Levitt and other residents say they have good reason to be fearful. Levitt has been bitten twice by another resident's large dog. Peter Drago said that same large dog is responsible for the death of his Shih Tzu puppy last November.
They would like to see some restrictions imposed on the dog. They also question why animal control has not brought a complaint to the court to require the dog to be muzzled or restricted to its backyard. Levitt also would like to know when and where the large dog will be walked so she can avoid confrontations.
The borough is looking to have a meeting with the owner in the near future.
The owner of the large dog, Gary Leslie, however, questions why residents chose to contact the newspaper.
"I really don't want to play it out in the newspaper," Leslie said Friday, adding that he planned to contact this lawyer.
An 11-minute April 2009 YouTube video called Dakota Dog Day shows members of the Leslie family returning from Michigan with a white 8-week-old, 9-pound puppy they purchased at a kennel that appears to specialize in Native American Indian dogs, according to the kennel website. A Highland Park police report, however, identifies the Leslie's dog as a Siberian Husky mix.
"He's now 140 lbs, all heart," reads a caption under the video published in July 2014.
Walking in fear
Levitt said she walks her dog several times a day and recently, when she has walked past the Leslies' home, if the dog is there, she feels it tries to get at her.
"It's terrifying. Every time I go out I don't know if I will see them," said Levitt, referring to the dog and a member of the Leslie family walking the dog. "I'm always on edge."
According to a 2010 Highland Park police report, Levitt was with her Tibetan terrier in the dog pen at Donaldson Park when her dog encountered the Leslies' dog. As she went to pick up her dog to prevent it from being attacked by the larger dog, she was bitten on the left forearm. She received a tetanus shot.
In September 2013, Levitt was walking her dog after work toward Felton Avenue when she spotted the Leslies' adult son with the 140-pound dog walking on the opposite side of the street, according to another borough police report. Levitt picked up her dog to take it to safety on Second Street, but as she was bending over to scoop up her dog, she saw the Leslies' dog charge in her direction.
Levitt said that she yelled, and the son walking the dog screamed for his dog to stop and chased after it.
"I held my dog and braced myself against a telephone pole while holding my dog in my arms," said Levitt, adding that the larger dog bit into her left coat sleeve trying to get to her dog.
She said the son pulled his dog off her and apologized, explaining that the leash broke. Levitt is concerned that even if muzzled, the dog could knock her down if it gets away again.
Levitt isn't the only resident who has issues with the large dog.
Puppy killed by one bite
Last fall, Peter Drago had a 12-pound Shih Tzu puppy named Sammie.
On Nov. 5, Drago said, his wife was walking the dog on South 1st Avenue on a leash that she shortens if another dog comes by. While she was walking the puppy, the Leslies' dog, also on a leash, made a quick movement and grabbed Drago's dog by the neck and sunk its teeth in, crushing the puppy's windpipe.
"Sammie let out a squeal that would make you shiver," Drago said, adding that they immediately called their veterinarian, Raritan Animal Hospital in Edison. His wife jumped in the back seat praying and crying as they drove to the veterinarian.
"It was one bite. He had no chance. The dog passed away in the car," said Drago, who has lived in Highland Park for 33 years. "The dog blew up like a a balloon. It was a horrible experience for my wife. We loved that dog."
Drago said he notified the Leslies that Sammie's veterinary bills from the bite, including his cremation, totaled about $700. While the Leslies told him they were not comfortable paying that amount, Drago asked them to pay what they were comfortable with.
It was only later, Drago said, that he learned Levitt had been attacked by the same dog. Levitt said police should be aware if the same dog has attacked several people.
 |
| RIP Sammie |
"The dog attacked my dog unprovoked. When is it going to attack a child," said Drago, adding that the Leslies' dog has been involved in three attacks. "And people keep saying it's the victims' fault.
"Why is there not a muzzle on the dog? I'd like to see a muzzle on the dog all the time with a chain that does not break. Dogs with that power need a choke chain. It looks like a strong dog. "They say the dog is docile. It's docile to them and an enemy to the people."
Borough resident Carol Church is concerned for her daughter, who occasionally walks a neighbor's small dog.
"I'm familiar with the (big) dog but have not seen it walk on my street for a while," Church said. "I'm worried about if anything has been done for safety."
She said owners need to have total control, especially with breeds that might be aggressive.
Borough's plan of action
Borough Attorney Ed Schmierer said the borough is looking to have a meeting with the Leslies, animal control and police in the next week or so to make sure a similar incident with their dog does not reoccur.
He said the borough wants the dog owner to understand what the requirements are, even if their dog is on a leash.
"We want no more incidents related to that dog," he said.
According to Schmierer, the Leslies' dog was quarantined at home for 10 days after the incident with the Dragos' dog. He said the owner cooperated and reported to animal control.
Schmierer said an investigation of the incident showed that the Dragos' dog walked in front of the Leslies' property and actually stepped onto the property. The police report indicates that the Dragos' dog was "barking aggressively" at the Leslies' dog.
Because the Dragos' dog apparently went onto the Leslies' property, Schmierer said, it was determined there was no basis for the police department or animal control to bring any action against the Leslies.
Schmierer said the the state's vicious dog statute talks about dogs that are loose, not on a leash.
"Here the little dog is walking across the frontage of the big dog's property and walked on that property. It had a terrible consequence," said Schmierer, adding that the circumstances around that incident did not go to the level of filing a complaint.
He said the Dragos could bring their own complaint.
"Clearly we don't want any other incidents to occur," he said. "We don't care to have a dog in town that can be a threat to anyone."
Drago walks his 12-pound Shih Tzu-Yorkie mix dog one mile every day.
"I walk by their (the Leslies') house every day. I'm not going to change my direction," said Drago, adding that he picks up his dog if he thinks their dog is around. "I don't want another one of my dogs killed. It's about safety."
(MyCentralJersey.com - January 19, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment