Question: A peaceful Sunday walk with my small rescue dog turned into a traumatic nightmare in Waikele. A man was walking his two bulldogs across the street when suddenly, one dog broke loose. It attacked my dog as she screamed in terror. I frantically managed to pick her up, but the bulldog knocked me down. My dog also fell and the bulldog grabbed her. We managed to get home, but the bulldog had bitten the base of my dog’s tail. She needed medical attention. Luckily for me, a petite 4-foot-11-inch female, I had a few abrasions but no serious injury. It could have been worse. My dog already had been traumatized by another aggressive dog. Can you tell dog owners to please, if you know your dog is aggressive, take steps to eliminate that behavior or not take the dog out in a public area? I also want to warn fellow dog walkers in Waikele so their dogs don’t get mauled or possibly killed because an owner is not able to control his animals.
Answer: We recommended this dog owner contact police, but she declined, saying she only wanted to tell someone about the incident and to warn other dog owners.
Section 7-7 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu deals with "dangerous dogs," which means "any dog which, without provocation, attacks a person or animal."
An owner found to have been negligent in failing to control a dangerous dog that injures or kills another animal or injures a person can be charged with a petty misdemeanor for a first offense or a misdemeanor for subsequent offenses. Possible penalties include fines ranging from $500 to $2,000; 30 days in jail; and restitution for financial losses or medical expenses tied to the attack.
Depending on the seriousness of the attack, the dog can either be ordered to be "humanely destroyed" or be kept under control in specific ways.
"It is very important to file a police report so that there is record of the case and that owners take responsibility for their dog’s actions," said Jacque Vaughn, spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Humane Society. "In doing so, you can keep others safe from future attacks."
Vaughn said every situation requires a resourcefulness depending on what’s available to stop an attack.
"In general, as counterintuitive as it may seem, if an aggressive dog approaches, the most important thing to do is to stay calm, stand as still as a tree and cross your arms," she said.
For future dog walks, she advises carrying an umbrella or some other shield that can serve as a boundary between your dog and yourself and a potentially aggressive dog.
Question: I share our opala containers with a family that only speaks Cantonese and has limited knowledge of English, so sorting items into the various trash, green waste and recycling containers can be a problem. Does the city publish how to separate what goes into the various containers in different languages?
Answer: At this time, the city does not have instructions available in different languages, said Markus Owens, spokesman for the Department of Environmental Services.
However, he said the department does "have print materials with graphics that can illustrate well without words."
You can call 768-3200, select the recycling option, and a recycling specialist can mail these materials to you.
Or, you can go online to opala.org and click on one of many "Sort It Out" videos associated with The Green Channel, Owens said.
Mahalo
To the two gentlemen dining in front of the supermarket and the gentleman with the jumper cables who tried to help get our car started when it stalled in the parking lot at the Kahala Times Supermarket in July. Despite their efforts, the car would not start and ended up being towed to the repair shop. All we needed was a new battery. Thank you also to the Times personnel for their help and to others who saw our plight and wanted to help. — A Grateful Senior and Son
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