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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, May 14, 2009

Pit bull owner will have to pay

Orchidland man's 6 pets attacked woman walking dog

By John Burnett
Hawaii Tribune-Herald

KEA'AU, Hawai'i — An Orchidland man whose dogs attacked a woman and her dog will have a chunk removed from his wallet, while the victim says the law lacks sufficient bite.

Puna District Court Judge Harry Freitas on Tuesday ordered a restitution hearing June 30 for Kevin Nakano, whose six pit bulls bit Meidor Hu, an art instructor at Hawai'i Community College, and her pet German shepherd, Hammer.

The attack took place at about 5:30 p.m. May 8, 2008, on 40th Avenue in the Puna subdivision.

Hu was bitten several times on her left leg and suffered a broken finger. Her bills for doctors, X-rays, the emergency room and the veterinarian totaled $3,922.10. Nakano will have to pay what Hu's insurance did not cover.

Asked if she thought justice had prevailed, Hu said: "It doesn't really feel like anything's been done."

Hu said she was walking Hammer when Nakano's dogs ran toward them.

"Basically, these dogs just attacked my dog," she said. She said that she was pulled by the leash into the fight. She said that Hammer, a 10-year-old neutered male, was bitten 27 times.

"His ear was ripped," she said. "They bit everywhere. They bit his ear; they bit his penis. The feeling that your dog is going to die right before you is awful."

Nakano said his dogs had never attacked anyone before. "My dogs attacked the lady's dog, not the lady," he said. "I threw myself in between the dogs, and I just tried to control the situation."

Hu confirmed that Nakano did intervene and try to help, but said he showed no concern later.

"I never heard from him; he never came by. He never said 'Sorry,' and that's troubling," she said. "My neighbor's dog was attacked by another neighbor's dog. (The dog owner) came by to visit; he apologized. He paid for the veterinarian."

A dog owner whose animal has bitten a human is required by state law to pay restitution for a victim's injuries. A dog is not classified as "vicious" unless it has bitten a human on two separate occasions.