Owner Charged with Animal Cruelty After Loose Dogs Kill Chained Dog
Loose Dangerous BullysLeesburg, GA - A Lee County man will appear in court September 9th after being charged with three counts of animal cruelty when his two American bulldogs mauled another dog to death. Ronald Bence said it was an accident that his dogs got out. He said his two dogs escaped the electric fence and gated yard when the gate was accidentally left open by one of his children.
The dogs (3-years old and 6-months old) followed a cyclist nearly three blocks and ended up in the Fenstermaker's backyard. The Fenstermaker's chained Australian shepherd, Clifford, ended up in a fight with the 6-month old bulldog. Then the older bulldog jumped in, killing Clifford. Bence is charged with three counts of animal cruelty, one for his dogs killing Clifford and two more for allowing his dogs to roam.
Leesburg City Council is now talking about tougher laws for pet owners. They've asked the city attorney to explore additions to the city's leash law that might toughen the penalties violators receive. They're also checking with other cities and counties to see what their laws are. DogsBite.org has recorded two areas in Georgia with breed-specific laws:
Floyd County and
Lawrenceville.
Last year in Michigan, a pack of 4-5 loose American bulldogs attacked and killed 2 people: Cheryl Harper and Edward Gierlach. Both attacks were so violent and happened in such a short time span that authorities could not determine which victim had been attacked first. The dog owner, Diane Cockrell recently plead No Contest to felony charges laid against her.Related articles:08/28/08:
Criminal Charges Filed After Rottweiler Kills Bear Cub08/20/08:
Cockrell Pleads No Contest in Double Fatal Livingston Mauling
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