MARYLAND -- A dog responsible for an attack that contributed to a man’s hospitalization will be put down, according to Charles County Animal Control Division and an account from the animal’s owner.
On Jan. 18, a neighbor’s wandering Akita burst into Lee Duer’s Waldorf home and attacked one of his two German shepherds, Duer said Monday.
“This dog made Shadow,” his black German shepherd, “look like a puppy. He grabbed ahold of Shadow around his neck, grabbed him around by the neck and pulled him on the ground,” Duer recalled.
Having a claw hammer close at hand, Duer joined the fracas.
“I just started beating the hell out of the dog’s head, right between the dog’s ears,” Duer said, eventually driving the intruder back into the yard.
Shadow was treated by a veterinarian for several bite wounds on his neck, Duer said. His owner needed more medical attention.
He wasn’t bitten, but “I was breathing so hard, and when you talk about the adrenaline rush, good grief!” he said. He couldn’t stop gasping, and when his chest felt tight, his adult daughter called 911.
He was taken to Civista Medical Center in La Plata, where the doctors diagnosed and treated a heart problem. He wasn’t discharged for three days, Duer said.
Despite everything, Duer said he holds no ill will toward his neighbor, Kevin Burke, or his dog and did not plan to press charges, though he hoped Burke would pay Shadow’s vet bill.
Burke was cited for having a dog at large and fined $35, a copy of the citation shows.
Burke surrendered the Akita, named Harrison, to animal control of Wednesday. He will be euthanized at the Tri-County Animal Shelter in Hughesville after a 10-day quarantine imposed on animals that have bitten or scratched recently, said Burke and Animal Control Chief Ed Tucker.
“Unfortunately, what happened with Mr. Duer was, one of the kids, the boy, the knucklehead, goes outside. I guess he forgot something and while he wasn’t paying attention, [Harrison] went out. I didn’t even know the dog was out of the house that morning. He was in the back, and whenever he gets free he always runs toward the woods and the stream behind it. He saw Mr. Duer’s dog in the backyard, sees Mr. Duer’s dog bark, and it’s on,” Burke said.
Burke said animal control was ultimately responsible for the attack because officers didn’t respond to his complaints about neighbors and their dogs taunting Harrison, causing him to be aggressive toward other dogs.
Burke also said some neighbors, but not Duer, had called in false complaints about Harrison. Tucker said the department investigates all complaints.
Burke had been cited other times when Harrison was at large and scrapped with other dogs, Burke and Tucker said, incidents Burke said were the fault of neighbors’ animals.
After the fight in Duer’s house, Burke tried to hand Harrison, who is younger than 2 years old, over to an Akita rescue group but wasn’t able to. He said he was horrified that Duer, with whom he is friendly, fell ill.
“I felt bad for Mr. Duer. It got to the point where I realized it was only sensible thing to do” to get rid of Harrison. “It didn’t make sense to have him around here,” Burke said.
Burke made the call Wednesday, but, angry at animal control, he refused to sign the paper officially relinquishing the dog. Eventually, the officer took Harrison anyway, Burke said.
(Southern Maryland News - Jan. 27, 2012)
