Serena Full of (Pit) Bull

Posted Dec 5th 2006 1:19PM by TMZ Staff

Serena Williams seems to be serving up a suspect story. She's denying the pit bull that bit a security guard in Palm Beach, FL was hers.

Security guard Michael Norton responded to a report Friday of a pit bull and a poodle on the loose in Palm Beach Gardens. According to the police report obtained by TMZ, Norton says when arrived on the scene, the poodle approached him as he was getting out of his vehicle. At that point, Norton says the pit bull immediately ran toward him and began barking, as if to protect the poodle. The pit bull then bit him in the left rear, but did not puncture the skin. Norton says in the report that his wallet, which was in his left pocket, protected him from injury.

The pit bull was not wearing a collar, but the poodle was. When checked, the information led police to Serena Williams. According to the police report, the tennis star said the pit bull did not belong to her, it belongs to a friend named David Tomossini. Now here's the rub...

When TMZ contacted Animal Care and Control in Palm Beach, a rep for the agency confirmed that Williams is the registered owner of two dogs; a Jack Russell terrier... and a pit bull. They also said there is no record of a David Tomossini owning any animals whatsoever.

The "fun facts" section of Serena's official website quotes the tennis ace: "I have two dogs "Jackie" a Jack Russell Terrier and "Bambi" a pit bull."

Now we're no line judge... but it seems to us that this one may not clear the net.

UPDATE: Serena's rep issued the following statement to TMZ. "Serena Williams gave her dog to a friend. Her statement to the police did not mean to absolve herself of any responsibilty. Serena is relieved that no one was injured in this incident and in the future, will make sure that when the dog visits, he will not get out."

Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Wacky & Weird

Comments [49]

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(Page 1 of 4) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

1. Blame the pet's owner. Not the dog. People that blame the dogs are total idiots. This is such an old argument. TAKE CARE OF YOU FREAKING PETS OR YOU'RE A LOSER!

Posted at 2:11PM on Dec 5th 2006 by entrodelflego

2. What a bitch! If she were in trouble would the pitbull walk away from her?
HELL NO, I own two pitbulls and the are such great pets (when placed with the right owner) how dare she. she should be proud!!!!!!!!!!!
PITBULL HATERS ARE JUST UNEDUACTED ABOUT THE BREED!
IF YOU KNOW YOU CANT CARE FOR A PET JUST DON'T GET ONE!!!!!

Posted at 2:20PM on Dec 5th 2006 by PitBull Lover

3. Doesn't this just figure. No matter how much money some people have they still lie their asses off. This bitch is no better than any other freak that won't accept responsibility for their pets actions. And I DON'T blame the dog, it's the owners fault. Some people shouldn't be allowed to own animals. I hope the guard sues her for all she's worth.

Posted at 2:22PM on Dec 5th 2006 by Riley

4. Give the Girl a break. Stop Hating!

Posted at 2:29PM on Dec 5th 2006 by Semantha

5. Tha's real crappy of Serena. If they were to have planned to put the dog to sleep, would she have stood there and still acted like the dog wasn't hers. I hope she get's some sort of punishment for lying.

Posted at 2:45PM on Dec 5th 2006 by becky

6. To Pit Bull Owner,

Your one-size-fits-all thinking on Pit Bulls is misguided. While I understand that you shouldn't blame the dogs and yadayadayada, in the presence of a dog---like a pit bull---you're only responsible for your own actions.
If the dog's in a bad mood, if the dog's excited, if the dog's whatever, it's going to do what it instinctively wants to do. Sometimes that means attacking/biting.
So, before you think your answer meets the needs of everyone, take a step back and acknowledge that "it's a freaking animal!!!" You can't reason with them 100% of the time.

Posted at 2:49PM on Dec 5th 2006 by Joe Blow

7. Oh gosh, oh gee, a Negroid with a Pit Bull. Who woulda thunk it? These beasts, who should all be exterminated, seem to be status symbols among the Negroid population like:

1. Cornrows
2. Gangsta tats
3. Police records
4. Baggy drawers
5. No Education
6. On public assistance for generations
7. No food on the table but rims on da car.
8. Knowing to say "400 years" as an excuse for their lot in life.

Posted at 3:01PM on Dec 5th 2006 by Ellis

8. SEW HER ASS!!!! Hell Yea!!!

Posted at 3:21PM on Dec 5th 2006 by heather

9. Yo Pit Bull lover, remember your words when one of those beasts gets a hold of a child, yours, or someone else's. Trying telling it to the judge or child protective services.

Posted at 3:39PM on Dec 5th 2006 by Ellis

10. Shoot the owner. Leave the dog alone! She shouldn't let her dogs run loose. I don't care if it's a Pit-bull or a Poodle. Left unattended either one can be big trouble. A Pomeranian killed a child because no one was watching it around the baby. Idiot. Everyone with any brain at all knows it's always the owner fault! She stone cold wrong on this one.

Posted at 3:47PM on Dec 5th 2006 by KarenQQ

11. wow the pic of the pit bull looks just like serena!

Posted at 3:49PM on Dec 5th 2006 by craven

12. Pittbull's have been bred to kill for centuries. they should all be rounded up and exterminated-that's why they're banned in Denver. They should let the dog feast on Sarena's big ass so she can see how it feels.

Posted at 3:58PM on Dec 5th 2006 by brandon

13. LOL christ my lil one can lie better then that!!!

Posted at 4:04PM on Dec 5th 2006 by heather

14. It is always amazing--and yet not at all surprising--to see how pit bulls bring out the racists in our midst.

Serena does have a pit bull, and it is registered--and very well traveled. It is unlikely that it is the only pit bull in the area. It is entirely possible that it was someone else's pit, and that it was indeed unregistered. Simply because the friend she named doesn't have a pit bull on the county record doesn't mean that he doesn't actually own one.

There doesn't really seem to be enough info in this report to ID the dog involved as being Bambi, so I'm not sure why everyone is assuming Serena lied, except that if you own a pit bull, people will brand you as all kinds of things.

By the way, pit bulls rank higher than golden retrievers when tested for obedience.

Posted at 4:10PM on Dec 5th 2006 by Ken Foster

15. Yeah, they will obediently rip apart anything their owner tells them too. I'd take a retriever over that any day. Homeward bound!

Posted at 4:15PM on Dec 5th 2006 by brandon

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