MICHIGAN -- The tan pitbull that attacked a mail carrier on Thursday afternoon in the 100 block of Dunlap Street in Michigan City will not be euthanized.
According to Michigan City Animal Control officers, at 11:21 a.m. on Thursday, the pitbull came out the front door and bit a mail carrier in the arm when the mail carrier was putting mail in the mailbox.
The mail carrier received 15 staples for the wound.
The same pitbull recently bit a child, and the dog's owner received a ticket.
Alijah Hunter, director of Michigan City Animal Control, said that the dog was deemed dangerous.
One of the criteria to deem an animal dangerous is if the animal has bitten people on one or more occasions.
Once an animal is deemed dangerous, the owner must take out a $100,000 insurance policy on the dog. The dog must also remain muzzled anytime it's outside of its enclosure. An identification microchip must be inserted under the dog's skin and the dog must be spayed or neutered.
Additionally, the owner must post "beware of dog" signs on the property.
To add to that, the dog is not allowed off the owner's property unless it is going to the veterinarian or the animal is ordered by a court to be somewhere.
Hunter said that there is a difference between a bite and a full attack. An attack involves multiple bites and severe injuries requiring multiple stitches. Animals that attack are usually euthanized.
A lot of factors influence whether or not a dog is euthanized, Hunter said.
In this specific case, the owner was able to pull the dog off the mail carrier. If the owner was not there to stop the dog and it went into a full attack, then it would have been euthanized, he said.
(Herald Argus - July 30, 2013)
