Taffet said dogs were fighting each other during attack

The following items are on file with the Haddonfield Police Department:

• On April 28 at 9:15 a.m., Commissioner Ed Borden contacted Police Chief John Banning for a dog bite incident involving a family in the borough on April 19 at 10:30 a.m. The dog involved in the attack was a Rhodesian Ridgeback owned by the Taffet family of Upland Way.

Borden said the family contacted him first about the incident, not the police.

The dog bit a juvenile female on the left arm. The parents of the victim took the daughter to see her pediatrician the next day, who confirmed that it was indeed a dog bite.

Robert Taffet, owner of the dog, said that his daughter had several friends over in his basement on April 19. He told his daughter and her friends to remain in the basement while he fed the dogs, but his daughter told him that one of her friend’s parents were coming over to pick her up.

Taffet said that as the dogs were walking around the house digesting their food, Duke, one of the animals, bumped into another dog and the two began to fight. At the same time, the victim walked up the basement stairs and opened the door to leave the house. Taffet said she got between the two animals as they were fighting and Duke bit her unintentionally as he was going after one of the other animals.

Taffet asked if the victim was all right and she stated that she was and left. He had contact with her parents several times to check up on her after the incident.

The dog was euthanized on Friday, April 29.