CALIFORNIA -- Sacramento City Animal Control officers removed two pit bulls from their home in North Sacramento, Wednesday night, after a neighbor reported the two dogs broke through a fence and, twice, attacked her horse in her backyard.
The 15 year old horse has at least 23 bite wounds to his face, chest and legs. The horse’s owner, Sherry Colwell, witnessed one of the attacks and said the two dogs were airborne as they chewed on Scamper’s face and tail. Colwell said Scamper is now on antibiotics and it could take a month for him to recover. “I can’t ride him until he heals,” said Colwell.
She and several friends tried to contact the dogs’ owner but called animal control instead. “When we approached the home, the female dog tried to attack us on the porch,” said Colwell.
Colwell said Scamper is a $10,000 dollar horse and his vet bill was $500. She said she’d like to be reimbursed for Scamper’s medical attention but more importantly she wants to remind dog owners to be more responsible.
“I don’t want to see something happen to the dogs. I want to see the owners be responsible and learn how to take care of them,” said Colwell. “I mean pit bulls are great dogs, they are wonderful dogs, if they are raised correctly.”
[I'd like to see her have the same opinion if these same dogs had mauled her child instead of 'just' a horse.]
Animal control officers will investigate the history of the two dogs and decide whether the dogs’ owner will get the dogs back.
“If you have holes in your fence and your dogs are getting out and damaging property or hurting people, they’re going to end up at the city shelter and you may or may not get them back,” said Animal Control Officer, John Sorrells.
The dogs’ owner wasn’t home when officers arrived to take the dogs into custody. A relative relinquished the dogs without incident.
(KTXL-TV - Nov 17, 2011)
