12-year-old Buddy can't help but stay by his owner's side, especially after the last few weeks he's had. The German Shepherd was out for his daily walk in early December near Simmons and Tropical Parkway when another dog came running out of a house.
"He got ahold of Buddy and wouldn't let go for quite a while," said Glenn.
Glenn says the dog's owner ran to the sidewalk yelling at the pit bull mastiff mix to get off Buddy. The dog finally let go but the bite marks left behind on Buddy were piercing. Glenn says the homeowner quickly put the dog in the house and came back to check on Buddy.
"He's very apologetic. He says I'll pay for everything," said Glenn.
A North Las Vegas Police Officer met Glenn at a local animal hospital to take a report. Veterinarians gave Buddy an IV, took him for x-rays and stitches, and gave Glenn the bill for more than $800.
Despite the initial offer, Glenn says the dog owner is now refusing to pay Buddy's medical bill. He's also refusing to talk with Action News. We called him twice and both times he hung up.
"I was shocked that they didn't take the dog away," said Glenn.
So why didn't they? We asked North Las Vegas Police. They say the dog was current on its rabies shots and there aren't any previous bite reports on the dog. They ordered the dog be home quarantined for 10 days and didn't issue a citation. Glenn says that's not enough.
"I'm worried about the kids in the neighborhood," said Glenn.
Action News learned from the police report the dog owner admitted to the officer "his dog was involved in a prior fight and it cost him $80." Police say they don't have any documentation on that incident. They don't even know where it happened. It's a fact Glenn says only adds to his case.
"Just take responsibility for what your dog did," said Glenn.
Glenn sent a certified letter to the dog owner giving him one last chance to pay that $871. He says his next step is small claims court because North Las Vegas Police say when it comes to who pays what, that's not something they handle.
We're going to keep in touch with Glenn and let you know what happens.
(KTNV Las Vegas - Jan 11, 2013)
