Letter to the editor: Rally Cry for Action
Let me add to the list of vicious dog horror stories that exist in my community and all across this city. To start with, I want to make it clear that I do not consider all dogs that are mentioned in this article vicious. However, they have the potential to be, and is it really worth the risk? There are dog owners in this town who own what could be considered vicious dogs, but they follow the rules and care for their pets.
On November 5, 2020, my wife's birthday, both my wife's and my life were changed forever. We live in the Brookhaven section, which used to be a quiet cul-de-sac. A neighbor's Cane Corso jumped our fence and viciously attacked my wife, almost killing her. The dog's mouth held her head and shook her like a rag doll. Part of her scalp is gone, and she has a noticeable bald spot, even after having plastic surgery. She was transported to Vidant in Greenville for bites and wounds all over her body. She had to take a series of rabies shots as the dog had never been vaccinated. For (6) months or more, we had to go back and forth to Greenville for follow-up treatments.
As a result of the dog attack, she developed a condition called A-Fib, which she will have to be treated for the rest of her life. She has to take a drug called Eliquis, which is expensive. Mentally, she has never been the same. She still has nightmares about the incident, waking up in the middle of the night trembling and crying. We had to erect a 6' fence at a cost of $7,000 across the backside of my property. My neighbor, who owned the dog, has no fence at the back of his property. He uses my fence without my permission. My wife has not been in the backyard for (2 1/2) years. She is scared to death. If my grandkids visit, they cannot go into the backyard to play for fear of the dogs. We cannot have friends over to cook out in the backyard for fear of the dogs. My small dogs cannot play in the backyard for fear of the dogs.
So, what has the dog's owner had to do? The answer is nothing. He hasn't been made to erect a fence on the backside of his property. The neighbor now has (2) Cane Corsos. They live in kennels that appear to not meet the City of Kinston's ordinances. This person owned 1 dog that almost killed my wife, and now is allowed to own (2) of the same breed. It makes absolutely no sense. I cannot believe no laws, restrictions, or ordinances govern this.
Everyone we ask for help says, "there is nothing we can do." We have talked with the Police Chief, and he tells us that if the dogs are on their property, there is nothing we can do according to the way the ordinances are written. If a dog escapes from their property, gets loose, and threatens to attack you, then you can call the police, provided you are still alive. My wife and neighbor went before the City Council, and no interest in the problem was shown there. This is a serious problem. This is not just a personal problem; it is a neighborhood problem, a city problem, and, depending on where you may live, it may be a State problem. The owners of these dogs follow the rules just enough to get by. Therein lies a very big problem. The laws that are on the books are not being enforced as they should be, mostly because of the lack of manpower.
The City, the County, and State do not have laws, regulations, and ordinances in place to properly protect the citizens. They carry no consequences and have no teeth. Most of them are misdemeanors, not felonies, and allow the owners to pay a small fine and then continue to do what they were doing before. It is the right of every citizen to be protected, not only from mean and vicious people but also from mean and vicious dogs.
Within a two-block area of my neighborhood, there are probably at least 10 dogs that are big enough (Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Cane Corsos, to name a few) and in some cases, vicious enough to hurt or kill someone. People walk around the block holding a club or other device, in some cases scared to death. No one should live in fear like we have to. There are small kids playing on the streets in the neighborhood, and older people who live there also. Someone is going to get seriously hurt or possibly killed before something is done. Periodically one of these dogs is getting loose and runs all over the neighborhood, and the police have to be called. One day that call is going to be too late. We are sitting on a powder keg waiting to explode.
What has to happen? The laws have to change at the City level, and also have to change at the State level. My wife and I have tried to reach out to Rep. Humphrey three times, twice by phone and once by E-mail. To this date, I have not heard from him. I have read ordinances from the little town of Edenton (5,000 population) and also from Wilmington as they pertain to animals and specifically dogs. I suggest everyone read them. I am more familiar with the ones from Edenton. In Edenton, the ordinances say that dogs have to be registered, including puppies, which I am sure costs money, not exactly sure how much. They have to have all their shots, including rabies. This is the way it used to be in Kinston when I was growing up. Think of the revenue that could be made, probably enough to hire another animal control officer. Maybe the animal control unit could be a separate entity. Perhaps they could maintain a registry (database) of registered dogs, puppies, and those housed in outside kennels. Maybe they could perform inspections 2 or 3 times a year (similar to how the Health Department inspects restaurants) on outside dogs to ensure that the kennels meet the requirements of the ordinances and that the dogs are being properly cared for.
People who own and breed these dogs make a lot of money because the dogs they sell are very expensive (check it out). Surely they would be willing to register their dogs and puppies. If an owner has a history of repeated violations, they should be substantially fined. After 2 or 3 fines, they should not be allowed to breed dogs. For someone whose dog has already attacked someone, they should not be allowed to breed dogs immediately. Additionally, an owner of dogs with outside kennels should be required to properly maintain and secure the area in which they are kept. These are my personal thoughts, but I believe they are worthy of consideration. I am not condemning people who breed dogs for sale, but it must be done correctly, following the rules, regulations, and ordinances of the City of Kinston.
I have shared the ordinances (specifically "Dogs") that I printed from the City of Edenton's list of City Ordinances with Councilman Chris Suggs, and he says he "hopes to introduce some actions to his colleagues on the council that the City of Kinston can explore." He also expresses his belief that the City may need to strengthen its policies and ordinances regarding this issue.
I wish everyone reading this could have walked in my and my wife's shoes over the last 2 1⁄2 years. Please help us, help our neighbors, help our city, and help our State. My wife and I love animals. We have (3) small house dogs and (3) cats, all of which are rescue pets. Before the accident, my wife used to carry bags of dog and cat food and water with her to feed stray dogs and cats all over the City. This letter's intent was not to incriminate anyone, but rather to be a "Rally Cry for Action."
Leon Deans
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