WATERVILLE — An aggressive dog mauled a child Wednesday on Water Street, and Watervile Police Chief Joseph Massey is fed up. He plans to propose an ordinance to City Council that would restrict large aggressive breeds.

“I’ve been in law enforcement for 34 years, and I’ve had the unfortunate experience, dozens and dozens of times in my career, of seeing young children and adults mauled by aggressive dogs,” he said. “I’m at my wit’s end with continually seeing young children bitten with that degree of physical damage.”

On Wednesday, a 5-year-old boy was bitten by a pit bull on Water Street. Massey said the case is under investigation, and names will not be released unless charges are filed.

Massey said the child was bitten on the mouth area, and was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center Thayer Unit. The boy was released later that day. He may need to undergo a series of rabies shots and his injury will eventually need reconstructive surgery, Massey said.

The dog is quarantined at Humane Society Waterville Area.

Massey said he’s not sure when he’ll submit a proposed ordinance to City Council. He’s also not certain what kind of ordinance he will propose. First, he wants to research aggressive-dog ordinances in other communities.

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“I am certainly going to look at options that would be fair and reasonable ways to control large aggressive dogs,” he said.

Breeds Massey said he considers aggressive include akitas, German shepherds, pit bulls and rottweilers.

This summer, Massey was was critical of the dog breeds after two separate attacks on children by the same pit bull.

On Aug. 18, a pit bull bit a 6-year-old boy in a home on Louise Avenue. Two weeks later, the same dog bit a 2-year-old boy at the same location. The toddler was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland for surgery.

The dog was euthanized after a 10-day quarantine.

Massey said at the time that supporters of pit bulls and other large breeds disagreed with his position.

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“My critics give me excuses that it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s the owner’s fault. But over my three decades of law enforcement, blaming the owner has not reduced the number of bites that are happening,” he said.

According to a federal study released last year, the number of people in the U.S. admitted to hospitals because of dog bites increased by 86 percent from 1993 to 2008. The number of hospital stays rose from 5,100 to 9,500 during that time, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Ben McCanna — 861-9239

bmccanna@centralmaine.com

 

 


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