A 78-year-old resident of the Bayshore community north of Waldport is suing another resident and two dog sitters for $900,000 after an off-leash incident in March 2022 resulted in a broken leg and medical complications.
Lawyers for Ilona Ridling, 78, filed a lawsuit Feb. 19 in Lincoln County circuit court accusing dog owner Denise Jensen and dog sitters Kristine Carey and Shane Chicatelli of negligence. The lawsuit seeks $100,000 for medical expenses and $800,000 for mental and emotional distress, disfigurement, pain and suffering and permanent injuries.
The lawsuit said Ilona and Loren Ridling were walking their Aussie-Doodle on a leash near the Bayshore Beach Club on March 13, 2022, when they were charged by Jensen’s rottweiler mix. Jensen’s dog ran into Ilona Ridling’s left knee.
The lawsuit said Jensen had asked Carey and Chicatelli to watch her dog while she was at work, but said they left the dog home alone and unleashed.
The lawsuit said Ridling underwent surgery to repair the fracture to her tibia, but it did not heal and eventually had to have a total replacement of her left knee. She also developed blood clots, the lawsuit said, and now must take blood thinners “for the foreseeable future.”
Both Ridling and Jensen’s homes are part of the Bayshore Beach Club Homeowners Association, the lawsuit said, which requires dogs be on leash at all times.
The lawsuit alleges that Jensen failed to properly instruct Carey and Chicatelli on caring for the dog and that the dog sitters were negligent in allowing the dog off Jensen’s property without a leash.
Unleashed dogs on the beach are one of my biggest pet peeves since moving to the coast. Dog owners must either have their dogs on a leash or under voice control.. I routinely get charged by large dogs on the beach that are unleashed and obviously not in their owners control. When I complained to one dog owner whose gigantic barking poodles charged aggressively, he had the unmitigated gall to tell me I shouldn’t have been walking near them on the beach.
I may be out of date, but as far as I know, the law says that dogs have to be leashed within park boundaries, but not on the beaches outside of park boundaries. That said, no one should
let their dog off leash unless they reliably, 100%, heel and recall.
Here’s what the state parks “Pawsitive info” states: ” Can my pet run free on the beach?
Yes, with some exceptions. Pets are welcome on most ocean beaches, however carry a leash at all times. Pets must be on a leash on the beach in front of Cape Lookout State Park.
When leashes are not required, your pet must be under direct control (within sight and responsive to commands). You should always have a leash ready in case you’re asked to restrain your pet by a park employee.
Nesting shorebirds sign on th beach. March-15-Sept. 15. Sign shows vehicles, bicycles, kites and dogs as prohibited. People and horses must stay on the wet sand.If you choose to allow your dog to run free on the ocean shores, you are still responsible for their behavior so please make sure they are not interfering with others’ recreational enjoyment or harassing seabirds or other wildlife. And, please pick up and remove dog waste from the beach.
Pets and service animals are not permitted on some beaches or at certain times of the year (even on a leash) to protect wildlife, such as western snowy plovers.” Goes on to say that people are responsible for picking iup their dog’s waste and lists the parks/beaches where dogs are not allowed or must be kept leashed. https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=v.page&id=79
So, dogs can be unleashed, IF they’re under good voice control AND they don’t harass seabirds or interfere w/recreational use of the beach by others.
I’ve been walking on beaches in Lincoln county, primarily Otter Rock to SB state park for 20 years–I’d be surprised if as much as 30% of those who let their dogs off lead carry a leash and/orr have done good basic obedience training w/their dogs, w/good meaning the dog comes, no matter what the “distractions” are, when called. Maybe 10%-15% of those letting their dogs off lead have done good obedience training (or hired a good trainer) and a few of those are too busy w/their friends or phone to watch where their dog’s gone (like chasing shorebirds). Some people get their dogs obsessed w/ball retrieval & keep their dogs w/them that way and that’s fine. Others keep their dogs leashed.
I heard of someone who lives north of Depoe Bay, had begun carrying pepper spray because her dog was so often harassed by aggressive, out of control dogs. For a few years at Otter Rock, a few surfers used to let their dogs run loose all over the beach while they surfed. I think some members of Surfriders might’ve spoken w/those surfers, I haven’t seen dogs running loose on that beach where the surfers are anywhere as often in the past year or two that seem like they belong to someone in the water. If you ask people to keep their dogs from chasing shorebirds, hassling other dogs, as politely as you know how, you sometimes elicit some really nasty responses.
I think it’s unfortunate so many people regard OR beaches as dog parks w/no rules (including the minority who won’t pick up after their dogs). My dog was the 2nd dog I’d obedience trained, I felt I learned alot about my dog & became closer to her through obedience training. We had a shared language of sorts & she was easier for people to spend time w/, particularly if they had any mobility limitations–because she didn’t pull when leashed & came when called. I could let her off lead at the beach knowing she’d come when whistled 99% of the time, that she wouldn’t run up to people she didn’t know, other dogs, or chase shore birds–but could otherwise run, sniff at whatever, run some more, as she pleased.
With all due respect I agree dogs should be on a leash and under the owners control, its unfortunate that we don’t have any dog parks or a time when we can take our pets to the beach and just let them be dogs and run, but at 78 I am thinking the dog could have been on a leash and bumped your leg and maybe done the same damage. No one was mauled a dog was loose and not leashed and ran by someone and hit there knee it could have been a child running and not paying attention and did the same harm. Sorry, I just think it sounds a bit extreme. I don’t know either party but I am sympathetic to having your dog under control but it sounds as though the dog wasn’t vicious it was just loose by mistake, an accident, I hope this can be resolved without all the nastiness of a law suit.