Couple recounts pit bull attack on dog

Tuesday, June 2, 2009
'Sophie' suffered nine bit wounds when a pit bull jumped the fence and attacked. (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Daily Gazette)

Like many McCook citizens, Judy Wortley puts her dog on a leash and takes a walk in the city. But something went terribly wrong last week on their regular walk.

Wortley and her husband George brought their dog, Sophie, to the regular McCook City Council meeting Monday night and showed the nine bite wounds their dog suffered when a pitbull jumped over a fence and attacked the animal.

Wortley told the council the dog's owner came out and kicked at the dog, which then ran down the street with the owner chasing after it. "If he hadn't come out, he would have killed Sophie," Wortley related.

Wortley, who fell to the ground during the incident, said she carried Sophie home and took her to the vet, when they discovered nine bite wounds that had to be stitched up,

Wortley said she wasn't upset or angry but very concerned that this could happen again.

"I don't think the owners realize how dangerous their dog is," she said, as the extent of the wounds were not immediately apparent due to her dog's thick fur.

The incident was reported to the police, Wortley said, but she is concerned nothing more will happen at this point. "The attack was unprovoked," she said.

City Attorney Nate Schneider asked the Wortleys to bring him pictures showing the dog's injuries, which he will include in his presentation at courty court. As with other dog attacks, Red Willow County Judge Anne Paine will determine the fees and penalties, based on the city attorney's recommendation, the severity of the case and history of the dog.

City Council member Colleen Grant said after Wortley's presentation that she has spoken with the city manager about designating a dog as vicious after the first bite.

Animal control ordinances are undergoing revision by the City Council, including stiffer fines for vicious dogs, mandating the licensing of dogs and the creation of an animal control officer position.

The council directed Monday night that Schneider draft the proposed changes into city law and bring them back to the Council for review.

Schneider also indicated that after reviewing state law, although there are some exceptions, animal fines could not be allowed to go toward the costs of an animal control officer.

Councilman Jack Rogers questioned at the May 18 council meeting whether the fines could be used to offset the animal control position, as it was his understanding that fines go to the schools.

Councilman Aaron Kircher asked about other recommendations included in the proposed animal control laws. These included the creation of a dog park, making owners legally responsible for damages caused by other animals and making it a crime to interfere with law enforcement or an animal control officer, such as hiding a potentially vicious dog

Schneider said some of the recommendations are already addressed in the proposed animal control laws, such as compensating for damages and interfering with law enforcement.

City Manager Kurt Fritsch said the recommendations are separate ideas and that the council could address them later if they are a priority.

He added the council has heard positive comments about a dog park, with an individual offering the use of some land for it.

But the council has also heard from citizens who want to prohibit dogs totally from city parks, he said.

Mayor Dennis Berry asked if the animal control officer would be separate from a law enforcement position. Councilman Kircher said the proposed ordinance as written states an animal control officer or law enforcement would enforce the laws.

Comments
View 3 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Where is the story about the pit bull attack?

    The story does not match the picture or article title!

    -- Posted by lisalee on Tue, Jun 2, 2009, at 2:10 PM
    Response by McCook:
    The story is now corrected.
  • We live in Kearney. Recently our neighors' 3 dogs jumped their fence into our yard and "shredded" our little poodle. The vet felt he would be unable to save our little dog due to the severe bites and blood loss. We had to have him put to sleep. 2 labs and a german sheppard mix did this. I hope the owner of the pit bull is able to see the future threat his dog could pose and do the right thing. Imagine if Sophie had been a child!

    -- Posted by vern on Tue, Jun 2, 2009, at 4:40 PM
  • The owners of this dog should not be allowed to keep it. if it has to be put down, it has to be put down. My mom (judy wortley) said she tried to grab sophie and pick her up. If she had been able to pick up sophie the pit bull would have attacked HER to get to sophie. this incident could have been a lot worse than it was. People who are not pet owners might not understand this, but having your pet attacked like that is a traumatic experience. My mother wasnt badly injured physically but the emotional stress from this is apparent. at the very least the pit bull should be taken from the owners, they should pay for sophie's vet bills and should not be allowed to own another dog. completely irresponsible pet owners.

    -- Posted by wurdipus on Wed, Jun 3, 2009, at 9:15 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: