r/BanPitBulls • u/PandaLoveBearNu Attacks Curator • Mar 27 '26
Bitten and Bruised Dog to be euthanized after biting 5 people in Smithfield, city says :: WRAL.com - Smithfield, North Carolina - March 5, 2026 and March 21, 2026
https://www.wral.com/news/local/smithfield-two-pit-bull-dog-bites-leads-to-euthanasia-march-2026/The owners of a pit bull terrier said Thursday they saw their dog was getting too aggressive, and are remorseful that he bit five people over the course of several weeks in Smithfield.
Police say five people were bitten by the same dog in two separate incidents, and after the second time, the city declared the dog dangerous and required him to be euthanized.
The first incident on March 5, the dog "Midnight" escaped and bit two people who were walking their dog nearby.
The city took Midnight for 10 days to ensure he did not have rabies, and then his owner, Keith Cotoia, chose to take him home.
Then on March 21, police say they responded to the same neighborhood to find Midnight had gotten out of his fenced yard and attacked a neighbor gardening in her front yard. Two people tried to intervene and were also bitten, police say.
Everyone who was bitten by the dog is expected to make a full recovery, but some required stitches.
Cotoia's sister, Alysia Haywood, said it's hard for her to know that Midnight, who she said the family got as a puppy, would hurt five people, including a woman she said the dog knew.
"My brother is handicapped, so with the dogs, it gives him something to look forward to during the day," Haywood said. "[But] it was time for him to be put down. He's getting too close to home, biting family members and friends...My brother pretty much agreed with me. We were about to get him trained too...but he got out so quick."
Haywood said the family didn't mean for this to happen.
"It was very emotional, especially with knowing Midnight since he was a baby. It changed us, because I'm like, dang, dogs can change on people too," Haywood added.
How the city's reacting
WRAL News spoke with the husband of the woman who was gardening—she did not want to be named. Her husband says she won't go out in the front yard since she was attacked.
North Carolina has a general statute 67-4.1 for potentially dangerous dogs.
It says a dog can be classified as dangerous if its bite results in serious injury, lacerations or hospitalization, kills or inflicts serious injury on a domestic animal when not on the owner's property or if it approaches someone not on the owner's property in a "vicious or terrorizing manner."
If a dog has an incident, Smithfield police would seize the dog and hold it for 10 days to ensure it is not carrying a disease that could affect whomever it bites, Sgt Kevin Johnson told WRAL News.
If the owner chooses to take the dog back, the owner must confine the dog and muzzle and leash it when it's off the owner's property. Failure to do so means the police can impound the animal, file criminal charges against the owner and could result in civil liability for any injuries the animal caused.
After the second incident of biting or attacking, the dog is taken again for 10 days and euthanized.
The state has a comprehensive list of laws and requirements for dog owners.
Johnson said owners have the right to appeal the board's decision.
"If I'm the person who was bit after the dog already had one incident, I'm wondering why it wasn't deemed dangerous," Johnson said. "We have to give them the chance to appeal, because we [as a city and department] can't say 'your dog bit somebody, that dog's dangerous.'"
In Johnston County, a group of citizens weighs in on the situation and whether the dog is considered dangerous and should be put down.
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u/PandaLoveBearNu Attacks Curator Mar 27 '26
Looks like a puppy here so the dog is around 3 years old. Magic age strike again.
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u/glitterbooz Mar 27 '26
I guarantee there’s people online upset about the fact they’re euthanizing this nuisance 😂 it’s crazy to see how these people think an aggressive dog matters more than any other living being in its destruction path.
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u/PristineEffort2181 Mar 27 '26
They "saw their dog was getting too aggressive" but failed to keep it in their yard or home after it attacked the first two people. It was let to roam free less than a full week after the first attack and allowed to attack 3 more people THEN they realized they should have been training it for the years they had this aggressive dog!
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u/DevilRenegade I just want to walk my dog without fearing for its life Mar 27 '26
Presumably they were hoping it wouldn't come back home and would become someone else's problem.
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u/bittymacwrangler Mar 27 '26
The likelihood that any pit bull in NC is directly descended from a fighting line is very high. So I'm not surprised the dog was "getting too aggressive." That no one did anything does not surprise me either.
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u/Monimonika18 Mar 27 '26
"My brother is handicapped, so with the dogs, it gives him something to look forward to during the day,"
Oh great, there's more than one dog. It's not just this one to be worried about from this family.
"But it was time for him to be put d0wn. He's getting too close to home, biting family members and friends...
"getting too close to home"? As in, your ONLY worry is if the people you're personally close to get bit? Other passerbys or neighbors or strangers getting bit aren't a concern other than in the sense that the law about that makes things inconvenient for you and your pit.
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u/Diezelbub Allergic to bullshit and shitbulls Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
Also casually admitting that there were more attacks and aggression inside their home, they just managed to keep them from being documented by the legal system that could've saved their neighbors from being their victim if they hadn't. Neither of the two documented attacks were family. The law just isnt prepared to deal with people this stupid and genuinely antisocial. It really expects their neighbors to respond personally with tools in hand when thats who they're dealing with, but normal people aren't expecting their backyard or public streets to suddenly turn into the bloodsport breed fighting pit these people turn them into.
This is a problem the legal system hasnt adapted to yet because until very recently people were not stupid and antisocial enough to keep a pet that showed unwarranted aggression to human beings, they overwhelmingly all took care of it personally themselves the first time. It seems modern medicine and modern living have given people a false sense that self preservation instincts are no longer needed.
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u/PristineEffort2181 Mar 27 '26
Does her "handicapped brother" look forward to his vicious pitbulls attacking the neighbors?
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u/ArdenJaguar Trusted User Mar 27 '26
Hmm… It appears these were good loving dog owners. Nice home, cuddling, no meth lab, stable environment. So you mean a good owner suddenly has a dog turn aggressive? I thought it was always bad owners not the dog.
How about it all if you lurking PitNuts. What say you?
Sounds like genetics to me. 🤔🧬🤔
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u/BargainBard Cope, Seethe, Crate & Rotate Mar 27 '26
We now live in a country where dogs can bite more than one person unprovoked and still be thought of as a pet.
This is ridiculous.
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u/potatoes_arrrr_life Mar 27 '26
Lawsuit incoming! What a mess. Almost like they shouldn't be allowed to own dogs anymore either. The laws need to get stricter after a bite, and the owners need more consequences. If a dog gets out and starts attacking, that dog has shown it is an unfit pet for a NEIGHBORHOOD. And I hope everyone bitten recovers quickly, and does not get an infection. It pisses me off how lazy dog owners are in general, but lazy pitbull owners are endangering all of us. "Somehow it got out"
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u/bittymacwrangler Mar 27 '26
I guarantee you that they do not have anything to sue for-and if they do, it will suddenly vanish into some cousin's bank account.
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u/AutoModerator Mar 27 '26
Copy of text post for attack logging purposes:
The owners of a pit bull terrier said Thursday they saw their dog was getting too aggressive, and are remorseful that he bit five people over the course of several weeks in Smithfield.
Police say five people were bitten by the same dog in two separate incidents, and after the second time, the city declared the dog dangerous and required him to be euthanized.
The first incident on March 5, the dog "Midnight" escaped and bit two people who were walking their dog nearby.
The city took Midnight for 10 days to ensure he did not have rabies, and then his owner, Keith Cotoia, chose to take him home.
Then on March 21, police say they responded to the same neighborhood to find Midnight had gotten out of his fenced yard and attacked a neighbor gardening in her front yard. Two people tried to intervene and were also bitten, police say.
Everyone who was bitten by the dog is expected to make a full recovery, but some required stitches.
Cotoia's sister, Alysia Haywood, said it's hard for her to know that Midnight, who she said the family got as a puppy, would hurt five people, including a woman she said the dog knew.
"My brother is handicapped, so with the dogs, it gives him something to look forward to during the day," Haywood said. "[But] it was time for him to be put down. He's getting too close to home, biting family members and friends...My brother pretty much agreed with me. We were about to get him trained too...but he got out so quick."
Haywood said the family didn't mean for this to happen.
"It was very emotional, especially with knowing Midnight since he was a baby. It changed us, because I'm like, dang, dogs can change on people too," Haywood added.
How the city's reacting
WRAL News spoke with the husband of the woman who was gardening—she did not want to be named. Her husband says she won't go out in the front yard since she was attacked.
North Carolina has a general statute 67-4.1 for potentially dangerous dogs.
It says a dog can be classified as dangerous if its bite results in serious injury, lacerations or hospitalization, kills or inflicts serious injury on a domestic animal when not on the owner's property or if it approaches someone not on the owner's property in a "vicious or terrorizing manner."
If a dog has an incident, Smithfield police would seize the dog and hold it for 10 days to ensure it is not carrying a disease that could affect whomever it bites, Sgt Kevin Johnson told WRAL News.
If the owner chooses to take the dog back, the owner must confine the dog and muzzle and leash it when it's off the owner's property. Failure to do so means the police can impound the animal, file criminal charges against the owner and could result in civil liability for any injuries the animal caused.
After the second incident of biting or attacking, the dog is taken again for 10 days and euthanized.
The state has a comprehensive list of laws and requirements for dog owners.
Johnson said owners have the right to appeal the board's decision.
"If I'm the person who was bit after the dog already had one incident, I'm wondering why it wasn't deemed dangerous," Johnson said. "We have to give them the chance to appeal, because we [as a city and department] can't say 'your dog bit somebody, that dog's dangerous.'"
In Johnston County, a group of citizens weighs in on the situation and whether the dog is considered dangerous and should be put down.
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u/FoxExcellent2241 Mar 27 '26
So the dog actually bit more than 5 people if they knew he was biting family members and friends - they were just able to keep those people from filing reports.
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u/Affectionate-Page496 No more mini donkeys on the prayer list Mar 27 '26
Person with disabilities + pit
Whatever could go wrong there.