Guide dog in Wyoming attacked by another dog, illustrates financial ramifications of an injured guide dog

From The Casper Journal in Wyoming:

On her way home through Nancy English Park on the walking path with her guide dog, Diaz (pictured), Cheryl Godley heard a woman yell, “Get back over here!”

“Before I knew it, and I didn’t even see it coming,” Godley said, “this big black dog was on top of Diaz and was just going after him.”

The attack came May 26, weeks after the yellow lab graduated from the school at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, Calif.

The woman calling the attacking dog pulled it away from Diaz by the collar while also holding the collar of another large, brown dog.

Godley asked for her name, but the woman walked away with the two dogs, leaving Godley n who is legally blind - alone with her injured guide. Not feeling any wounds or blood, she walked home with Diaz and called the police and the guide dog school. No one witnessed the attack and any information about the dog and owner remain unknown. Anyone with information about this attack are asked to report it to the police at 235-8278.

“It was terrifying,” Godley said. “My dog getting attacked in some ways felt like an attack on me because he really truly is an extension of me and my eyes, and my safe travel.”

Petting Diaz later at home, “I realized he was wet and I realized that it was blood. It took a while for the blood to seep through his fur where I could feel it.”

She took him to the vet who treated a puncture wound to his head, a tear in his ear and prescribed antibiotics.

Guide dogs are trained to diffuse situations in which another dog approaches in an aggressive manner. “In this case, there was absolutely nothing before the attack,” Godley said, “and those are the scary ones. From the front, the dog jumped on Diaz without any kind of notice, any kind of communication, so there was no opportunity for Diaz to show that he is very passive. That’s frightening.”

Adding to her concern is a study which found that 22 percent of the dog attacks on guide dogs recur on the same dog, by the same attacking dog, Godley said. Even after she knew Diaz would recover physically, she didn’t know if he could still be a safe guide to get her to work the next day, if they would have to return to California for retraining or if she would need another dog.

“We were very fortunate,” Godley said. “It could have been a lot worse.”

“People don’t realize that a dog attacking a guide dog can ruin its career,” Godley said.

In the worst case scenario, the dog is physically or emotionally unable to be a safe guide dog, according to a Brian Frances, a representative of Guide Dogs for the Blind. The cost of replacement is about $65,000.

He cited a survey, conducted by a consumer group called Guide Dog Users Incorporated, which showed that 42 percent of guide dog users have experienced some form of attack, and 89 percent had experienced some form of interference from another dog while using their guide dog on a public walkway.

“Cheryl has been lucky in that Diaz seems to have shaken off this incident,” Francis said, “That’s not always the case.”

Guide Dogs for the Blind is a non-profit organization which provides guide dogs at no cost to the owners. Replacing or retraining a service dog, however, can cost an owner through travel costs and time lost at work.

Godley paid the vet bills and has spent hours on the phone with a trainer from the school, who will visit in Casper to ensure Diaz remains a safe guide dog. Their graduate assistance program covers the costs of this evaluation and Diaz doesn’t require retraining on campus, saving Godley a trip.

Diaz could have grown afraid of his harness, the route or even become aggressive toward other dogs. With a dog so young - he turned two June 30 n and so early in his career, it could have left a lasting negative impression.

Diaz shows a heightened awareness of other dogs now, but otherwise has handled the attack well. Both dog and owner work hard to counter their feelings about the attack. Godley also feels a little more anxious around other dogs now, but overcomes it so that Diaz won’t sense it and react negatively.

“When we talk about teamwork between a guide dog and a blind person, it truly is,” she said. “We feel each other out all the time and that kind of communication becomes very clear between us. I feel him respond through the harness so I can tell when a dog is around. I can feel it in his body and his movement.”

A common effect from an attack is that the guide dog becomes fearful of other dogs. “It may stop working; it may try and avoid the dog,” Francis said, “and potentially put the guide dog user into some danger. It’s pretty severe n those emotional impacts as far as the dog and the person are concerned.”

Any time period between recovery, retraining or replacement means that “the person is losing their primary mobility aid,” Francis said. Sadly, he has seen physical and emotional effects necessitate several guide dogs' early retirement.

“That’s pretty devastating to the guide dog user as you can imagine,” Francis said.

Metro Animal Control and Welfare manager Rick Sulzen remembers another case of a dog attacking a guide dog in about the early 1990s in Washington Park.

Pet owners have a duty to make sure their animals don’t pose a threat to others, according to Sulzen.

“It’s the neighborly thing to do,” he said. “It’s common sense.”

It's also the law. Legally, a person owning or in control of any animal who attacks a service dog is responsible for damages.

Wyoming Statute 35-13-206 states that seriously injuring, killing or disabling a service animal is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $750 fine. It also includes responsibility for the veterinary or medical bills and the cost of retraining or replacing a service animal and “any other expense reasonably incurred as a result of the offense.”

When animals are in public spaces other than a park, they must be under verbal control of the owner, according Sulzen, meaning the dog will obey with one speaking-voice command. If the owner has to yell, the dog is not under verbal control, and should be secured by a leash no longer than ten feet in length per city ordinance.

In 2009, more than 10,000 calls reported animals at large, and Metro handled about 3,000 dogs running at large. The total number of people reported bitten by an animal in 2009 was 268.

According to Section 66.04.100 of the municipal code, it’s unlawful for any domesticated animal to be at large. A dog is deemed "at large" if it is off the premises of the owner and the dog isn’t under restraint or control of the owner. This Casper city law also states that dogs must be under physical restraint in any city park except Morad Park.

Section 6.04.300 of the municipal code prohibits owning or keeping a vicious animal, or any that may manifest a disposition to bite, without having it properly restrained. When off the premises of its owner, it must be caged or muzzled and restrained by a secure collar and leash not to exceed three feet in length.

Prevention is the best answer. Francis recommends all dog owners keep their fences in good order, keep dogs on a leash in public and use a muzzle if the dog has ever tried to bite or attack a person or another dog.

These protective measures are repeated in state and city laws nationwide, he added, including the Casper Municipal Code.

In Francis’ experience, law enforcement officials often don't realize the added significance of an attack on a service dog.

“There are potentially immediate safety issues for the blind person,” Francis said. “Imagine a blind person in the street with their dog; their dog is now injured following a dog attack. They cannot use the dog obviously as a guide dog, the dog needs veterinary treatment. So there should be some immediate action to make sure this person’s safety is OK and that any help required is rendered. This is not just a dog fight.”