Pit Bulls attack each other, euthanized

NORTH CAROLINA — Two pit bulls involved in an April 1 attack on another dog were euthanized after they attacked each other while at the Havelock Animal Shelter.

Havelock Police Chief G. Wayne Cyrus said the owner of the pit bulls, Lisa Regino, voluntarily signed custody of the dogs over to the city on April 13. They were put down later that day.

One of the dogs had been in city custody since April 3. The other had been returned to Regino but later escaped, was captured and placed in the shelter with the other dog. That’s when the two attacked one another.

"The animal control officer attempted to separate the two animals and was unsuccessful and she had to call for assistance to get the two animals separated," Cyrus said. "The dogs were euthanized due to their aggressive behavior displayed on April 13 while in our custody."

The dogs attacked a rottweiller on April 1 after climbing a fence around the backyard of a residence on Pineview Street. The attack left the rottweiler "a bloody mess," according to its owner, Andy Martinez.

Andy Martinez' Rottweiler was barely
able to fend off two attacking Pit Bulls
after they jumped into his fenced yard

Regino was subsequently charged with failure to contain a dangerous animal, two counts of allowing her dogs to roam at large and two counts of failure to have her dogs registered within the city. Regino, of 103A Forest Hill Drive, was also charged with filing a false police report after claiming the dogs had escaped her residence through a window where she said a break-in had occurred.

One of the two pit bulls had been declared dangerous by officials in Carteret County in May of 2010. After the April 1 attack, Havelock made a similar declaration for the second dog.

Cyrus said the city had custody of the more aggressive dog, Diesel, since its capture on April 3. The second dog, named Twix, was turned back over to Regino, but escaped the owner’s residence again on April 7. It was captured and had been in the city’s custody since then.

On April 13, the two dogs turned on one another and became engaged in a vicious fight, Cyrus said.
In the afternoon, Regino signed papers transferring ownership of the dogs to the city.

Later in the day, a Craven County Animal Control officer responded to Havelock, administered the injections to euthanize the dogs, and carried off the remains.

"It’s an unfortunate incident but it was a situation where the owner was not able to control the confinement and maintain the two animals at the home," Cyrus said. "The aggressive behaviors displayed by the two animals prevented us from being able to adopt them out to anyone else."

Regino is scheduled to appear in Craven County Court on May 5 to face the charges.

(Sun-Journal - April 25, 2011)

Read More:

• Rottweiler attacked by pit bulls; owner of pit bulls charged