Man Killed At Rhames' House Identified
Victim Was Live-In Caretaker Of Actor Ving Rhames' Dogs; Mauled By As Many As 4 Mastiffs
13LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5 2007 | by Judy Faber
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Actor Ving Rhames attends the "Mission: Impossible III" premiere in Harlem hosted by BET at the Magic Johnson Theatres May 3, 2006 in New York. (Getty Images/Bryan Bedder)
(AP) Authorities have identified the man who died in a dog attack at the home of actor Ving Rhames.
Jacob Adams was 40 and had been living on Rhames' property in Brentwood, California, for about 2 years as a caretaker for the actor's dogs.
The exact cause of the man's death remains unknown. Police have said Adams had numerous bite marks on his body and might have been mauled to death but the coroner says it's possible he might have died of heart failure.
Rhames, 46, who appeared in the "Mission Impossible" series of films, wasn't at home when the attack occurred.
Authorities have seized three bull mastiffs and an English bulldog.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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I've owned my dog for 10 years and I%u2019ve never had a problem with him. My dog is known to pull someone to safety if he fells that we are in danger. He is very loving with all types of people all types of animals. I%u2019m talking from experience.
Don't get me wrong if the facts show that he was attacked then they need to do what they have too. I pray that the truth is found so that the family has closure. And also hope that if indeed it was the "Fila Brasileriro breed" that they let the public know the facts. And stop giving the Bull Mastiff a bad name.
Bullmastiffs were allegedly responsible for mauling a man to death at actor Ving Rhames' home on August 5, 2007. Although this was widely reported in the press in the immediate aftermath of the attack, it may well be the result of poor fact checking. The dogs responsible for the attack were reportedly over 200 lbs., which is about 50 lbs. bigger than the average male bullmastiff. In addition, many of the reports used the terms "mastiff", "bullmastiff", and "Fila Brasileiro" interchangeably. Each is actually a distinct breed. Finally, previously published articles about Rhames indicate that he owned several "Fila Brasileiro", rather than Bullmastiffs.
The Bullmastiff is courageous, loyal, calm, and loving with those it knows. It has a very strong protective instinct and will defend its owners against anything it perceives as a threat. However, it does not normally attack to protect. Instead, it simply knocks the intruder over with its massive size and pins them to the ground, or, will simply stand in front of the stranger/intruder and refuse to let them pass. Bullmastiffs become intensely attached to their families and do best when they can live inside with them. Their protective instinct combined with their great size and natural wariness of strangers means that early socialization is a must. The Bullmastiff may or may not get along well with other dogs. Often, male Bullmastiffs do not tolerate other males, regardless of breed. Occasionally, females are also killers of other females. The Bullmastiff, in general, does get along well with children and is very loving towards them. Parental supervision should be maintained when they are with children because these dogs are so big that they may accidentally knock smaller children down.