Vera Kafkas was walking with her Pomeranian-huskie mix and her 3-month-old son outside the Starbucks at Arsenal Yards on Sept. 6 when, she says, a stranger's dog suddenly attacked her pet, knocked her to the ground, and tipped over her baby's stroller in the chaos. The 28-year-old Watertown resident says she wound up with cuts and bruises, her dog was bitten on the neck and back, and she was left screaming for help with her infant son nearby.
“I was on the ground, crying, saying, ‘my babies, my babies,'” Kafkas said, describing the moment of the attack, according to NBC Boston. She photographed the damage to the stroller and the injuries to her arm, and she took her son to Boston Children's Hospital for a checkup afterward. He is believed to be okay, per the same account.
Police Investigate Reported Attack
Kafkas said the other dog's owner gave her a business card and then drove away. She called Watertown police, who responded and took a report. The department is still investigating, according to NBC Boston.
The owner told NBC Boston he felt bad about what happened, said his dog had never acted this way before, and was willing to speak with the Kafkas family about what he could do.
Quarantine Ordered, No Rabies Found
Watertown police contacted the town's Department of Public Health after the attack. NBC Boston reported that officials said the dog is licensed out of state and does not have rabies, and that it was ordered to quarantine for 10 days. Watertown says state law requires a 10-day rabies quarantine for a domesticated mammal that bites or scratches a person or another animal, regardless of vaccination status, according to the Town of Watertown.
What bite-reporting information is available?
According to the City of Watertown, state law requires mammal bites to be reported to the local Animal Control Officer or Animal Inspector. The city says its Animal Control Officer investigates bites and works with local veterinarians on quarantine procedures for possible rabies exposure. The information cited here describes reporting and follow-up procedures, but does not provide figures showing how reported dog bites in Massachusetts have changed over time or establish whether Watertown publishes summaries of bite reports, calls, or quarantines.
Watertown's municipal animal-code provisions are published in the city code. Separately, Massachusetts law says a dog’s owner or keeper can be liable for damage the animal causes to a person’s body or property, with exceptions for trespassing, another tort, or teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog, under Chapter 140, Section 155 of the state's general laws.
State law also lays out what counts as a dangerous dog: one that, without justification, attacks a person or domestic animal and causes physical injury or death, or behaves in a way that would lead a reasonable person to believe it poses an unjustified imminent threat of that kind of harm, according to Chapter 140, Section 136A.
Kafkas Weighs Legal Action, Calls For Accountability
Kafkas has retained an attorney and is considering a civil suit, NBC Boston reported. She has called for accountability and said she wants her community, her family, and other children to be safe.
No lawsuit has been filed, and no final police finding, citation, or dangerous-dog designation has been announced in connection with the attack. Watertown police say the investigation remains open.
