NEW HAMPSHIRE -- A postal carrier was hospitalized last week after she was attacked by a dog at a home on Paradise Drive.
Christine Bouchard, 29, of Deering normally works in the Antrim post office, but on Jan. 19 she was filling in for the regular mail carrier for Bennington when she was attacked a pit bull mix dog, said Police Chief Steve Campbell.
While making the rounds of the mail route, Bouchard approached a house to deliver a registered letter, which requires a signature. The dog ran up to Bouchard and bit her in the face, Campbell said. “She said it jumped up and grabbed her face first.”
The dog then bit her on both her legs. She had puncture wounds on her legs and severe facial injuries. She ran back to her vehicle and called 911.
She was taken to Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough and then transferred to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon to see a specialist.
Campbell said she has a lot of stitches in her face. She is resting at home and waiting for an upcoming appointment with a plastic surgeon.
She has “serious injuries around her mouth. Her lips are all ripped up,” he said.
Dog owner Sam Cohen told Campbell the dog is usually friendly but may have been startled by Bouchard because she is a stranger.
Cohen has been issued a summons for having a vicious dog, which carries a $100 fine.
Campbell said Cohen described the dog as a terrier mix, but when he saw the dog it looked like a pit bull to him.
“It's a pretty good size dog,” he said.
Campbell said he has since learned pit bulls are included in the terrier breed family.
The dog is registered and licensed and is up to date on its rabies shots.
Following the incident, the dog was placed in quarantine at Spring Meadows in Hillsborough for 10 days.
Kennel workers are looking for any signs of disease. Because it was the dog's first offense, after the 10 days, it is to be released back to Cohen, who has been warned by Campbell to control his dog. “I told him people are allowed to walk up to your house and knock on your door.”
The dog attack took place within the dog's invisible fence area. Cohen told Campbell he would move the fenced area away from the front door.
(Union Leader - Jan 27, 2012)
