Woman attacked by dog demands answers from Animal Control

NORTH CAROLINA -- It started as a simple walk down her own block on Mother’s Day.  Khiva Hines said she was attacked by a neighbor’s dog as she was on her way to pick up her two sons.  The dog -- a white pit bull -- bit her five times, leaving large puncture wounds and scrapes on both legs.

“It just kept going through my head: this could have been my boys,” said Hines.  “If it had happened on our way back to the house, it could have been my boys.”

 

Hines is still dealing with doctors, medication and complications, but said she found it odd she was not dealing with Animal Control.

“Animal Control never contacted me.  No one even told me they caught the dog.  I had to go to Animal Control to get the report and to see if they had the dog in custody.  All the neighbors asking because they were afraid for the children,” said Hines, who learned the dog had been captured and was in custody.

She said the officer working at Animal Control told her the dog was being quarantined because it was behind on its vaccinations.  Hines also said Animal Control told her an officer would be calling to update her once the dog was returned to its owner.

According to Hines, the officer was supposed to make random checks of her neighbor’s home to make sure he was following the restrictions.

“I never heard from Animal Control again.  They have never called me,” said Hines.  “I found out the dog was back when I saw my neighbor walking it down the street, with no muzzle.  The dog that attacked me was back and no one told me.”

Hines called NBC Charlotte after seeing the dog and we took her concerns to Animal Control.

During the interview with Hines, an officer stopped by her home with new information.  He apologized for the lack of communication and gave her a case worker’s number to use in the future.  He also listened to her frustrations about the dog’s compliance ordinance not requiring it to wear a muzzle.

“The way that dog jumped on me, I have bites up to my upper thigh.  My son is five, that’s his height.  That could have been my son’s face or neck,” said Hines.

That same officer stopped by the neighbor’s house for a random check.  The dog was in compliance.

Animal Control called NBC Charlotte late Monday night to update the situation.  A representative said after speaking with Hines, the compliance ordinance had been amended to require a muzzle on the dog when it was being walked in the neighborhood.

(WCNC - June 4, 2013)