Dec. 27, 2009
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/22068748/detail.html DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. -- A father, who apparently rushed to his daughter's aid when she was confronted by a pit bull, was attacked by the dog on Sunday."My husband has been attacked by a neighbor's dog," the victim's wife reportedly told dispatchers when she called 911 at about 11:40 a.m.The man's arm was injured, and he was transported to the hospital, said Cocha Heyden, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.Sherrie Neri, who was house sitting in the Roxborough Park subdivision, said the man's daughter had been walking her dog when she encountered the pit bull and called home for help. The father jumped into his truck and drove a few hundred yards down the street to his daughter, Neri said."He jumped in to help her," Neri said.Neri said she didn't see the attack, but shortly after, she saw the truck backing up to the home next door."The dad is in the back, and he has his arm all chewed up," Neri said. "I just saw the after-effects. The wife said it was a pit bull. They think it was a roaming pit bull. They had never seen the dog in the neighborhood before."Neri said the man was bleeding profusely, and his wounds looked severe.“Oh my gosh, yes, I was scared for him," she said. "I really was.”Neri said the man's daughter was bitten as well. "Her left hand was chewed up."Animal Control officers took custody of the dog.It wasn't clear where the dog's owner was. Douglas County does not have a pit bull ordinance banning the breed. AGAIN, NOT SAFE WALKING DOWN THE STREET.
Feb. 6, 2010 FATALITY
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20100206/NEWS01/2060331
The owners of a pit bull that attacked a neighbor and her dog allegedly tried to keep the pit bull away from animal control officers after the attack, according to a report released Friday by the Larimer Humane Society.On Jan. 30, Barbara Berry reported that she and her sheltie, Sassy, were attacked by a pit bull in the 3000 block of Garrett Drive. Berry did not have Sassy on a leash at the time, and the dog was severely injured.The dog's right front leg was amputated Tuesday at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at CSU, and Sassy died early Wednesday morning, owner Jerry Berry said Friday.Barbara Berry said the incident happened when she took her 10-year-old dog to collect mail from a neighbor who had gotten it by mistake. She said she and Sassy were standing in his yard when the attack happened. She reported that the pit bull broke through its fence and attacked Sassy. Berry was bitten on both hands as she tried to protect her dog. The neighbor hit the pit bull with a shovel before it ran back into its own yard.Berry said the attack was unprovoked, but Katie Allen, one of the pit bull's owners, said the sheltie scratched the fence and stuck her head inside before the pit bull broke out of its yard.Berry denies her dog was in Allen's yard.According to the Humane Society report, Animal Control Officer Cheri Muraski was dispatched to the scene and met with Berry and her neighbor. She also talked with the two paramedics who were trying to save Sassy.Muraski took the dog to the Colorado State University vet hospital and then returned to talk with the pit bull's owner.She talked with Ben Bourque, who owns 7-year-old Nova with Allen, and Bourque told Muraski he did not know his dog had gotten out of the yard. Muraski discussed the required 10-day bite confinement and quarantine agreement. Bourque signed both and returned to the house to get Nova's rabies information, the report said.About 30 seconds later, a white car left the home's garage, Muraski reported. Bourque then returned outside and talked with Muraski about the attack.He then went back to the house to get the pit bull but came out and said his roommate had taken the dog to a park, Muraski reported.Bourque said he did not know which park; and when Muraski asked for the roommate's cell phone number, Bourque gave her a number that had been disconnected."Bourque was still being polite/cooperative, but it seemed like Bourque was hiding the dog," Muraski wrote in the report. "Bourque asked me, 'What would happen if my friend took my dog out of state?' He asked me this several times."Muraski then asked Fort Collins police for assistance and after about 65 minutes, the white car returned to Bourque's house and the dog was impounded.Allen, who was not home at the time of the attack, said Friday that the roommate took Nova with him to run three or four times per week at Fort Collins-area parks. She denied there was any effort to hide the dog from animal control officers.Bourque did not return a phone call request for comment.The owners of both dogs have been cited for the incident. Berry was cited for dog at large. Bourque was cited for having a vicious dog, not having adequate fencing, dog at large and no license, according to Friday's report.Bourque has been issued a summons; ultimately, a judge will decide the pit bull's fate. The date for Bourque's first court appearance was unavailable Friday.Allen said the family has been asked to move out of its rental home. She said they have been released from their lease and told it would be "easier on everyone" if they moved. The family also has another pit bull named Shera.Jerry Berry choked up Friday talking about Sassy."It didn't need to happen. It shouldn't have happened," he said. "If they would have had their dog fenced in good, it wouldn't have happened." ANOTHER NUTTER TRYING TO DEFEND AND HIDE A KILLER PIT.