if this were my son, i'd find the dogs and put a bullet in their heads. the dogs were allowed to stay and continue to roam unattended
oh, hell no!
Pit bulls roam free after Hoke attack
By Jennifer Calhoun
Staff writer
RAEFORD — Ten-year-old Austin Trossbach was walking home the morning after a friend’s sleepover in October when a pair of neighborhood pit bulls attacked him, dragged him and left him with 21 puncture wounds.
He was in the Hunter’s Run subdivision near McCain and less than a half-mile away from his house.
At 59 pounds, Austin’s slaps and punches were no match for the dogs, but he managed to escape by limping onto another neighbor’s porch and ringing the door bell.
If it were a person who attacked him, the law might view the attack as criminal.
But, as it stands now in Hoke County — one of the fastest growing counties in the state — Austin’s attackers are allowed to roam free.
But things could be changing soon.
Tonight, the county’s Board of Commissioners will review an ordinance that could take dangerous dogs off the streets, said County Manager Mike Wood.
The ordinance, which was culled from dog ordinances in other counties, requires that pet owners keep their dogs leashed and/or confined, Wood said.
The ordinance would be enforced by the two employees at the county’s Animal Control unit, Wood said.
Fines could range from confinement of the animal to penalties of more than $3,000, depending on the type of violation.
Commissioners are not expected to vote on the ordinance tonight, but they are expected to discuss it.
Wood said the ordinance came about because of Austin’s attack and several other dog attacks reported by the media around the state.
He also said it seemed a ripe time to consider the ordinance for a county that grew by more than 47 percent between 1990 and 2000 and has a new subdivision popping up every few months.
“We’re beginning to grow,” Wood said. “We’re less rural than before.”
Wood said he expected the public to accept the ordinance, especially because it exempts on-duty hunting dogs.
Similar ordinances brought up over the last 13 years failed to pass, but Wood doubts there will be as much opposition this time.
“Frankly, I think most people will think it’s a good idea,” he said. “It really is simply meant to protect the public. It’s an effort, really, to address some of the issues we’re having in the subdivisions.”
Austin’s parents, Marc and Stephany Trossbach, were shocked when they heard there would be no criminal repercussions for the dogs or their owners.
“There’s just no liability,” Marc Trossbach said. “There’s none.”
Trossbach and his wife are considering filing a civil suit against the dogs’ owners, but they hope an ordinance can be passed so others might not have to suffer what Austin, who is doing well, had to suffer.
Trossbach added: “I don’t think my 6-year-old would have fared so well.”
The Board of Commissioners meets tonight at 7:30 in the Pratt Building, 227 N. Main St., Raeford.
Staff writer Jennifer Calhoun can be reached at
calhounj@fayobserver.com or 486-3595.
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