Court-recorded incident · 2021-02-22

Court record recounts two-person Battle Creek dog attack that left rescuer permanently injured

Federal opinions recount allegations that a large dog bit Fitzgerald and then severely mauled Joshua Steeb during a Feb. 22, 2021 Battle Creek animal-control response; the dog’s breed was not reported.

Nonfatal · 2 human bite victimsBreed: Not reportedBattle Creek, MI

Date2021-02-22 · Time not stated in reviewed court opinions

LocationPrivate residence in the Battle Creek area; exact address not published in the reviewed court opinions

Victim(s)2 adults: Joshua Steeb and a woman identified in the court opinions as Fitzgerald

Dogs involved1 large dog

Injury severityFitzgerald was knocked down and bitten; Steeb suffered severe leg injuries, multiple surgeries, permanent disfigurement and limited mobility; both were taken to a hospital

Breed attributionNot reportedThe federal court opinions describe a “large, dangerous dog” but do not identify a breed. BiteDB does not infer breed from injury severity, prior quarantine history or litigation allegations.

What the record currently shows

Incident summary

Federal court opinions recount allegations that on Feb. 22, 2021, a large dog attacked Fitzgerald while she was helping move it into a Battle Creek animal-control truck. Joshua Steeb intervened, and the dog turned on him, repeatedly biting and clamping onto his leg. A responding patrol officer ultimately shot and killed the dog. Both people were taken to a hospital; later appellate reporting of the complaint says Steeb underwent multiple surgeries and suffered permanent orthopedic/tissue injury, disfigurement and limited mobility.

Legal-status note

The federal civil-rights claims against the Battle Creek animal-control officer and city were dismissed at the pleading stage, and the Sixth Circuit affirmed in January 2026. The rulings addressed constitutional liability, not whether every incident allegation was proven at trial. State-law claims were dismissed without prejudice. No breed or dangerous-dog adjudication is inferred from the federal opinions.

Media & source coverage

Video, reporting and source material

BiteDB embeds media only when a source-hosted player is suitable for embedding. News photographs and footage remain with their publishers unless reuse rights are clear.

↗Original source reportingThe BayNet — Waldorf dog-attack reportPublisher-hosted report; photographs and media remain with the publisher.

Source provenance

Primary record used by BiteDB

Steeb v. Ehart et al., No. 1:24-cv-178 — OpinionU.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan opinion reciting complaint allegations at the motion-to-dismiss stage · Published 2024-09-23 · Accessed 2026-09-09

The Western District of Michigan opinion states that, according to Steeb’s complaint, the dog knocked Fitzgerald down and bit her, then repeatedly bit Steeb’s leg after he intervened; another officer eventually shot and killed the dog and Steeb underwent multiple surgeries. Because the case was decided at the pleading stage, BiteDB treats these incident details as court-recited allegations rather than independent judicial fact findings.

Open original court opinion ↗

Additional sources

Sixth Circuit — Steeb v. Ehart, No. 24-1936 (Jan. 26, 2026) — Federal appellate opinion affirming dismissal and reciting complaint allegations · 2026-01-26
Justia — Western District of Michigan opinion text — Readable court-opinion mirror / docket context · 2024-09-23

Data-quality notes

What BiteDB does not infer

Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.