‘I wouldn’t wish that on anybody’: Sister of KC man killed by pack of dogs speaks out

For years, Chris Culbertson had a dog at his side, since his days as a little boy.

He started off with Dobermans, then Rottweilers and American pit bulls. Everywhere he went, he brought his dog with him — which was part of why it was so heartbreaking for his sister, Angela Culbertson, to watch him die after being attacked by seven pit bulls nearly two weeks ago.

“I wouldn’t wish that on anybody,” Angela Culbertson said. “The tearing and the pooling (of blood) and the biting that my brother went through was horrendous. “

Chris Culbertson, 46, had just begun his 1-mile bike ride to get home from a friend’s house on Saturday, Nov. 2, when he was attacked in the 3200 block of East 80th Street in Kansas City by a pack of dogs. He told his sister at the hospital that he initially attempted to calm the dogs down and show he wasn’t a threat. She later learned police had previously received more than a dozen complaints about the dogs, but no action had been taken by the city’s animal control services run by KC Pet Project.

“(He) didn’t taunt them, didn’t anything. They just came at him. He did nothing to them. It’s all on the video,” she said.

For 23 minutes Chris Culbertson was attacked on the street— screaming for help. A neighbor came out with a golf club hoping to scare the dogs off, but they turned on her and she received serious injuries, according to previous reporting.

Angela Culbertson, 43, saw security footage of the attack later from a neighbor. She said there were two additional pit bulls in the backyard who couldn’t get out of the fence, so the other seven dragged him towards the fence line.

“It’s sickening,” she said.

Police and emergency professionals were able to eventually get the dogs to back away from Chris Culbertson long enough for a medical professional to pull him to safety.

At the hospital, he received over 500 stitches. His cheeks and chin were ripped, and his heels and one toe were nearly torn off his feet. Had he not died Nov. 6, he would’ve needed to have his right hand and left leg amputated, live on dialysis and have a tracheotomy for the rest of life.

“Even if he made it with that percentage being so low, it wouldn’t be the life that he would want,” Angela Culbertson said.

‘Can’t get it out of my head’

In life, she said her brother loved the outdoors, building things and, of course, his dogs.

She remembers him starting to build when he was 9 years old. He made them a tree house in the woods, and crafted a swing out of a long board and some rope.

“We would tell Grandma that we were going to bed, but we would go into the backyard and swing and look at the stars and would make up life with each other. You know, how every kid does,” she said.

Academically, Chris Culbertson was naturally gifted and when he grew up, he followed his love of building and became a carpenter.

He had his demons though, she said, battling drug addiction for years, which strained their relationship. But they still had each other’s backs, which is why Angela Culbertson ran to the hospital when he called.

“I can’t get it out of my head,” she said through sobs.

“I’m just touching him, and his body was just so swollen and his hands started turning black and his feet started turning black because he had blood clots and no circulation. … The machine would make his chest raise and fall, and I just put my hand on his chest.”

Previous complaints, lack of action

Kansas City police said in an official statement the case is ongoing and that it is a closed record, referencing the Missouri Sunshine Law.

According to Angela Culbertson, KC Pet Project— a local no-kill animal shelter and Kansas City’s animal control — responded to the scene along with authorities and put the dogs back in the owners’ backyard.

The next day, authorities returned with a warrant and all but two of the dogs had vanished, including 15 puppies inside.

She also said she heard from police there had been over 15 complaints filed about the dogs, and that some officers were frustrated that they didn’t have the authority to act and instead had to pass the complaints along to KC Pet Project.

KC Pet Project did not respond to The Star’s request for comment.

Spokesperson Tori Fugate previously said that their Animal Services Division is communicating with officials and assisting the investigation.

Angela Culbertson said she is searching for answers, and hopes to hold the dog owners accountable for her brother’s death. A loving pit bull owner herself, she said to her knowledge, the dogs in this case were bred to fight and would’ve inevitably led to violence. Had it not been her brother, it would’ve been someone else, she believes.

“I know it’s not gonna bring my brother back, but I don’t want this to happen to somebody else without repercussions. I want this to be a lesson to every dog owner out there that you have to take care of your dogs and do what you’re supposed to do and have as many as you’re supposed to have,” she said.

About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year in the United States, according to the American Veterinary Association. Around 30 to 50 of these bites escalate to a fatal attack every year, according to the National Library of Medicine.