By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
After attacking at least five people in Bowling Green over a nine month period, two dogs will be euthanized Tuesday morning.
The two pitbull-husky mix dogs, which had been declared “dangerous,” were surrendered by their owners, Ray and Kelley Stevens of 920 N. Summit St., to the Wood County Dog Shelter as ordered by BG Municipal Court on Monday afternoon.
“Unfortunately, it got beyond the point of being able to rehabilitate the dogs,” Wood County Dog Warden Jodi Harding said.
One of the victims of the dogs’ attacks recalled being in her backyard in March when she saw the dogs running toward her. A “nest camera” at the house caught the attack on video as the woman was bitten on the hand, elbow, shin, back of the calf, and both sides of her buttocks.
Her husband, who was in the garage, heard her screaming and used a broom to get the dogs to stop the attack.
Months later, the woman was still haunted by the incident – and worried about children or elderly adults who wouldn’t be able to defend themselves against the dogs.
“I’m an animal lover,” she said. “But now if I hear a dog bark, I stop what I’m doing. I don’t feel comfortable being outside without my husband.”
Her hospital bills, after insurance, were nearly $2,000.
“This can’t keep happening. I do not want those dogs in the community,” the woman said.
On the same afternoon, another neighbor was also attacked, receiving puncture wounds to her thigh. One of the dogs also reportedly charged the responding police officer in an aggressive manner, and the officer sprayed it with pepper spray.
Over the past year, Bowling Green Police Division had responded 13 times for the dogs running loose, finding them as far away as Kramer Road south of Bowling Green. Officers took reports from people who had been bitten, and cited the owners for failure to confine their dogs. But the dogs continued to escape.
The Wood County Dog Warden had responded eight times to apprehend the dogs as they were running loose.
“We have dealt with them multiple times,” Harding said in May. “The dogs are strong and aggressive,” with two being deemed dangerous by Bowling Green Municipal Court.
The owners have been cited in court 10 times, but they reportedly refused to comply with the rules set by the state for the handling of dangerous dogs. The backyard where the dogs have escaped from was a mix of wooden and cloth type barriers.
In November, Kelley Stevens was cited for failing to confine her dogs after one reportedly bit a jogger five blocks from the Stevens’ home. Police arrived on the scene to find the jogger with a bite to his right lower leg. The jogger said two pit bulls began chasing him, then one bit him.
Police talked to a witness who was in a nearby van when the bite occurred. The witness said she saw the dogs swarm around the jogger, and she called police just as the jogger was bitten.
As officers were on that scene in the 400 block of North Summit Street, a dispatcher took another call that the dogs had bitten someone on Ridge Street near the campus.
Police called the county dog warden for assistance. The dog warden first went to the BGSU stadium to catch a third dog, also reportedly owned by the Stevens. Police located the other two dogs between the 300 blocks of North Prospect and North Main streets.
BGPD Lt. Adam Skaff explained the police cannot confiscate someone’s dogs. The dogs were taken to the dog shelter, then later returned to the owners.
“We don’t have that authority,” Skaff said. “We’re aware it’s been an ongoing issue. It’s not like these are little poodles. These are dogs people are afraid of – and for good reason.”
Confinement of dangerous or vicious dogs must be in accordance with strict requirements. And the owners are also required to notify authorities when the dogs get loose – which the Stevens did not do, according to the dog warden’s office.
In May, the Wood County Humane Society was called to the Stevens’ home for a report of alleged animal cruelty. The humane agent was accompanied by police and dog warden staff because of the history of the dogs.
Erin Moore, the then humane society shelter manager, said the humane agent did not find signs of animal abuse.
However, Moore expressed concerns about the dangerous dogs not being confined properly. Dogs running loose is one problem, but “it hits a whole new level when dogs are biting people,” she said. “There are strict laws and laws need to be followed.”
While the humane agent was in the North Summit neighborhood, she was approached by a lawn care worker who said he had been bitten by one of the dogs before, and worries about working in the area because of that.
“They are large enough they can do damage,” Moore said.
“I’m a dog lover,” Moore said. “But at the end of the day, it’s about safety. If a dog’s been deemed dangerous, it’s troubling that they are running around.”
When asked by BG Independent News in May how many dogs he had at the home, Ray Stevens replied, “it doesn’t matter.” He said that he had equipment at the house to microchip the dogs. The court ruled Monday that the Stevens can keep their remaining dogs.
