Firefighter enters not guilty plea in animal cruelty case

NEW JERSEY -- The firefighter cited by authorities for animal cruelty for letting his dog become emaciated with sores all over his body while tied in the backyard has pleaded not guilty to the charges in court.

Alexander Centeno, of East Commerce Street, appeared in Bridgeton Municipal Court on Thursday and told the judge he would release the Great Dane if the charges were dropped.

“You know what I said to that!” responded Cumberland County SPCA Executive Director Bev Greco.

“No way.”

A trial date of Dec. 13, at 2 p.m., has been set.

Acting on a tip from the Bridgeton animal control officer, on Nov. 20, Cumberland County SPCA cruelty agents seized the emaciated Great Dane from a property at 568 E. Commerce St.

Centeno, was charged with failure to maintain proper sustenance, which included failure to provide proper veterinary care.

Photo taken March 2012 shows
Alex Centeno at an awards
banquet for Cumberland
County Firefighters and EMTs.

The dog, believed to be 4 years old, has a history with the SPCA.

“We were called out about this same dog eight months ago,” said SPCA cruelty agent Diane Luellan-Lilla at the time. “The owner was cited for violations, but complied and the case was closed."

The dog is recovering.

Since Nov. 20, Centeno is being charged $10 a day room and board for the dog plus a veterinarian’s examination and medication expenses.

Those charges added up to $190 when Luellan-Lilla first contacted Centeno by phone the day after the seizure.

She told Centeno the monetary charges would cease as soon as he came to the shelter and signed papers to release the dog.

He declined and announced he was retaining a lawyer.

Centeno was not home the day of the seizure and no one answered the door, but other dogs were inside.

They are believed to be owned by Centeno’s wife.

At least $90 in additional charges have accrued.

(nj.com - Nov 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• Malnourished dog rescued in Cumberland County

Malnourished horses rescued from Fillmore County farm

MINNESOTA -- Officials removed 55 horses, ponies, mules and donkeys from a Fillmore County farm this week, in what an official says may be the largest equine confiscation in an animal cruelty case in Minnesota.

By Friday, four of the horses had been euthanized because of their extremely poor health conditions.

Several more animals may also have to be euthanized as the health of the remaining horses is determined, said senior Animal Humane Society Agent Keith Streff, who described this as the largest equine investigation that he's worked on in 25 years.

Authorities found the animals suffering from untreated wounds, severe emaciation and other health issues as well as numerous carcasses in various states of decomposition, after an anonymous complaint about the property.

"It was an ongoing investigation, but it got to the point where we had to take action," said Capt. John DeGeorge of the Fillmore County Sheriff's Office, which has had prior contact with the animals' owner.

The animals' owner has not been taken into custody or charged. The Animal Humane Society and Fillmore County Sheriff's Office are expected to complete their investigations and turn their findings over to the Fillmore County Attorney by late next week to determine what, if any, criminal charges will be issued.



A young but very underweight Hackeny pony
stands in a pen at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds.

Rescuing animals
Between 70 and 80 animals were on the property at the start of the investigation, but the owner was able to maneuver some off the property before authorities began confiscating them, Streff said.

"They were eating each others' tail hair to survive," said Candy Phillips of Truhaven Ranch in Winsted, Minn., one of the horse rescue organizations called on to transport, treat, care for and place the animals.

"It was a small acreage and they had eaten everything down to the dirt," she said. "They even ate the roots."

The 12 animals in the most acute condition were taken to the University of Minnesota Large Animal Hospital in St. Paul for treatment and forensic examination, where four were euthanized. The rest were taken to the Fillmore County Fairgrounds for temporary shelter before being transported to various ranches and agencies.

Although the owner is the one being investigated, Phillips said the problems with the animals often started before he took custody of them.

A horse showing numerous bite marks from competing with
others for food waits in a pen with another horse
at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds.

Many of the animals were ones that nobody wanted at auction and were left in the kill pen, Phillips said, explaining that the individual thought he could get them sold.

Although he took the animals with the best intentions, Phillips said, "That does not make it right."

Even so, there are more people to blame than the owner, she said. The people who bred or originally purchased the animals should have been responsible for them, she said.

Owner's background
Anna Nelson, of Wykoff, a longtime family friend of the owner, described him as a good horseman who used to trade horses with her grandfather. He's also an elderly man who got caught up over his head because of some extenuating circumstances, she said.

First he had an outbreak of "the strangles" go through his herd, which causes swelling of the glands in the neck making it so the horses don't eat and lose weight quickly, she said.

Then, during the first cold snap this fall, he was injured in an accident and was hospitalized for 10 days because of the injuries, she said.

It was while he was in the hospital that someone reported that the horses weren't being taken care of, she said.

Among the animals taken into custody, were two mini mules whose pot bellies were not caused by food, but more likely parasites, Phillips said. Another mule had to have its halter cut off since it had become embedded into its neck and head and infected.

Maggie Haugstad, a sophomore at Lanesboro High School,
stands with a malnourished Arabian that was rescued this
week from a Fillmore County property.
She hopes to adopt the horse.

Many of the animals have ring worm and rain rot, a skin disease from being left outside without shelter, she said.

All are underfed, including a draft horse that was at least 400 pounds underweight. Among the most emaciated was a Hackeny pony, a type of show pony known for its high steps.

"Her knees still pop level when she walks," Phillips said. "Even as bad as she is she still has pride."

(Post Bulletin - Nov 30, 2012)

Iowa: Woman says repairman beat her small Poodle mix; prosecutors refuse to file animal cruelty charges

IOWA -- A woman is struggling to make her case that a workman beat her dog.

Peggy Babcock told KETV-TV that she kenneled her dog, Jack, before she left the house Nov. 1.

She later received a phone call from the repairman her landlord had hired saying that the job was done, but she had to come home.

“He says, 'Ma’am, I have to apologize. I’m really worried about your dog,’” Babcock said.

Babcock said the man told her the 22-pound poodle mix attacked him, so he hit the it with a stake.

Jack was bloodied and beaten when Babcock returned home.

“He left him there to die,” Babcock said.

Babcock filed a report with the Omaha Police Department, but authorities said charging the workman with animal cruelty charges would be nearly impossible to prosecute.

Mark Langan with the Nebraska Humane Society said there wasn't enough probable cause for a felony or misdemeanor animal cruelty charge because the workman said it was self-defense.

“The only witness to that incident is the suspect himself, who indicates he was defending himself. It would have been tough for us to go to court and prove otherwise,” Langan said.

Omaha police are seeking a destruction of property offense, but the County Attorney's Office has yet to sign off on it.

Jack is left without an eye, but he will be fine.

Babcock said she won't be fine until the hired workman is held accountable.

“He's evil, and I think he needs to go to jail. I think he needs to be charged,” Babcock said.

(KCCI - Nov 29, 2012)

11/29/12: More Information Emerges in Warren Animal Abuse Case

OHIO -- Mocha the dog is doing well at the Animal Welfare League following her ordeal at the Hamilton Street home where five dogs and four cats were found dead inside on Wednesday.

The dog cannot be adopted out until the investigation is complete.

"What we have to do now is get all of our information put it in a report, get it to the prosecutor's office and hopefully we can get some criminal charges filed," said Animal Welfare League shelter director Debbie Agostinelli.

One problem is locating the couple accused of the act, Tiffany Charlton and Mike Kelley. They were not at the house on Thursday, but there was evidence that someone had been there overnight.

Tiffany Charlton's father, Randall, lives in the house right next door to her. He said the two have been estranged for awhile and wants nothing to do with her.

Her father and a neighbor said besides dogs, Charlton has many children, none of which were living in the home at the time.

"They have homes. A few are with Children's Services. The other ones are with their father and it's not like the kids are being neglected like the dogs," said neighbor Megan Hartford.

Details on Charlton's children could not be confirmed by CSB, and a look into her criminal background turned up nothing. Hartford said Charlton was fighting to get her kids back, but this case doesn't help.

"There is going to be repercussions for this. She really dug herself in a hole and is not going to get out," Hartford said.

Kelley's name turned up several misdemeanor charges, including theft, assault and breaking and entering.

(Fox Youngstown - Nov 29, 2012)

Calif. animal control officer killed in eviction

CALIFORNIA -- An unarmed animal control officer was shot and killed in Sacramento County on Wednesday while trying to retrieve pets from a home whose owner was evicted the previous day.

The officer had gone to the home to rescue dogs and cats authorities thought had been left behind, a day after Joseph Francis Corey was served an eviction notice and a sheriff's deputy changed the locks.

The officer — Roy Curtis Marcum, 45, of Elk Grove — and a bank employee knocked on the door when Corey fired a shotgun through the door, striking the officer in the torso, Sacramento County Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos said.

Corey, 65, was arrested early Thursday and faces murder charges after a SWAT team managed to get in his garage following a 17-hour standoff.

"What made him take the actions Wednesday that he didn't take Tuesday when officers had contact with him, who knows?" Ramos told the Associated Press on Thursday.

The bank official suffered minor injuries but was not hit by gunfire.

Public records show that Corey, a one-time contractor, owned the home from 2006 until a bank put it in foreclosure in 2011. He filed for bankruptcy protection in 2005 and again earlier this year, according to the Sacramento Bee.

His only income came from disability payments of less than $2,000 a month, according to bankruptcy filings. Among his few possessions he listed in 2005 were a Ruger .22-caliber rifle and six Catahoulas, a breed of dog. Corey had complained to officers on Tuesday that he had nowhere to take the animals.

After shooting the officer, Corey refused to leave the two-story house about 20 miles south of Sacramento, police said, and officers from across the county responded and surrounded the home.

They used tear gas to try to force him out, and eventually, a SWAT team made it onto the garage and arrested him around 5 a.m. Thursday.

He was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure and expected to be book into jail later in the day, Ramos said.

Marcum had been an animal control officer for 14 years, David Dickinson, the county's director of animal control told KCRA-TV. Dickinson said Marcum had helped out numerous times removing animals in homes following eviction notices before he was killed.

In Sacramento County, animal control officers are not sworn officers, so they are not armed.

(AP - Nov 29, 2012)

11/26/12: Seven Great Danes Seized from Minneapolis Home

MINNESOTA -- Authorities in Minneapolis have uncovered a hoarding case involving a breed of dog known for its mammoth size, and now they are on a mission to find good homes for the animals.

Seven Great Danes were living in "filthy conditions and ... had very little socialization and care" in a home, said city spokesman Matt Lindstrom.

The dogs' owner surrendered them to the city's Animal Care and Control, which placed two puppies in new homes and began handing over the other five -- all adults -- to a rescue organization in two stages starting Monday.

"They are wonderful dogs, but they are big dogs," said Ann Heinrich, whose Great Dane Rescue of Minnesota and Wisconsin took in three of the dogs Monday and will return for the other two Wednesday.

Danes are considered the world's tallest breed, standing more than 3 feet tall from paw to shoulder and weighing at least 100 pounds by adulthood. It's the size of the five dogs that requires Heinrich to make two trips for the handoff.

Even though the dogs' owner cooperated with Animal Control, "this case is still under investigation for possible animal cruelty" charges, Lindstrom said.

Photos taken two weeks ago and released by the city show a thoroughly trashed living room and filth surrounding a kiddie swimming pool made into a dog's bed.

In light of this case, Animal Care and Control officials said in a statement that a residence with a large number of animals is "not a healthy environment for the people or the pets."

Heinrich said some owners don't realize the expense of keeping a Dane well fed and in good health.
Also, some people welcome a Great Dane to their home only to find out later that "they can't take living outside," Heinrich said. "They are strictly house dogs. They have no hair for the wintertime to keep them warm."

The five being taken in this week brings Heinrich's total to 15 awaiting placement by her organization in Siren, Wis.

Some of them are in foster homes as they await adoption. The others live with Heinrich, who has been involved with caring for Great Danes for 40 years, the past five running the rescue organization.

"Some of the dogs will live out their lives with me," she said. "We've got one dog we've had for over a year waiting for adoption."

(Star Tribune - Nov 26, 2012)

Toddler bit by pitbull in Bradenton home, second pit bull shot after it lunges at deputy

FLORIDA -- When law enforcement responded to a Bradenton home where a 3-year-old boy’s face was bitten by a pit bull Thursday afternoon, officials ran into uncooperative residents, according to a Manatee County Sheriffs' Office release.

A deputy ended up shooting a dog at the residence.

The deputy responded to a home on the 3300 block of 13 th St. East with Animal Control.

The toddler had sustained injuries from a pit bull inside the home and he needed medical attention, but the occupants in the home refused to answer the door.

The deputy began to walk to walk to the back of the residence when she was confronted by another dog.

The second dog, also a pit bull, lunged at the deputy, so she shot the dog with her firearm, the release states.

The dog was struck in its right front paw and was taken to a local vet by its owners to get treated.

Animal control impounded the dog that bit the child. The child was treated at Manatee Memorial and released.

(abcactionnews.com - Nov 30, 2012)

Four Dogs Facing Death In Attack On Teen

MICHIGAN -- Four dogs are on death row for attacking a Newport teenager who was knocked down and bitten more than 100 times in the front yard of a Detroit Beach home where the dogs lived.

A court battle ensued in the months since the incident and two Monroe County judges have ruled that the four boxers are dangerous and need to be euthanized.

One of the dogs which mauled the teenager

Unless a restraining order is filed and approved by Tuesday, the dogs will be put down.

But the dogs’ owner, Timothy D. Iocoangeli, who also is facing criminal charges in the case, said although he feels terrible that the girl suffered trauma and injuries from the attack, his pets should not be blamed. Mr. Iocoangeli, 48, said the dogs simply were protecting his property and their litter of pups that were inside the home on Lakeview Dr.

“They’re not dangerous dogs,” Mr. Iocoangeli said. “I’m so sorry the girl got hurt. I feel terrible. She’s just a kid. But those dogs didn’t do anything wrong. They were protecting their property. My dogs are not vicious dogs.”

Monroe County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Brown said the girl, a Jefferson High School student who was 15 at the time, required three surgeries since the mauling in April and has suffered emotional trauma as well. He said she suffered more than 100 bites all over her body.

“It was a brutal attack,” Mr. Brown said. “She’s lucky she survived. She’s clearly traumatized.”

The girl’s name is being withheld because she is a minor and her mother declined to comment. But Mr. Brown said the girl was not trespassing — she was invited to the house — and was not inside the home when the four dogs burst through the door and pounced.

The attack was so vicious that, according to police reports and witnesses, neighbors tried to get the dogs off the girl by throwing bricks at them. Additionally the victim’s friend who was with her that day tried to shield her by lying on top of her as the dogs continued biting.

“It was terrifying,” said one witness, who asked not to be identified. “She had four dogs on top of her and there was nothing she could do. The girl was screaming. It was awful. I was very shaken up.”

Mr. Brown charged Mr. Iocoangeli with four felony counts of owning a dangerous dog that caused serious injury.

First District Judge Mark S. Braunlich also ruled that the dogs are dangerous and need to be euthanized. The ruling was appealed to 38th Circuit Court where Judge Michael W. LaBeau last month upheld the ruling to have the dogs destroyed.

One of the issues argued in court was whether the two teenagers were given permission to enter the home. The victim and her friend were at the residence with Mr. Iocoangeli’s son and a fourth teen. All four were friends and were socializing outside the house, court records show.

Two of the teens left and the other two stayed behind. The boy allegedly decided to go inside the house to get a drink and use the restroom. According to court testimony, he told the victim to stay outside “since the dogs were mean.”

When the teenaged boy opened the door the four dogs burst through the opening and attacked the girl who was standing in the front yard, court documents said. The boy who opened the door and tried to shield his friend from the dogs has since died in a car accident.

Mr. Iocoangeli wasn’t home during the incident but he said his life changed dramatically since that day. In addition to being arrested, he lost his job, his house and was forced to sell his pickup truck to try to save his dogs that are named Brooklyn, Buddha, Sheena and Sweeny.

“I love my dogs,” he said from his uncle’s home in Monroe where he now stays. “My dogs are my life. They’re my family.”

The dogs and the puppies were taken away and Mr. Iocoangeli said he has not seen them since. They are being held in Animal Control facilities until the order to euthanize is made official. Until then Mr. Iocoangeli said he will continue to fight to save his dogs and plans to go to trial in the criminal case because he believes the dogs acted as they did strictly for protection.

“I lost everything but I am going to fight this,” he said. “If that door wasn’t opened this would never have happened. My dogs deserve to live.”

(Monroe News - Nov 29, 2012)

Earlier:

• Two recovering after dog mauling in Frenchtown Township

Starved dog found at vet clinic's doorstep

NEW YORK -- A veterinary clinic allegedly did not open its doors for a starving dog, and an alert Rural-Metro ambulance crew came to its aid.

Two Rural-Metro paramedics, assigned to the corner of Kensington and Fillmore Avenues, found an emaciated pit bull, lying on the frigid pavement on Wednesday. The dog was so weak, she couldn't even raise her head.

EMT Norine Hoch said, "As my partner was pulling into the driveway, all of a sudden, she started going, 'Oh my God! Oh my God!' It was, like, 32 degrees outside, and she was skin and bones. If we [had gotten there] seconds later, she would probably would have been frozen to death."

The dog was lying in the parking lot of the Anderson Inner City Animal Hospital. Which is why Hoch says, she's shocked at what happened when they knocked on the hospital door.

"A gentleman came to the door, and he said, 'I know she's there. I called the SPCA. They're on their way.' And slammed the door in our face."

Hoch and her partner wrapped the pit bull in blankets and applied heat packs. Their supervisor drove her in a fly car to the SPCA shelter in Tonawanda.

Field supervisor Michael Arquette said, "It was very heartbreaking to see just how thin, weak, and how cold she was to the touch. They were very saddened, but very happy to see us bring the puppy in, instead of just leaving it there."

This is not the first time Dr. Hector Anderson's clinic has been accused of refusing help for a sick animal abandoned on its doorstep.

In 2009, "Kenny," a malnourished cocker spaniel, lay outside the hospital for over 24 hours before anyone even called the SPCA. Kenny had to be put to sleep three days later, and the SPCA filed a complaint against Dr. Anderson.

When we went to the hospital looking for answers Thursday night, an employee told News 4 the clinic is closed on Wednesdays. She said the man who answered the door is a custodian, who's not authorized to handle animals.

Because of this latest incident, the SPCA Serving Erie County is again investigating the Anderson Inner City Animal Hospital. In fact, the paramedics are going to give statements to investigators Friday morning.

The SPCA says the puppy is very touch-and-go. Vets are still keeping her warm with hot water bottles. They think she's very young, but she is so severely starved, vets say it's impossible to determine her age.

Doctors are doing tests, to see if her internal organs are still functioning. They say it is impossible to tell, at this point, if she'll survive.

(WIVB - Nov 29, 2012)

Kittens Found in Poland Were Beaten To Death

OHIO -- The three kittens found dead on the side of the road in Poland died from blunt force trauma to the head and chest, according to veterinarians who performed an autopsy on the kittens.

Mahoning County humane agents originally thought the kittens were run over, then placed on the side of the road. That still could be the case, but Animal Charity Humane Society veterinarians said they were beaten to death first.

Mahoning County humane agents are still investigating.

Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Poland police officers were called to Coit Road on a report of dead kittens found on the side of the road.

A witness told police that she found the kittens dead, lying in a straight line in the roadway. She said it appeared as if the animals were intentionally placed there. The witness said she put the dead kittens on top of a trash bag and moved them to the side of the road.

The kittens had tire tracks on their bodies, and it was apparent that they had been run over.

(WYTV - Nov 30, 2012)

Toddler Recovers After Pit Bull Attack

TENNESSEE -- A Memphis toddler who survived a vicious attack by a neighbor’s pit bull is now home with his family.

Little Angelo Garcia is celebrating his 3rd birthday.

In June, Angelo snuck into his neighbor’s backyard on Carrington while his family was putting away groceries.

His neighbors pit bull, named Cannibal, ripped part of the toddler’s face off.

The attack was so bad, neighbors could see the toddler’s bones.

Angelo’s father says his little boy has had 18 surgeries and is now in speech therapy.

The dog was put down shortly after the attack.

The owners have since moved out of the neighborhood.

(WREG - Nov 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• Owners Of Pit Bull That Attacked Toddler Speak

Two pit bulls who mauled a Yuma show horse euthanized

ARIZONA -- The owners of the two pit bulls that brutally attacked and mauled to death the show horse named Spud have ordered the female dog named Mackenzie to be euthanized.

The Humane Society of Yuma said it called every pit bull rescue group in the area but no one wanted to take in Mackenzie.

"This tragedy didn't have to happen," Cookie Wagtner, development director for the Humane Society of Yuma said.

When it was time to put Mackenzie and Pano down plenty of tears began to flow she said.

"They took them out to the play yard and play with them," she said. "They took pictures with their family pet and the children were there."

Earlier this week, Judge Yolanda Torok determined both Mackenzie and Pano to be "vicious" dogs.
Judge Torok ordered Pano to be euthanized but spared Mackenzie's life.

Instead, she ordered the female pit bull to be sent to a rescue organization.

On Friday, the humane society tells KSWT News 13 no one would take her in.

That's when the owners of Mackenzie ran out of options and ordered the dog to be put to sleep, along with Pano.

"It's a family pet, regardless of the circumstances that happened...just as the horse was a family pet," she said.

"The ones that lose the most are the horse and the dogs," she said.

Spud's owners said the ending to this story is sad for everyone involved, especially the animals.

(KSWT - Nov 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• Loose dog kills horse inside pen in Foothills
• Horse caretaker reacts to pit bull attack
• Dogs' owner faces charges in horse mauling

Na'toria Ware in wheelchair following Monticello pit bull attack

ARKANSAS -- A 5-year-old girl is in a wheelchair, recovering after reportedly being attacked by a dog earlier this week.

Monticello Police said the incident happened Wednesday morning. All parties involved agree on that detail, but they have different stories on what exactly happened. Na'torial Ware's mom says her 5-year-old daughter was heading to her school bus when their neighbor's pit bull mauled her.

"I was thinking he wasn't going to stop biting me," the girl says.

Na'toria's older brother was also nearby and said the dog started dragging his sister, so he called their mom.

"It's crazy, the owner's wife just stood there at her back door and just watched the dog bit my baby," Mesheka Ware, Na'toria's mother, said.

The dog's owner, Patrick Moore, had an explanation for why his wife didn't do more to control the situation.

"My wife is nine months pregnant," Moore said. "There's not much she could do, but she did pull a deep freezer back and opened the door and called the dog off her. I heard her screaming at the dog telling it to stop, stop. I left work, came directly here [home] and police and everyone was outside."

Investigators said there are conflicting stories about the pit bull being chained to a boat at the house.

The Wares say the dog wasn't chained, while Moore said police witnessed the owners getting tools to get the chain off the dog.

"We used pliers to get him off his collar, and to me that's not something you couldn't do in a two minute time frame," Monticello Police Chief Eddy Deaton said, confirming that thinks the dog was chained at the time of the incident.

The Moores have three other dogs, including another pit bull. This was the second time this particular dog has bitten someone; they plan to get rid of his dogs to prevent any more attacks. Authorities have the pit bull that attacked in their custody and will decide what to do with him next week.

Na'toria has a broken bone in her ankle and bit marks along her lower leg and thigh. Police say Moore administered rabies shots to his dogs on his own, but Moore was cited for not having a veterinarian do it, which state law requires.

(Today's THV - Nov 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• Monticello Neigborhood Wounded After Pit Bull Attacks 5-year-old Girl

Pit Bulls Still Quarantined After Attacking Hopkins Pets Two Weeks Ago

MINNESOTA -- Two pit bulls that attacked a Shih Tzu and nearly killed a cat Nov. 18 remain in quarantine while police continue the process of determining whether to declare them dangerous, Police Sgt. Michael Glassberg told Patch on Friday.

An official declaration that the dogs are dangerous would impose restrictions on the dog owner if he takes possession of them again, Glassberg said. There would be a deposit for insurance, for example.

The dogs would have to be microchipped and remain on a three-foot leash when they were being walked. Fencing at the dog owner’s home, located on the 700 block of Ninth Avenue South, would have to meet certain standards.

“There’s some pretty restrictive things on it,” Glassberg said.

The dogs would not be euthanized unless the owner didn’t want them back, he said.

Under city ordinance, owners have the right to appeal a declaration that an animal is dangerous in a hearing before the police chief or his designee.

Meanwhile, police have started the process of charging the 44-year-old owner with having his dogs off leash. Glassberg signed the charging documents Thursday, but it wasn’t clear at press time whether charges had gone through yet.

The dogs initially came to officers’ attention when police received a report that a pit bull had attacked a Shih Tzu on the 700 block of Eighth Avenue South. The Shih Tzu’s owner was able to chase the pit bull away before he severely hurt the smaller dog.

But while officers were on scene, one of the dogs attacked a 10-year-old cat, Peppie, while the cat was on its own porch—secured to the front door with a harness and leash so he wouldn’t roam the neighborhood. The dog’s bite removed a piece of bone from Peppie’s leg. The surgeon was able to save the cat’s leg after a $5,000 operation.

Peppie’s owner, Gerada Louks, said the cat’s recovery is proceeding apace. In order to ensure he heals properly, Peppie is not allowed to roam the house like he wants and is unhappy at the moment. But Louks added that at least a pet that she considers part of the family is still with her.

(Hopkins Patch - Nov 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• Pit Bull Attacks Terrorize Two Small Pets in South Hopkins

Officers shoot dog after dog turns on owner

ARIZONA -- A dog turns on his owner and brutally starts attacking him.  It happened in a neighborhood near University and Adobe in Mesa. Neighbors say the man was struggling to get control.

"I still see the boy scream," said neighbor Rebecca Sanchez.

It was the desperate cry for help Rebecca Sanchez says she'll never forget.

"He was rolling right here. He was screaming, my dog turned on me, please help me," said Sanchez.

Police say a 22 year old man was walking his American Bulldog when the dog started to attack him.
The man was finally able to get his dog off him and tie him to this tree.  He then came running towards the Sanchez home for help.

"It sounded horrible, he just kept saying please help me sir, I don't want to die," said Sanchez.

"I told him everything was going to be ok, but he just kept worrying about his dog. He kept saying, they are going to kill my dog," said Johnny Sanchez, neighbor.

When police arrived, they say the dog was still extremely aggressive. We're told he started to growl at officers and looked like he was about to attack. That is when police fired.

The dog was hit, but managed to get away.  Police are looking for the dog tonight. The owner is still recovering.

(abc15.com - Nov 30, 2012)

Dog shot, chained to tree in Cleveland Heights park

OHIO -- Dee Shedlow, a professional dog walker, is a regular visitor to Forest Hill Park in Cleveland Heights, but there was nothing routine about her walk there Monday afternoon.

Shedlow, with five dogs in tow, came upon a Mastiff dog chained to a tree.

She couldn't get too close, with so many curious dogs in her charge, so she called a friend for help. Another dog walker joined her and called police.

Patrolman Marty Block responded, approached the stoic dog and discovered blood and bullet wounds.

"No," Shedlow said. "Who would do such a thing?"

But the officer was right. Someone had shot the big dog in the chest and jaw. He called a kennel worker, who drove the injured dog to The Family Pet Clinic in Garfield Heights.

"He was in the early stages of shock, but he's as lucky as he can get," said veterinarian Rick Thompson.

One bullet entered through the dog's shoulder and lodged in a chest muscle. The other bullet injured the dog's tongue, then broke into pieces when it hit the lower jaw bone, which didn't break.

Thompson also found apparent bite marks on the dog's face and an ear. "Someone may have broken up a dog fight using a gun," Thompson said.

Once the dog recovered from surgery, he was taken to the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter, then transferred to a foster home for the Public Animal Welfare Society.

"The gentle giant is doing well," PAWS director Amy Beichler said. "I would love for the public to help us give the dog a name."

(Plain Dealer - Nov 29, 2012)

Huge dog fighting ring found

FLORIDA -- Hillsborough County Animal Services is reporting the bust of a huge dog fighting ring in the Seffner area Tuesday afternoon.

So far, animal services says they have rescued seven dogs but, according to one of the two men arrested in this case, there are potentially hundreds more that will be found dead or buried on the remote property.

Sergeant Pam Perry of Hillsborough County Animal Services calls the scene as very depressing and very disheartening.

"We knew after the statement he [the suspect] made to us that we were walking on a graveyard," Perry tells 10 News.

Perry says they have already recovered several skulls and carcasses of dead animals.

The dogs they did manage to save were kept in horrible conditions. Dogs were kept in toe chains and living in their own fecal matter with no potable water.

The identities of the men arrested have not yet been identified. 10 News will have more on this story, as well as the future plans of the seven dogs saved as soon as information becomes available.

(WTSP - Nov 27, 2012)

Monticello Neigborhood Wounded After Pit Bull Attacks 5-year-old Girl

ARKANSAS -- Emotions have been running high in the Sherwood Forest subdivision in Monticello after a five-year-old girl was attacked by a pit bull next door.

"I'm sad and scared," said Lajovian Ware.

Ware's sister, five-year-old Mimi, was bitten by the pit bull that lives next door as she was walking to her school bus stop on Wednesday morning.

"Her whole leg was bleeding," Ware said. "All I could do was yell at my mom that the dog was eating her."

The dog broke her ankle before another neighbor from across the street and the girl's mother were able to get the dog to release the little girl. She's underwent surgery and is recovering at Arkansas Children's Hospital.

"This could be a very tragic event," said Bishop Sam Wherry.

Wherry's grandchildren live in the subdivision, and he's beginning to fear for their safety.

"I have a grandson that lives two doors up and this same animal tried to attack he and his mom," Wherry said. "These dogs aren't in fences. They're just on chains.They get loose, and all of a sudden you have a child mauled."

He believes federal regulations restrict breeds like pit bulls from even being on the premises.

"I remember looking through the subdivision guidelines. No, dogs cannot be here," he said.

These houses were funded with subsidies through the Farmer's Home Program, which eventually became the Rural Development program under the USDA's direction.

But officials could say for sure whether there were or still are restrictions for pets.

"We need help in trying to solve this before these innocent children become injured," Wherry said.

Monticello does have a vicious dog ordinance requiring aggressive breeds to be chained up or fenced in.

The owners of the animal involved in the attack declined to speak to KARK on camera. However, they say the animal was chained up the entire time. They hope for a speedy recovery for the child, but insist they weren't negligent.

The girl and eyewitnesses, however, say the dog was roaming free around the neighborhood when the attack occurred.

"She said the dog had dragged her out the road and started to bite her on the leg," Ware said.

Either way, a small child remains severely injured, leaving deep wounds in her neighborhood as well.

Police are investigating the timeline of events. The police report notes officers found the animal chained to a boat in the back yard after receiving the call, and that the animal was growling at them.

The dog was removed from the property and is required to remain in quarantine for at  least 10 days.

They are also investigating allegations that this dog has attacked other children in the subdivision prior to this event.

(KARK - November 29, 2012)

Toddler bit by Pitbull, dog shot by deputy

FLORIDA -- A three-year-old toddler was hospitalized and a dog was shot after a Pitbull reportedly bit the child in the face sometime around noon today.

According to reports, Animal Control received the call about the bite sometime around noon Thursday.

When they, along with a Manatee County deputy, arrived to the home off of the 3300 block of 13th St. East, those inside "refused to answer the door," reports say.

That's when the deputy began to walk to the back of the home, only to be met by a second dog.

The second dog, reportedly also a Pitbull, lunged at the deputy, so she shot her gun and struck the dog in the right front paw. 

The dog was reportedly taken by the owners to a local vet to receive treatment, and Animal control impounded the other dog, who bit the toddler.

After the child was treated at Manatee Memorial Hospital, he was released.

(WTSP - Nov 29, 2012)

Boy bit by pit bull outside store

OHIO -- A 3-year-old boy required a stitch after being bitten by a pit bull outside a Dollar General store Wednesday.

According to a Dayton Police incident report, the boy and his mother were walking in the parking lot of the store on Linden Avenue just before 4 p.m. and saw the dog tied to a pole.

The mother reported that she tried to walk around to avoid the dog, but it got loose and bit the boy above the right eye.

She was able to hit the dog and it grabbed her sleeve, dragging her to the ground. The dog then reportedly went after the boy again, biting his leg before the woman was able to get control of the dog and tie it up again.

The boy was taken to Dayton Children’s Medical Center and had to get a stitch above his eye, according to the report.

The owner of the pit bull, 27, was cooperative with the mother and police according to the report. He said he thought the dog was secured when he went into the store.

He was issued quarantine paperwork for the dog and could be cited for failure to control his dog, a misdemeanor.

(WHIO Dayton - Nov 29, 2012)

Brandon revokes pit bull variance

MISSISSIPPI -- The Brandon Board of Aldermen recently voted to revoke a pit bull ordinance after the owner of three pit bulls violated conditions of the ordinance.

The variance granted to Andrew Lloyd of Sagewood Drive in August, allowed him to keep three pit bulls on his premises.

Two months later, police saw the dogs running loose and one jumped on a neighbor and scratched her leg while she was holding her infant. The dogs also reportedly attempted to attack other dogs through fences.

Police captured the dogs and while searching the premises found a fourth pit bull inside the house, along with 15 pit bull puppies and two breeder’s certificates.

The puppies were sick and euthanized and the others were transported to the Rankin County Animal Shelter.

(Rankin Ledger - Nov 29, 2012)

Pit Bull Has Attacked Pets in Fort Lauderdale, Residents Say

FLORIDA -- Some residents of Fort Lauderdale’s Poinsettia Heights neighborhood say a pit bull has been attacking the area’s cats.

Even though residents want to stop such attacks, they say they are worried government red tape and the pit bull’s owner will delay a resolution, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Among the concerned residents is Bob Stroozas, who accuses a pit bull named Kush of killing Zina, Stroozas’ Siamese cat. Stroozas said he knows Kush was responsible for killing Zina because a neighbor saw Kush standing over the cat’s carcass.

"She was murdered right here," Stroozas told the Sun Sentinel, pointing to the spot outside the front gate of his home. "She was murdered right on this sidewalk. You could see the bloodstains where she tried to get back through the gate and she just couldn't make it."

The woman identified by neighbors as the pit bull’s owner couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday despite phone calls to a listed number. A woman who spoke to the Sun Sentinel earlier this week declined to comment.

For Kush to be labeled “aggressive,” Kuch and his owner would be required to appear in court. But before a hearing can be set, complaints must be notarized and sent to officials with Broward County's Animal Care and Adoption, said agency spokeswoman Lisa Mendheim.

As of Thursday, Mendheim said the agency has only had one substantiated report so far of the dog being loose, because a neighbor reportedly filmed the dog roaming free. The county plans to issue a fine over that.

Mendheim said it may be that residents are failing to phone the agency to report attacks when they happen.

"They need to contact us, bottom line," Mendheim said. "Not just this neighborhood, but any neighborhood."

In Kush's case, neighbors say they have called the police and county, but say the problem hasn’t yet been resolved. To report a dog bite or attack in Broward, call Lynete Davis, bite coordinator, at 954-359-1313, Ext. 9297.

(NBC 6 Miami - Nov 29, 2012)

Oklahoma: Tommie Ashcraft, 44, given 3 years probation for possession of a dangerous dog

Offender: Tommie Jef Ashcraft
Alias: Tom Ashcraft, Thomas Ashcraft
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 6 ft 2 in
Weight: 231 lbs
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Blue
Birth Date: 10/3/1966
Age at conviction: 44
OKLAHOMA DOC#: 668135

Court: OKLAHOMA COUNTY COURT
Offense: POSS OF DANGEROUS DOG
Conviction date: 1/7/2011
Term: 1025 Days
Term code: Probation
Sentence begins: 11/28/2012
Sentence scheduled to end: 09/19/2015

RELATED:

Suspected Serial Shoplifter Of Wal-Mart Stores, Tommie Ashcraft, Charged
OKLAHOMA -- Store employees at the Edmond Wal-Mart at Danforth and Santa Fe tell police the suspect is violent and has been ripping off stores for quite some time.

"You don't hear about any crime in Edmond," Wal-Mart shopper Samantha Roper said.

Twenty miles away from Edmond in Midwest City, officers are hearing the same story.

"It makes me not want to go to Wal-Mart by myself," Roper said.

Some customers say it seems like shoplifters are common at Wal-Mart. Those customers are worried that if criminals can steal from the store, they can target shoppers as well.

"I think they need to do the time and be in [jail] for a while," Hand said. "They [will] get out eventually, and they'll do it again."

So far, police have accounted for roughly $600 worth of stolen items. The tally is expected to climb.

Police say Ashcraft did not have elaborate plans to steal items. He would simply load up his cart and walk right out the door of the store.

Ashcraft already had warrants out for his arrest when Midwest City police arrested him. He is being held on $45,000 bond.

(News9 - Nov 15, 2012)

Neighbor Upset After Police Shoot Pit Bull

COLORADO -- Commerce City police plan to do an internal review after an officer shot and killed a dog.

The incident happened on Saturday on the 9,600 block of Nucla Street.

A neighbor, Kenny Collins, called police to report that the dog was running loose. He then shot a video of what happened next.

The video shows two police officers and an animal control officer surrounding the dog, a 3 1/2-year-old pit bull. At first they tried to control it using a taser and then they tried a neck harness. Then an officer fired once and then, with the dog secured, the officer shot four more rounds, killing the dog.

Commerce City police say the animal was out of control, but Collins says he thinks the dog didn’t start acting violently until it was tased.



 

 

“You made the call to animal control?” CBS4′s Stan Bush asked Collins.

“Correct,” Collins said.

“Do you wish you had done that now?”

“I have my reservations,” Collins said.

Collins said he thought it was unsafe for the police officer to be firing shots so close to his home and his children, who were home at the time.

Pit bulls are not allowed in Commerce City. The dog’s owner told police they were watching the dog, whose name was Chloe, for a family member. That person was given a citation.

The officer who shot the dog is still on active duty.

(Denver Post - Nov 26, 2012)

Chihuahua dies after being attacked

ARIZONA -- A family who said their daughter’s therapy dog died after it was attacked by another dog during an evening walk in Phoenix last week wants to warn people about the attacking dog that still is at large.

Rocky Pizii said they want to get the word out about what happened to their dog so people are aware the dog that attacked their 3-year-old Chihuahua is still out there, as well as other large dogs that can’t be controlled by their owners.

“I just want people to know that there is an instance that happened here and they need to be cautious about their dogs,” he said.

Pizii said he and his wife Yolanda were walking their daughter’s dog Frankie about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in their neighborhood northwest of 19th and Northern avenues when the attack happened.

They were walking west on Butler Road near 23rd Avenue when they saw a woman walking east with her dog, which he described as an approximately 50-pound, light brown Pit Bull, possibly a mix. Pizii moved Frankie to the far side of his body and shortened the leash to keep him away from the other dog.

As they passed, both dogs barked at each other, “as they do,” and then the other dog jumped out of its owners hands and attacked Frankie, grabbing him and dragging him into the street, he said.
“The dog had no qualms, he just attacked viciously,” Pizii said. “He was shaking him like a little rag doll.”

The dog’s owner had tried to grab her dog but fell down, he said. Pizii jumped on the dog in the middle of the street and struggled with it, trying to get it to release Frankie. He finally freed him from the dog’s jaws only for it to grab him again.

Cars were stopped in the street as the struggle continued and a bicyclist stopped to help pry the dog’s jaws off Frankie’s neck, Pizii said.

Once they finally were able to free him, he and his wife rushed home and took him to a nearby 24-hour veterinarian where he was treated and sent home.

The dog had cuts all over his body, a hairline fracture in his pelvic area and a deep cut in his shoulder that had to be drained of fluids to prevent infection, Pizii said. At home, the dog was “out of it,” wouldn’t eat and couldn’t keep down water. He stopped breathing the next night, on Thanksgiving. They took him to the veterinarian but he died.

“This has been the weekend from hell,” Pizii said. “He was such a big part of our life in his three short years.”

Frankie had been their 33-year-old daughter’s therapy dog since he was a puppy and had been crucial to her dealing with her depression issues, Pizii said.

He said she has not been doing well since the dog’s death and barely has gotten out of bed.

“He basically saved her life,” Pizii said. “They did everything together. He was really her foundation. He just added to her life and gave her some responsibility and someone to live for and someone to look after.”

He said the attack and Frankie’s resulting death makes them angry because it happened in their own neighborhood where they always took him for walks and all the neighbors knew him.

Pizii said they reported the attack to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control but because they didn’t know the address where the dog lives they had to report it as a stray or at large in the area.

He said they want to get the word out about what happened to Frankie so neighbors know to be aware the dog is out there, as well as other similar dogs that can’t be controlled by their owners, so they can protect their own pets.

He also would like to find the dog’s owner.

“I would like her to know that her dog killed our dog,” Pizii said. “I need her to know that, the impact she had on our lives.”

Pizii asked anyone who knows anything about the dog to call Maricopa County Animal Care and Control or him at 602-686-0203.

(azcentral.com - Nov 27, 2012)

Dallas man recovering after being attacked by 5 pit bulls

TEXAS -- A Dallas man is recovering at Baylor Hospital after he was attacked over the weekend by a pack of dogs.

Up to five pit bulls attacked Louis Hart, 63, just a block from his South Dallas home Sunday morning.

“I ain’t never fought nothing like I fought them,” Hart told News 8 from his hospital bed.

The dogs broke his arm and chewed up his legs and arms. His hands and feet are completely bandaged; there’s a deep cut just above his right eye.

“They were shaking me like they had something good to eat,” he said. “I had one hand in this dog’s mouth and one hand in another dog’s mouth, while another was chewing on my ankles.”

Hart was walking to a store on the 2300 block of Greer St. around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, when he says the dogs lunged out of nowhere.
 
 "[They were] trying to get my throat,” Hart said. “One of them went off and took my shoe.”

Several members of a nearby church eventually had to use a stick to beat the dogs off Hart. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital where he’s expected to remain for several more days.

“I thank God, because I don’t feel like I was supposed to be here,” he said. “I thought I was going to die.”

His wife, Sharon Tipton, later found the chewed-up shoe in a nearby field. The dogs’ teeth had sliced through the thick leather.

“That’s my husband’s shoe,” she said in disbelief, while sticking her fingers through the holes. “It’s ripped to pieces.”

A Dallas Animal Services spokesperson said they found four of the dogs Monday afternoon. The animals are in quarantine while its officers investigate.

Jimmie Martin, the director of code compliance, said the dogs’ owners have been identified, but have not yet been charged.

The City of Dallas responded to 1,901 animal bite calls this fiscal year (from Oct. 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2012). That number is slightly up from the previous year, which saw 1,786 animal bites.

(KHOU - Nov 27, 2012)

Emails About Dog Bites and Attacks

The attached pics are a result of me trying to break up a fight between my two APBT’s over a bone aggression dispute. I tried to get between them and was bit in the ankle.

I have since read your article on the proper way to break up a fight. Unfortunately, I’m usually alone with the dogs, so I’ll have to try the leash loop and anchor method in most cases.

It would be much easier if I could prevent my male APBT from being so aggressive over his bone and food…

Anyway, enjoy!

Shane

(leerburg.com - Nov 27, 2012)

Aberdeen City Council to vote on pit bull ordinance

SOUTH DAKOTA -- There are more than 400 dog breeds in the world, but one of those breeds may soon be banned from Aberdeen.

 The Aberdeen City Council met to discuss an ordinance that would ban pit bulls from the city.

A similar ordinance was voted on in March of 2011, but the vote ended in a tie, and a majority is needed to issue a new amendment.

 KSFY News spoke with one pit bull owner who is amazed at the stereotypes his dogs receive.

"Obviously a couple of incidents happened and they have a bad impression of them (pit bulls)," Brandon Black, who owns two pit bulls, said. "It is very inaccurate to generalize all pit bulls as being bad.

Black claims to have chosen the pit bull breed to debunk the negative stereotype.

"I had heard a lot of bad things about them," Black said.  "I spent a little time with them and figure out, ‘wow these are great dogs'."

John Weaver works with the Aberdeen Animal Control Unit and is well aware of the dangers that can happen if one does not properly train their pit bull.

"A pit bull is very smart, very strong, and a very willful animal," Weaver said.  "If you own a pit bull you got to know what a pit bull is, and you have got to know how to train it."

The Aberdeen City Council is scheduled to discuss the details of the ordinance December 10th.

It would take approximately 800 signatures by the public to make the vote on this amendment public. 

(KSFY - Nov 27, 2012)

Owner charged after pit bull bites girl in face

CANADA -- The owner of a pit bull terrier has been charged after the animal bit a little girl in the face on a southwest Calgary toboganning hill Sunday afternoon.

Police and paramedics were called to the area of Bridleglen Road S.W. in Bridlewood at around 1:30 p.m. with reports that an eight-year-old girl was bitten in the face by a dog.

She was taken to hospital in stable non-life threatening condition with a laceration close to her eye.

Andrew Bissett, acting manager with the city’s animal and bylaw services, said the three-year-old male pit bull terrier was pulling a tube or sled when the girl got close and was bitten.

“This was a really unfortunate accident,” Bissett said. “This is a reminder for people that in large crowds where the public is taking part in sports or play, it’s easy for any breed of dog to become excited or frightened, which can lead to unpredictable incidents.”

It’s not known whether the girl knew the dog or its owner.

The dog was apprehended and assessed, and returned to the owner after the investigation was completed, Bissett said.

The owner has now been charged with a dog bite resulting in serious injury and a dog being in a prohibited area, as the hill was attached to a sports field where dogs are not allowed.

Fines are being left to the court, but could be upwards of $10,000. Animal and bylaw services will not apply for a dangerous dog hearing.

(Calgary Herald  - November 27, 2012)

Dog attack sends elderly woman to hospital

OHIO -- Miami County investigators are looking into the circumstances that led a 94-year-old woman to be attacked by dogs at her home Tuesday morning.

Deputies were called to the home along State Route 202 in Bethel Township around 9:30 a.m. by the woman’s son who found her on the ground. He told dispatchers that she had been there for quite some time.

2 NEWS obtained the 911 call where the dog can be heard barking in the background.

The first deputy on the scene reported the woman was suffering from deep lacerations, down to the bone in some areas, all over her body.

Medics determined the woman, who has not been identified, needed to be air lifted to Miami Valley Hospital for treatment.

The dog, a Boston Terrier, was taken into custody for observation.

Deputies say the woman’s care taker was home at the time and are interviewing her to determine what happened.

(WDTN - Nov 27, 2012)

Horse, and dog that attacked it, euthanized after Friday's tragedy near Cobble Hill

CANADA -- A dog owner is negotiating expenses with a Cobble Hill family whose two horses were viciously attacked Friday.

The SPCA referred calls to Cowichan region's .

"Leash and control your dogs," CVRD bylaw-enforcement officer, Nino Morano said, when asked about the mauling's moral. "Every dog has a trigger and you don't want to go through what these people went through. It will impact both parties for a very long time."

He said a valley woman was walking a leashed, "pit bull-type" dog around noon on a Crown land recreation side of Cobble Hill Mountain.

The canine escaped its owner's grip, entered a nearby property, then attacked two horses, Morano said of the hobby-farm acreage whose owners weren't home.

"The dog owner attempted to retrieve her dog. By the time she got to the dog, significant damage was done to both horses."

A vet was called and determined one of the horses had to be euthanized.

The dog was also put down shortly after the attack, Morano said. He declined to name the dog and horse owners.

Cowichan Valley Regional District staff were still investigating the dog's history, and why it attacked, though Morano was satisfied public safety was restored with its death.

Its owners were also puzzled about why the canine pounced.

"They had no indication this dog was capable of this."

All dogs have have a prey-hunting instinct no matter what breed or size, but some dogs can cause more damage than others, he said.

"This dog bit one horse on part of the heel where it significantly impacted that leg. The vet determined the leg would never be the same."

The horses, of undetermined age or breed, kicked at the menacing mutt but it didn't stop, Morano explained.

The CVRD isn't proceeding with fines against the dog owner.

"The dog owner has taken full responsibility, is communicating with the horse owner, and indicates they want to compensate them for the loss, and the vet costs," he said, noting bills could be thousands.

The CVRD has no breed-specific dog bylaws. Fines for owners of dogs at large, or vicious ones, start at $250 per attack, then enter legal action, and the pet's destruction.

B.C. laws allow shooting of any animal threatening livestock, he noted.

(Cowichan News Leader Pictorial - November 27, 2012)

Owner's weeks of pain after dog attack

AUSTRALIA -- HALLS Head’s Maureen Maher was in “incredible pain” after she dislocated her elbow during a dog attack at the beach last week.

Ms Maher (66) described the attack as terrifying and she is still in shock.

She was walking her maltese shih tzu Tao on a lead on the dog beach near Calypso Road on November 19 when two men approached with three dogs.

Two of the dogs were on a lead but a black medium-sized dog was running free.

The mixed breed dog ran up to Ms Maher and she claimed it mouthed her dog. Ms Maher picked her dog up and used her thongs to hit at the other dog.

“It was jumping and circling,” she said.

“I was yelling “help, help” but they just looked at me.

“I ended up in the water and fell over.”

The men then came over and got control of the dog.

Ms Maher said the attack lasted a few minutes and her dog was not injured.

Ms Mayer said one of the men told her to hurry up as they walked towards the footpath for assistance.

An ambulance was called and she was treated at Peel Health Campus.

“I would like to thank the lady who helped me on the walkway, the paramedics and the hospital staff,” she said.

Ms Mayer has a test on Friday to determine if her elbow is fractured.  Her arm is in a cast and sling.

Her independence has been affected because she will not be able to drive for about six weeks.

“I have been walking here for 23 years and should be free to do so,” she said.

“But I can’t go to the beach anymore…not for a while anyway.”

It was a reported incident.

(inmycommunity - Nov 28, 2012)