Danielle Johnston said she was walking her three dogs down Santa Cruz Drive at about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday when a pit bull rushed at her.
“I heard the dog charge the fence basically 0-90 and it came out and attacked,” said Johnston. “The dog stayed clamped and wouldn’t let go.”
The pit bull had such a strong bite on Johnston’s dog that she and the owner, Mark Bailey, could not get it free. Bailey had to drop a steel pole on the pit bull about five times before it would release its clench, according to Johnston.
Johnston’s German shepherd, Sage, suffered punctures in the neck and Johnston had a bite wound on her left hand. The pit bull also left Bailey with bloody arms and legs.
A dog lover herself, Johnston was sympathetic when she discovered animal control planned to euthanize the pit bull. But when she learned the dog was involved in another harmful dog fight, she said it was the right decision.
San Diego County Animal Services Department Director Harold Holmes said animal control began regulating the pit bull, Blue, in 2010. It was deemed a public nuisance after it bit someone ‘off-property’, according to Holmes. Restrictions on the dog were tightened, but they were unable to prevent this incident.
“We take every precaution to keep her contained, as long as she is contained she is fine,” said Bobbi Bailey, Mark’s wife. “This is the first time she has gone through the fence.”
Once registered as a public nuisance, dogs are required by San Diego County to be spayed or neutered, to be kept within an enclosed and locked area, to wear a muzzle in public, and to be kept out of dog parks. Also, owners must have at least $100,000 of liability insurance and their homes need to be inspected annually to ensure that rules are followed.
“The system has failed because you know they have these rules to keep it from happening again, and it did happen again,” said Johnston.
If the owner fails to comply, the dog will be euthanized within 24 hours. This was the case with Blue.
(San Diego 6 - April 10, 2013)
