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| Bella Joy, a 2-year-old terrier mix, was mauled Friday evening by an unleashed pit bull. The terrier had to be euthanized. |
Brandy Dickson, owner of Bella Joy, said she and her son, 7, were walking the dog at 7:30 p.m. when the unleashed pit bull suddenly escaped a fenced yard at Southeast Second Avenue and Seventh Street and ran up to the terrier.
“We were just minding our own business,” Dickson said Saturday. “The dog just ripped into her. It was unprovoked.”
A man driving by jumped out of his car and scared the pit bull off, Dickson said. Dickson ran home with Bella Joy in her arms, then took the dog to the vet.
The veterinarian said Bella Joy’s injuries, which included a severed spinal cord, were so serious that he thought there was a minimal chance she would recover. He recommended putting her down.
Dickson said the loss has devastated her family. “She was like our child,” she said.
Dickson said she has talked with the pit bull’s owner, who has expressed remorse and agreed to pay the vet bills.
“She was very apologetic. She doesn’t know how the dog got out,” Dickson said.
Saturday evening, Battle Ground police Sgt. Aaron Kanooth confirmed police received a report of the mauling, and a code enforcement officer is investigating whether the pit bull has already been deemed dangerous, meaning the owner would have to take certain precautions to confine it.
He said reports would be forwarded to Battle Ground’s city attorney for review.
(Columbian - July 9, 2011)
