A dog attack Thursday afternoon in the Pee Dee left one dead and one seriously injured.

Sirlinda Jane Hayes of Dillon died after one or two rottweilers, owned by her neighbor, attacked her. The owner, who has yet to be identified, was the other person injured by the dogs.

South Carolina Law states the liability in a dog attack lies with the owner or person having the dog in his care. An owner is liable in all public places. Even when the person bitten or attacked is on the property of the owner when an invitation is expressed or implied. The only safety net for dog owner is if the dog was provoked by the person attacked or a person unlawfully comes on to the owners property.

According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks included in the study. 68% of those attacks were on children and 82% were on adults. Those breeds were responsible for 65% of the deaths in the study, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases, the life-threatening or deadly attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question.

Rita Thomas, owner of Canine Command Center in Socastee, deals with every type of dog even the three most aggressive. Right now at her center she cares for a pitt bull and a presa canario.

She says types of dogs known to be aggressive do inherit aggressive genes, but that doesn't mean all rottweilers, pitt bulls, or presa canarios are aggressive. "I've owned a rottweiler for 12 years once," says Thomas, "and it was the most gentle non-aggressive dog I've owned."

She blames situations like the one in Dillon on owner neglect. "You can't just give your dog water, food, and shelter and say I'm not neglecting my dog. If dog don't get training, if they are boxed up in a small area, if they don't get the attention they need, then they are being neglected, and dogs who are neglected tend to lash out."

She suggests to people wanting to own dogs that are more aggressive breeds to check the pedigree of the dog. "Tell the breeder 'I want to see the parents'. Then if the parents are aggressive dogs, I wouldn't even think about buying that dog."

South Carolina law says a dog is not a dangerous animal solely by virtue of its breed or species.

The only way an animal can be deemed dangerous is when:

1.) makes an unprovoked attack that causes bodily injury to a human being and the attack occurs in a place other than the place where the animal is confined.

2.) commits unprovoked acts in a place other than the place where the animal is confined and those acts cause a person to reasonably believe that the animal will attack and cause bodily injury to a human being.

3.) which is owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of fighting or which is trained for fighting.

4.) causes injury or bodily injury meaning (1) broken bones, (2) lacerations, (3) punctures of the skin, or (4) any physical injury resulting in death.

A person convicted of owning a dangerous dog on their first offense will receive a misdemeanor, a fine no more than $5,000 or imprisoned for no more than three years.

A second offense or subsequent offense of owning a dangerous animal is guilty of a felony, a fine no more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years.

What do you think? Are the penalties strong enough?