Dog attacks Ehrhardt boy
Joyce M. Searson, Publisher
A young boy was attacked
by a dog in Ehrhardt Thursday
afternoon. Eight-year-old
Carson Zorn was viciously
attacked by a dog while playing
in his yard in Ehrhardt with two
of his friends.
The boys had just come
home from school and were
playing in the yard when they
heard the dog growling at them.
In an attempt to get away, all
three boys were running
towards the house but
unfortunately, Carson Zorn did
not make it and was attacked by
the dog.
Adrian Boyd, a truck driver
from Mississippi, just happen to
be passing by and at first
glance, thought the dog was
playing with the child but
suddenly realized the dog was
attacking the boy. He
immediately stopped his truck,
got out and yelled at the dog and
it let go of the boy. The dog left
the yard and Carson was able to
get up and run in the house to
get his mother.
Ginny Zorn, the boy’s
mother, immediately drove him
to the Bamberg Hospital but due
to the nature and extent of his
injuries, they were unable to
treat him there. He was then
transported by ambulance to the
Palmetto Richland Memorial
Children’s Hospital in
Columbia.
Carson had multiple
lacerations to his face, his head,
neck and shoulders, and one of
his ears was almost severed. He
was in surgery for several hours.
According to both his
mother and his grandmother,
Nell Walling, he came home
from the hospital on Saturday
and is doing as well as can be
expected.
“He is traumatized and we
are worried about not only his
physical injuries but his
emotional state, as well. If it
had not been for the truck
driver’s quick response and
being there at just the right time
to stop the dog, Carson might
not be alive today. He is a true
hero and we cannot thank him
enough for what he did that day.
That was God putting him there
at just the right moment,” said
Gordon Walling, Carson’s
grandfather.
According to an Ehrhardt
Police report, the dog was a
stray dog that had been found
when it was a puppy and
belonged to one of the boys that was playing with Carson Zorn
that day. The dog stayed at the
boy’s grandfather’s residence
most of the time and would
follow them around town a lot.
Ehrhardt Police Chief Jim
Preacher said the dog was
apprehended, put down and the
remains were turned over to
DHEC. The dog tested negative
for rabies.
“This is a very unfortunate
and tragic accident and we hope
this never happens again. I don’t
want to see another child or
anyone else hurt. It was only by
the grace of God that this child
is alive now. I am advocating
some strong action in this
matter to make sure this never
happens again,” said Chief
Preacher.
Ehrhardt Mayor Bill
Stanley said this is a tragedy
that never should have
happened. Stanley said there is
currently no animal control
ordinance on the books.
At a special called meeting
on Monday night, Ehrhardt
Town Council passed the first
reading of a proposed animal
control ordinance for the town.
Mayor Stanley said the
ordinance will put the town in a
position to deal with the
problem concerning animals
running at large and vicious
animals.
“This will put the
responsibility on the owner to
purchase dog tags and register
the dog at Town Hall. Dogs will
not be allowed to run at large
beyond the premises of their
owner,” said Stanley.
Stanley also said there
have been reports of people
going around feeding the stray
dogs in town and he encourages
anyone that is doing this to stop.
This only makes the problem worse.
Stanley welcomes any
suggestions or comments from
any of the town’s citizens
concerning the ordinance. A
copy of the final draft will be
available for residents on
Tuesday, October 20th at Town
Hall before the second reading.
“This is way overdue. This
should have been done a long
time ago,” said Councilman
Freddie Copeland.
Mayor Protem Furman
Peters said in 2001, there was a
proposed animal control
ordinance that failed to pass due
to some residents in town
having horses and chickens
inside the town limits.
Ehrhardt citizen Donna
Rogers said she was sorry that
no one from the county was at
Monday night’s meeting. “This
is not just Ehrhardt’s problem,
this is a county-wide problem
that needs to be addressed by
the county,” said Rogers.
According to Chief Preacher, there is a state-wide
animal control ordinance that
most municipalities use.
