Parents for Dog Bite Awareness

If you read the studies on high risk dog breeds, pediatric maulings, dog bite statistics, etc, you’ll begin to see a clear picture with predictable factors.

The case of Jaxson Maverick Dvorak had almost every factor.

He was a young boy at the peak age for dog bites. His family focused on autism awareness. He was at a family residence, allegedly being watched by his mother’s uncle in a lower income area of Ohio. He was familiar with the two dogs involved, a blue nosed pitbull and a black shepherd/pit mix.

The odds were stacked against Jaxson on that fateful day. 😞

Around noon, Lorain dispatch received a frantic 911 call. The caller appeared to be Jaxson’s mother, Brittney (Werdebaugh) Dvorak, as the log recorded her saying her “uncle was watching her kids and [he] thinks her 6 year old son is dead, the dog ate his face.”

Little Jaxson was pronounced at the scene. 😞 The Lorain County dog warden did not respond to this call and we have no details as to why. The Lorain County Sheriff department partnered with the Friendship Animal Protective League to remove the two attacking dogs and their litter of puppies, 6 pups estimated to be 4 months old. (Social media shows several extended relatives openly bred large breed dogs as well, another factor often found in these cases.)

Investigators believe the puppies were kept separately and not part of the attack so they were not dispatched. Despite both parents participating in a fatal human mauling, the pups appear to have been dispersed into the community. I have no details on their adoptions.

The family and friends that did speak out on social media publicly referred to the attack ambiguously and defended the family, refusing to provide any details. 🚩

Alec Karkoff, who was arrested in June for felonious assault, adamantly defended the family, clarifying that the primary attacking dog was a pitbull: a full blooded American Bulldog.

A relative, Myk Werdebaugh, started a Gofundme where he referred to the attack as a “household accident.” His statement and the mother’s statement have since been removed.

“My heart is shattered. My world has collapsed. I feel like I’m in a really bad nightmare, and I’m just trying to wake myself up but it’s not working. I’ll never get to hold his little hands again, or pick him up and give him a hug, or snuggle him, or hear him always tell me “love you momma” or him calling Kaden “Kadey”, or him yelling “John Cena” super loud before he does some random jump, or his random dances he does when he’s super happy about something, I don’t get to take him to school anymore, he doesn’t get to start first grade in the fall, we no longer get to wake up with him in our bed cuz he decided to come down in the middle of the night. Or watching him play football, which he loved so much. He made friends anywhere he went, his smile was contagious, he was the best little boy ever.” -Britney Dvorak

As of this publication, no arrests or charges appear to have been made.

RIP Jaxson. You had your entire life ahead of you and it was snuffed out. Not only was your life taken and your voice silenced, but millions of people on social media, even friends and family, rose quickly to the defense of your attackers, focusing their energy and compassion on them instead of you. Jaxson, we never had the privilege to meet you. But we will never let the world forget you.

May your suffering not be in vain. May other parents see your case and take steps to protect their children from high risk dogs and to change their communities to keep other children safe. May you inspire just as many millions of people to rise to the defense of innocent children.

Respectfully,

-JL DBA Editor©️

Activist note: Soon after Jaxson was fatally mauled in the 1700 block of E 31st St, two other homes in the area were burned down by an arsonist. I am including this note as some people feared it was related. Investigators confirmed it was an untimely and unrelated case about a relationship dispute. If you shared the arson case in connection with Jaxson’s case, I urge you to amend your posts for accuracy.

News article:

https://chroniclet.com/news/396325/lorain-police-dog-attacked-killed-6-year-old-boy/https://chroniclet.com/news/396325/lorain-police-dog-attacked-killed-6-year-old-boy/

Gofundme:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ease-burdens-for-jaxsons-familyhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ease-burdens-for-jaxsons-family