Man suffers ‘pretty severe’ bites from pack of bulldogs

MEADOW LAKES — Three American bulldogs are scheduled for euthanasia this week after attacking a neighbor.

“He had some pretty severe dog bites,” said Richard Stockdale, head of the Mat-Su Borough’s Department of Animal Care and Regulation. “A neighbor stepped in and got the dogs off of him.”

The attack happened April 21 on Limberlost Avenue off of Vine Road. Stockdale said Alaska State Troopers were on scene keeping the dogs at bay until animal control officers could arrive.

“We talked with everybody, the dog owners, took pictures and took the dogs into custody,” Stockdale said.

One of the three dogs had been reported to animal care and regulation previously, he said.

“The dog scared a horse and the individual riding the horse had gotten hurt, so it was classified as a level 5,” Stockdale said. “Level 1 is like your dog went out to the edge of the road and barked at the neighbors as they walked by and they had to cross the street.”

Level 5 is the highest threat animals can be classified as at the borough and results in mandatory euthanasia. All three dogs have now reached that classification. Stockdale said Monday they were a day away from euthanasia since the shelter has to wait 10 days to make sure they’re not rabid.

It’s something they do so that the victim doesn’t have to undergo rabies treatment if it’s not necessary.

“They appear healthy, so we should not have a problem with that,” Stockdale said.

Stockdale said that had the dogs’ owners not willingly given the animals up the borough would have taken them in for a hearing to determine if level 5 was warranted.

He said it’s pretty clear, given the severity of the injuries, that the attack warranted a level 5 classification. Still, it could have been much worse.

“If the neighbor hadn’t stepped in I don’t want to speculate what would have happened,” Stockdale said. Also, he said it’s lucky the victim was an adult. “If it had been a child it could have been a whole lot worse.”

Stockdale said dog owners should make sure their animals are always secure and that the measures they take to secure them are sufficient.

“One of these dogs was on a chain that was not sufficient,” he said.

As for particular breeds, Stockdale said most dog attack deaths nationwide come from large-breed dogs working as a pack, as was the case here.

“I have gone through training and know that two pit bulls attached to your arm will try to drag you to the ground. That’s what happened here,” he said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, dogs bite 4.5 million Americans each year and about 885,000 people seek medical attention.

Owners of larger animals have to be cautious, Stockdale said, but that doesn’t mean small dogs don’t bite people.

“Pretty much any dog will bite you given the right circumstances behind it,” he said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.