A Council Bluffs man is being ordered to pay the veterinary bills for a dog that was attacked by his two pit bulls earlier this month. Authorities say David Still’s dogs escaped from their pen on January 9th and ran some 15 blocks from home. Chief Animal Control Officer Galen Barrett says it was there an 11-year-old boy was inside his fenced yard feeding his "wiener" dog.
Barrett says the female pit bull came through the fence and started to attack the boy’s dachshund. The boy tried to break up the fight and got bitten on both hands. Barrett says that’s when the boy’s second dog, a German Shorthair, came to the rescue.
Barrett says it ended up being the two stray pit bulls attacking the German Shorthair, and "it was probably a good thing the German Shorthair entered the picture. It probably saved both the dachshund and saved at least some further injury to the boy."
Police officers responded to the scene, used a tazer on both pit bulls but it had no effect. The attacking dogs turned on the officers, who shot and killed both pit bulls. The dachshund remains under veterinary care. Still pleaded guilty to two counts of failure to confine a pit bull. Barrett says Still was in compliance with the laws in place for pit bull owners.
The judge suspended fines against Still and ordered him to pay the vet bills. The judge will revisit the issue in a month. In Council Bluffs, a law was passed several years ago outlawing pit bulls. Those who owned the animals at the time were grandfathered in if they met certain criteria. If new pit bull owners want to move into the city, they need to find a new home for their dogs.