Spring Has Sprung up, And so Have Dog Bites
I spent the weekend at my way-below-acceptable-temperature-what-am-I-doing-in-this-water pool. Others in the area had less than ideal weeks:
19 MONDAY
At 11:13 a.m., an employee of Republic Waste attempted to remove a trash can from a home in the 4400 block of Mockingbird Lane. When doing so, the man was bit by a Jack Russell terrier named Tank. The bite broke the skin, and the dog is currently serving a 10-day quarantine.
22 THURSDAY
At 4:30 p.m., a labrador/German Shepard mix named Bella nipped a woman’s ankle in the 4700 block of Lakeside Drive. The dog’s owner and the woman exchanged contact information, and the dog has been placed under quarantine for 10 days. A review of the dog’s records by HPDPS revealed that Bella’s rabies vaccination is expired, and the dog is not registered in Highland Park.
Moral of the story? Stay by the pool.
Small dogs are no better than angry rats. The worst.
Mr. Pearson,
Dog bites are obviously a huge problem in the town. A pit bull attacked me on Armstrong on Feb. 28, 2012 while jogging. I had marks on my thigh. HP DPS officer Riddle and HP animal control officer, Robertson, told me a “dogs mouth was cleaner than a humans.” They actually told me to go home and wait for the rabies report. Because of my persistence of my concerns, I eventually was taken by HP ambulance later to UT Southwestern ER and was diagnosed with a “dog bite”. HP DPS happy go lucky advice and philosophy is crazy.
The quarantine of this pit bull was a sad joke by HP DPS, and according to quarantine records obtained by me through Texas open records, I understood the pit bull was visited by HP DPS for only four days out of the ten day quarantine period. One of the four day visitations, it appeared the owner was not home or possibly did not answer the door.
HP town ordinance for animal quarantine is clear under Section 2.01.008(c), but Chief Vinson does not apparently follow the ordinance. HP’s quarantine states that the director of HP DPS shall order the animal confined and held for a period of ten (10) days in isolation and at the owners expense. In my case, Chief Vinson allowed a pit bull to walk away with the owner out of the town limits, and, to potentially bite someone else. The HP DPS had no clue what was really going on with this pit bull for a complete ten quarantine.
dogs that bite in HP should be confined in isoaltion at our towns dog facility named Medallion and observed by professional vets for the safety of people who have been bitten.
I’m disappointed in Chief Vinson and I believe his DPS officers really gave some bad advice and wasted valuable time.
Great article Mr. Pearson!
Are dog bites a “huge problem” in the town? Literally never heard of an occurrence other than the two in Bradford’s post and the one in Sam’s?
The leash laws need to be enforced. I’ve seen joggers and cyclists nipped at by “friendly” dogs on my block too many times.
@Sam
Let me make sure I understand your situation. You were bitten by a dog, had marks on your thigh and were injured enough to require an ambulance to take you to the emergency room? That sucks. I’ve been yapped at by many dogs as I run and know that one of these days it’ll happen to me.
By the way, how many days of work did you miss? Did the rabies shots hurt as much as I’ve been told? How many stitches did you get? How many ambulances does HP have and while it was chauffeuring you to the ER for a “dog bite” what would have happened if a real emergency had occurred? By the way is “dog bite” a medical diagnosis or one the lady at the desk in the emergency room made up?
In all seriousness, I’m glad you apparently were not hurt that badly. Maybe “marks on my thigh” really means “deep puncture wounds with significant loss of blood” and you just have a much higher pain tolerance than I do. But for someone asking for votes in an upcoming election based on prudent use of town resources (my words, not yours) this just doesn’t sound like a reasonable response if they were truly just marks on your thigh.
For residents of HP that are serious about their health, I have provided a few links that may be useful. Please take animal bites and scratches seriously. Call your doctor and get medical attention!
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/patientcare/healthlibrary/facts_about_animal_bites/0,,P02790,00.html
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/patientcare/healthlibrary/bites_and_stings__animals/0,,P00980,00.html
Have a Great Day!
Sam appears to be running for Mayor of HP so the Chief needs to look out. http://www.tamborello.com/tamborello_for_mayor_-_hp_2012_001.htm
And what about the dog’s owner? Was he/she fined? Forced to pay for the quarantine? Perhaps HP should ban all dogs. At least UP got rid of those dangerous chickens…
Dogs that bite should be put down.
@MGBHStar,
Chief Vinson apparently allows dogs that bite HP residents to go home with the owner, and something other than what the HP law states. Last time I checked, the HP DPS are to enforce law, not interpret the law.
Where is Bill Lindley, the HP city manager? For goodness sake, do something about a problem.
There was no fine to the owner and no cost for quarantine because the pit bull went home to it’s apt. in Dallas. When the HP DPS states publicly (like in the PCP) that a dog was quarantined, what their really saying is “we let the dog go home and try to bite someone else.” It’s sad. I own a dog myself. A labrador that lives on a farm, and it’s a very friendly dog.
I love dogs, but, if folks want to walk aggressive dogs, then take precaution, respect, and consideration for your fellow neighbor, resident, or public folks trying to enjoy the day.
In good humor, I like your comment about the chickens. Good thing those bad chickens were voted out.
Have a Great Day!
I like dogs, but I really like leashed dogs. On more than one occassion, I have been at one of the local parks while the owner plays frisbee or ball with their mutt. Inevitably, the dog wants to say an overly exuberant hello. If you’re a grownup that may not be so bad, but, if you’re a toddler, it could be disastrous. Actually, as a grownup, I’m not that crazy about it either. I was attacked by a dog when I was a kid, and I still find large dogs a bit frightening. If you’re gonna let ’em out, you better leash ’em. If they come to me, the owner may get an earful, and an overly agressive dog may get more than they bargained for given my history with canines.
@Southern Gent
I think you hit the nail on the head. If someone had marks on their thigh, did they really require an ambulance to get to the hospital? What a waste of resources. I’m sure HPDPS would fine the dog owner if they were present on the scene and the “victim” had visible injury that warranted an ambulance ride. Maybe the “victim” just likes sirens and lots of attention.
“Tiptoe”…. i’m glad you got that off you mind at 12:42 a.m. and several months later. You should really try for more sleep and not worry so much. Or,…should you worry?
It appears you may have pertinent info. and facts regardng this inicent? Thanks for letting me know you have an interest to get involved with this matter and your personal testimony.