Continued dog attacks jolt residents

February 25, 2009
By Ted Shockley
Staff writer

ACCOMACK -- A resident of Accomac received medical treatment last Thursday after being attacked by a dog, authorities said.

The incident came on the heels of a Feb. 3 attack by an unsupervised pit bull in Onancock that killed a dog being walked by its owner.

In addition, an Onancock woman who frequently jogs said she was approached on Town Road, just outside of residential limits, by a wayward pit bull that put its paws on her on the morning of Feb. 2 and wouldn't stop nipping at her clothing.

"Thank goodness I had a lot of clothes on -- I had a thick coat and mittens," said Gloria Bays. "I'll never forget it. His face was huge."

The encounter left her with bruises and scratches -- and left her wary of dogs at large.

Animal complaints are actively pursued by the Accomack County Sheriff's Department, which oversees the county's animal control officers.

Sheriff Larry Giddens said his department sees a high volume of complaints. In January, for example, there were 116 animal complaints. From Feb. 8-14 alone, there were 39.

The department on Monday was fielding a media inquiry for the Accomac attack on but it wasn't available by press time.

Accomack County doesn't have a "leash law," but does prohibit the running at large of dogs and many other animals. Violators can be charged with a misdemeanor.

For Bays, who also had an in-town encounter on the morning of Feb. 12 with another dog, the incidents were disappointing.

"Onancock is a very, very nice town," she said. "There's something wrong for a person not to be able to run these roads and not be in fear."

Bill Tweedie of Onancock was walking two pet dachshunds on Feb. 3 in front of the Division of Motor Vehicles office when a wayward pit bull fatally mauled one.

The pit bull's owner, 19-year-old Amanda Kelly of Greenbackville, has a General District court appearance at 10 a.m. today.