Ohio dog wardens want changes to state law. Hear what they said
Every Ohio county has a dog warden but how they operate, and how they’re trained, varies by county. Wardens wants some changes to Ohio’s dog laws.
After two people were attacked by dogs in Colerain Township last week, township officials are saying the nonprofit handling dog warden services for Hamilton County isn’t doing enough.
Officers responded Friday afternoon to Applevalley Court after receiving reports of an attack involving two dogs and arrived on the scene to find a woman with severe injuries to her arms and a man with a small hand injury, police said.
In a letter on Sunday, township officials condemned what they described as Cincinnati Animal CARE’s decision to allow the dogs to remain in the community, despite the nonprofit’s staff relaying to police that the dogs were “too vicious” to take in.
Police said the woman, Emily Rentschler, was driving down the street to pick up her children and noticed the dogs were loose, but was attacked when she tried to corral the dogs. Her boyfriend arrived as she was being attacked and placed her inside his truck.
Dog attack prompts panic in suburban community
Police records and 911 calls show the attack caused panic and chaos in the suburban neighborhood.
A neighbor told dispatchers Rentschler was screaming while being mauled by two large dogs. He said he was working from home and initially mistook the screams for the sound of kids playing.
“I’m loading a gun right now. If I have to shoot these dogs I’m putting them down,” he said.
Another 911 caller said the woman was “bleeding really bad.” Two people who reported the attack to authorities said the dogs appeared to be Pit Bulls.
The attack was even witnessed by Rentschler’s children, who also called 911 to report what happened.
While the dogs roamed the neighborhood, an officer fired multiple pepperball rounds at the dogs as they approached police, according to an incident report.
Another officer held Rentschler’s boyfriend at gunpoint after he grew agitated and threatened to kill the dogs himself if police would not shoot them, the report states, adding that the man was holding a gun when police first arrived and the officer was unsure whether he was still armed.
Officers eventually corralled one of the dogs inside the owner’s backyard and the owners were able to secure the second dog in the backyard after they arrived home, police said.
Township says county has ‘ignored a core responsibility’
The owners were cited, and the dogs were deemed dangerous, but Cincinnati Animal CARE – the nonprofit contracted by the county for animal control services – refused to take the dogs even after the owner offered to give them up, according to township spokeswoman Helen Tracey-Noren.
“Our residents deserve to feel safe in their homes and to be able to take a walk in their neighborhood without fear of being viciously attacked,” the township’s letter reads.
Cincinnati Animal CARE has yet to issue a response to the township’s claims. The township is urging the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners to review the dog warden’s policies, training and resources.
“State law is very clear. It is the responsibility of the county to control dangerous animals in townships,” the letter reads. “Our residents should not have their safety compromised because the county has ignored a core responsibility.”
Officials said Rentschler will need several surgeries and faces a lengthy road to recovery.
Dogs bite about 17,000 people a year in Ohio severely enough to require medical attention or to prompt calls to law enforcement. Experts estimate the actual total is double that because so many bites go unreported.
An investigation by the USA TODAY Network Ohio bureau found that gruesome dog attacks happen despite warnings, complaints and previous attacks that went unheeded by dog owners and unpunished by the legal system.
Under Ohio law, the owner of a dog that disfigures or even kills someone is likely to pay a fine that’s little more than a traffic ticket. The law also does not require that a vicious dog be euthanized after such an attack, even if it results in a fatality.
‘Why did everybody drop the ball?’
The doctor who treated Rentschler at the hospital said that she was lucky to be alive, according to her mom, Carrie Davis, who added that Rentschler will have to miss work as she can’t type because of her injuries.
Davis said the township is abdicating its responsibility to remove the dogs from the neighborhood by placing blame squarely on the dog warden. She pointed to a decision by police amid budget cutbacks last year to pare down the types of calls they respond to, including non-emergency animal complaints.
With the dogs still in the neighborhood, she said she worries for the children, including her grandchildren, who have to wait at the bus stop at the top of the street.
“They don’t seem to understand their responsibility, or they’re more worried about money than they are the safety of residents,” Davis said of the township. “We’re trying to figure out, why did everybody drop the ball?”
However, Colerain Township Police Chief Edwin Cordie said it’s not within his department’s purview, under state law, to remove the dogs; that job is for the dog warden.
Cordie said the dogs’ owners have been cooperating with authorities and the department’s records showed no prior incidents involving the dogs, although the animals were unregistered.
He added that any further investigation would be handled by the dog warden.
“I think what’s important here, and especially with the victim, is that we’re concerned that the dogs are still there,” Cordie said. “This was a pretty vicious attack.”
Enquirer media partner Fox19 contributed the photo for this report.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
