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COLUMBUS, Ind. — Bartholomew County’s Animal Control Director Dean Satterfield was bitten Tuesday after trying to detain one of two wandering German shepherds that had been the subject of aggressive dog complaints in the Bethel Village neighborhood.
Satterield was bitten while getting out of his van, investigators said.
Complaints about the two dogs began in the fall of 2021, with residents there saying the two dogs would frequently get out of their fenced in back yard and roam the streets and yards in the Bethel Village neighborhood.
Residents say a toddler had been bitten and a number of pets had been killed. But whenever Bartholomew County Animal Control would investigate, the dogs were discovered back where they belonged, county Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said. Since the animals were not caught in the act, no legal action could be taken, residents said.
But the dogs did not have the same luck Tuesday afternoon.
Satterfield told sheriff deputies one of the dogs bit him without provocation just as he was getting out of his van.
Deputies from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, who were summoned by Satterfield, arrived and captured both dogs. The canines will be held in quarantine for 10 days to ensure they had no disease, Kleinhenz said. After the quarantine is over, a decision will be made on whether the unprovoked bite constitutes a reason to euthanize, the commissioner said.
The owners have been fined previously and now will face more fines. as well as the consequences of Tuesday’s incident, Kleinhenz said.
For the complete story, see Thursday’s Republic.
