Only pit bull experts, a selection of zealous pit bull owners and dogfighters — real knowers of the breed — understand the “zero margin of error” rule. The broader category of pit bull owners, such as what Susan falls within, is either in denial of the rule or has no idea of its existence. Duped by the pervasive myth, “It’s all how you raise them,” along with similar myths, “It’s the owner” and “All dogs are the same,” how would the average pit bull owner even know about this rule?

Failure to Refute Pervasive Myths

Myth pushers: Best Friends (no-kill), ASPCA (animal welfare) and Cesar Milan (demigod).

The idea that “the owner made the dog violent, not the breed” has been sucked into the American psyche by all of these forces.

The fact is, everything is in place to support the denial of this dog breed’s deadly traits, from local and national humane andveterinarian groups, up to the Centers for Disease and Control, which deserted the dangerous breed issue in 1998.11 Pit bulls have since killed over 220 Americans. None of these institutions refute the myths spread by zealous advocates that saturate the Internet and people’s lives. As Jeff recently stated in an email: “I honestly believed, it’s all how you raise them.”

Anywhere the average person turns, false myths about pit bulls prevail. For instance, within the top five funded humane groups, Best Friends Animal Society claims that pit bulls are “just like any other dogs, but they’ve been given a bad rap.” The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) admits the dog-aggression heritage of the breed, but holds to the false claim that pit bulls were “nursemaid” dogs, a myth that kills innocent children every year.

The largest humane group, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), is bitterly fighting the Tracey v. Solesky ruling, which declared pit bulls “inherently dangerous,” and attached strict liability when the breed attacks (See: HSUS related fact sheet and the deconstruction of it). The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is just as deceitful: “the owner’s behavior as the underlying causal factor,” states the group about severe and fatal attacks on its website.12

If a vet or member of the HSUS tells you, “Responsible ownership is all it takes,” why would the average person disbelieve them?

The idea that “the owner made the dog violent, not the breed” has been sucked into the American psyche by all of these forces. Mega star Cesar Milan and television pump out the same rhetoric. Tune into Animal Planet to watch Pit Boss, fighting “pit bull stereotypes,” and Pit Bulls and Parolees, whose host Tia Torres is driven to save the “most maligned type of dog” and who fell in love with a man jailed for attempting to murder two Orange County sheriff’s deputies.13

What about the print medium? See a recent July Time magazine feature article: “The Great Pit Bull Makeover” with gagging imagery of so-called gentle pit bulls.14 Remember Susan’s two biddable pit bulls? Also see the Humane Society of Chittenden County’s new ad campaign to “soften pit bulls’ dangerous image” that depicts Miss Vermont USA Sarah Westbrook kissing a pit bull. (Note: A proper role model for a beauty pageant winner is seen with Miss Universe Canada.)

Who can forget the Sweet Jasmine cover of Sports Illustrated post Michael Vick? The number of “positive pit bull” articles generated or publicized by local and national news organizations is staggering. Even worse, while faced with the truth that Miami-Dade County has not suffered any pit bull fatalities since the 1989 ban was enacted, unlike many other counties in Florida, the Miami Herald told readers to repeal the ban. Fortunately, the majority of county voters disagreed.

Frankly, prior to embarking on this essay, even DogsBite was unaware that people like Jeff and Susan who were duped by these myths could be so widely prevalent. However, when one looks at the situation in this light — which groups are spreading the false myths, which groups fail to refute these myths and how many entertainment and news organizations broadcast these myths — one must also ask: Where can a person go to receive reliable information about this dog breed?

Usually, a person only finds DogsBite.org when it’s too late, after devastating injuries have been inflicted.

From a psychological standpoint, the simplest form of the myth, “It’s the owner,” answers all of the questions to an average person about the dangerous breed issue. Challenging this belief disrupts and threatens the beholder’s world. Tony Solesky, the father of the young boy in the seminal court decision declaring pit bulls “inherently dangerous” recently summed up this phenomenon pointedly: “This type of belief system is fine until it threatens my family,” Solesky said.

Why do Jeff and Susan feel it is so important to speak out about this issue?

Because it was under the condition of dedicated, responsible owners when two pet pit bulls turned “dead game” on March 6th attacking their owner and killing a child.

The Currents of Grief

New boat out on Lake Beulah, angel cloud and rainbow cloud taken at important times.

Loss thunders through him — not only for his son, but for an understanding of life. Where did his former understanding go?

Jeff doesn’t know how to measure his life now. He just knows when it is a good day or a bad day. A bad day results in a meltdown, as he calls them. Tears and grief overwhelm him along with feelings of guilt and anger. Loss thunders through him — not only for his son, but for an understanding of life. Where did his former understanding go? A questioning of his beliefs follows with fears of the unknown. What if we have another child and something this devastating happens again?

“Would I still have faith? Would I be able to carry on?” Jeff asked.

The back and forth currents of grief pull him from feeling emboldened to lost and from being “fight ready” to unable to move. Jeff explained that he likes to stay busy to keep from being alone with his thoughts. Stillness brings collisions in the currents — powerful emotions crashing into each other causing a meltdown. Unrestrained weeping follows, sometimes for long periods. “Meltdowns strike suddenly too,” Jeff said. One minute I am standing, the next I am falling down.

For three weeks after the attack, Jeff said that someone had to stand behind him when he performed his shows. This was in case a sudden meltdown struck. They occurred anyway, as the body’s response to severe emotional trauma isn’t easily controlled. Jeff is well-known across the Midwest and often travels to Milwaukie, Chicago and Indiana to perform. When a meltdown hits, “Instantly, I am crying my eyes out in front of a 100 or more people,” Jeff said. Then I crash down.

What readers must remember is that not only is the loss of his son’s life shattering, but his horrible death was preventable. This significantly raises the severity of the emotional trauma of losing a child. Many parents never recover from this loss without this component present. Jeff said the images of his son’s body, which “looked like he was blown up by a bomb,” flash through his head like a strobe light, uncontrollably at times. Maybe this double component is why.

“I stood in that room screaming, while my wife held his small hand. His body was destroyed, lying there in that neck brace,” Jeff said.

Fourth months after the loss of his son, Jeff’s central place of employment for the past 10-years, The Reddroom, shut down. He said that half of his family’s total income is now gone. “What else could be worse than what we went through, right?” he asked. The sudden and dramatic financial stress on top of everything else was mind blowing. Jeff said he wonders how he is even able to get of out bed at this point. The subject line of his email was, “When it rains, it pours.”

About a week later, Jeff went to an urgent care center after a 5-day long migraine. During the exam he learned that his blood pressure was extremely high. He had an immediate meltdown and explained to the physician assistant who he was. They both cried together in the patient room and she hugged him. She knew who he was from watching TV. She referred Jeff to a mental health professional. He set up an appointment to meet with the person the next day.

Susan began seeing a mental health worker shortly after the attack. She was assigned a caseworker right away, who still comes to her home once a week for 1 to 3 hour sessions. Part of her flashbacks and dreams involve reliving scenes of the brutal attack with Dax or another young child from her life and often in front of a crowd. No one offers any help in the dreams. Susan is currently taking four different medications to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“I think about Sue and what she had to witness that day,” Jeff wrote in an email to DogsBite.org.

When Susan was able to return to her restaurant job after the attack, they held a special meeting after hours. She wanted to tell her story once to everyone so that she would not have to keep reciting it (reliving it). She said the meeting was scary, but she got through it. In her waiter’s pad she keeps a photo of Dax in his red coat visible, a photo she took while babysitting Dax on a separate occasion. She said the photo helps keep the bad injury images of Dax out of her head.

After a fatal dog mauling, the public rarely learns what happened to the lives of family members and witnesses to the attack. Follow-ups by the media usually only occur when substantial criminal charges are filed and a trial ensues months or years later. As stated on many occasions in the past, fatal dog attacks are not only multi-generational tragedies for family members and witnesses, but also for the whole community. Recovery is slow, weighted with remorse and deep loss.