Pit Bulls Blamed for Dog Attack in Cobb County
When Atlanta animal control officers respond to the scene of a dog bite, whether it is a dog biting another dog, or a dog biting a human being, they do not have the powers to impound the animal. All they can do is cite the owner of the dog. Obviously, it's not uncommon to find victims of such dog bites become utterly frustrated at what they see as lack of punishment for the dog owner.
Last week, two pit bulls that were running loose at a home in Kennesaw in Cobb County managed to escape the yard, and get into the next home. There, they attacked the family pet, a hapless poodle, that had little chance against the pit bulls. The poodle’s owner and animal control officers who arrived at the scene, tried to pry the jaws of the dogs off the poodle, but were not successful. The poodle was seriously injured, and died.
Its owner is understandably heartbroken, and is shocked to learn that animal control officers don't have the powers to take away a dog that is involved in an unprovoked attack on another dog or person.
As an Atlanta dog bite lawyer, I can understand the frustration of the Cobb County family here that has lost a beloved family pet. Atlanta dog bite attorneys are also bound to raise questions about the owner of the pit bulls here. The two dogs were apparently running around loose in their yard, and managed to sneak into the next home. It seems like there's more than just a little negligent dog ownership going on here. It was the poodle this time, but it could have just as easily been a toddler or a child in the next yard, and the results could have been tragic.
The dogs are not “vicious dogs” and so, need not have been muzzled or leashed inside their yard, but the owner should have made sure that the dogs were secured, and unable to escape.
