CROTHERSVILLE
A Crothersville resident walking on the street in the area of Seymour Road and Coleman Street recently was attacked by a pit bull.
As a woman went outside to hook up a loose dog, the pit bull charged out of the front door and headed straight to the man.
The woman got the dog off of the man once, but it got away from her and attacked the man again.
It took a few other people to help get the dog off of him. In the meantime, another pit bull was biting his ankles.
Once the dogs were pulled away from the man, he had blood running down both of his arms and bite marks on his arms and ankles.
Town Councilman Bob Lyttle, who lives near the home, witnessed the incident. He said the man’s arms were severely torn up, and he had to be transported by ambulance to the hospital.
The dog also tried to charge at town employees when they were caging him.
The incident was enough for Lyttle to request changes be made to the violations section of the town’s animal ordinance.
It’s being proposed that any animal causing bodily harm to a person, someone helping that person or another animal will not be allowed within town limits after the first offense.
“I feel very strong for that after I saw the way that dog attacked that boy,” Lyttle said.
“We have decided that dogs like that have no business being in this town,” council President Lenvel “Butch” Robinson said.
After the incident, the owners took the pit bull to the veterinarian. Since it had had its shots, the dog was allowed to return home but had to be quarantined.
The town’s animal ordinance requires anyone owning, keeping, harboring or possessing a dog or a cat to keep it under restraint at all times when outdoors.
Lyttle’s biggest concern is the safety of children in the area of this home. There are children in the house, and the owners have three dogs inside and one outside.
“I’ve got a 3-foot fence up, but that wouldn’t stop that pit bull if he wanted to jump it,” Lyttle said. “This is a dangerous dog, and I’m going to tell you something, if it gets ahold of one child, it’s not worth it. It’s not what (type) these dogs are. It’s how they are raised.”
Lyttle’s wife, Jo, also said she is concerned about kids’ safety.
“I’m telling you right now in front of everybody, I’m not cruel to animals, I have dogs in my home, but if that dog gets out and I can get a shot at it, it’s a dead dog. That’s all I’ve got to say,” Jo said. “I am not going to take the chance of it going after my grandbaby.”
A proposed change to the ordinance is that anyone having an animal that behaves viciously when unprovoked should have it confined to a structure, fenced yard, kennel or leashed and accompanied by the owner at all times.
The owner also must post warning signs at the entrance of their property.
A homeowner who fails to post warning signs faces a $50 fine.
The fine for allowing a dog or a cat to run at large or failing to restrain an animal ranges from $20 to $100 for the first offense. The fine increases for each subsequent offense within 12 consecutive months.
If a person receives three citations, he or she would be responsible for removing the animal from town.
The first reading of the ordinance changes unanimously passed on first reading. The final reading will be during the next meeting, set for 6 p.m. March 6 at Crothersville Town Hall.
Robinson advised the council to look over the ordinance and see if anything needs to be changed.
Town resident J.D. Woods suggested defining bodily harm since the term is broad. According to Indiana Code, he said it takes a substantial amount of injury, such as protracted pain, loss of use of a limb or loss of a limb, to be considered bodily harm.
The council agreed if a dog bites a person and makes a mark, that is bodily harm.
“If you’re bit, you’re harmed,” Councilwoman Danieta Foster said. “If (the dog) actually causes harm, then it has to be out of town.”
Town resident Jennifer Plumm also suggested defining how long a resident would have to get the dog out of town.
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To review changes proposed to the violations section of Crothersville’s animal ordinance, check out the post at facebook.com/townofcrothersville.
All of the town’s ordinances are available online at crothersville.net/town-ordinances.
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What: Crothersville Town Council meeting
When: 6 p.m. March 6
Where: Crothersville Town Hall, 111 E. Howard St.
Who: Open to the public
On the agenda: Final reading of changes to the violations section of the town’s animal ordinance
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