Posted on: Thursday, December 2, 2004
Dog involved in mauling of woman spared
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
WAILUKU, Maui — A pit bull named Faust got a reprieve yesterday from the Maui County Animal Control Board, which agreed to return the dog to its owner on the condition it be kept in a confined space.
The 90-pound blue-nosed American Staffordshire terrier was impounded by the Maui Humane Society after it attacked Sandra Sardinha on Nov. 16, tearing off a chunk of her scalp, breaking her left arm and leaving severe bite wounds in her upper right arm and chest. The 46-year-old Hali'imaile woman was acquainted with the dog's owner, Scott Barrie, and had stopped by his Pukalani home to drop off some clothes when she was mauled.
Sardinha, who underwent at least two surgeries and spent several days recovering at Maui Memorial Medical Center, was too upset after yesterday's animal control board hearing to comment on the decision to let the dog return home.
Aimee Anderson, animal control director of the Maui Humane Society, also was upset, saying the agency would have preferred that Faust be destroyed because it had bitten at least two other people and remains a dangerous animal.
Barrie told the board the dog is a "loveable" family pet that romps with his two daughters, ages 2 and 6, and that he was unaware it had bitten anyone before Sardinha.
The woman said that after she drove to Barrie's house, she sat on a rock wall near the driveway to wait for someone to come out. Sardinha said she dropped a pack of cigarettes and bent down to pick it up. "I couldn't make it back up because the dog was on my head," she said.
Barrie said the dog's cable could not reach the wall, and he suggested Sardinha had done something to provoke the animal. But Anderson noted photographs show blood splatters on the wall.
"One out of 10 people he dislikes, and he lets you know ...," Barrie told the board. "He never tried to bite her before. She walked right by him by herself before and he never tried to bite her."
Sardinha said she had walked past the dog only while someone was holding it.
Anderson said that "nobody wants to see a dog euthanized" but in Faust's case it was warranted due to the prior attacks, the severity of the Sardinha's injuries, and indications the owner would be unable to prevent further attacks.
She said she was concerned about the likelihood of the dog escaping.
Board chairman Don Reaser said the panel, which voted to deem the dog "dangerous," felt that under strict conditions and monitoring, Faust could be managed.
The conditions require Barrie to confine the animal indoors or in a sturdy enclosure not accessible to the public, post warning signs, have the dog neutered, and carry liability insurance of at least $50,000.
"I'm just glad he won't be put to sleep," Barrie said after the hearing.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
