[nagdu] Guide dog attack in Wyoming

Wed Aug 11 17:30:23 UTC 2010

Well written article, with good interviews by the GDB spokesperson.

My heart goes out to the handler.  What a nightmare!  I'm glad the dog was
able to get them both home safely so that she could get it to the vet.
Still!  How awful!

I hope the find the woman and throw the book -- maybe quite a few books --
at her.  Way to avoid responsibility!  My blood is boiling.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Ginger Kutsch
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 5:53 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: [nagdu] Guide dog attack in Wyoming

Guide dog attacked
http://www.casperjournal.com/articles/2010/08/11/news/news50.guid
e%20dog%20attacked.txt
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 3:47 PM MDT
Not 'just a dog fight'
by Elysia Conner

On her way home through Nancy English Park on the walking path
with her guide dog, Diaz, Cheryl Godley heard a woman yell, "Get
back over here!"

"Before I knew it, and I didn't even see it coming," Godley said,
"this big black dog was on top of Diaz and was just going after
him."

The attack came May 26, weeks after the yellow lab graduated from
the school at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, Calif.

The woman calling the attacking dog pulled it away from Diaz by
the collar while also holding the collar of another large, brown
dog.

Godley asked for her name, but the woman walked away with the two
dogs, leaving Godley n who is legally blind - alone with her
injured guide. Not feeling any wounds or blood, she walked home
with Diaz and called the police and the guide dog school. No one
witnessed the attack and any information about the dog and owner
remain unknown. Anyone with information about this attack are
asked to report it to the police at 235-8278.

"It was terrifying," Godley said. "My dog getting attacked in
some ways felt like an attack on me because he really truly is an
extension of me and my eyes, and my safe travel."

Petting Diaz later at home, "I realized he was wet and I realized
that it was blood. It took a while for the blood to seep through
his fur where I could feel it."

She took him to the vet who treated a puncture wound to his head,
a tear in his ear and prescribed antibiotics.

Guide dogs are trained to diffuse situations in which another dog
approaches in an aggressive manner. "In this case, there was
absolutely nothing before the attack," Godley said, "and those
are the scary ones. From the front, the dog jumped on Diaz
without any kind of notice, any kind of communication, so there
was no opportunity for Diaz to show that he is very passive.
That's frightening."

Adding to her concern is a study which found that 22 percent of
the dog attacks on guide dogs recur on the same dog, by the same
attacking dog, Godley said. Even after she knew Diaz would
recover physically, she didn't know if he could still be a safe
guide to get her to work the next day, if they would have to
return to California for retraining or if she would need another
dog.

"We were very fortunate," Godley said. "It could have been a lot
worse."

Attacks cost everyone involved

"People don't realize that a dog attacking a guide dog can ruin
its career," Godley said.

In the worst case scenario, the dog is physically or emotionally
unable to be a safe guide dog, according to a Brian Frances, a
representative of Guide Dogs for the Blind. The cost of
replacement is about $65,000.

He cited a survey, conducted by a consumer group called Guide Dog
Users Incorporated, which showed that 42 percent of guide dog
users have experienced some form of attack, and 89 percent had
experienced some form of interference from another dog while
using their guide dog on a public walkway.

"Cheryl has been lucky in that Diaz seems to have shaken off this
incident," Francis said, "That's not always the case."

Guide Dogs for the Blind is a non-profit organization which
provides guide dogs at no cost to the owners. Replacing or
retraining a service dog, however, can cost an owner through
travel costs and time lost at work.

Godley paid the vet bills and has spent hours on the phone with a
trainer from the school, who will visit in Casper to ensure Diaz
remains a safe guide dog. Their graduate assistance program
covers the costs of this evaluation and Diaz doesn't require
retraining on campus, saving Godley a trip.

Diaz could have grown afraid of his harness, the route or even
become aggressive toward other dogs. With a dog so young - he
turned two June 30 n and so early in his career, it could have
left a lasting negative impression.

Diaz shows a heightened awareness of other dogs now, but
otherwise has handled the attack well. Both dog and owner work
hard to counter their feelings about the attack. Godley also
feels a little more anxious around other dogs now, but overcomes
it so that Diaz won't sense it and react negatively.

"When we talk about teamwork between a guide dog and a blind
person, it truly is," she said. "We feel each other out all the
time and that kind of communication becomes very clear between
us. I feel him respond through the harness so I can tell when a
dog is around. I can feel it in his body and his movement."

A common effect from an attack is that the guide dog becomes
fearful of other dogs. "It may stop working; it may try and avoid
the dog," Francis said, "and potentially put the guide dog user
into some danger. It's pretty severe n those emotional impacts as
far as the dog and the person are concerned."

Any time period between recovery, retraining or replacement means
that "the person is losing their primary mobility aid," Francis
said. Sadly, he has seen physical and emotional effects
necessitate several guide dogs' early retirement.

"That's pretty devastating to the guide dog user as you can
imagine," Francis said.

Legal ramifications of an attack

Metro Animal Control and Welfare manager Rick Sulzen remembers
another case of a dog attacking a guide dog in about the early
1990s in Washington Park.

Pet owners have a duty to make sure their animals don't pose a
threat to others, according to Sulzen.

"It's the neighborly thing to do," he said. "It's common sense."

It's also the law. Legally, a person owning or in control of any
animal who attacks a service dog is responsible for damages.

Wyoming Statute 35-13-206 states that seriously injuring, killing
or disabling a service animal is punishable by up to six months
in prison and a $750 fine. It also includes responsibility for
the veterinary or medical bills and the cost of retraining or
replacing a service animal and "any other expense reasonably
incurred as a result of the offense."

When animals are in public spaces other than a park, they must be
under verbal control of the owner, according Sulzen, meaning the
dog will obey with one speaking-voice command. If the owner has
to yell, the dog is not under verbal control, and should be
secured by a leash no longer than ten feet in length per city
ordinance.

In 2009, more than 10,000 calls reported animals at large, and
Metro handled about 3,000 dogs running at large. The total number
of people reported bitten by an animal in 2009 was 268.

According to Section 66.04.100 of the municipal code, it's
unlawful for any domesticated animal to be at large. A dog is
deemed "at large" if it is off the premises of the owner and the
dog isn't under restraint or control of the owner. This Casper
city law also states that dogs must be under physical restraint
in any city park except Morad Park.

Section 6.04.300 of the municipal code prohibits owning or
keeping a vicious animal, or any that may manifest a disposition
to bite, without having it properly restrained. When off the
premises of its owner, it must be caged or muzzled and restrained
by a secure collar and leash not to exceed three feet in length.

Prevention is the best answer. Francis recommends all dog owners
keep their fences in good order, keep dogs on a leash in public
and use a muzzle if the dog has ever tried to bite or attack a
person or another dog.

These protective measures are repeated in state and city laws
nationwide, he added, including the Casper Municipal Code.

In Francis' experience, law enforcement officials often don't
realize the added significance of an attack on a service dog.

"There are potentially immediate safety issues for the blind
person," Francis said. "Imagine a blind person in the street with
their dog; their dog is now injured following a dog attack. They
cannot use the dog obviously as a guide dog, the dog needs
veterinary treatment. So there should be some immediate action to
make sure this person's safety is OK and that any help required
is rendered. This is not just a dog fight."

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