From the victim of the Inlet Terrace dog attack.
(Originally published on Facebook)
Debra Buruchian
106 Inlet Terrace
Belmar, N.J. 07719
April 25, 2018
Dear Neighbor:
I am writing this letter to inform the residents of Inlet Terrace and the surrounding neighborhood as to the disposition of the criminal case resulting from my attack on February 21st of this year. As many of you know, on that beautiful 75 degree winter day I chose to take my beloved 13 year old Miniature Schnauzer Jessie for a walk around Inlet Terrace. It’s a walk like many of you take everyday, like I have taken for the 35 years that I have owned a home in Belmar. We all have come to expect a reasonable level of safety and security in this neighborhood; I have never given a second thought about letting my daughter and her friends walk freely around the block. However, on this day my lovely walk with my loyal companion was cut short by a brutal and vicious attack by two pit bulls that reside at the Gannon residence at 76 Inlet Terrace.
It was entirely unprovoked and although their owners contend that the dogs “jumped the fence” I question the validity of that statement. There is only a very low landscape fence near the front of their property so they must be referring to a higher fence in their backyard. I was not even in front of their property when they attacked. They would never have seen us if they were confined to their backyard fence. The larger pit bull grabbed hold of Jessie right under her rib cage and would not release her. He kept shaking her from side to side, trying to kill her. As I was trying to pull my dog out of the mouth of this dog with my right arm, a second dog came around to my front and bit down on my left arm. I had to scream at the top of my lungs for help; I really felt like I was in mortal danger. Had I let down my arm, that dog was inches from my face and neck. They were attacking in a pack mentality which is deadly. Finally, construction workers from 80 Inlet came to my rescue and kicked the dog off of me and the Gannons finally came out to retrieve their dogs. The larger dog released a bleeding limp dog in my arms, who 2 minutes before, had been enjoying what would be her last walk around Inlet Terrace.
Jessie had multiple broken ribs and a broken spine, too much internal bleeding and damage to survive. She was a healthy and sturdy 20 pound dog. She went into shock at the scene and died in my arms on the way to the animal hospital. I suffered 15 deep lacerations which eventually became infected. I have permanent scarring and do not have full use of my index finger and still have pain in my right hand. I can’t write legibly anymore. I am going to physical therapy and have been diagnosed with PTSD. I have nightmares and ongoing flashbacks and have been totally traumatized by this attack. I will never be the same. I am triggered by a multitude of things every day; from seeing children innocently walking their dogs, to seeing dog treats at the supermarket, I am even triggered by beautiful sunny days…
This should never have happened and my goal is to prevent it from happening again. In Belmar we don’t have animal control, consequently we subcontract these cases to the Humane Society. I am under the impression that since “my injuries were not severe enough”, as per the opinion of The Humane Society, the prosecution is not putting a “vicious dog” complaint in play; they are charging the Gannons with “dangerous dog” complaints. Folks, a conviction of “dangerous dog” will bring these dogs back to our neighborhood. There will be contingent restrictions and guidelines on how they need to be handled; i.e.: caging, muzzling, special leashes, etc. but they will return to owners who did not handle them responsibly to begin with, over a long period of time. They kept them off leash, unlicensed, and allowed them to swim in the Inlet with children, knowing that they had a record of previous attacks. The Gannon’s dogs attacked my next door neighbor’s dog, and according to an interview with a neighbor killed their own daughter’s dog and attacked Mr. Gannon himself. I have also found a record of another attack on a person that was on record with the Monmouth County Health Department and Jersey Shore Medical Center by “Roy”, owned by the Gannons. It appears as if this dog was the one that killed Jessie. If the Gannons knew of their proclivity to violence why did they not take precautions? Why does the Humane Society think that they will adhere to the new precautions? It will only take one mistake to have these undeniably vicious dogs out among innocent children and their pets. One small mistake could cause a child’s death.
The court date for this case is set for May 8th at 11:00 am. Based on the current charges it appears inevitable that these dogs will be coming back to our neighborhood. I find it hard to believe that anyone could argue that these dogs are just “dangerous”, they have a long record (since 2012) of vicious attacks and have shown aggression toward people and domestic animals. My injuries are extremely serious and will affect me the rest of my life. I hope and pray that no one else has to endure what I have been through in these last few months.
Unfortunately if you research these kind of attacks, they are happening at an alarming rate. If you think that we need to protect our neighborhood and prevent these dogs from being returned to their owners please speak up and make sure our municipal officials are aware of your opinion (see contact information below). Please contact them directly and feel free to share this with your friends and family. This needs to be done ASAP, I think to wait until the trial may be too late. The Humane Society and the prosecutor, on behalf of Belmar, need to charge those dogs as “vicious and dangerous” and protect the people of Belmar from future attacks. I urge you to act, to protect our community. The only way to ensure our safety is to remove these dogs from our neighborhood. They have attacked before, they undoubtedly will again.
I thank you so much for your time and attention. I appreciate all the support and kind words that I have received from our community. It is a special place to live, let’s keep it that way.
Sincerely,
Debra Buruchian
Officer Brian Becker
Associated Humane Society
2960 Shafto Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07753
Tel: 732-922-0100
Email: bbecker@ahsppz.org
Mr. Stephen Schueler
Prosecutor, Belmar
601 Main St.
Belmar, NJ 07719
Attn: Kim
Tel: 732-492-0717
Email: stephenschueler2@verizon.net
Mayor Brian Magovern
601 Main St.
Belmar, NJ 07719
Tel:732-681-3700
Email: mayor@belmar.com
19 Comments
I hope the Gannon’s come to their senses and do right by this woman. They live in this community too. How many attacks is it going to take to make them wake up. This poor woman has to live in mental distress over this incident. I have dogs as well and I am cautious every time I walk them of the possibility something could happen. We shouldn’t have to live in fear because of negligent pet ownerers. Do the right thing Gannons. These aren’t loveable dogs. Perhaps offer their service to go on police raids in another state.
WOW…that is crazy! Those dogs need to go.
So sad! I am dog lover but these dogs are too aggressive.
Try hiring your own attorney to prosecute in Belmar Municipal Court. It’s been done in Avon-by-the-Sea when a holy grail family was protected from prosecution.
Put the beasts down. Filthy animals just like their owners.
How can letting these dogs live even be a discussion?
Good luck dealing with Brian about this. Making him understand that our town needs to designate someone to be our animal control representative will be hard. He won’t understand that the Humane Society is not the right entity to fill that position. Their job is animal rights, not animal control. Vote Walsifer!
Didn’t the defendants hire the Humane Society to rep the dogs?
Idk but the prosecution (the victim) had to work with the Humane Society rather than Animal Control, because Belmar does not have animal control. So, the Humane Society reviewed the case and ruled that the dogs stay alive
But interesting that that’s your take on this – it shows that the Humane Society is the defendant of animals, where as Animal Control (who should be representing the prosecution) is for the safety of people. Deb Buruchian is not getting the proper representation.
Does she have a negligence attorney? If so I’m sure that person would represent her in Municipal Court if she’s a complainant. Build their case for the cost of a trial transcript.
Public Safety is low priority in Belmar …. 2 drowning fatalities in 2017, 2 fire fatalities in 2016, 1 pedestrian fatality in 2018, and many near misses like the 5th Ave Marina fire.
If our elected officials can’t control the animals coming out of D’Jais …. don’t expect them to control aggressive dogs
Mad dogs and Englishmen come to mind.
Keep dangerous dogs off the streets. The attack dogs must go.
Prayers for Debra’s success in keeping us all safe from predatory pets.
I am so sorry you and your family had to go through such a horrifying attack. These dogs should not be brought back to Any Neighborhood. I also was bitten by a neighbor’s small dog in Belmar a few years ago.,I suffered from infection for a long time. People have to be accountable for their animals. I pray you get justice.
Those members of the Humane Society should be required to put their kids and pets in a room with these dogs as a test before sending them back to Belmar.
Better yet have them recreate the attack on site with a member walking a smaller dog while the homeowners are ignoring their loose dogs.
The Gannon family has a history of getting away with violations relating to their animals, specifically, their pitbulls. They have failed to register these animals and have been cited by Borough officials, been in Court for bites of their pitbulls in the past, the Court gives them more then a slap on the wrist. If you do not do what you are required to do more than once or twice are you just disregarding the rules and placing yourselves above them. In the current situation the victim is having to fight the dog owners and the Municipal Court to protect her neighborhood. She has sustained injuries herself and is traumatized by the incident and is mourning the loss of her own dog Jessie. Now out of fear for an event like this re-occurring and perhaps the next time be a small child instead of a small dog, she is courageously defending her neighborhood. Notwithstanding the Municipal Judge, Prosecutor and Humane Society are not showing any concern for public safety and are showing little to no compassion for Ms. B and the late Jessie, she is not giving up her efforts. As the victim is trying to secure the safety of her neighbors, their children, pets and visitors, Mrs. Deb Gannon is sowing her compassion for the situation and 5 days ago posted on her social media account a picture of the new Gannon Pitbull puppy “Bert”. Another vicious type of dog to the neighborhood, shows alot about what the Gannon Family really cares about, its sure not remorse for the victim and her late dog Jessie which was an attack caused by their negligence and inability to control their pets.
I blame the dog owners for this, not the dogs. This should never have happened.
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