[tabi] Scared Publix customer sprays seeing-eye dog with bleach
- From: "Easy Talk" <Easytalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 15:56:49 -0400
here is the full article.
Robert
Scared Publix customer sprays seeing-eye dog with bleach
Sunrise resident cited for animal cruelty
A seeing-eye dog had bleach squirted in its eyes at a Publix grocery store when
a
67-year-old woman intentionally sprayed the animal in an unprovoked attack, a
police
report says.
The 5-year-old yellow Labrador retriever appeared uninjured, the report said,
but
Patricia Lawler, of Sunrise, was cited for animal cruelty and given a notice to
appear
after the 4:15 p.m. Saturday incident at the store at 10155 W. Oakland Park
Blvd.
Lawler told police she "thought it was a vicious animal" and feared it would be
a
danger to other customers, so she grabbed a spray bottle of Clorox cleaner off a
shelf and sprayed the animal in the eyes and back.
"I realize now it was a mistake," Lawler said when reached by telephone Monday.
"I
have a fear of dogs. It was just a big dog with a big head. I was just afraid."
Lawler said she takes medication for schizoaffective disorder, and paranoia is
one
the symptoms associated with her mental illness.
The dog's owner, Ronda Carin Shore, 45, also of Sunrise, told police she is
blind
and keeps the canine with her at all times. It was wearing a service-dog vest,
an
assist handle and a placard, the report said.
Shore declined to comment Monday.
Although the dog wasn't exhibiting aggressive behavior, Lawler said she got
scared
when she saw it and asked Shore to leave the store with the dog. When that
didn't
produce results, she said she resorted to the spray bleach to get rid of the
animal.
"I was afraid the dog would go wild, or some small child would get bitten, or
somebody
would get hurt," Lawler said. "I guess I overreacted. But I still feel like a
dog
doesn't belong in a place like a grocery store."
If convicted of the first-degree misdemeanor, Lawler faces up to a year in jail
and/or
a $5,000 fine.
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