Dogs On The Attack Warm Weather Heightens Risk Of Conflict Between People, Strays

The dog days of summer are nearing.

But the dog bites have already started.

When the weather warms, joggers, walkers and in-line skaters give roaming dogs more targets to gnaw on. Dogs also tend to zero in on children and other dogs.

Pedestrians must beware, but more importantly, canine owners need to keep a watchful eye on their pets this time of year.

“There are no bad dogs, just bad owners,” said Gail Mackie, executive director of SpokAnimal Care.

Female dogs are coming into heat. That makes unneutered dogs on the loose more dangerous, Mackie said.

“When they’re loose, they tend to do more pack kinds of things which leads to more trouble, even if they’re alone” Mackie said.

Spokane Valley resident Gary Dent recently found himself in a tangle with a loose dog that bit a chunk out of his elbow earlier this month.

Dent was bitten while trying to chase a chow/Alaskan malamute mix from a stray dog he had tied in front of his house in the 4700 block of East First Avenue.

“I saw him and I started backpedaling,” Dent said. “He turned from the stray, looked at me and came right at me.”

Dent is now fearful for his dog, “Killer.”

“He may sound tough, and even though he sometimes thinks he’s a Saint Bernard, he’s a four-pound Pekingese who, if he had been outside when that other dog bit me, he probably wouldn’t be around right now.”

The dog who bit Dent is known as “Bear” and was confined at the county animal shelter during a 10-day rabies quarantine period.

Bear’s owner, Brian Reed, was ticketed for allowing the dog to run at large, for not having a current rabies vaccination, for not having a current pet license and because his dog threatened a person. The fines totalled $304.

Animal control records show the dog bit two people in 1993, one of them several times.

The Spokane Valley has been the area’s hot spot as far as dog attacks are concerned this year.

In Spokane County, 14 reported incidents of dog bites occurred from January through April of this year, Sattin said. Most occurred in the Valley.

That is down from 17 for the same period last year. However, Sattin said the nature of the attacks seems to be more brutal than last year’s.

In early May, two of three dogs involved in a rash of dog-bite incidents were euthanized.

In April, a 5-year-old was sent to the hospital after a dog bit her in the face. Also during April, a 10-year-old Greenacres boy suffered multiple bites on his right leg, face and neck from an attacking canine.

And a 7-year-old Newman Lake boy was bitten on his right arm, back and left hip. He needed 15 stitches to close his wounds.

There are specific guidelines that determine whether a dog is dangerous: A dog must cause severe injury or lacerations causing broken bones or requiring stitches or cosmetic surgery, kill another domestic animal off its own property or be found to be a repeat offender.

After being deemed dangerous - which takes a ruling from a county animal control officer - dogs are held at the Spokane County Animal Shelter for a 10-day quarantine. To get the dog back, its owner must meet strict conditions for owning a dangerous dog, including obtaining an expensive liability insurance, an enclosed cage and warning signs.

If the owners can’t or won’t meet those requirements, they must turn their pets over to county officials to have them euthanized. The owners also can face up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Roughly two-thirds of all dog attacks this year have been dogs biting and attacking people. One-third of the attacks are dog-on-dog, said Nancy Sattin, director of animal control in Spokane County.

“Even the animals must have gotten cabin fever during the long winter,” said Sattin.

“And so many people still aren’t being responsible with their animals,” she said. “We’ve just had a ton of complaints more than usual. Nuisance complaints - dogs running loose through neighborhoods.”

Although she was reluctant to stereotype certain breeds of dogs, Sattin said animals tagged as dangerous tend to be Rottweillers, pit bull terriers and chows.

Sattin said the animal control office was flooded with more than 600 complaints last month. One week in April brought in 200 calls to the office.

In the Valley and surrounding area, since 1991, dog-bite incidents have hovered around 250 a year, with a high of 277 in 1991 and a low of 203 in 1992. Last year, 262 were reported.

In Spokane’s city limits, 244 dog-bite incidents were reported in 1995. That figure soared to 347 last year. In the first three months of this year, 50 dog bites have been recorded.

“That’s not real good,” Mackie said. She believes the Spokane Valley’s “rural atmosphere” lends itself to more dog attacks.

“In the West, dogs tend to reflect the environment of their owners,” Mackie said. “People tend to be free and happy. But you can have also have fenced and happy dogs.”

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: DOG-SAFE Here are some suggestions on what to do if you’re approached by a hostile dog: Shout a command at the dog that it may be familiar with, such as, “No,” “Down” or “Sit.” Dogs may recognize the command and break off a potential attack. If you’re wearing glasses when a dog is charging, take them off. The dog may see its own reflection and think it is being charged. If confronted by a dog or a pack, don’t run. Always face the dog and back away slowly. A dog cannot be outrun. If you fall or are knocked down, curl into a ball with your arms and hands over your head and neck. Try not to scream or roll around. If bitten by a dog, seek medical attention immediately, even if the bite doesn’t appear to be serious. All bites should be reported to the police, SpokAnimal in the city limits at 534-8133 or the animal control department in the county at 458-2532.