Raider was designated as a “dangerous animal” who “constituted a danger to the community” by a Hesperia Animal Control hearing officer.“
Other people should be able to use the streets in front of your house without fear,” the city’s ruling stated. “There is no second chance.”
On Oct. 5, Stephanie Preston and Leon and Carol Thomas were on their nightly walk in the 18000 block of Bangor Avenue with their three small dogs when Raider, that his owners said is a 50-pound pit bull, escaped from its owners’ yard and attacked one of Thomas’ dogs, as well as Preston’s dog.
Preston’s Maltese-poodle mix, named Maggie-Mae, was attacked first. Preston said Raider “came out of nowhere” and was “all of a sudden” grabbing Maggie-Mae and biting her. Preston said she was kicking the dog and yelling at it to drop Maggie-Mae. Raider eventually dropped the dog and backed off into the street before attacking Thomas’ dog, Jenkins.
“(Raider) had gotten out; the fence was closed and locked,” Carol Thomas said. “We didn’t see (Raider) until he was racing past us and attacked Maggie. He ran off as we were looking at Maggie and circled around and grabbed Jenkins.”
Diego Gomez, Raider’s owner, ran out of his house and jumped over the locked gate upon hearing the commotion and grabbed Raider as he was attacking Jenkins. “I had his lower body and legs up above my head and I was telling them to ‘Kick him! Kick him!’ Because my hands were full and I couldn’t do anything else,” Gomez said. “I was screaming at them to pick up their dogs because I was worried. They’re small dogs.”
Gomez said he brought Raider back to the property and secured him inside before he realized Daisy also was out. “I wasn’t too worried about her because she isn’t an aggressive dog,” Gomez said. “I told my wife to go grab her from the street.”
Preston said Daisy was jumping on her when she was holding Maggie-Mae after Raider’s attack, but did not harm her or the dog. “She was just kind of pulling at (Maggie-Mae’s) leg,” Preston said.After the two pit bulls were secured, Gomez said, he and his wife proceeded to help care for the injured dogs. They said they offered to pay the veterinary bills and apologized.
“I knew there was nothing I could say to make the situation better,” Marianna Gomez said.
Marianna Gomez said she and her husband had taken out a $25,000 loan to secure the property with wooden fencing. “This incident didn’t come from lack of trying (to secure our yard),” Marianna Gomez said.
Hesperia Animal Control said the couple’s fence is 5 feet tall, the tallest that the city allows, and the dogs were still able to jump over the fence. Animal Control produced an April 2014 report that stated Raider had been seen loose in the street. It was determined by the hearing officer that Raider’s attack was “unprovoked” and he was able to get out of a properly gated and closed yard.
“(Raider’s) owners followed all proper guidelines set forth by the city; there’s nothing else to be done,” the agency’s ruling stated. “He constitutes a danger to the group (of walkers) who were entitled to have the privilege to walk there. Raider ... (is to be) euthanized, period. He could potentially attack people, or children.”
It was ordered that Daisy is to be kept on a zipline leash in the backyard. The hearing officer said she must remain in the yard at all times. If she is to be taken out, she must have a leash and muzzle. “(Raider’s owners) are not bad people,” the ruling stated. “They did all they could to secure these dogs within city of Hesperia standards.”
Raider will be turned over to the city in roughly a week.
Both of the small dogs are recovering from their injuries. Maggie-Mae is expected to live. Jenkins lost part of his left lung and is still at risk of life-threatening complications.
(Hesperia Star - Oct 21, 2014)
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