Crime goes off the leash

Man’s best friend can occasionally turn into man’s worst enemy. No one wants to think of the household pet as a potential aggressor, so dog attacks do not usually get classified as crimes. This crime cost one Texas official $11, 600.

In early October, the Austin-American Statesman reported Glenn Bass, Travis County Precinct 2 justice of the peace, paid $11,600 in settlements to two Travis County workers after they said his dog, Justice, bit them. A Travis County police record included four statements from other constable’s office employees saying Justice bit their pants, shoes or socks. Two employees said Justice nearly broke skin. The media brought this incident to light, but many dog attacks continue under the radar.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that dogs bite nearly 4.5 million Americans each year. Austin classifies dogs as dangerous if the dog attack occurs unprovoked and takes place outside of the dog’s enclosure. The Dangerous and Vicious Dogs list in Austin includes 44 dogs. Some dogs made the list for minor bites to a human. Some dogs made the list for inflicting more serious damage- one dog’s attack sent a boy to the hospital with multiple bites and lacerations to his face and arms in 2012. There are approximately 193,600 dogs in Austin; 2 percent of these dogs classified as vicious or dangerous, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

While dog attacks occur every week, not all of them make the police record. In the past week, two attacks were filed with Austin police. However, the number of registered dangerous dogs has remained between 40-45 for three years. Reported dog attacks, like the case of Glenn Bass, do not occur often.

“It’s a public safety issue and we take that very seriously,” Animal Services Center Director Abigail Smith said about dog attacks. The Animal Services office relies on the public to alert them about aggressive dogs. “When there is seriously a dangerous dog in the area and you’re a victim, it’s your responsibility to make sure there’s not another victim,” Smith said.

The Austin-American Statesman reported on Glenn Bass’ dog attack case twice in one week, but other local dog attacks do not usually make the paper. The last local dog attack reported in the paper occurred eight months ago.

Victims of dog attacks are often reluctant to report the dog attack for a variety of reasons. One year ago, University of Texas sophomore Eugenio Duron, walked out of his apartment at 4600 West Guadalupe Street, saw a woman drop her dog’s leash and bent over to help her retrieve it. As he knelt down, the woman’s dog bit his thigh. It was a large enough bite to extract blood. However, the woman did not stay to aid him.

Duron did not feel pain in his thigh at the time, so he did not feel the need to report the incident. “I am not afraid of dogs. I grew up around Rottweilers, but I’m definitely more cautious now around other people’s dogs,” Duron said. He later consulted family doctor friends for information on how to clean the bite to prevent infection. “I did not want to make it a big deal, and I didn’t know the lady, so I couldn’t get a hold of her anyway,” Duron said.

University of Texas junior, Jonathan Harper did know the owner of the dog that attacked him. In early August, a dog attacked Harper at his friend’s home. Harper petted his friend’s miniature schnauzer in his own lap when the dog unexpectedly began growling at him and then bit his hand. The bite drew blood, so Harper had to wear a bandage around his hand for a week.

“I never reported anything, but went to the doctor a week later and got antibiotics. [My friend] was extremely apologetic, so I know he felt really bad because his dog had never bitten anyone,” Harper said.

Dog attacks do not only involve the dog and the person attacked. Those on the other end of the leash experience something entirely different. Kristina Martin owns a dog on the dangerous dogs list. Her dog, Nibbles, is a red and tan golden retriever/ chow mix. Last year, Nibbles bit Martin’s mom’s neighbor. Nibbles bit the neighbor’s arm but did not severely break skin. The neighbor immediately reported the incident to the authorities. Nibbles must now wear a large tag, labeling her “Dangerous Dog” and stay on a chain link throughout the day.

“Everyone that comes over to my house asks, ‘How is this a dangerous dog?’ She’ll lick you; she doesn’t bite you. She hasn’t done it since then…it’s just not fair to her,” Martin said.

Martin also must keep up with the financial consequences of the dog bite. According to Animal Services, an animal bite can cost the pet’s owner up to $100,000. If a dog is registered as dangerous or vicious, the owner must pay $50 per year for a license, allowing him or her to keep the dog. Dangerous dogs must restrained at all times and have to wear a large tag stating they are dangerous dogs.

            Previously mentioned Eugenio Duron did not make headlines. His attack did not make police records. Like Duron, there are many that don’t report the crime. If they do report it to the police, the media keeps it under the radar, leaving dog attacks in a cycle of underreported crime.  “I have a dog, and I know accidents happen. That’s why I didn’t report it. I don’t want anything bad to happen to that dog, but I also don’t want someone else to get bitten…I had no idea that dog attacks were considered a crime,” Duron said.