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Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Dog warden says there were no legal grounds to impound dogs in Colerain Twp. mauling
After Colerain Township officials rebuked the actions of the dog warden following a dog attack last week that left a woman severely injured, Hamilton County's top animal control official said there were no legal grounds to impound the animals. During a public meeting Tuesday morning, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners likewise criticized the decision of the dog warden not to impound two dogs that severely injured the woman in suburban Colerain Township. The commissioners echoed concerns voiced by township officials in a letter issued Sunday, in which the township condemned what they described as the dog warden's decision to allow the dogs to remain in the community, despite the nonprofit's staff relaying to police that the dogs were 'too vicious' to take in. "When it was in our hands ... I just feel like we let it slip through," Commissioner Alicia Reece said during a public meeting on Tuesday. Hamilton County Chief Dog Warden Beth Ward said that her officers did not shirk their duty to the community and labeled as untrue the township's assertion that officers refused to take the dogs because they were too dangerous. More: Thousands of Ohioans are attacked by dogs each year. How to avoid bites, protect yourself "Our primary goal is the safety of people and animals in our community," Ward said. Hamilton County contracts its animal control and shelter services out to the nonprofit Cincinnati Animal CARE. Officers responded Friday afternoon to Applevalley Court after receiving reports of an attack involving two dogs and arrived on the scene to find a woman with severe injuries to her arms and a man with a small hand injury, police said. Police said the woman, Emily Rentschler, was driving down the street to pick up her children and noticed the dogs were loose. She was attacked when she tried to corral the dogs. Her boyfriend arrived as she was being attacked and placed her inside his truck. The attack was witnessed by Rentschler's children, who called 911 to report what happened. Officers eventually corralled one of the dogs inside the owner's backyard and the owners were able to secure the second dog in the backyard after they arrived home, police said. Deputy dog wardens will investigate after a dog bite incident is reported to authorities and have discretion as to whether dogs spend a legally mandated 10-day quarantine period at home or in the shelter, Ward said. Such quarantines are primarily meant as a public health precaution against rabies but can also serve as a safety measure to keep dogs out of the community. She added that any police agency can enforce the state's animal control laws. Ward said that owners in the Colerain Township incident wanted to quarantine their dogs at home and deputy wardens determined the owners were capable of doing so. She noted that the dogs lacked any history of violence, although her officers determined the dogs to be vicious. "We took everything into account (and) made a determination that it would be safe for them to quarantine in that home," she said, adding the dogs are being crated and only allowed outside for bathroom breaks while on a leash. Ward said her office and county public health officials visit owners' homes in cases where an animal is being quarantined at a residence. The owners are also making arrangements to euthanize the dogs after the quarantine period ends, Ward said. She added the dogs' owners were cited for failure to confine, failure to license and failure to display a license. Dogs bite about 17,000 people a year in Ohio severely enough to require medical attention or to prompt calls to law enforcement. Experts estimate the actual total is double that because so many bites go unreported. An investigation by the USA TODAY Network Ohio bureau found that gruesome dog attacks happen despite warnings, complaints and previous attacks that went unheeded by dog owners and unpunished by the legal system. More: 'It looked like a murder scene.' Why Ohio dog wardens want harsher penalties for attacks Under Ohio law, the owner of a dog that disfigures or even kills someone is likely to pay a fine that's little more than a traffic ticket. The law also does not require that a vicious dog be euthanized after such an attack, even if it results in a fatality. Ward said that while her office can impound a dog for the 10-day quarantine, it's ultimately up to a judge to decide an animal's fate, including whether it receives a lifetime designation as being dangerous or vicious, or if they're euthanized. She said that impounding a dog requires justification and a probable cause hearing might be held to determine whether the dog warden had legal authority to impound the animal. Ward said she wants the dog warden's practices and procedures to be legally upheld, adding that she'd like the state to update its laws about dangerous dogs and to have more deputies to cover the county's 52 square miles. "We want a safe community for Hamilton County," Ward said. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dog warden defends her officers' response after Colerain dog attack
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
'Why did everybody drop the ball?' Dog attack leads to tension between township, county
After two people were attacked by dogs in Colerain Township last week, township officials are saying the nonprofit handling dog warden services for Hamilton County isn't doing enough. Officers responded Friday afternoon to Applevalley Court after receiving reports of an attack involving two dogs and arrived on the scene to find a woman with severe injuries to her arms and a man with a small hand injury, police said. In a letter on Sunday, township officials condemned what they described as Cincinnati Animal CARE's decision to allow the dogs to remain in the community, despite the nonprofit's staff relaying to police that the dogs were 'too vicious' to take in. More: VICIOUS: An investigation into how Ohio laws fail thousands of dog attack victims Police said the woman, Emily Rentschler, was driving down the street to pick up her children and noticed the dogs were loose, but was attacked when she tried to corral the dogs. Her boyfriend arrived as she was being attacked and placed her inside his truck. Police records and 911 calls show the attack caused panic and chaos in the suburban neighborhood. A neighbor told dispatchers Rentschler was screaming while being mauled by two large dogs. He said he was working from home and initially mistook the screams for the sound of kids playing. 'I'm loading a gun right now. If I have to shoot these dogs I'm putting them down,' he said. Another 911 caller said the woman was 'bleeding really bad.' Two people who reported the attack to authorities said the dogs appeared to be Pit Bulls. The attack was even witnessed by Rentschler's children, who also called 911 to report what happened. While the dogs roamed the neighborhood, an officer fired multiple pepperball rounds at the dogs as they approached police, according to an incident report. Another officer held Rentschler's boyfriend at gunpoint after he grew agitated and threatened to kill the dogs himself if police would not shoot them, the report states, adding that the man was holding a gun when police first arrived and the officer was unsure whether he was still armed. Officers eventually corralled one of the dogs inside the owner's backyard and the owners were able to secure the second dog in the backyard after they arrived home, police said. The owners were cited, and the dogs were deemed dangerous, but Cincinnati Animal CARE – the nonprofit contracted by the county for animal control services – refused to take the dogs even after the owner offered to give them up, according to township spokeswoman Helen Tracey-Noren. 'Our residents deserve to feel safe in their homes and to be able to take a walk in their neighborhood without fear of being viciously attacked,' the township's letter reads. Cincinnati Animal CARE has yet to issue a response to the township's claims. The township is urging the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners to review the dog warden's policies, training and resources. 'State law is very clear. It is the responsibility of the county to control dangerous animals in townships,' the letter reads. 'Our residents should not have their safety compromised because the county has ignored a core responsibility.' Officials said Rentschler will need several surgeries and faces a lengthy road to recovery. Dogs bite about 17,000 people a year in Ohio severely enough to require medical attention or to prompt calls to law enforcement. Experts estimate the actual total is double that because so many bites go unreported. An investigation by the USA TODAY Network Ohio bureau found that gruesome dog attacks happen despite warnings, complaints and previous attacks that went unheeded by dog owners and unpunished by the legal system. Under Ohio law, the owner of a dog that disfigures or even kills someone is likely to pay a fine that's little more than a traffic ticket. The law also does not require that a vicious dog be euthanized after such an attack, even if it results in a fatality. The doctor who treated Rentschler at the hospital said that she was lucky to be alive, according to her mom, Carrie Davis, who added that Rentschler will have to miss work as she can't type because of her injuries. Davis said the township is abdicating its responsibility to remove the dogs from the neighborhood by placing blame squarely on the dog warden. She pointed to a decision by police amid budget cutbacks last year to pare down the types of calls they respond to, including non-emergency animal complaints. With the dogs still in the neighborhood, she said she worries for the children, including her grandchildren, who have to wait at the bus stop at the top of the street. 'They don't seem to understand their responsibility, or they're more worried about money than they are the safety of residents,' Davis said of the township. 'We're trying to figure out, why did everybody drop the ball?' However, Colerain Township Police Chief Edwin Cordie said it's not within his department's purview, under state law, to remove the dogs; that job is for the dog warden. Cordie said the dogs' owners have been cooperating with authorities and the department's records showed no prior incidents involving the dogs, although the animals were unregistered. He added that any further investigation would be handled by the dog warden. 'I think what's important here, and especially with the victim, is that we're concerned that the dogs are still there,' Cordie said. 'This was a pretty vicious attack.' Enquirer media partner Fox19 contributed the photo for this report. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Colerain Township dog attack prompts concerns, questions over response
