A woman has been released from the hospital following being mauled by four American bulldogs Sunday night, according to Wilcox Hospital. The 37-year-old Lihu‘e woman had attempted to intervene in a fight that broke out among the dogs, and was
A woman has been released from the hospital following being mauled by four American bulldogs Sunday night, according to Wilcox Hospital.
The 37-year-old Lihu‘e woman had attempted to intervene in a fight that broke out among the dogs, and was subsequently mauled when the dogs turned on her.
The dogs have since been euthanized, Dr. Becky Rhoades, executive director of the Humane Society, said yesterday.
The dogs had started off that evening playing on the woman’s property, a nightly routine, when things escalated, Rhoades said.
“It’s a very dangerous thing to break up with hands,” she said. “ A lot of times that’s when people get bitten.”
Breaking up a fight is best done with a loop leash or water hose, she added.
The woman who initially attempted to break up the fight, Akemi Sampei, suffered the worse of the attack and was bitten several times on her hands, arms and thighs, according to police.
Sampei’s 45-year-old boyfriend, Robert Nagao, rushed out to Sampei’s aid upon hearing the attack, and also was attacked, Rhoades said.
Nagao was released Sunday night, while the woman remained at the hospital. Sampei was released Tuesday.
Letting dogs run loose in a fenced in property is not against the law, Rhoades said.
Tom Fratinardo, a retired police officer who kennels dogs on the Big Island, said there are a lot of misperceptions about terriers. Fratinardo said American bulldogs, though stocky, are pound for pound stronger than pit bulls, a cousin. The American pit bull terrier, though it has a similar appearance, is much smaller.
Fratinardo said American bulldogs weigh between 75-125 pounds, noting that though there has been popularity in some to breed pit bulls and to fight and thereby give them supplements to make them larger, they typically are smaller than that size.
Fratinardo also said dog owners who feel comfortable with their dogs playing might not necessarily be aware of other factors that could cause altercations such as the one that occurred Sunday night.
“If a dog is in heat or hapai (pregnant), dogs might get upset where they might not otherwise be agitated,” he said.
That’s why the humane society asks that dog owners spay and neuter their animals, Rhoades said.
In addition, Rhoades said it’s important to remember that playful animal behavior can quickly turn.
“Any dog requires a lot of exercise,” she said. “If they’re kept in kennels and only getting out 15 to 20 minutes a night, they go crazy.”
Rhoades said the owners of the four bulldogs were exemplary, however, and that no complaints against the animals had been on record.
“I think this was just a tragic incident,” she said. “Anytime you have more than a couple dogs you can get into a different behavior. Pack mentality can set in with more than one or two dogs.”
• Amanda C. Gregg, assistant editor/staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or agregg@kauaipubco.com
