For the last two and a half years, Oscar Martin, a 4-year-old beagle, has not only been Robert Baker's best friend, he's been the Gilbert man's hearing service dog.
But Baker said that when Oscar returns now to Gilbert's Allegre Park, he's still a little skittish, a little afraid, as he is recovering from a dog attack there that left him needing surgery.
About 2:25 p.m. on June 9, Oscar was attacked, bit in the neck by a pit bull who was not on a leash as his owner, a transient, napped on a park bench. The pit bull's owner told Baker that the loose dog "was friendly" seconds before the dog lunged at Oscar and locked onto his neck, according to a Gilbert Police report.
Baker had to kick the pit bull in the head to get it off Oscar before the dog's owner fled with the pit bull in a 1984 yellow Ford pick-up truck that Baker was able to get the license plate number from.
"It was a traumatic thing for him and I both," Baker said. "There's laws about other dogs attacking service dogs ... the guy did not willingly sic his dog on Oscar, but he did not have a leash or collar on him and he did not have the dog under control. It was also an educational experience for me. It taught me to be more aware of my surroundings and others should be more aware of their surroundings, too, especially when a dog at a park is not on a leash."
Police caught up with the pit bull's owner about three weeks later. Kenneth Pierini, 53, now faces a dog-at-large citation, a misdemeanor violation of Arizona's animal control laws, and could be required to pay fines. According to the police report, Pierini, a transient who sometimes lives with his sister in Mesa, claims his dog was on a leash. But witnesses at the scene said it was not.
Pierini could not be reached for comment.
Baker said he plans to pursue restitution and other charges against Pierini.
After a recent surgery on his neck to drain an infection that racked up a bill of more than $825, Oscar is recovering but not quite up to 100 percent of performing his duties. He is scheduled to have a follow-up surgery in two weeks.
"He's recovering nicely, but I'm trying to get him back to his service level," Baker said. "We'll go back to square one. Oscar gets along with everybody and he's getting along with other dogs. He wouldn't hurt a fly. He wouldn't want to."
Bass Virus posted at 11:23 am on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
"I'm still far more afraid of a chihuahua, dachsund or mini schnauzer than I am a pit bull"
You should be, they are much more likely to bite you. As is the poodle everyone likes to use as an example of a "good" dog.
AmberBock posted at 6:09 pm on Fri, Jul 15, 2011.
I actually work at the hospital who helped take care of this wonderfully sweet lil beagle and I still am sad that such bad things like this happen all the time.
HOWEVER.....for the several years of being a vet tech, I'm still far more afraid of a chihuahua, dachsund or mini schnauzer than I am a pit bull. I muzzle way more small breed dogs than large breed. Chihuahuas are the number one breed for biting people, including small children. As an owner of one the sweetest pit mixes ever, it's not all pits who are vicious. It's the idiot owners who don't train them.
eggmd posted at 3:21 pm on Tue, Jul 12, 2011.
ALL dogs need to be on leash but dog parks are places they can run and play without a leash. My dog was attacked twice at a dog park in Flagstaff before I stopped taking my boys to any dog park. Dogs and humans are too difficult to predict. We had a transient in Flagstaff who kicked his dog at the dog park when the dog became aggressive. All of the people at the park formed a circle around the dog, called police, and would not allow the man to take his dog. Too much drama for me. Dog parks SHOULD be safe places for gentle dogs to play but that is not always the case.
storminnorman posted at 9:56 am on Tue, Jul 12, 2011.
"Now, will you also require special licenses and classes for THOSE breeds, since stats show they are more dangerous than pits?"
Clearly you have no facts.
The dogs you listed are not the most dangerous
80% of dog attacks that induce bodily harm = most dangerous ..
1+1[wink]
RationalHuman posted at 11:18 am on Mon, Jul 11, 2011.
Gosh, dog attacks by bigger breeds of dogs result in bigger injuries?
What a shocker!
My facts still stand.
Yes, a bite from a big dog breed will leave a bigger mark than a bite from a smaller breed...this does not mean they bite less (as the original commenter insinuated).
Got anything else?
storminnorman posted at 12:25 am on Mon, Jul 11, 2011.
hey Rational
Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada,
September 1982 to June 25, 2010
By compiling U.S. and Canadian press accounts between 1982 and 2010, Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, shows the breeds most responsible for serious injury and death.
The combination of pit bulls, rottweilers, presa canarios, and their mixes:
80% of attacks that induce bodily harm
70% of attacks to children
83% of attack to adults
69% of attacks that result in fatalities
75% that result in maiming
Google dog bite stats,
Pits ought to be banned like the are in show low after pits killed that little girl a few years ago
RationalHuman posted at 9:43 pm on Sun, Jul 10, 2011.
az2008, are you really tired of living under a rock?
While you are correct about the breeding done with various pit-bull breeds, they do not account for the vast majority of dog bites/attacks every year...and two of the breeds responsible for more attacks may just surprise you - Dalmations and Boxers.
Now, will you also require special licenses and classes for THOSE breeds, since stats show they are more dangerous than pits?
az2008 posted at 1:01 pm on Sun, Jul 10, 2011.
Pit Bulls should be banned, or their owners required to possess a special license after attending special training.
I'm really tired of owners who say "it's not the dog, it's the owner" as if all dogs bite. All dogs may retrieve or herd too. But, Labradors and cattle dogs are more likely to do those things than a poodle. They were *bred* for it. Likewise, we know what "Pit Bulls" were bred for. And that's why we don't hear about poodles attacking people and other animals.
It's getting very tiring to hear "it's the owner, not the dog" when that breed of dog was bred for fighting. That would be like blaming a labrador's retrieving traits on the owner. Ridiculous!
LinMesa posted at 12:07 pm on Sun, Jul 10, 2011.
"The pit bull's owner told Baker that the loose dog "was friendly" seconds before the dog lunged at Oscar and locked onto his neck, according to a Gilbert Police report."
Yeah, right. Aren't they always until they attack.