A 59-year-old man was killed in a vicious attack by a group of pit-bull dogs in Albany on Wednesday, October 9th, 2024.
James Provost, from Schenectady, was mauled by eight or nine dogs in a backyard on Central Avenue, according to police. The incident, which occurred around 6 p.m., left Provost with severe wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins described the attack as “brutal and vicious.” Officers responded within minutes of receiving reports of the attack. Upon arrival, they witnessed the dogs continuing to maul Provost even after he collapsed. An officer discharged his firearm, striking and killing one of the adult dogs, which caused the remaining dogs to disperse. The dogs’ caretaker arrived shortly after the incident and corralled the surviving dogs.
The dogs live at a neighboring property, but the owner was absent during the attack. Police are investigating whether they will file criminal charges against the dog owner or caretaker. Officials found 24 pit bulls at the residence, including 15 puppies. The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society has taken custody of the adult dogs involved in the attack while the investigation continues. The Albany Police Department has not yet decided whether they will release or euthanize the dogs.
Officials report that authorities scrutinized the residence in May 2024 for suspected drug activity, during which they confiscated several dogs. Although the investigation did not primarily focus on the dogs, officials later returned them to the owner. This prior incident now raises questions about the conditions in which the dogs were kept and how they became involved in Wednesday’s deadly attack.
Witnesses heard Provost screaming for help as the dogs barked aggressively. Some nearby residents captured portions of the attack on video and shared them with local media. The videos highlighted the horrifying nature of the incident, and the challenges police faced in responding to it.
The dogs involved were pit bulls, most of whom were not properly licensed. Four of the nine adult dogs at the scene had expired licenses. City law requires annual dog registration, but there had been no prior complaints or reports regarding animals at the residence before this attack.
This fatal mauling is a troubling trend in dog attacks in the United States. According to data from the American Animal Hospital Association, pit bulls are responsible for a disproportionate number of dog bites, accounting for 22.5% in various studies. Nationwide, approximately 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, with an estimated 50 of those attacks resulting in death.
