PITTSBURGH -- On a South Side Pittsburgh street lives a pit bull named Goliath. His owner doesn't dispute that Goliath has attacked people in the neighborhood.
The police have been there. Animal Control has been there. Citations have been written. And yet, the dog attacked again two Saturdays ago.
Neighbors say they're frustrated and tired of waiting for action. Team 4 has learned they don't have to wait, and neither do you. You can take the law into your own hands, legally.
The following is a transcript of a report by Jim Parsons that first aired March 30, 2009, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.
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Watch Jim Parsons' ReportWhat would you do if you were minding your own business and a dog like this guy got loose? It has happened to letter carrier Dustin DeVault twice. Both times, it was the same dog on Devlin Street in Pittsburgh.
DeVault: "It's like a chainsaw coming after you. You know what I mean? I mean, you can just tell in the dog's bark that he wants to take a chunk out of you."
It did take a chunk out of Dustin last September.
DeVault: "He got my thumb here pretty good."
And attacked him again three weeks ago.
DeVault: "We notified Animal Control. The police were informed, and also the Health Department."
Pittsburgh Animal Control issued citations to the owner, Bill Maglieri, on top of the citations issued to him for previous incidents in the city, as well as Carnegie.
Maglieri admitted to Team 4 on the phone that his pit bull, Goliath, has attacked three times since last July on Devlin Street on the South Side.
Dean Brown: "The people that he has attacked are all young adults that were able to defend themselves. If he is able to get out and attack a young child or an elderly person, I don't even want to think about what the results will be."
Brown also lives on Devlin Street and he has been complaining to officials for seven months to do something about Goliath.
Brown: "I made several calls to Animal Control, to the mayor's office, to public safety, and nothing was ever done."
Team 4 did the research and it turns out there is a solution for Dean and anyone else with a dangerous dog in their neighborhood. And that solution is as close as your local district court.
Joe Mistick: "You can do it yourself. Make your best case. Try to get that dog declared dangerous."
Team 4 asked Duquesne University law professor Joseph Sabino Mistick to take a look at the "Dangerous Dog" section of Pennsylvania's Agriculture Crimes code, which appeared to us to say that private citizens don't have to wait for animal control officers or police in order to go to court.
Mistick: "Any citizen who has an incident with a dangerous or vicious dog can walk into the magistrate's office. In fact, someone on that citizen's behalf can walk into any magistrate's office within that jurisdiction and file a summary complaint without the approval of the district attorney being necessary."
Once a dog is declared dangerous by the courts, its owner has to pay an annual registration fee of $500, get an insurance policy worth $50,000 and take steps to make sure the dog never gets loose again.
Steve Stoeher, Pa. dog warden: "It has to be in a fenced-in area that has a roof over it. The fence has to be buried 2 feet underground or have a cement floor, or it can be contained within the home. The dog is never to be outside of those two areas without being on a leash, without being muzzled and without adult supervision."
But the numbers of registered dangerous dogs are low.
- In Allegheny County: Only one dog since January 2007.
- Going back to 1998: 24 Allegheny County dogs have been registered as dangerous and are still alive.
- In Westmoreland County: No dangerous dogs are registered.
- Washington County: 1.
- Butler County: 4.
- Beaver County: 3.
The state dog warden speculates that most owners are euthanizing their dangerous dogs rather than registering them.
Stoeher: "You have to be very, very dedicated to your animal to follow this through, but it's definitely possible and workable."
And it's a solution that appeals to Dean Brown on Devlin Street.
Brown: "It's not that I want to see anybody go to jail. It's not that I want to see this dog killed or anything. I just want to see done what's right."
Goliath's owner tells Team 4 he doesn't have the money to pay off the $2,200 in pending citations he has received because of Goliath, and he says he doesn't have the heart to get rid of Goliath, because he's the family pet.
Dean Brown says he's tired of waiting for a tragedy to occur. He intends this week to go to court to have Goliath declared a dangerous dog.
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