by Johnny Duncan

Four-year old Myles Leakes was at his aunt and uncle's house in Orlando in 2004 when he was viciously attacked by at least one, and perhaps up to three, pit-bull mixed dogs that had been kept on a chain. The child was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead. But the memory of his death is today helping to prevent other tragedies.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, dog bites are the fifth most frequent reason for visits to emergency rooms among children. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports dog bites send nearly 368,000 victims to hospital emergency departments per year (1,008 per day). Additionally, there were 31 fatal dog mauling cases in the U.S. in 2007.

Protecting the residents of East Orlando from dog attacks by enforcing county ordinances is the Orange County Animal Services office. The office responds to calls for cruelty to animals as well as nuisance animals. Animal Services can ticket or fine persons for violating county ordinances, they also provide a spay and neutering program for your pets, and an adoption program for the community.

Unfortunately, responding to dog bites keeps Animal Services hopping. “Over 50% of the reported dog bite victim cases in Orange County are 12 years of age and younger,” says Vanessa Bouffard, Program Coordinator of Public Relations for Orange County Animal Services. Because of the number of attacks, in 2005, Orange County passed the Myles Leakes Animal Services Ordinance, named for the child who died the year before. “This ordinance is stricter than the Florida state statutes and defines various regulations enforced by Animal Services including a strictly enforced rule that dogs cannot be chained up between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or during hurricanes or severe storms.” Violators can be fined.

Their aggressive Bite Prevention program sends flyers to elementary schools and educates parents about dogs and dog bites. Its success has reduced the number of dog bites in Orange County from over 2,000 per year to roughly 1,700 in 2007.

The officers are available to respond to calls varying from your neighbor’s dog barking all night to an animal in danger. “One of our most heartbreaking cases we responded to was for a small three-bedroom house full of animals,” says Bouffard. “The owner had 58 pit bulls and 147 birds in the home, and most of the animals were in pretty bad shape.”

Additionally, Animal Services has a kennel operations division that operates an animal shelter where approximately 20,000 dogs and cats are housed annually. The Kennel Operations is responsible for providing daily care for the animals that are found. If you’ve lost your pet, or if you are looking for a pet, visit the shelter or go to their site to see photos of dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals that you can adopt.

To reduce the chance for a dog attack, teach your children the following:

¨ Running will cause dogs to chase,

¨ Do not bother animals that are eating, sleeping, playing with their toys, or mothers that are nursing,

¨ Stand like a tree by folding their branches (arms), standing still and don’t look into an aggressive dog’s eyes,

¨ If a dog knocks them down, lay like a log and cover vital organs and head.

To learn more about county ordinances regarding your pets or to find a pet to adopt, go to www.ocnetpets.com or call Orange County Animal Services at 407-254-9140.