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Continued from Al so he’s also working with the Idaho Association of Cit ies and Counties to prevent incidents such as the Dec. 5 attack in Pocatello. That day, animal control officer Tamara Anderson responded to a residence on Park Lane to investigate a report of a vicious dog. As she photographed the pit bull, it suddenly attacked and Anderson called for backup. Mary Remer, animal control director, said it’s unknown what set the dog off, but one thing is clear. She said the first police offi cer on the scene most likely saved Anderson’s life. “The dog nipped an artery and (Anderson) was bleeding out pretty fast,” Remer said. “The officer used his tie and his gun clip to make a tour niquet.” Pocatello Animal Control was alerted to the troubled pit bull being moved into the city by officials in American Falls. Anderson required sur gery to repair deep puncture wounds to her left arm, and the dog’s owner, Sabina Adamson, was cited for a vicious dog and failure to provide proof of rabies vaccination. Her sister, Pia Adamson, who was housing the animal, received a cita tion for failure to contain a vicious animal. The pit bull was eutha nized later that night, and Anderson is still recovering from her injuries. “(The pit bull) was just a big dominant male,” Remer said. “He was ready to go.” American Falls Police Chief Brandon Wilkinson said Adamson had been cited in American Falls for allowing the same dog to run at large. In that city, the pit bull had previously attacked another dog. Prior to moving the animal to American Falls, Adam son had also been cited for allowing the dog to run at large in Aberdeen. Aberdeen Police Chief Ray Dalling said while there were no attacks on humans by the dog, the animal did attack and kill several cats in the city, in addition to anoth er dog that was contained on a leash. Earlier this year, the American Falls City Coun cil discussed upgrading the city’s existing animal control ordinance to deal specifically with pit bulls following an increase in the number of incidents involv ing the sometimes aggressive canines. Wilkinson told the council that 10 cases involving pit bulls killing other animals were reported in Ameri can Falls this year, and a city police officer was also attacked and injured. The city is looking to revise its current dog control ordinance to include a ban on the animals within American Falls city limits. Remer said each city has its own jurisdiction and ordinances regulating animal control. A statewide registry, she said, would make prob lem dogs easier to track. The city of Pocatello defines a vicious animal as any animal that while unpro voked, approaches with an attitude of attack. Dog own ers receive a citation that can carry up to a $1,000 fine and one year in jail. “The problem is not isolat ed to any one breed,” Remer said. “We’ve had problems with everything from Chi huahuas to pit bulls.” In neighboring Chubbuck, Mayor Steve England said the city revised its animal control ordinance several years ago after officers were forced to kill two aggressive pit bulls lingering near a school bus stop. To date, vicious animals have not posed a major threat in Blackfoot, said Mayor Mike Virtue. However, the city will con sider reviewing its existing animals control ordinances to ensure that they adequately protect the public from vicious dogs in the future, in light of the Pocatello attack. But Virtue said he’s not sure that state legislation would adequately address the issue. “It’s only reasonable that you have to be able to enforce legislation,” he said.
Newspaper Details
The Herald Journal
Logan, Utah, US
Fri, Dec 26, 2008
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Scott D.
