Guilford County EMS crews rushed to Guilford County Animal Services at 9:24 a.m. on Oct. 28 after a dog bit a person at the shelter, leaving that person with serious injuries that required hospital treatment. The animal involved has since been euthanized, according to shelter officials.
Guilford County Animal Services confirmed that the person injured was a volunteer and that a dog was responsible for the attack, as reported by Yahoo News. Guilford County EMS said the person was treated and transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. Shelter administrators have characterized the event as an incident and have declined to release specific details about the animal that was put down, according to the Greensboro News and Record.
What Happens to Dogs Involved in Bite Cases
Guilford County Animal Services Director Jorge Ortega has described the standard process for animals involved in reported bite cases, saying those animals go into the shelter and are placed under a 10-day quarantine while staff look into what happened. It is not established whether that quarantine process applied to the dog involved in the Oct. 28 attack, and the shelter has not released additional details connecting the two.
The same report on county bite statistics noted that more than 1,200 bite cases were reported countywide last year, with 117 involving dogs or cats reported in August of this year alone. Those figures illustrate how often animal bites come before county staff and an appeals process, though the evidence does not tie the specific years behind those numbers to this incident.
Not the First Bite Reported at the Shelter
This is not the first time an animal bite has been reported at the Guilford County Animal Shelter. The Greensboro News and Record previously reported that a 2-year-old child was bitten by a dog at the facility, a separate incident from the one that injured the volunteer last month.
Shelter bite cases resulting in euthanasia have drawn scrutiny elsewhere, too. In California, Ventura County Animal Services euthanized a 100-pound German shepherd mix named Bruce after officials attributed four attacks to the dog, a case detailed by the Los Angeles Times following months of court battles. In Ohio, a dog in the care of Animal Charity of Ohio was also euthanized after attacking a staff member during a veterinary appointment, according to a report from AOL.
Guilford County officials have not released the identity of the injured volunteer, the volunteer's condition following hospital treatment, or further details about the dog involved in the Oct. 28 attack. This remains a developing story, and Hoodline will update as Guilford County Animal Services releases more information.
