“I just cry every time I think about it,” Klemetti said.
Mae, along with her mother and brother, were euthanized earlier this month after they had been involved in the death of Katie Morrison, 20, of Smiths Station, who was attacked by the dogs on April 28 at the Klemettis’ home in Phenix City. Morrison died May 3.
Klemetti said the day of the attack, his wife, Victoria, was with Morrison, who had looked after the dogs before [this is why I created a "familiar with dog" label/tag].
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Emma, Buddy and Mae (from left to right), who were recently euthanized after being involved in the death of Katie Morrison, 20, of Smiths Station. The dogs lived in Phenix City. |
When Morrison knelt down to pick up a tennis ball they were playing with, the first thing the dogs went after was Morrison’s ponytail.
“I think what happened is that she had a ponytail and she reached down to get something and one of the dogs said “Hey, this looks like my rope toy” and jumped up,” Klemetti said.
Klemetti said the mother dog, Emma, first leapt at Morrison and Mae and the other dog, Buddy, joined in. Klemetti said his wife had told Morrison to get up and tried to get the dogs away from her, but that she was afraid and the other dogs then jumped on her.
“When she was down at their level, maybe they didn’t recognize her…they go instinctual,” Klemetti said. “My wife said they go primal and that’s why I never get down on their level.”
[That's why you "never get down on their level"? OK, I've heard this about those giant livestock hogs but never about dogs.]
Klemetti said it was his wife’s decision to have the dogs euthanized due to public safety, as well as concerns from the neighbors. Emma was nearly 4 years old, while Mae and Buddy were almost 2 years old.
“I’ve regretted having to do that, but it’s just one of those things,” Klemetti said. “It’s like part of your family is gone.”
Klemetti maintains that the dogs had never hurt people before and that the attack was a “freak incident.”
“Sometimes I think that if I was there, I would’ve had more eyes on what was going on, but we’ve never seen them do anything to people,” Klemetti said. “They would never do anything to me and they would never do anything to her (Victoria).”
[Do you see how he specifically mentions PEOPLE? He has separated the past attacks on animals as nothing to be concerned about. He's one of those people who think that dogs attacking other animals is normal and that just because they attack and kill animals, they wouldn't dream of upgrading to a small child, an elderly woman.... a 20 year old healthy adult.
I also read that the Sheriff was saying that they were waffling on whether to put the dogs down or reclaim them from the shelter. It's ridiculous that that was even an option.]
WTVM interviewed several neighbors after the attack. Jodie Marshall said, "Even the animal control officer was frightened. They didn't know how they were going to get the dogs out, they were very aggressive."
David Witt said he was not too surprised.
"I figured that sooner or later it was going to come down to that because these dogs had previously attacked other dogs in the neighborhood, and it was just a matter of time before they went after a human," Witt said.
Klemetti said many rumors have surfaced since the attack, the first of which being that the dogs were like the pit bulls found dog fighting circles. Klemetti could not identify the exact breed of the dogs, saying they were mixed breed.
“Maybe everything has a mix of pit (bull) somewhere, but we don’t know,” Klemetti said.
Klemetti said the last few weeks have been difficult for his wife.
“She gets flashbacks,” Klemetti said. “She’ll always wish that she could’ve done more.”
A future grand jury will review the case. No formal charges have been placed yet.
(Opelika Auburn News - May 29, 2014)
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