The Belmont Pet Resort and Daycare, where Louie had before stayed, told Tucker, 52, a theater professor at Belmont University, that her snub-nosed dog would be placed with other friendly, small dogs.
Instead, Louie was placed in a pen with an assortment of dogs, including a pit bull, which attacked Louie, ripping his left eye from its socket, according to a lawsuit filed recently in Davidson County Circuit Court.
According to the complaint, Belmont later referred to the attack as a “nip.”
Tucker is suing the pet boarding center for being “outrageous and grossly negligent” in placing Louie in a pen with a pit bull. Belmont acted “in direct disregard of the most basic standards of common sense and reasonable care,” according to the suit.
Veterinarian Mark Crootof, who owns the kennel, said the lawsuit does not accurately state how the event unfolded.
According to Crootof, Louie had an aggressive temperament and was attacking other dogs. He said his boarding center accepted Louie despite knowing about the dog’s behavior issues. In short, the pit bull was not the aggressor.
“Everyone likes to jump on the pit bull issue,” Crootof said. “But we try very hard to make sure that we never have any problems.”
[That's funny. On their own website they say that they will not accept aggressive dogs or ones with behavior issues as they're now claiming Louie exhibited:]
"Although Doggie daycare is fantastic for well-socialized dogs, it is not for everyone.. dogs with health issues or history of aggression may not be suitable for the daycare environment... If we notice on the temperament test that your dog is just not comfortable in a daycare setting, even though no signs of aggression are shown, we will make sure to advise the owner that another option might be better. We truly care about the happiness and well being of our pooches here at The Belmont Pet Resort."
The lawsuit claims that Belmont Pet Resort should have known that pit bulls are prone to spontaneous attacks. Pit bulls and dogs that have the characteristics of pit bulls are banned from Nashville parks.
Before the incident, Louie was a “healthy, vigorous” pet, according to the complaint.
Tucker is seeking an unspecified amount of damages, which will likely total thousands of dollars, for the dog’s on-going care, according to Tucker’s attorney, Frank Hunger.
Louie’s eye has been sewn shut. In addition, the attack impaired the dog’s remaining eye, according to the complaint.
(The Tennessean - Sept 8, 2012)
