SALEM – City health district officials plan to review protocols for handling dog bites, including policies for quarantine and followup, after hearing the details of a recent dog bite attack which left a woman injured.

Donna Dailey and her sister, Janet Iden, both longtime city residents, approached the city health department Wednesday about what happened, saying the city needs to do something to increase safety when it comes to irresponsible dog owners.

“I just think these things need to be taken more seriously,” Iden said.

Iden did most of the talking and said she’s been doing a lot of the research into the June 4 incident when Dailey was attacked by two pit bulls. She also found prior incidents and attacks involving the same dog harborer’s animals.

Dailey, who lives on Olive Street, had just gotten out of her car, was walking to her house and got the keys out when she saw the dogs in a neighbor’s yard throwing something in the air. One dog approached her and started barking and growling and then they both attacked and were biting her legs when she went to her knees. She somehow got up and managed to get inside the house and call the police and noticed she was standing in a pool of blood.

She was screaming when she was attacked and a neighbor came with a bat and another neighbor came to help her. Dailey, who’s 75, was taken to the hospital by ambulance and spent five hours in the emergency room, with her treatment including a tetanus shot, antibiotics and 16 stitches for six dog bite wounds on both legs.

“When they knocked me down, that’s when I thought I was a goner,” Dailey said.

The dogs came from a residence in the 1600 block of South Lincoln Avenue where William J. McFarland Jr. resides with his children. According to Iden, it’s not the first time for something like this to occur with one of his animals.

City health department reports showed dog bite incidents on Feb. 23, 2013 and on June 4, 2013 involving dogs owned by McFarland. The victim on Feb. 23, 2013 was his own 17-month-old child and Iden said she also came across a report that said a second child in the house was bitten that same day. The other victim was a 41-year-old woman who had treatment with rabies shots because the status of the dog’s immunizations was unknown. In both cases he was ordered to quarantine the dog for 10 days in his residence. According to records, he told officials the dog in the first case was destroyed. In the second case, he was cited for dog at large.

According to Iden, there was another incident reported to police on April 12, 2014 when the dogs knocked over Dailey’s husband. There was another incident when the dogs were running at large and killed some chickens on Nov. 29, 2013.

In the most recent incident, McFarland was ordered by the health department to quarantine the two dogs for 10 days. Reportedly he told one official that he planned to euthanize the dogs, but didn’t have the money at this time, according to city Health Commissioner Richard Setty.

Dailey said she doesn’t know the status of the dogs or whether they had their shots and she’s afraid to even sit on her porch. They also questioned whether they were licensed or not, which is overseen by the Columbiana County Dog Warden.

Initially, Iden said she was told by police that the groundhog the dogs had killed couldn’t be tested for rabies unless they wanted to pay for it themselves. She talked to someone from the Ohio Department of Health who said it could be tested and Setty made the arrangements for the health department to cover the testing, which came back negative for rabies.

Both Iden and Dailey questioned the logic of having the dogs quarantined at the home of the person who was letting the dogs run loose. They wondered if there was a place in the city where the dogs could be quarantined. There is no such site available and Setty said he was told by the dog warden that the county does not have a proper facility for quarantine.

Considering the past history, they also questioned whether a person could be prevented from being allowed to have a dog. Iden wanted to know if anyone checked the dogs during the quarantine period, which they were told by the dog warden had been extended since the dogs had not been put down yet.

They felt the police should be able to check a person’s past record and see if they’ve had a license or proper immunizations. Iden also talked about having difficulty getting some records from police.

Setty assured them that he’s going to work with the dog warden to make sure the dogs are euthanized. Mayor John Berlin offered to set up a meeting with them and the police chief regarding some of their concerns. Setty was asked to contact the East Liverpool City Health Department to see how they handle dog bite incidents and talk to the post office about their dog policy.

Board member Judy Sicilia outlined what the health department’s response should be, noting that first address the current situation with the two dogs to make sure they’re euthanized, study the initial response by safety forces and look at protocols, look at existing rules for quarantine and look at steps taken for assuring compliance.

Sanitarian Bill Hayward explained that once he’s contacted about a dog bite, he checks the licensing and calls the victim and owner and orders the quarantine. A citation can be issued for not providing the information. He also tries to work with the person to get a dog immunized.

Salem Police Chief J.T. Panezott said the department has been bending over backwards to provide Iden with what she requested. All the information was gathered about the dog bite incident and sent to the Columbiana County Prosecutor’s Office for review for possible charges since this was a more serious situation.

If the prosecutor determines that certain charges are warranted against the person harboring the dogs, the police department will be told to file the charges, but that hasn’t happened yet.

He said part of the reason they wait before issuing a citation on the spot sometimes is because they don’t have all the information at their fingertips. They have to do an investigation first.

In a dog bite incident, the department protocol is to contact the city health department, then it’s up to the city health department on whether to put the dog in question under a 10-day quarantine. The police can assist the health department by accompanying the commissioner or sanitarian to a house.

Normally, the police can issue a citation for dog at large or vicious animal. Officers can also call the Columbiana County Dog Warden if they need advice or guidance in what to do with an animal.

“It comes down to people have to take responsibility for their animals,” Panezott said.

Dogs need to be kept in a pen or on a leash and owners need to keep an eye on them and make sure they’re not out running loose.

“They’re going to ultimately be liable criminally and civilly for the actions of their animal,” he said.

Setty is expected to report back to the health board at their next meeting at 10 a.m. July 15.

mgreier@salemnews.net