Pastry Chef Sues Animal Control for $800,000 After Dog Mauling

The dog that attacked Cheryl Wakerhauser, “Bubbie,” was a known nuisance in the neighborhood.

Pix Patisserie
By Lucas Manfield

Cheryl Wakerhauser, the Portland pastry chef who was brutally attacked by a pit bull while jogging on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, is now demanding $800,000 in compensation from Multnomah County Animal Services.

The dog that attacked Wakerhauser, “Bubbie,” was running free in the parking lot of a vacant office building and was a known nuisance in the neighborhood. A prior attack, on a poodle named Rocky, had been reported to animal control, but officials declined to impound Bubbie or cite his homeless owner, according to the legal complaint.

Wakerhauser was bitten 35 times on her arms and legs, the complaint says, and has suffered permanent scarring.

Amid headlines and nightly newscasts at the time, the county impounded and then released the dog back to its owner’s mother—and later impounded it again. After significant backlash, the county has changed its policies to require dogs that bite humans to be quarantined for 10 days in an animal control facility.

Bubbie was taken away from his owner for good last August, and Wakerhauser is now suing the county for negligence.

“[The county] knew or should have known that the dog at issue in this case was a potentially dangerous and aggressive animal with a history of violent and unprovoked attacks,” the complaint says.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.