‘Leash your pooches!’: Dog attacks on the rise in Central Oregon; father of young bite victim seeks tougher leash laws

(Update: adding video, comments from Deschutes County Health Services and Bend father)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) - According to Deschutes County Health Services, dog attack reports have increased from the previous year.

The majority of reported animal bites occurred in the city of Bend.

"Dogs are the No. 1 one (bite reports) around the area. They represent about 95 percent" of the total, Environmental Health Specialist Brody Hodges told KTVZ News.

Most attacks happen in the spring and summer, with May usually being the peak month. They are reported from inside the home, as well as at dog parks and by those who are walking or running on area trails.

Bend resident John Heylin tells us his daughter was bitten by a dog at a garage sale in Bend. He says the bite tore out a part of his 8-year-old's lip, and she has needed multiple surgeries.

"She has a permanent scar on her face and has changed from a kid who loved dogs to one that I have to pick up whenever a dog comes near her," Heylin said Thursday.

Heylin said he enjoys walking on the trail behind his house with his daughter, but worries about the increase he sees in off-leash dogs.

"I see dogs off-leash back here all the time, and they shouldn't be," he said.

In Bend, dogs should be leashed unless they're in one of the nine designated off-leash areas.

"Feels like there's a crescendo of issues with dogs off-leash, especially in the last year," Heylin said. "If you go on Reddit, if you go on Nextdoor, if you go on Facebook, people complain about it, but nothing's really being done."

After this experience, Heylin is pushing for tougher leash laws across the city.

He's still frustrated by the lack of consequences for the dog who hurt his daughter. His family is consulting with a lawyer to explore seeking damages for his daughter's surgery expenses.

"As far as what's going on with my daughter and I, I mean, the homeowner's insurance doesn't cover that breed of dog, so we're kind of (stuck) with what we can do at this point," Heylin said.

Deschutes County Health Service says if you report a dog bite, the dog is required to be quarantined for 10 days. You can learn more about animal bites at a Deschutes County web page here.