The attacks occurred on Bell Street in Hampton, Virginia late in the morning; a mail carrier was reportedly attacked by the two dogs after they escaped from the front door. The carrier was sent to the hospital for “severe tendon injuries in her arm.” Another person was allegedly injured with twenty puncture wounds in her arm. A police officer and an animal control official were also bitten after they arrived on the scene. A police officer was forced to shoot and kill one of the dogs.
The dogs have attacked before, according to a police report.
As a dog bite attorney based in Norfolk, Virginia, I am sickened to hear of this terrible attack—and it is terrible to learn that these dogs may have attacked before and yet the owner did not evidently take the necessary precautions to ensure they would not do it again. Dog owners have a responsibility to secure their pets from harming any other animal or human, and that responsibility goes double when the dogs have a history of being vicious or aggressive.
