An 11-year-old girl was bitten by Dora, the Marshfield Police Department's canine officer, as the girl rode her bike in the city Sunday afternoon.
Lauren Hart, of Marshfield, was taken to the Saint Joseph's Hospital emergency room by her father after basic first aid was applied to her calf at the intersection.
Robert Mullally, Lauren's father, said she'll be using crutches for a week or two and is having some "dog dilemmas," but is otherwise all right.
He declined to say whether he plans to take action against the MFPD, saying, "nothing's been decided yet."
The incident occurred at the intersection of Carmen Drive and Jean Avenue.
"We're trying to identify why it happened and make sure it never happens again," said Marshfield Police Chief Joe Stroik.
"As a matter of fact, we're kind of baffled," he said, adding Dora has attended many events for children over the past few years where children often pet her and play with her.
Dora possibly felt Officer Scott Schlei, her handler, was being threatened, Stroik said. Dora, who lives with Schlei, is trained to protect him, and would have taken action to ensure his safety.
Schlei will be issued a citation for $102 for not having Dora on a leash off his property. A followup report is pending, but Stroik said Schlei was working in his yard and wearing earplugs when Dora left the yard.
Mullally said he hadn't heard of the citation being issued.
"This dog is no different than any other dog," said Stroik, referring to the dog's training. Without a command from its handler, the dog behaves like any other.
Police dogs fall under the same ordinance laws as all other dogs, Stroik said, and no separate policy exists for them in the city.
Stroik said the department has done everything possible to remedy the situation.
The incident shouldn't change Dora's and Schlei's annual certification in, Stroik said.
Dora is a six-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois trained in narcotic search, as well as a patrol dog. She began work in Marshfield in May 2001.
One reason Dora was chosen rather than a German Shepherd is that the Belgian Malinois isn't prone to many common degenerative diseases, such hip displasia, commonly found in larger dogs.
The incident is apparently a rarity among police dogs, at least locally.
Wood County has 10 years of experience with canines, Sheriff's Department Lt. Bob Levendoske said. Over that time, "I don't have any recollection of that in either one of our two dogs," he said.
The county is now using Friday, a Malinois, a breed that looks like a smaller German Shepherd, Levendoske said. Friday pulls double duty on narcotics searches and as a tracking dog.
Even though their dogs have behaved well, they are still capable of acts similar to the biting Sunday, he said.
"No matter how trained, they're still dogs," Levendoske said.
Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point don't have a canine unit in their police departments.
Capt. Lisa Sterr of the Green Bay Police Department said no similar incidents have occurred with the city's canine units in the last 22 years. Brad Venaas, deputy chief of patrol for the Eau Claire Police Department, said he knew of no problems with a pair of dogs the department has used over the last seven and a half years.
Matt Ollwerther can be reached at 384-3131, at 800-967-2087, ext. 358, or at mollwerther@cwnews.net.
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