The pit bull was staying with an occupant of a home near downtown Granville when it left the property and attacked a dachshund that was in the yard of a neighbor, according to Granville police reports.
The dachshund’s owner immediately took the dog to a vet for treatment, but on Jan. 5 the owner told police the dog had died, the reports said.
Licking County Chief Dog Warden John Silva said Thursday his office has filed charges in Licking County Municipal Court on failure to restrain the pit bull. He said the charges will apply to various parties relating to the ownership of the pit bull that have not been determined.
The pit bull was removed from the Granville home by a relative of the occupant, who brought it to a home in Newark a few blocks west of downtown. Newark Animal Control Officer Toby Wills said he removed the dog from the home because the owner did not have a permit to keep a pit bull in Newark as is required by city law. The dog was kept at the Newark police station until the current owner picked it up and took it to a location outside the city, Wills said.
The current owner took the dog to a veterinarian and had the dog euthanized Tuesday, Silva said. Wills said the pit bull had attacked another dog on Newark’s near west side in 2011. The pit bull bit the other dog’s owner when he tried to break up the fight.
Silva said the charge of failure to restrain a dog could apply to the owner and person harboring the dog — anyone who had responsibility for the dog.
An action filed by the county to have the pit bull labeled as “dangerous” was rendered moot by it being euthanized, Silva said. Under state law, a dog that kills another dog is classified as dangerous.
The dog’s owner must take specific measures to control or secure the dog while on or off premises, or alternatively to muzzle it.
(The Newark Advocate - Jan 11, 2013)
Earlier:
