by Jamie Belnap

STAFF WRITER

A 21-year-old Tooele City woman was transported to Mountain West Medical Center Friday evening after being mauled by her next door neighbor's pit bull. The attack again raises the issue of dangerous pets and what steps should be taken to solve a countywide problem.

Megan Thompson, a Timpie Road resident, suffered deep bite wounds to her leg and arm when her neighbor's dogs squeezed through a hole in the wood fence that separated the two yards. Thompson was attacked while she was trying to usher four young children -- two of her own and two that she was babysitting -- into the house, according to a report by the Tooele City Police Department.

Another woman, Tori Jensen, was bit in the heel while trying to help Thompson.

Thompson's neighbor was not home at the time of the mauling. When police responded to the scene, the two pit bulls were still running free in Thompson's back yard.

The police report stated that the owner said his dogs have gotten loose before, but had never caused a problem.

"In all the dog bite cases we see, every single owner says, 'I've never seen my dog do this before,'" said Debra Bush, animal control supervisor and director of the Tooele City Animal Shelter. "All dogs have the propensity to bite."

Both dogs were transported to the animal shelter for quarantine. A hearing will determine whether they will be allowed to go home or be euthanized.

This process is the same in incidences where an animal gets loose from a back yard without the owner knowing and incidences in which an owner knowingly lets an animal run at large, Bush said. It includes checking to see if the animal is up-to-date on rabies vaccinations and then impounding the dog for 10 days in order to finish gathering evidence and to observe the animal. A hearing is held, conducted by Capt. Steve Newkirk of the Tooele City Police Department, where animal control officials present findings in the case in the presence of the owner. Newkirk then contacts the victim and witnesses and submits the case to Chief Ron Kirby, who makes the final decision as to whether an animal and its owner are at fault, and whether an animal is potentially dangerous or dangerous.

Bush said that animals deemed potentially dangerous can be returned to owners if they agree to adhere to more stringent requirements like taller fences, additional insurance, obedience classes or other stipulations set forth by animal control.

Dangerous animals are humanely euthanized.

Owners have an opportunity to appeal the decision in writing, and a three-member committee will re-evaluate the case and affirm, modify or reverse the decision of the chief of police and deny or grant the appeal, according to Tooele City code.

Several cities across the nation have placed bans or strict regulations on pit bulls.

Bush said there are common signs to watch for when any dog is preparing to attack, including 1) bearing of teeth, 2) the animal putting down its head but maintaining eye contact, making it look like the hair on it's neck is standing up, and 3) "whale's eyes," meaning the eye lids recede back so that the whites in the animal's eyes are very apparent.

"When that happens, you know you are about to be bit," Bush said.

As part of regular shelter tours, Bush said they are striving to educate children -- the main victims of dog bites -- about what to do if they encounter a "grumpy dog."

"We are trying to teach the kids to be a tree," Bush said. "Don't run or ride your bike away. Stand perfectly still, pull your arms up and don't look it in the face. Don't move until you can't see it anymore. If you run, it will immediately pursue. Once it sees that you're not a threat, it will move on."

Bush said the number of bite cases seen each year can be significantly reduced by this basic awareness and by reiterating often to owners the importance of adhering to the leash law.

"If people understood that our leash law means that they need to keep their animal under their control at all times, a lot of the problems that we see in Tooele would go away," Bush said.

jamieb@tooeletranscript.com