This is the first I'm hearing about this. I'll have to find out where these dogs live. I don't want any dog going after my Fenway.
Owner of akitas pleads not guilty
Candia – The owner of a pair of akitas that police say attacked two dogs, killing one, pleaded not guilty in Auburn District Court yesterday.
"Based on the severity of the situation, we though it was best to deal with it in court," Police Chief Michael McGillen said of the department's decision to bring charges against Robert Lucas of failure to secure a canine.
Judith Neville of 24 Merrill Road had just put her Shih Tzu Riley on his run Oct. 6 when she saw the two akitas on her property. Lucas lives at 104 Horizon Lane, not far from Neville's home.
"I turned around and was walking away when I heard a yelp," Neville said yesterday. "The two big dogs had him. I went over and got him away. He was injured very badly."
Judith Neville of Candia said she had just put her Shih Tzu Riley on his run when two akitas launched a fatal attack on the dog.
The tiny dog received severe chest injuries and was taken to the nearby Cand-Ray Kennels animal clinic before being rushed to a Manchester animal hospital.
The 6-year-old dog died on the operating table, Neville said.
Neville said she has no ill will against the Lucas family, adding that they paid the veterinarian bills of more than $1,000. But she said she worries what might happen if the akitas get loose again.
"The dogs had never been a problem before," she said. "People have even asked me if I want them put down ... but Riley was like a part of our family, and I don't want anyone to have to go through that loss. But, I mean, what if there's a toddler in someone's yard next time?"
Soon after the Oct. 6 attack, Karen Blackman of 84 Horizon Lane -- just down the street from Lucas -- reported to police that two akitas were at her property attacking her dog.
Blackman's dog survived the attack and required two stitches, McGillen said.
According to online sources, the akita breed is of Japanese origin; some specimens can weigh in at more than 100 pounds. A Wikipedia entry on the breed states that they are "a dominant dog (that) expects other dogs to be submissive."
McGillen said Lucas' akitas remain at their owners' residence. The dogs were checked out by animal control after the attack; both were found to have all the required immunizations, he said.
McGillen said the dogs had not come to police attention before the recent attacks, although Lucas had reported someone else's dog running loose.
If found guilty, Lucas could be made to pay restitution or other penalties. His trial date is pending.
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12/02
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