Rottweiler attacks for second time (San Leon, TX)

[Rene Allegrini]

Rottweiler attacks for second time

By TJ Aulds and Kevin M. Cox
The Daily News

Published February 2, 2007

A Rottweiler dog attacked a San Leon woman Thursday and mauled her pet Chihuahua, Galveston County Animal Control officers said. The victim told authorities the same dog killed another of her pets in a previous attack.

Martha Reeves said she was taking her Chihuahua, Precious, for a walk in the 800 block of 13th Street in San Leon when she happened upon a neighbor’s Rottweiler. It wasn’t her first run-in with the big dog, said Reeves, who blamed the dog for killing another Chihuahua three months ago.

Reeves, 75, said when she saw the Rottweiler she picked up Precious and tried to get away. The bigger dog chased the two down, knocking Reeves to the ground and then mauling Precious.

Reeves suffered cuts and bruising to her face while the Chihuahua’s stomach was torn open, according to reports.

She said Precious had made it through surgery and was expected to survive despite the massive internal injuries.

She said Thursday was likely the last time she would venture outside unless something is done about the Rottweiler.

Galveston County animal control officer Joshua Henderson said it wasn’t his first trip to the area.

In November, he responded to a report that the same Rottweiler attacked and killed Reeves’ other Chihuahua, Buddy.

Henderson cited the owners for allowing the dog to roam at large.

He did the same Thursday, but also planned to recommend the dog be declared dangerous.

A dangerous dog declaration means the dog’s owners will have to keep the animal penned with warning signs on all signs.

The owners, who declined The Daily News’ interview requests, will also have to get a $100,000 insurance policy for the dog and pay a $50 annual fee to the county health district to register the Rottweiler as a dangerous dog.

Brian Rutherford, the county health district’s director of health planning, said the dog will have to be quarantined for 10 days to ensure it is not rabid.

It was the same procedure the owners went through following the November attack, Henderson said.

Determining if a dog should be classified as dangerous is a call made by animal control officers based on the circumstances, Rutherford said.

The fact that Thursday’s attack was the second for the Rottweiler and involved injuries to a person prompted the push for the dangerous dog declaration.

Finding dogs roaming free in the San Leon and Bacliff communities is nothing new for county officials.

That area is the most active for reports of loose animals, said Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo of the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office.

Since August, the sheriff’s office had 78 calls of loose animals — mostly dogs — for those east county communities.

The Galveston County Daily News