'Quaking in my boots': Attack leaves Keyport woman's guide dog unable to help her

Around Labor Day, Angie Polizzotto was sitting outside McDonagh’s Pub & Restaurant in Keyport when she heard her dog yelp in pain.

Polizzotto is blind, and for two years she’d relied on her guide dog Molly to help her get around town.

“I knew immediately: Molly was being attacked,” Polizzotto said.

Molly sustained a bite on the nose from another dog. The aggressor canine, which witnesses said lunged on a retractable leash, was quickly withdrawn by its owner, who hustled away from the scene.

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“I had to take Molly to the animal hospital myself that night, just trying to hold her and help her feel safe again because she was so upset,” Polizzotto said. “Her nose got better, but her head didn’t.”

The damage was done. Guide dogs are bred and trained to be calm — helpers, not fighters. The attack rattled Molly, a 4-year-old German shepherd, to the point of no return.

“Her demeanor changed around other dogs — her bark changed; it was mean,” Polizzotto said. “There were no more happy puppy barks. I was afraid she was going to snap on somebody.”

Last month, after months of trying to help Molly resume her guide duties, Polizzotto returned Molly to The Seeing Eye Inc. in Morristown — the nonprofit that had trained and supplied her, and now will adopt her out as a pet. So Polizzotto, who is 58 and a Keyport resident since 1989, waits to be matched with another guide dog.

“We had gotten to the point where we had bonded,” she said. “Now it’s like having the rug pulled out from under me, having to use the (walking) stick again. Honestly it’s so scary for me to go out there by myself right now. I can’t, as much as I try. Unless I’m with another person, I’m quaking in my boots.”

Polizzotto, who was born without sight in her left eye and lost vision in her right eye decades ago from glaucoma, loves living in Keyport “because I can walk everywhere,” she said. “It’s a great town for anyone with a disability.”

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However, this is the second time she’s had a problem with an attacking dog on a retractable leash. In 2017, she was bitten while walking with her previous guide dog on Main Street. She still has the blood-stained sock from that incident, and on Tuesday she will bring it to the borough council meeting along with a plea for help.

Can something be done to protect her next dog?

She’s not the only one with this concern.

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'A very serious problem'

The Seeing Eye Inc. has paired thousands of people throughout the country with guide dogs, carefully matching them in terms of fit and specific needs. Guide dogs cost upwards of $75,000 to raise and train, but almost all of the tab is funded by private donors. Users pay a nominal fee to be trained in working with the dog (under $200, and just $1 for veterans), but are financially responsible for their dog’s care.

In a recent survey of the charity’s guide-dog owners, more than a third of respondents “reported another dog making aggressive physical contact with their dog over the past five years,” according to Melissa Allman, senior specialist for advocacy and government relations with The Seeing Eye, Inc.

“The challenge we face is that many times people do not have the level of control over their pet dogs that they think they do,” Allman said. “For example, somebody might have a dog on a retractable leash, and their dog gets too far away from them and it can interfere with or attack a guide dog. This is a very serious problem for us.”

Guide-dog owners are limited in their ability to respond and protect their dogs because they can’t see what’s unfolding.

“One of the things that needs to be done is to increase the level of awareness among pet owners about the appropriate behavior of their dog around guide dog teams,” said Allman, who herself uses a guide dog.

There are laws in 48 states designed to protect people with service animals from harm and interference, Allman said, and New Jersey has one of the strongest. “Dusty’s Law” makes it a misdemeanor criminal offense to recklessly interfere with a service animal.

“What we see often is law enforcement doesn’t always know about these laws” or doesn’t adequately enforce them, Allman said. The Seeing Eye, Inc. created an education module for first responders, an online education campaign for pet owners (www.GuideDogAtWork.org) and an app (Seeing Eye Advocacy) about the issue.

Allman’s summary advice for pet owners?

“Keep your dog away as much as you can from a guide-dog team,” she said. “It is OK to say, ‘Hi, I have two dogs on your left.’ That is great information; then I can do what I have to do to manage my dog.”

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A quest for solutions

After two incidents, Polizzotto wants to go beyond words of advice. She would like to see Keyport ban the use of retractable leashes in public spaces — a pitch she made at a recent council meeting and plans to follow up on this week.

“People don’t have control of their dogs,” she said. “I don’t want it to be open season on Seeing Eye dogs.”

A Keyport ordinance states dogs and cats in public must be “accompanied by a person capable of controlling such animal" and "securely confined and controlled by an adequate leash of not more than six feet long.”

Mayor Rose Araneo said although that covers retractable leashes, “we will continue to look at our ordinance to see if there are ways to refine it and protect everyone from any future incidents.”

Araneo called Polizzotto “a wonderful woman, friend and resident in Keyport” and said Police Chief Shannon Torres, her officers, and Councilman Ron Peperoni are making sure Polizzotto can continue to get around while she awaits a new guide dog.

“This is what a small community does. We jump in where we are needed,” Araneo said. “I commend everyone for helping Angie out.”

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Regarding a change in law, Allman sees merit in Polizzotto’s quest.

“It can be very difficult for even a good handler to have adequate control over their dog when using that type of leash,” Allman said. “So a story like Angie’s would be very important in working toward getting an ordinance like that passed.”

If that doesn’t come to fruition, at least Polizzotto will have sounded the alarm.

“As hard as this is for me, I need to get the word out about how vulnerable these Seeing Eye dogs are,” she said. “I don’t want to lose another one.”

For more information about The Seeing Eye, Inc. or guide dogs in general, visit www.seeingeye.org.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Keyport woman waits for new guide dog after hers was attacked, bitten