At 9:45 a.m., the aggressor dog, Malachi, broke free of his handler, Jessica Rutherford, near the pavilion by the dog beach entrance.
Malachi attacked J.B., a Jack Russell terrier owned by Indialantic resident Susan Popplein, and seized him in his jaws, Robinson said.
“He was shaking his head left to right, left to right, like it was a toy. It was awful. I was screaming my head off,” recalled West Melbourne resident Donna Hawk, who witnessed the attack.
Rutherford tried to separate the dogs and suffered bite punctures and a laceration on her right hand. She refused medical treatment, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office records show.
J.B. suffered a broken front leg and was treated at Aloha Pet & Bird Hospital.
Enforcement officers cited Rutherford for the dog not being confined and dog attack causing property damage. Malachi was placed under quarantine at the home of his owner, Melbourne resident Frank Sloan.
Robinson said Sloan will be issued a dangerous-dog warning letter.
Popplein said J.B. underwent surgery to attach a pin to his shoulder, and his medical bills will cost about $2,000.
She and J.B. have visited the dog beach nearly every day since it opened in late February, and she does not want the facility to close because of the attack.
(Florida Today - May. 3, 2012)
