Those dogs were golden retrievers, a breed generally known for their docile nature and winning temperament.
But neighbors in the surrounding community say these five dogs, all living in the same household, are known for their brutal nature.
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| RIP Oscar |
Now, Oscar’s owner, Janet Paluch, is pleading with the Town Council to lead the charge in having the five goldens deemed dangerous and removed from the home. More than a dozen of her neighbors crowded the Town Hall meeting room Monday night to voice their support.
The owner of the five golden retrievers did not attend the meeting.
Paluch said her husband went into their garden last Wednesday to pick peppers for their dinner.
“Little Oscar followed him, tail wagging, head tilting, a happy little fellow,” Paluch told the Town Council. “As my husband was picking the peppers, the golden retrievers approached him menacingly, one about to attack. He kicked at the dog, noticing that both had blood all over them. Then he looked to the other side of the garden. There our little Oscar lay, literally torn apart, gutted.”
Paluch said the attack on Oscar had been quick, silent and deadly.
“We buried Oscar, with his favorite toy and blanket,” Paluch said. “My daughter didn’t just cry… she wailed.”
The family filed a report with the State Police and began calling town officials about the incident, including Town Supervisor Lee Allen Palmateer, who said he would speak with the dog warden about the issue.
Paluch said four days later the dog warden came to her house with a form to fill out requesting that the dogs be designated as dangerous. So far, though, no action has been taken, so Paluch brought her case to the Town Council.
Palmateer told her Monday he would not discuss the case in detail as there were legal procedures that needed to be followed.
“There are some legal proceedings that have commenced, or will commence,” Palmateer said. “We will hear what you have to say, but we won’t engage in a debate or dialogue tonight.”
That was when Paluch relayed her story, which generated more than a few tears in the audience.
The lethal August 14 incident was not the Paluchs’ first experience with this same pack of five dogs. In September 2011, while walking Oscar near her home, the two were attacked.
“They pummeled me, scratched me and bit me, all in an attempt to reach the little dog, which I held over my head the entire time,” Paluch said, “until they pushed me on the ground and grabbed Oscar.
Luckily there was a shovel against a rock on their property, which I used to fend off the dogs.”
One of the dogs’ owners tried to restrain them, but to no avail. Paluch’s daughter heard her screams and came running, but they attacked her as well. Another neighbor, driving down the road, threw open her car’s doors and the Paluchs and Oscar jumped inside. Even that didn’t end the attack, she said.
“The dogs were all upon the vehicle, scratching and growling, intent on getting in to reach us,” Paluch said.
Once home, Paluch called 911 and was taken to EmUrgent Care, where she was treated for scratches, bruises, contusions and dog bites, she said.
Paluch said she was later told by the dog warden that the neighbors would keep the dogs restrained and in a kennel. She said she later learned that no tickets were ever issued in relation to the incident.
Other neighbors said they have had similar, though less vicious, experiences with those same dogs.
“We are terrorized by these dogs every day,” neighbor Angela Colavito said.
Colavito said the dogs have tried to attack her chocolate Labrador retriever. “Five of these dogs jumped on my car, scratching to try to get to my dog,” she said. “We live with this every day.”
She urged the town to have the dogs declared dangerous and removed.
“We are taxpayers and to have you people (on the Town Council) not even want to have a dialogue with us is disgraceful,” Colavito said. “This woman lost her dog. I am afraid to walk my dog down the street. We are the ones being punished here. Every homeowner living on our block lives in fear.”
“You might think these are golden retrievers and they are docile – they are not,” she added. “They are vicious … Those dogs should be removed and evaluated to determine if they are dangerous.”
Palmateer responded that the town is taking the matter seriously.
“We are taking this seriously and we will take appropriate action,” he said.
(The Register Star-Aug 21, 2013)
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