Man stabs pit bull to save his dog

OREGON -- A pet owner took drastic measures to save his black Labrador on Thursday afternoon, stabbing a pit bull several times after it clamped its teeth onto his dog’s face, according to Albany police.

Scott Voelsch accidentally stabbed himself in the hand during the incident, which occurred in the 600 block of Sixth Avenue S.E. at about noon.

The pit bull had been purchased Wednesday night off Craigslist by Kayla Zimmerman, said Lt. Travis Giboney.

Zimmerman and Voelsch’s family share the house, Giboney added.

Zimmerman was keeping the pit bull in her basement room, but when the door to that room was opened by a child, the pit bull found itself face to face with the black Lab.

Someone opened an outside door and the pit bull ran outside after being stabbed.

Police response to the situation was delayed about five minutes because a caller reported the address as Sixth Avenue S.W. To complicate matters, the bloody pit bull was reported running toward the hospital — which is a few blocks away from the 600 block of Sixth Avenue S.W.

“That happens a lot,” Giboney said of the confusion between southwest and southeast addresses.

Neighbor George Sims said he had a close call with the pit bull.

“He came up to me and I had my dog on the porch and I put him inside,” Sims said.

He saw the pit bull was bleeding and thought it had gotten into a fight.

“It’s usually pretty quiet here,” Sims said, standing by a trail of dog blood where the pit bull had run from police.

Police tried to shock the dog with a Taser but it didn’t work. The pit bull eventually was cornered near a basement entry, and an officer captured it using a dog-catching pole.

Police said the pit bill was taken to a vet. There was no word on how the Lab was doing.

(Albany Democrat Herald - July 6, 2012)