Powers' mother plans to sue over dog bite

[runswithscissors 33]

mash me

[AFTiger 282]

I was a paper delivery boy. If I had sued everytime a dog bit me, I would have retired by age 21. These are pitiful times.

[WarDlowe 39]

who saw that one coming

[AURoadhouse09 0]

The dog should have a sigh around its neck stating "WARNING I MIGHT BITE"

[edgecy 3]

Another get rich quick issue here... sad, it's not like the cop or dog did anything wrong. This is what you get when you WAVE your hand in front of a dog.

[Tigermike 2,705]

Another get rich quick issue here... sad, it's not like the cop or dog did anything wrong. This is what you get when you WAVE your hand in front of a dog.

If you are going to have the dogs there, they should be better restrained. If you are going to have the dogs around the field they should not be anywhere that players could even come close to them. If they are afraid of fans storming the field then the dogs could have moved to the sidelines a little closer to the end of the game.

Am I the only one who think 2 - 3 hundred police dogs surrounding the field is over doing it just a little?

PS - From what I have heard JP has 5 or 6 holes in his hand.

PS II - Why would his mother be suing? He is 20 years old.

[AUesquire 1]

The "Filing a Lawsuit" is way over the top and despite what you may think or read, is usually not the first option in a case like this. Right now, all you have is a mother going around screaming lawsuit, lawsuit. If he's entitled to some compensation for medical treatment and 4 puncture wounds to his hand, so be it. There will be insurance for this, either through the police department, State or University. Talk to the insurance company and work it out. But STFU with all the publicity and sensationalizm and simply talk to the right people.

[JohnDeere 0]

“I was looking toward the sidelines, and I was screaming, ‘The dog bit me,’ the next three plays,” he said.

And I bet Coach Muschamp replied, "D@$%-it, Powers! You are staying in the game. Use your other hand to knock the ball down. Suck it up!"

Can you imagine, Powers leaving the game and the next play UAT completes a pass over sub that took Power's position?

There was noway Powers was going to be sub-ed out of the game with 3 plays left in the ball game. I can just see the coaches ignoring him.

[au911claire 0]

Another get rich quick issue here... sad, it's not like the cop or dog did anything wrong. This is what you get when you WAVE your hand in front of a dog.

Am I the only one who think 2 - 3 hundred police dogs surrounding the field is over doing it just a little?

There's only 10-20 total at the games. I don't think there's 300 police dogs in the entire state.

[idrivefast 0]

“I was looking toward the sidelines, and I was screaming, ‘The dog bit me,’ the next three plays,” he said.

And I bet Coach Muschamp replied, "D@$%-it, Powers! You are staying in the game. Use your other hand to knock the ball down. Suck it up!"

Can you imagine, Powers leaving the game and the next play UAT completes a pass over sub that took Power's position?

There was noway Powers was going to be sub-ed out of the game with 3 plays left in the ball game. I can just see the coaches ignoring him.

Thats wrong but hilarious in so many ways!

[AU-Dave 7]

What happens when a dog gets mistreated?

Something should be done here.

At the end of the day animals are animals.

This is a human we are talking about. I hope she gets what she wants.

He did not run over the dog. If you watch he was turning around. The dog needs more training.

just my .02

[SouthLink02 8]

So, she is going after the police officer for "not doing anything"?

Outside of the police settling, I don't think she has a shot in hell of winning

[runswithscissors 33]

So, she is going after the police officer for "not doing anything"?

Outside of the police settling, I don't think she has a shot in hell of winning

yeah, if he had jerked the dog away while he was biting it could have ripped off a finger or caused tendon damage. i agree about his chances of winning. try getting a pain and suffering judgement when you continued playing.

[abrnfanatc 6]

I hate that she is taking this course of action. I hate society today.

Maybe I have been looking elsewhere in the past, but I have been to MANY games at JHS, and I can't remember ever seeing dogs on the sidelines or behind the end zones before at a game. Before he ever got bit, I remarked to someone around me that those dogs were entirely too close to the field...but alas, noone listened.

[CircleDrill 166]

Powers didn't see the dog until it was too late. That is the problem. The dog is trained to go after hostile people, and from a dog's perspective, when someone is running directly at you and comes within one step waving their hands, that is "hostile." Even the most lethargic dog will react to someone running directly at him waving their hands within 1 step.

This is unfortunate for all involved, but it is really nothing more than a mistake on Powers' part. Powers did not do anything wrong, the dog or the officer didn't either. He just did not see the dog there. They were just in the exact location that Powers decided to run to within 1 step of after the play.

That being said, somebody besides Powers mom will pay for the insurance. No lawsuit necessary.

[runswithscissors 33]

Powers didn't see the dog until it was too late. That is the problem. The dog is trained to go after hostile people, and from a dog's perspective, when someone is running directly at you and comes within one step waving their hands, that is "hostile." Even the most lethargic dog will react to someone running directly at him waving their hands within 1 step.

This is unfortunate for all involved, but it is really nothing more than a mistake on Powers' part. Powers did not do anything wrong, the dog or the officer didn't either. He just did not see the dog there. They were just in the exact location that Powers decided to run to within 1 step of after the play.

That being said, somebody besides Powers mom will pay for the insurance. No lawsuit necessary.

well, i'm sure AU is covering it since it happened at their field and while he was playing for the team. i couldn't figure out why file a lawsuit either, i don't see where anything would come out of the Powers' pockets.

[jared52 4,354]

As I understand it, the dog wasn't supposed to be on the field at all. It was a federal bomb sniffing dog that didn't need to be on the field, the handler just wanted to watch the game.

[aucatfish 0]

For what it's worth, I asked a friend of mine who is a former K9 officer about the incident and his take was that the officer in question was too busy watching the game and not paying attention to handling the dog.

[AU alum 2]

As I understand it, the dog wasn't supposed to be on the field at all. It was a federal bomb sniffing dog that didn't need to be on the field, the handler just wanted to watch the game.

That is exactly right! I do agree in a lawsuit, from Powers or Tommy Tuberville, not Powers' mother. I don't think that they should see any money from that lawsuit, but I do think that treatment of his injuries should be covered. And I think that as a result, the dogs should be muzzled with quick removal-type muzzles if needed. And I think that the trainer should somehow be reprimanded, even if it is only a letter in his personnel file.

[jared52 4,354]

As I understand it, the dog wasn't supposed to be on the field at all. It was a federal bomb sniffing dog that didn't need to be on the field, the handler just wanted to watch the game.

That is exactly right! I do agree in a lawsuit, from Powers or Tommy Tuberville, not Powers' mother. I don't think that they should see any money from that lawsuit, but I do think that treatment of his injuries should be covered. And I think that as a result, the dogs should be muzzled with quick removal-type muzzles if needed. And I think that the trainer should somehow be reprimanded, even if it is only a letter in his personnel file.

And dogs of all types (UGA attacked too) barred from being within 10 yards of the field or the bench area between the 20s.

[AuburnChopper1 0]

Insurance will handle it. It's up to the people that know what their talking about to handle it. I love listening to all the "know it alls" in here.

I do absolutely agree with keeping animals at least 10 yards from the field of play. There is no reason to have ANY animal right under the goal post or just off the field of play. That includes Nova, Spirit, Uga, The LSU tiger, Colorado Buffalo...any of them. ESPECIALLY ONES that can get excited and bite!

[Grider 1]

Personally I'd like to see a more tailored security response at the game other than "lets put 100 people in these cheap yellow jackets around the field at the beginning of the 4th quarter and then let them face away from the field of play". That is just asking for someone to get a neck broken because they were focused on the crowd and not the fact that a safety and wide reciever are running full tilt toward them. There is no need for that many security staff on the field some 30 to 45 actual minutes before the game is over.

The statement "you never turn your back on an active racetrack" hold true on the football field as well; "never turn your back on an active football game". It is only a matter of time before one of those $6.00 an hour security guards is injured.

As far as animals that "bite", I'd have to say that barring this instance and Uga getting feisty with Robert Baker a few years ago they do a good job keeping the animals under some level of control on the sidelines. But there is no reason that for a handler and dog combo to be on the field of play unless there is a threat on the field. If he wants to watch put the dog in a cage under the stands or in the tunnel.

[autigeremt 6,135]

I think we should let NOVA loose in the game so he can attack the other teams head coach......just a thought

But really.......A lawsuit??? Give me a break. Todays world/society has major issues. MAJOR issues for sure.

[aulover 0]

Comment on "the officer didn't do anything to stop the dog"... from the gazillion times I've seen the replay of the incident it seems that the officer didn't have time to do anything before it was over.

Next comment....any time a player is injured the athletic department pays for all treatment, ot I guess the insurance company does. In any event the family won't have to pay a penny. And it's not like he had a permanent injury. It was a bad thing to happen but it was an accident. Some people need to look up the meaning of that word. And don't I remember reading that Powers was making jokes about it right after it happened?

Final comment...I have been attending all home games for more years than some of you have been alive and the most dogs I've ever seen is four, two in each end zone. I don't like that the university feels they have to have them. I don't like that they have all the yellow shirted "security guards" either. But from watching many games on TV and from questioning fans from almost every SEC school and some others as well, I find that this is pretty much common practice now.

[Raven_tiger 5]

If the dog was on the field to control the crowd, the animal should have been facing the crowd and it should not have been so close to the field, Janice Powers said.

Both the dog and officer were facing the field. They were only a few feet from the south end zone of Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“Why was he facing toward the players?” she asked. “He shouldn’t have been that close.”

BINGO. If watch the video the police officer nearest the goal post places his hand on his dogs face to restrain the animal. The officer whose dog bit Powers did nothing. Unfortunately there is probably a covey of ambulance chasers ready to score that next Porsche payment... Some people/institutions don't take the risk of injury as being an immediate concern unless they face litigation. Sad but true.

The unpadded brick walls behind the endzones need to be addressed as well before a WR running a post suffers a neck injury after colliding with the wall.