Homer child injured in dog attack

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Staff Writer
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Monday, February 20. 2012
Comments (25)
A Homer child received a broken nose and other injuries Friday afternoon when a dog bit him and jumped at him.

On Friday afternoon, Feb. 17, around 4:45 p.m. deputies with the Banks County Sheriff’s Office responded to Sullivan Drive off McCoy Bridge Road, Homer, in reference to the dog bite. Sheriff Charles Chapman said the deputies met a mother and her 5-year-old son that had been bitten.

“The mother told the deputies that her and her 5-year-old son were walking down the roadway and riding their bicycles,” Chapman said.
In the area of 116 Sullivan Drive, the sheriff said that the mother said that that she stated to her son, “We need to turn and go back.”

“The mother said when she turned, she observed her son going to pet the dog that belongs to 116 Sullivan Drive at the base of the driveway,” Chapman said. “When she saw her son going towards the dog, she told him to stop and not to pet strange dogs or go near them.”

The sheriff said that the woman told the deputies that when she told him this, her son turned, as if to acknowledge her comment, and the dog, a black Lab/German Shepherd mix jumped at the boy and started biting him.

The child received several lacerations on his facial area and he also suffered a broken nose, Chapman stated. The child was transported by Banks County EMS to Athens Regional Medical Center where he underwent treatment and surgery on Friday night.

Chapman said the child was released from the hospital on Saturday and returned home with his parents.

Chapman said the deputies on the scene took photos of the child, the blood on the driveway and the puddle of blood a good ways down the driveway.

“The deputies, upon their arrival and having talked to the boy’s mother, called the Banks County Health Department,” Chapman said. “The health department instructed the owner of the dog to put the dog up for 10 days.”

On Monday, Feb. 20, Chapman said, “I talked to Mr. Dale Carter from the Banks County Health Department, who was at the residence on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 19. Mr. Carter told me that he had observed the dog on Sunday and that he was satisfied with the way the dog was being kept. We will be monitoring the situation with Mr. Carter over the next several days.”

Chapman added the county does not have an ordinance to deal with dangerous/vicious dogs.

“However, this dog has not been declared a vicious dog,” Chapman said. “There are certain guidelines that have to be followed to declare a dog as vicious.”
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#1 Tricia on 02/20/12 at 08:36 PM [Reply]
Are you serious....so what exactly do you call a dog that lunges on a child and rips his head open, nearly rips out the boys eye and breaks his nose. Sorry Sheriff but what if this child was your grandchild that the dog mauled, would you still say it is not a dangerous/vicious dog, I think not! If this dog is not vicious then why has this dog already bitten another child in the same subdivision here while back and it has been reported to the county with nothing was ever done to the dog.
#1.1 DD on 02/21/12 at 01:20 PM [Reply]
Sheriff says - “However, this dog has not been declared a vicious dog,” Chapman said. “There are certain guidelines that have to be followed to declare a dog as vicious.”
I wonder what guidelines are used to declare someone an IDIOT?
#2 Citizen on 02/20/12 at 08:51 PM [Reply]
You have got to be kidding me! Have you not seen the pictures of this child's Mauled Face?? I do beleive this was a statement from your article:

Chapman said the deputies on the scene took photos of the child, the blood on the driveway and the puddle of blood a good ways down the driveway.

And the dog has not been declared vicious. I mean really! This dog had not only bit one child but two, check those records with the health dept!! What does it take to be considered vicious....laying in a puddle of blood dead on the road! I cannot believe Banks Co. Just know election time is around the corner! This dog needs to be put down! How can the owner actually want to keep this kind of animal where kids can't even play or walk in their own subdivison. Only in Banks Co!!!!
#3 Citizen on 02/20/12 at 10:47 PM [Reply]
You have got to be kidding me!! The Sheriff stated they took pictures of puddles of blood and this dog is not vicious. Also, why are you not putting the owners name? I do believe this dog has bitten another child before and was reported to the health dept. So two bites and one considered deadly and this dog is still with the owner and not vicious. Who are we protecting here?? This is a 5 year old child's life we are talking about. Re election is just around the
Corner. Can't wait to cast my vote against these under handed crooks! God be with the young child and his family!
#4 Concerned Citizen on 02/21/12 at 07:26 AM [Reply]
Quote......"However, this dog has not been declared a vicious dog," Chapman said. "There are certain guidelines that have to be followed to declare a dog as vicious". Can someone please explain the nature of this comment or just post the guidelines of a vicious dog. I am sure our public needs to know what the guidelines are. If you are out and walking with your family down a street, and a dog attacks you or your family, what would be the correct protocol for the action of the dog or is it just depending on who you are in this county if action is even taken!!!!!
#5 concerned mom on 02/21/12 at 09:40 AM [Reply]
I am a life long resident of Banks County. This stinks likes sardines. Chapman; you are protecting some family! Elections are coming around and I do intend to let my feelings be know by supporting anyone that runs againist you. A child is a child! A child is a human! You are protecting a vicious animal over a helpless little life that is now scarred for his life and probably will have nightmares for a long time. I am a mother of 2 kids and I am furious!!! Thank you.
#5.1 Anonymous on 02/22/12 at 05:58 AM [Reply]
somebody needs to go to the tax assessors website and see who lives at 116 sullivan drive chapman hid the fact money was missing at the tax commissioners office until after the last election he needs to go
#6 MsCynic on 02/21/12 at 11:40 AM [Reply]
Ok, the kid trespassed onto someone's property and got bitten by the dog that his mother was telling him NOT to approach... Why is this the dog's fault. I'm all for loose dogs that hurt people being declared dangerous and put down, BUT this child went up to a dog in it's own yard and was bitten. Most dangerous dog laws are written for dogs running loose/out of control and out of their yard - a dog defending it's property does not fit that description.

I feel really bad for the kid, the bites are pretty horrid, but he should not have gone onto a driveway and approached a strange dog and disobeyed his mother. Sorry, but it appears this dog DID NOT pursue them on their bike or into the road - the kid came into his yard!
#6.1 Citizen on 02/21/12 at 01:08 PM [Reply]
First of all the kid did not tresspass, tresspass means going down in his yard on the Owners property and even if he had it is still the owners responsibility to have his dog on a leash, it's called common sense! This dog lays on the road and chases every thing that walks or drives by! This happend in the roadway/driveway not his property! The dog was not defending it's property, if that is the case would you mind telling me why this horrid animal has bitten another child in the face (Jaw) and chased another little boy down the road bitting his pants leg. Get your story straight before you go posting. Check records and see how many children were bitten by this dog that were just walking in their neighborhood. And for your information the animal has been put down! FINALLY
#6.2 DD on 02/21/12 at 01:14 PM [Reply]
MsCynic,
You are a dumba$$. You are possibly the biggest dumba$$ I have ever heard of. Anything human or animal that attacks a child, and I dont give a rats a$$ where it occurs. SHOULD BE DEAD!
#7 Are you for real?? on 02/21/12 at 01:30 PM [Reply]
This child did not go down in the owners yard. This happend on the right away in the edge of the driveway. The dog always runs loose and rages at everything. The kid never knew he was going to be viciously attaked by such a horrid dog, that has attacked before. You stated most dangerous dogs laws are written for running loose/out of control....then what the heck would you call this?? They lived in a neighborhood subdivision and had more rights than the dog on the road to walk or ride! know 5 year old deserves being mauled in the face, why don't you go and let the dog maul your face and see how it feels seeing you know it all when you actually dont know anything!! Lets pull a few records and see if there have been other reports where the dog has bitten others. End of story!!!!
#8 Liz Sharpe on 02/21/12 at 02:56 PM [Reply]
The dog was protecting his territory. It is sad that a child was his victim, but the child should have listened to his mother and not pet strange animals. There are way to many thefts going on in Banks, Jackson, Madison & surrounding counties. Come to my house and see what gets after you. My dogs are VERY protective of my family and I want it that way.
By the way it is so funny how these people want to talk so big but never put a name to go with it? Please pull the records, who else has been bit by the dog? Give us more of your knowledge and lets see "Are you For Real" if you really are!
#8.1 DD on 02/22/12 at 09:20 AM [Reply]
Sorry MsCynic, I owe you an apology. You are not the biggest DA Liz Sharpe is.
#8.2 Banks Citizen on 02/22/12 at 12:13 PM [Reply]
The child was NOT IN THE OWNERS YARD!! He was riding his bike with his mother in the roadway near the driveway where the animal was at in his own subdivison. The owner is responsibile for the actions of their animal's especially when they run loose in the neighborhood and have attacked before and For your information, go to the county Health Dept and ask for records of the other child that was bitten. Then you can put a muzzle on your mouth because it has bitten others! This child is the victim not the dog. I totally agree with Ms. Cochran's statement 100%!! This dog was vicious and this would have happened again. Like I said, check yourself with the health dept, then you can see for yourself. Just another cover up from the great leaders in Banks Co!!!!
#9 Linefuse on 02/21/12 at 05:12 PM [Reply]
Someone in the neighbor hood should have taken care of this dog along time ago. About a month ago had three dogs jump on one neighbors dogs and caused $700 in vet bills. Well I came home from work about a week later and two of the dogs were in My yard barking at my goats. I took care of the dogs myself. Sometimes u can't just stand back and wait on the sheriff, county, etc... to take care of everything.
#10 Allison Cochran on 02/22/12 at 08:39 AM [Reply]
To MsCynic and Liz Sharpe: Ideally, a person should get his or her facts straight before commenting. The child WAS NOT in the dog's yard, just riding his bike in the subdivision, past the driveway where the dog lived. This dog sounds extremely well trained if it felt the need to protect it's property from a 5 year old child. I am sure he was a huge threat, as he rode his bike past the dog's driveway. (Pardon the sarcasm, that is my knee jerk response to stupidity). If you think the animal was justified in protecting his territory, maybe you should do some reading on veterinary behavior and territorial aggression in dogs. If a dog is known to be aggressive over his territory, the owner should make sure the dog is properly contained so that no harm can come to a person passing by the driveway of the dog, where the animal was known to chase, threaten and attack people. Subdivision covenant states that animals are to be leash controlled or contained anyway, even the ones who are not aggressive. I have stated before in this situation, and will state again: Pet ownership is a LUXURY, not a PRIVILEGE. The owner of the pet is responsible for not only the well being of the pet, but also it's actions. The unfortunate result of the lack of responsibility assumed for a dog that was known to be aggressive was that the animal mauled an innocent 5 year old boy. It is both sickening and absurd that people would try to make the dog the victim and the child the one in the wrong. I am a veterinarian and an animal lover. I just happen to feel that too many non-aggressive, adoptable animals are euthanized in shelters all across this nation every day to let a dog that is both vicious and unpredictable live to harm another innocent child.
#11 Liz Sharpe on 02/24/12 at 01:26 PM [Reply]
Allison & DD....your so smart you still dont have a clue! The child didn't listen to his mother when she told him not to pet the dog.
Allison... Please let me know where your Vet Clinic is so that it can be avoided. I would hate for my Chihuahua to bite you and you decide it is a threat. Also, your saying get your facts straight...where were you? Were you there?
#12 Liz Sharpe on 02/24/12 at 01:39 PM [Reply]
Allison Cochran..you stated that you are a Vet. Are you licensed in Georgia? Checked Licenses in the state of Georgia. There is an A Cochran in Jasper GA, either way I am sure you will take claim to that one. Now, were you there?? Did you see it? Do you have all the facts totally correct??
#12.1 Allison Cochran on 02/26/12 at 08:42 PM [Reply]
Liz, I have no further interest in petty arguments. I have made my opinions known and outgrew the need to have the last word sometime in middle school. Having said that, allow me to make two further statements:

A) a person who values the life of a dog over the well being of a child is not a client I would want anyway, so it would seem that no love is lost for either of us.

B)your internet search skills are clearly worth no more than the opinions you offer up on Mainstreet News. Good luck with that.
#13 keith on 02/25/12 at 08:08 AM [Reply]
To put this short and simple, if the dog attacked a child one time, he will do it again and should have been put down then and there.had it been my child the dog would have been dead then and there. or my dog that attacked that child or any one else, i would put him down myself.
#14 amyayers on 02/27/12 at 11:20 PM [Reply]
tell them ALLISON!!!! and futher more its a sad ordeal all around!!!
#15 Wanda on 02/28/12 at 06:15 PM [Reply]
This is a tragic occurrence. Instead of all the bickering back and forth I think Banks County should consider leash laws. I have had a very ugly experience in the past with a pit bull. I keep my animals in fences and truly feel everyone else should for everyone's safety as well as the safety of the animal.
#16 Liz on 03/05/12 at 08:50 AM [Reply]
Your just so full of yourself! You continue to post..but dont need that last word as you say. These posting have have all been posted to get you to reply. Also, my Internet skill are great. You really never know who you are talking to on here, you actually have no idea..you may be suprised! You have managed to avoid every question asked with a trying to sound so smart answer.
#16.1 wanda L. on 03/05/12 at 03:06 PM [Reply]
Liz, If you were as sharp(e) as you pretend to be, You might be able to know the difference in your-- and you're. You made that mistake soooo many times. Who really cares who you are? Just saying!!!!!!
#16.2 CLA on 03/06/12 at 10:45 AM [Reply]
Liz, you are starting to sound like a barking dog yourself. I am embarrassed for you.
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