Such appears to be the case March 8 in Wheeling, W.Va., when a dog attacked and killed a man who was attempting to resuscitate his friend, the dog’s owner, who had a heart attack.
Penny Layne, a local professional dog trainer and educator, agreed with Wheeling investigators who believe the pit bull terrier was only reacting instinctively to what she perceived was an attack on her owner.
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| Nick Ferraro, the owner of South Hills Pet Rescue and Rehabilitation Resort in South Park, pets Sheba, the pit bull terrier that attacked and killed a man trying to resuscitate her owner as he had a heart attack. |
“She was trying to protect her owner, who was down on the ground with a person on top of him,” Ms. Layne said. “There was a high arousal level in the house. A dog doesn’t understand that situation,” said Ms. Layne, who teaches first responders a course titled “Emergency Encounters with Dogs at the Scene.”
“This was a normal reaction. It has nothing to do with the breed. It’s not a bad dog. This isn’t a dog that bit before. This dog was not a problem at any time. ”
The dog, Sheba, was in the custody of Ohio County Animal Control since it attacked Roy Arbraa-Higgenbotham Jr., 62, who went to the aid of heart attack victim and Sheba’s owner David Wallace Jr., 63.
"Unfortunately, the aid he was giving to Mr. Wallace was believed to be misconstrued by Mr. Wallace’s dog as an attack on Mr. Wallace," Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said in a statement released Wednesday.
Mr. Arbraa-Higgenbotham died of injuries received in the attack in Mr. Wallace’s home. Mr. Wallace died of the heart attack.
Given the circumstances, Mr. Herron decided the dog would not be put down but would be turned over to the South Hills Pet Rescue and Rehabilitation Resort in South Park. The pet facility had approached city officials about taking the dog in an attempt to "retrain and rehabilitate" it. The dog will not be permitted to return to West Virginia for any reason, he added.
Mr. Herron said the South Park facility "is a licensed rehabilitation and placement organization with a licensed behavioral trainer that will make every effort to retrain and rehabilitate this dog. I do not believe this organization will put any human beings or other animals at risk."
Ashley Rittle, owner of the South Hills facility, and her husband, Nick Ferraro, the dog trainer, traveled to Wheeling on Wednesday and picked up Sheba.
“She made a mistake but it wasn’t a malicious mistake. It was fear. She loved her owner and thought her owner was being harmed,” Ms. Rittle said. “She felt she was doing her duty by protecting him.
“The neighbors all said she was always friendly. We have her now and she’s extremely friendly.
“Of course, we feel bad for all parties involved. But I’m sure her owner, who loved her and who she loved so much, would want her to have a second chance at life. We’re happy to give that to him in spirit.”
(Post Gazette - March 18, 2015)
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