NORTH CAROLINA -- A late October pit bull attack on Monticello Drive in West Jefferson left one animal dead, the victim’s owners shaken up, and saw citations issued by Ashe County Animal Control.
“On Oct. 24, my wife and our small dog went for a walk on Monticello Drive,” said William Cary in a letter addressed to the Jefferson Post. He is a Louisburg resident who has a residence on Monticello Drive. “When they approached (Ashe County Sheriff’s) Deputy Josh Hopkins’ house, they were walking on the far right side of the road, (when) the deputy’s pit bull jumped over the railing of the porch, and attacked and killed our dog on the road in front of my wife. My wife and dog were not on the deputy’s property.”
According to Cary, Hopkins’ dog also crossed the underground electric fence that runs along the edge of Hopkins’ property. Cary said his wife did not intervene in the attack.
“She didn’t want to get in the middle of it,” said Cary. “She didn’t want to get injured.”
[Before I let some damn pit bull rip my dog's stomach open and pop her eyeballs out, I am going to choke that pit bull to death with my belt or the dog leash. I will poke its eyes out. I will rip its testicles off - b/c most people with pits don't bother to get them neutered. I wouldn't simply stand there and watch my poor dog ripped to shreds. But that's just me.]
Cary said 911 was called, and Ashe County Sheriff’s deputies and Ashe County Animal Control were quick to respond.
“Animal Control and the Sheriff’s Department showed up at pretty much the same time,” said Cary. “Officer Hopkins was not home at the time.”
Ashe County Animal Control Officer Jim Walters, the investigating officer, said he heard the call come in from the county communications center at around 1:30 p.m. “When I got there, both of Hopkins’ dogs were on his property inside his yard,” said Walters.
Walters said the Cary’s had taken their dog to the vet to assess the animal’s injuries; the severity of its wounds forced the Cary’s to have the animal put down.
“There’s a lot of scenarios that could have happened,” said Walters. “Cary’s signed statement was that Hopkins’ dog came across the underground fence and attacked her dog. That could have very well been it. The only witness we have is her.”
Walters said the alleged attacking dog was a pit bull dog mix; the Cary’s dog was a border collie mix. Both animals were roughly the same size.
Walters said Hopkins was issued a $100 warning citation. ACAC said Hopkins is currently weighing his options on what to do next with the dog.
“The animal control officer said he fined Deputy Hopkins and said the dog had to be kept in the house or on a leash when outside,” said Cary. “What an outrage. His vicious dog killed our small, harmless dog and the deputy gets to keep his killer dog.”
Ashe County Animal Control Interim Director Joe Testerman said Hopkins’ status as a sheriff’s deputy had no bearing on the outcome of the case.
“I want to assure everyone that this will be handled appropriately,” said Testerman. “It’ll be dealt with the same with Officer Hopkins as with anybody else.”
Walters said ACAC handles each situation differently depending on the severity of the attack, the animal and owner’s past history, and other factors. Typically, citations are issued when there is a dog attack.
“You have to look at all the variables with these kinds of cases,” said Walters.
“Most of the time, we would require that person to keep the dog more confined on their own property, and require that they be more responsible,” said Testerman. “Probably, the dog would have to be kept inside his home or inside an enclosure approved by us. We don’t like for people to tie animals up; we don’t like to tether them, but it (tethering) may be necessary in a case like this.”
Testerman said Hopkins was discussing the possibility of turning the dog over to ACAC. The animal would then be evaluated to determine if it posed a further threat to other dogs or people.
“If he turns it over to us, which I think he will, we’ll likely deem the dog potentially dangerous,” said Testerman. “At that point, anytime it’s outside, it’ll have to be muzzled and led by a responsible adult.”
Testerman said Hopkins was not being forced to turn the dog over to animal control at this point. If the dog were deemed potentially dangerous, however, Hopkins would be liable for any further attacks by the animal, including criminal charges.
“I think he’ll turn it over to us, though,” said Testerman.
Once in the possession of animal control, a decision would be made regarding the dog’s future.
Testerman said a dog that was deemed potentially dangerous is unlikely to be adopted; those owners would be liable in the same way officer Hopkins would be.
“In these situations, we do everything we can before putting the animal down,” said Testerman. “It’s an option of last resort.”
When asked if pit bulls are especially dangerous and prone to attacks, Walters said, “In my professional opinion, they (pit bulls and Rottweilers) get a bad rap. There are so many factors that go into a dog attack. It depends on the individual animal’s temperament, how they were raised and socialized around other dogs and people, the environment they’re kept in, and what kind of situation provoked the attack.”
In response to a question on the frequency of dogs killing other dogs in Ashe County, Walters said “Dogs killing other dogs happens a few times a year; it does happen occasionally.”
[Don't you love how blase this animal control officer is? Yeah, people's beloved pets are mauled and torn to pieces every now and then. It happens. Oh and don't forget him telling us how great pit bulls are, that they get a bad rap and it depends on how they're raised.... um, well, then explain for me, you moron, why this pit bull -- having been 'raised' by this sheriff's deputy -- turned vicious? He's contradicting himself.
And it is totally obvious that he doesn't care anything about this poor border collie mix being ripped to pieces and mauled to death by this deputy's damn dog. I love how he says "oh there's all sorts of things that COULD HAVE happened... all we have to go on is the victim's word." as if they would make up this story!!!]
Cary, though, feels the dog should “have been immediately destroyed. There are children and older adults who walk on Monticello Drive. What would have happened if they were with my wife or walking the road in the future?”
(WXII - Nov 3, 2011)
No comments:
Post a Comment