Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 10, 1993 TAG: 9309100233
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY BELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In two months, the publicity-shy 10-year-old Vinton girl has gone from dog-bite victim to inspiration for a new town law.
Tuesday night, Vinton Town Council toughened an ordinance that controls vicious dogs.
Now, Jessie is swamped with questions from schoolmates. The fifth-grader has become a celebrity at Roland E. Cook Elementary School.
"The kids at school ask if I cried or screamed when he bit me. They want to know if my scars hurt," Jessie said Wednesday. They also ask what it is like to be part of a new law.
Jessie was mauled by a 65-pound Akita guard dog in July. The animal attacked her from under a porch and bit her in the face, thigh, shoulder and back. The dog previously had bitten a 5-year-old boy.
The dog was banned from Vinton, the maximum punishment allowed under the old code. Jessie's family had hoped the animal would be destroyed.
"Jessie was very upset the dog was allowed to be moved elsewhere," said her grandmother, Debbie Taliaferro, who has tried to guard the child as much as possible from publicity.
"It was hard for her to understand why the dog would be allowed to live someplace where he might hurt another child," Taliaferro said.
Jessie's mother, Carri Williams, said the child has been through "a terrible ordeal that will stay with her the rest of her life."
"The dog chewed her to pieces. She has nightmares. For a time she wouldn't even go to into the bathroom by herself. She saw dogs in the closet," Williams said.
Taliaferro said Jessie has permanent scars on her face and body that will require plastic surgery.
"At her age this is really going to affect her - she's going to want to wear a bathing suit like everyone else," said her grandmother.
Jessie's family said plastic surgery is likely after the wounds have fully healed. But Jessie said she is reluctant to have the surgery because she is afraid of being put to sleep.
The family is relying on Medicaid for Jessie's medical bills and those of a handicapped 2-year-old brother, Williams said.
"Emotionally, it will take much longer for her to get over this," Taliaferro said. "But if Jessie can feel like she's helped, something good come of all this, I think it will help her heal."
Vinton's new animal control code, similar to ordinances in other municipalities, allows judges to order destruction of dangerous dogs.
"The new ordinance gives judges more latitude when dealing with dangerous and vicious animals," said Councilman Joe Bush, who supported the new ordinance. "We don't want to be the maker of someone else's misery, and by banning these animals from our community we were not eliminating the problem for folks in other communities."
Taliaferro said that, although the revised ordinance is "too late to help Jessie . . . we are very pleased that it may help someone else in the future."
by CNB