TX: Pit bulls attack 2 teens in northeast Dallas; latest in rash of incidents

TX: Pit bulls attack 2 teens in northeast Dallas; latest in rash of incidents
12:09 AM CST on Wednesday, March 4, 2009
By DAN X. McGRAW / The Dallas Morning News
dmcgraw@dallasnews.com

Two teens were attacked by five pit bulls in northeast Dallas on Monday, the third dog attack in just over a week, authorities said. The siblings, 13 and 18, were walking in 11900 block of Hoblitzelle Drive around 5 p.m. when the dogs began chasing them. The 18-year-old sister used a belt to scare the dogs away, but one of the animals bit the boy.

Teens attacked by pit bulls
Police captured all the dogs, which were later placed in the custody of Dallas Animal Services. The dog that bit the younger teen will be quarantined for 10 days before being released to the owner, authorities said.

Dallas Animal Services issued 10 citations, including one for failing to restrain the dogs and one for failing to register the dogs, to each owner, said Kent Robertson, the agency’s manager. He declined to release the number of owners or their names.

This incident was the latest in a rash of such attacks.

On Feb. 21, two pit bulls attacked a man and a woman, Clarence Webber and Helen Fuller, outside Jerry’s Market at Bernal Drive and North Westmoreland Road in West Dallas. Webber was treated at Parkland Memorial Hospital for injuries to his eye, face, jaw, left hand and left thigh. Fuller was treated for wounds to her arms and head.

Minutes later, a 12-year-old boy jumped a neighbor's fence to retrieve a ball in Pleasant Grove and was attacked by a dog that was part pit bull.

Under Texas law, the owners of dogs that seriously injure people can be prosecuted.

The latest attacks add fuel to the debate about whether certain breeds are inherently vicious or whether their violent behavior is the fault of bad owners. “We see this every year,” Robertson said. “Most of the bites aren’t from dogs loose but from people playing with dogs or getting in between them and their food source.”

Most bites are insignificant, but some, including pit bulls bites can be severe. However, Robertson said it was hard to determine the threat pit bulls posed in Dallas because it was unknown how many lived in the city. “If there are more pit bulls than any other dog, then they are going to be responsible for more bites,” he said. “I’ve seen bad bites from pit bulls, but I’ve also seen bad bites from Chihuahuas.”

Several North Texas cities have explored the possibility of banning certain breeds. Former Rep. Tony Goolsby, R-Dallas, has asked the attorney general for an opinion on whether cities have that authority. Robertson said the city has been working with in neighborhoods to educate owners about their responsibilities and pick up stray dogs. The city rounded up more than 900 stray dogs in southern Dallas during a two-week initiative.

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