EVERETT — A Snohomish man is facing a felony charge for the actions of his dog.
Arnoldo Reyes’ dog is accused of attacking a 9-year-old neighbor boy in 2009. Prosecutors allege that Reyes knew or should have known that his pet, a German shepherd mix, was dangerous.
Reyes, 44, has complied with county animal code requirements since the incident but now, more than a year later, he is charged with a crime called dangerous dog attack.
Reyes pleaded not guilty to the rarely used charge on Wednesday in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Prosecutors allege that Reyes’ dog was running loose and chased after the boy, who was on a neighborhood street. The dog bit the boy’s leg. Witnesses said the boy didn’t do anything to provoke the attack.
The child ended up with three serious wounds to his leg that required hospitalization. The bites took skin from the boy’s leg and the wounds extended into muscle, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor John Adcock wrote in court papers.
Investigators later learned that a veterinarian had warned Reyes in 2007 that the dog needed obedience training and without it, the dog likely would bite someone, court papers said. Prosecutors say the dog hadn’t received any training before attacking the boy.
The dog was impounded by county animal control officers. The officers determined that the animal met the definition of a dangerous dog, under the county’s animal code.
To get his dog back, Reyes was required to meet numerous conditions. Those included obtaining $250,000 liability insurance, keeping the animal in a county-inspected kennel and registering the dog with the county.
The Snohomish man did all those things and the dog was returned to him, said Vicki Lubrin, the county’s animal control manager. There’s no indication that the man has gotten rid of the dog, Lubrin said Wednesday. The animal remains registered with the county.
Animal control officers hadn’t received any complaints about the dog prior to the 2009 incident, Lubrin said.
Her office investigates all reported dog bites in the county. They forward the cases to the prosecutor’s office to determine if criminal charges should be filed.
Meanwhile, animal control officers also determine if the dog meets the criteria to be deemed a potential danger or if the canine is dangerous as defined in county codes. That’s determined in large part on the severity of the injuries, Lubrin said. The rules don’t apply to animals that are provoked or if the injured person trespassed onto the property where the dog was kept, according to the code.
Once that determination is made, the owners must meet numerous requirements to keep their animals. Some of those include keeping the dog penned in an approved kennel at all times. If the dog isn’t in a kennel, it must wear a muzzle.
If there are continued violations, the owner can face losing their pets and potentially be charged with a gross misdemeanor.
“We have no free bites in this county,” Lubrin said.
Animal control officers frequently deem dogs as potentially dangerous. Only in serious incidents are dogs declared to be dangerous. In those cases, many owners choose to give up their pets rather than go through the expense of meeting the county’s requirements to keep the animals, Lubrin said.
There are about dozen dangerous dogs registered with the county, she said.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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