Mickey, a 5-year-old pit-bull mix, faces a potential death sentence at the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control unit, with a court expected to decide this month whether to euthanize the animal for the Feb. 20 attack.
Kevin, whose face was mangled so badly that hospital workers were traumatized by his injuries, eats and breathes through tubes while awaiting a series of reconstructive surgeries. Their tragic encounter last month in the yard of a home where Kevin was in the care of a baby-sitter has since unleashed a dramatic struggle to keep Mickey alive, with animal-rights activists and pet lovers on one side and Kevin’s family, friends and sympathetic strangers on the other.
Dog bites are not uncommon. More than 11,000 bites were reported in Maricopa County over the past two fiscal years. By federal estimates, about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year.
But this case is being argued in the court of public opinion: pro-boy vs. pro-dog. The issue has risen to the county Board of Supervisors, which has been peppered with e-mails and calls from as far away as Britain.
On one hand, families across the continent recently participated in a candlelight vigil for Kevin, and efforts are under way to raise money to help his mother pay for his medical care.
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On the other, the Facebook group “Save Mickey” had more than 36,000 “likes” as of Tuesday, and activists are seeking contributions to a trust fund to finance a legal fight to save the dog.
A petition filed in Phoenix Municipal Court asks a judge to declare the dog a vicious animal, which could clear the way for it to be put to death. A hearing is set for March 25.
“We’ve received two different types of responses from the public,” said Rodrigo Silva, assistant Maricopa County manager overseeing the Animal Care and Control unit. “One is, ‘Mickey should be euthanized.’ One is, ‘Mickey should not be euthanized.’ I can see how people may feel both ways. It’s a tough and very emotional case.”
According to a county report on the attack, Kevin was playing with other children in the yard where his baby-sitter had taken him when he ran past Mickey, who was chained. Kevin walked within the radius of the 18-foot chain. The dog caught the boy from behind, took him to the ground and attacked his face, according to the report. Adults were present and pulled the dog off.
Kevin arrived at Maricopa Medical Center with skin and tissue ripped off his face, a broken eye socket, detached tear ducts and a fractured jaw. He underwent 51/2 hours of surgery.
He is expected to have permanent scarring.
“The injury that he had was extraordinarily graphic. ... Most people would not be able to stomach the visualization,” said Dr. Salvatore Lettieri, a Mayo Clinic physician serving as chief of plastic surgery at the county hospital. “The medical professionals that were caring for him were bothered beyond normal to see the extent of injury that he had.”
Guadalupe Villa, a friend of Kevin’s baby-sitter, filed a vicious-dog petition against the pit bull a week after the incident. Villa was there when the dog bit Kevin. She told The Arizona Republic that Kevin took a bone that was next to Mickey.
Villa said Mickey also killed one of her dogs about seven months ago.
Kevin’s baby-sitter is believed to be the mother of the pit bull’s owner. Supporters of saving the dog say the child provoked the dog by taking its bone. But Kevin’s supporters say a 4-year-old doesn’t know any better.
In the county shelter’s report, there is no mention of a bone.
Mickey’s attorney, John Schill, said there are inconsistencies in Villa’s story. As one of the adults who was around when Kevin was injured, Villa shares responsibility for the attack, Schill said.
“Everybody supports Mickey,” Schill said. “So few people think that Mickey should be put down that it’s ridiculous. Everybody is taught, from the moment they walk, you do not take a bone from a dog.”
The pro-Mickey sentiments on social media are outweighing anti-Mickey and pro-Kevin sentiments. The majority of calls and e-mails to the Board of Supervisors and to Silva have been from Mickey’s supporters.
Mickey’s owners surrendered him to the county, so the Lexus Project, a New York-based non-profit that provides legal defense for dogs, has asked a local attorney to represent the animal.
By contrast, a fundraising website for Kevin and his mother set up by Flor Medrano, a family friend, had raised $1,179 as of Tuesday. Kevin’s mother has declined media requests for interviews.
Medrano said Kevin’s mother, a single parent, had to quit her job to take care of her son full time. With no other family in the U.S., Medrano said, the mother needs family and emotional support — yet neither is pouring in.
“We feel sad because they care more about Mickey,” Medrano said. “They’re saying that it was Kevin’s fault because he was spoiled, and they don’t even know Kevin. And they don’t even know the dog, either. He’s crying. He has nightmares. She (his mother) has nightmares.”
In the midst of the social-media blitz over the issue, the county felt a backlash when a controversial Facebook comment was posted on the “Save Mickey” page by an Animal Care and Control employee: “This is stupid the owners surrendered the dog. You guys doing all of this, won’t help any. He’s going night night!!”
The employee’s action appeared to violate county social-media policy, and administrative action will be taken, Silva said.
Pit bulls are a polarizing breed. They are one of the two most common breeds that land at Maricopa County shelters.
They stay the longest and get put to death most often. They have a public reputation for meanness, especially because some are mass-bred and mistreated as fight dogs.
Often, they are raised by owners who are not prepared for the breed’s active lifestyle, or do not properly socialize them with humans. Chaining dogs to an anchor as Mickey was can also bring out their aggressive behavior, Silva said.
But shelter officials and animal-welfare advocates say pit bulls can be friendly, safe pets with proper care.
Maricopa County is working with a rescue group that could rehabilitate Mickey and find him responsible owners if the court spares his life.
The county has been working for the past year with animal-welfare agencies to change public perceptions of the breed, hoping to adopt out more pit bulls and keep them out of shelters.
International focus on Mickey and this episode could hurt those efforts.
Trish Manes, president of local animal-rights advocacy group No Kill Maricopa and an outspoken critic of county euthanasia practices, wants Mickey to undergo a fair and professional evaluation.
“You have to look at each animal, not just singling it out and saying, because it’s Breed X, it’s always going to do this,” Manes said.
But Mark Breyer, a Phoenix wrongful-death attorney who regularly deals with severe dog-bite cases and is not involved in Kevin’s case, said the priority should be saving human lives, especially when it comes to dogs that have shown they can seriously hurt humans.
“It is hard to comprehend where the priorities sit when the child, who’s been seriously injured, is less important than the dog,” Breyer said.
(The Republic - Mar 11, 2014)
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This is just unbelievable. WHY are dogs allowed lawyers and wasting taxpayer money on a trial for something so very obvious- destroy the mauler ASAP. I cannot even believe this.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the person that said this ought to be FIRED: "I can see how people may feel both ways. It’s a tough and very emotional case."
To the idiot that said kids should know better, I say- if you didn't train your dog to let humans take away his food and toys, YOU are a negligent owner. This is puppy and dog training 101 stuff- taking the dogs food while its eating until it no longer guards, same with toys. Dogs can be trained. 4yr olds that think dogs are their friends cannot.
Besides- Kevin did not take a bone away, but even if he had, any dog willing to rip a face-off is a danger.
This is just unbelievable. WHY are dogs allowed lawyers and wasting taxpayer money on a trial for something so very obvious- destroy the mauler ASAP. I cannot even believe this.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the person that said this ought to be FIRED: "I can see how people may feel both ways. It’s a tough and very emotional case."
To the idiot that said kids should know better, I say- if you didn't train your dog to let humans take away his food and toys, YOU are a negligent owner. This is puppy and dog training 101 stuff- taking the dogs food while its eating until it no longer guards, same with toys. Dogs can be trained. 4yr olds that think dogs are their friends cannot.
Besides- Kevin did not take a bone away, but even if he had, any dog willing to rip a face-off is a danger.
Kevin Vicente, while under the care of babysitters, was viciously attacked by his babysitter’s pit bull which left him with a lower broken jaw bone, broken eye socket, and a broken cheek bone. He has already undergone a number of operations. His injuries may require years of plastic surgery.
ReplyDeleteKevin Vicente medical fundraiser
http://jacobsnatalie.wix.com/helpkevinvicente