Articles Posted in Dog Bites

Treon Pique, 27, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that a Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputy instructed a police dog to attack him after he had surrendered. According to a September 26, 2008 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Pique is suing the county for $1 million for the dog attack. Court documents state that the police dog attacked Pique and bit him on his right arm leaving him with permanent injuries. The lawsuit alleges that Contra Costa Sheriff’s Deputy, Robert Jones, knew Pique posed no threat, but let the dog bite him anyway.

Normally in California a person bitten by a dog sues in state court under California’s Civil Code Section 3342 which provides in part: “The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog….” However, the same civil code section exempts bites delivered by police dogs on criminal suspects from the codes strict liability provision.” The code provides that a person who has been attacked and bitten by a dog cannot establish a strict liability claim against a police agency if:

1. The police agency had adopted a written policy regarding the use of a dog;

Residents in a Fresno neighborhood are looking for the owner of a vicious dog that mauled two dogs to death and seriously injured two other dogs. According to this Sept. 30 CBS news report, neighbors near First and Ashlan are posting flyers in the area to find the dog owner after the pit bull attacked a small Pomeranian named Petie and then killed a Poodle mix named Buddy.

A neighbor reportedly shot the pit bull in the leg, but it continued its attacks until being captured by Fresno Animal Control officers. Neighbors are offering a $100 reward for information leading to the owner’s identity. The pit bull will likely be euthanized if he is not claimed. Anyone with information is asked to call 559-222-9781.
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Katya Teresa Todesco, a 5-year-old Simi Valley girl died in a gruesome dog attack on Sept. 23 when she was playing in a neighbor’s yard and their pit bull attacked her. According to an article in the Ventura County Star, the dog attack occurred in a home on the 1000 block of Appleton Road. Katya was reportedly in a neighbor’s backyard when she physically bumped into the 35-pound pit bull mix.

Katya reportedly suffered severe bites to her face and neck and lost a lot of blood. The dog owner was trying to wrestle the dog off of the little girl, but the pit bull had latched on to Katya and refused to let her go. Officials said the pit bull would most likely be put down.

My heart goes out to the family of this little girl who suffered so much pain and trauma before her death. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Apparently, this is the second time a dog has killed a Ventura County resident, according to local officials. But on the day Katya was attacked, two other pit bull attacks occurred in Simi Valley. One pit bull attacked and killed a dog on Lysander Avenue while another pit bull bit a woman’s legs on Ballard Street. So far, officials are calling Katya’s death a “tragic accident.”
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Wanda Michelle Lawver, 34, of Oroville was mauled by two pit bulls during a Sept. 22 dog attack in the yard of an acquaintance who had invited her over, the Oroville Mercury-Register reports. Lawver says the two pit bulls lunged at her as soon as she entered the yard – just after being told that the dogs were “harmless.” The dogs followed Lawver as she ran out through the gate, pulled her down and mauled her on the sidewalk in front of the house. The dogs attacked and bit Lawver for several minutes before they were called off.

My heart goes out to this dog attack victim. I can only imagine the kind of physical and emotional trauma Wanda Lawver must have undergone. Oroville Animal Control officials are investigating the case and are in the process of determining whether any criminal charges should be filed in this case.

The news report says the pit bulls were fighting right before Lawver stepped into the yard. Did the dogs have a history of prior aggression or attacks? Had they attacked smaller animals in the neighborhood or terrorized neighbors? Most importantly, why was Wanda Michelle Lawver left on the sidewalk with those two pit bulls mauling her? What was the dog owner doing at the time of the attack? Why didn’t he even attempt to help her or call for help?
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The family of Lena Dickerson is suing Disneyland claiming the toddler was attacked and bitten by a dog in the park’s petting zoo in 2006. According to this Fox News report, Lena, just 2 years old at the time, was mauled by a German Shepherd-Labrador Retriever mix on Oct. 3 2006. The dog reportedly bit the child several times on the face leaving her permanently scarred.

Court documents state than a Disneyland employee brought her 6-year-old dog to the park, two weeks before the incident. The dog had been placed on a box in the Big Thunder petting zoo. A park employee invited children to pet the animal, while holding its leash. Lena had petted the dog and was just about to leave when the dog lunged at her and attacked her.
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I read this fascinating account of how a plastic surgeon in Pasadena re-attached the index finger of a 2-year-old boy after it was bitten off by a neighbor’s dog. According to this story in the Pasadena Star News, the toddler had stuck his hand through a fence and a neighbor’s pit bull bit off the tip of his left index finger.

Dr. Jeanette Martello, the on-call plastic surgeon at Huntington Hospital, took one look at the boy and was worried because there was no finger tip available to put back and no extra skin hanging off the finger to cover the bone. That would mean severely impairing the boy’s fine motor skills. He would even have problems writing or buttoning up his shirt.

The police had apparently scoured the boy’s and the neighbor’s yards for the finger tip, but couldn’t find it. And then, Dr. Martello had an idea – she thought it might be worth a shot to get the dog to throw up. So she got the required clearances from humane society officials and a veterinarian and administered a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to the pit bull. Sure enough, the dog threw up and out came the fingertip along with other undigested food.

The finger tip was still in good shape. After microscopically removing bits of food from the cut finger tip and drenching it with antibiotics, it took a two hour surgery to re-attach it. The doctor says it was “like a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces fitted perfectly.”

This is such a heartwarming story not just because of this surgeon’s out-of-the-box thinking and her creativity, but because of her courage to experiment and her extreme concern for the little boy. This plastic surgeon is a true hero.
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San Bernardino Sheriff’s deputies have arrested two men in connection with a Dec. 25, 2007 dog attack on 45-year-old Kelly Caldwell, who was mauled to death in Yermo by a pack of pit bulls. According to this news report, the two 23-year-old men – Jeffrey Dwayne King Jr. and John Allan Peterson, have been charged with failing to maintain vicious dogs, causing death and/or serious bodily injury.

Here is the blog we wrote immediately after the accident. Kelly Caldwell was attacked by the dogs as she was walking near the intersection of Second Street and Yermo Road. Officials said then that it was the first time an adult was mauled to death in the area.

I’m glad that authorities finally filed criminal charges against these two men, who were clearly not responsible dog owners. If you are not able to restrain your animals and prevent them from causing serious harm to your neighbors or community members, you must pay the price for it. I hope both men are held criminally and civilly liable for their action, which caused Kelly Caldwell and her family tremendous pain, anguish and grief.
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Huong Le, 71, of SeaTac, Washington, suffered severe injuries after she was viciously attacked Sept. 8 by two pit bulls that were running loose in her neighborhood. The Seattle Times reports that Le was walking down South 150th Street toward her home when she was mauled by the dogs. The carnage did not stop until King County Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed both pit bulls.

Huong Le is still listed in serious condition in an area hospital. Le reportedly suffered severe dog bite wounds all over her body as well as a broken wrist and/or arm. King County Animal Care and Control is investigating the dogs’ owner, a 36-year-old man, for failing to contain or muzzle his dogs. Sea-Tac’s Municipal Code Section 11.04.020 classifies all pit bulls, pit bull terriers and pit bull mixes as “dangerous dogs.” The law also mandates that owners or these dangerous dogs must contain or muzzle their dogs. Interestingly enough, Animal Control officers seized two more pit bulls owned by the same man.

I wish Huong Le the very best for a speedy recovery. Dog bite injuries are traumatic and victims are often left with lifelong scars even after they undergo plastic surgery.
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City officials in Elk Grove, California, are considering how to handle troublesome animals, especially vicious dogs, on the heels of an Aug. 20 incident when the city’s police officers shot and killed one of two pit bulls that chased people in one neighborhood and attacked and injured another dog. According to an article in the Elk Grove Citizen, the other dog that was spared was not considered “vicious” under Elk Grove’s municipal code because it did not injure a human being or kill another animal.

The dogs’ owner was reportedly cited for letting the dogs run loose, failing to license the pets and not showing proof that the dogs had received rabies vaccinations. The Elk Grove City Council is considering changing the way the municipal code defines “vicious” and “dangerous” animals. Council members are also considering giving police officers more power in deciding whether to take an animal into custody.

There is no question that the City of Elk Grove should make and approve the amendments to their code. Consider these statistics: About 5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Nearly half of the dog bites occur among children below 14 years of age.
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The city of Manteca, California, has passed a new law saying that if you own a pit bull breed you either have to get it fixed, qualify as a legitimate breeder of pit bulls or risk being charged with a crime or having the dog destroyed. According to a news article in the Manteca Bulletin, the law, which takes effect in October, was a reaction to a series of seven vicious dog attacks in Manteca. A majority of those dog attacks involved pit bull breeds.

California law prohibits local municipal ordinances from banning breeds of dogs. But it does allow breeds to be regulated including requiring them to be spayed and neutered. According to the newly passed law in Manteca, the first violation would result in the city impounding the pit bull and disposing of it in accordance with the municipal ordinance. The second offense is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in county jail for a period not to exceed six months and a fine of up to $1,000.
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