FLORIDA -- A debate is simmering about the Lincoln Road Mall’s famous status as a canine friendly destination after a dog mauled a Van Dyke Café waitress this month.
On Labor Day weekend, a mastiff belonging to a customer seated in the cafe’s outdoor section bit Amy Calandrella in the face when she bent down to give the dog a bowl of water, according to official reports and witnesses.
Police said the dog, a cane corso breed, bit the 26-year-old’s lip and paramedics took her to Mount Sinai Medical Center. She received more than 300 stitches, according to a Miami-Dade County Animal Services report.
Her attorney, Judd Rosen, said she underwent more than seven hours of surgery to repair the wound.
“She’s going to have a reminder of this attack every morning when she wakes up and looks in the mirror,” Rosen said.
No charges were filed and the dog was allowed to remain with its owner, Teri Guttman Valdes.
City officials who spoke to The Herald were unaware about the attack, which took place on historic, publicly owned Lincoln Road.
But one witness said officials may want to rethink Lincoln Road’s come-one-come-all policy for dogs.
“There’s too many people and there’s too many dogs over there,” said Jerry Bailey. “I think it’s a recipe for disaster.”
On the hot Saturday afternoon of the attack, Valdes and a young woman who looked to be in her teens arrived at Van Dyke each holding a leash tied to a dog, according to Godfrey Anderson, a London resident who was enjoying martinis at an outdoor cafe table with his girlfriend.
Valdes, 44, held a large brown dog by a leash, and the younger woman held a leash tied to a black mastiff, Anderson wrote in an email to the Herald.
Witnesses said two smaller dogs seated at the cafe were barking, and the black mastiff became agitated, so Valdes and her companion pulled their dogs to a corner table.
Anderson said Valdes sat down next to him, and told him she and the dogs were enjoying a “staycation” at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, which allows guests to bring canines. He said his girlfriend wanted to pet the dogs, and was told not to pet the black dog because “it was not at all friendly.”
The dogs were obviously thirsty but calm, witnesses said, and the waitress arrived with a bowl of water.
Anderson said Valdes told her to place the dish in front of the black dog, which witnesses said was lying down.
“The waitress started to bend down and completely without warning the black dog launched itself at her face,” Anderson wrote in an email. “It was really fast.”
Maria Betancourt, who lives in Bay Harbor Islands and often visits Lincoln Road, said she heard a “huge scream” and saw Calandrella run with her hands over her face into the restaurant.
Bailey, a third listed witness, described the bite as “vicious” and said he didn’t see Calandrella do anything to startle the dog.
Restaurant representatives called the police, who classified the incident as “non-criminal.”
“They said there is nothing they can do because Lincoln Road is an area where dogs are allowed,” said Jennifer Chevalier, human resources manager for Graspa Group, manager and co-owner of Van Dyke Café. “That’s part of being on Lincoln Road. Dogs are allowed in the area and these types of things can happen.”
Chevalier said Calandrella, who could not be reached on her cell phone for comment, filed a worker’s compensation claim. Chevalier said she has held regular conversations with Calandrella, who “is doing remarkably well.”
“We’ve really been very supportive since we heard it happened and have done everything we could to help her,” said Chevalier, who declined to speak about Calandrella’s medical prognosis.
Anderson and Betancourt both said Valdes, who declined to speak to a reporter, should have been more cautious. Rosen said Valdes should be held criminally responsible if she knew her dog was dangerous and said nothing to warn Calandrella.
Cane corsos can grow as large as 100 pounds.
“People can’t have dogs like that in public without protection on their mouths,” said Betancourt.
Animal rights activists, however, say people shouldn’t overreact to the Labor Day weekend bite.
“For the amount of dogs paraded constantly on Lincoln Road, it’s minimal the occurrence there. This is very, very, very, very rare,” said Dahlia Canes, founder of the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation. “But there’s a lot of dogs that are unleashed. I see them all the time. People have got to stop thinking that dogs are not dogs.”
Laurie Hoffman, associate executive director of the Humane Society of Greater Miami, said dog owners need to be cautious when bringing their dogs to public settings. She said the public also needs to be aware that dogs can and will bite.
“We all have a responsibility in this as dog owners and the general public,” said Laurie Hoffman. “I would hate for Lincoln Road to start changing their rules.”
Rosen said his client’s main goal is to make sure Valdes’ dog doesn’t bite anyone else.
“She hasn’t expressed any hard feelings towards dogs in general,” he said. “It’s more a human responsibility.”
(Palm Beach Post - Sept 18, 2012)
