Dog owner fights to save the dog that attacked her mother
By Andrew Capasso
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TUCSON, Arizona (KVOA) — A Tucson dog owner is fighting to keep her pet alive after the dog was placed on a euthanasia list nearly a year ago following an attack on a family member.
The dog, named Sergeant Snuggles, is an Anatolian Shepherd. Both the dog’s owner and the person who was attacked say the dog made a mistake.
“The breeder said he was great with kids – he was nine months old at the time we got him,” Jennifer Evancho said.
Evancho wanted two dogs to protect her chickens. She found Snuggles in Queen Creek when he was nine months old.
“Kids loved to snuggle with him. Like a couple of weeks later, they called him Snuggles because he loves to snuggle with him,” Evancho said.
Last October, Evancho says her other Anatolian dog was in heat and Snuggles wasn’t fixed yet, so they’d kept him tied up. She says coyotes were out, dogs were barking and Snuggles was agitated.
“It was just the perfect storm. Everything went wrong for poor Snuggles,” Evancho said.
When Evancho’s mother went out to the trash and tried to go back in the house, the situation escalated. “She tapped him on the back of the head. He freaked out,” Evancho said.
Animal control records show Snuggles bit Evancho’s mother on the arm, the groin and the face. Officers wrote they found a chunk of her scalp in the yard with hair still attached.
“It was an isolated event. He was provoked. It’s not like he’ll never be put in that situation again,” Evancho said.
At the time, the report shows Evancho’s mother said she wouldn’t go back to the house as long as Snuggles was there. Now, Evancho’s lawyer says she doesn’t feel that way anymore.
“The person who is injured here is not advocating for this dog’s destruction. In fact, she is opposed to this dog’s destruction,” the lawyer said.
Evancho is now appealing the order to put Snuggles down. She’s taken the county and the city of Tucson to court twice, appealing the city court decision and now suing in federal court.
“He’s like my dogs are like my babies. They’re kids to me. They always have been. I love snuggles and I feel like this is my fault for, you know, for it happening. Like it never should have happened,” Evancho said.
Because of the court process, Pima County Animal Care Center says its hands are tied and the dog has to stay in the kennel. In a statement, Pima County called the attack near fatal and says the nature of the injuries the dog inflicted are so horrific and serious, the county agrees with the court’s decision to put Snuggles down.
The county released a statement from Pima County Animal Care Center Director Steve Kozachik:
“Last October, a near-fatal incident occurred in which a 110-pound dog affectionately named Snuggles mauled a family member of its owner in the backyard of their home. The victim suffered severe injuries to her face, scalp, arms, and groin. A large part of the side of her face was torn open. Animal Protection Services Officers later found a portion of her scalp in the yard after being contacted by emergency first responders. The victim was transported to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery to repair her wounds. During the investigation, Pima Animal Care Center impounded the animal, which is standard practice when an animal attack results in serious injuries. Our officers noted the dog had been illegally tethered outside at the time of the attack.
“In the legal proceedings that followed, a Tucson City court magistrate declared the dog to be a danger to the public and ordered that it be euthanized. While that is not an outcome anyone at PACC hopes for, in cases such as this we all recognize the decision is consistent with our public safety responsibility. We understand the family’s affection for the dog and its desire to see him returned to them, but the nature of the injuries the dog inflicted are so horrific and serious, PACC agrees with the decision of the court. We believe this dog is dangerous.”
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