2nd Dog in Fatal Mauling Is Deemed Vicious, Ordered Killed

The second dog involved in the fatal attack on a popular college lacrosse coach was declared “vicious and dangerous” Thursday and was ordered to be destroyed.

That decree came from San Francisco Police Sgt. William Herndon after several people said the Canary Island dog named Hera and another dog attacked them or their pets.

“I believe that this dog is a dangerous animal, and that it poses a significant threat and an unreasonable danger to the employees of the Department of Animal Care and Control,” Herndon said. But Hera’s fate is far from sealed. Last week, Dist. Atty. Terence Hallinan ordered that Hera be kept alive, saying she might serve as evidence, should charges be brought against the dogs’ owners, attorneys Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller.

San Francisco Animal Care and Control Director Carl Friedman said his office would comply with the order to keep Hera alive until Hallinan’s office had completed its investigation.

The couple lived with their two dogs, Hera and Bane, in the apartment building where Diane Whipple was attacked Jan. 26. Bane was put down immediately after the attack.

The couple said the attack was uncharacteristic of the animals. But officials at Pelican Bay State Prison say Bane and Hera were part of a ring of fighting dogs, an effort coordinated by two inmates.