Taffet’s Rhodesian Ridgeback allegedly attacks another juvenile

By ROBERT LINNEHAN

Haddonfield Police Chief John Banning confirmed that the department received a police report yesterday in regards to a dog attack at the home of Robert and Michelle Taffet on Upland Way. Banning said that a juvenile girl was allegedly bitten by one of the Taffet’s Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Duke, who had been involved with attacks on humans before.

The alleged attack occurred on April 19, Banning said. It happened at 10 p.m. Banning reported today that the dog, Duke, has been voluntarily euthanized by Taffet. An officer from the Haddonfield Police Department was dispatched to confirm the euthanasia.

From information received by the victim’s father, and statements from the owner of the dog, it was revealed that the dog involved was named Duke. Duke was previously declared “potentially dangerous” in Pilesgrove Municipal Court, according to the borough.

Rhodesian Ridgebacks, according to the American Kennel Club, were originally bred to hunt lions in South Africa and are also known as the African Lion Hound.

The alleged dog in question, Duke, was in the news this past year after biting a three-year-old girls ear off in Salem County. The dog was being housed at Taffet’s farm at Alloway Township during the time of the attack. A judge decreed that the animal was not vicious and had “nipped” the ear of the girl, thus declaring that it did not have to be destroyed.

Taffet — a resident of Upland Way — has been embroiled in legal battles surrounding his pet Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs for the past several years. Taffet’s dogs have attacked at least five people in the borough since 2003, officials said.

Commissioner Ed Borden — director of public safety in the borough — did not wish to comment further on the issue.

The Taffets could not be reached for comment for this article.