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 [ ANIMAL WATCH ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=361)

#  Pit Bulls in the News: An Owner Goes to Jail, while Family’s Pet Survives Hurricane in Tree

Written by Phyllis M Daugherty.

 ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/b6/081d-b609372c.jpg)

View of Court House andpart of the Clon Elagh estate

October 07 2024

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ANIMAL WATCH - Seren Lloyd, 23, a Pit Bull owner in Londonderry, admitted to disorderly conduct and assaulting three people as they tried to stop her Pit Bull from killing another dog, according to an [MSN News report](https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/woman-jailed-for-assaulting-people-during-dog-attack/ar-AA1rHJcn) on October 5, 2024.

The tragedy [reportedly](https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/derry-court-hears-woman-assaulted-30072124) occurred on the Clon Elagh housing estate in the Skeoge area of the city in August 2023.

At the sentencing on Friday, a district judge at the Londonderry Magistrates' Court described the incident as “absolutely and utterly disgraceful.”

Her attorney said Lloyd was remorseful and admitted she had been drinking on that day and “had reacted when she saw someone punching her dog.” Her attorney added that the “the man she was with had been the main protagonist in the incident.”

Witnesses said police were called on August 4, 2023, after the Pit Bull attacked a smaller dog and Lloyd had “acted aggressively towards the woman walking the small dog.”

The court was told the woman whose smaller dog was being attacked phoned her father and was “crying hysterically,” and, when her father arrived, the Pit Bull was latched onto its neck; and he was also attacked by the man who was with Lloyd, when he tried to separate the dogs.

A taxi driver tried to intervene and was punched by the man who was with Lloyd and Lloyd pushed him. “Lloyd swung a chain-like dog lead at his head and was verbally aggressive,” the report states.

The taxi driver was taken to hospital with cuts on his head.

Judge McElholm told the court during pre-sentencing that,” instead of trying to stop their dog attacking a smaller dog, Lloyd and the man were aggressive towards members of the public.”

The [incident occurred](https://www.derryjournal.com/news/courts/pit-bull-type-dog-savaged-another-dog-to-death-in-derry-while-woman-behaved-aggressively-court-told-4810562) just weeks after Lloyd received a suspended sentence, which the judge said would have been her final warning. He jailed Lloyd for a period of seven months and imposed a Restraining Order for a period of four years, according to the Derry Journal.

The Pit Bull was [reportedly](https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/woman-jailed-for-assaulting-people-during-dog-attack/ar-AA1rHJcn) later put down.

**FAMILY’S PET PIT BULL SURVIVES HURRICANE IN A TREE**

 ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Oct-2024/081d2.jpg)

*CC Kingsport Fire Department/Facebook*

On October 5, in a different area fighting to survive a natural disaster, the Kingsport Fire Department rescued a Pit Bull in Tennessee, and she is back with her family after flooding from Hurricane Helene literally chased her up a tree.

The firemen worked hard and the large eager dog cooperated in every way she could to help them get her down and back to her home.

[News 5 WCYB](https://www.tiktok.com/@news5wcyb/video/7421634658405846314), shared the video clip as the [Pit Bull](https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Is-a-Pit-Bull-Right-For-Me-and-My-Family) as her back side “wiggles” in delight as she sees her family for the first time after the storm.

According to [People](https://people.com/tennessee-dog-stranded-20-feet-up-in-tree-after-flooding-is-rescued-8723362) magazine, Athena's owners, Allie and TJ Faulkner, first reported her missing on September 27, when they were forced to leave their pets behind as they desperately rush their children to TJ's parents' house for safety from the flooding. When they returned, Athena was missing, and they soon watched their home washed away by the flood, according to the report

"We took his front-end loader and put it up against a building and climbed up on the building," TJ said, explaining that the debris from the storm caused the steel beams holding up the front porch to collapse and the house floated away “like an ark.”

Athena was nowhere to be found until the Faulkners saw her on a rescue site.

[Kingsport Fire Department](https://www.facebook.com/KingsportFireDept/posts/pfbid0qgjhw7NghcBgQqFE55CBVVz9a5QW7xhbkD4eipEjjj6U2pPFWRjgYPxW1EuPLdZTl) had found Athena in a tree in Washington County near the Nolichucky River. People credits a police dog for sniffing out the [Pit](https://pethelpful.com/dogs/What-You-Should-Really-Know-About-Pitbulls) in the tree before humans even thought to look up to find her. Officer Angela Alexander and K-9 Kari were searching for casualties with police K9 Kari when she started “barking uncontrollably and led the search team to a tree.”

The officer explained that usually Kari is not especially fond of other dogs, but for some reason, this was different. She said she was proud of Kari for this good deed amid all the destruction of the flood, according to the report.

She said that Athena was happy to be rescued, taken to a local animal shelter, where she was reunited her with her family. Speaking with [WCYB](https://wcyb.com/news/local/dog-that-was-rescued-from-tree-after-flooding-reunited-with-owners), TJ explained that Athena's rescue was “a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“It's like another member of our family, it’s like another child,” he told People. “She means a lot to us.”

On that happy note, we can only hope that Athena becomes the Pit Bull of the future, loved, cherished and continuing to show her gratitude by exemplary behavior.

(Thanks to [Pethelpful.com](https://pethelpful.com/dogs/What-You-Should-Really-Know-About-Pitbulls) for sharing this happy story and to [People](https://people.com/tennessee-dog-stranded-20-feet-up-in-tree-after-flooding-is-rescued-8723362) magazine for publishing it. Regardless of the negative truisms about this breed, there are always exceptions, and Athena seems to fit that category and deserves to be celebrated.)

*(Phyllis M. Daugherty is a former Los Angeles City employee, an animal activist and a contributor to CityWatch.)*

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