The unidentified woman, described as 45-50 years old, was hospitalized, Riverside police Lt. Guy Toussaint said. She was bitten on the right side of her face and had a “gaping wound” on her right arm, Riverside County Animal Services spokesman John Welsh wrote in a news release.
The dogs’ owner was cited, and the dogs will euthanized. The owner was apologetic.
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| The owner described this ugly thing as a "show dog" |
The attack occurred about 10:50 a.m. in the 6600 block of 6th Street, Toussaint said. The pit bulls apparently first went after the woman’s little dog, and then attacked her when she picked up her dog.
Terry Fury, 59, a resident of nearby Locust Street, helped rescue the woman.
“I was drinking coffee and I heard hellacious screaming,” Fury said in a phone interview. “At first I thought it might have been one of the kids across the street. But then it continued for five seconds and I went to the front door … and I could see two pit bulls on this lady, and she was lying on the curb.”
Fury thought about grabbing a bat to attack the dogs but decided he had to act more quickly.
“I drop-kicked one of them. It went flying and decided to leave,” Fury said.
He then saw a man who Welsh said was a relative of the dogs’ owner hunched over the woman, trying to pry the other dog off the woman’s head.
“It was locked on her face,” Fury said.
After the dog was removed, people ran up with towels to cover the woman’s face. Some called 911.
“Everybody in this neighborhood came to this woman’s aid,” Fury said.
He said he sees the woman walking her dog every other day. She stops to talk with her neighbors.
The owner of the dogs, Mauricio De La Barrera, 29, said the attack was an accident and that the dogs broke through the gate.
De La Barrera was taking a shower, so he didn’t see the attack, he said. But he expressed profound sadness for the victim.
“It’s a very sad thing,” he said. “I’m devastated.”
Both dogs are males, he said. Conniver is a 2-year-old show dog, De La Barrera said. The other is 4-month-old Guero.
Neither dog had ever shown signs of aggression, even when he took them to a dog park and when they were around his young children, he said.
“If you mistreat a dog, they’re going to be aggressive,” De La Barrera said. “But these were family dogs.
The dogs were signed over to be euthanized. The adult dog did not have a license, as required by state law, Welsh wrote. It was not vaccinated for rabies. The dogs will be sent to a county lab for rabies testing, Welsh wrote.
De La Barrera was cited for having two animals straying. He was also cited for having an unlicensed adult dog, Welsh wrote.
“All dog owners, especially those with strong, muscular dogs, such as pit bulls, must always be aware if they have adequate boundaries for their pets,” Animal Services Director Robert Miller wrote in the news release. “We think this terrible incident today illustrates why that is so important.”
Fury said he is a dog lover and is concerned about how some pit bulls are raised.
Those who like pit bulls say that the animals are great family pets, especially with children.
Advocates say that the majority of pit bulls never bite, but there is a disproportionate amount of media coverage whenever there is a pit bull attack. That’s usually because the bites are often severe.
A pit bull’s instinct, because of its ancient breeding, is to grab and hold on.
Detractors say that pit bulls are miniature time bombs whose owners sometimes don’t properly train and care for them. Some people have called for pit bulls to be sterilized.
The debate has become even more heated in Riverside County since county supervisors directed staff to draft an ordinance requiring that all pit bulls and pit bull mixes be spayed or neutered, except those used for licensed breeding. Pit bull lovers disagree with laws that single out their pets.
(pe.com - Aug 12, 2013)
