'... a small child, they would have been killed'

Cheney police were searching for a gray-colored dog last Tuesday night that attacked a Cheney High School senior Monday evening, May 2.

According to reports, 18-year-old Olivia Swenson was visiting a friend in the apartments located at 1213 First St. In an email, her father Mitch Swenson said as she was walking outside the building to throw some items in a garbage bin the dog jumped out from behind her and attacked.

Police Chief John Hensley said Olivia Swenson was bitten on the thigh and lower part of her leg, injuries that required surgery at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

"I am very scared for any very young people in and around that area," Mitch Swenson said. "Olivia is a fairly strong young lady, if it had been a small child, they would have been killed."

Swenson said Olivia was still recuperating at Sacred Heart on Tuesday. The family is hoping someone in the area has seen or knows of the dog so that it can be caught and examined. Otherwise his daughter will have to undergo the series of injections for rabies, which he said they have already started.

Hensley said Tuesday morning he and other officers were going door to door talking with anyone at the businesses or nearby apartments who might have seen the dog. Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Services (SCRAPS) director Nancy Hill said an animal protection officer is attempting to schedule an interview with Olivia Swenson to get more information.

"This is a tough one," Hill said. "Right now, we only have a description of a gray dog."

Hill said they are also attempting to contact the individual Olivia Swenson was visiting at the time of the attack, and anybody else in the area who might have information or possibly who witnessed the attack.

"To know if we have the right one, we've got to have somebody put it at the scene of the crime," she added.

Hill said it's important the dog be located as quickly as possible and quarantined 10 days for rabies observations. Depending on the circumstances of the bite, the dog could be deemed dangerous.

A dangerous dog would be removed and housed at SCRAPS until the registration requirements can be met, which includes, but not limited to: $250,000 in liability insurance, an approved enclosure, warning signs along with a leash/muzzle. The owner could also be cited for any violations of law.

Hill said it would be unusual not to be able to locate the animal. Hensley added that while the attack took place in Cheney, the dog could now be miles away, making the investigation more difficult.

"This was quite a horrible attack," Hensley said. "We're not accustomed to having something like this (in Cheney)."

Anyone with information regarding the dog attack on Olivia Swenson should contact the Cheney Police Department, 535-9233, or SCRAPS, 477-2532.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.