| "The whole time I could hear Kalee screaming,"
Hutchinson said. "Once it clamped on her, it didn't let go for about three minutes.
The sound of what was going on is something that I will never forget as long as I
live." It took the efforts of five to six
passersby, including Boris' owner, to help release the dog's jaws from Kalee's head. Hutch
inson said Boris' owner got a broom handle to help pry the dog's mouth open, while three
people pulled the dog away and the others pulled Hutchinson to safety.
"As we approached the house, Kalee indicated to me
that a dog was ahead of us," Hutchinson said. "When we got closer, I heard the
dog barking and then I heard his head hit a board or wood or something like that, and come
right for us."
The dog that attacked is presently at the Ogden Animal
Shelter with a hold on it.
A spokeswoman for shelter said even if the owner agrees
that the animal should be destroyed, which appears to be the case, it will be kept in
quarantine for 10 days.
Hutchinson got only a small scrape on his knuckle, but
Kalee received several cuts to her head and had to have a tube placed behind her left ear
to release fluid pressure.
However, it's not Kalee's physical injuries that worry
Hutchinson.
During their training, guide dogs are taught to be very
docile around other animals. So the psychological effects an attack like this can have on
an animal are often devastating.
"In situations like this, 95 percent of the dogs
involved in an attack can't continue as a service dog," Hutchinson said. "But
based on what I saw and heard, I would say there is a 98 percent chance Kalee won't be
able to continue."
Hutchinson, however, manages to save a glimmer of hope for
his friend.
After Kalee returned from the veterinarian early Monday
morning, Hutchinson said he would give her a couple of days before he tried to take her
out.
"I'll put her back in the harness (today) and see how
she reacts when we go out." he said. "It's a slow process."
In 1995, when Hutchinson and his dog Flash were attacked by
another dog, the trauma of the event forced Flash to be retired. Hutchinson eventually got
another dog, but other attacks occurred.
If Kalee can be retrained, she'll be returned to
Hutchinson. If not, Hutchinson will have to go through the application process to get a
new dog. He said the wait for a dog could take as a long as a year, and he would have to
go through several weeks of training with a new dog.
However, simply getting a new dog isn't as easy as it
sounds. The relationship and trust between a guide dog and its owner takes time -- often
six months to one year -- before they truly become a team. Hutchinson said he doesn't want
to go through the possibility of being attacked again.
"From my viewpoint, if Kalee is found unfit to be a
guide dog, I won't get another dog until I move out of this area. It's just too
hard," he said.
Hutchinson and his wife Christine, who is also blind, said
dog owners need to be more aware of how dangerous their dogs can be. They said tighter
penalties need to be enforced against owners who don't control their animal.
In fact, the couple is pushing members of the Utah State
Senate to introduce legislation that would protect service animals. Part of the bill,
taken from a similar law in California, calls for no more than one year of jail time and a
fine of up to $5,000.
The law would also require the attacking dog to be
destroyed and the owner of the animal to pay for a new dog, which can cost between $35,000
and $55,000
"The only way owners will really learn is if they pay
out of the pocket," Hutchinson said.
"These dogs are our vehicles; they are our eyes,"
Christine Hutchinson said. "We should be able to walk down the street without having
to be worried about getting attacked by a loose animal."
"The worst part about all this is that it took two
years for Kalee to be trained and only three minutes to destroy all of that," Tom
Hutchinson said.
You can reach reporter Joey Haws at 625-4231 or by e-mail
at jhaws@standard.net. |
