A waitress on Miami Beach's famously dog-friendly Lincoln Road is recovering after being mauled by a large dog.
Police say a cane corso bit Van Dyke Cafe waitress Amy Calandrella in the face as she bent down with a bowl of water. A Miami-Dade County Animal Services report says Calandrella received more than 300 stitches.
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“She’s on the road to recovery from her injuries. She appreciates all the support that the community has given her for what she’s gone through, and she wants everybody to know that it’s not a crusade against dogs," Calandrella's attorney, Judd Rosen, told NBC 6 South Florida. "It’s a wake-up call to people who have dangerous dogs to make sure that they’re responsible for them.”
Calandrella needed more than seven hours of surgery to repair the wound, The Miami Herald reported.
No charges were filed. The dog was allowed to remain with its owner, who declined to comment to NBC 6.
Van Dyke Cafe managers say police could not do anything more about the Labor Day weekend attack because dogs are allowed on Lincoln Road. Restaurants along the popular pedestrian thoroughfare regularly offer bowls of water to dogs seated with their owners.
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On Lincoln Road on Tuesday, Ocasio Eneudis Ocasio said the fault lies for the mauling lies with the dog's owner, not the animal.
A mastiff in particular is an aggressive and protective dog, noted Eneudis Ocasio, who is a dog owner.
"It's the person that needs to learn how to control their dog. Just because a dog acts out it's not every other dog's fault, it's the person who owns the dog that's at fault here," Eneudis Ocasio said.
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Ashley Terwilliger said she was concerned about why the dog was out socializing if it wasn't necessarily a very social dog.
"It's really upsetting for me to hear because I am a dog owner, and I love being able to bring my dog places, and I love restaurants where you sit outside and someone's kind enough to allow your dog," she said.
