RHODE ISLAND -- A large white pit bull that escaped from its property and bit three children in Smith Hill and Elmhurst has been quarantined at the Providence Animal Shelter. It is under observation for 10 days to make sure it does not have rabies.
“The dog doesn’t look terribly nasty here,” said Animal Control Director David A. Holden. But he said Monday that an animal control officer learned that the dog bit someone else well before the incident with the children.
The biting incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to the police, after it got out of a house at 22 Suffolk St., Wanskuck. The police identified the owners as Octavio Taglirine and Lisa Silvio, who told police officers that the dog got loose when their young child opened a door.
The victims were identified as Julius Arce, 11, Kelvin Gonzalez, 13, and Neftali Sanchez, 13, all of Providence. All were treated for their wounds at hospitals.
Assuming the dog does not have rabies, and if the owners want it returned, there will have to be a hearing to determine if the dog is vicious as defined by law, Holden explained. Tough restrictions would be imposed if it is returned to the owners, he said.
He said the dog is unlicensed and is not up to date on its rabies immunization.
If the owners want to give up on the animal, they would sign it over to the city and it most likely would be euthanized, Holden said.
“In good conscience, it is very difficult to adopt out a big dog that has bitten several times,” he added.
Under state law, a dog or cat that has bitten or scratched and caused a break in the skin of a person must be reported to the Department of Health and held for 10 days. Rabies is a virus that exists in the brain, the spinal fluid and the saliva of a carrier and the carrier is infectious only in the last 10 days of its life, explained Holden, who is a member of the state Rabies Control Board.
If the suspect animal is cleared after that time, the person who was bitten or scratched does not have to have an antirabies injection. There is no accepted test for rabies that can be administered to a live carrier.
The police responded to a call of a dog bite in the vicinity of 300 Douglas Ave., Smith Hill, and found that Julius had been bitten in both legs. Moments later they learned that the same dog had gone into a barber shop at Douglas and Candace streets in Smith Hill and bitten Kelvin.
A short time later, Neftali, a girl, was bitten in the leg in the vicinity of basketball courts at 35 Chad Brown St., Elmhurst.
Taglirine, according to the police, managed to corral the dog and take him home. Then he called the police.
(Providence Journal - Sept 20, 2011)
