COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Cobb County family says they want their neighbor’s pitbull removed from the neighborhood after three alleged attacks that include serious injuries to their two small dogs.
“I see my dog basically in the jaws of this dog being thrown around like a rag doll,” David Roualdes told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell.
Roualdes said the second alleged attack involved his daughter who was on their front porch.
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“The dog came flying up and tried to attack them, my daughter kicked a portal fence into the dog to stop the dog temporarily. The owner called the dog back and the dog retreated so I filed another police report and nothing happened and we had this incident a couple [of] days ago,” Mr. Roualdes said.
“It was just traumatizing, I’m traumatized my dogs are traumatized. This is the third incident,” Amelia Roualdes told Channel 2 Action News.
Mrs. Roualdes says the third incident happened recently. She said their neighbor’s child accidentally let the dog out of the house.
“The dog is right there. Just start coming in my house in the front door,” said Mrs. Roualdes.
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“My wife fell down the steps landed on the grass by that time the dog had my other dog in its jaws,” said Mr. Roualdes.
“I start shaking and I started screaming and kicking her and screaming,” Mrs. Roualdes said.
The Roualdes family says they want the dog to get put down because they don’t feel safe.
Channel 2 Action News spoke to the owners of the pit bull, whose name is Blue. They say their dog isn’t dangerous and is only extremely protective when their child is around.
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“The incidents we’ve had we’ve tried to communicate with them we tried to take care of their vet bills. We have had paid more attention to her not being able to get out or when we put her in the backyard,” Gerardo Gonzalez, Blue’s owner, said.
Cobb Animal Services released this statement about the case. They said they were familiar with the case and that there was a court date pending.
In court, a judge could require Gonzalez to surrender or euthanize the dog, or just levy fines, according to Steve Hammond, Director of Cobb County Animal Services, said in a statement. He explained what else might need to happen going forward, and how dangerous or vicious dogs are classified by law.
“These cases can be very difficult, and we cannot always do what one might expect. We are confined to following the law in these cases. Georgia’s Responsible Dog Owner Act allows for the classification of Dangerous and Vicious Dogs. Classification as a Dangerous Dog requires a substantial injury to a person or the killing of a pet off the offending dog’s property. Classification as a Vicious Dog requires a serious injury or death. Those serious injuries can also be from lacerations requiring stitches, broken bones, disfiguration, or injuries requiring plastic surgery. When a dog is classified as ‘Dangerous,’ the owner must register the dog with the county, provide warning signage, and demonstrate that the dog can be confined to its property. When classified as ‘Vicious,’ the owner must register with the county, provide signage, proof of containment, microchip, and proof of $50,000 liability insurance,” Hammond said in part.
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