"I want the dog put down... It's a killing machine."

PENNSYLVANIA -- Wally Shank was walking his dog in Thornwald Park in Carlisle, when a pit bull suddenly attacked his 13-year-old cocker spaniel Friday morning.

Shank said he fell to the ground amid the tussle and got the dog away, but again, it attacked. As he rose to his feet, he gave the dog a good kick to the shoulder and it whimpered and ran away.

 

Sieglinde and William Smith recount how a pit bull attacked and killed
their 2-year-old miniature dachshund, Schatzie, on Monday, June 23, 2014.
The attack happened Friday morning in Thornwald Park in Carlisle.
Elizabeth Frantz, PennLive

Thankfully, Shank's dog was OK, but it had a circle of blood on it. It wasn't the cocker's spaniel's blood. It came from a miniature dachshund the pit bull killed just before attacking Shank's dog around 8:30 a.m.

As Shank and a friend walked out of the park, they encountered Sieglinde and William Smith, who were crying and carrying their miniature dachshund, Schatzie, who was clinging to life.

The couple, who live on nearby Noble Boulevard, rushed the 12-pound dog to the veterinarian, but nothing could be done. Schatzie died just short of making it to her second birthday.




A birth announcement for Sieglinde and William Smith's miniature dachshund,
Schatzie, lays on the living room table in their home in Carlisle on Monday,
June 23, 2014. Schatzie was attacked and killed Friday morning in Thornwald
 Park in Carlisle by a pit bull. Elizabeth Frantz, PennLive

Sieglinde Smith, 73, bought Schatzie for her husband on his 80th birthday.

Schatzie's death "isn't the only thing that's worrying us. What if it gets loose again and goes to the park? There are children playing over there," Sieglinde Smith said.

"I want the dog put down," William Smith said. "It's a killing machine."

As the Smiths rushed Schatzie to the vet, Shank called police to file a report.

The owner of the pit bull, Brittany Over, of the 200 block of West Ridge Street, is facing two state charges, for harboring a vicious animal and failure to confine an animal, and a charge for violating a borough ordinance requiring pet owners to confine their animals, said Carlisle police Chief Stephen Margeson.

The dog that attacked the other dogs is Over's new pet, a 61-pound pit bull named  Pablo that Over recently adopted from New York, according to adoption records the Smiths obtained and shared with PennLive. The pit bull jumped its backyard fence that abuts Thornwald Park, and then attacked the dogs, Margeson said.

Over has promised to keep the dog confined going forward, Margeson said. He also noted that while police can recommend further action be taken against a dog that has attacked or killed other animals, a decision to muzzle it or euthanize it would be made by District Judge Jessica Brubaker, who is handling the case.

William and Sieglinde Smith stand by the grave of their miniature
dachshund, Schatzie, in the backyard of their home in Carlisle, on Monday,
 June 23, 2014. Schatzie was attacked and killed Friday morning in
Thornwald Park by a pit bull. Elizabeth Frantz, PennLive

In addition to having the dog put down, the Smiths said they want to see dogs that are considered dangerous forced to wear muzzles and on leashes they can't slip out of while they are in public.

Margeson said he has yet to speak with the responding officers, because they have a few days off from work. But after he speaks with them about the matter, he will decide whether the police department makes any recommendations regarding how the matter should be handled to ensure the dog does not get loose and attack animals or people in the borough.

Sieglinde Smith holds the walking stick her husband, William Smith,
 used to hit the pit bull that was attacking the Smith’s miniature
dachshund, Schatzie, on Monday, June 23, 2014. Mr. William said he
 hit the pit bull “at least a dozen times” to no effect before the
 stick snapped. Elizabeth Frantz, PennLive

Over "accepted that responsibility [of keeping the dog confined] very seriously. I think there is a good chance that the dog will not get out and loose again," Margeson said. "It's especially important for the victims to make their concerns known to the district justice."

[When the dog gets loose and kills something else - maybe a child this time or an elderly man, then you can act surprised and say, "Wow. I thought there was a GOOD CHANCE that the dog wouldn't get out and loose again."]

Over could not immediately be reached for comment.

(The Patriot-News - June 24, 2014)