Posted on 03/30/2010 10:59:54 AM PDT by Chet 99
Pit bull attacks child 2nd time
Animal Control will euthanize dog this time
By Baylie Evans bevans@wyomingnews.com
CHEYENNE -- A 10-year-old boy is home recovering from surgery after a neighbor's pit bull attacked him and bit his leg last week.
This is the second time the dog has attacked the child in the last year.
Last Thursday, William Wyatt Kunert was on his family's porch at 599 E. Fifth St., in south Cheyenne, getting ready to ride his bike with some other neighborhood kids. His 2-year-old brother, Jordan Martinez, was beside him at the doorway.
That's when the neighbor's pit bull, which lived two doors down the street, "jumped its 4-foot fence and came straight at my son," Wyatt Kunert's mother, Lindsay Kunert, said.
Wyatt pushed his brother out of the way and tried to slam the screen door closed, she said. But he closed the door on the dog, with its head and shoulders inside the home.
The dog got hold of Wyatt left thigh from behind, dragged him outside and started shaking his leg violently, she said. She grabbed the dog's collar and tried to get the dog to let go of her son, but couldn't.
"I was just screaming," she said.
The owners of the dog then ran over to help and punched the dog in the head until it let go, she said. It took about three or four minutes before it finally let go.
As soon as she realized how bad her son's injury was, she called 911.
"(The wound) was the size of my fist, and I could see bone," she said.
Wyatt Kunert was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and then to surgery to repair his muscle fibers and stitch him up.
He was released Friday afternoon. Doctors told Lindsay Kunert that her son should recover fully within about a month, but he will always have a scar.
The owners of the dog have surrendered it, and it is currently at the Cheyenne Animal Shelter under observation to be sure it doesn't have rabies.
Around the same time last year, the same dog attacked Wyatt as he was walking his bike home from school.
That time, the dog bit his face around his eyes and cheeks, causing him to need several stitches and leaving scars.
"Animal Control was called at that time," Lindsay Kunert said.
Court records show the dog's owner, Duane Padilla, was cited the first time, in April 2009, for keeping a vicious animal. He paid the fine and never went to court.
Lindsay Kunert said she didn't pursue a lawsuit because she hoped her neighbors would make good on promises to pay her for her lost wages. They didn't, she said.
This time, Padilla and a co-owner of the dog have been cited for keeping a vicious animal and for not having proper vaccinations for the dog.
Lindsay Kunert said a lot could have been done to prevent the second attack. She said she feels Animal Control failed to follow up after the first attack, which allowed a dangerous dog to live in a neighborhood.
Whether an animal is impounded after it bites someone is left up to the discretion of the Animal Control officer who responds.
In this case, the officer issued a ticket after the dog attacked Wyatt the first time, but did not impound the dog or follow up on whether it had been properly vaccinated.
It is still unknown whether the dog was properly vaccinated at that time, said Rick Collard, the executive director of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter.
"Based on what I can see ... we did what we were supposed to do," Collard said of the first attack.
It is certain, he added, that the dog was not vaccinated when it bit Wyatt last week.
Now, because the owners surrendered the dog, it's up to Animal Control to decide what to do with it. The shelter doesn't adopt out vicious dogs, so it will be euthanized, Collard said.
Padilla expressed regret about what he called an "unfortunate accident" when visited at his home on Monday.
"I'd rather get hit by a car myself than have that kid go through that," he said.
There was a 4-foot chain link fence around the property and two "beware of dog" signs posted. Several small bicycles were in the yard.
There was another pit bull on the property, but Collard said that is not a concern for Animal Control.
"That (other) one didn't do anything," he said. "Dogs aren't any different than people. Certain dogs will do certain things, and other dogs won't."
Lindsay Kunert said she plans to get a lawyer this time.
"We may never see a dime, but it's just the principle of it," she said. "I'm going to make it my mission to try to make some changes to laws in town."
A second time? The dog should have been put down after the first time. There really is no reason to have an animal with the potential for destruction that a pit bull has when there are dozens of breeds of dogs that can provide the same level of companionship without the ability to rip off the face of someone if they have a bad day.
After just one attack I would have had that dog down. I’d never trust it again.
There should be no second chance when a dog attacks a child. You put them down the first time.
It’s hard for me to imagine that a dog can attack a person and not be euthanized after the FIRST attack. I think there would need to be some very extenuating circumstances (dog protecting owner, dog on it’s own property protecting property, dog injured and reacting to being handled). The real problem here is that many places don’t seem to take steps to make sure a second attack never occurs.
I love dogs!
Having said that I agree with others that the rule is “one strike and you’re out”. The dog should have been humanely euthanized the first time.
I think we'd all have preferred you get hit by a car than have your dog attack a kid twice.
According to some Freepers pitbulls haven’t ever attacked or killed anybody!
Animal control officer feeling that pitbull lovin’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd5uvK8TfOA
Pitbull turns police car into big chew toy!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2480658/posts
Woman’s arm almost severed in dog attack
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2477556/posts
LA reporter rushed to hospital after bite from pitbull (while doing story to show pitbulls are safe)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2475856/posts
Great-grandma mauled by Lynn family pit bull
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pitbull/index?tab=articles
Boy attacked by pit bull; Child remains in hospital
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2473499/posts
Hardin County Teen In A Coma After Pitbull Attack
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2472680/posts
Having been savagely attacked once before by the very same animal, this boy showed remarkable and heroic courage to FIRST get his little brother out of harms way before looking out for himself, when he saw it charging at him again. I am not at all sure I would have been able to exhibit such bravery when I was ten years old, and I am certainly thankful that I never had to find out.
May God watch over him as he rcovers.
I was bit by a dog when I was six, back then you had to have many shots, they rotated, stomach, arm, rear, for many days including Sat. & Sun. + the tetnus shot. We couldn’t find the stray dog. I have Shelties now but wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a stray or menacing dog that entered my property and posed a threat to my kids, myself or my dogs. There would be NO second attack.
The dog has only attacked this one kid. Has anyone asked why? I’m betting the kid did something to make the dog hate him.
Four foot fence?
Still waiting for a pack of feral and rabid chihuahuas to attack someone at the ankles.
I don’t like law suits, but in this case I hope she ends up with Padilla’s house. She should go after he idiots at Animal Control, too.
Now THAT is a post. That’s the cleverest thing I’ve ever seen here or anywhere.
My son says I’ve got a Spongebob face, laughing at your post. gee thanks kid.
I wondered how long it would take for some dog lover to start blaming the victim.
Did they give it Viagra? How do the attacks make you feel? Tell me how you are coping with this recent attack. Is there anything we can do to help you feel better about the situation? It is not your fault Chet, don’t blame yourself. You had no idea that Pitt Bull would ruin your family.
After reading this article if anyone on here thinks pit bulls should be allowed in neighborhoods they should be banned from posting on FR forever.
Oh wait, we have Obamacare now. I guess the pit bull lovers on here will now point to that as a reason we shuold live with these unpredictable vicious terror beasts.
Yeah, those evil instigators of pitbull attacks are just that...evil. It’s never the pitbull’s fault. The dog and its breed are just mis-understood and was abused when it was a just a pup. Just give that dog a little community service and he’ll never attack again. The dog even said so and I believe him!
Probably rents - Most pit bull owners are lawsuit proof.
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