Dog attack brings bad memories for mother

While Camp Lejeune officials consider changes to its pet policies in light of the mauling death of a toddler by a pit bull in base housing Wednesday, the mother of a then-9-year-old girl who suffered a dog attack on the base in 2005 said she is reliving the nightmare all over again.

The 3-year-old boy bled to death on the way to Onslow Memorial Hospital after being bitten multiple times on the head and neck, according to the medical examiner who performed the autopsy.

The boy was at home in Tarawa Terrace I with a babysitter when a civilian friend of the family brought the dog to the house, base officials said.

"(Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is still investigating the incident, and we are assisting them in any way that we can," said 1st Lt. Philip Klay, spokesman for 2nd Marine Logistics Group, where the father of the boy is attached.

Amy Gaston - who has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the Marine Corps - said hearing about the recent pit bull attack brought her back to when her daughter was nearly killed.

"I can't believe it is happening again," she said.

Gaston was married to a Marine at the time and lived in base housing. Her daughter rode her bicycle to a friend's house in March 2005 to see whether the child could play. A rottweiler got loose from a fence in the yard and attacked the girl. She was bitten on the face and neck and half her ear was torn off by the dog, all according to court documents.

Doctors spent four hours in surgery repairing her daughter's face, Gaston said.

"My daughter has gone through two and a half years of therapy," Gaston said. "She is doing better, but I fear she will never be quite the same."

The girl has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and still has nightmares, according to the civil suit.

"I cannot believe they have not made any real changes since my daughter was attacked," Gaston said.

Gaston now lives in Upper Marlboro, Md., and filed the lawsuit in U.S. district court there.

Washington, D.C., attorney David Sheldon represents Gaston. He said a trend is developing in North Carolina in which landlords are beginning to be held more accountable for what happens on their rental property.

"The Marine Corps is basically a landlord for the housing on Camp Lejeune. They are responsible," he said. "Two children attacked by vicious breeds of dogs on the same military base in a short period of time, and nothing has been done. It makes you shake your head in confusion as to why the base hasn't taken steps to stop this."

But the base may be looking at changes now.

Camp Lejeune's commanding officer, Col. Richard P. Flatau Jr., has gathered a team of advisers to look at possible changes to the base's domestic animal control policy, said Maj. Nat Fahy, director of public affairs for Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Installations East.

"Early the morning after the incident, the base commanding officer formed a team of his most senior advisers," Fahy said. "Those advisers are experts in housing management, law, law enforcement, safety, veterinary medicine, animal control and public affairs."

Fahy said the team's task is to review existing policies for domestic animals on base, analyze historic records, and review military and civilian precedents for more restrictive policies.

"The purpose of the work is to determine potential changes in policies and practices aboard Camp Lejeune to reduce the likelihood of a future tragedy, and overall better safeguard residents of on-base housing," Fahy said.

For now, no specific dog breeds are forbidden on base, but animals that are deemed vicious are not allowed to stay in base housing, according to base order 10570.1C.

"In cases where serious injury or hospitalization is the result of an attack to any person or pet, the animal will be destroyed when it is reasonably apparent that failure to do so would subject the public to danger of further attacks," the order reads.

Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at lkay@freedomenc.com or 910-554-8534. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.