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(WCCO) Gambone-Stende is upset that her neighbor's dog is still alive after it went after her Border collie. The attack happened on the 9500 block of Park Avenue in Bloomington, Minn.
Madi Stende was out delivering Girl Scout cookies with her older brother Connor and, her sister Taylor. They were with their dog Bella.
What happened next was pretty scary. Bill Currin's German shepherd got out and ran toward them.
Bella, the Border collie, was injured in the attack and 12-year-old Taylor was bit on the hand.
WCCO-TV talked to both pet owners about what happened and what should happen to the German shepherd.
Bill Currin, owner of dog that attacked: This is Ava. She's a five-year-old German shepherd. We rescued her, um; she's been a great job up until that one moment.
Dena Gambone-Stende, upset her dog and daughter were injured: It was a completely unprovoked attack. My dog was all the way on the other side of the street.
Currin: But the kids were over there, and maybe she got defensive for my daughters. I've got twin 12-year-old girls. With the other dog over there, she got a little possessive.
Gambone-Stende: The owner says someone forgot to latch the door, and that's all it took, and the dog just got out, ran all the way across the street, straight for my dog.
Currin: The girl tried to prevent the dogs from fighting, and she got hurt in the process. It's -- it's a horrible tragedy, but it happened.
Gambone-Stende: It was just really scary. And when the vet came in and told me that the dog had to have surgery, I couldn't believe it.
Currin: It sickens me actually to know what happened and to know that we're partially to blame for it.
Gambone-Stende: The gentleman has said that he's going to pay, but I don't think he realizes the extent of the damage done … it was $649 … the second one was for $129.88.
Currin: The city has quarantined Ava for 10 days, required her to get micro-chipped, and we're gonna do that, we're gonna do everything we have to. It was an accident.
Gambone-Stende: I think it's a dangerous dog. … I don't understand how you can keep a dog like that's that dangerous. I don't understand that.
Currin: I looked at the bites … the little girl, I don't know which dog did it, and it's hard to say. …If I knew for a fact, Ava would be put down. I don't know.
Gambone-Stende: There's no question in my mind if Bella were a smaller dog, she'd be dead. What does this dog have to do before they deem it a dangerous dog?
Currin: I believe the child's name is Taylor, and I'd like to buy her a bike or an iPod, just because … it's a scary thing, there's no question about it. And I regret that she had to go through that.
Ava, the German shepherd, is now considered a "potentially dangerous" dog. According to state law, to be called "dangerous," a dog has to inflict substantial bodily harm to a person, without provocation, or kill a pet off the owner's property, without provocation.
If a "potentially dangerous" dog aggressively bites, attacks or endangers people or animals, its classification will change to "dangerous dog."
Paula Engelking, Producer
Madi Stende was out delivering Girl Scout cookies with her older brother Connor and, her sister Taylor. They were with their dog Bella.
What happened next was pretty scary. Bill Currin's German shepherd got out and ran toward them.
Bella, the Border collie, was injured in the attack and 12-year-old Taylor was bit on the hand.
WCCO-TV talked to both pet owners about what happened and what should happen to the German shepherd.
Bill Currin, owner of dog that attacked: This is Ava. She's a five-year-old German shepherd. We rescued her, um; she's been a great job up until that one moment.
Dena Gambone-Stende, upset her dog and daughter were injured: It was a completely unprovoked attack. My dog was all the way on the other side of the street.
Currin: But the kids were over there, and maybe she got defensive for my daughters. I've got twin 12-year-old girls. With the other dog over there, she got a little possessive.
Gambone-Stende: The owner says someone forgot to latch the door, and that's all it took, and the dog just got out, ran all the way across the street, straight for my dog.
Currin: The girl tried to prevent the dogs from fighting, and she got hurt in the process. It's -- it's a horrible tragedy, but it happened.
Gambone-Stende: It was just really scary. And when the vet came in and told me that the dog had to have surgery, I couldn't believe it.
Currin: It sickens me actually to know what happened and to know that we're partially to blame for it.
Gambone-Stende: The gentleman has said that he's going to pay, but I don't think he realizes the extent of the damage done … it was $649 … the second one was for $129.88.
Currin: The city has quarantined Ava for 10 days, required her to get micro-chipped, and we're gonna do that, we're gonna do everything we have to. It was an accident.
Gambone-Stende: I think it's a dangerous dog. … I don't understand how you can keep a dog like that's that dangerous. I don't understand that.
Currin: I looked at the bites … the little girl, I don't know which dog did it, and it's hard to say. …If I knew for a fact, Ava would be put down. I don't know.
Gambone-Stende: There's no question in my mind if Bella were a smaller dog, she'd be dead. What does this dog have to do before they deem it a dangerous dog?
Currin: I believe the child's name is Taylor, and I'd like to buy her a bike or an iPod, just because … it's a scary thing, there's no question about it. And I regret that she had to go through that.
Ava, the German shepherd, is now considered a "potentially dangerous" dog. According to state law, to be called "dangerous," a dog has to inflict substantial bodily harm to a person, without provocation, or kill a pet off the owner's property, without provocation.
If a "potentially dangerous" dog aggressively bites, attacks or endangers people or animals, its classification will change to "dangerous dog."
Paula Engelking, Producer
