Once Banned For Two Years, Dog In Trouble Again

CORRECTION: 9-11-97; V6 A story in Saturday’s Valley Voice about Bear, an akita-mastif mix that has been declared “dangerous” by county officials was accompanied by a photo of another dog, not related to the story.

A dog banned for two years from a Spokane Valley neighborhood is in trouble again for allegedly terrorizing the area.

A judge in 1994 fined Robert D. Christiansen $150 and forbade him from keeping dogs for two years. That came after Christiansen was cited three times in a year for letting Bear, an akita/mastif mix, attack neighbor’s pets.

Once the two years had passed, Christiansen brought the 100-pound dog home again, and neighbors once again started complaining.

County commissioners on Tuesday ruled that Bear is “dangerous,” a ruling that means Christiansen must meet an expensive list of requirements - including insurance that can cost $1,100 a year - to keep the dog.

Christiansen, 6718 E. 11th, chalks up his troubles to bad blood between himself and neighbors, not to any misbehavior by Bear. The complaints came from four neighbors, two of whom since have moved.

Christiansen acknowledges that Bear has attacked other dogs, but only when they were running loose. In fact, Christiansen said, he once used Bear to run off a den of coyotes at the request of a neighbor.

But complaints that Bear regularly runs free are “just a plain lie,” said Christiansen, adding that he’ll comply with the county regulations and keep Bear.

“If he were a bad dog, I’d have him put down,” he said.

Neighbor Maureen Farrington, who was the first to complain about Bear in 1993, said she doubts anything will change. She said she fears Bear eventually will attack a child.

“If a kid is walking down the street with a dog in his arms, who’s to say that (Bear) won’t attack that kid while trying to get that dog?” said Farrington, who owns two dogs.

According to county records that Christiansen claims are inaccurate, animal control officers declared Bear “potentially dangerous” in 1993. That was after neighbors complained several times about the dog roaming the neighborhood and attacking pets.

Still, the complaints continued, and Christiansen was cited again, then again.

In March 1994, District Court Judge John Madden found Christiansen guilty of a criminal misdemeanor, stemming from three citations within a year.

Christiansen at first said he would ignore Madden’s requirement that he not keep dogs for two years. He relented after Madden threatened to fine him $1,000 and throw him in jail for 90 days.

From 1994 until late last year, Bear lived with various friends of Christiansen’s, near Deer Park, on the South Hill and in rural North Idaho.

The complaints from Christiansen’s neighbors started again as soon as the dog returned to the Valley.

In July, animal control Director Nancy Sattin declared the dog dangerous, after Bear injured a Scottish terrier. Commissioners upheld that designation Tuesday.

The ruling means Christiansen must keep the dog indoors or in a pen that meets strict requirements. His property must be posted to warn visitors they’re about to encounter a dangerous dog. When unpenned, Bear must be muzzled and held with a leash.

And Christiansen must buy liability insurance that will pay any biting victim up to $50,000.

One of the few places to get such coverage is through Animal Insurance, a Maitland, Fla., agency whose motto is “Alligators to Zebras.”

A company representative said Animal Insurance would cover Bear for $700 to $1,100 a year, depending on a number of factors. But Christiansen must pay the first $2,500 of any claim and the insurance is void if the dog bites while unmuzzled or while roaming off a leash.

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