On January 10, 2013, District Justice Rebecca Jo Margerum found a negligent Dauphin County dog owner guilty of failure to confine his boxers in violation of the PA Dog Law. Clifford A. Schaffner was also convicted of not having his 3 dogs licensed or properly vaccinated for rabies prevention. Present at the hearing were Dauphin County Dog Warden Michael Zeigler, Attorney Thomas J. Newell, the 30 year-old victim and the defendant.
The uncontroverted testimony presented to the court was that the defendant’s 3 dogs were running loose on his property without any collars, leashes or other methods of restraint. Mr. Schaffner admitted that he was in the house at the time of the attack and did not witness it. After he heard the victim’s screams, Mr. Schaffner came out and saw the dogs “surrounding her.” The negligent dog owner described the victim as being “distraught and scared.” Attorney Newell provided the court with copies of the failure to confine statute, as well as a relevant Pennsylvania Superior Court decision.
Call 800-980-4842 to speak with Attorney Thomas J. Newell 7 days a week. He has represented dog attack victims in 16 different counties. See: www.PADogAttackLawyer.com for more information.
