Columnist Susan Snyder: Paws work faster than laws

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2000 | 2:55 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or 259-4082.

Hawaiian Park neighborhood residents say there's a killer on the loose.

Witnesses say the suspect killed one victim and critically injured another last weekend and may be responsible for another death six weeks ago.

Metro Police won't investigate. It's not their job.

This perpetrator is a dog -- a black Labrador mix that maimed Cecelia, Thomas's Welsh corgi, and killed Donna Horn's Pomeranian over Labor Day weekend.

"We're working on it," said Joe Boteilho, Clark County Animal Control manager.

But work isn't moving fast enough to suit Thomas and Horn. They fear other animals and children are in peril.

"This dog is going to grab some kid by his back, shake it like a rag and kill the kid," Horn said.

Thomas' dog, Buddy, was attacked Sept. 2 as she and her young son walked him in front of the Lani Avenue home where the black dog reportedly lives. County officials still are trying to figure out who owns the animal.

Thomas says the black dog and a dachshund were sitting on the other side of a fence. She stooped to let the little dog sniff her fingers, but moved on. The big dog's interest in her corgi made her nervous.

"Then I heard a noise. It was the gate opening, and here was that (black) dog," Thomas said. "He grabbed (Buddy) by the back and was slinging him around like a stuffed animal. My 4 1/2-year-old son was screaming bloody murder."

Buddy ran off toward Charleston Boulevard, where he was struck by a car. A passer-by took him to a veterinarian, and Thomas didn't find the dog until Monday. Buddy now is recovering at home, but Thomas wants justice. She's angry the animal control officer who responded Saturday didn't confiscate the attacker.

The dog wasn't doing anything wrong when the officer arrived, and Thomas' dog was nowhere to be seen. Boteilho says officers can't act on such attacks unless they see them happen.

Two days later, Horn says, the black Lab struck again. Horn had just returned to her Maui Avenue home from a trip and released her three Pomeranians from her truck when the big dog ran onto her property and grabbed one -- Velvet.

"He shook her one time and broke her back. Then he ran off down the street with her, carrying her like a rag," Horn said. "I ran around the corner and the people there were hitting him over the head to get him to let go. He dropped her in the gutter."

Velvet's injuries were severe, and the dog was euthanized, Horn said.

She also said six weeks ago she saw the black dog attack and kill a canine belonging to a neighbor who lives across the street.

Boteilho says Thomas and Horn need to submit witness statements. He'll turn them over to the Clark County district attorney's office, where prosecutors will decide whether any charges can be filed.

"It sounds like they have a pretty strong case," Boteilho said Thursday. "But you can't take animals away from people unless you go through the process."

That process works too slowly, the women said.

"The dog's got more rights than we've got," Horn said. "I can't believe it."