After dog attack, officials reminding people to obey animal laws

By Jefferson Tyler

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — Over 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the US according to the CDC.

Dog-on-dog bites are also considered fairly common. A social media post went viral about a recent attack on a Pomeranian.

“When dogs bark at him, he doesn’t even look at them. He’s such a happy go lucky puppy,” said Royce Okazaki. Okazaki is not happy, in fact he’s almost in tears. His 14-year-old Pomeranian named Sketch is recovering from a confrontation with another dog.

Three days ago their daily walk started off innocently enough. “I love huskies. I saw a white Husky, and I heard a whimper. I turned and it was coming from another Husky. I have never seen these dogs before. Before I knew it, the white husky had grabbed my dog by the snout, and pulled him into the yard of the house,” said Okazaki.

This was the last time the tiny dog was able to use both eyes. One was removed as a result of the attack.

Okazaki sent KITV4 pictures of the fence with spaced out bars, where this happened. “A homeowner needs to take all proper precautions to prevent their dog from escaping or being able to reach out and attack another dog,” said Sgt. Chris Kim from Animal Crimestoppers.

Sgt. Kim says he doesn’t know this case, but there are laws in place to penalize dog owners if their dog is not secure.

“Keep your dog on a leash or take the proper precautions to prevent your dog from becoming a stray. You need to make sure the dog is properly leashed up or at least fenced where it’s not able to escape. In the event that the dog does escape and does attack another animal or person, it will then fall under the dangerous dog law. The dog may even be confiscated,” said Sgt. Kim.

Having proper signage and keeping dogs properly anchored on private property helps prevent attacks. The Oahu SPCA says dogs may be protective of their owners, food, and property. So stay vigilant. “You might be looking out for body position, growling, is the dog trying to stare you down. One thing to look for is if the hair on its back is up,” said Oahu SPCA Director of Operations Kristen Hudson.

On the other side of the fence, if you hear about someone abusing a dog: you should contact Crimestoppers right away.

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