On Monday, an 11-month-old baby died after being attacked by a dog in Tibás, and in this regard, the Canine Federation of Costa Rica (ACAN) regretted what happened and reiterated the importance of a regulation of “powerful dogs” in the country, because they had already warned that something like this could happen.
Through a press conference the president of the federation, Rubén Rodríguez, said that seven months ago, after a child was attacked by a dog in San Carlos, they tried to advice the authorities of the National Animal Health Service (SENASA) on the way to regulate the ownership of these animals. The dog that attacked the girl is an American stafford.
We sent multiple letters and emails to SENASA director’s office and we still have not received a response. It is a pity that our professional offer is ignored in order to consolidate a true regulation on this issue,”
said Rodríguez.
He added that it’s necessary to take action on this issue as soon as possible and reiterate the call to the director of SENASA to meet. If they do not receive a response, they will file an appeal with the Constitutional Chamber.
The ACAN seeks to offer the country a management and control program for powerful dogs, which has already been implemented in European countries. In addition, they intend to form an interdisciplinary team to issue permits to have this type of dog.
Rodríguez said that, in this case, there is as much responsibility of the owners as of the authorities, because having these types of dogs involves knowledge, feeding, management and adequate training.
There is a deceased, an innocent baby that has died because of a bad handling of a powerful dog. We have been announcing it for seven months. I said it ironically: ‘we will have a regulation when a dog kills a person.’ Unfortunately, that day arrived. Having these types of dogs is a huge responsibility. These dogs are not for everyone. They should not be in inappropriate hands because these catastrophic events happen.”
The case of the attacked baby occurred in Tibás and then she was transferred to the Chorito Picado clinic with cardiorespiratory arrest. From there she was taken to the National Children’s Hospital (HNN) where she died past 11:00 a.m.
Agents of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) investigate the case to determine whether or not there was negligence. The dog was confiscated by SENASA.