Beloved dog slain in Manoa attack: ‘It could have been a child!’

MANOA, Hawaii (KHON2) — A Manoa woman is looking for justice after her beloved dog was killed in August in what she describes as a vicious attack by a dangerous dog.

She is hoping others will not be its next victim.

Emogene Yoshimura was walking her 13-year-old Bichon, Kiki, on Saturday, Aug. 3 along East Manoa Road when she noticed a neighbor’s large dog loose on the street and charging toward them.

“So we turned to run. He knocked me over and then he grabbed her by her neck and bit down on her trachea,” Yoshimura said. “Her throat had a hole in it, when I took her to the animal emergency, they had to put her in an oxygen cage and her condition worsened. So, I had to have her euthanized.”

Experts said pet owners should avoid approaching dogs that look dangerous if possible, but it is not always that easy.

“Brown bears, you play dead. Black bears, you fight back. So dogs are a little different. You don’t want to go aggressive. You don’t want to act big and make a lot of noise, that can instigate them more. You want to stay calm, you don’t want to make eye contact. One of the big things is, you know, stand up, make sure you don’t fall down,” said Oahu SPCA Veterinary and Shelter Operations director John LeBron said.

The owner of the large dog that killed Kiki was issued a dangerous dog citation from Honolulu police, but the case was dismissed without prejudice when it was heard in Circuit Court.

“It could have been a child! It could have been an adult. I think the next time this dog attacks someone, they die and it’s not taken seriously enough,” Yoshimura said. “I hope that people will take heed and if they are attacked, to always fall a report. That’s what the prosecutor’s office said they hope people would do.”

They told me I’m very unusual that I filed a report and I said, ‘Well, that’s the only thing I could think of doing because it’s not going to bring back my dog, but it will make other people aware of the danger.'”

Emogene Yoshimura, Manoa resident

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KHON2 reached out to the owner of the large dog but did not hear back. The case can be refiled in the future because it was initially dismissed without prejudice, but in the meantime the allegedly-dangerous dog remains in the neighborhood.