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February 10, 2008

SANTA ROSA, Ca. – Wendy Rydberg and her family received a $1 million settlement on Thursday for a case that began with a dog attack.

In April of 2006, Rydberg was walking her dog to the bus stop to pick up her kids after school. While en route, a 90-pound American bulldog attacked her, biting her face.

The mother spent four days in the hospital and underwent three surgeries to repair her mauled nose.

The dog was euthanized soon after the incident, but the owner, Emmellia Dale-Pincus, was let off with a criminal misdemeanor.

The Rydbergs filed a civil suit seeking punitive damages soon after and today were awarded by a California court.

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ilovedogs3772
1 month ago

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Dog attacks are scary and that is why people shold socialize their dogs. Atleast she was compensated for her injuries

wendy d. (wndydye)
1 month ago

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she is very lucky.... bless u.... i love all animals but i want nothin to do with pit bulls.... i had 1 chase my son and if i could have gotten a gun i would have killed..... im glad u are great and wish u the best.....

crazyvicky2008
1 week ago

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it wasnt a pitt bull it was an amwerican bull dog completely different breed smaller than a pit, thr reason animals attack or act out is becouse etheir the owner taught to attack on cammand, thought it was ok to bite, abused it, and didnt teach it, that bitting is very wrong, the best thing to do is not run, allways stay calm if you dont its hypes them up more, causing them to attack you, im sry he chased your son that is scary i hope he didnt get bit, as for the owner of the american bulldog, she shuolda trained the dog properly.

matt m. (frisco420)
2 months ago

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wow thats good for her

Kimberly B. (Kad46)
2 months ago

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I'm so glad that she is o.k as it could of been worse.I feel that no matter what amont of money it still won't take the place of all the pain she and her family has been through

Kimberly B. (Kad46)
3 months ago

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The owners punishment should of been more then what they got.
I'm glad that the woman won the money even though money will never replace what this poor lady went through

Tahirah W. (maincoon33)
3 months ago

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The owner should of faced some type of charges for her pet actions

sierra w. (mountainbreeze)
3 months ago

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ouchewwwwwow

Anonymous
3 months ago

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this comment has been removed from the system

Cynthia B. (CynthiaBuechler)
3 months ago

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i agree!

Sarah B. (sbutler1976)
3 months ago

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I can't remember the full story, Was the Bulldog loose while the owner was @ work or something? Had the Bulldog been aggressive before this incident? I can't imagine going through what she did having surgery & all! Was her dog OK through the whole thing? I know an American Bulldog personally & it's a wonderful dog. I wonder what kind of owners they were to this dog. It seems there is more to this story than just this article. I hope she recovers & that her dog is OK too. That is alot of $$ since the dog was put down & I am pretty sure her medical bills didn't come close to that amount.

JOMAMA1
3 months ago

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I'm sure the 3 surgeries did not come cheap,plus she deserves comp for the pain and suffering.Hopefully,there was some left after the hospital got theirs!

Anonymous
3 months ago

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this comment has been removed from the system

terrae01
3 months ago

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This is why there needs to be dangerous dog laws (NOT BSL laws). The dog owner should have faced more criminal consequences and should never own another dog.

Tabitha H. (Tabitha319)
3 months ago

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I absolutely agree with you. The owner should have faced a much harsher punishment.

karen47
3 months ago

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If this is what it takes to make a responsible pet owner...

criscil
3 months ago

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I understand a law suit for the animal bite, but am curious to know if the amount won would have been as high if it had been another breed of dog.

Amanda R. (arhoads)
3 months ago

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I think the monetary amount is a bit high.

Kerry S. (iresqbunnies)
3 months ago

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Yup, the irresponsibility of the owner lands a woman in the hospital and a dog being euthanized. A lose/lose situation. So many of these stories of irresponsible people. Sad.

Angel25
3 months ago

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Exactly!

nancy s. (njs426)
3 months ago

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Tragedy all around, but not a lot of information about the dog and why it bit her. Was it random?

megpop
3 months ago

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I am glad that this mother survived this attack! Things could have been much worse. I hope this settlement helps to bring closure to what must have been a terrifying incident. I know if it had been me, I would still be having nightmares. That dog should not have been out in public.

jandvee
3 months ago

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Sorry this happened and this must have been so terrifying for this poor woman. I am happy she survived the attack and was compensated for it.

shirley r. (richardhrummel)
3 months ago

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Another story of an irresponsible owner--rather intentionally or not. We all have to be aware of the responsibility that goes along with dog ownership.

suezie
3 months ago

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Good for her, in the end

CamBolick
3 months ago

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Mistakes happen and dogs do get loose but someone must assume responsibility for this awful attack. I am glad this women got some compensation - she deserves it. As for the owner of the dog they should be fined.

Ann H. (AnnandToby)
3 months ago

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how sad

Becca M. (crazyhyper695)
3 months ago

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That must've been terrifying. I think she deserved all the money she got. The owner should've been more responsible.

Karen B. (kaly4647)
3 months ago

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What a terrifying experience it must have been for her. She probably has scars that will never go away. She deserves everything she got and more.

Shirley (Shirley1002)
3 months ago

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So sad This is another case of an irresponsible pet owner and the pet paying the price. I do hope the woman heals both mentally and physically. i would think the mental will take the longest.

Ed B. (washerman)
3 months ago

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owners need to take responsibility for their animals

wmadon
3 months ago

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I think that is quite a high price.

Nikki G. (Nikki1808)
3 months ago

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as long as the woman is okay and she has a fixed face, that's all that matters

Barbara G. (myway53)
3 months ago

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sad story

Cara D. (Care1974)
3 months ago

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Living where people walk to the bus stop, you know your dog needs to be contained for the safety of both your dog and pedestrians. This could have been a child and killed. A 90lb animal can do a lot of damage. The owner needs to step up and be responsible.

Dora B. (Dogsbreath)
3 months ago

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Here's the story with details of the attack:

www.chako.org

The dogs (two of them) did have a history of getting loose. Once is an accident, twice is negligence. This poor woman's nose and part of her lips were *bitten off*. She is disfigured for life. Animal Control said it was the worst dog bite they had ever seen. The photo you see is what she looked like before the attack. I think the million-dollar judgement is great, but good luck collecting it.

stephanie h. (zeekriley)
3 months ago

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I think the owner should be in a little more trouble than that. her dog was running wild and attacked someone. I can not imagine the pain this poor lady has gond thru. best wishes to her

sunnyranch
3 months ago

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Wow, I hope she continues to recover successfully!!

Christine T. (lovemymutts)
3 months ago

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Where was the owner in this story? She should be held responsible. Playing devils advocate, maybe it was a nice dog and something provoked it. I feel very sorry for the dog. Not so sorry for the owner.

Denise D. (DoubleD)
3 months ago

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The owner needs a stiff sentence for her dog running loose..no leash law enforced..

Janie (wildlifephotomom)
3 months ago

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The owner of this dog should have to pay all damages. She is at fault for letting her dog run lose. And I feel so sorry for this poor woman being mauled like that-I can't imagine the pain and money it has cost her.

Sarah K. (sarahk10)
3 months ago

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I am glad that she is better. I wonder what the owner of the vicious dog was doing while her dogs was out attaching someone.

mjaygee
3 months ago

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I hope she continues to heal physically and emotionally.

terry h. (dalmatian147)
3 months ago

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does insurance cover something like that...the settlement in the lawsuit? (I mean for the owner of the dog...their homeowner's insurance?)

Linda S. (LindaStones)
3 months ago

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It's sad about the woman. It's also unsettling to hear that a dog would behave in that way. Didn't the owner have some idea that her dog could be aggressive and, that maybe it would be a good idea to keep the dog fenced in or inside the house? It's just hard to believe that the dog had no previous history with aggressiveness. (Sometimes training doesn't work to stop the aggressiveness, I guess. But, I would still try to do whatever I could. And, if it didn't work, or, if I felt the dog was unpredictable, I would keep the dog away from where people walk by the house. It really does show that this woman was irresponsible.) Poor lady and, poor dog, too.

Carolyn C. (MANXKITTEN)
3 months ago

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Glad she is okay.

Brenda R. (Brenraz)
3 months ago

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I hope her children did not have to witness this horrible attack. I can only imagine the horror she must have felt. I think appropriate action has been taken. I just hope the mom & her family aren't under the assumption that all dogs behave this way. Children benefit immensely from the presence of a pet in their lives. I hope the children have experienced a "nice" dog in light of all of this tragedy. God bless them all for enduring the ignorance of another human being

sandyaversa
3 months ago

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I'm glad she's ok. Hopefully the owner and her insurance company will be more careful.

Alex J. (roadisland49)
3 months ago

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i wouldnt want to be her

Jennifer S. (kotterpotter)
3 months ago

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What a tough situation. I think that the lady deserves the million for her pain and suffering. I am sure it was a scary experience. At the same time, they should have been much harder on the owner. She should have had to serve some kind of jail time or something. It was her not being responsible that caused the dog to get out in the first place. Also, why was the dog so aggressive? It makes you wonder. In any case, I feel like the wrong people suffered in this case.

JOMAMA1
3 months ago

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I think she deserves the money.It would not be fair to her to deal with the physical and mental scars and no retribution!

Kindra H. (khillcwapr)
3 months ago

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A million dollars seems excessive but in light of the need for people to properly train, control and take responsibility for their dogs maybe compensation like this will wake people up to take pet ownership seriously.

Jennifer S. (kotterpotter)
3 months ago

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Yeah. You would hope that the story itself would wake people up, but some people only hear things when money is involved. Hopefully it will cause some people to wake up and work on training their pets.

JazzG
3 months ago

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I don't usually agree with so many law suites but to have been attacked like this is something you need to send a strong message about.

Inooshi
3 months ago

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That is very sad about the attack.

Danno
3 months ago

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Bad things happen! I'm just glad she wasn't killed.

Doglover1111
3 months ago

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To such a pretty lady. How sad

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