Justin Sarna, 30, appeared Wednesday before 48th District Court Magistrate Howard Linden on the two misdemeanor counts. A pretrial hearing on the case is set for July 16.
On June 17, Sarna’s dog broke loose from a yard on Hazel Street and attacked and killed a dachshund mix that was being walked by its owner.
[Earlier story described attacking dog as a Greyhound / Great Dane mix and the victim dog as a Dachshund / Maltese mix.]
Birmingham Police Cmdr. Terry Kiernan said the greyhound was unleashed and the yard was only partially fenced. Sarna was outdoors at the time, but was unable to stop the attack.
Kiernan said Sarna was temporarily living at the house on Hazel. According to court records, he’s now moved to an address in Madison Heights.
At Wednesday’s arraignment, Linden accepted a plan to have the greyhound evaluated by a trainer in Ortonville, who can determine if the dog has aggressive behavior that can be corrected or not – and whether the owner is capable of controlling the animal.
“The trainer’s first goal is to determine if the dog can be retrained to be non-aggressive,” Kiernan said. “Then the trainer will work with the owner to make sure he’s in control of the dog.”
The trainer will submit its report to the court at the pretrial hearing, at which point the judge will determine the fate of the dog.
Kiernan said it’s his understanding the greyhound is a rescue dog that Sarna has only owned for a few months.
(Hometownlife.com - Jun 23, 2013)
Earlier:
