"Dog Attacks 6 Year Old;
Judge Does Not Order Euthanization"


June 14, 2007, 11:19 am
www.wkrn.com

A young boy is recovering after being attacked by a dog at a house in Nashville.

The attack happened just weeks before a new law goes into affect with tougher penalties for dog owners whose animals attack.

Six year old Shane and his mother only moved into their house two months ago.

Shane says he walked from his house next door to the neighbor's and by the dog, which was tied up between trees that separated the homes.

He says he had pet the dog before, but this time the dog attacked.

The dog, said to be a pit bull-mix, was owned by a renter at the house next door and tied up by another dog, also owned by the same woman.

The victim is six year old Shane Pasquini, and he is recovering from facial wound suffered in the attack.

The victim’s mother, Victoria Pasquini said, “The doctor said we have to keep him out of the sun. He has some nerve damage andneeds some surgery to get rid of the scars.”

The family's attorney, Michael Rowan, says two inches lower and the dog would have hit the boys' jugular, and this would have been a homicide case instead.

He says new legislation that will take effect in July will make dog owners and property owners more liable for injuries like this.

The current legislation allows the owner “one free bite.” This means that if theowner did not know the dog is dangerous, he could avoid liability.

But the new legislation that kicks in July 1st will take away the one-free bite.

This will mean that the dog owner, if he knew or should have known the dog was dangerous, will be held liable.

Shane says he still likes dogs but not pit bulls.

In court Wednesday the judge did find the dog to be viscous but did not order it to be put down.

Instead, heordered that the dog be confined to a pre-approved pen.

Needless to say, the Pasquinis are not happy, and a civil suit is expected to follow.