nothin Dog Bites Alder; Will Alders Bite Back? | New Haven Independent

Dog Bites Alder; Will Alders Bite Back?

Markeshia Ricks Photo

Brenda Foskey-Cyrus: alder and two-time dog bite survivor.

Newhallville Alder Brenda Foskey Cyrus had surgery on a Thursday, returned home on a Friday and was bitten by a dog on Saturday.

She wasn’t bitten by a pit bull, which is the kind of dog that mauled and killed New Haven native Jocelyn Winfrey last year. She was attacked she said by a Shar Pei, known mostly for its distinctive wrinkly skin.

Foskey-Cyrus said last Saturday was not her first encounter with her neighbor’s dog. It was her third. On the last two occasions she was bitten. During this incident last week, she was simply standing outside when the dog bolted from her neighbor’s home. The dog’s owner told her to stand still.

Foskey-Cyrus recalled that story as she and her legislative colleagues met at City Hall Tuesday night a workshop held to drum up ideas and best practices to deal with the problem of dog bites, vicious dogs and the responsibility of owners and the city.

I did stand still, but this dog was really biting me,” she recalled at the workshop, held by the Board of Alders Public Safety Committee.

Foskey-Cyrus said her first instinct wasn’t to call the police. It was to call for medical attention. But police did ultimately respond. The owner claimed that the dog had had its required shots. But police refused to take her word when she couldn’t produce paperwork that proved her claims, Foskey-Cyrus said.

The dog turned out to not have had its shots and was ultimately quarantined for the requisite 14 days to make sure there were no signs of rabies and then returned to its owner.

Foskey-Cyrus said that isn’t enough to make her feel safe that she won’t be bitten by her neighbor’s dog again.

Archie Generoso: The court decides.

Assistant Police Chief Archie” Generoso told Foskey-Cyrus that criminal and civil penalties can be pursued against the owner. The state’s attorney would decide whether to pursue criminal penalties. Generoso said while the police officer has no discretion to decide anything about the dog beyond the quarantine, the courts can make a decision.

You do have the right to take civil action against this person,” he said.

Foskey-Cyrus now has paperwork that requires the owner to keep the dog muzzled on walks. But given that she has been attacked when the dog bolts out of the house, it doesn’t make her feel confident that it won’t happen again.

The alder and other victims of dog bites and attacks could one day have a new ordinance that increases the responsibilities and maybe even the fines for owners. Already, a new protocol is being put into place to guide how the city responds to animal attacks and rescues.

The committee is sending the findings from its workshops to Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker with the recommendation that the Legislation Committee be tasked with making some changes to city’s animal ordinance. Possible changes include increased fines for owners whose animal attacks and mandatory training for animals involved in such incidents.

Chief John Alston Jr.: All-hands response.

Fire Chief John Alston Jr., along with Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) Director Michael Briscoe, Deputy Director George Peet and Assistant Police Chief Generoso presented a draft standard operating procedure policy during the public safety meeting. The draft outlines what will happen in the city when there is a 911 call for an animal attack or animal rescue.

The main takeaways are that such calls will be treated as Priority 1 for response. Firefighters, police and emergency medical respond in tandem. Firefighters will wear their structural firefighting gear and once the scene is secure, they will approach. Police officers will be responsible for securing the scene and handle animal control. Prior to Winfrey’s death there was no established protocol on how to dispatch and categorize an animal attack call, or a procedure for response.

Alder Brian Wingate at hearing.

Beaver Hills Alder Brian Wingate, who serves as the Public Safety Committee vice chairman, is pushing for New Haven to adopt language in its animal ordinance that more closely mirrors one that exists in New Britain. It is supported by City Animal Control Officer Joseph Manganiello and Wingate, who witnessed the mauling of Winfrey, said that he believes with a new internal policy for how to respond to animal attacks and perhaps the adoption of a more up-to-date animal control ordinance it might be possible to prevent such tragedies from happening.

Absolutely, there is no magic wand,” he said. But it will be better than what we have, and I’m comfortable with that.”

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