‘Massacre’: No quarantine for pit bull mix that killed shih tzu

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Neighbors on Robinhood Drive in Kent County are afraid to take a walk or let their dogs run in the yard after a pit bull mix fatally attacked a shih tzu.

“It was obvious what happened,” said a neighbor, who did not want to be identified by name. “The dog killed little Georgi, and I just figured they would put the dog down, but no.”

Instead, Kent County Animal Control issued the pit bull’s owner, Aric Coleman, a $100 civil ticket for the May 6 attack, which happened on Robinhood Drive near the intersection of Fulton Street and East Beltline Avenue NE.

“My understanding in speaking with Animal Control is that it isn’t common practice to take the dog right when the incident occurred if it’s a dog vs. dog attack,” wrote Sgt. Kailey Gilbert, public information officer with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, in a text exchange with Target 8. “Animal Control investigates each incident and the cases are reviewed by the prosecutor’s office, and they decide if they’re going to petition through the courts. The courts make the determination if the dog is ‘dangerous’ (under state law) and needs to be euthanized.”

A neighbor who was at the scene when animal control arrived said officers advised “there was nothing they could do about (the attack) because it was (the pit bull’s) first offense.”

“She was hysterical,” said the neighbor, who was summoned by Georgi’s owner moments after the fatal mauling. “So, we quick ran over and went into the garage where the pit bull had come in and, sure enough, he was there, and Georgi was all over the place. I mean, it was a massacre. The most traumatic thing I’ve ever been through….The pit bull was just standing, hovering over Georgi, and from head to toe, blood….I was terrified.”

Georgi’s owner is too traumatized to speak publicly about what happened to her 10-year-old shih tzu, but three of her neighbors shared their outrage that the 8-year-old pit bull mix named Lexi has not been quarantined.

“There are a lot of young families on this street … with children and dogs,” said the husband of the neighbor who witnessed the attack’s aftermath. “That dog is just a menace, and something needs to be done.”

Eleven days after the fatal mauling, Lexi was spotted in another neighbor’s yard, and a witness snapped a picture for proof before contacting authorities.

Animal control issued Coleman, Lexi’s owner, a second civil ticket.

“We’re going to be more responsible,” Coleman said of his family, speaking to Target 8 Friday morning. “There was definitely some irresponsiblity there. I’m not going to say there wasn’t.”

Coleman admitted he has let Lexi and a second dog out for years without securing them — no leash, no cable tie, no fence.

“It’s a bad habit that we have to break,” Coleman said from his driveway off the East Beltline, about 70 yards from Georgi’s owner’s home. He is a backyard neighbor to the homes on Robinhood Drive.

“Like I told you, we’ve been here 10 years, and it’s something we’ve done over a considerable period of time with no hesitation, not fearing anything like that would ever happen,” he said. “Usually it’s like a two-to-five minute deal, and they’re right at the door saying, ‘Let me in.'”

Coleman said his dogs had never shown aggression, and he was not aware they’d ever left his yard.

“We just have a heavily wooded area back here, and it’s just something that’s never been an issue,” he said, noting that his teenaged twins were home alone when both incidents occurred.

“Still, I take responsibility. I take responsibility,” declared Coleman, who said even he was surprised when animal control did not remove Lexi. “A lot of times, change comes through an ‘oops’ or two. I don’t mean to downplay how anybody feels, and I won’t do that….(I’m) sincerely, sincerely sorry on behalf of my family.”

Coleman said Lexi might go to live with his brother, but for now, if she goes out, she will do so on a leash with a family member.

When asked if he would fight an euthanization order if it came to that, Coleman hesitated.

“That’s a hard question. That’s a hard question. I understand the law, and I’m going to do my best to remedy the situation.”

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office report on the incident laid out the moments leading up to the fatal mauling.

“She walked out of the garage and saw that there was a tan and white Pitbull type dog standing in her driveway,” wrote a Kent County officer, referring to Georgi’s owner. “At that time, she immediately tried to get Georgi inside to prevent any incidents. Georgi then ran into the garage and the Pitbull chased her inside and attacked her. (The owner) stated that she attempted to get the Pitbull to let go of Georgi but nothing she was doing was stopping the attack.”

Georgi’s owner told deputies she had never seen the pit bull mix, though neighbors said they’d witnessed the dog loose before but did not report it, according to the sheriff’s report.

“We’re scared,” said a third neighbor who spoke to Target 8, noting that she won’t let her son’s dog outside alone even in her fenced yard. “We make sure that we’re out there with him.”

She said she’s speaking out for Georgi and her owner.

“(Georgi’s owner) believes that little Georgi protected her. Stepped between the two of them and that’s when Georgi was torn apart,” the neighbor said, her voice breaking. “So this is for Georgi and for our neighbor. Something needs to be done.”

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