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The attack was ongoing until Greene County Sheriff's Reserve Deputy Jeffery Payton arrived on the scene and shot and killed the dog.
Rhonda Patton, the victim, received emergency medical treatment by personnel from the Greene County Ambulance Service then was transported to Bloomington Hospital.
As of mid-day Monday, Patton's condition was listed as "fair." According to a hospital spokesperson, fair condition indicates the patient's vital signs are stable but the patient is uncomfortable with minor complications.
Greene County Sheriff's Deputy Terry L. Wade said as a result of this attack, Patton received numerous punctures and bites on her arms, legs, left side of her head and her back.
Wade, who is investigating the incident, said he was able to interview Patton in the hospital Sunday.
Patton was apparently walking toward a neighbor's house when she was met by three dogs and attacked.
The attack occurred on the neighbor's property, owned by Charles Mulvey on Route 2, Solsberry, in Woodview Hills addition north of Timber Trace addition off State Road 45. County Road 375N leads from the highway into the Woodview Hills area.
Wade said Mulvey owned two of the three dogs on the property, a Great Dane and a mixed breed.
But the pit bull dog which was attacking the woman when the officer arrived was owned by Brandon Artis who also resides on the Mulvey property.
Wade said he was first told the attacking dog was a bull mastiff mixed breed but according to veterinary records, the breed of the dog was pit bull.
Veterinary records also indicated the pit bull was current on all vaccinations including rabies.
The two dog owners were reportedly inside the residence when the attack occurred.
Greene County Sheriff's dispatchers received the call for help at 10:19 a.m. from another neighbor who lives across the street from the Mulvey property. She said she heard the woman's screams for help and called 911.
When officers responded, Deputy Payton, who lives in the area, was closest to the scene and was first to arrive.
Wade said when the deputy arrived, the one dog was actively attacking the victim and the other two dogs were nearby.
The report states Payton shouted at the dogs in an attempt to scare them away from the victim, but then the one dog turned and became aggressive toward the officer.
The officer then fired one round from a weapon, striking and killing the animal owned by Artis. The other two dogs, owned by Mulvey, then retreated from the area and the ambulance service was called to get medical assistance for the victim.
Center Township Fire & Rescue also responded to assist on the scene.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing but could be completed late Monday.
Wade said as soon as the investigation wraps up, the information will be forwarded to the Greene County Prosecutor's Office for review regarding potential criminal charges.
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I am very sure the Comcast cable guy had a close call with these same group of dogs.
I get conflicting reports on whither there is a leash law in the County, it depends on who you talk to, one source says there is, another says they can not enforce it if it exists. it is a confusing situation that needs to be straightened out.
To bad a situation like this has to happen before the powers in charge scratch their brain locations and decide to enforce laws if they exist, or create them to protect the people from these situations.
I thought that it depends on the town what the leash laws are.
I thought that it was state wide for the leash law. Greene county just isn't very good about enforcing animal laws.
There is a county leash law just the police are so under manned and under budgeted that leash law takes a back seat.
Why do people insist on owning large aggresive dogs....? If you feel that you must own a dog similar to Cujo, KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL.
I hope the woman is doing well, it had to be scary for her! I hope these men receive some punishment for what their dogs have done, just think had it been a small child
I hope Mrs Patton heals quickly from her injuries and has no fear of dogs. Most are good pets but the known overly aggressive dogs should always be kept under tight control.
Dog bites are horrible to go through. A Rottweiler had my hand completely inside its mouth in an instant once, I will have the scars forever.
Im with MAY05, if it had been a small child these dogs would have killed the child. Im wondering why was this lady on the neighbors property anyway?? Did she know he had these violent dogs? Whatever the case was, she must have been terrified! I hope she is doing well, but Im sure this experiance will be with her for the rest of her life. I can not even imagine what she went through. This lady needs our prayers for a speedy recovery. God be with her in her days ahead.
if you make a dog mean then keep it on a leash and post signs! I have 3 pitbulls and I have 2 on a long cable where they can get exercise and i have a sign warning of pitbulls in my yard. I have one in the house and he is a BIG BABY!!! its how you raise them. Im more scared of the little dogs than the big dogs. they seem more vicious. if you have a mean dog, KEEP IT LEASHED!i would freak if my dogs got loose just because of the leash law
Yes, there is a State Leash law, I was called to the prosecutor because a neighbor complained of my dog. I was told by the prosecutor he must talk to me when they receive a complaint, if another complaint would be called in on my dog they would then press charges. he said it was a state law and included all residence, rural, and city. It does take a complaint with the prosecutors office our county officers have more to do than look for the owners of dogs trapsing around...
"Why do people insist on owning large, aggressive dogs"? Um, because this is America, that's why? I think the bigger question should be "Why do people own large dogs, but don't train them properly?" Please remember that there are no bad dogs, but bad owners...do your research before buying any dog, to make sure you are going to be responsible for it and know what you are getting into. ANY dog can be aggressive; chihuahuas can be every bit as vicious as any large dog...it's knowing how to train that dog and control that dog. It's also a matter of respecting other people's property...why was the victim in this dog's territory? That said, I wish the victim well, a VERY speedy recovery, and I hope the owners of the dog have learned a valuable lesson here...fences, control of your dog, and training.
If Greene County was up to being legal, they should have an animal control board of sorts that investigates animal complaints and polices animal shelters, breeders and so on but our county counsel shot that down and burried it because their buddies run puppy mills and breeding stations. The animal control board would also make sure laws are inforced and fine people when they are not. This is why we can not keep anyone involved with the animal rescues or shelters. They are expected to do something about this stuff but have no power, no backing, no money. Wonder if this was one of their grandchildren or maybe their mother they might think twice about how animal laws are enforced in Greene County? There are only bad owners, not bad dogs. We create these animals to be the way they are.
whatsupingreenecounty, what was the IC code for the state law? Only item I could find concerns "stray" dogs which can be legally defined as a dog who strays from its owner's property unrestrained.
"The bill provides that an owner of a dog commits a Class C infraction if the owner of the dog allows the dog to stray beyond the owner's premises, unless the dog is under the reasonable control of an individual or the dog is engaged in lawful hunting and accompanied by the owner or a custodian of the dog."
http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2007...
The only other true leash law I could find involved hybrid dogs (coywolf etc) and for animals taken onto DNR properties.
It's a good thing peanut338 and others can hide behind their user names, else our prosecutor's office would be overrun with lawsuits of libel and slander. You can't toss out accusations at people in the real world without paying a price. Common sense should tell you not to do so here.
I have a pit bull and she is very gentle it's all in how they are raised, people need to take better care of there dogs because the dog is the one that gets killed if they want to go out side thats fine but put it on a chain don't let it run free. not all dogs are mean, I had a cat that was an indoor / outdoor cat and someone gave her antifreeze it cost me over $500.00 to save her but it was my fault even though the law says that as long as they are fixed and have tags they can go where ever they want to, I now keep my cats in the house only let them out when Im out. So Please chain up your dogs..
This is just my opinion, and I'm sure I will hear about it, but I'll say it anyways.... The only good pitbull is a DEAD one.........
most big dogs are very loveable. more people get bit by little dogs than big dogs but you never hear about that. I have both a big dog mastiff (125 lbs) which is very loveable and a little dog that is mean. (2 lbs of pure mean)
any dog can be made to be mean. Big dogs get a bad rap.wikipedia.org is not a reliable source.
I hope and pray that the person bit will make a full recovery.
If you have ever had a pit bull you will know they are very smart dogs and only mean if the owners have made them that way.
pit bull are primarily bred to be agressive. If you own one you should know they are geneticly incline to be violent. you can raise them to be passive, but they still have that agressive disposition. why own a dog if you have to chain it up. it like sending your kid to prison when they are born. never could figure the logic out on it.alot of people own these dogs because they have litttle control over their lives, so they get an animal they attempt to control.. you see them in the store poor as dirt with 3 50 pound bags of dog food in their cart, and a half a dozen snotty nosed kids begging for a sucker. get rid of the dog and get a life.
Actually pit bulls are genetically inclined to be loyal dogs. They get a bad reputation from uninformed people. Blame the deed not the breed.
I encourage anyone who is uneducated about the breed to do some research.
Undergroundcoalminer, you are entitled to your opinion but I love my loyal smart GOOD pitbull!
Well said, bfman.
Well, when we get our "hard facts" from Wikipedia.org, it's hard to argue...
So called "pit bulls" (American Staffordshire Terriers, actually) were indeed USED for fighting; however, they were bred to be loyal guardians. German Shepherd Dogs were used for police dogs, guard dogs, etc. Following your logic, those should be eliminated as well. And, yes, the bulldog (also known to some as the English Bulldog), that loveable dog, was the foundation for many breeds, including the Pit Bull. Before they were bred to look like they do now, they were in fact very aggressive...BULLdogs were used for BULL fighting. So, let's kill off the German Shepherds, the Bulldogs, the "Pit Bulls"...good plan. And when looking into "sources", let's look at some that aren't, shall we say, so "prejudicial"...dogbitelaw.com? Really? That's like citing the antigun lobby for gun death statistics...
No need to hide behind a username for me...Trish Whitaker, age 34, Linton here...and I will debate "anti dog" till I'm blue in the face...there are no bad dogs...
I totally agree with the thought that its more about the dog owners than the dogs. You can tell if your dog is aggressive or not. For example, that dog in Powells Marine is one of the most aggressive dogs i have ever been around and it weighs like 4 or 5 pounds!
rjeane, you're right about wikipedia. I could create a page in wikipedia about Greene County and insert completely false information. Until someone challenges the editors (and proves me wrong), the users of wikipedia will swear the information is as true as the gospel.
pisces: I was at the hospital to visit Ronda today. they were working on her wounds they have to be dressed at least once a day. and after that they had her scheduled for 2 more units of blood.
no bad dogs???
I would hate to see anybody go through this and hope you never do.
Ronda has bites rips and tears over 90% of her body and if the weather had been warmer she probably would not be here on earth. I have seen war wounds that were not any worse and not covering as much of the body. so do not tell her that there are no bad dogs. besides the dog has a reputation of being aggressive just as the comcast cable guy.
The problem with Wikipedia is that anyone can post an article with no regard to fact. I could post an article right now that Barack Obama was just named the new principal of Linton Stockton High School...there is no one to check that article for truth or fact.
What that dog did to the victim was horrible; I did not deny that, nor did I try to minimize the horrible attack. What I tried to submit, or convey, was that what happened here was a result of negligence and irresponsibility on the part of the owner. Had that dog been trained and controlled, this might not have happened. The fact that this has been a problem in the past shows that this owner (who, bfman, only owned this particular dog, not the other two that retreated and did not attack) should never have been sold this type of dog. Banning breeds is not the answer; I wonder how many of you are in favor of the 2nd Amendment? Is banning guns the answer to solving crimes? I say again, the other two dogs did not attack, but instead retreated...they
were owned by someone else.
My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victim for a speedy recovery...on that I think we can all agree.
My opinion is my opinion; your opinions are yours, and that is why this is a great country and a great forum on this site. I don't think I will continue to post about this story...this woman needs positive thoughts here, and I don't think this debate is promoting positive energy.
Trish Whitaker, Linton
I meant to include this link in my post above; sorry!
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/edi...
"pisces: Not sure were you get your facts from but, not everyone can submit an article to be posted on wikipedia.
Wikipedia has more then 7 billion articles that are all screened throughly with resources and references that have to be linked." posted by bfman
bfman, if you google wikipedia, this is the first result: WikipediaWikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
www.wikipedia.org/
That anyone can edit...
Trish Whitaker
Again, bfman, well said.
Didn't the news story state that the woman was on private property? I'm sorry that this lady got mauled, but, if she WAS on the property where the dogs lived, then they do not have to be leashed. Was the yard fenced, & did she go through a gate to get into the yard? The fact that they are not "well behaved" indicates that the owner(s) & dog(s) both need obedience lessons, whic includes socialization with strangers. If the dog owner(s) knew that they were going to receive company, then they shold have leashed their dog or penned it in some type of kennel. Even Police dogs are kept away from the public except in instances where they are garnering publicity at schools, etc. And their "handler" is close by....
I agree with easternmom...if you sit around and beat your bigger dog breeds that are ment to be aggresive to death to make it mean, then its going to be a mean dog no doubt about it. Thats just the way it goes. Thats how they protect theirselves is the aggresiveness that they would show. But i had a rottweiler and he was 6 years old and the BIGGEST BABY you would ever see. And thats all because I didnt treat him like crap to make him a mean dog. He was mean when he wanted to be but only when u trespassed on our yard so yeah
LA was not slandering and said nothing about a leash law. Just the entire animal situation in Greene County is appauling. Go to another county in Indiana and you will see the difference. I did animal transports when Greene county is too full and could not accomidate the strays and turn ins at the animal rescues and was always asked by other rescues not to mention to any other shelters at the drop off stations that I was bringing animals from Greene County or they would turn them away. Why do we have that rep?
I am with pices. There are no "bad" breeds of dogs, just bad owners. Pits and certain other breeds of dogs have special training and socialization needs. I love pit bulls and I have owned several over my lifetime. I have yet to meet a bad one. For the most part, pits make good family dogs and are very loving and friendly. Owners just need to step up and make sure they are providing for their dogs training needs. And for goodness sakes, please keep them confined! That is everyone's responsiblity!
She knows why she was on their property. She knows she shouldn't have been doing it. Had she not been there, she wouldn't have gotten bit.