Neighbors band together after German shepherd attacked in New London
New London — Just more than two weeks after two unleashed dogsinjured a German shepherd so badly it nearly lost its foreleg, residents in the area of the attack are doing their best to ensure something similar — or worse — doesn't happen again.
Hans, the 6-and-a-half-year-old German shepherd attacked in Toby May Park Jan. 20, spent almost seven days in animal hospitals afterward, undergoing five surgeries that cost more than $13,000.
According to Andy Aspinwall, one of Hans' owners, the attack began after the dogs somehow got loose from their fenced-in backyard on Plant Street.
Several people called 911 during the encounter, which Aspinwall said ended only because neighbors with a stick and people beeping their horns intervened.
Patricia Harris, 37, of 152 Plant St. was charged one day after the attack with two counts of having a nuisance dog and two counts of having a dog roaming at large.
Harris didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Speaking by phone Thursday, Aspinwall said if it weren't for Diane Boas — a friend who started a GoFundMe page for him and his husband, Brad Lake — and everyone who donated, the outcome might be different.
"Basically, their help made us able to say, continue, save the leg," Aspinwall said. "The surgeon wanted $3,000 more before going in and I didn't have it, and Brad didn't have it. So all those people were really a godsend."
Now, as Hans' long road to recovery begins, Aspinwall wants residents to know this isn't the first time the two dogs have attacked.
According to an incident report written by Assistant Animal Control Officer Michael Martin, the same two dogs — a 4-and-a-half-year-old bull mastiff-mix dubbed Ace and an almost 6-year-old American bulldog named Hemmi — attacked a different dog on May 21, 2013.
The report doesn't go into detail about that attack and doesn't clarify what type of mix Ace is.
No one answered the phone at the New London Animal Control office Friday morning, and neither Martin nor Assistant Animal Control Officer Tonya Kloiber — not assigned to this case — immediately responded to an email seeking comment.
Reached at work Friday morning, Melinda Stelzner, owner of the dog attacked in 2013, offered some insight.
Stelzner, who used to live at 60 Dart St., one street over from Plant Street, said she and her 9-year-old Doberman-great Dane mix, Bibble, were outside on the warm day, Bibble restrained by a rope staked into the ground.
She said she heard some yelling in the neighborhood and tried to get Bibble inside, but couldn't overpower the dog, who was anxious to see what was going on.
Stelzner said the two dogs bounded into her yard, flipping Bibble on his back and biting the dog until his legs were bleeding and he lost two teeth. The attack resulted in about $300 in veterinarian bills, which Stelzner said Harris paid about six months after the event.
Harris at the time was charged with two counts of having a nuisance dog, two counts of having a dog roaming at large and failure to purchase a dog license.
"I would hate to see an animal lose its life, but their backyard does back right up to the park," Stelzner said, adding that all animals are unpredictable and should be restrained. "Toby May is a great park with kids playing. The whole neighborhood shouldn't have to be on edge because of these two dogs."
Stelzner is just one of many who've reached out to Aspinwall, Lake and others since the incident, Aspinwall said.
Organized by a resident who asked to remain anonymous, neighbors have been emailing Mayor Michael Passero and Leslie Hardy, investigator with the New London State's Attorney's office.
Some have offered their solutions to the case, which range from removing the dogs' teeth to putting the dogs down.
Others have worried that a child might be the target of the next attack, should it happen.
Passero said on Friday that he'd received 20 to 25 emails from residents, all of whom were expressing "valid concerns."
"I'm told that everything that we can do within the bounds of the law has been done," Passero said, referring to Harris' charges and a state restraint order police served her with on Jan. 26.
Among other things, the order requires Harris to keep her gates padlocked, to only allow adults to unlock them and to leash and muzzle the dogs whenever they're not in the house.
"It's a terrible, terrible situation," Passero said. "Certainly people have to feel safe and shouldn't have to be worried. We're watching the neighborhood closely, and we have reasonable assurance those dogs are now more properly contained."
When arraigned in New London Superior Court Wednesday morning, Harris did offer to help cover Hans' bills, Aspinwall said.
Her case has been continued to March 3, as she asked for time to get an attorney.
No matter the outcome, she'll remain subject to the state restraint order as long as she owns the dogs.
"It's up to the judge, but I would like them to bring in a professional dog handler to see, are they, or are they not, safe?" Aspinwall said. "We're not going back to court till March 3. Are we safe now?"
Twitter: @LindsayABoyle
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