Terese Knapp was walking her family dog, Catie, in Paradise Park on LaCrosse Drive in south Morgan Hill at about 8 p.m. when she saw a man and a woman, possibly in their 20s, unleash their two dogs from the other side of the park and throw something for the pets to retrieve, she said Tuesday morning.
The dogs, which she described as “pit bull or pit bull mixes” and “muscular, short-haired” animals, didn’t seem to be interested in the toy that their owners threw, Knapp said.
“They charged across the field to my dog,” Knapp said. The two dogs “clamped down” on Catie, who weighs about 30 pounds, in two different places. After Knapp yelled repeatedly at the dogs and their owners rushed over to pry open their jaws, Knapp’s dog retreated to the middle of a field in the park and laid down. Her dog, which she described as “well-trained,” never fought back during the incident.
Catie, who was “bleeding profusely” after the attack, required treatment at an emergency veterinary clinic for several puncture wounds, Knapp said. Her pet, a “beloved family dog,” is expected to recover fully, but it will take a few weeks.
“I have three children who are extremely attached to her, and I’m grateful they weren’t present during the incident,” Knapp said.
Knapp described the incident as “extremely traumatic.” She reported the attack to police, who told her they need to contact the aggressive dogs’ owners in order to pursue prosecution.
Knapp said the owners left the scene with their dogs immediately after the attack.
The attack happened in the middle of a crowded park where families and children were present, Knapp said. The park is also adjacent to Paradise Valley Elementary School. The incident described by Knapp happened “between the school and the playground” at the park.
“There was a ton of people in the park,” Knapp added. “I was screaming. I know people saw and heard me.”
The City of Morgan Hill’s municipal code includes a leash law for all dogs.
“If you’re walking your dog in an area that’s open to the public and not in a designated dog park, (the dog) should be on a lead,” Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Carson Thomas said.
The City’s only designated dog park is located in a section of the Community Park, near the intersection of West Edmundson and Del Monte avenues.
The municipal code also designates three different levels of “dangerous animals,” based on the number of incidents a suspicious dog has been involved in, and whether they have attacked a person or another animal. Penalties include a citation, quarantine or euthanization of the animal, following a City hearing to determine the designation.
As of Tuesday morning, Thomas did not immediately have details of the incident.
Anyone with information about the incident, including the owners of the two unleashed dogs, can contact Morgan Hill police at (408) 779-2101.
(Gilroy Dispatch - June 11, 2013)
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