While Smith was walking her dogs in the 7000 block of Weddell at Hayes in the evening, a pit bull attacked Reilly, a 12-year-old dachshund.
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| RIP Reilly |
The dog died at a veterinary hospital a short time later. Police took custody of the pit bull, which is under quarantine for 10 days and will be euthanized.
Police Cmdr. Mary Sclabassi said an investigation by the city’s animal warden is ongoing. The pit bull’s owner could be ticketed.
Smith said the pit bull owner’s fence was damaged and the gate was not latched. The pit bull nudged the gate open with his nose before attacking.
The pit bull rolled over Reilly with his nose and mauled the much smaller animal, Smith said.
Smith, who was walking her two other dogs, was a few steps behind her boyfriend, who was walking Reilly.
The house where the pit bull lives has a fence that opens onto the sidewalk where he attacked.
Smith estimated the pit bull weighs 85 or 90 pounds and said her 12-year-old dachshund weighed 12.
“The dog didn’t show any aggression,” Smith said of the pit bull. “It didn’t bark or anything. It reminded me of a cold-hearted criminal. He attacked with no warning."
Smith grabbed her other two dogs when she saw the attack and began screaming. Her boyfriend, Larry VanWassenova, grabbed the pit bull and threw him over the fence, and then closed the gate.
VanWassenova was not bitten by the pit bull but injured his shoulder when he grabbed the pit bull and threw it back into its yard.
Smith and VanWassenova were given a ride by a neighbor of the pit bull owner to Affliated Veterinary Emergency Service in Allen Park. Smith said workers at the clinic “did what they could,” but she was told that any attempt at an emergency operation would be for selfish reasons due to the severity of the dachshund’s wounds.
Reilly was then euthanized at the clinic.
Smith, who lives one street over on Jackson, said she has not spoken to the pit bull’s owner, who did not apologize at the time of the attack.
“She came out and I think she screamed, too, when she saw the amount of blood,” Smith said. “She didn’t apologize or anything. I don’t want to talk to her.”
Smith said she contacted Councilwoman Jill Brandana about proposing ordinances to ban the ownership of pit bulls or imposing safety restrictions such as muzzles. The City Council was scheduled to meet last night.
Smith, who said she was never passionate one way or the other about pit bulls, wants residents to be aware of their surroundings and to be wary of them.
Sclabassi said she doesn’t know of any dangerous dog ordinances for pit bulls currently in the city. However, some communities have bans on owning pit bulls. Allen Park has a ban on pit bulls and American bulldogs, while Dearborn Heights has a ban on pit bulls declared “vicious.” Ecorse and Melvindale ban pit bulls and Southgate restricts pit bulls.
Smith said Reilly never walked ahead of the group like he did that evening.
“I would like to think that Reilly saved our lives,” she said. “It’s like he knew something was wrong.”
(News Herald - June 7, 2012)
