His name was Buddy. He was killed on the evening of Sept. 14, when a large German shepherd attacked him at random and managed to break his spine. At the time of his death, he was just over 9 years old. That's 49 to 52 in dog years.

Some would say Buddy lived a long life. A purebred toy poodle, he was a licensed therapy dog certified in California to help children in cancer wards cope with their illness.

His owner, 52-year-old Julia Gabler, would tell you he was taken from her far too soon.

"It may sound funny to people, but that dog basically saved my life," she explained. "I was a victim of domestic violence and when I was going through a very difficult divorce, Buddy was there for me."

The episode began on a Monday night. Gabler was out for an evening walk around the neighborhood with Buddy at her side. They approached the intersection of Malone and Harrison streets when she heard a commotion from a nearby house. Two large German shepherds bounded out the front door and charged towards Gabler and her dog.

At 5 and 1/2 pounds, Buddy didn't stand much of a chance.

"I started screaming for help," Gabler said. "Before I could do anything, I was knocked down by one dog and the other picked up my poodle in its mouth and shook him profusely. I kept calling to the owners, begging them to help, to call 911."

The injuries were quite severe. Doctors later said that Buddy's spine was broken in two places. His pancreas had been punctured and his pelvis was broken.

Gabler herself also needed medical treatment. Her wrist broke and she hurt her back when she was knocked to the ground by the large dogs.

The outlook for her dog was pretty grim. Surgery would cost well over $10,000 and he would need to remain in the hospital for two months. Even then, there was only a 10 percent chance he wouldn't end up completely paralyzed.

Weighing her options, Gabler decided to have Buddy euthanized.

Now she's looking for reimbursement.

"I'm not looking for a windfall," she said. "I'm not using my dog to exploit the situation. But someone who I considered to be my companion was taken from me and I would like to see justice served."

Immediately after the incident, she tried to file a report with the Hanford Police Department, but they referred her to the Sheriff's Office. Then the Sheriff's Office referred her to Animal Control.

An officer with Kings County Animal Control came out and took a statement, but little else was done. The officer refused to issue a citation for the dogs, as they'd been taken inside the residence when he arrived.

"If you go by this house, there is a big hole in the fence where the dogs can get out at any time," Gabler said. "I don't have anything derogatory to say about the owner of the animals, but I would like to see something get done to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Animal Control Director Teri Rockhold said the dogs will not be impounded, but a warning has been issued against the homeowner.

"The owner of the dog was very compliant and understood the liability involved," Rockhold said. "These dogs didn't have any previous offenses. Now it's our job to educate the dog owner."

Rockhold said that in some respects, Animal Control's hands are tied because of Kings County's lack of comprehensive animal laws. She has been working with county officials to give the organization more power to regulate these kinds of incidents in the future.

"This was an accident, a very unfortunate accident," Rockhold said. "I don't believe it was a matter of negligence. The problem is the dogs got out and caused some damage. Now we have to see how we can make this better. We can cite the owner, tell them to make their property more secure, but that isn't a great solace to the victim."

There were other effects.

The attack caused Gabler to miss three days of a local nursing class. Due to a zero-tolerance absence policy, she was kicked out right before graduating. She had originally paid more than $1,000 to enroll in the course.

There also are driving expenses to consider. Gabler had to take Buddy to a special medical center at UC Davis because of the extent of his injuries.

"I don't have the funds to try and represent myself in court," Gabler said. "I just want to see my bills and losses covered."

American International, the insurance company representing the homeowner, has been far from sympathetic.

When contacted by Gabler, an insurance adjuster told her to "get over it," that she had no viable claim for Buddy's death, as he was "just a dog."

Bakersfield attorney Dennis Beaver disagrees.

"In this case, the insurance adjuster is lying," said Beaver, who writes a weekly column for The Sentinel. "It's a completely nonsensical statement. This is an example of why people should not trust insurance adjusters.

"The animal has a specific value and there are many factors that go along with it. Would she be earning money from the dog's service? Is there a particular market for this kind of dog? How old was the dog? These kind of things can be researched to create the elements of a damage claim."

Gabler is hoping something will get done so she can move on with her life.

"People keep telling me, it's just a dog, you should just get over it," she said. "But I can't. I had Buddy since he was first weaned from his mother. I just want to see something get done, yet no one seems to care, because it happened to a dog."

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Oct. 12, 2009)