THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509170040
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
The puppy looked so cute last Christmas, a bundle of silver-gray fur bounding out of a gift box. The three Sullivan children were thrilled - they had been begging for a dog.
On Friday, their best friend turned into a vicious beast, mauling two of the children and their mother as she rushed to save them.
The boys, Adam, 9, and Andrew, 4, were treated at Virginia Beach General Hospital for serious wounds to the head and neck and released early Saturday morning. Their mom, 34-year-old Angela G. Sullivan, also was treated for gashes on her back and elbow from the dog's snapping jaws.
The dog, a year-old chow named Smokey Bear, was taken to the city's Animal Control shelter, where he will be put down.
``I'm just in shock,'' said Sullivan, recuperating with her children in their Chimney Hill home. ``He has been a wonderful pet. He's been loving.
``I have no idea what happened.''
Animal Control officials said they do not know whether Smokey Bear has rabies or some other condition that caused him to turn vicious. The dog will be held for 10 days of observation, during which any signs of the virus would show up, unless Health Department officials order him to be killed and tested sooner.
Eight cases of rabies have been reported by the City Health Department this year. All have been in raccoons or bats.
Sullivan said Smokey Bear's shots were up to date.
Animal Control Supervisor Steve M. Snyder said that in his 12 years with the department, no cases of rabies have been confirmed in a dog.
And, Snyder said, this is among the most unusual cases of dog attacks he's seen.
``It's fairly uncommon for family pets to attack their owners like that,'' he said. ``Usually the only time a family pet bites someone is if it's a child messing with the dog when it's eating. Most of the time, it's fairly minor. A lot of them aren't even reported.''
Snyder said that of the reports of dog bites he receives each year, most are from chows
A local veterinarian said chows often exhibit aggressive behavior.
``They are so cute as puppies - they're irresistible,'' said Robin A. Knopp, with Animal Emergency Care and Abbey Animal Hospital in Virginia Beach. ``But they are not considered to be a good breed to have around small children.''
Sullivan said she knew of the bad reputation and decided to get rid of two chows she and her husband had when she got pregnant.
But when her children got older and wanted a dog, friends and other chow owners reassured her that chows were very loyal to their families.
They visited a woman who had a chow puppy to sell, and fell in love.
Smokey Bear always has been good with the kids, Sullivan said. But recently he had begun acting more aggressive, snarling at strangers and once cornering her husband's brother.
Sullivan planned to get him neutered soon, which she expected to correct the behavior problems.
Friday, when Sullivan and her kids came home from karate classes and dinner at Burger King, she and one child went in the house. Adam and Andrew stayed in the fenced front yard to play with Smokey Bear.
Soon she heard screaming.
Andrew had bopped the dog playfully on the nose with a balloon he got at dinner. The kids believe that's what set Smokey Bear off.
The dog lunged at Andrew, ripping the skin from the back of the boy's skull.
``My brother was yelling,'' Adam said. ``I was scared.''
Adam leaped between the dog and Andrew, grabbing Smokey Bear's fur and punching at the snapping snout. The dog became more enraged and began biting Adam, tearing away the boy's right cheek, the skin on his nose and the bone that holds his right eye in its socket.
By the time Sullivan got to the front yard, Adam was bleeding heavily, falling to the ground and losing his ability to fend off the dog.
``I never knew a dog could bite like that,'' Sullivan said. ``It was just horrible.''
Sullivan grabbed Adam and carried him toward the house, with Smokey Bear biting at her back and still trying to get at the boy. Somehow, Andrew managed to scramble into the house, too.
When Sullivan closed the door on Smokey Bear, the dog began throwing himself at the house's windows and doors. Sullivan opened a window and screamed for neighbors to help.
They came running.
Sullivan believes it was only Adam's bravery that kept the dog from killing Andrew.
``He saved me,'' Andrew said. ``He's a hero.''
The family still has mixed emotions about the fate of Smokey Bear, who appeared meek and scared Saturday in a cage at the Animal Control shelter.
``I still like him,'' Adam said. ``I'm just a little mad at him.''
``I really feel bad they have to put him to sleep,'' Sullivan said. ``We still love him. But there's nothing we can do. We have to.'' ILLUSTRATION: TAMARA VONINSKI/Staff color photos
Brothers Adam Sullivan, right, and Andrew, left, were bitten by
their family dog Friday. Aaron, foreground, ran for help during the
attack
Smokey Bear, a chow, bit and maimed Angela Sullivan and two of her
sons Friday. The dog has been impounded in a Virginia Beach
shelter.
KEYWORDS: DOGS ACCIDENT GENERAL INJURIES by CNB