Woman seeks restitution after attack by two dogs

Karen Rowe, a resident of The Trails in Summerlin, was beginning to walk her 13-year-old dog, Al, at 6:30 a.m. Dec. 5 when the garage door of a house two doors down rolled up.

Two large dogs, which Rowe said were some sort of shepherd breed, started trotting out of the garage. Everything changed in a split second. They spotted Al, a terrier mix, and immediately tore their leashes away from the hand of the woman behind them.

The dogs launched themselves at Al.

"It was a full-on attack," Rowe said. "There was no hesitation, no sniffing the ways dogs act, just full force."

She tried frantically to rescue her little 27-pound pooch.

"I had both hands on the (one dog's) collar, but I couldn't pull him off," she said. "I was screaming, 'Get control of your dogs.' "

There was an opening. Rowe reached down and scooped Al up out of harm's way. He was limp in her arms.

But the two dogs pursued her to her front door, where she kicked at them while fumbling with her keys. She finally made it inside. A mad dash to the vet's office followed.

"It was brutal," said her husband Craig Rowe of the attack. "Our dog had his jugular vein exposed and suffered multiple bites."

Al needed 15 stitches and a stay at the vet's office. Karen Rowe was bitten on her left arm and was treated at a hospital.

Al had to return to the vet's office for IV infusions after he stopped eating and drinking. He is now recovering. The bill for everything is nearing $1,500.

The attack came with an emotional toll, as well. Karen Rowe has been plagued with nightmares of German shepherds leaping out and attacking her.

The couple are looking for answers and restitution from their neighbor, but no one answered the door, so they left a note taped to the garage where it was sure to be noticed. The police advised them to contact Animal Control, which they did. That entity also was forced to leave notification.

"It's been a week, and nothing," Craig Rowe said.

He works at home and can see the woman's house from his second-story office window. There have been no cars, no sight of the woman or the dogs. His note with "Please Read" is still on the garage door.

Meanwhile, they wait. The Rowes are not the only ones who have had to deal with a dog attack.

City of Las Vegas Animal Control has taken 550 reports of animal attacks this year as of press time. It does not keep separate count of how many are dog attacks. Attacks are considered on a case-by-case basis and may result in fines if the owner is not current with the pet's vaccinations or has no dog license, said Jace Radke, public information officer for the city. If a criminal citation is issued, it can result in up to $1,000 in fines and/or six months in jail, as determined by the courts.

Euthanasia is ordered if the animal is a repeat offender or if the animal, through a number of tests, is determined to be a threat.

Municipal code says, in part, that an animal may be declared dangerous by an animal regulation officer if it constitutes a physical threat to human beings or to other animals and, on two separate occasions within 18 months, has behaved menacingly to a degree that would lead a reasonable person to defend himself against substantial bodily harm or it bit a person but without causing substantial bodily harm.

An animal may be declared dangerous by the animal regulation officer if it constitutes a physical threat to human beings or to other animals ... while either at large or restrained, it causes serious injury or death to another animal.

As for Clark County, it's a misdemeanor not to have one's dog confined by a yard. Fines for violating that ordinance could result in six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.

"If there's substantial harm, that puts things in the 'vicious' category," said Joe Boteilho, former chief of code enforcement.

Any attack is determined on its own merits, and there is the possibility that the first offense might result in the dog being euthanized. If a dog has previously been listed as a danger, county code dictates that allowing it beyond one's yard constitutes a felony.

David Rivisto, owner/operator of Blue Ribbon K-9, said dog fights go back to the pack mentality of canines.

"It's usually a lack of training on the owner's part ... they have to show that they're the pack leader," he said.

To break up a fight, one can toss a blanket over the dogs if it occurs inside, or outside use a spray of water. He advises dog walkers to carry pepper spray. Whatever you do, he said, don't inject yourself into the fray.

"If you reach in, you're going to get bit," he said.

Instead, get behind the dog, reach down and grab the dog by its back feet, lift and drag them away, he said.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.