Enforcement Commission Examines Two Pit Bull Attack Cases Tonight

The Commission is mandated to hear cases of this type and to decide on a remedial course of action – including possible euthanasia of dogs – to prevent injuries to other potential victims of the attacks.

The October, 2016 and January, 2017 cases – each of which involved at least two dogs – have been discussed before in public meetings of the Commission, the last one last April 6. The earlier case is on is on appeal.

The first attack occurred on October 3, 2016, when a 10-year-old neutered pit bull terrier named “Budman” reportedly jumped on a U.S. Postal Service employee and bit him in the abdomen area as the victim was delivering mail to a resident at 1595 Rose Villa Street in Pasadena.

The second happened on January 6 when an adult pit bull terrier, named “Blu-Blu,” reportedly attacked a man as he was walking with a child in the area of Montana Street and El Sereno Avenue. According to a Pasadena Humane Society report, Blu-Blu was with another pit bull, a female named “Violet,” when the attack occurred.

The first incident was complicated by a series of statements from several investigating officers, both from the Pasadena Humane Society and the Pasadena Police Department, that had to be threshed out because it was critical to determine whether the attack on the Postal Service employee happened inside the residence of the dog’s owner, or outside.

The employee had insisted he had stayed outside the door of the residence as he delivered mail and that he was attacked on the porch.

A final report submitted to the Commission during the April 6 hearing said that the October 3 bite incident took place inside the residence “in a manner that was not in violation of the Pasadena Municipal Code.” The report also said there was “insufficient evidence to show that Budman (the pit bull involved) constitutes a public nuisance or is a threat to public safety.”

The determination came about after information from a Pasadena police officer showing that the postal service employee was partially inside the dog owner’s residence, clearing the owner of any violation of the Pasadena Municipal Code.

In the January 6 incident, the Commission has found that Blu-Blu, the male pit bull terrier, to be a public nuisance and has issued an order requiring that the dog be euthanized.

However, the owner had appealed for the second dog, the female Violet, and has been ordered to construct a kennel facility where the dog will be housed, except during times when she is being walked in compliance with Pasadena’s leash law. The order also stated Violet has to be licensed and spayed within a set deadline.

Both dogs in the January incident were unlicensed at the time of the attack.