On August 25, 2011, while on a walk together near 5th Street and Speedway Boulevard, Maia was attacked by an adult Staffordshire terrier running loose in the neighborhood with two puppies. Maia was severely mauled in the attack, and required over $10,000 in veterinarian bills to make her recovery.
The attack was only ended when some passersby intervened, but the ownership of the stray dogs was never determined. They were not wearing tags, nor were they micro-chipped for identification.
Since 1999, animal cruelty investigator Michael W. Duffey has been co-chair of the Animal Cruelty Task Force of Southern Arizona, an organization he co-founded. He says that the responsibility for solving the problem of stray dog attacks rests not just with individual owners, but also with community organizations like neighborhood associations.
He and Emerson join Arizona Illustrated to discuss their efforts to raise awareness about stray dog attacks. Click on the link below to watch the video.
(Arizona Public Media - Jan 5, 2012)
