Aggressive dog that mauled Portland woman found, released again by animal control

SALEM Ore. (KPTV) - An unleashed dog that mauled a Portland jogger and allegedly viciously attacked a small dog was recently found by animal control with its owner but police declined to seize the animal.

Cheryl Wakerhauser, a Portland pastry chef, was mauled last month by the dog named Bubbie and suffered 35 puncture wounds.

Multnomah County Animal Services took the dog into custody for a 10-day quarantine. However, the dog’s owner Jessie Miller and his mother Marie Miller persuaded animal services to let them quarantine the dog at Marie Miller’s house.

Miller then ran away with the dog, and authorities were unable to find him or the dog because Miller was homeless.

Bubbie, the Pitbull mix, is also accused of attacking at least one other dog in February. That attack resulted in a smaller dog having two long incisions, a punctured lung cavity and bruising on his belly and chest, requiring him to have emergency surgery. In that case, Multnomah County Animal Services also identified the dog’s owner as Jessie Miller.

Then, on April 30, MCAS received word that Jessie Miller and Bubbie had been spotted at the Walgreens at 940 Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard. Where Bubbie was once again roaming freely off-leash.

Miller then reportedly drove his SUV south on Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and MCAS after-hours staff found Miller and Bubbie parked on 38th Avenue near Fred Meyer and requested assistance from the Portland Police Bureau.

When a PPB officer came, he approached Miller and asked him to hand over Bubbie. But Miller refused.

MCAS says that neither the PPB officer nor the MCAS after-hours service staff had legal jurisdiction to seize the dog because in Oregon dogs are considered property and Miller had no warrants.

Miller reportedly told the officer and animal control that he intended to drive to Vancouver, Wash. after leaving the area.

“We are pursuing every possible legal means to take possession of the dog. In the short term, we are issuing notices of infraction, classifying this dog as a dangerous dog, and meeting with the District Attorney’s Office to pull every lever to protect the public from this dog,” a spokesperson for animal control said. “In the meantime, MCAS encourages community members to send any information about the whereabouts of Miller and Bubbie to 503-988-7387, and advises not to approach or confront the dog or owner.”

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