The Hot springs Village Police says the bull mastiff attacked 75-year-old Joan Kappen after someone let the dog out of the house unsupervised this morning.
[Later identified as a pit bull / bull mastiff mix.]
"She was the most wonderful person there ever was," her husband Hans Kappen said.
He says his wife had been walking the same route for seven years and never had a problem until today.
"They didn't just bite somebody, they killed my wife," Hans Kappen said.
He says the dog attacked her for no reason and now his wife of 11 years is gone.
"We need to make the people responsible for their actions," he said. "If you have dogs like that, you should be totally responsible for the consequences. That's what we need to see."
A family member of the dog owner tried to stop the attack but the bull mastiff bit her, too. She's expected to survive.
[An updated report says that it wasn't the owner who was bitten, but the dog sitter.]
So far, no charges have been filed, but Hans Kappen says someone needs to answer to this attack.
"I feel somewhere along the lines justice has to be served," he said.
The bullmastiff was euthanized upon the family's request.
Police say as far as they could tell it didn't have a history of aggressive behavior.
(Arkansas Matters - Nov 22, 2013)
Earlier:
Both the owner of that overgrown fleabag and the woman who agreed to "watch it" for the owner should be held responsible and Mr. Kappen should contact an attorney about suing both of them. The owner chose to own a dog of such a size that no one could control it unless he/she was carrying a gun. The dog sitter was negligent for agreeing to "watch" a dog that size and for walking it on a public street, exposing others to unreasonable danger. Depending on the laws in Arkansas, neither of these women may be criminally liable, but they can both be sued for their negligence and it's a lot easier to prove negligence in civil than in criminal court. Both these women should lose everything they have because their negligence and disregard for the safety of others cost a woman her life! Good luck, Mr. Kappen.
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