Mauling death sparks rush of euthanasia
By M. CRISTINA MEDINA
cmedina@montereyherald.com
In the two weeks since 5-year-old Victoria Morales was killed by her grandmother's Rottweiler, 10 Monterey County pet owners have asked the SPCA to euthanize their animals because of concerns over their aggressiveness.
Gary Tiscornia, executive director of the SPCA, said the agency performed owner-requested euthanasia on four Rottweiler or Rottweiler mixes and two pit bulls or pit bull mixes in the week following the death. This past week, another four Rottweiler or pit bull mixes were put down, said Tiscornia.
"We had six shortly after the attack from people who believed their dogs were aggressive and our staff concurred that the dogs were indeed aggressive," said Tiscornia. He said the SPCA's Monterey office also fielded calls from six other dog owners who wanted referrals to veterinarians who could euthanize their animals.
The SPCA kills dogs by injecting them with a mixture of sodium pentobarbital mixed with anti-freeze.
SPCA officials declined to identify any of the dog owners, but were willing to discuss some of the cases. One dog was overly protective of its owner's yard. Another had snapped at its owner and another had continued problems with aggression, Tiscornia said. Details on the others were not available and efforts to reach the owners were unsuccessful.
"Certainly the week after the attack was an above average week for people turning in their dogs," Tiscornia said. "Yes, I think people are re-evaluating their pets' behavior, how could they not? Sometimes people see their animal in a certain light where there are things they are willing to tolerate. A tragedy might change their minds."
Victoria Morales, an Ord Terrace Elementary School kindergartner, was on a afternoon walk in a Ryan Ranch field on April 19 with her brother Brandon, their grandmother Marsha Eychaner and her two unleashed Rottweilers, Bacchus and Carly.
A lizard crossed their path and the children screamed. The commotion sent Bacchus into attack mode and he mauled Victoria. She died five hours after the 5:30 p.m. attack at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Criminal charges will not be filed against Eychaner, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office decided earlier this week. Bacchus was euthanized Wednesday and Carly was returned to the Eychaner family.
Within three days, the SPCA had received eight phone calls from people concerned about their aggressive dogs, but not all the calls were from pet owners. Some were from neighbors of dog owners, Tiscornia said.
By comparison, between the months of January to March, the SPCA received an average of only two calls a month on its help line.
Area veterinarians said they had seen no increase in euthanasia requests but there were other signs of concerns about dogs.
At the PETsMART store in Sand City, clerk Heather Christenson said leashes were selling briskly, though she had not noticed any increase in the sale of muzzles.
Christenson's co-worker, Anthony King, who owns a 90-pound Rottweiler, said that while he understands the concerns about big dogs, it's up to big dog owners to control their animals.
"First off, I don't assume my dog is nice even though he's never shown any bad tendencies. I know off the bat that I don't trust him around my wife," said King, whose wife is expecting a child. "That said, I'm not going to give him the opportunity to act out, that's my responsibility (and) it's a responsibility I take seriously. I don't let him around kids, because they know no fear."
Angela Howard owns a husky-malamute mix named Sophie that serves as her guide dog. Howard, of Monterey, uses a wheelchair bound and depends on her dog to help her get about town.
In the weeks since Victoria's death, she said she has noticed people avoiding her and her 70-pound dog, going so far as to cross the street when they see her coming.
"My dog is very important to my life. I know she would never do anything to anyone and I don't want to scare anyone, so I take precautions."
Among the steps she has taken lately are to limit how many children are allowed to approach her dog at Monterey's weekly Farmer's Market.
"After two or three kids, I tell them, 'no you can't pet her, she's working.' I don't want to stress her out," said Howard, who lives in an apartment building downtown. She positions herself in the elevator so residents see her, not her dog, when the elevator doors open.
"The Whipple case up in San Francisco really opened my eyes. I'm a lot more cautions now in how I handle Sophie." she said.
M. Cristina Medina can be reached at 646-4436.