Bonita woman says her poodle was attacked at the dog beach

FLORIDA -- ‎A day at the beach turns violent when a Bonita Springs woman says her poodle is viciously attacked by another dog. She wants to make sure this does not happen to other dogs. 

Donna Ingram says she is glad to see her dog Braxton on all fours again.

"The first day he just laid there," said Ingram.

"He was punctured in 7 different spots. He was bleeding so I knew it might be imperative I get him to a vet."

Donna took several pictures of her poodle's white coat turned red.

"He got severely bitten here and here," said Ingram as she points to her dog's injuries.

She says a dog attacked her 5-year-old poodle on Sunday at a Lee County dog beach at the south end of Lovers Key.

She says her dog just got out of the water when a pit bull ran up and bit her dog's leg. Donna says the owner of the pit bull just took off.

"If my pet had done that to someone's dog, I would not have fled the scene," said Ingram.

Now she wants to warn other pet owners to be on the look out.

"If you have an aggressive dog please take the precautions," said Ingram.

Fox 4 took Donna's concerns to Lee County Parks and Recs. I'm told Lee County is not responsible for injuries. Owners are responsible for their dogs at all times and owners need to be in control.

So how do you know if an animal might attack?

"His mouth might be open like he's getting alittle bit over zealous. You have to watch your dog's body language. Your dog is going to tell you when something is about to happen," said Tammy Wolny, Senior Shelter Tech at Collier County Animal Services.

Donna's main concern is a smaller dog might not have shaken off an attack as easily.
 
"If it was a Chihuahua or a Shih Tzu that dog would have had no chance," said Ingram.

The Lee County dog beach has several rules in place to keep both owners and their pets safe. Please see additional information in the links attached to this story.

(Fox 4 - August 2, 2012)