Police kill dog that 'playfully' ripped off owner's clothes

TEXAS -- Police shot and killed a dog on the East Side Saturday, after officers said it ripped off its owner's pants and bit a man who tried to intervene.

The bizarre scene began around 2 p.m., when a woman's dog got loose from her home's front yard on J Street, said Sgt. Gary Pelfrey.

“According to her, in a playful manner, the dog started ripping her clothes off,” Pelfrey said. “An innocent bystander who was walking down the street didn't know they were being playful, and he tried to help.”

Hauling the dog's body home

The dog, described as pit bull-like, bit the man in the leg, and ran down the street, the sergeant said.

Paramedics were called to treat the man's injuries. They called police to the scene, he said.

When the officer arrived, the woman was “walking down the street in a thong,” still trying to regain control of her pet, he said.

The dog approached the officer in an aggressive manner, Pelfrey said. The officer fired one shot from about seven feet away and killed the animal.

The owner appeared again, dressed, and police told her it would take a couple of days for city officials to retrieve the dog's body. Instead, she and two others carried it home in a sheet to give it a proper burial, Pelfrey said.

The man who was bitten was not hospitalized. He declined to comment, except to say, “I got bit by a dog,” as he walked home.

(My San Antonio - October 27, 2012)