Barney and Janet Kline knew they would be getting home late so they tied Spookers, their 5-year old Pomeranian outside at its dog box while they were gone.
"We came pulling into the driveway and Spookers was lying there. He never moved," Kline said. "Our headlights were on him and we could see he was just mauled to pieces."
Janet, too upset to get out of the car, remained inside while her husband went to aid their pet.
"I heard a sound, and the dog that did it was standing in my yard growling at me," he said. "My wife honked the horn, and it scared him away."
Spookers was dead. On Wednesday charges were filed against the owner of the dog, Joseph Brown, for harboring an alleged dangerous dog. The Klines said it is a little too late. Brown has pleaded not guilty, according to police.
Attempts to contact Brown were unsuccessful.
This was not the first time Spookers had been attacked by the same dog. The Klines reported an attack Jan. 15 to Cumberland Township police.
"The owner of the pit bull literally had to pry the dog off of my dog and in the process he got bit by his own dog," Kline said of the January incident. "We called the police and told them Spookers seemed to be okay so far but we wanted them to know it happened."
Kline said he never heard anything back.
The citation filed with Greene County District Judge Lee Watson makes note of the previous assault on Spookers. The hearing date for the March 3 attack has not been set. It will be up to Watson at that time to determine whether the pit bull will be designated a dangerous dog.
"The dog warden, J.C. Thomas, came here, finally, on Friday. He said the officer left him a message in January on his answering machine but he couldn't make out what he wanted," Kline said. "He didn't call him to ask him how his day was. This all could have been prevented if he would have done his job."
When contacted, Thomas referred inquiries to the state Department of Agriculture's press office.
"It had been over a week and a half and nobody had done anything. It happened on Saturday. Papers should have been filed by that Monday at the latest," Kline said.
The Klines and several of their neighbors have expressed concern for the safety of other small animals, elderly residents and especially young children living in the neighborhood.
Kline said the investigating officer told him there are other full-grown pit bulls and some pups living at the same residence with the dog that killed Spookers.
"One of our neighbors comes out of his house with a ball bat when he is trying to get in his car to go to work. That is not right," Kline said. "Our next door neighbor's wife and two children, 4 and 6, were chased by it. The owner is responsible for that animal."
Kline said he is dreading having to tell his granddaughters, who are 9 and 3-years old that Spookers, who came to the family as a puppy, is gone. They no longer let their other dog, a golden retriever, outside unless they are with it, Kline added.
"I just want something to be done. You should not have an animal you can't control," he said. "This is a very violent animal. Several of our elderly neighbors take their pets out at night on a leash to do their business. They can't move fast if it gets loose and tries to attack them."
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, a dangerous dog is one that has attacked, inflicted severe injury on, or killed a human being or a domestic animal without provocation while off an owner's property.
(Observer Reporter - March 16, 2012)
