Padi the dog accused of attacking a 17-year-old girl in Bradenton

BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) – In 2015, Padi the dog sparked global headlines after he attacked a young boy at a vet clinic. But now, the dog is in hot water again.

A teenage girl claims the dog attacked her and left her disfigured. This marks the third known attack involving this dog.

In 2015, “Padi” became a symbol for activists pushing for fair treatment of animals. Inside the vet office of its owner, Dr. Paul Gartenberg, Padi was provoked and in response, attacked a 4-year-old boy.

The dog was set to be euthanized but after a large swell of support, its life was saved.

“It was great relief. I had to believe in my heart that ultimately this was going to end well for Padi,” said Dr. Gartenberg in December 2015.

Florida law was eventually changed, allowing discretion over dog cases.

But things have since only gotten worse. In 2016, Padi was accused of attacking a service dog, and now there’s another case.

A civil lawsuit states in April 2017, Padi was unsupervised and attacked 17-year-old vet employee Tianna Barr.

The lawsuit says, “The dog had to be pulled off of her after the attack began.”

It later goes on: “[Tianna Ashley Barr] was injured in and about her body and extremities, suffered incapacity, permanent impairment, scarring and disfigurement, loss of significant bodily function, loss of the capacity for the enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, incurred medical expenses and will incur more in the future. She has lost income and the capacity to earn income. Her injuries are permanent or recurring in nature.”

The lawsuit also claims Dr. Gartenberg violated a court order by allowing Padi to roam through the office unsupervised. Barr is demanding $15,000 in damages.

On Thursday, News Channel 8 went inside the vet clinic, but Dr. Gartenberg would not comment.

His attorney Richard Green later sent us a statement, saying:

“This is an unfortunate situation for which Ms. Barr initially acknowledged responsibility. However, she has now hired an attorney to pursue this claim against Dr. Gartenberg personally, even though she has been fully compensated through a worker’s compensation claim.”

We have made numerous attempts to contact the victim and her attorney, but no one has responded to our requests for comment.