MORGAN HILL, Calif. -- A Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department canine removed from duty in January after it attacked another dog has now been removed from the care of its deputy partner.
Scooby, a 5-year-old German Shepherd, is currently at a canine training facility in San Mateo County until a more permanent home can be found for him, possibly with the military where he can perform search and rescue duties.
Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Terrance Helm said the decision was made after months of deliberation by the department following the attack earlier this year on a Labrador named Jake.
Scooby was usually kept inside the home or yard of Deputy Julie Willbanks' Morgan Hill home, but on one day in January, he managed to escape and went after Jake, who was on a leash being walked by his owners, Willbanks' neighbors.
Jake reportedly sustained deep puncture wounds to his neck.
Willbanks, who rushed to separate the dogs, was also bitten and ended up missing three months of work, Helm said, after receiving several stitches on her hand to sew up the wound.
The department made the difficult decision to remove the dog from Willbanks' custody in part because the neighbors had threatened to sue the county if the dog remained in the neighborhood.
Helm said the department never considered selling the dog to Willbanks, which is sometimes an option with other canine officers, often when their dogs retire from the force after years of service.
Since this was not the case with Scooby, the option was not offered to Willbanks, who has reportedly hired a lawyer to pursue her options. Helm would not comment on that.
Willbanks has since returned to duty with the sheriff's department and continues to claim that Scooby is not dangerous and was only protecting his territory.
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