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Rottweiler Owner in Santa Rosa Gets Jail time

Rottweiler Owner Sentenced to 9 Months in Jail for Attack
Santa Rosa, CA - The owner of two Rottweilers that attacked a 7-year-old boy and his father in Petaluma in April was sentenced to nine months in the Sonoma County Jail and three years probation. Kieran Thomas Burns, 51, was charged with four felony counts of allowing mischievous animals to be at large causing bodily injury. He pleaded no contest to two of the charges in August.

Burns is also prohibited from owning or possessing dogs as conditions of his probation. His attorney Arthur Lipton said Burns can apply for a work release program from the jail. He was immediately taken into custody. Deputy District Attorney Marianna Green said there was no agreement on how much time Burns would receive but he faced a maximum of three years and 8 months in prison.

The dogs attacked Roberto Kampfner Jr. and his father Roberto as they were walking in the 700 block of El Paseo Drive on April 29, according to Petaluma Animal Services. Roberto Kampfner lifted his son up and shielded him during the attack but the boy suffered 20 deep tear wounds to his legs, Petaluma Animal Services said.

Burns' dogs attacked an Irish setter in May 2005 and nipped a girl in the ankle in August 2006, senior animal control officer Jeff Charter said. Burns was cited for a misdemeanor violation of an abatement order. Neither the male nor female Rottweiler was neutered and the dogs seemed to have a propensity to go after children, Charter said.