Dogs Kill Jogger: 2 Exotic Dogs Maul And Kill Jogger, Both Have Attacked Before

It’s unclear what made two exotic dogs maul and kill a jogger in Livonia, Michigan, on Wednesday. Craig Sytsma, 46, died in the hospital after succumbing to his injuries. The dogs that attacked the man were a Cane Corso breed. It’s described as an “Italian version of a Mastiff.”

The tragic event unfolded in Lapeer County’s Metamora Township, WNEM reports. Sytsma was jogging on the 5500 block of Thomas Road, south of Brauer Road, at 5:30 pm. Metamora Township Police Chief David Mallett says:

“I would consider this instance rare, definitely. The person dying from his injuries of a dog bite, especially out here.”

Police responded to what they believed were gunshots they heard, but it was a neighbor firing a gun to scare the dogs off Sytsma. He was taken to McLaren Lapeer Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Both dogs were brought to Lapeer County Animal Control by the owner. Their fate is unknown right now, but authorities are pushing to have them destroyed.

This isn’t the first time that the two dogs have posed a danger. People living in the area have experienced bad encounters with the Cane Corsos at one time or another. In fact, police have been called to the residence because of the dogs multiple times.

David Martin is familiar with the dogs and had a brief encounter with them earlier this summer. He shares:

“When we seen them that one time coming down the driveway, we just booked it, because we couldn’t compete with those dogs, and neither could this gentleman here.”

In another instance, Dan Petz says his grandmother used to live next door to the dogs and they showed aggression more than once by barking and growling when they wandered onto her property.

The dogs definitely displayed how willing they are to maul and kill in the jogger’s case. The Lapeer County Prosecutor is reviewing the fatal dog attack to determine what charges will be brought against the animals’ owner.

The Detroit Free Press mentions that, under Michigan law, a person might be charged with involuntary manslaughter if he or she owns a dog involved in a deadly attack.

A Cane Corso weighs between 90 and 110 pounds and are very muscular. The two that killed the jogger were black and brindle, muscular, and highly aggressive — this according to Lapeer County Sheriff’s Detective Jason Parks. He says the attacking dogs are an average weight for the size.

According to the American Kennel Club, the Cane Corso was bred as a watchdog and to hunt wild boars.

[Image via My Fox Detroit]