Inquiries following two dog attacks in August revealed a history of attacks by the same animal without effective enforcement by Manatee County Animal Welfare Services.
Now the dog and its owner are on the run.
Records show the following attacks involving Anthony Santamauro, formerly of Holmes Beach, and his mastiff:
• August 2023 at the Island Time Bar and Grill in Bradenton Beach;
• August 2023 at Westbay Cove condominiums in Holmes Beach;
• 2021 in the 6000 block of Columbia Drive in Bradenton;
• 2020 in the 6000 block of Columbia Drive in Bradenton.
The review of reports for The Islander began in August after Santamauro’s dog attacked Deanna Quinn-McCollian of Illinois and killed the maltipoo in her care.
On Aug. 9, Quinn-McCollian stopped with her sister’s 9-month-old maltipoo, Teddy, at the Island Time Bar and Grill in Bradenton Beach.
There, they were rushed and attacked by an unleashed 140-pound mastiff owned by Santamauro.
According to a Bradenton Beach Police Department report, Quinn-McCollian sustained a bite to her calf and Teddy died from injuries. Santamauro also was injured.
Quinn-McCollian said she had concerns with the information she received from animal welfare services.
“I was told by them that this is the third interaction they have had with him in two years,” she said, referring to Santamauro.
According to MCAWS reports, Santamauro had been served dog quarantine paperwork following the attack in Bradenton Beach. Santamauro, under Florida law, was required to quarantine the dog for at least 10 days.
Twelve days after the attack in Bradenton Beach, another attack occurred in Holmes Beach.
Evalena Leedy was walking her toy poodle, Alonso, outside her condo at Westbay Cove South Aug. 21 when the unleashed mastiff attacked them.
Leedy ran to a vehicle and threw her dog on the roof.
She said the mastiff lunged at her repeatedly and bit her arm.
Leedy, like Quinn-McCollian, was treated at HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton. Leedy suffered two lacerations on her right forearm requiring stitches and then underwent treatment from a neurologist for nerve damage.
“The wounds themselves have healed pretty well but I don’t have feeling in my arm,” Leedy said Sept. 20.
She told The Islander an animal services officer said Santamauro was no longer at the Holmes Beach address given at the time of the attack and MCAWS was unable to locate him.
“Officer (Kevin) Mitchell (of MCAWS) told me that he does have the dangerous dog paperwork in hand along with the citation,” Leedy said. “My question is: How do you intend on giving it to him since you don’t know where he is?”
Under Florida law, if a dog is found to be dangerous due to attacks on humans or domestic animals, the owner is guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor and the dog is confiscated by animal control and destroyed after 10 days. If a dog is deemed dangerous due to an attack causing serious injury or death to a human, the owner is guilty of a third-degree felony and the dog is destroyed after 10 days.
Leedy said she submitted public information requests through the county records department for any cases involving Santamauro and the mastiff.
She furnished copies of the reports to The Islander.
The reports show Leedy and Quinn-McCollian’s attacks and also an attack in 2020 and another attack in 2021.
In 2020, Elena Skeim of Bradenton was walking her leashed Sheltie, Toby, when the mastiff attacked. Skeim’s dog sustained several broken ribs and underwent emergency surgery.
In 2021, Alberto Seda of Bradenton was walking his leashed dog when the mastiff charged them. Seda’s animal was rushed to a vet for emergency care.
In the AWS report on the August attack in Bradenton Beach, Mitchell noted a conversation with a relative of Santamauro’s concerning Rudy, a male mastiff.
“I was advised that Rudy is highly aggressive and killed multiple puppies in the past. I was then advised that they attempted to take Rudy to a trainer and the trainer advised that the dog should not be in public unless it’s leashed and muzzled, or both,” the report read.
Leedy voiced frustration.
“They could have taken action years ago. I am not sure why they dragged their feet,” she said. “Clearly it’s the owner.”
“My wish is the county does take action and they do it as soon as possible to prevent someone else from getting hurt, a dog getting killed or, God forbid, a child,” Leedy said.
The Islander reached out to MCAWS officer Mitchell and Chief Sarah Brown Aug. 23 and Aug. 24 and again Sept. 20 by phone and email but there has been no response.
Manatee County public safety’s strategic affairs manager James Nicholson responded to The Islander Sept. 21 by email: “This is still an active case; we’ve attempted to contact the owner multiple times. He no longer lives at the residence when this incident occurred.”