Dogs On The Attack Warmer Weather Heightens Threat Of Conflict Between People, Canines
The dog days of summer are nearing.
But the dog bites have already started.
When the weather warms, so do dogs. 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.
It didn’t take long this year for dogs to start attacking. In late January, South Hill resident Stephanie Schrimshire was attacked by Axel, a 2-year-old Rottweiler-mix.
Schrimshire, a North Central High School teacher, was bitten on the front of the ankle by the dog as she was jogging around the pond at Lincoln Park.
Axel was owned by Monica Hulubei. Her 16-year-old daughter was walking the 60-pound dog when it lunged on its retractable leash and bit Schrimshire.
“I saw the dog. I saw it was on a leash. Next thing I know, I’m on the ground and the dog was gnawing my leg,” Schrimshire said in an earlier interview.
Witnesses to the attack took Schrimshire to Sacred Heart Medical Center; she spent five days there and required plastic surgery.
“Part of my leg is gone,” she said, “but luckily the dog didn’t damage the muscles or tendons.”
The dog also attacked City Animal Shelter officer Shane Presley when he went to Hulubei’s home on East 14th Avenue to pick up the animal.
The same dog was cited as “potentially dangerous” on Aug. 20 because it reportedly went after a jogger in front of Hulubei’s home.
The dog had been impounded three times for running loose, and the animal shelter had received eight written complaints about Axel from letter carriers.
The dog was deemed dangerous after the attack on Schrimshire, but its owner took several steps to meet criteria for owning a dangerous dog. Still, it didn’t stop Axel.
In March, the dog snapped at a cable television installer, and the owner was forced to put Axel to sleep.
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 owner’s property, or be found to be a repeat offender.
After being deemed dangerous, which requires a ruling from a city hearing examiner or 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 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, Sattin said.
“Even the animals must have gotten cabin fever during the long winter,” she said.
“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 Rottweilers, 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 unincorporated parts of Spokane County, 14 reported incidents of dog bites have occurred from January through April of this year.
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 Spokane’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 also have fenced and happy dogs.”
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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: HOW TO DEAL WITH A MEAN DOG By Kevin Blocker Staff writer Here are some suggestions on what to do if you’re approached by a hostile dog: Shout a command that the dog may be familiar with, like, “No,” “Down” or “Sit.” Dogs may recognize such a 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. 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, and SpokAnimal in the city limits at 534-8133 or the Animal Control Department in the county at 458-2532.