A Whole Foods shopper who says he was walking near the store's front entrance when a dog bit him in the leg is suing the dog's owner and the grocery chain. Richard A. Spring faults Whole Foods for offering a dog "tie-up" station near a pedestrian pathway leading into the store, according to his lawsuit filed earlier this month in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The suit claims that "Nola" sunk her teeth into Spring's right leg as he walked past the dog-tie area toward the entrance of the store at Northeast 15th Avenue and Fremont Street on Nov. 20, 2015. Spring suffered a puncture wound, according to his suit, which didn't offer any further detail about his injury.
The suit doesn't say what kind of dog Nola is, and Spring's attorney didn't respond to a request seeking more information.
The suit faults Nola's owner, Denise Landers, for allegedly failing to muzzle her dog and properly control the dog. Landers couldn't be reached for comment.
The suit also claims that Whole Foods should have erected a fence around the tie-up area to protect passersby and should have posted signs or erected cones warning passersby that that dangerous dogs might be tied up in the area.
Whole Foods declined comment.
Property management company Elliott Associates Inc. is also listed as a defendant. The company didn't return a message seeking comment.
The tie-up area consists of half-dozen metal rings screwed into two benches. On a recent afternoon, a plastic dish full of water sat next to a golden retriever whose leash was tied to one of the rings.
Lake Oswego attorney David L. Robinson is representing Spring.
