Beach dog attack leaves girl fearful

Chayne Marten was playing with his children at Kapalua beach Sunday evening when he heard growling, followed by screams.

"Here's this dog attacking my 7-year-old daughter," Marten said. "I ran as fast as I can."

The Napili resident tried to dive onto the dog but landed instead on the sand. "When I looked up, I could see the dog running away looking over his shoulder," he said.

He grabbed his daughter Addison, who had been bitten on the calf, before the dog returned.

"The dog was trying to come back," Marten said. "It was very scary."

The Maui Humane Society is investigating the incident.

Police, who responded to the beach at about 7 p.m., identified the dog owner as a 34-year-old Napilihau woman. An officer documented the leash-law violation, which carries a fine of up to $500.

Marten described the dog as a whitish pit bull. He said he and his family had noticed the dog running along the shore before the attack. "I was saying to myself, 'I wish people would obey the leash law,' " Marten said.

Five minutes later, he said, the dog came running up to attack his daughter as she skipped on the beach.

He said the girl is one of triplets. The children were looking for ladybugs while at the beach with Marten and his wife.

When he and others told the owner to leash the dog, he said the owner yelled back, telling them to "shut up."

"The person never so much as apologized or asked how my daughter was," Marten said. "This is a woman who had her own children."

While the wound didn't seem too bad at the beach, Marten said a doctor who later examined the girl reported that the bite was deep, leaving puncture wounds on both sides of Addison's leg.

"The dog had his mouth completely around her calf," Marten said.

The girl was treated with a tetanus shot and antibiotics.

"What's worse is she's scared," Marten said. "She shook all night."

Her brother Chase and sister Peyten also were traumatized after watching the attack, Marten said.

"Right now it's much more psychological than physical," he said. "She's never had a bad experience with a dog before."

He said the family has a German shepherd, which is leashed and muzzled in public.

"I think dog owners should be responsible," Marten said. "I don't know why anyone feels they should be above the law."

He said the family often goes to the beach and he had never seen the dog there before.

"You feel safe on the beach," he said. "The only hazard I worry about is the water."

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.