Although Deuce's owner, Brinda West, indicated two days after the attack that she did not want the dog back, on Tuesday morning Green confirmed West now wants to reclaim the dog.
If a dog that's deemed vicious attacks again, the dog owner could face consequences.
On July 8, Kiya West, no relation to the dog owner, went into Brinda West's gated back yard next door to retrieve a ball, according to the victim's cousin. It was then that the dog attacked Kiya.
Kiya West's mother, Javonda Patton, tried to pull the dog off, and Brinda West fired gunshots, also in efforts to remove the dog from the child. Deuce eventually let go, but only after causing a huge gash in Kiya's inner thigh, and more.
"Five to six puncture wounds in her chest and stomach area, also in her hand," said Patton.
During a phone interview Thursday afternoon, Patton contradicted a family member's original story, and claimed the dog owner's young son brought Kiya into the back yard to pet the dog, and that's when Deuce attacked. She adds Kiya's cousin misunderstood the events that led to the attack when he explained the young girl went to retrieve a ball.
Pit bulls are a polarizing topic for central Mississippi residents with many claiming the breed has gained a bad reputation because of the widespread, illegal fighting of the breed. A lawyer out of Ridgeland, Johnny Givens with Porter & Malouf, explains what a dog owner's rights would be in a case like this. Hypothetically, he says, when someone enters someone else's property they're trespassing, and a dog's purpose is often to guard property.
"You also have in Mississippi what's generally referred to as, you get one bite free. The dog has to have previously shown some type of aggressive behavior toward an individual. On top of that, you have to show that the dog owner knew or should have known of that before you can impose liability on the owner of the dogs," Givens says.
Brinda West explains Deuce has never attacked before.
Officer Green says the dog would be considered vicious only upon release back to the owner. In addition, the City of Jackson says it will not adopt the dog out to anyone other than the owner for liability reasons.
There was a fear that if the dog owner did not take Deuce back, and the city refused to adopt him out to anyone else, Deuce would be put down. With West's decision to rehome Deuce, however, there is promise that the dog will live.
The story of Deuce facing euthanization sparked an online frenzy to save the dog's life. A petition was created online by a reader of the story and has gained nearly 200 signatures within the first hours of creation.
One Mississippi resident who signed the petition in support of allowing Deuce to live voiced that the dog was likely simply protecting his own family.
"Deuce doesn't need to be put down for doing what I am sure what the owner got him for not only for a family pet, but for protection," writes the supporter.
"I've been around [pit bulls] for a very long time. They're very good dogs as long as you raise them right. It's all in the raising," claims Amber Snowden, a Brandon resident who also signed the online petition.
Snowden adds she would adopt Deuce if she could. She believes with a little time, the dog would make a great pet.
"I think with rehabilitation and someone working with [Deuce] on a regular basis, I think the dog would be fine," explains Snowden.
The City of Jackson disagreed and stated it would not allow anyone other than the owner to house the dog for liability reasons. Givens says the city is not necessarily off base and people who want to adopt a dog that has a history of biting might want to think twice.
"Do you want to keep the dog alive? [What if] it attacks somebody else down the road and possibly kill somebody?" questions Givens, attorney with Porter & Malouf in Ridgeland.
In addition, a Save Deuce Facebook group has been created in efforts to find Deuce a new home rather than have him put down. The group had 306 members as of Thursday morning.
Many of the supporters hoping to spare the dog's life reached out to the Villalobos Rescue Center, known for its reality television show Pit bulls & Parolees, in New Orleans. The center responded on its Facebook page stating:
"In regards to the Jackson, MS dog Deuce. We are getting bombarded with phone calls, emails and posts. We DO NOT take dogs with a bite history ESPECIALLY a child. This would be a huge liability for us to take on and we could and would NEVER adopt out a dog knowing that he bit someone ESPECIALLY a child. And if you saw her bite wounds, that was no "nip". He BIT HER AND GOOD. I can't say for sure what happened as I don't know all the real facts. But this is not a dog that we would consider taking in for adoption purposes."
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| I wonder if one of these lunatics offered to "buy" the dog from her as long as she says she wants to reclaim it? |
Kiya West's family has not indicated they plan to pursue the matter any further. In fact, Patton says the family owned a pit bull puppy themselves, but gave it up the day Kiya was attacked.
"I am devastated about the whole situation, because it's just a hard thing, having to get the dog up off of my daughter, and I am trying to deal with it," said Patton. "She has a golf ball size hole in her inner thigh. And she also was punctured in the stomach, and in her chest and in the hand."
Kiya West had skin graft surgery Monday and is listed in good condition at UMC after suffering injuries to the leg, hand, chest and abdomen.
(WLOX - July 16, 2013)
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