Staff Reports
An investigation is continuing into whether a dog that bit a Columbus police officer and was then shot should be designated as “dangerous” by the city, as the dog is also accused of biting a driver delivering a package at the Hawcreek Avenue residence last March.
Nicohl Birdwell-Goodin, Animal Care Services director, said the latest incident on Aug. 5 remains under investigation per policy and once that is concluded, involved parties will be notified.
The Republic made a public records request following the police officer incident which shows the dog, owned by Phillip Walton, 2761 Hawcreek Blvd., reportedly bit a delivery driver at 2:32 p.m. March 30, as the driver approached the home with a package.
According to that report, “the wife was asleep when it happened but the oldest kid said the delivery man was coming up with a package and the dog put its nose in the window that was barely open and the dog opened the window the rest of the way and went after the delivery guy,” biting him in the hand, according to the city’s report.
The dog is described as a white and liver tick pointer/mix, a 4-year-old neutered male dog named Odin or Oden (listed both ways in the report). In a phone interview, Walton told The Republic that the dog was a dachshund mix.
Columbus police said in a news release an officer shot an aggressive dog at the Hawcreek Boulevard address after he was bit in the leg. According to that release, the officer had gone to the residence about juveniles riding a “minibike” and when the parent opened the door, a Pointer-breed dog exited the home and aggressively charged at the officer who was standing outside the house.
The officer kicked at the dog repeatedly in an effort to scare the animal away, however, the dog bit the CPD officer in the leg, police said. The officer fired one round striking the dog, causing the animal to run a short distance away. Moments later, the dog charged at the officer again causing the officer to fire his duty weapon a second time.
According to a Columbus Animal Care Services report, an investigator was sent to the Walton’s home on Aug. 5 about a Columbus police officer being attacked by a dog and the officer shooting the dog.
Officer Zachary Wright told investigators he saw a juvenile “riding a mini-bike” on city streets and followed the juvenile to the 2761 Hawcreek Blvd. address. When the officer approached the door to speak to the mother, as the mother opened the front door, the dog slipped out the door and proceeded to jump on the officer attempting to bite him, the report states. The dog did bite the inside knee area of the officer’s left leg, and a photograph of the bite is included in the report, according to documents provided by the city.
In the report, the dog’s owner is also listed as Cierra Jaggers, who investigators spoke with at Hawcreek Avenue address after the incident.
It was confirmed that this was the second biting incident involving the dog and investigators told Jaggers they would “probably return to issue a violation ticket on the dog biting a person,” which Jaggers told investigators she understood, the report states.
The investigator also explained there could be a hearing on whether “the dog should be declared ‘dangerous’ being that this was a second bite offense,” the report states. Jagger responded that she understood, the report states.
Although Jaggers initially said the dog had not been wounded by the officer, Jaggers called animal control back later saying she believed the dog had been grazed by a bullet. Investigators requested a photo of the wound and that the owners take the dog to a clinic for treatment, according to the report.
A photo was not sent, and when investigators called back to followup, Jaggers told them her husband had taken the dog to an emergency vet clinic in Greenwood, the report states. The investigator again asked for followup photos of the dog’s wound.
Later, Walton called animal control and asked where he could take the dog for treatment as local vets would not accept seeing the dog without payment up front, and saying gunshot wounds were “over their head” and they were not experienced in treating this type of injury, the report states.
Walton told animal control the dog had two wounds, a graze mark and an entry wound in the dog’s rear left leg, but no exit wound, the report states. Animal control directed Walton to take the dog to Columbus Vet Services.
In a later followup on Aug. 6, investigators learned the dog had returned home with stitches, and the bullet was removed from the dog’s leg, which had caused a minor fracture, the report states.
Walton disputed several items in the Columbus police version of the report, saying the children were riding electric scooters without helmets, which he said are not required.
Walton also said the officer discharging his weapon at the dog created a dangerous situation for his children, who were on the porch of the home when the officer fired. Walton did say the officer fired diagonally in the direction of a neighbor’s house at the dog during the incident, not in the direction of the children.
The dog is fully vaccinated, Walton said. He also said the dog has not had obedience training and that he has no plans to give the dog obedience training as the animal is there to protect his family and “he does what he’s supposed to do.” Walton said he is aware of liability issues if his dog bites people.
Columbus City Code defines a “dangerous animal” as “any animal that by its behavior or training constitutes an immediate or serious physical threat to human beings or other domestic animals.”
The ordinance says factors to be considered by the Animal Control Commission about the designation of a “dangerous animal” include:
Circumstances that resulted in any injury or death to persons or animals, or serious destruction of property.
Whether the animal was acting to defend itself, its offspring, persons, territory or property or was in some fashion provoked.
The number, frequency and seriousness of past events causing damage to persons, property or other animals.
The ability of the owner to control the animal, whether the animal has been previously abused and whether the animal’s behavior appears to be unpredictable.
The potential for future damage by the animal due to the size, muscularity and bite strength of the animal.
Lesser weight shall be given toward a finding of dangerousness if any animals killed or injured are traditionally animals hunted for sport or are considered vermin.
Greater weight toward a finding of dangerousness shall be given to animals which are dangerous to persons as opposed to other animals.
The last identified “dangerous animal” was a dog on Duffer Drive in 2019, according to the Columbus Animal Control Services website.
