United Kingdom: Blind woman's guide dog 'shaken like a rag doll' in pit bull attack

UNITED KINGDOM -- A Norris Green woman has spoken of the horrific moment a Staffordshire pit bull terrier attacked her guide dog leaving her ‘ripped up’ and howling in the gutter.

Rose Hill, 55, who is registered severely sight impaired, feared two-year-old Ushi was dead after the loose dog lunged at her dog’s throat and dragged her into the road near Scargreen Avenue.

Rose had only just been partnered up with her guide dog Ushi and was on her first walk out with the two-year-old Labrador Retriever mix when the terrifying attack took place in Norris Green.

She said: “This Staffordshire [pit bull terrier] came flying out of a house and headed straight for my dog.

“I was trying to pull Ushi off but this only caused her more of an injury because the other dog had hold of her lead. Eventually I let go of the harness and the dog pulled my guide dog into the gutter.

“She was being shaken like a rag doll and was howling, while I was screaming with fear.

“Eventually some workmen and neighbors who were nearby managed to separate the two dogs by dragging the pit bull off by its hind legs.

“Ushi never even got up and at first I thought she was dead. She needed to be taken to the vets for injuries to her head and ribcage.”

Rose said: “She’s very shook up – but it was her guide dog harness that saved her. The dog bit so hard that it left teeth marks in the metal harness, but it protected Ushi and may have saved her life. Ushi didn’t fight back, she just howled, and I was screaming for help – the whole thing probably lasted less than 10 minutes, but it felt like forever.”

Rose’s husband Steve said: “We’d just like to thank all our neighbours and people that came to her rescue. They were amazing. And the young lad who lives nearby was brilliant, another one of our neighbours got there quicker than me and ran to help.”

Rose added: “She was just so lucky. If they hadn’t been there at that time, God knows what could have happened to her. People can get killed by dogs like that, they just don’t let go.

“Ushi was just left lying in the gutter and I thought, is she dead? She was pulled to bits.”

A woman later pleaded guilty to owning or being in control of a dog which was dangerously out of control and was fined £110 and ordered to pay £150 compensation, £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge. The dog was humanely destroyed.

Rose, 57, who is registered blind, said the guide dog attack led to her moving away from Norris Green, where she had lived all her life.

She added: “There were dogs roaming around the street and I was later told by police it was the worst area for dog attacks. It just left me with a fear of going out on my own. No-one realises the impact it has on other peoples’ lives.

“What should have been one of the best days of my life when I got my independence back was taken away from me.”

Rose Hill spoke as Merseyside Police Chief Constable Andy Cooke visited the Liverpool Mobility Team’s Bradbury Centre in Dovecot to talk to guide dog owners who had been victims of dog attacks.

Both police and the mobility team have been working together since attacks on assistance dogs were recognised as a crime in changes to legislation. Under the new law, if a dog attacks a guide, or any assistance dog, offenders can now face up to a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Latest research by the Guide Dogs organisation showed that, on average, 10 guide dogs were attacked each month across the UK.

Lynette Proctor, Guide Dogs community engagement officer, said: “If a guide dog is unable to work as a result of an attack, whether temporarily or permanently, it doesn’t just have an impact on the dog but also robs their blind or partially sighted owner of their independence, often meaning they are unable to leave their own home.

“Even what might be perceived as a minor attack can have devastating and long term consequences.”

(Liverpool Echo - Feb 18, 2017)

United Kingdom: Blind woman’s terror as her guide dog was savaged by out-of-control Bull Mastiff as they waited for a bus

UNITED KINGDOM -- A blind woman has spoken of her horror after her guide dog was savaged by an out-on-control Bull Mastiff as they waited for at a bus stop.

Jacqui Wilkins said she could only listen in terror as her black Labrador George yelped in agony as he was repeatedly mauled by the crazed dog.

The 54-year-old had been standing at a bus stop in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs., when the devil dog attacked at around 5.30pm on Wednesday.

George was repeatedly bitten on the side and back during the terrifying ordeal, which lasted 10 minutes.

Two-year-old George will now have to be rested for two weeks after having a large puncture wound stitched up.

It means social worker Jacqui, from Bradeley, Stoke-on-Trent, will struggle to leave the house during that time.

She said: “I left work at 5pm and was waiting for the bus when all of a sudden George was pulled back and dragged away from me.

“I could hear him screaming. A man was trying to get a dog off George. The dog had a hold of the side of George’s body. I was very distressed. I was trying to comfort George. The people around me were shouting at the other dog owner to get his dog away.”

The Bull Mastiff’s owner eventually managed to pry the animal’s jaws off George before police arrived and escorted Jacqui and her guide dog home.

But the next morning George could barely stand and had been licking his side so Jacqui took him to Warrendale Veterinary Care Centre.

George needed to be sedated, clipped and the wound cleaned and treated. He now has to wear an inflatable collar around his neck to stop him licking himself until it heals.

Jacqui, who has had George for five-and-a-half months, said: “He’s the centre of my universe. He helps me get in and out of the house and keeps me safe.

"To not have him working with me for two weeks is awful. When the attack was happening I feared for the worst. It was a traumatic experience.”

Vet Richard Conlon said George was making a good recovery following the attack.

He said: “George is a very mild mannered dog and has taken it in his stride. He had some grab wounds and a puncture wound in his size.

“Superficially it was the size of a 50p coin but underneath there was a deeper space of tissue that was damaged. The wound was disinfected and it was stapled.”

A spokesman for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association said: “Attacks on guide dogs are extremely distressing for their owners.

“Not only is the attack itself traumatic, but while the dog is injured or if they cannot work again, then their owner may find it impossible to leave home on their own. Even if the dog is OK physically, the psychological impact can be devastating and can result in the dog being retired prematurely.

“We ask that all dog owners keep their dogs on a lead and under control when near an assistance dog. They are working, concentrating hard and should not be distracted, even by another dog. All of these attacks could be avoided.”

A Staffordshire Police spokesman added: “We received a call reporting a guide dog being bitten by another. The incident happened when the guide dog, a black Labrador, was waiting with his owner at a bus stop in Church Street and was attacked by a Bull Mastiff who was being walked by his owner.

“The Labrador was taken to the vet for treatment to puncture wounds but did not require any surgery. An investigation into the incident is still ongoing.”

(The Sun UK - Dec 17, 2016)

United Kingdom: Two guide dogs were attacked in the same area of woodland, leaving one of their owners housebound

UNITED KINGDOM -- Jason Lane’s beloved Golden Labrador Crispin was set upon by two hounds in Warley Woods, near Bearwood.

He soon learned that fellow Bearwood resident and guide dog owner Daniel Lethbridge had been through the same ordeal in exactly the same place.

Mr Lane, 45, who has no sight in his left and limited eye-sight in his right as a result of diabetes, said: “My attack when I was out with my partner Jonathan and my dog Crispin.

"There is an area of Warley Woods where lots of people walk their dogs, and these two Lurchers were with a woman nearby. They just came at him, the two of them acting as a pack.”

Mr Lane’s faithful four-year-old guide dog suffered a puncture wound just above his back legs, which put him out of action for two weeks.

This left Mr Lane housebound at his Milcote Road property during the festive period.

Since then, Mr Lane learned through the local Guide Dogs Organisation, of Mr Lethbridge’s attack.

Mr Lethbridge, of Park Road, relies on his guide dog, six-year-old German Shepherd Midge, as a result of the condition Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy.

When an Akita-type dog attacked him and Midge at the end of May, Mr Lethbridge could just make out a large dark shape.

“I was very shaken up. All I knew was that there was something big and black and growling.”

At the time the 40-year-old was with his wife Joanne, 46, and her little dog at around 6.30pm.

“This large dog went for my wife’s little dog and Midge got in between, and then started at Midge. Then it went for me and bit my right forearm,” he said.

He was taken to City Hospital by ambulance. Although his injury has now healed he is still feeling the psychological impact, and like Mr Lane now avoids that area of the woods.

Andrea Jones of the Guide Dogs Organisation said: “Shockingly, since 2010, the number of reported dog attacks on guide dogs has increased from three to 11 per month nationally.

"Imagine not being able to see and just hearing the noise of a dog coming out of nowhere and attacking your dog. It is incredibly scary.

“Our message for all dog owners is that if you see an assistance dog, please keep your dog on a lead and under control at all times, as a precaution.’

(Express and Star - Aug 5, 2016)

Oregon: Guide dog gives Warrenton man freedom back

OREGON -- George Hartley, a man legally blind since 2007, decided last year it was time to get a service animal.

“I’m bullheaded and stubborn,” said the 67-year-old Warrenton resident, who talked it over with his wife, Roxanne, and a family friend. “I knew I needed one. So I said, ‘Yeah, it’s time.’”

Now Hartley and Roxanne live with Grover, an almost-2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever. And the guide dog has changed his life.

“He’s simply amazing,” Hartley said. “I couldn’t get along without him anymore.”

Hartley found Grover in May through Guide Dogs for the Blind, a donor-funded nonprofit that pairs trained canines with visually impaired people.

Though they became fast friends, Hartley and Grover had to earn their bond: For two weeks, they became acquainted with each others’ moves and signals at the Guide Dogs’ campus in Boring.

The dog helps Hartley move through the world — especially the world of Warrenton, where Hartley has lived since he was 5 years old. Strapped in a harness, Grover finds doors and seats, takes him up and down curbs, stops for cars, and winds through stores, shopping centers and whole city blocks.

“He’s my eyes, basically,” Hartley said.

A playful pup with the tamest temperament, Grover is a near-constant companion for Hartley, who walks him at least 4 miles almost every day.

“As long as you know the basic route of where you want to go, he can take you there,” Hartley said.

Sometimes they walk to Fred Meyer and catch the bus to downtown Warrenton, then trek around Warrenton Grade School or take a trail to Hammond. Heading home, they always stop by the Mini Mart for a tea- and water-break.

“George grew up in Warrenton, so he kind of knows the area, which helps him,” Roxanne said. “You’ve lived here all your life, so you kind of know where the streets (are) and where your location is. But when you lose your sight — if you closed your eyes yourself — do you really know where you’re at?”

‘A great companion’
Since his mid-20s, Hartley has suffered from a form of glaucoma that, over the last 15 years or so, has “just been getting worse and worse,” he said.

He’s completely blind in his left eye; his right recently sustained a retinal vein occlusion that has blurred his vision. Hartley’s condition forced him to give up his career as a commercial house painter.

“It’s been pretty hard for me to get used to this,” he said. “Of course, I’ve always known that there’s people a lot worse off than I am in this world, but that doesn’t make things any better for you.”

As his vision worsened, Hartley had to give up driving his prized hot rod. Now he can’t even work on it.

“Those things are all gone. Can’t do ’em anymore,” he said. “I still try doing things that I used to do. And you know you could do ’em, and you can’t do ’em anymore.

“So Roxanne’s the one that catches all the (brunt) of that stuff, which isn’t right,” he admitted. “And you say you’re sorry, but it’s too late to say you’re sorry when you already took your bad times out on her.”

But Roxanne, a school bus driver, is tremendously supportive. Long before a guide dog became necessary, she pushed Hartley to get a white cane.

“I fought that, too,” Hartley said, adding that he was “too macho to want people to know that (blindness) was my problem, I guess. But people probably did anyway.”

Since Grover entered his life, though, Hartley hasn’t needed his cane as often. Grover makes Hartley’s environment navigable, and has given him his freedom back.

And people have noticed.

“The community out here in Warrenton has just been awesome,” Roxanne said. “People see him walk, they stop and talk with him, and they give him a help-out.”

‘Just marvelous’
During his interview with The Daily Astorian, Hartley kept coming back to one thing: his gratitude for the Guide Dogs program. A legally blind person, he said, “couldn’t ask for anything better.”

He wanted to give a special shout-out to the program’s instructor Keith Laber and trainers Rachel Sutton and Michael Montgomery; and to Jane and Gary Meyer, who raised Grover until he was a year-and-a-half old.

“It’s just marvelous, to think of all the great things that they’ve brought to my life,” Hartley said.

(Daily Astorian - July 11, 2016)

Texas: Abilene man's guide dog to be evaluated after pit bull attack

TEXAS -- An Abilene man and his guide dog were attacked by a pit bull as they walked through their south side neighborhood Sunday morning.

Now the dog, named Scarlet, has an uncertain future as a guide.

“A pit bull came flying out of the yard, grabs Scarlet pinned her to the ground and started ripping at her neck,” said Mickey George, Scarlet’s owner.”[It] was going to kill her and I couldn’t do anything.”

 

George said after the first attack on South 9th Street, the dog came back for another round.

“When the dog finally let go and ran off, there was blood dripping from her neck,” George said. “It got all over my hands.”

George said the owner of the pit bull tried to separate the dogs with a stick.

When the two arrived back at their home, George and his wife Carmen, who is also visually impaired, called the police. They filed a report and took Scarlet to the veterinary clinic.

The vet had to place two tubes in Scarlet’s throat to help drain the fluid from her neck, which prohibits George from using her guide harness.

George was gifted Scarlet through the California organization Guide Dogs for the Blind four years ago.

Before the attack, George used Scarlet to get to work and the store. George is currently depending solely on city transportation.

“Scarlet gave me back my independence,” George said. “She’s trained to guide, to take me around things, to stop for curbs, she watches for cars so she won’t cross if a car is coming. She keeps me safe out there.”

 

George said he plans on taking Scarlet back to California, where the organization will decide if she will be able to work again. George said it’s not the physical injuries that may keep Scarlet from being a guide, it’s the psychological impact of the attack.

The owners of the pit bull have not been cited, and city officials told KTXS they are still investigating the incident.

(KTXS - April 7, 2016)

Malta: Blind woman's guide dog taken from her

MALTA -- A visually-impaired woman feels as if she were forced back into a life of disability after her guide dog was taken away from her by the Malta Guide Dogs Foundation.

Bridget Micallef, 47, was thrilled to have received her first guide dog, Barbie, in December 2014.
Ms Micallef credits guide dog Barbie with transforming her life completely by offering an incredible sense of confidence, independence and freedom.

However, like a bolt from the blue, the guide dog was removed from her 10 months later after a report drawn up by a Swedish trainer decided there was no bond between the animal and the handler.

“I broke down. For me it was as if my whole world had stopped,” Ms Micallef told this newspaper. “It was like my little baby. I was living a dream for 10 months and I was suddenly awakened.”

Ms Micallef and her family are insisting the report is inaccurate. They also decried the way matters were being handled.

Barbie was given to Ms Micallef in a “graduation ceremony” which was held at the Helen Keller Regional Centre, in Messina after two weeks of solid training.

At the time, the Malta Guide Dog Foundation had issued a statement, quoting its orientation and mobility instructor saying the pair were bonding and that she was “impressed with the progress achieved so far”.

“Barbie and I clicked immediately,” Ms Micallef says. “At the beginning I had a bit of difficulty putting my trust in a dog instead of a sighted person. But the teamwork happened and it was handed over to me. The school is very strict; they would never have given me Barbie if I was not prepared.”

Thanks to Barbie, Ms Micallef would make the seven-minute walk from her home to church every day by herself. The two walked smoothly, with Barbie guiding Ms Micallef into crossing the roads safely.

There were some initial hiccups, such as Barbie’s fondness for chasing cats, however, they were dealt with and ironed out through Ms Micallef’s persistent training.

In October, Ms Micallef was informed she would be assessed by a Swedish trainer, who observed her and Barbie for about an hour.

Ms Micallef was then informed by the Malta Guide Dog Foundation that the subsequent report drawn up by the trainer stated that there was no bond between the two and that the dog needed to go into retraining to establish whether it qualified as a guide dog.

“We were told that it was for Bridget’s safety,” Ms Micallef’s sister, Theresa, said. “But we know that Bridget was safe as I had often followed her and Barbie. I would never have allowed my sister to go out alone if I weren’t absolutely sure she would be safe.”

The report also stated that the dog was distressed but a vet had often commented on what a happy dog Barbie was.

Ms Micallef was told that Barbie and herself would be taken to Messina for retraining.

However, no flights have yet been booked and Ms Micallef has not seen Barbie since October 22, despite recommendations by the National Commission Person with Disability that Barbie be returned to her as soon as possible so that the required retraining could start immediately before the two fly to Italy.

“I saw a complete change in my sister thanks to Barbie,” Theresa Micallef said in a choked voice.
“From a person locked in her own world, she started to emerge from her shell. She was entrusted with something precious for 10 months and it was suddenly taken away from her.”

Asked for a reaction, the Malta Guide Dog Foundation said it acted in a totally professional manner, in line with international standards established by the International Guide Dog Federation and “acted on the advice of several international experts”.

The National Commission Person with Disability was trying to find a solution that was in the best long-term interests of Ms Micallef and Barbie, the foundation said.

(Times of Malta - Jan 25, 2016)

Judge agrees: Blind woman's guide dog must go after 3 strangers bitten

OREGON -- A 65-year-old blind woman whose guide dog has bitten three strangers must lose ownership rights to her German shepherd mix, "Noni," a Multnomah County Circuit judge ruled last week.

Judge Thomas Ryan said he listened carefully to a recording of evidence presented to a hearings officer last summer, and the judge agreed that the hearings officer's decision to remove Noni from Connie Walker's Gresham home was correct.

But immediately after the judge's ruling, a pro bono attorney said Walker will appeal the case to the Oregon Court of Appeals. And the judge agreed that the dog shall stay in Walker's possession until the appeals court rules, which could be more than a year off.

Noni, however, must remain muzzled while out in public or confined to the back room of Walker's home when caregivers or others visit, the judge said.

"The county is very concerned about the dog biting again," David Blankfeld, an assistant attorney with Multnomah County, told the judge.

Walker didn't attend last week's hearing, but she has been distraught about possibly losing her beloved dog. A guardian assigned to look after Walker said she in the past has threatened suicide if her dog is taken from her.

The dog was trained at a guide dog school in Arizona, said Gail O'Connell-Babcock, who has volunteered to help Walker retain ownership rights. O'Connell-Babcock's husband, Robert Babcock, is an attorney and has taken on Walker's case for free.

Caregivers who have visited Walker's home said they have repeatedly been confronted by the dog barking, lunging and growling at them -- and that Walker has refused to confine the animal. Neighbors have complained about Noni's barking.

But Walker's troubles with Multnomah County Animal Services ramped up in February 2014, when an Adventist Medical Center nurse reported the dog bit her hand as it lunged at her face. The nurse said the wound didn't break her skin, but it was sore for a few days.

In August 2014, a man at a Providence medical clinic in Gresham reported he had walked up to a reception counter to sign in when Noni -- who he had seen sleeping seconds earlier at Walker's feet -- suddenly bit his arm.

Walker told Animal Services the man must have done something to provoke her dog, but she couldn't be sure what since she is blind.

Then in January 2015, Noni bit the hand of a TriMet LIFT operator who arrived at Walker's doorstep to give her a ride. The bite broke the skin.

In her dog's defense, Walker said the TriMet driver stepped into her home before the dog bit her. That led to the June 2015 hearing, and hearings officer Linda Beloof ordered the dog removed from Walker's home.

 

 

Babcock, Walker's attorney, said his client has been following directives to muzzle and confine the dog for months now.

Babcock told the judge last week he thinks the circumstances that led Noni to bite the TriMet driver aren't clear because the bus driver didn't testify in person during a previous hearing.

Blankfeld, the assistant county attorney, however, said that although the hearings officer didn't hear from the bus driver directly, she correctly relied on four signed statements he'd made describing the dog's unprovoked attack.

"I think there's uncontroverted evidence of what happened that day," Blankfeld said.

(Oregon Live - Jan 12, 2016)

Earlier:

• Blind woman ordered to give up guide dog after it attacks three people in less than a year

Florida: Southeastern guide dog's future uncertain after pit bull attack in Bradenton

FLORIDA -- Richard Draper remembers seeing only a white flash in the second his guide dog, Andie, was attacked.

It was Monday afternoon and the Bradenton resident, who is legally blind with a little distorted vision, was walking along the 4000 block of Southern Parkway with Andie when a witness said three dogs attacked the female guide dog.

Draper, 58, recounted the horrific incident from his living room two days later beside his wife, Sonia Draper. Andie, who was given to Draper 2 1/2 years ago by the nonprofit organization Southeastern Guide Dogs, suffered puncture wounds in the attack.

Head resting on her paws, Andie lay peacefully by Draper's feet. Her future as a guide dog is now uncertain, and only time will tell if she will be able to work again.

"I've been lost," Draper said about no longer having his "eyes" with him. "Andie is like my radar."

According to a Manatee County Animal Services activity card, two dogs came out of Manuel Welborn's garage and went after Andie.

"Draper was not bitten, however his guide dog Andie, a female Lab, did have blood spots under her neck," the document states.

Draper remembers yelling at the first dog to stop. He soon found himself in the median during the scuffle, halfway across the street from Robert H. Prine Elementary School.

"I'm trying to kick this dog and I'm trying to kick at it and he keeps lunging at Andie," Draper said. "I'm kicking and then another dog grabbed my leg."

Robert Hodgin, who lives in the neighborhood, was walking his golden retriever when he heard the commotion between Draper, Andie, and three dogs he described as pitbulls.

"One dog grabbed his pants, the other grabbed his dog in the throat and the other was snapping at him," Hodgin said.

The 71-year-old said he jumped in to give Draper some relief.

"It was so quick. You don't know whether you should have been involved or not, but I felt sorry for him," Hodgin said. "I didn't want my dog to be attacked, but I ran up there anyway and got in the middle."

The house where the pit bulls live

One of the dogs finally let go after he kicked it in the side several times, Hodgin said.

Welborn, the owner of the dogs, then came out, according to Hodgins.

"He's giving us heck for being mean to his dog," Hodgins said. "They were like wolves. Once they got a hold of him, they wouldn't let go."

In the activity card issued by MCAS, a Bradenton police officer who responded to the scene reported there were only two dogs. But Hodgin said there were three and, according to the MCAS document, Welborn admitted to having a third dog but said she was not involved in the attack.

An Animal Services officer cited Welborn for dog at large causing injury.

"It was just a big misunderstanding," Welborn said briefly when reached by phone Thursday afternoon.

A second attempt to reach him for further comment was unsuccessful.

Draper expressed anger at the responding police officer, who Draper accused of handling the situation like a "regular dog bite case." He added that the guide dog's training alone is worth $60,000.

"Andie is my husband's eyes, period," Sonia said.

Since the incident, Sonia said it's been strange to see Richard navigating with his cane.

The couple later spoke to Bradenton Police Sgt. Joseph Kelly about the incident.

"He did speak with the couple and the issue has been referred to the officer's direct supervisor, which is Lt. Jeremy Giddens, who is going to look into the issue," said Bradenton Police Captain William Fowler. "We recognize that there are specific types of working dogs and that seeing eye dogs is a specific type of working dog. As far as having any formal training with them, we have none."

Officers, Fowler added, generally don't deal with guide dogs.

This is the third reported attack on a Southeastern guide dog nationwide, according to Suzy Wilburn, the organization's director of Admissions and Graduate Services. The other two incidents happened in North Carolina and South Carolina.

"We have to give Andie time enough to heal first and put the harness back on her and see if she's willing to work again," Wilburn said. "Sometimes we have dogs that are traumatized from events like this, and they connect it to having the harness on and being in a working mode, and then they decide that working is what caused this trauma to them and they refuse to work."

Andie, Wilburn said, may recover from this but she needs time. Wilburn said the organization will check in with Draper in a week or so to see how Andie is faring. If she doesn't seem withdrawn, Wilburn said the organization will then send a trainer to the Draper home to work with her.

"I think this situation brings to light that a lot of education needs to be done for what a guide dog is and how important they are," Wilburn said. "Pets are one thing, but this is different. A guide dog is somebody's lifeline to freedom."

The Drapers hope this story helps the community-at-large to understand the importance of a guide dog in the life of a person with a disability.

"There's a lot of ignorance, a lot of misunderstanding," Sonia said.

In a way, Andie is a magnet to Draper. At one point, she jumped onto the couch and nestled on his lap.

From the moment Draper gets up in the morning, she follows him everywhere. Andie serves as his eyes, leading Draper and never failing to follow the server to their table whenever they go to any restaurant.

"She's with me all the time," Draper said as he pet Andie. "She keeps me safe."

(Bradenton.com - Jan 9, 2016)

Oregon: Blind woman ordered to give up guide dog after it attacks three people in less than a year

OREGON -- A 65-year-old blind woman fighting to keep her beloved certified guide dog has asked a Multnomah County Circuit judge to reverse an order severing her ownership rights to the German shepherd mix named Noni.

In July, hearings officer Linda Beloof decided that the dog should be removed from Connie K. Walker's Gresham home for good after the dog bit three strangers -- a nurse, a patient at a Gresham medical clinic and a TriMet bus driver -- over the course of a year from February 2014 to January 2015.

The ruling came after Multnomah County Animal Services reported that Walker has repeatedly refused to follow previous directives to muzzle the dog while out in public or confine the dog to a back room of her home when caregivers visit.

The case has put Animal Services, the hearings officer and now a Multnomah County Circuit judge in the unenviable position of deciding whether to strip a disabled woman of her service animal.

"This is a very difficult and unfortunate situation," the hearings officer wrote. "I am reluctant to take Noni away from Ms. Walker; I also understand the County's concern that the public needs to be kept safe from Noni."

The case won't be argued before Multnomah County Circuit Judge Thomas Ryan until December at the earliest.

In the meantime, Walker's attorney has won a temporary order stopping Animal Services from taking Noni from her home.

Walker hadn't been muzzling Noni because she thought it sent the message that the dog was vicious when it's not, said her lawyer, Robert Babcock of Lake Oswego.

"That has been her view -- that basically people should know better than to pat or reach down or approach suddenly working dogs," Babcock said. "She didn't want to use the muzzle."

But ever since the order to remove the dog, Walker has followed the restrictions "whether she likes it or not," Babcock said.

If Walker loses Noni, it's unclear if she could get another accredited guide dog. It's also unclear what would happen to the dog. Beloof, the hearings officer, has increased its classification from a "Level 3 potentially dangerous dog" to the county's highest caution category, "Level 4 potentially dangerous dog."

A Level 4 dog seized by officials isn't automatically euthanized, said Jackie Rose, Animal Services director. The dog could go to a new home if an evaluation shows adoption would work, but it would have to wear a muzzle in public, among other restrictions, she said.

"It's not a life sentence or a death sentence, by any means," Rose said of Level 4 dogs. "Our goal is to not euthanize. Our goal is to place as many animals as we possibly can."

Rose declined to comment further about Walker's case because it's pending.

Babcock declined a request to interview his client.

But records show that Animal Services has struggled with what to do about Walker and her dog as reports mounted of Noni's concerning behavior.

According to the case file, a deputy public guardian with Multnomah County Aging and Disability Services said caregivers who dispense medications to Walker at her home or visit to check on her well-being have repeatedly been confronted by the dog barking, lunging and growling at them -- and that Walker has refused to confine the animal.

"Ms. Walker will not give 'Noni' up voluntarily, even threatening suicide," states a summary of the guardian's statements.

The guardian also reported that Walker said the dog has bitten her in the face.

Two medical providers have refused to treat Walker if she brings her dog along to appointments. Neighbors also have complained about Noni's barking.

Walker's troubles with Animal Services ramped up in February 2014, when a nurse at Adventist Medical Center reported that Walker and her dog had been brought to the Southeast Portland hospital by ambulance. The two had been placed in a room and at first, "Noni was very sweet to me, jumping onto my shoulders and licking my face, tail wagging," wrote nurse Mary French.

But the nurse wrote that Noni later aggressively barked and lunged at three other staff members, then scratched the back of her hand and lunged toward her face. The wound didn't break the nurse's skin, but it was sore for a few days.

Walker's side of the story wasn't included in records submitted to the court. She received a "notice of infraction" from Animal Services and ordered to muzzle the dog in public and keep it in another room when caregivers visited her home. She also was warned that new violations could result in loss of ownership, according to the case file.

In August 2014, a man at a Providence medical clinic in Gresham reported that he had walked up to a reception-area counter to sign in when Noni -- who he had seen sleeping seconds earlier at Walker's feet -- suddenly bit his arm. The man, Merle Schnackenberg, said he did nothing to agitate the dog.

Walker told Animal Services that the man must have done something to provoke her dog, but she couldn't be sure what that was because she couldn't see.

Then in January, Noni bit a TriMet LIFT operator in the hand after he arrived at Walker's doorstep to give her a ride. The operator, Lynn Spuhler, wrote that the dog was barking when Walker opened the door. Walker asked the operator to take her bag, and when he touched the bag, the dog started barking even more.

"The dog started to settle down and I said let me have him sniff my hand, when I held my hand out he sniffed it then lunged and before I could pull it back he bit me," Spuhler wrote.

Walker added to the dog's agitation, he wrote. "Instead of being calm with the dog she was yelling at it, jerking on his lead violently, hitting him," he wrote. The bite broke his skin and was bleeding.

In her dog's defense, Walker said the TriMet driver stepped into her home before the dog bit her.

 

"They're not supposed to step in," said Babock, Walker's attorney.

Animal Services cited Walker in each of the three cases. That led to a June hearing and Beloof's July order revoking Walker's ownership.

Walker is getting free legal assistance from Babcock. Babcock's wife, Gail O'Connell-Babcock, learned of Walker's situation through her nonprofit called Watchdog and offered her husband's legal services.

For years, Watchdog has vocally criticized euthanasia by Animal Services. The organization states its mission as "Protecting pets and people from Oregon's animal control agencies."

(Oregon Live - Dec 13, 2015)

With fake service dogs on the rise, Canada proposes doggie 'driving license'

CANADA -- A service animal is the key to a life of functional independence for those who truly rely on them.

But for a growing number of con artists, a bogus service vest and a fake dog tag are the keys to taking their dogs into restaurants and stores where animals are otherwise banned.

A new proposal in British Columbia aims to put an end to fake service animals by creating a government-issued ID and a provincial registry, according to CBC News.

“It’ll be a bit like a service dog driving license if you like,” Bill Thornton, the CEO of BC and Alberta Guide Dogs, told the CBC.

"Service dog" attacks child, 6

Service dogs are highly trained and are meant to provide assistance to people with mental illness, autism and visual or hearing impairments. Increasingly, they are also used by veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In the United States and Canada, though, more and more people are going online to buy vests, backpacks and ID cards with service animal” insignias on them, according to the Associated Press.

For business owners especially, separating legitimate dogs from fraudulent ones can present an unnerving challenge, advocates say.

“It is an awkward circumstance for someone to challenge someone who purports to have a disability and they’ve got a jacket on the dog,” Thornton told the CBC.  “It’s very difficult and often those folks behave very poorly when challenged.”

Vietnam vet's 300-pound "emotional support"
pet — a pig — divides Largo neighborhood

Under the new Canadian proposal, business owners would be able to check someone’s dog tags before allowing the animal in their establishment.

How can you tell if a service dog is fake?

According to Anything Pawsable, a Web site featuring news about working dogs: “Fake Service Dogs can often be identified by their lack of manners, obvious lack of training and ill behavior,” such as “barking, growling, stealing food from other clients, knocking people over, [or]  jumping.”

Girl and her family get fake service animal badge for lizard and
demand to take it wherever they go. Ever heard of Salmonella?

A Google Shopping search for the phrase “service dog vest” turned up numerous offerings, some for as little as $19.99, on sites such as eBay.

Canine Companions for Independence, a major U.S. training program for service dogs, launched an online initiative last year to stop service dog fraud.

"Service dog" attacks little girl after she won't give it her pizza.
Real service dogs don't attack little kids over food.

Veteran claims discrimination saying 14 ducks are "therapy" pets

The year before, a New York Post reporter toured some of the city’s finest dining establishments with a poorly behaved pooch that was outfitted in a phony vest and tag — and encountered no resistance.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it’s a federal crime to use a fake dog, according to the AP.

About 25 percent of all states have passed laws prohibiting service animal misrepresentation, the AP notes, but “privacy protections built into the laws” make prosecuting offenders extremely unlikely. The ADA says documentation is not legally required for real service dogs.

This dog supposedly "paws" its owner when her blood
pressure gets too high. Hmm...

“In the last few years, the questions and the looks I get have radically changed,” Peter Morgan, who has a spinal disorder that requires him to use a service dog, told CBS News. “Now wherever I go, I see fraudulent service dogs. I have been kicked out of businesses because employees think I’m an imposter.”

(Washington Post - March 23, 2015)

Earlier:
More and more people claiming their dog is a service animal

‘It was scary, pure scary’, blind man and his guide dog attacked by pit bull

CANADA -- A visually impaired Calgarian is recovering from an attack by an unleashed pit bull that injured both him and his guide dog.

It happened last Wednesday as Trevor Fitzhenry was walking his dog, Neptune, in Forest Lawn.
“He had his jaws right on his neck, on Neptune’s neck,” said Fitzhenry. “I was thinking, ‘I am going to lose my dog. My dog is going to die here on me.’”

Fitzhenry couldn’t actually see the attack; he has been blind for 15 years.

“It’s just crazy because Neptune is my lifeline, he’s my eyes,” he told Global News. “I was just horrified seeing another dog attack your seeing-eye dog; it was just horrifying.”

The dogs were eventually separated, but not before Neptune was bitten on the face and paws.
Fitzhenry required stitches to his hand.

“I was horrified, I was screaming. I was yelling for someone to come help separate these two dogs and it just wasn’t working.”

The dog’s owner has since been fined and has paid Neptune’s vet bill but Fitzhenry is worried the dog will attack again.

“I know how dogs are ….  but when you’re walking with a working dog you never actually think about another dog coming out and attacking your working dog. You just never think about that.”

The city did not apprehend the attacking dog in this case because an aggressive dog can only be taken into custody if it kills another dog or wounds a person more severely than what is called a’ level three’  bite.

“It would have to be a 3.5,” explains Damien Cole of Animal and Bylaw Services. “(That level) is multiple level three bites on a child or a level four bite which is an attack where the dog has slashed or shaken the victim with its head. “

The pit bull’s owner was not available for comment.

Fitzhenry’s mother says Animal and Bylaw Services should take further action.

“It just seems just because he was blind, ‘oh well, that’s just the way it goes,’” said  Leona Kirk. “ It’s a working dog. If it was anybody else’s working dog, a police working dog, there sure would be action.”

Neptune won’t be able to guide Fitzhenry for the next few weeks as the cone on his head prevents him from wearing his harness.

(Globalnews.ca - Nov 3, 2014)

Dog theft suspect back behind bars

OHIO -- A Dayton woman wanted by U.S. Marshals and Dayton police turned herself into police Monday night.

Bonnie Ritchie, 22, was booked into the Montgomery County Jail for failure to appear in court on a theft charge.

She is accused of stealing a guide dog from a Dayton’s woman’s yard.

Marshals went looking for her at several locations in recent weeks without a capture.  She was also one of Crime Stoppers Monday’s Most Wanted.

(WDTN - October 7, 2014)

Earlier:

• Grand jury indicts woman for stealing guide dog after dog is found on Craigslist

Horror as guide dog puppy mauled by Staffordshire bull terrier held by little girl outside Tesco in Strood

UNITED KINGDOM -- A guide dog puppy has been mauled outside a supermarket, becoming the latest victim in a string of attacks by dangerous dogs.

Six-month-old Labrador puppy Milo was terrified when a Staffordshire bull terrier pounced outside Tesco in Cuxton Road, Strood.

He was left with cuts to his face and there are fears he might have been so psychologically damaged he will never finish his training as a guide dog.

 

The black pup is four months into his training with the Seeing Dogs Alliance and his trainer, who did not wish to be named, said he had been doing very well.

As she left the shop with her teenage son and Milo, they walked past the adult terrier - held by a girl aged around eight.

The trainer, who has another dog of her own, said: "I saw the dog and didn't think anything of it. Milo is incredibly well behaved - he just walked past.

"But it was all a bit of a blur, really. The next thing I knew this dog had locked its jaw onto the side of Milo's face.

"It was petrifying, I thought he was going to bite the side of Milo's face off. There was no way the Staff was letting go, and I was so frightened I tried to kick him away, but it didn't make any difference.

"Then I pushed Milo towards him – I knew if the Staff pulled or shook, Milo's face would be completely lacerated.

"Milo was squealing in panic, it was just horrendous."

According to the woman's son, a group of men from the shop ran over to help and eventually got the terrier off Milo.

The dog immediately ran back into the safety of the shop, whimpering and trembling from nose to tail.

The puppy suffered puncture wounds to his face, which are now infected. He is on antibiotics.

It costs around £15,000 to train a guide dog and if Milo has been psychologically damaged by the attack and fears other dogs from now on, it might render him useless as a guide.

Geoff Parker, from Seeing Dogs, said: "Obviously we hope that won't happen, and we may not know for a few weeks if it's an issue.

"If it is we will make sure Milo is rehomed as a pet."

Police are investigating reports of a dog "being dangerously out of control in a public place and an assistance dog being injured in a public place".

It comes a month after another Staffordshire terrier, Chase, was put down because it escaped under a fence and attacked a neighbour sunbathing.

Rachel Potter, of Hawthorn Road, Strood, needed hospital treatment after the two-year-old dog left her with bite marks on her arm.

And in June, Rik Tye had to watch video footage of his cat being ripped apart by three wild dogs on the Medway Gate estate in Strood.

(Kent Online - Aug 29, 2014)

Grand jury indicts woman for stealing guide dog after dog is found on Craigslist

OHIO -- The Dayton woman accused of stealing a guide dog out of a blind woman’s backyard, then selling the dog on Craigslist, will be heading to court, reports WHIO.

On Wednesday, Bonnie Ritchie, 21, was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury on one count of theft from the elderly or disabled, which is a fifth degree felony.

Prosecutor Mat Heck, Jr. said in a news release “This defendant stole from someone with challenges. This dog was the owner’s helper dog as well as the family pet.”

On February 17, Sheryl Williams, who is legally blind, let her Rottweiler named Diamond out into her backyard. Before long, however, Diamond was gone, stolen off its chain. When Williams made a plea on the local news, asking that the person who stole her guide dog return Diamond, she found out that person allegedly sold the dog on Craigslist.

When Thomas O’Shea saw the missing guide dog on the news, he recognized the dog as the one he purchased from Bonnie Ritchie through her Craigslist ad. Ritchie had told O’Shea she was finding a new home for her neighbor's dog, after the neighbor landed in jail. O’Shea knew the right thing to do was to return Diamond, so he contacted the police on February 25.

After returning Diamond, the O’Shea family received offers for Rottweiler puppies. The puppy they accepted they decided to name Diamond.

William’s community also stepped in to help. Hearing her story inspired Ron Gillespie to donate a fence, and neighbors came together to build it.

While people may feel their animals are safe in their own yards, Heck encourages pet owners to license their pets for their safety, and make sure to “have them micro-chipped, which will ensure identification if they become lost or stolen.”

Online court records show Ritchie’s next court date is scheduled for July 31.

(Examiner - July 19, 2014)

‘It was terrifying’ - Norwich woman’s guide dog attacked by pit bull

UNITED KINGDOM -- A woman whose guide dog was bitten by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier has spoken out about the “terrifying” ordeal.

Mhairi Claxton, who can only see shadow-like shapes, was walking along King Street in Norwich when her guide dog Bramble was attacked.

The 41-year-old said she heard a dog growling, then it suddenly clamped its jaws around the neck of six-year-old Bramble - a black Labrador.

“For me it was terrifying, but I eventually got the dog off,” she said. “It just seemed like it took forever, although it was probably only a few minutes.

“I didn’t even hear the claws of the other dog.”

She said she had to open the Staffy’s jaws to get it off, and while Bramble did not suffer puncture wounds there was internal bruising.

Mrs Claxton said she told the Staffy’s owner to muzzle the dog, but the woman left the scene.

Another couple, who were passing by, drove Mrs Claxton and her guide dog to Chapelfield Vets for help.

“There are too many guide dogs being attacked, and also other dogs,” said Mrs Claxton. “I want to raise awareness to stop other dogs being attacked and for owners to be responsible.”

She added Bramble was shaken up by the incident, but was still able to work.

Do you recognize this person: Police have now released an image of a woman
who police believe may have information about the incident.

“She’s been reasonably ok walking around with me, although we haven’t come across the type of dog that actually attacked her,” she explained. “We have come across areas where there are [Staffys], and she’s very reluctant to go that way.”

The attack happened at around 11.30am on Tuesday, June 17, when Mrs Claxton was on her way to pick up a prescription.

Police are investigating, and have released a CCTV image of a woman they would like to speak to in connection with the incident.

Anyone with information should call PC Michael Pearce at Bethel Street Police Station on 101.

(Evening News 24 - June 24, 2014)

Three Staffordshire bull terriers savage dog in 'horror' attack in Cambridge park - then turn on terrified owner

UNITED KINGDOM -- A distraught woman has told of the “mayhem” wrought by three Staffies who savaged her pet pooch and bit her as she fought them off in a Cambridge park.

Liz McIntyre, 49, was walking her Springer Spaniel Sidney, 4, in Bramblefields nature reserve, off Laxton Way in East Chesterton, when the pack of Staffordshire bull terriers launched the attack as a group of schoolchildren looked on in horror.

The Chesterton resident told how one of the dogs ran from across the other side of the field and sunk its teeth into her pet before two more dogs joined in.

She said: “My dog was playing with his ball when the Staffie ran across directly at him and started attacking him. 

"Two other Staffies that were off their leads then joined in and started savaging my dog. My dog was on his back screaming. It was complete mayhem - horrible and frightening. I tried to pull the dog off and it bit into my hand.

“A teacher who was with a group of schoolchildren on a nature ramble came over to help and the teacher sprayed water on the dogs. The woman owner of the first Staffie walked over slowly and then pulled her dog by the back legs but could hardly shift it – she had no control over it.

“It was a terrifying experience. Sidney was bitten all over and had to have his ear stitched up and my hand was bleeding. “The teacher and the schoolchildren were wonderful and I am grateful for their help.”

The mother-of-two called Cambridgeshire police after the incident which happened at about 4pm on Tuesday.

She said: “The police came to see me and said that because they are not ‘dangerous’ dogs it may be a civil matter. I would hope that this incident will open a debate on dangerous dogs and what should be done about them.”

A Cambridgeshire force spokesman said officers are looking into the incident.

Mrs McIntyre has also reported the incident to Cambridge City Council.

The authority says that under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, it is an “offence to allow any dog to be dangerously out of control” in a public place.

The latest dog attack comes after a visually impaired woman was left “completely vulnerable” after her guide dog was badly injured by two dogs.

Yellow labrador Neda was walking with her owner in an area of south Cambridge in November when the dogs attacked the 8-year-old causing several wounds that needed stitches.

(www.cambridge-news.co.uk - Mar 28, 2014)