The Carroll City Council was tasked on Tuesday night with either upholding or reversing a vicious animal designation that was made by the Carroll Police Department after a woman was attacked on May 14. Deb Hannasch told the responding officer, JJ Schreck, she was running at Troy Drive and High Ridge Road when an Australian Shepherd-Red Heeler mix, owned by Amy Kokenge broke free from its restraints and took her down.
In addition to the bite requiring stitches, Hannasch suffered a hematoma and some injuries to her ribs and elbow. The investigation revealed the dog was current on all shots and had been restrained on a lead in the front yard of the residence, but broke free from its collar when it lunged toward Hannasch. Kokenge apologized to Hannasch and told council members she had already put a process in motion to prevent this from happening again.
An emotional Kokenge shared photos of Charlie (sic) with children and other animals in a variety of social settings and admitted the dog was one that barked a lot. But, she continued to stress the plan for fencing it in or keeping it confined within the residence. Carolyn Siemann said they take this very seriously and she believed the council needed to be consistent when dealing with these tough decisions. Though others had not come forward with
The rest of the council agreed and the decision to affirm the vicious animal designation passed on a unanimous vote. Councilman Mike Kots pointed out that this is not the first hearing they have had in which a quick-release collar has failed. Perhaps, he said, owners should consider using stronger restraints for their pets.
