Chavonne Saunders says she was walking her dog Shimo near her home in south Columbus when two pit bulls approached her without a leash.
"I noticed that his [the pit bull's] tail was just rigid. He was just in attack mode. And as soon as I saw that and the thought went through my head he just attacked," Saunders said.
The smaller of the two pit bulls Saunders says attacked her, trying to grab her arm which she lifted up. Saunders says then the larger pit bull attacked Shimo, biting him in the head.
"I just heard like a 'Grr' and he just latched on to my dog's head and took him down. And he just kept like he was trying to pull him down by his ear. He had him on the left side of his head," Saunders described.
A nearby mail carrier heard Saunders screaming and called 911. Police and the Franklin County Dog Warden were called to the scene.
A veterinarian says Shimo will be alright although he does have to wear a cone and has a bandage around his wound.
NBC4 was unable to get in contact with the owners of the pit bulls.
The Franklin County Dog Warden's office confirmed the incident to NBC4 but said it could not speak about details of the incident since it was under investigation.
However the Warden's office did say that the owner of the pit bulls did receive six citations including failure to vaccinate both pit bulls for rabies, failure to have a license and allowing the dogs to run loose. Each citation can carry a $25 fine.
Pit bull advocates say it is unfair to classify the entire breed as vicious.
Under a change to Ohio law last year, pit bulls are no longer classified as "vicious dogs."
Instead, animals are evaluated individually based on behavior rather than being classified by breed. Animals deemed "vicious" or "dangerous" may be subject to different licensing requirements such as owners being required to post signs and having insurance.
(NBC4 - Jan 26, 2013)
