The written declaration given to the dogs’ owners, Sam Fackler and his girlfriend, who has not been identified by sheriff’s officials, starts the clock ticking on some state requirements aimed at protecting public safety.
The dogs’ owners have 30 days from the dangerous declaration to spay or neuter the animals and have them implanted with a microchip identification number by a licensed veterinarian. The owners are liable for the costs.
Other provisions of the state law place limitations on the dogs’ travel, relocation, confinement and the posting of warning signs for the animals.
Not following any of the provisions of the law could be a criminal violation.
“I’m waiting to see what happens next ... the first step is declaring the dogs dangerous or potentially dangerous,’’ Platte County Attorney Carl Hart said.
Meanwhile, people living in the Whitetail Lake area have been uneasy in the days since the attack, with reports that residents are afraid to walk outside themselves or with their pets.
The pit bulls bit Jerald Keller, an employee of Commonwealth Electric Co. of the Midwest, 759 S. 33rd Ave., about 11:30 a.m. Nov. 28. The bite victim was treated and released at Columbus Community Hospital.
The dogs were taken to Redstone Veterinary Hospital after being captured in the Whitetail Lake area about four hours after the attack. The dogs are required by state law to undergo a 10-day evaluation after a biting incident.
The dog owners are financially responsible for the vet hospital’s boarding fees, estimated at about $500 per dog, during the evaluation. Only one of the pit bulls was up-to-date on its rabies vaccinations.
“I don’t have a crystal ball (regarding what the dog owners will want to do with the animals when the evaluation is done),’’ Hart said.
The investigation of the incident revealed the dog owners, who weren’t home at the time of the biting incident, lived in a trailer parked in the strip mall where Commonwealth Electric is located on the east side of South 33rd Avenue (U.S. Highway 81).
After the animals got loose, they jumped the masonry fence separating the strip mall and housing subdivision. The dogs then wandered in the housing subdivision before mauling the small dog and forcing several pedestrians to jump up onto cars to escape being attacked.
There is no leash law in the county on the south side of the Loup River.
(Columbus Telegram - Dec 9, 2012)
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