Dog-mauling victim faces multiple surgeries

Sun Sentinel ^ | Saturday, April 28, 2007 | By Allyson Bird

[Fawn]

PORT ST. LUCIE — When Dawn Sharbuno's husband came into her hospital room Thursday night where she lay with nearly her entire face ripped off by the family dog, she worried he would leave her.

No, he told her, "We've been through hurricanes together. We've been through everything together. I'm not going to leave you now."

Sharbuno, 46, underwent eight hours of reconstructive surgery at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where she was flown after the attack. She has three or four more surgeries to go.

She had just gotten out of the pool and was sitting outside Thursday evening when her adopted dog, Roscoe, a black and tan chow-shepherd mix, came over. Her husband said she reached down to pet Roscoe when he jumped up and bit her.

"Her face was completely off across the bridge of her nose," Harry "Lou" Sharbuno remembered. "The only thing holding it on was her chin. It was like something out of a horror movie."

The couple adopted Roscoe from the St. Lucie County Humane Society less than a month ago after losing a dog to cancer. Harry Sharbuno said Roscoe never showed aggression toward people and only grumbled over food with their other dog, Venus.

"He's a beautiful dog," Sharbuno said. "He's very deceiving."

Sharbuno said his wife worked as a truck driver before a disabling accident three years ago, while he was recently laid off from an interior contracting job. The couple broke down and bought health insurance for both of them just two days before the mauling.

Port St. Lucie animal control officers took custody of Roscoe, who was returned to the St. Lucie County Humane Society Friday morning. He will be quarantined for 10 days - at a cost of $20 per day to the Sharbunos. Then, the couple will have the option of reclaiming the dog, giving him to a rescue service or having him euthanized.

At the humane society Friday, Roscoe wagged his tail and took shelter manager David Robertson's commands to sit and shake hands. Robertson said the dog arrived as a stray from Port St. Lucie Animal Control.

Before being handed over to the Sharbunos, Roscoe - like all dogs - was given a temperament test in which a humane society employee gave him a bowl of food and then tried to take it away. Roscoe passed.

The humane society tested him again Friday morning, and Roscoe again did not bark or bite, Robertson said.

Robertson said he received about 30 calls Friday morning from people who had heard about the attack.

"They're concerned about the dog, and they're concerned about the lady."

[nevergore]

"They only had the dog 3 weeks?? And it's PART CHOW! HELLO....Chows should also be put down along with pit bulls and Rotties. All of them..... "

Wow, another dog expert. /sarcasm off

[mplsconservative]

They only had the dog 3 weeks?? And it's PART CHOW! HELLO....Chows should also be put down along with pit bulls and Rotties. All of them.....

Any animal can be dangerous. Heck, a hamster bit me when I was 10 and died the next day. We had to have the little bugger's corpse tested for rabies.

I don't like sweeping generalizations when it comes to putting down all dogs of a certain breed. That's just nuts.

I speak from experience. Our 12 year old Belgian Sheepdog delivered a bite to my face that resulted in 300 stitches inside, outside and around my mouth. I blame myself. He was sleeping and I bent over to pet him on the head as I had every night for the previous 12 years. Stupidity on my part, let a sleeping dog lie.

My point is, should all Belgian Sheepdogs be put down because of my experience?

Yes, the breeds you named are a little "tricky" and I would never own one or allow one around children.

If a responsible adult chooses to have a dog of that breed, that's their choice. Notice I used the word responsible.

Life is dangerous. Minimizing danger by limiting peoples' choices is best left to the liberals. They're good at deciding who and what is "best" for us.

BTW, we had a Russian Blue cat that absolutely shredded my mother's arms when she was holding him and a thunderstorm hit. Her arms swelled up like balloons and she had to get IV antibiotics because he gave her a bad infection. Kitties aren't as innocent as they seem.

You seem like a nice person, Fawn, but I get my undies in a bunch when people try to dictate how other people live.

[SteveMcKing]

I’ve read that if you are getting attacked by a dog, you should shove your arm, thumb-side pointing upward, down its throat. When you can’t get it down any more, make a fist and suffocate the thing to death.

Was that in "Chicken Soup for the Soul" or "Life's Little Instruction Book"?

[Bonaparte]

I went through exactly what you’ve described, pulling a Weimariner off a smaller dog on the street. As I swung him around, I picked out an old truck and let him fly. Took the starch right out of him. I love dogs, but I won’t tolerate an unprovoked attack like that on a smaller animal.

[Bonaparte]

"... but the paperwork on firing the weapon would take up the rest of the shift."

If the dog got clumsy and fell off the roof of the building, would there be much paperwork on that?

[Lijahsbubbe]

There is more to this story than what this report says.

Maybe not. Same thing happened to one of my children, everyone watching TV she reached to pet the dog, it went for her face. And it got her.

[alley cat]

Cats ABSOLUTELY Rule.

You got that right!! :)

[capt. norm]

If the dog got clumsy and fell off the roof of the building, would there be much paperwork on that?

It has always been all about you weapon and the fact that liberals are in charge at high levels.

If you fire a round from your weapon (in the line of duty), get ready to spend some time filling out endless forms and being interviewed by a reviewing officer. All this time, you are away from your beat and leaving that area nearly unprotected for several hours and your sense of duty starts getting to you.

I'm hoping it has improved since then (couldn't have gotten worse), but it seems more productive to have a patrolman on his beat and responding to calls than spending all that time writing up reports.

The "dog off the roof" angle would have worked perfectly because all the witnesses were disgusted by his attack.

[Fire_on_High]

Unfortunately that’s true. We had one go nuts and have to be put down. We loved him dearly but we couldn’t risk being blinded or having him kill my 91 year old grandmother who is on blood thinners.

[endthematrix]

"The couple broke down and bought health insurance "

Ya wonder how many of the supposed "40 million Americans" that can't afford health insurance...can?

[endthematrix]

I think the criticism should more about the animal adoption system, rather than specific breed. Spay, neuter and cull. What happened to the moral authority of the various animal (canine) registries? Oh yeah, sold out to Westminster...

[kcvl]

The victim of a brutal dog attack is released from the hospital after her first reconstructive surgery. It was the worst day of the Sharbuno's lives. Their dog, which they've only had for three weeks, mauled Dawn Sharbuno in the face. The Sharbuno's want everyone to know they are animal lovers. But now they only want to see the day their vicious dog is put down. They would also like to see the day the Dawn can look at herself in the mirror without crying.

Dawn was released from the hospital Saturday night, after Roscoe's attack pulled the skin off her face like a mask. Dawn's other dog Venus, who she calls a hero, attacked Roscoe until he finally let her go. Recently laid off, Dawn and her husband are struggling financially and emotionally to keep it together.

Dawn made it through one of four 8 hour reconstructive surgeries, and is now scared by her own reflection she saw for the first time on Saturday. The Sharbuno's say they believe the humane society is doing good work, but needs to examine stray animals closer for abuse and violence. Later Saturday night, Dawn got a fever and was sent back to the hospital for more surgery and anti-infection treatment.

[kcvl]

Roscoe bit off the nose of the woman who adopted it, but the Humane Society of St. Lucie described the dog before adoption as a "sweetheart.

[kcvl]

The woman’s husband and another family member were in the swimming pool and immediately called 911.

Behres said chows are “fear biters” and known for unprovoked bites.

“If they believe they’re afraid for some reason they’ll bite,” she said. “Even if it’s just imagined to them.”

[I still care]

I had a cat I had to have declawed. It had this rotten habit of being really affectionate, and then when someone it didn’t know was really drawn in close, it would flash out with it’s paw and go for the eyes.

The first time is happened I thought it a fluke. The second time I started warning people to keep their faces away from the cat. Then I had a friend ignore me and say, “Don’t worry, I’m good with cats”.

About the time she got the word “cats” out it ripped apart the corner of her eye. She was only saved from severe eye damage by her glasses.

That was the only cat I ever had declawed, but it did the trick.

[Ditter]

Cats bites can cause some nasty infections and abscesses, as can dog bites, even if they don’t rip your face off.

[endthematrix]

IMO, that’s one UGLY dog. More like a bad Rott-mix. Many adoption mills misidentify the dog just to get it out the door.

[endthematrix]

I was gonna mention that in my post. That happened to a relative. Just nasty.

[Krankor]

[Moonman62]

Chows are known biters.