Posted on 09/12/2003 10:46:35 PM PDT by ambrose
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By MISTY WILLIAMS, Californian staff writer
e-mail: mwilliams@bakersfield.com
Friday September 12, 2003, 10:40:17 PM
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Tears formed in Rosalia Martinez's eyes as she recalled holding the boy in her arms Friday morning as he reached up and touched her face with his hands.
Blood covered 18-month-old Issac Guerrero's face and portions of bone were exposed along the side of his head and near one of his eyes, she said. Martinez, a retired nurse, said it was the worse thing she had ever seen.
"He was in a lot of pain," she said.
Issac was mauled by two male pit bulls at his home in east Bakersfield Friday.
According to Martinez, a neighbor across the street heard the boy crying and the dogs barking and jumped the fence to help, she said. The neighbor carried Issac to Martinez's home, two houses down, where she called 911 shortly after 7 a.m.
Martinez said the boy was conscious and trying to speak, but when he called out for his mother he could only muster a whisper.
Issac suffered severe head wounds and was taken to Kern Medical Center, where he underwent hours of surgery, Kern County sheriff's Cmdr. Steve Del Tour said. Hospital staff planned to transfer Issac to Children's Hospital Central California in Fresno for additional treatment.
He was listed in critical and guarded condition Friday afternoon.
Sheriff's detectives are trying to determine whether anyone was at home with the boy at the time of the attack, said Del Tour, who added that detectives are treating the case as a homicide in case the child dies.
"We took it very seriously," he said.
Issac's mother, Vanessa Cruz, 22, was with the boy at KMC on Friday morning while detectives interviewed her boyfriend, Tony Zapaleta, 23, at the scene.
The boy was attacked by his own family dogs at Zapaleta's home on the northwest corner of Sparling Avenue and Cole Street.
Two Kern County Animal Control officers arrived at the home shortly after the 911 call was received.
The dogs were running loose in the yard, which is surrounded by a chain-link fence, when animal control officers arrived, said Matthew Constantine, animal control services manager.
After being quarantined for 10 days to determine if they have rabies, the pit bulls will be euthanized, Constantine said.
"Obviously, we can't put an animal of that temperament back into the community," he said.
Next-door neighbor Sophia Padilla, who was getting her 6-year-old granddaughter ready for school, said she didn't really pay attention when she heard the dogs barking.
"I heard the dogs, but they're always barking," Padilla said.
Padilla, who also has a chain-link fence around her house, said she has seen the dogs out roaming, occasionally lying on the curb in front of her home. Sometimes she or another neighbor would shoo the dogs away, she said.
She was also careful to keep a watchful eye on her granddaughter and make sure she didn't go near either of the pit bulls. Often, Padilla herself would not go outside when the dogs were around, she said.
Padilla was shocked when she heard the child next door had been attacked.
"I never thought it would be so close to home, and I feel so bad for the baby," she said.
Although Constantine is unaware of any fatalities from domesticated animal attacks, animal bites have always been a problem in Kern County, he said. Last year, 699 bites by dogs and 169 bites or scratches by cats were reported to county animal control, he said. Another 678 similar incidents have been recorded by the county since last January.
"I think it's too much," Constantine said. "I think we need to do more."
Some instances are accidents, while others are aggressive attacks.
Animal control officers are most concerned with bites that break the skin, Constantine said. Rabies is endemic to Kern County, he said, although found mostly in wildlife such as bats.
With only 18 officers, animal control staff encourage people in the community to contact them or the Sheriff's Department if they see aggressive animals, he said.
"They are additional eyes and ears for us," he said.
Ultimately, however, responsibility for an animal rests with the owner.
"The temperament of a dog has less to do with its breeding than how it's been taken care of," Constantine said.
Animals that are abused and not given shelter or taken care of are more likely to be aggressive, he said.
Pit bulls represent the dominant breed involved in bites, which Constantine said could be because pit bulls are a popular breed. While the perception exists that pit bulls are more dangerous than other breeds, what makes the biggest difference in a dog's behavior is the way it is raised, he said.
Dogs need regular veterinary care, feeding and attention. While there is no exact formula to taking care of an animal, socializing it and making it a part of the family is key, Constantine said.
Animal control officers have come across people who want to raise guard dogs. Although raising a dog to protect property is not against the law, it can be dangerous, Constantine said.
"There is a higher risk for bites or aggressive behaviors on your property," he said.
Rosalia Martinez, who held the 18-month-old as they waited for the ambulance, is not willing to take the risk of having a pit bull. Friday morning, she decided to get rid of her pit bull, Jake, the brother of one of the dogs involved in the attack.
Martinez watches two children, 3 years old and 21 months old, every day. Her granddaughter also frequently comes over with her four children. Although she leaves Jake tied up at the side of the house, Martinez is taking no chances.
"I don't think I could handle it if anything was to happen," she said.
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It is the only topic he can post that gets more than 200 replies.
He tried the killer dobie story a few days ago, it turned into a virtual dobie love-fest. With less than 50 replies.
Nothing roils the board like a good pit bull story. Go figure.
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