WATERVILLE Having a pet around the house can be a joy unlike anyother for a young child, especially a dog they can run and playwith.
But certain breeds of dogs arent as playful as others, and in thewake of two pit bull attacks by the same dog in the same home,Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey is on a mission to keep dogsthat are known to be aggressive, such as pit bulls, Rottweilers andGerman shepherds, away from kids.
Ive always had an issue with having a dog or families that havedogs that are not well-suited for the family, Massey told the BangorDaily News in a telephone interview Monday. They dont do research.
Masseys mission kicked off after a 2-year-old boy was bitten inthe face by a pit bull in his familys home on Sept. 1 and had to betaken to Maine Medical Center in Portland for surgery.
The dog was euthanized after a 10-day quarantine, according toMassey. The boy since has been released from the hospital.
That wasnt the first time that dog had attacked a family member.A 6-year-old boy in the same home was bitten, and the dog wasquarantined for 10 days after that incident.
The dogs registered owner, Norman St. Michel, 42, was issued asummons for keeping a dangerous dog, Massey said.
Massey has worked in law enforcement for more than three decadesand believes large dogs in homes with small children are a problem.
Over my 34 years, unfortunately, Ive seen dozens and dozens ofmaulings, and theyre quite appalling, he said. The damage they do isterrible.
Suzan Bell, director of the Bangor Humane Society, acknowledgedthat dogs such as pit bulls and German shepherds can be great pets,but its up to the owners to properly train them.
All the responsibility, 100 percent of the responsibility of thepet, falls to the owner of that pet, Bell said Tuesday, whether itbe their health, sociability, manners and most importantly, managingtheir home. If you know your pet will bite a child, why in the worldwould you ever leave that pet alone with a child?
Many police agencies use German shepherds on their K-9 units, soMassey is certainly aware of the damage those dogs and other largebreeds can inflict.
Their bites are devastating; theyre ripping wounds, Massey said.
Bell said that all breeds of dogs have potential to attack whenprovoked.
Every dog has the potential to bite, every dog has the potentialto be a great pet, Bell said. Its really up to the owner. You haveto manage your home appropriately. Manage your home, manage yourenvironment the pet will be in.
Massey wants police officers to do everything they can to protectchildren from large dogs.
Although any breed can bite and, because dogs have instincts, yousimply cannot predict the behavior of a dog all the time, he said.Im just sick and tired of hearing the old argument, We have a rightto a dog. Im at the point where if I had the authority, I think Iwould ban very aggressive dogs from the city.
Massey said he is watching some other communities around theUnited States that are trying to ban certain breeds of dogs fromtheir towns to see how effective their efforts are and whether theordinances hold up in court. If those communities are successful,Massey said he would consider presenting such a proposed ordinanceto the Waterville City Council in the future.
More than 4 million cases of dog bites are reported in the UnitedStates every year, the chief said.
