Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer
A five-month old basset hound puppy suffered a wound on his neck after he was allegedly bitten by a boxer/pomsky mix near East Field three weekends ago.
A Glens Falls Police Department report states that at 2:31 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, an officer was dispatched to the playground for a report of a dog fight.
The report says that on arrival the officer spoke with Kelly Ghirarduzzi, who stated that she and her husband Erik Ghirarduzzi, of Glens Falls, were walking their pure bred basset hound Sir Vincent Grimsby by the playground when another dog ran up and “immediately attacked him, causing a wound to the right side of his neck just below the jawline.”
“Kelly stated that the other dog had a harness, but was not on a leash,” the report says.
It goes on to say that Mrs. Ghirarduzzi stated that “it took two people to get the dog off of Sir Vincent Grimsby” and “she was yelling at the dog and hitting it to let go initially and that Erik had tried to pull Sir Vincent Grimsby away from it.”
“Kelly stated that the other dog would not let go, but then did finally let go,” the report says.
The officer then spoke to David, Samantha and Lexia Rathbun of Hudson Falls, the owners of the dog that Mrs. Ghirarduzzi alleges attacked Grimsby.
“David stated that they had been in the park for about two hours eating lunch,” the report says. “Several other dogs had walked by leashed and unleashed. Their dog, Bernard, a boxer, pomsky mix, was on a leash and sitting with them at the picnic table.”
“Samantha stated that she was holding the leash,” the report goes on. “David stated that when Kelly, Erik, and Sir Vincent Grimsby came into view, Bernard jumped through him as he was sitting on the end of the picnic table and the leash broke. The swivel snap hook broke, allowing Bernard to move freely.”
After the incident, “David stated that they brought Bernard to their vehicle and waited for the police to come,” the report says, noting that “David stated that Bernard did not appear to be hurt.”
Mr. Ghirarduzzi told The Chronicle that after the incident Grimsby was taken to Northway Animal Emergency Clinic in Gansevoort where staff cleaned his wound and gave him some antibiotics.
In an email to local law enforcement written by Mr. Ghirarduzzi that The Chronicle viewed, he says “had it not been for the little guy’s wrinkles he would have been killed,” and that the vet treating Grimsby concurred with this assessment.
On Oct. 8 Mr. Ghirarduzzi told The Chronicle that Grimsby’s visible wound was getting better, but that they noticed some bleeding in his mouth.
On Oct. 22 he said that Grimsby was “doing better, almost back to himself.”
A staff member with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Upstate New York told The Chronicle that a dog control officer investigated the incident and “the papers have been submitted to the court.”
In his email to law enforcement, Mr. Ghirarduzzi wrote that when Bernard “had our puppy’s neck locked in its jaw,” “two good-sized fit men ran over.
“One had the dog in a headlock and the other had it gripped around the waist. My wife was punching the dog in the face and nose with all her strength as well, and the dog would not let go.”
He wrote, “In all honesty I can’t say definitively how they got apart, but after what seemed like forever, somehow, they separated.”
In an incident statement sent to Glens Falls Dog Control Officer Austin Mandigo that The Chronicle viewed, Mrs. Ghirarduzzi wrote that “The other dog was never engaged by our puppy. He never growled, barked, nor bit that dog. He didn’t even show any teeth.
She wrote, “As the other owners chose to lie and call it a dog fight, I would ask the court to pull video footage from the backside of the community pool. That would be evidence of the attack on our puppy Grimsby.” She underlined the word “attack” for emphasis.
In his email to law enforcement, Mr. Ghirarduzzi mentioned “the physical and emotional trauma suffered by myself as well as my wife” from the event.
The incident is now in City Court.
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