Three people hospitalized in dog attack

NEW JERSEY -- Three people were taken to the hospital Wednesday after a dog attack was reported in Etna Township.

The attack was reported at 8:36 p.m. in the 700 block of Pike Street Southwest. Three adults — two men and a woman — were taken to Grant Medical Center in Columbus with facial tears and punctures, said West Licking Joint Fire District Battalion Chief Tom Bingham.

The injuries did not appear life-threatening, but they were serious, Bingham said.

“It’s going to take a plastic surgeon to do a lot of repair,” he said. “The preliminary report was there was some sort of scuffle in the house, and the dog went a little crazy.”

Initially, the call came in as a dog bite, Bingham said. As first responders were driving to the scene, though, the dispatcher kept adding potential victims to the list. By the time Bingham arrived, the victims had run out of the home and locked the dog inside.

Sheriff’s deputies were on the scene Wednesday night, guarding the home until animal control personnel could apprehend the dog, Bingham said.

There is some dispute as to the dog’s breed, he said. It may have been trying to protect its owner, but the incident is still under investigation.

There’s a chance it will turn into a criminal case.

“My recollection is the dog will have to go into a quarantine, possibly up to a 10-day quarantine, until they can get more information and probably test the dog for rabies and whatnot,” Bingham said.

Countywide, there were 260 dog bite reports in 2014, including 25 by pit bulls or pit bull mixes, 24 by Labradors and 21 by mixed-breed dogs.

Bingham has been with the fire department for 39 years. He responds to dog bites every now and again, he said, and Wednesday’s attack was among the most serious he’s seen.

“It’s right up there with the facial trauma I’ve seen,” he said. “Dogs usually can do a lot of damage. The soft tissue of the face tears and punctures very easily.”

(The Newark Advocate - Feb 12, 2015)