Saturday, October 31, 2015
Judge Paty Declares 2 Dogs Potentially Dangerous After 1 Kills Another Dog, Another Bites Neighbor
TENNESSEE -- City Judge Sherry Paty on Thursday declared two dogs potentially dangerous after hearing proof that one killed another dog and the other bit a neighbor several times.
When a dog is declared potentially dangerous, the owner may pay to retrieve the dog from the McKamey Animal Trust, but must keep the dog under strict control for an 18-month period when it can come off the list.
Ashley Schendel said she took two of her dogs outside and spotted three large dogs that she said run in a pack around the neighborhood. She said one of the dogs - a black lab - picked up her Yorkie in its mouth. She said as her dog was thrashing around, she screamed, "Let her go."
Ms. Schendel said she did not see blood on the five-year-old Yorkie that ran and hid once inside. But she said she was advised by a Facebook friend that the blood may show up later. She checked her dog again and found "blood all over" it.
She took the dog to an animal hospital and it died that night.
"She was my baby," Ms. Schendel said.
She told the owner of the black lab named Jackie, "The neighbors hate your dogs. You need to keep them up."
The owner, Tamara Harp, said she is prepared to do so, including erecting a 110-foot fence that is six feet high and may cost $2,600. She will have to pay McKamey $1,350 when Jackie is picked up.
The dog will stay temporarily with her daughter on Runyan Drive.
Ms. Harp is also liable to cover $993.02 in vet expenses and to later pay for a replacement Yorkie for the Schendels. Judge Paty said, "It is reasonable that she get one that is similar" to the deceased dog.
McKamey officials said Ms. Harp has had a number of prior citations, including an occasion when a number of dogs were taken and she kept Jackie and another dog.
In a second case, Gregory Duckett said he went to do yard work at a house he rents when he was attacked by two dogs, Snoopy and Little Bit, owned by the next-door neighbors.
He said he was bitten several times after falling to the ground. "It was very traumatic," he said.
Mr. Duckett said he got up and pulled out his pistol, but one of the dog owners, Heather Revis, begged him not to shoot. Judge Paty said he would have been justified had he done so to protect himself.
He said the dogs are able to jump out a window or over a fence and terrorize residents. He said one neighbor had to get up on top of a car to get away from them.
Mr. Duckett said his wounds included swelling the size of a softball on his back.
Another dog owner, Haley Freeman, said she had never seen Snoopy be aggressive and said "he must have been provoked." Judge Paty said the dogs should not have been allowed to run at large.
It will cost $440 to reclaim Snoopy and $255.44 to reimburse Mr. Duckett for his medical expenses. Had he gone to a hospital, "It probably would have been in the thousands," Judge Paty said.
In another case, bus driver Joseph Sheets said he continually has trouble with his neighbor's pit bulls coming onto his property.
He said, "They are really aggressive, they crap in my yard, and one of them got in my house one time."
Mr. Sheets said the neighbor, Tito Roblero Perez, worked on his cars on his side of the property line. He said he finally got a survey and then built a dividing wall.
Mr. Perez was fined $50 and costs on each of the charges he faced and ordered to keep his dogs on his property.
Carl Blackburn, pastor at St. John United Methodist Church, said he has taken steps to curb the barking of his dog, Hatch, since an anonymous neighbor turned him in. He outfitted him with a barking collar.
Rev. Blackburn was given the name of the person who reported him, and he said he will send them a letter he had considered handing out to those in the neighborhood, saying he wanted to be a good neighbor.
The minister said the family recently moved here and Hatch "has separation anxiety. He's on Prozac."
Of the letter, he said, "Hatch wrote the letter. He's an amazing dog."
(The Chattanoogan - Oct 22, 2015)
One dog in jogger attack to be euthanized, three others deemed 'dangerous'
FLORIDA -- The four mixed-breed pit bulls accused of inflicting severe bite wounds on a jogger in Joe Moody Harris Park will be deemed dangerous dogs and possibly euthanized, Bay County officials said Friday.
One of the dogs, Hershey, has already been surrendered by its owner and will be euthanized in 10 days. The other three mixed-breed pit bulls will be deemed dangerous, and the fate of the dogs will be left in the hands of Taylor, county officials said.
The dogs’ owner, 33-year-old Teresa Taylor, is facing a misdemeanor charge and citation in connection with the attack.
The attack victim, Darrell Corbin, remained in stable condition after undergoing several surgeries while a national group has coincidentally organized “National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day” to take place Saturday.
Panama City Police Department arrived at Joe Moody Harris Park at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to find the jogger had been attacked by four or five mixed-breed pit bulls. Corbin sustained serious injuries across his body, including bites on both arms, his face and head. The jogger was taken to a local hospital as officers and Bay County Animal Control corralled the dogs, PCPD reported.
Four dogs were taken to Animal Control while one dog remained at large. The four dogs in custody will each receive the designation of “dangerous dog,” which Taylor can choose to appeal and go through the court process. Otherwise, all of the other dogs could be euthanized, officials said.
“If the special magistrate upholds the distinction (of a dangerous dog), the owner may appeal to a county judge,” said Bay County spokeswoman Valerie Sale. “Because of the severity of the victim’s injuries, it may be determined that the dangerous animals are not to be returned to the owner and are euthanized.”
Once a dog is deemed dangerous, several requirements have to be met by the owner to regain possession of the animal: Dangerous dogs have to be registered, identified with a written description and color photograph that has to be reissued each year; and the owner has to get insurance of at least $100,000 and proper enclosures to confine the dog under the ordinance. The dog can never enter an off-leash park in Bay County again, and the “dangerous dog” designation is never lifted.
Taylor also was arrested and released with a notice to appear on charges of attack or bite by a dangerous dog, which is a second-degree misdemeanor, and allowing dogs to run at large, which is a $250 citation, PCPD reported. Authorities filed an additional misdemeanor charge Thursday of attack by a known dangerous dog against Taylor.
Several attacks by mixed-breed pit bulls have occurred in the past. A group of more than 50 pit bull attack victims has formed to raise awareness Saturday in the inaugural “National Pit Bull Victim Awareness Day,” which coincides with “National Pit Bull Awareness Day.”
The group released figures that state “although only 5 percent of the U.S. and Canadian dog population are pit bulls, in the past nine years pit bulls have accounted for 80 percent of the dogs involved in fatal and disfiguring attacks, resulting in two-thirds of the deaths and disfigurements.”
The group, which has partnered with PETA, launched a website that outlines the effect of pit bulls on families and communities with respect to public safety. The website features state-by-state reports of serious pit bull attacks, disfigurements and fatalities, along with state and local legislation pertaining to the breed.
(The News Herald - Oct 23, 2015)
Glendale Woman recovering after being attacked by two pit bulls
WISCONSIN -- A 53 year-old woman is recovering after being attacked by two pit bulls in Glendale this morning. The woman was walking her dog near the 2500 block of West Silver Spring when she was bitten.
She was forced to run to a neighbor's home to escape and call for help.
Glendale Police Department located the dogs in the 550 block of North 26th Street and followed them to an address in the 5500 block of North 26th Street where officers were able to contain the dogs in the backyard.
When they approached them one of the dogs became aggressive, and the officer discharged their duty weapon fatally injuring the charging pit bull.
The North Shore Fire Department responded to the residence in the 5400 block of North Shasta Road and transported the woman to Froedtert Hospital for medical treatment.
Milwaukee Area Domestic Control Center responded and took the dogs.
(WDJT - Oct 23, 2015)
She was forced to run to a neighbor's home to escape and call for help.
Glendale Police Department located the dogs in the 550 block of North 26th Street and followed them to an address in the 5500 block of North 26th Street where officers were able to contain the dogs in the backyard.
 |
| When interviewed, the pit bull owner denied the dog was vicious. |
When they approached them one of the dogs became aggressive, and the officer discharged their duty weapon fatally injuring the charging pit bull.
The North Shore Fire Department responded to the residence in the 5400 block of North Shasta Road and transported the woman to Froedtert Hospital for medical treatment.
Milwaukee Area Domestic Control Center responded and took the dogs.
(WDJT - Oct 23, 2015)
Texas: Mom Saw Bloody Dog Before Finding Her Son Mauled to Death: 'He Didn't Cry Out'
TEXAS -- The first sign that something was wrong was the bloody dog.
The animal ran inside its home on Aloha Drive in Vidor, Texas, where Ashley Phillips was visiting a friend.
Phillips’ five-year-old son, Tanner Smith, had been jumping on a trampoline in the fenced-in yard, where the dog had come from and another dog had been.
“When one of the dogs came running in the house and was covered in blood,” Tanner’s aunt, Melinda Greathouse, 28, told INSIDE EDITION. “That’s when my sister ran outside and they found Tanner’s body next to the porch.”
The homeowner’s two pit bulls had mauled the vivacious kindergartener, who was thought to be playing outside under the supervision of the homeowner. But the man was not there during the attack and no one heard the child scream as he was severely bitten more than one dozen times, including once in an artery in his neck, Greathouse said.
Emergency responders rushed Tanner to a nearby hospital, but he could not be saved.
“His whole left side of his head had a hole in it. His ear was gone. There was a lot of what looked like road rash on his face. Did they drag him?” Greathouse tearfully wondered aloud. “He didn’t cry out. Neighbors were out there around that time and they didn’t hear anything. They just heard my sister cry out.”
Tanner was only two days away from turning six when he was attacked. He wanted a ‘Scooby-Doo’-themed birthday party to celebrate and his family was happy to oblige the boy who had been through so much.
“Tanner was born with half a heart,” Greathouse said. “He went through several heart surgeries, from the time he was born up until two years ago. He overcame all that. He never let his heart problem stop him. We thought he outlived all of that.”
Tanner was remembered on what would have been his sixth birthday by his classmates at Vidor Elementary School, where students and faculty had a cake in his honor, and at Lollipop Stop Daycare where balloons were released into the air.
“Tanner told them he was turning 21,” his aunt said with a laugh.
Decorations for the Scooby-Doo party were still in his mother’s car days after the mauling.
“Now we’re making funeral arrangements, ordering flowers, picking a cemetery plot. Nobody is supposed to do that for their child,” Greathouse said. “It’s just so hard. We don’t know what happened. Was he jumping on the trampoline? Was he running from the dogs? Did he fall? Was that how they got him? If his heart slowed down; we don’t know.”
VICIOUS DOGS ATTACKED A LITTLE GIRL AND HER MOTHER LAST YEAR
The same dogs were quarantined for 10 days in December of last year after they bit a 9-year-old girl and her mother as the pair walked by the home, police said.
The dogs allegedly got out of their yard by digging a hole below the fence and made puncture wounds in the victims’ skin, but the injuries did not meet the criteria under Texas law to deem the dogs dangerous, cops said.
“Isn’t that terrible? It really is. It’s awful that it comes down to that (criteria). If something had been done then, a life could have been saved,” Greathouse said.
The dogs' owner paid the injured parties' medical bills and appropriately restrained his dogs after the 2014 incident, police said. But that comes as little comfort to Tanner’s family.
“Ashley didn’t know the dogs were that way. She didn’t know… otherwise they wouldn’t have been there,” Greathouse said.
The man assumed to be supervising Tanner rushed home when he learned what happened and he put the dogs down himself. Officials at the Orange County Sheriff's Department said criminal charges are not expected to be filed against the owner since the dogs were appropriately confined.
Neither that man nor anyone else who lives in that home has contacted Tanner’s family
since he was killed, Greathouse alleged.
“They have not sent any condolences. They will not return any phone calls,” she said.
IE’s attempts to reach the dogs’ owners were unsuccessful.
Visitation for Tanner will be held at Memorial of Vidor at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 23. The funeral will be held at Turning Point Church at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 24. The family has also set up a donation account through Wells Fargo in response to an outpouring of support. Those interested can send donations to “Donations for Tanner Smith, Account #5817642019.”
It’s while making those arrangements to say goodbye to their little “Tan Man” that the family has tried to remember what made the boy so beloved.
“That boy- he was full of life. He loved monster trucks, loved basketball, he loved Buffalo Wild Wings. He loved everybody. His little sister, Tynlea, she never left his sight. She called him ‘bubba.’ She’s been looking for her bubba,” Greathouse said.
“He was just so full of life,” she repeated. “He always had the goofiest, craziest smile on his face. The house was never quiet. And last night, it was just so quiet.”
(Inside Edition - Oct 21, 2015)
Earlier:
The animal ran inside its home on Aloha Drive in Vidor, Texas, where Ashley Phillips was visiting a friend.
Phillips’ five-year-old son, Tanner Smith, had been jumping on a trampoline in the fenced-in yard, where the dog had come from and another dog had been.
The homeowner’s two pit bulls had mauled the vivacious kindergartener, who was thought to be playing outside under the supervision of the homeowner. But the man was not there during the attack and no one heard the child scream as he was severely bitten more than one dozen times, including once in an artery in his neck, Greathouse said.
Emergency responders rushed Tanner to a nearby hospital, but he could not be saved.
“His whole left side of his head had a hole in it. His ear was gone. There was a lot of what looked like road rash on his face. Did they drag him?” Greathouse tearfully wondered aloud. “He didn’t cry out. Neighbors were out there around that time and they didn’t hear anything. They just heard my sister cry out.”
Tanner was only two days away from turning six when he was attacked. He wanted a ‘Scooby-Doo’-themed birthday party to celebrate and his family was happy to oblige the boy who had been through so much.
“Tanner was born with half a heart,” Greathouse said. “He went through several heart surgeries, from the time he was born up until two years ago. He overcame all that. He never let his heart problem stop him. We thought he outlived all of that.”
Tanner was remembered on what would have been his sixth birthday by his classmates at Vidor Elementary School, where students and faculty had a cake in his honor, and at Lollipop Stop Daycare where balloons were released into the air.
“Tanner told them he was turning 21,” his aunt said with a laugh.
Decorations for the Scooby-Doo party were still in his mother’s car days after the mauling.
“Now we’re making funeral arrangements, ordering flowers, picking a cemetery plot. Nobody is supposed to do that for their child,” Greathouse said. “It’s just so hard. We don’t know what happened. Was he jumping on the trampoline? Was he running from the dogs? Did he fall? Was that how they got him? If his heart slowed down; we don’t know.”
VICIOUS DOGS ATTACKED A LITTLE GIRL AND HER MOTHER LAST YEAR
The same dogs were quarantined for 10 days in December of last year after they bit a 9-year-old girl and her mother as the pair walked by the home, police said.
The dogs allegedly got out of their yard by digging a hole below the fence and made puncture wounds in the victims’ skin, but the injuries did not meet the criteria under Texas law to deem the dogs dangerous, cops said.
“Isn’t that terrible? It really is. It’s awful that it comes down to that (criteria). If something had been done then, a life could have been saved,” Greathouse said.
The dogs' owner paid the injured parties' medical bills and appropriately restrained his dogs after the 2014 incident, police said. But that comes as little comfort to Tanner’s family.
“Ashley didn’t know the dogs were that way. She didn’t know… otherwise they wouldn’t have been there,” Greathouse said.
The man assumed to be supervising Tanner rushed home when he learned what happened and he put the dogs down himself. Officials at the Orange County Sheriff's Department said criminal charges are not expected to be filed against the owner since the dogs were appropriately confined.
Neither that man nor anyone else who lives in that home has contacted Tanner’s family
since he was killed, Greathouse alleged.
“They have not sent any condolences. They will not return any phone calls,” she said.
IE’s attempts to reach the dogs’ owners were unsuccessful.
Visitation for Tanner will be held at Memorial of Vidor at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 23. The funeral will be held at Turning Point Church at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 24. The family has also set up a donation account through Wells Fargo in response to an outpouring of support. Those interested can send donations to “Donations for Tanner Smith, Account #5817642019.”
It’s while making those arrangements to say goodbye to their little “Tan Man” that the family has tried to remember what made the boy so beloved.
“That boy- he was full of life. He loved monster trucks, loved basketball, he loved Buffalo Wild Wings. He loved everybody. His little sister, Tynlea, she never left his sight. She called him ‘bubba.’ She’s been looking for her bubba,” Greathouse said.
“He was just so full of life,” she repeated. “He always had the goofiest, craziest smile on his face. The house was never quiet. And last night, it was just so quiet.”
(Inside Edition - Oct 21, 2015)
Earlier:
Mom told son to lie about pit bull attack to save dog, complaint says
WISCONSIN -- A woman whose 3-month-old son was mauled by her pit bull when she left him alone with his 8-year-old brother told the brother to lie about what happened in order to protect the dog, which had previously bitten the older boy in the face, according to a criminal complaint.
Angelina M. Lache, 27, told police the infant was attacked at a friend's house by a different dog, according to the complaint filed Friday.
She also told the older boy to not, "tell the cops the truth because they're gonna' kill Ace," according to the complaint.
The baby suffered bite wounds and bruises over the upper portion of his body and, as of Thursday, was intubated and in critical condition at Children's Hospital in Wauwatosa, the complaint said.
Lachi is charged with felony child neglect-great bodily harm, misdemeanor child neglect, obstructing an officer and intimidating a witness, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint:
About 9 p.m. Tuesday, after the attack, Lache was driving the infant and his brother to a hospital when she was involved in an accident at S. 16th and W. Rogers streets.
When police arrived she was frantic and screaming that her baby had been attacked by a dog. The boy was then taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery.
Lache told an officer that she and the infant were at another woman's home near S. 25th and W. Orchard St., and that the baby was attacked by the woman's dog when Lache went outside to smoke a cigarette.
But when her older son described the attack to the officer the boy said it happened at the family's home in the 1200 block of S. 17th St.
Lache finally admitted to detectives that she left the boys alone while she went to a store and that the dog attacked the infant while he was crying in his bouncy seat. She said her older son attempted to pull the dog away but that the animal was too strong.
When she returned home she saw the baby injured on a bed in his brother's room, put the boys in her car and was driving to the hospital when the accident occurred.
She also said that on separate occasions the dog bit her older son on the face, his uncle on the hand and that both required stitches. She admitted lying because she didn't want to get into trouble and did not want the dog to be put down, according to the complaint.
Lache was free Friday and is scheduled to appear in out-of-custody court Tuesday, according to state court records.
Friday evening Milwaukee police referred inquiries about the older boy to the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare.
The dog and another, smaller dog were picked up from Lachi's home by the Milwaukee Domestic Animal Control Commission, according to executive director Karen Sparapani.
The dog that attacked the child is being held on a 10-day bite quarantine and Lachi picked up the smaller animal Friday, Sparapani said.
Lachi indicated that she will pick up the dog that mauled her son when the quarantine is over, Sparapani said, adding that the commission has no authority over the disposition of the dog.
"It's up to local law enforcement or the municipality to determine if an animal is dangerous,"
Sparapani said, adding that any dog is capable of attacking someone and that small children should never be left near a dog or cat without supervision.
"That's how these bites typically occur, she said.
(JSOnline - Oct 31, 2015)
Angelina M. Lache, 27, told police the infant was attacked at a friend's house by a different dog, according to the complaint filed Friday.
She also told the older boy to not, "tell the cops the truth because they're gonna' kill Ace," according to the complaint.
The baby suffered bite wounds and bruises over the upper portion of his body and, as of Thursday, was intubated and in critical condition at Children's Hospital in Wauwatosa, the complaint said.
Lachi is charged with felony child neglect-great bodily harm, misdemeanor child neglect, obstructing an officer and intimidating a witness, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint:
About 9 p.m. Tuesday, after the attack, Lache was driving the infant and his brother to a hospital when she was involved in an accident at S. 16th and W. Rogers streets.
When police arrived she was frantic and screaming that her baby had been attacked by a dog. The boy was then taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery.
Lache told an officer that she and the infant were at another woman's home near S. 25th and W. Orchard St., and that the baby was attacked by the woman's dog when Lache went outside to smoke a cigarette.
But when her older son described the attack to the officer the boy said it happened at the family's home in the 1200 block of S. 17th St.
Lache finally admitted to detectives that she left the boys alone while she went to a store and that the dog attacked the infant while he was crying in his bouncy seat. She said her older son attempted to pull the dog away but that the animal was too strong.
When she returned home she saw the baby injured on a bed in his brother's room, put the boys in her car and was driving to the hospital when the accident occurred.
She also said that on separate occasions the dog bit her older son on the face, his uncle on the hand and that both required stitches. She admitted lying because she didn't want to get into trouble and did not want the dog to be put down, according to the complaint.
Lache was free Friday and is scheduled to appear in out-of-custody court Tuesday, according to state court records.
Friday evening Milwaukee police referred inquiries about the older boy to the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare.
The dog and another, smaller dog were picked up from Lachi's home by the Milwaukee Domestic Animal Control Commission, according to executive director Karen Sparapani.
The dog that attacked the child is being held on a 10-day bite quarantine and Lachi picked up the smaller animal Friday, Sparapani said.
Lachi indicated that she will pick up the dog that mauled her son when the quarantine is over, Sparapani said, adding that the commission has no authority over the disposition of the dog.
"It's up to local law enforcement or the municipality to determine if an animal is dangerous,"
Sparapani said, adding that any dog is capable of attacking someone and that small children should never be left near a dog or cat without supervision.
"That's how these bites typically occur, she said.
(JSOnline - Oct 31, 2015)
Fundraiser for little boy attacked by pit bull
OKLAHOMA -- Two masonic lodges partnered together holding a cook-out fundraiser for a 2-year-old Cache boy who was bitten by a dog last month.
Blaine Neugebauer was flown by helicopter to OU Children's Hospital where he received over fifty stitches on his cheek, after he was attacked in his own yard by the roaming Pit bull. Saturday, the Cache Masonic Lodge 391 and Apache Masonic Lodge 226 served up hamburgers and hot dogs to raise money at Maloy Park near downtown Cache.
Blaine did not let the bite get him down he is still an extremely energetic little boy, who loves cars and playing outside. As his Great-Grandmother Sandra Luna watches him play she remembers getting the call, after he was bitten by the dog.
"I was just in shock. I couldn't believe it. You know just couldn't believe it," she said.
Luna says she is thankful he is alive, because she knows there could have been a different outcome.
"It could have been so much worse and as young as he is you know if we can get him the proper surgeries and everything. I don't think it will hurt him so much when he gets older," she said.
Luna says she is overwhelmed at the support of the community during a difficult time for her family.
"Everyone was real upset and is still upset so this helps a lot to have the community come together to support you know the family," she said.
Secretary of the Cache Masonic Lodge 391 Bill Alexander says when they heard about Blaine they knew they needed to help in any way that they could.
"We have a special place in our heart for children and it really tugs at our heartstrings to see a child that is injured and stuff that we just try to do everything to help that child out to overcome this," said Alexander.
The masons hope that this money will go to financially support Blane's family and to help with an upcoming laser surgery in December to remove scar tissue from his face.
If you didn't make it out to Saturday's cook-out donations can be made at any All American Bank to an account set up in Blaine's name.
(KSWO - Oct 24, 2015)
Blaine Neugebauer was flown by helicopter to OU Children's Hospital where he received over fifty stitches on his cheek, after he was attacked in his own yard by the roaming Pit bull. Saturday, the Cache Masonic Lodge 391 and Apache Masonic Lodge 226 served up hamburgers and hot dogs to raise money at Maloy Park near downtown Cache.
Blaine did not let the bite get him down he is still an extremely energetic little boy, who loves cars and playing outside. As his Great-Grandmother Sandra Luna watches him play she remembers getting the call, after he was bitten by the dog.
"I was just in shock. I couldn't believe it. You know just couldn't believe it," she said.
Luna says she is thankful he is alive, because she knows there could have been a different outcome.
"It could have been so much worse and as young as he is you know if we can get him the proper surgeries and everything. I don't think it will hurt him so much when he gets older," she said.
Luna says she is overwhelmed at the support of the community during a difficult time for her family.
"Everyone was real upset and is still upset so this helps a lot to have the community come together to support you know the family," she said.
Secretary of the Cache Masonic Lodge 391 Bill Alexander says when they heard about Blaine they knew they needed to help in any way that they could.
"We have a special place in our heart for children and it really tugs at our heartstrings to see a child that is injured and stuff that we just try to do everything to help that child out to overcome this," said Alexander.
The masons hope that this money will go to financially support Blane's family and to help with an upcoming laser surgery in December to remove scar tissue from his face.
If you didn't make it out to Saturday's cook-out donations can be made at any All American Bank to an account set up in Blaine's name.
(KSWO - Oct 24, 2015)
'Horrific' injuries sustained by young rescue horse
UNITED KINGDOM -- Mystery surrounds the horrific injuries sustained by Nazier, a young rescue horse belonging to Lisbellaw-based charity Equine Welfare Network
The charity’s owner, Kerri Fitzpatrick, is adamant that another animal “attacked” Nazier in the early hours of last Thursday morning. However, the vet who treated the young mare is unsure, saying it is “not definitive that the horse was attacked by any sort of predator”.
While he was treating Nazier last Thursday, vet Andrew Elliott, admits that he did recall the wolf which escaped from its pen in The Knocks and was sighted around Lisnaskea 20 years ago. Upon reflection, he tells The Impartial Reporter: “I can’t think of any creatures in the Fermanagh area that would cause damage like that; thankfully we don’t have those sort of animals here.”
At 5.30am last Thursday morning, Kerri was awoken by the dogs “going crazy” in the yard at Weaver’s Lane, Lisbellaw. She looked outside but could not see anything. It was later on Thursday morning that she discovered Nazier’s injuries.
“The young mare received horrific wounds to her shoulder, neck, body and leg,” Kerri tells The Impartial Reporter. “The wounds appear to have been made by claws and bites leaving gashes and puncture wounds. The vet, like ourselves, could not say for sure what type of animal caused them.”
The injury to the horse’s rear leg “was the size of my fist,” Kerri points out. “She’s quick on her feet and she doesn’t lie down at night so I can’t work out what has attacked her.”
Kerri has ruled out a badger, given Nazier’s height. “If it was a dog, it would have had to have been a very large dog,” she adds.
The concerned animal sanctuary owner continues: “We have 14 horses in total. We notified the PSNI in case they could notify other local livestock owners. Then, the following evening the dogs went mad again and I went out to find two horses and two ponies huddled at the gate leading from the paddock into the yard and the electric fence had been torn down; I don’t know what was going on. I am bringing all the horses into the yard at night and leaving the lights on.”
Mr. Elliott states: “I wouldn’t put my life on it being a claw or a bite mark. My initial reaction was that I can’t think of any creatures in the Fermanagh area that would cause damage like that.
“Given that the injuries were in an exact, straight line it looked like a cheese grater injury, an abrasion caused by knocking against a tree or a wall.
“If you had a large dog, the claw marks would have been all over the place, rather than in a straight line; it’s not impossible but I have my doubts.”
He adds: “A fox or a badger are not going to go for a horse. I would be totally amazed if it was an animal because, why would they attack a horse; they are out for food, they aren’t out to get themselves wrecked.”
Mr. Elliott concludes that the cause if the injuries is “unknown.”
A PSNI spokesman says: “Police received report of horse injured on October 17 at Weaver’s Lane, Lisbellaw. The Dog Warden is dealing with it.”
(Impartial Reporter - Oct 24, 2015)
The charity’s owner, Kerri Fitzpatrick, is adamant that another animal “attacked” Nazier in the early hours of last Thursday morning. However, the vet who treated the young mare is unsure, saying it is “not definitive that the horse was attacked by any sort of predator”.
While he was treating Nazier last Thursday, vet Andrew Elliott, admits that he did recall the wolf which escaped from its pen in The Knocks and was sighted around Lisnaskea 20 years ago. Upon reflection, he tells The Impartial Reporter: “I can’t think of any creatures in the Fermanagh area that would cause damage like that; thankfully we don’t have those sort of animals here.”
At 5.30am last Thursday morning, Kerri was awoken by the dogs “going crazy” in the yard at Weaver’s Lane, Lisbellaw. She looked outside but could not see anything. It was later on Thursday morning that she discovered Nazier’s injuries.
“The young mare received horrific wounds to her shoulder, neck, body and leg,” Kerri tells The Impartial Reporter. “The wounds appear to have been made by claws and bites leaving gashes and puncture wounds. The vet, like ourselves, could not say for sure what type of animal caused them.”
The injury to the horse’s rear leg “was the size of my fist,” Kerri points out. “She’s quick on her feet and she doesn’t lie down at night so I can’t work out what has attacked her.”
Kerri has ruled out a badger, given Nazier’s height. “If it was a dog, it would have had to have been a very large dog,” she adds.
The concerned animal sanctuary owner continues: “We have 14 horses in total. We notified the PSNI in case they could notify other local livestock owners. Then, the following evening the dogs went mad again and I went out to find two horses and two ponies huddled at the gate leading from the paddock into the yard and the electric fence had been torn down; I don’t know what was going on. I am bringing all the horses into the yard at night and leaving the lights on.”
Mr. Elliott states: “I wouldn’t put my life on it being a claw or a bite mark. My initial reaction was that I can’t think of any creatures in the Fermanagh area that would cause damage like that.
“Given that the injuries were in an exact, straight line it looked like a cheese grater injury, an abrasion caused by knocking against a tree or a wall.
“If you had a large dog, the claw marks would have been all over the place, rather than in a straight line; it’s not impossible but I have my doubts.”
He adds: “A fox or a badger are not going to go for a horse. I would be totally amazed if it was an animal because, why would they attack a horse; they are out for food, they aren’t out to get themselves wrecked.”
Mr. Elliott concludes that the cause if the injuries is “unknown.”
A PSNI spokesman says: “Police received report of horse injured on October 17 at Weaver’s Lane, Lisbellaw. The Dog Warden is dealing with it.”
(Impartial Reporter - Oct 24, 2015)
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