Dogs injure woman at Hanover child-care facility

Hanover County and state authorities are investigating an attack by two dogs that seriously injured a woman in the yard of a house that doubles as a child-care facility.

The house where Thursday's attack occurred is licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services to care for up to 12 children per day, although Hanover authorities said no children were there at the time.

The 41-year-old victim, who went to the house to visit a friend who operates the child-care facility, was taken to VCU Medical Center for treatment of what authorities said were significant wounds to her face and arms. Her identity has not been released.

The dogs, a 3-year-old male named Harry and a 2-year-old female named Precious, have been confiscated by Hanover's Animal Control Department, which is holding them at its shelter. Neither dog had a county license but both had current rabies vaccinations, authorities said.

The dogs' owner identified them to authorities as American bulldogs, said Kevin M. Kilgore, Hanover's chief of animal control.

The county, which said it already had been called to the house twice in the past two years for dog-bite complaints, is investigating the attack and will forward its findings to prosecutors.

The child-care facility, found in violation by state social-services regulators on eight occasions since 2006, is operated by Patricia Morton. Her latest one-year state license to operate a "family day home," which allows her to care for up to 12 children for periods of less than 24 hours, expires at the end of the month.

A man who answered the door yesterday at the red-brick and tan-siding rancher in the 11300 block of Hanover Avenue, just west of the Ashland town limits, said no one would comment.

Several toys were strewn about the front yard, a pair of empty dog kennels sat alongside the house, and dogs could be heard barking in the backyard.

The property is ringed by a waist-high, wood-framed wire fence, and a small "NO TRESPASSING" sign is placed beside a swinging gate at the head of the driveway.

Authorities said the victim was attacked when she went to the gate Thursday shortly after 1:30 p.m., opened it and walked inside toward the front door.

"We understand that she is a friend of the owner," county spokesman Tom Harris said. "However, we're not sure that the owner knew she was coming."

One of the house's residents and a man who was driving past the house pulled the dogs off the victim, authorities said. Her arm and face wounds were extensive, and she lost a significant amount of blood, authorities said.

"I can tell you it was a very serious event," Kilgore said.

Harris said county officials were not certain whether either of the two previous dog-bite complaints involved the two dogs or whether either event resulted in citations or charges. He said a summons would be issued for the failure to license the dogs.

Also investigating is the state Department of Social Services. The department's probe is likely to include visits to the house, interviews with appropriate people, and consultation with Hanover authorities, said Jeff Williams, licensing administrator for children's programs in the department's Central Region Division of Licensing.

The facility's license stipulates that children are prohibited from interacting with the dogs in the backyard, and that the children's outdoor play be limited to the front yard, Williams said.

The department has had numerous contacts with the facility, where a weather-beaten plywood sign along the road advertises for KIWI CHILD DEV CHILDCARE.

Department records indicate state inspectors visited the facility on 13 occasions from April 11, 2006, to June 8 of this year. Three of those visits were in response to complaints.

Violations included inadequate record-keeping, failure of an aide to have a completed Child Protective Services background form, insufficient state-mandated staff training, and not enough paper towels in a bathroom for children to dry their hands.

The records also show inspectors were sent to the house once because of a dog-related complaint. A complaint investigation was initiated July 20, 2007, "regarding canines owned by the provider and personnel in the home," the records show.

The department said it spoke with "the assistant, the provider, and local animal-control and zoning authorities" before determining there were no violations.

"The preponderance of the evidence gathered during the investigation does not support the complaint," the department wrote Aug. 2, 2007.

Later that year, the state again addressed the dog issue after another inspection.

"All rooms of the home and outdoor areas were inspected with no hazards found," the department wrote in an annual licensing inspection report Dec. 19, 2007.

"Children currently use the front yard for outdoor play, as they are not to have contact with the canines in the rear yard. Based on the provider's overall compliance during the licensing term, a renewal of the family day home license will be recommended."

Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 649-6804 or jmacenka@timesdispatch.com.