| Two Dogs Attack Little Boy CORAL SPRINGS -- Seven years old and already enduring more pain than any child should ever have to, and even with tonight's surgery, it looks like this little boy has a long road in front of him after a vicious attack by two dogs. Anthony Romano was outside in his front yard playing with a little boy who lives next door to him. At some point, while they were playing, this little boy ran into his house and when he opened the door he let out his Akitas. The Akitas saw little Anthony, charged him and attacked him. "They were biting me because I ducked down," says Romano, from his hospital bed. "I was going to run, but they were going to get me." Just hours out of surgery, following a vicious attack by two Akitas Michael Goldfarb witnessed the attack. "I seen them on top of Anthony," he says, "and Anthony was screaming, hollering, and he was pretty messed up." Anthony's left ear was nearly ripped from his head. A series of severe puncture wounds riddle his tiny body, from his ankles to his groin. Plus, two bite wounds that penetrated his skull. The grisly images too much for his mother to stand without crying. "I was just very scared," says Anthony's Mother, Stephanie McGuire, as she wipes tears from her eyes. "He told me he was going to die. I was scared. I was relaxing him." Amazingly, it was a neighbor's pit bull that came to Anthony's rescue. "When the pit bull was released he went right after the Akitas," says Alex Aguiar, a neighbor who called 911 but not before trying to break-up the dogfight between the Akitas and the pit bull. "I weigh 245, and I was hitting them with everything I've got," he says, "and nothing. They would not budge for anything. The pit bull was in trouble. He could not do anything. He was defenseless, just like the little boy was." Anthony's recovery will include at least three days in the hospital plus a possible series of rabie shots since the dog's owner allegedly refused to disclose the vaccination history of the Akitas. Both Anthony and his family want the dogs gone. "I want to see the dogs get taken away," says the little boy, "because I don't want those dogs in the house." The family believes those two Akitas were removed form the home this morning. Unfortunately, 7 News has not been able to confirm that with Coral Springs police. However, we are working on that confirmation. The family has retained an attorney. They say they want these two dogs put down, so they can't attack Anthony or any other child in the neighborhood, and they want Anthony to go back to doing what he loves to do most: fish. WSVN-TV 7 News 11/06/2003 |
| PIT BULL LEAPS TO RESCUE |
| Pit Bull Leaps To Rescue - Coral Springs Anthony Romaro got the scare of his life Wednesday night when two Akita dogs, each weighing about 100 pounds, attacked him near his best friend's home in Coral Springs. But another kind of dog -- a type also known for vicious attacks -- may have saved the boy from more serious injuries. Witnesses said a 2-year-old pit bull named Missy played the part of hero during the attack. Missy, witnesses say, pulled the two Akitas -- Cella and Baci -- off Anthony after several struggles during a 15-minute span. Anthony, a 7-year-old Hunt Elementary School second-grader, is recovering after surgery at Coral Springs Medical Center. The dogs ripped much of Anthony's left ear and bit his skull before Missy fought them off of him, said Anthony's mother, Stephanie McGuire. ''He's doing better today,'' McGuire said on Friday. Missy suffered scrapes and cuts on the shoulders and buttocks, received a few stitches, and is back home. ''Missy saved the day,'' said her owner, Scott, who asked that The Herald not publish his last name. "She just went out there and broke the fight up.'' Coral Springs police cited Sandra Ashley, the owner of the Akitas, for not putting a leash on the dogs, not attaching dog tags, not having proper rabies vaccinations and for biting Anthony. The fines are more than $800. McGuire, who is friends with Ashley, hasn't decided whether to press charges. The two Akitas are at the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Division as Coral Springs police complete a dangerous-dog investigation, said animal care spokesman Allan Siegel. Whether or not Anthony antagonized the dogs, and how the dogs got loose, are among the issues police are investigating. If the Akitas are found to be dangerous, one of three things could happen, Siegel said. The owner may keep the dogs if she meets certain requirements, such as muzzling them when she leaves the home, and putting a dangerous-dog sign on the property. She may also appeal the decision, or surrender the dogs and have them euthanized. Police and witnesses said Anthony and some friends were outside Ashley's home when the dogs escaped just before 7 p.m. Wednesday. ''The dogs got out of the house,'' said Sgt. Rich Nicorvo of the Coral Springs Police Department. "They bit him pretty bad.'' Scott, the pit bull's owner who lives next door, was drinking coffee outside his house when the attack started. He handed another witness a metal pipe to get the Akitas off Anthony. The unidentified person used the pipe to hit the dogs, but they continued attacking. ''They were really mauling him,'' said Scott, whose son, James, is Anthony's best friend. Scott then let Missy out of the house to break up the fight. Police did not document any information about the pit bull. Akitas have been known to attack humans. Last month, doctors euthanized an Akita owned by Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor after the dog bit 15-year-old Jonathon Raof on the arms and legs. The Akita Club of America Web site states the dogs have ''complex'' personalities and, while intelligent and loyal, can ''exhibit aggressive tendencies,'' though not necessarily toward people. Miami Herald 11/12/2003 |
| PIT BULL LEAPS TO RESCUE |
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