20080510 Dog attacks horses fatally injures one by Mary Gail Hare

Dog attacks horses, fatally injures one

There are many aspects of this sad story that are outrageous. Pick our own: The frequency of pit bulls involved in vicious attacks; or the apparent lack of responsibility on the part of the dog owner; and/or the apparent lack of consequences for the dog’s owner…

Pit bull's owner previously fined for unsecured animal

www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-md.ha.pitbull10may10,0,1398426.story

By Sun Reporter Mary Gail Hare May 10, 2008 baltimoresun.com

A young male pit bull attacked several horses pastured at a northern Harford County farm Wednesday, injuring one so severely that it was put down. Another horse might not survive its injuries and a third has nearly 50 stitches on its face, officials said.

Harford County animal control officials ordered the dog destroyed yesterday.

"Based on information from witnesses and past history, this dog was considered potentially dangerous and had to be destroyed for the safety of this neighborhood," said Pamela Arney, Harford's animal control officer.

The dog was often seen running loose in the Forest Hill area near the Grier Nursery Road farm. Twice since March, Jonathan Russo, the dog's owner and the farm's neighbor, had been fined $60 for not securing the animal. Russo, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, received another $95 fine Thursday.

[…]

The dog grabbed a 6-year-old Welsh pony by the nose and hung on, despite the horse's efforts to shake it off. It took 45 stitches to close the pony's bite wounds. The dog then chased a 2-year-old Chincoteague pony and tore at its left hind leg so deeply that its survival remains in question. A 350-pound yearling sustained a fatal injury when the dog grabbed its foreleg and pulled it down. The deep bites exposed joints and tendons on the Welsh pony cross and its leg was broken.

[…]

"I know its owner has rights, but along with that comes responsibility," Klein said. "This dog was unpredictable and vicious."

Wilson, the horses' owner, credited Klein with saving the remaining animals. She has mounting veterinary bills, already in excess of $1,500 and has lost a horse worth about $7,000, she said. As of yesterday, Wilson said that Russo had not contacted her.

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