DENHAM SPRINGS – One Livingston Parish resident is in the hospital after being attacked by her neighbor’s dogs on Tuesday, with neighborhood residents alarmed and concerned for their safety, saying this isn’t the first time this has happened.
Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said owners can face charges for not properly handling their dogs. In this case, Maria Vincent was arrested Tuesday and charged with negligent injuring and dogs not to run at large.
“You can be charged with negligent injuring and you can be sued by these homeowners for medical bills. It’s going to come back to bite you, that’s what’s going to happen,” Ard said.
Randall Averette is a resident of the Denham Springs neighborhood on Randall Avenue. He said his neighbor was walking down her driveway when she fell down and while she was trying to get up, the dogs attacked her. Averette said his neighbor’s injuries were graphic and she was taken to the hospital.
“When I went over there, she was laying on the ground, paramedics bandaging her up,” Averette said. “The paramedics said she was torn up pretty good around her calf, her right leg was bit, her arm was bit and the dog bit her on the back of the neck.”
Another neighbor said she was also attacked by the same dogs and was afraid to speak about the incident. Her daughter Cheryl Boudreaux agreed to speak for her.
“They’ve bitten my mom twice. My mom is 85 years old, both times she required medical attention,” Boudreaux said.
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Boudreaux said her mother called 911 when she saw the neighbor on the ground before the dogs attacked.
“She had to stand there and watch it. She was like, ‘Y’all need to hurry up and get here. Hurry up and get here. They are eating this woman.’ Then, Mama said the lady wasn’t moving and Mama thought she was dead,” Boudreaux said.
Ard added this was not the first time this specific group of dogs attacked a person, saying the owner had been cited before.
“She’s been through the system already, she’s been fined. Here we are again, same dog, same situation. Now someone’s seriously hurt, something has got to change,” Ard said.
Boudreaux said it is not right that multiple people have to get injured for something to change.
“We’re just furious, you know, because we don’t understand why it had to get to this,” Boudreaux said. “They finally took the dogs away, that’s the first time.”
Sheriff Ard confirmed all three dogs were taken to Livingston Parish Animal Control Shelter and on Wednesday, the owner surrendered two of the dogs to animal control. Ard said there was a past incident where one of the dogs bit a person, but the investigation was unable to determine which dog bit the person.
“The last time we went through the paperwork to get the dog [considered] dangerous, we couldn’t actually identify the dog. Now, we have been able to identify the dog. Unfortunately, someone has almost lost their leg because of this,” Ard said.
The Sheriff said people should protect themselves when face to face with a dangerous dog.
“You do whatever you think is necessary. You have a right to protect you, your property, your kids,” he said.
The fate of the dogs is unknown at this time.
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