CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- The pit bull that mauled the legs of a 10-year-old boy and then bit another man as he tried to help the boy has been euthanized, officials said.
Marquise Hubbard, 10, of Cedar Rapids, was bit just before 9 p.m. on June 28 at 1415 Fifth Ave. SE. When Hubbard screamed for help, Eddie Frye, 18, ran to his side and hit the dog with a brick to get it off, neighbors said. Police said the dog turned on Frye and bit him, too.
Hubbard needed surgery to mend injuries to his legs. He was released after three or four days at Mercy Medical Center and is now recovering, his father told SourceMedia Group.
“He’s walking better than he was that first day,” said Hubbard’s father, who declined to be identified. “He’s being a big boy about it.”
Frye was also transported to a hospital, where he was treated and released.
Neighbor Donald Brown, who witnessed last week’s attack, told SourceMedia Group he had seen people teasing the four pit bulls that live at the residence. He says the kids use sticks to tease and entice the dogs.
“I see constantly children teasing them; adults teasing them,” Brown said last week. ”When you do that so often to a dog, eventually they’re going to attack.”
Webber said there were conflicting accounts of what happened, and they were unable to determine if the dog was provoked.
A few months ago, the same dog bit a friend of its owner as they were teasing it, authorities said. Animal Care and Control Manager Diane Webber said there was no serious injury in that incident, and no official complaint was filed.
After last week’s attack, Webber said the pit bull’s owner decided to have the dog euthanized, rather than face an impounding and boarding bill that would have been in the hundreds of dollars. No charges have been filed against the owner, who police identified as Sherron Smith.
“They just chose to end the misery now,” Webber said.
Webber said they are required to euthanize pets if the owner requests that they do so. If they simply surrender rights to the pet, the city can choose to place it up for adoption. Liability concerns prevented that option for the pit bull, because of its past history, Webber said.
Authorities confirmed the dog was current on its rabies vaccination. Webber said the dog has been sent to an Iowa City-area lab to confirm the absence of the disease, which is standard procedure for any animal euthanized after being quarantined.
Webber said a stigma exists against pit bulls, but said many factors must be considered about every breed of dog.
“It was a pit bull, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Webber said. “There are a lot of nice pit bulls, and that dog, up until recently, hasn’t had any problems.”
(Eastern Iowa News Now - July 5, 2011)
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