This might be a situation where one of the TV stations "help" segments could be
useful at cutting through the grey areas of departmental responsibility.
This has approached the point of ridiculousness - the animal has repeatedly gotten loose
and attacked off it's turf. If I lived next door I would be inclined to carry pepper
spray each time I ventured out the door.
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2012 16:29:00 -0500
From: suesturgis(a)gmail.com
To: east-cac(a)eastraleigh.org; lockwood(a)eastraleigh.org
CC: James.Kryskowiak(a)raleighnc.gov; citymanager(a)raleighnc.gov;
nancy.mcfarlane(a)raleighnc.gov; tracey.alford(a)raleighnc.gov; eugene.weeks(a)raleighnc.gov;
russ.stephenson(a)raleighnc.gov; Tom.McCormick(a)raleighnc.gov
Subject: Re: [Lockwood] Dog attack at 2119 Millbank St. (Lockwood neighborhood)
Dear Neighbors and City Officials,
I wanted to let you know that Animal Control Supervisor Tracey Alford visited my home
today to take a look at the fence situation separating my family and my community from the
dangerous dog that lives at 1200 Downing Road. He witnessed for himself that the dog is
still not securely enclosed but said that there is nothing his department can do to compel
the owner to take action. The investigation into whether the dog will be officially deemed
dangerous continues; however, Supervisor Alford said that if it is in fact deemed
dangerous, Animal Control would still not be able to order the dog to be securely
contained, though it would be required to be muzzled when outside. I have copied
Supervisor Alford on this email, which includes my original note to the listserv below.
Thanks to everyone for their concern around this issue of dangerous dogs in our
neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Sue Sturgis
2119 Millbank St.
On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 9:05 PM, Sue Sturgis <suesturgis(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Neighbors,
I am sorry to report that there was another dog attack incident in the Lockwood
neighborhood this week.
My husband was mowing our yard at 2119 Millbank Street on Tuesday while I was out of town
when a pit bull from our neighbor's backyard dog-breeding operation broke through the
wooden privacy fence that serves as his enclosure and launched himself in attack mode over
our four-foot chain link fence at Mike, who managed to escape by jumping the gate into the
driveway. Our bulldog Chance came tearing out of the house straight toward the pit bull,
whose name is Deebo, grabbed him by the chest, and pinned him to the ground. The melee
that ensued involved Mike beating Deebo over the skull with a rake handle in hopes of
scaring him off, all while screaming for help and dialing 911. It also involved enough
blood to make Mike queasy.
When Raleigh Police and Animal Control arrived, the dog's owner ranted about what
terrible people we are. "Why do you always take their side?" she shouted at
them, referring to the half-dozen or so times we've had to call the authorities
because her dogs escaped from their yard or tried to break through our back fence or
barked and howled outside all night while in heat, leading to various warnings and
citations. Community Police Officer James Kryskowiak is helping compile the complete
record.
Mike is now out of town on business, so I spoke with Animal Control Supervisor Alford
today. He reported that my neighbor was cited for allowing her dog off the property, and
said the investigation into whether my neighbor's dog should be designated as
dangerous continues. As I told Supervisor Alford, given that the dog attempted to attack
my husband on our property and menaced us previously when it's gotten loose, it is
clearly dangerous and needs to be secured appropriately before someone gets seriously
hurt. Not everyone is capable of leaping over a gate in a single bound.
At this point, though, Animal Control says they cannot compel the owner to build a more
secure enclosure. My neighbor did have workers there this week shorting up her wooden
privacy fence, but the dog has broken out of this type of fencing before. It has even
ripped through our chain link in places along our property line, requiring multiple
patches.
The good news is that while our dog did require veterinary care for puncture wounds and
cuts on his face, he will be OK. The neighbor did not offer to pay for the damage she
caused, however, so we will be exploring our legal options. If anyone has any
recommendations for a good animal-law attorney in Raleigh, please pass them along.
In the meantime, please be careful if you are in the area of Millbank Street and Downing
Road. Until this dog is secured with something more than wooden pickets, we remain at
risk.
For anyone who missed our previous discussions about dangerous and loose dogs in the East
CAC area, you can find some background information here:
http://seeclickfix.com/issues/140071-rampant-ongoing-problems-with-stray-an…
Sincerely,
Sue Sturgis
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