Knoxville Pit Bull Had Bitten Before

Another On Property Knoxville Pit Bull Attack
Knoxville, TN - In the "dog lawless" realm of Knoxville, it is being reported that the same pit bull involved in a biting incident over the weekend was also involved in a similar incident less than two years ago.

Sandra Rudd suffered three bites to her legs in the attack. She entered her neighbor's gate despite the "beware of dog" sign (which may shatter civil recourse for Rudd). After seeing the news report, a neighbor, Betty Miller, contacted WATE news claiming her grandson, was attacked by the same dog two years ago.

The scenario in both stories is similar. The pit bull was inside its fence and nursing puppies. Miller says her 11-year-old grandson, Zachery, was leaning against the fence talking to another child inside. She said, "As the dog come racing across the property, Zachery come back off the fence and the dog still come up and snapped."

Pictures of Zachery at the hospital show a large cut to the lip and scratches on his nose. His parents filed a lawsuit against the dog's owners, Tawanna and JaJuan Russell. Miller said the case was settled and the dog's owner paid for her grandson's medical bills. Still, with a public park less than a block away, she worries.

"I've seen it [the pit bull] out running loose a lot and I've just been waiting on it to bite somebody else because once a dog bites, it's going to bite again," Miller says. Earlier this week, animal control officers removed the pit bull, but say they're having a difficult time making contact with the owner.

Related article:
04/07/08: North Knoxville Woman Recovering... (see second story)