An Orange County judge ruled last week that a pit-bull that aggressively attacked a woman, is a potential threat to the public and must be put down, according to an article in The Orange County Register. The judge turned down an appeal and desperate plea by the dog’s owner to spare her pet’s life.
Orange Court Superior Court Judge Daniel J. Didier determined that Brutus, a 1-year-old Australian shepherd and pit-bull mix, lunged unprovoked at a 23-year-old woman who was visiting the home of the dog’s owner, Sheri Moody. The judge also ruled that the dog’s release “would create a significant threat to the public health, safety and welfare, and is ordered to be destroyed by the city and its animal control department,” the newspaper reported.
The 53-year-old Moody, who owns three dogs including Brutus, wept when she was informed of the ruling, the article said. Moody insists that it was an accident and that Brutus is a “great dog” and “he never bit anyone before.” The city of Westminster had ordered, after an investigation, that Brutus be put down, but Moody had appealed the decision in court.
The judge’s denial of Moody’s appeal cannot be further appealed according to state law. The woman who was attacked by the dog, Brittany Rhodes, also took the stand during the two-day trial. Rhodes said she had to have reconstructive lip surgery after that attack.
The pit-bull mix will be euthanized within the next month. This case came to a close barely a week after another pit-bull attack in Tustin when two female pit-bulls attacked an elderly woman and mauled her poodle to death. Despite what the law says Moody remains adamant. She says she will try to appeal the Superior Court decision to see if she can save Brutus.
What continually surprises me is that people who’s dogs have done significant harm to people will be more concerned about their dog than the people the dog has severely injured and the people who the dog may injure in the future. They seem to be in denial of what happened and what may happen in the future based upon the dog’s past actions.
At Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys we have represented numerous people who have been viciously attacked by pit-bulls and pit-bull mixes. And very often we hear things like. “My dog is a good dog.”, “This was a freak incident.” But time and time again, we’ve found that it doesn’t take much to set off a pit-bull or a Rottweiler. You never know when these dogs will turn around and bite the hand that feeds them. It’s been known to happen and believe me, it’ll happen again as long as dog owners continue to shirk their responsibility and remain in denial.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a dangerous dog, call me, John Bisnar, 800-259-6373, for a confidential consultation. Find out your rights and options.