The father of a person living in one of our licensed behavioral health residential facilities phoned in an after-hours complaint to our behavioral health licensing team on the Friday before Christmas Eve. Little did our team leader Bill McCarroll know when he answered the phone that he would hear graphic details of a brutal pit-bull attack- and he moved swiftly into action.

The father relayed a horrible account to Bill. His son was repeatedly bitten by one of two pit-bulls being kept in the facility. The parent recounted that the attack was so vicious that his son required a trip to the local hospital as well as countless stitches. To make matters worse, the father explained that the attack happened on Tuesday and the dog was still at the facility 3 days later!  Bill responded empathetically and immediately went into action Friday night- arriving on site within the hour.

Bill sought help from local law enforcement (as Maricopa County Animal Control was closed). The police assisted Bill to get a hold of animal control, and (as a result of Bill’s persistence), the dog that had attacked the client was removed. Bill remained on site and continued to observe the situation realizing quickly that the remaining dog was also at a high propensity for harming clients. Bill then called the owner of the facility, who was vacationing in Sedona to have the other dog removed from the facility that night.  Because of Bill’s dedication and quick action the vulnerable adults were kept safe over the Christmas holiday. The following week our team met with the facility owner, who implemented new pet policies to protect the health and safety of clients and staff.