Hero shields child under attack by dogs
BUTLER TWP — Township police are hailing a city man as a hero after he threw himself atop a child who was being attacked by three dogs Saturday afternoon.
According to police Lt. John Hays, it appears the dog owner’s child entered the house at 100 E. Rockenstein Ave. about 2 p.m. Saturday and failed to lock the porch gate behind him, allowing the dogs to enter the backyard, where the 7-year-old victim was. Upon returning to the yard, the child saw his playmate under attack by the dogs and shouted for help.
Hays said a visitor in the dog owner’s home ran outside, struck out at one of the dogs, then threw himself atop the child who was under attack. The Good Samaritan, identified in court records as John Beck of Butler, was bitten on the biceps as he shielded the youth while several other adults rushed to restrain the dogs. Beck downplayed his actions in subsequent interviews with police, saying anybody would have done the same thing.
“We could only hope anybody would do that,” Hays said.
Beck could not be reached for comment.
The owner of the three adult dogs, one male and two female boxers, will face a dozen charges in district court.
James McLaughlin, 49, received four citations for each of the three dogs accused of the attack. His charges are no dog license, no rabies shot, failure to confine an animal and harboring a dangerous dog. The citations were filed Wednesday by township police with District Judge Kevin P. O’Donnell.
The dogs are under quarantine at McLaughlin’s home for 10 days to check for rabies and must be under his control when they’re outside, said Hays.
The child was taken to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he underwent surgery for injuries to his thigh, received sutures in his jaw and was treated for a puncture wound, presumably from one of the dogs’ teeth, in his left eyelid, according to police.
“We might have had barking complaints but we’ve never had complaints about aggressive dogs there,” Hays said.
“To have three dogs allegedly go after a child, we don’t have something like that happen very often.”
He said the incident was not immediately reported to police, and it was only after those involved told hospital staff what had happened that township police were notified.
Under Pennsylvania’s dangerous dog statute, if a dog has never bitten before, a severely injured victim can make a dog law claim against the dog owner for medical expenses and all other losses and legal damages, but the person must prove the dog inflicted severe injury without provocation. If the victim’s injury is not judged severe, he or she can still make a claim, but is limited to only the medical expenses.
A victim also can recover full compensation if the dog previously bit another person without justification or indicated a tendency to do so.
