Politics & Government

Owner of Doberman That Bit Man Fights to Keep Pet Dog

The city's not trying to have the dog destroyed, but the owner – who is due in court next week on charges – has choices, Royal Oak's attorney says. 'We just want to make sure it doesn't happen again.'

The future of Heidi, a 5-year-old rescue Doberman Pinscher that bit a man outside of a Royal Oak market, may be decided in court Thursday.

Heidi's owner, Jan Spalding of Royal Oak, has made a passionate plea via a website asking people to sign a petition to save Heidi from destruction or removal from her home. More than 50,000 people have shared the Save Heidi website on Facebook; more than 11,000 have signed the petition.

“This is heartbreaking and totally unnecessary,” Spalding wrote on the website.

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Spalding, 59, faces two misdemeanor citations — one for the dog bite and one for not having her dog licensed. The misdemeanors are punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a $500 fine or both. Spalding has pled not guilty to the two charges and has been in court twice already for pre-trial conferences.

Repeated attempts to interview Spalding were unsuccessful.

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Police and witness reports allege the dog bit a 45-year-old Warren man outside  on Oct. 15. The man told Animal Control Officer Gail Briggs he approached the 26-year-old girlfriend of Spalding’s son, who had two Doberman Pinschers on leashes, and asked if the dogs were friendly. The woman told him that they were. As he got closer to the dogs, Heidi jumped up and bit him in the face.

The man went to the emergency room at in Royal Oak for treatment where hospital staff determined the dog's bite had broken the man’s nose.

On Thursday, City Attorney David Gillam said the city is not seeking to have the dog destroyed. “We just want to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “We are looking for some kind of assurance from the owner.”

That assurance could mean putting down the dog. Gillam said some owners will chose to do that when their dog bites, but another option is finding a new home for the dog.

“It is up to the owner to figure out a way to satisfy the city that it won’t happen again,” he said.

In a press release issued Thursday, Gillam tried to clarify the city’s position:

Contrary to published reports, the City of Royal Oak is not seeking to have the dog destroyed. Under both State law and City ordinance, the City has the authority to file a petition in the District Court to require the owner to show cause why the dog should not be destroyed. The City has not filed a petition regarding a dangerous animal, and does not intend to file a petition in this case. In the context of plea negotiations on the pending citations, the City is looking for the owner to agree to take reasonable steps to minimize the chance that the dog will attack or bite any other person in the future.


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