Fresh off the Press

Fresh off the Press brings you a mighty tall tale of a dog-eat-dog-world via Oregon Live News. Enjoy this masterpiece of almighty carnage...
Big dog kills small dog in TriMet attack
by Stuart Tomlinson, The Oregonian
Monday October 27, 2008, 4:30 PM

A big dog killed a smaller dog standing at its owner's feet as they all rode a TriMet bus yesterday, an agency spokeswoman says.

The smaller animal, a Pomeranian, was a service dog and therefore authorized to travel on the bus. The larger one, a mix between a Rottweiler and a Shar-Pei, was not a service dog, TriMet says, and its owner was subsequently barred from riding TriMet buses and trains for 30 days.

Peggy LaPoint of TriMet said Marie Kelemen of Portland and her dog were riding the No. 75-39 bus at around 4:15 p.m. near North Interstate Avenue and Lombard Street when the much larger dog attacked.

LaPoint said the owner of the Rottweiler/Shar-Pei, Leroy Morley, was sitting at the back of the bus in front of the rear door with his 50-pound dog. Morley then walked toward the front of the bus to exit.

As he walked pass Keleman's leashed Pomeranian, which was standing on the floor, Morley's dog attacked. The Pomeranian died at the scene.

Transit Police responded to the incident, LaPoint said. According to the driver, Morley got on the bus first, and Kelemen got on later.

"The driver was pretty upset,'' LaPoint said. "She took the rest of the day off."

John Rowton, a spokesman for Multnomah County Animal Services, said "the case had been referred to us, but we haven't seen the report and we're waiting for a copy of the video from the bus' surveillance camera."

According to TriMet's Web site, service dogs are allowed to ride TriMet buses and trains, but must be kept on a leash or in a container.

"Service animals are welcome on TriMet,'' according to TriMet rules. "No permit is required, but you may be asked to confirm that your animal is a service animal."

Rowton said service dogs can perform a broad range of duties for their owners.

"Some can alert when they sense their owner is going to have an epileptic seizure,'' he said.

Others can alert people with hearing or sight impairment, pull a wheelchair or pick up items for people. Service or signal dogs can even help people with their balance. Some dogs help their owners with psychiatric or mental disabilities.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal can be "any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government."

Some but not all service animals are licensed, Rowton said. In Multnomah County, a service dog can be licensed in the county, and the owner gets a discount.

"Under the law, I can't even ask what kind of service the dog does,'' Rowton said.