Special City Court Judge Patrick Bobo on Thursday found an Akita that bit four people and mauled a Jack Russell terrier to be a Potentially Dangerous Dog.
He did not direct that the dog be surrendered to the McKamey Animal Center, but said owner Charlene Craig can keep her under close watch at her home on Memphis Drive. The dog can come off the PDD designation if there are no further incidents for 18 months.
Ms. Craig said the dog "Bandit" slipped its collar and took off after the next door neighbor's dog in the April 6 incident. She said she now has the collar so it will stay on. Ms. Craig also said the dog is not allowed out unless she is home.
She said he is a member of an Akita rescue group and she kept this one.
The neighbor said she had gone to McKamey two weeks earlier about the dog barking constantly. Ms. Craig said she was not contacted by McKamey on that.
A McKamey officer said she arrived at the scene and found that the owner of the terrier had been bitten along with two of her relatives. Ms. Craig was bleeding as well from a bite. All had been trying to get the Akita off the 15-pound "Scooter."
The officer said, "The dogs were in an altercation. Everybody was trying to break it up."
The neighbor said she had to have hand surgery and her pregnant granddaughter also had painful injuries.
Scooter was in the animal hospital for eight days.
Ms. Howard said the neighbor often lefts Scooter get loose.