DETROIT (WXYZ) — New data from Detroit Animal Control shows dog bites in March 2023 were more than double the number reported in March 2020.
Joe Prior and Veronica Topolewski found themselves under attack this past November near the intersection of Seyburn and Agnes Street.
"Veronica saw the pit bull on the other side of the street coming towards us. At that point, we picked up our dogs," Prior recalled.
"Everything happened so fast," he said.
Audio of what followed was captured on home surveillance footage. The couple and their two small dogs can be heard yelling and squealing in agony.
The pit bull attacked their dogs, Jax and Addie, a rescue they adopted just a week before, while Prior was scratched up in the process trying to fight the dog off.
Topolewski said, “The animal control officer we worked with did say the attack led to level 6 injuries for both of these dogs, level 7 being death.”
Fortunately, they survived. Their veterinary bill mounted to more than $2,400. It was one of the multiple reported attacks by the same dog that November late afternoon.
There's surveillance footage of the loose dog being aggressive toward another group that day. Eventually, a woman appears and is trailing behind.
A resident can be heard asking her if she’s the owner. The attacks beg the question of where did the dog come from and who’s the owner?
“That’s our ultimate question," Prior said.
Topolewski said, "She completely avoided any responsibility."
In addition to trying to find out who the dog owner is, they said it’s a call for dog owners to be more responsible before a tragedy occurs.
Lori Sowle, director of Detroit Animal Control told 7 Action News said, “It’s like having a child. You want to monitor what they’re doing for their safety and the safety of others.”
She said owning a pet is a privilege and not a right. Sowle said it’s an owner's responsibility to first provide the basics of food, water, appropriate shelter, medical care, and exercise.
Also, she talked about the importance of keeping the pet properly contained or risk the consequences.
“Dog bites are horrifying and having your dog hurt, that’s happened to mine twice, so it’s really upsetting and it’s expensive and it’s traumatizing," she said.
The department’s latest data for March 2023 shows dog bites reported in Detroit increased slightly for the months of January, February, and March 2023 compared to the same timeframe over the previous three years.
“We come out. We do a dog bite investigation. Whether it's a dog on human, or a dog on dog bite, which we do a lot of those, we come out. We do an investigation on the victim. We do an investigation on the owner of the dog," Sowle explained.
The animal control director said the dog is usually quarantined for rabies, checked medically and a license check occurs, along with a citation issued to the owner. However, in Prior and Topolewski's case, the dog's owner remains elusive. They want answers.
Prior said, "I mean, we would honestly love to find this person. This person needs to take responsibility for the actions of her dog."
If you have any animal control issues in the city of Detroit or know about these incidents, call 313-922-DOGS.
