Carlizze Brashears, age 11, is on the mend. He’s again at school however, talking solely to News4, his grandmother mentioned he nonetheless wants painful rabies photographs.
He was using a motorbike in an alley in Northeast D.C. when two canine viciously attacked him.
Daily within the District, a mean of two individuals are bitten by canine.
Since October 2023, the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) has documented 855 circumstances of canine biting individuals. Most of the bites are minor, however some are so vicious the homeowners voluntarily give up the canine, or the animals are seized. It’s a course of investigators say comes with lots of purple tape.
An investigation into the canine that bit Carlizze remains to be open, mentioned Kate Meghji, chief working officer of HRA, which investigates canine assaults in D.C.
“We’re following some leads however we now have not positioned the canine but,” she mentioned.
Some canine assault circumstances contain canine biting their homeowners or going after supply drivers and postal staff. In some circumstances, the assaults are random and may be tough to analyze, she mentioned.
“Continuously it’s a misplaced trigger as a result of by the point we get there, the animal will not be there, and if we can not establish who the animal is or who the proprietor is, it makes it actually difficult,” Meghji mentioned.
Over the previous yr, 87 canine had been surrendered and euthanized. 9 had been seized by investigators. Of these, 4 had been euthanized.
Yearly on common, as many as 25 to 40 canine are labeled harmful, HRA mentioned.
As of Jan. 1, 2025, all canine chunk investigations in D.C. might be dealt with by the Brandywine Valley SPCA. HRA mentioned it’s getting out of the enterprise of investigating harmful canine partly due to the authorized challenges in seizing and euthanizing these which have been deemed a menace to animals or individuals. The Division of Well being makes the ultimate determination.
“Between our advice to the District and once we get approval for euthanasia could be very inconsistent,” Meghji mentioned.
Which means HRA has to look after harmful canine whereas they await the well being division.
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Three individuals had been bitten by three canine operating free on thirteenth Avenue SE final Might. All of them wanted medical consideration.
“We impounded and held one of many canine when it was caught, and the opposite two within the residence had been surrendered by the proprietor and humanely euthanized because of their involvement within the incident,” Meghji mentioned.
