CALIFORNIA -- The owners of a pit bull mix that bit a woman in the face got a reprieve Wednesday when the lone member presiding over a Redding panel that hears these cases voted to spare the dog's life.
Mike and Ileah Contreras, however, must clear significant hurdles to keep their 2-year-old, brown and white female Australian shepherd-pit bull mix named Shiva now that it has been declared a dangerous dog.
Among the 14 conditions they will have to meet are microchipping the canine, installing proper fencing and obtaining $50,000 worth of liability insurance.
The case arose from a June 3 morning walk. Sharon Greene, 75, was passing in front of the Contrerases' home in the 3700 block of Eagle Parkway. She saw the dog approaching her slowly.
It did not growl or bark, and she froze. She told Animal Regulations when the dog was about 2 feet away, it jumped up and bit her in the cheek. The Contrerases, who were gardening and did not have the dog on a leash, assisted Greene.
She walked to her neighbor's house and called for her daughter to take her to get medical treatment. The wound required nine stitches.
"It is a very lucky dog today," said Wes Reynolds, Administrative Hearings Board Chairman, in a stern voice.
He told the young couple he was unsure he had made the right call, saying he was rattled by the dog's unpredictability. He also upheld a $100 fine that had been issued to them because the dog was running at large. First-time pet owners, they also were cited because the dog was unlicensed.
"It could have gone either way. It was one vote," Ileah Contreras said.
During the hearing, the Contrerases were contrite and blamed themselves for endangering their community. They publicly apologized to Greene, their neighbors and the community, and they vowed to correct their dog's behavioral problems.
Neighbors circulated a petition requesting the dog not return into their neighborhood or any other neighborhood. Those signatures were submitted as part of the case.
"I don't want this to happen to anybody else, especially a child," Greene told the board.
The incident prompted a swift response from the Contrerases, who presented evidence the dog had no history of turning violent.
They said they were consulting with a dog behavior specialist and had even reached out to famed dog trainer Cesar Millan of "Dog Whisperer."
To appease neighbor's concerns, on June 18 they moved into a gated Cottonwood home that has five acres. Their closest neighbor is 100 yards away.
"We lived in a golf course," said Ileah Contreras of their former Redding neighborhood, "and she was being protective and we didn't recognize it."
The dog is being kept at Haven Humane Society in Anderson until the Contrerases meet all conditions, all of which must be reviewed and approved by Shasta County.
Animal control officers said the dog has shown no signs of aggressions at the kennel and asked the board give the Contrerases a second chance.
"I kind of feel in my heart this was the right call," said Haven's Ray John, who did not testify during the hearings but spoke to a reporter after the board made its ruling.
The board also spared the life of another dog that had received four warnings. That 18-month-old pit bull owned by Calvin Gooch also will need to meet all conditions before it is released to him.
A neighbor in the 1000 block of Grouse Drive reported the pit bull came through the fence and attacked her daughter's dog.
(Record Searchlight - June 20, 2012)
