Petition Made to Declare as Dangerous Animal That Bit Children
www.fortwayne.com
By Mike Dooley
February 22, 2005, FT. WAYNE, INDIANA -- The city’s Board of Safety could decide Wednesday if a Siberian husky named Bandit should be put down by lethal injection.
Belinda Lewis, director of the city’s Animal Care and Control department, has filed a petition with the board seeking to have the dog declared a dangerous animal. If the three-member panel approves her request, Bandit will be euthanized.
Lewis said the dog, owned by Tim Stangland, who was not available for comment, was chained in an unfenced back yard when it bit children on two occasions. The most recent attack, she said, came in June 2003, when Bandit bit an 8-year-old on the face. The first attack also involved bites to a child’s face, Lewis said. The dog was housed on St. Marys Avenue. The dog was seized in November when it threatened to attack a postal carrier who approached Stangland’s home, Lewis said. The dog was tied up on the porch and did not bite the carrier, but acted in such a threatening manner the postal worker refused to deliver mail to the house, Lewis said.
The center director described Bandit as an adult husky, weighing 75-100 pounds. Breeders say huskies, best known for their abilities as sled dogs, are usually good-natured and friendly toward children and adults.
“It is never a good idea to trust any dog around a small child unsupervised,” said husky breeder Stephen Lee in the Web site he maintains for his Ooo Woo Kennels in Los Alamos, N.M. “Be extremely careful and supervise the dog and child. This advice has nothing to do with the Siberian husky breed in particular.”
The city ordinance dealing with dangerous animals does not require an actual attack if the animal has shown vicious tendencies, such as biting, in prior incidents, Lewis said.
Stangland won an earlier attempt in 2002 by the city to have the dog declared a dangerous animal, and Lewis said she expects him to contest the latest effort, as well.
Lewis said Stangland’s responsibility to keep the dog from biting others increased after the first incident, and likened the animal to what the law calls an “attractive nuisance” such as a swimming pool without a fence around it. “There’s no question the family loves the dog,” Lewis said, “but given its history, we have no choice here.”
The city ordinance does not provide an appeal from the board’s decision if it supports Lewis’ request, and it is likely Bandit would be euthanized shortly afterward if board members declare the dog a dangerous animal.
If they do not, the dog will be returned to Stangland and he will not face any fines or charges. Should the animal be declared dangerous, Stangland will also face charges of $10 a day for the dog’s care and feeding while it was held at the animal shelter.
