A local family will have to follow very strict rules with their dog after it recently bit a neighbor. The dog bite prompted officials to rule a Doberman pinscher at 2090 Redhaven Drive as a potentially dangerous dog.
"The dog had bitten an individual that lived in the neighborhood, and it did break the skin," said McDuffie County Animal Shelter Director Gail Newsome.
Nate and Becky Garrison - who own the animal - now have to make sure their fence will keep the dog on their property and people out at all times, according to Mrs. Newsome. The electric fence they did have was found to be inadequate to keep the dog inside. The dog must also be on a leash if taken outside the fence. The owners must also post that a potentially dangerous dog is present on the property. Veterinarian Darrell Wester also said the owners must notify authorities of the dog if they plan to move elsewhere.
The Garrison's neighbors asked McDuffie County's Animal Control Officer, Tim Mosley, to make a ruling on the dog after the bite. The Garrisons appealed the potentially dangerous dog ruling which was later upheld by a committee of local officials. According to Dr. Wester, that has only happened twice.
"The neighbors were fearful that the dog may bite someone else," said Mrs. Newsome, who serves on the committee along with County Commissioner Dr. Wester, Mr. Mosley, Thomson Police Chief John Hathaway, McDuffie Sheriff Logan Marshall and Thomson City Councilman John Wiley.
