Crime & Safety

Dog Walker Pleads Not Guilty to Child Endangerment in Dog Bite Case

Rebecca McGroerty allegedly failed to muzzled the dog she was watching when it bit a 4-year-old girl.

A dog walker has pleaded not guilty Tuesday to child endangerment charges after the dog she was watching allegedly bit a 4-year-old girl.

Police responded Oct. 19 to a report of a dog bite in the 2300 block of 23rd Street in Santa Monica, said Sgt. Jay Moroso of the Santa Monica Police Department.

Detectives learned that Rebecca McGroerty, the dog walker, was given instructions by the owner of the 10-year-old Staffordshire Terrier to keep it muzzled and on a leash while it was outside the home, Moroso said.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

McGroerty's employers told her she was not to have anyone other than employees or residents in the home where the dog was because the animal was afraid of and had aggressive behavior toward children, Moroso said.

The girl was not a resident of the house. The dog was not on a leash and was not wearing a muzzle at the time of the attack, Moroso said.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The 4-year-old girl was treated with stitches in injured leg, Moroso said.

The dog was impounded by the Santa Monica Animal Control Unit for a 10-day quarantine and then released to the owner, with muzzle and leash restrictions. However, the owners had already been using these restrictions, Moroso said.

The next hearing for McGroerty is Jan. 8, 2014.

City News Service contributed to this report.




Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.