A two-year old Pit bull, Nico, that attacked a man in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania will get a second chance.

In April, 54-year old Jeff Allen of Stowe was looking at purchasing a building on Herbst Alley when Nico jumped the fence of his house on Church Ave. and ran at Allen.  The dog knocked Allen down and lunged at him several times before biting the tip of the middle finger on his left hand completely off.  The dog’s owners then grabbed Nico by the collar and pulled him off.

Allen had to pay $1,700 dollars of medical bills and plastic surgeons were unable to reattach the tip of his finger after the attack.

Nico’s family and McKees Rock police argued that Nico had never hurt anyone before and that one offense does not make him a dangerous dog.  State law does not allow for first time offenders to be euthanized but, Judge Cercone recently ruled that Nico was a dangerous dog and ordered his family to build an escape proof enclosure.  The family intends to appeal the ruling.

If your or someone you know has been injured in an animal attack, contact the Harrisburg dog bite lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 to learn more about your rights.