Boca Raton Man’s Pit Bulls, Running Loose, Attack Two in Separate Incidents
A Boca Raton man was fined and had one of his dogs impounded after they attacked neighbors in two separate incidents, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Feb. 5. Matt Cousineau told the police that he forgot to close his front door, allowing his two pit bulls, Primo and Princess, to escape. The dogs first charged neighbor Maureen Hartnagle and her Jack Russell terrier, who were out on a walk. With help from neighbors, Hartnagle and her dog fought off the pit bulls, but were unable to corral them.
The pit bulls later attacked Randy Schultz and his family, out on a walk with their own four dogs. Schultz was bitten as he tried to protect his one-year-old grandson and his smaller dogs from the pit bulls. Both dogs were taken into custody by Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, which quarantined Primo because he had bitten hard enough to break Schultz’s skin. Cousineau was fined $25 for breaking leash laws, and his dogs faced a hearing Feb. 10 on whether to classify them as dangerous.
Everyone involved is lucky that the situation wasn’t much worse. Pit bulls are not necessarily bad dogs, but they are large and strong predators whose ancestors were bred to hunt and kill vermin. Left uncontrolled and without proper training, they are capable of killing or seriously mauling a person or pet they see as a threat -- or as prey. Statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that dog attacks kill more than 15 Americans ever year and leave about 6,000 more with injuries serious enough to require hospitalization. At their most serious, dog attacks can leave people dead or with permanent nerve or organ damage, lifelong disfigurement, serious infections and, especially in children, years of emotional trauma.
Palm Beach County law requires only a fine and fees for people who allow their dogs to run around loose. But victims of a vicious dog also have the option of pursuing justice with a South Florida dog attack lawsuit. Florida law makes dog owners legally liable for the results of any attack by a dog running loose in public, even if the dog was never violent before. That means owners are financially responsible for the serious harm their dogs can do, including the cost of treating serious dog bite injuries, now and in the future; costs like missed work or therapy; and compensation for the physical and emotional trauma of being attacked at random by a pet.
The Coral Springs law firm of Cohn, Smith & Cohn represents victims of serious dog attacks throughout South Florida. To set up a free evaluation of your case with our experienced Florida dog bite attorneys, please contact us online as soon as possible or call today at (954) 431-8100.
