Dogs Kill Worker At Ving Rhames' Home

(AP)  A 40-year-old man was mauled to death by as many as four dogs at the home of Ving Rhames on Friday, authorities said.

The victim, who hasn't been identified, had worked at the actor's home for about two years and was responsible for caring for the dogs, said Los Angeles Police officer Sandra Gonzalez.

Four mastiffs were seized by animal services, she said.

Police got a call at 7:15 a.m. from someone reporting a dead body at the home. Gonzalez didn't know who made the call.

The victim was found on the front lawn, she said.

Rhames, 46, who appeared in the "Mission Impossible" series of films, wasn't at home when the attack occurred, she said.

[nothappyatall]

Dogs don't need acres and acres of land to roam around, a 1/2 acre of open land would be plenty for these 8 dogs. I have 5 LARGE dogs on my property which is 1/2 acre, they don't like it outside in the heat or humidity and they are indoor dogs. For the most part they like to sleep near the A/C.
When they go out to excersize, they want to come right back in where it's cool.
Im sure Ving checked this guy out well, for he would have access to Ving's house etc, he was there for 2 years. He could very well have been involved with fighting with or without Ving's knowlege when he was away.

[hermit22]

how much property should there be to adequately have enough space for EIGHT huge fighter dogs?
someone out in hoolyweird had a "ranch" and to me it looked about big enough to keep a bunny in it! they thought it was big enough to keep a horse! if this man was only taking care of these dogs for two years, did ving rhames have a "nanny" problem finding "help" for his bratty dogs?
did rhames level with the help, or just try to get by cheap and hire some unsuspecting, willing-to-work person for a dangerous job? maybe this was a innocent man who got in the middle of a dog fight trying to stop that?!i hope the cops ask and get answers from lots of questions. i'm tired of hollyweirdos getting by with badness because they have money or are famous, as if any of that fixes any problem of wrong doing. did ving have any dealings with the nasty sports dog fight guy?

[nothappyatall]

prairiefox1 take a breath, inhale, hold it, now exhale, first all caps is rude- it's considered shouting when your entire message is all caps, learn to take the caps lock key OFF when you type and use caps for emphasis.

Next, the new report indicates the guy may have died from ~HEART FAILURE~, now, what does this mean you ask? I'll explain it- first of all, when a person has a convulsive type attack and is moving around on the floor or otherwise acting strangely, SOME dogs will be confused and a prey drive kicks in. Scenario; the guy had a heart attack on the front lawn where he was found, he was convulsing and acting strangely like a wounded prey animal would, and the dogs either bit him or they did it after he stopped moving.
The report only said he had bite MARKS on him, bite marks are not fatal and that description does not indicate there was tearing, dismemberment or damage that would be fatal- there would be blood all over and that would be mentioned in the article.
Chances are excellent the guy simply had a heart attack, died, and the dogs bit him a few times possibly even trying to make him 'wake up'
I would reserve your pre-made pompous court guilty conviction untill ALL the facts are known, there may even be security camera video or witness yet to be brought out.
The owner is not responsible, the caretaker was in CHARGE of the dogs and they were under his control not the owner.

[prairiefox1]

RHAMES NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HAVING DANGEROUS DOGS THAT KILLED A PERSON!
IF THIS HAPPENED TO SOMEBODY ELSE THE OWNER WOULD BE CHARGED AND SENT TO PRISON!
THE CHARGE WOULD BE MANSLAUGHTER BY DEPRAVED INDIFFERENCE!

[nothappyatall]

"Without proper socialization and training some members of the breed may attack first"

Iceman- Im well versed with dogs, Im a long time breeder AKC show exhibitor and owned multiple large and giant dogs for the last 25 years, I also worked in an animal shelter as well as a kennel that bred, trained and sold Shepherds and Rottweilers to the police dept and others, part of my job was working with puppies in primary schutzhund work (look it up)- the issue is breeds ARE diff from one another, 'blame the dog not breed' is nice in theory but its reality that some breeds are more naturally aggressive than others, and its a fact that certain nuts like to encourage the aggression. The fact this guy had EIGHT of these dogs apparantly locked behind gates away from people on his estate, and a 'caretaker' suggests to me these dogs were strictly guard/patrol dogs and the 'caretaker' was probably the one training them to BE aggressive guard dogs.
These dogs did not appear to be PETS and they were probably not socialized well either.

[iceman_1960]

Re: "Ving Rhames (what the h*ell kind of Martian name is that ????)"

Sorry, the man's real name is Irving Rhames (believe it or not -- it really is.)

Not many Martians are named Irving.

"Ving" is a nickname given him by that crazy actor Stanley Tucci. (You remember Tucci as Nigel in "The Devil Wears Prada"...)

Source: Wikipedia

[iceman_1960]

"Blame the dog, not the breed"

"The Fila Brasileiro is an independent and trainable breed. The dog needs firm and sensible handling and early socialization. Properly raised and trained the Fila Brasileiro is a loving, gentle giant. Without training, the Fila Brasileiro has the potential to be an aggressive and threatening dog, which is a characteristic of most mastiffs.

Regardless of his training, the Fila Brasileiro should not be allowed to roam freely and should be leashed when in public." [I've known quite a few human beings of which the same could be said.]

(Same source)

[iceman_1960]

From

"The Fila Brasileiro, also known as the Brazilian mastiff, is a massive breed that has a natural protective instinct. Without proper socialization and training some members of the breed may attack first and ask questions later."

A very intelligent breed, that can actually ask questions. Most breeds just bark and growl.

"The Fila Brasileiro is one of two breeds native to the country of Brazil. The other Brazilian dog is the Brazilian tracker. The Fila Brasileiro is thought to be an early descendent of the Spanish and Portuguese mastiffs and many believe the English mastiff, bloodhound and bulldog were used in the breed's development. In the 17th century, the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors brought these impressive dogs to Brazil. Here the dogs were improved and used for tracking escaped slaves and protecting the owner's property. The breed was also used to hunt Jaguars and was even nicknamed the "Onceiro", the Jaguar hunter."

Source:

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/choosing-a-fila-brasileiro/page1.aspx

Very impressive. Jaguars are said to be the most ferocious members of the cat family. Tippi Hedren, the actress who maintains a big cat refuge, said she'd rather face a lion or tiger, than a jaguar.

[nothappyatall]

Iceman- that was a quote from the description of the breed from various web sites about the breed and it did say the dog has a STRONG aversion to strangers, that fact alone tells me this is no ordinary breed and is one per the text that is used by the Brazilian ARMY basically as an aggressive guard/attack animal.

Diane whipple was killed by two 120-pound Presa Canario dogs- again, some wierd imported foreign guard/ protection breed not a labrador, golden or shar pei, but a breed bred specifically for protection/guard/attack training.

The facts are not out yet, for all we know he had a heart attack and was in convulsions, died and the dogs bit the BODY as he was already dead. He was out on the front lawn which is odd. We also don't know HOW he treated these dogs, he was alone with them.
He is responsible not the owner who wasnt even there, I dont see a lawsuit.

[iceman_1960]

"Of all breeds, Fila Brasileiros have the most extreme aversion to strangers."
- Posted by newster1 at 10:51 PM : Aug 04, 2007

You're barking up the wrong tree.

The man they killed wasn't a stranger. He was their "caretaker"...

After the fierce pack of dogs was finished, an even fiercer pack of lawyers will take the field.

There are going to be some major lawsuits over this.

Ving Rhames (what the h*ell kind of Martian name is that ????) should have relied on human beings to guard his estate. It will be a "mission impossible" for him to avoid enormous financial and even criminal liability.

He should have consulted with Michael Vick...