George Sinnamon said the family pet, Ruby, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was rushed to an animal hospital in Cheshire after the attack, but veterinarians said there was nothing they could do.
“They told us even if the attack had happened right next door, they couldn’t have helped her,” he said.
Ruby was a gift for his daughter’s 10th birthday. The girl is now 16, and the animal slept in her bed every night and wasn’t happy unless she was on her lap, Sinnamon said.
“She was a sweetheart. Everybody loved her.”
Sinnamon’s oldest daughter, 21, was out for a walk with her mother and Ruby Sunday afternoon. The two were discussing the daughter’s upcoming wedding.
At some point during the walk, on Fern Hill Road, a car drove by and asked the women if they had seen two missing Great Danes. They had not, and the car kept moving.
About five minutes later, Sinnamon said, the Danes “charged” his daughter and wife and began smelling Ruby. Suddenly, one of them put their teeth around her neck and the other grabbed hold of her body.
“It was terrible,” Sinnamon said. “They ripped her apart. They were fenced in, but somehow they got out.”
During the struggle to get the large animals off of Ruby, the dog bit Sinnamon’s wife on the hand.
The owner of the Great Danes, Kristen Chipman, was cited with two counts each of allowing her dogs to roam, having unlicensed dogs, having unvaccinated dogs and animal nuisance, according to police. Those equate to a $756 fine, police said, but they can be challenged in court.
At some point during the attack, Sinnamon said, Chipman showed up and “was horrified.”
“She tried to help my dog. She was very sorry and apologetic.”
She can make it right by euthanizing both of her dogs so this never happens again.
“We’re a Christian family, we believe in forgiveness,” Sinnamon said. “We forgive her, but we’re not comfortable with the dogs being around, and we’re not sure what to do.”
The two Great Danes have been quarantined by police, which means they cannot leave their home for two weeks. They were not taken away.
Sinnamon, though, said neighbors tell him the dogs have been involved in an attack before, but it wasn’t reported to police. The attack Sunday is considered a “first offense,” which is not typically grounds for dogs to be seized.
“It was a horrible incident, but it was preventable,” Sinnamon said. “What if it was a child that got hurt?”
A comment on the website said: "This is not the first time these two Grey Great Danes have attacked other dogs. They got out before and attacked a young Great Dane and a pug that live across the street from me. The pug required surgery for its wounds."
(Bristol Press - Mar 3, 2016)
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