Post by Brooke on Jun 16, 2005 20:10:06 GMT -5
Posted on Tue, Jun. 14, 2005
Owner asks that 3 dogs die after mauling
By Rebecca S. Green
The Journal Gazette
www.journalgazette.net
BLUFFTON - The owner of three vicious dogs asked a Bluffton city court judge to destroy the animals after they mauled a 69-year-old woman last week.
Kristine Ebright, 26, had two court appearances Monday in connection with Wednesday's attack. Her three dogs, Bourbon, Dominic, and Duchess, attacked Jane Brown as she was mowing her grass in the 1100 block of West Market Street.
After appearing in Wells Superior Court on two charges of harboring a non-immunized dog, Ebright went before City Judge Lyle Cotton and received three citations for harboring a vicious dog.
Under Bluffton city ordinance, any dog that has bitten or attacked any person or domestic animal is deemed vicious.
Ebright said she was pleading not guilty to the three charges, and told Cotton she planned to consult an attorney.
Two of the three dogs had not received rabies vaccinations and would have to remain quarantined for 10 days after the attack. All three remain at the Bluffton-Wells County Animal Shelter
When Cotton began to tell Ebright the dogs would have to remain in quarantine, she interrupted him, and told him she was going to suggest the dogs be destroyed.
"I have children," she told Cotton. "It's hard to trust (the dogs)."
She requested only that she and her husband be allowed to say goodbye before the dogs are euthanized when the quarantine period is up.
Cotton told her he was glad Ebright made the decision to have the dogs euthanized.
"When dogs get the taste of blood, it's there," he said. "I'm glad for your sake, and the public's."
Cotton told her the court would contact her with a future trial date on the citations. A date could be set in August, he said.
Two of the dogs are retriever mixes, and the third is a collie-chow mix.
Cotton said later he was surprised by Ebright's request that the dogs be euthanized, but not surprised that she pleaded not guilty. He said there may be pending civil cases connected with the attack. .
After the hearing, Ebright declined to comment, saying she was prohibited from doing so. She said she has been advised by her insurance company and attorneys not to say anything about the attack.
She also said she had requested a public defender for the Wells Superior Court case.
Last week, neighbors said they had previously complained about the dogs to county animal control officials. After the attack on Brown, they said the dogs often charged the fence around Ebright's yard, growling and snarling.
Witnesses told police the gate to the Ebrights' yard was open during the attack.
Brown suffered lacerations to her legs and arms and was taken to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne for treatment. She was released on Thursday.
Her neighbors responded to her cries, and fended off the dogs with baseball bats until police and animal control officers arrived.
One dog was shot with a Taser stun gun during, and another was pepper-sprayed after it bit an animal control officer in the arm.
Owner asks that 3 dogs die after mauling
By Rebecca S. Green
The Journal Gazette
www.journalgazette.net
BLUFFTON - The owner of three vicious dogs asked a Bluffton city court judge to destroy the animals after they mauled a 69-year-old woman last week.
Kristine Ebright, 26, had two court appearances Monday in connection with Wednesday's attack. Her three dogs, Bourbon, Dominic, and Duchess, attacked Jane Brown as she was mowing her grass in the 1100 block of West Market Street.
After appearing in Wells Superior Court on two charges of harboring a non-immunized dog, Ebright went before City Judge Lyle Cotton and received three citations for harboring a vicious dog.
Under Bluffton city ordinance, any dog that has bitten or attacked any person or domestic animal is deemed vicious.
Ebright said she was pleading not guilty to the three charges, and told Cotton she planned to consult an attorney.
Two of the three dogs had not received rabies vaccinations and would have to remain quarantined for 10 days after the attack. All three remain at the Bluffton-Wells County Animal Shelter
When Cotton began to tell Ebright the dogs would have to remain in quarantine, she interrupted him, and told him she was going to suggest the dogs be destroyed.
"I have children," she told Cotton. "It's hard to trust (the dogs)."
She requested only that she and her husband be allowed to say goodbye before the dogs are euthanized when the quarantine period is up.
Cotton told her he was glad Ebright made the decision to have the dogs euthanized.
"When dogs get the taste of blood, it's there," he said. "I'm glad for your sake, and the public's."
Cotton told her the court would contact her with a future trial date on the citations. A date could be set in August, he said.
Two of the dogs are retriever mixes, and the third is a collie-chow mix.
Cotton said later he was surprised by Ebright's request that the dogs be euthanized, but not surprised that she pleaded not guilty. He said there may be pending civil cases connected with the attack. .
After the hearing, Ebright declined to comment, saying she was prohibited from doing so. She said she has been advised by her insurance company and attorneys not to say anything about the attack.
She also said she had requested a public defender for the Wells Superior Court case.
Last week, neighbors said they had previously complained about the dogs to county animal control officials. After the attack on Brown, they said the dogs often charged the fence around Ebright's yard, growling and snarling.
Witnesses told police the gate to the Ebrights' yard was open during the attack.
Brown suffered lacerations to her legs and arms and was taken to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne for treatment. She was released on Thursday.
Her neighbors responded to her cries, and fended off the dogs with baseball bats until police and animal control officers arrived.
One dog was shot with a Taser stun gun during, and another was pepper-sprayed after it bit an animal control officer in the arm.