All five dogs were put down as of Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the County of San Diego Department of Animal Services.
The pack managed to dig under a fence and get into Dan Hare’s backyard on Jan. 24 where they mauled Hare’s Bull Mastiff named Ziggy.
Ziggy was recovering from more than 350 puncture wounds, according to Hare.
“Like a deer. It was like a dead deer, and they were just ripping him apart at both ends," said Hare.
Hare was also injured when he tried to step in and help Ziggy, suffering severe bite wounds to his hand, wrist and leg.
The put bull owners share a fence with Hare and had posted a "Beware of Dog" sign facing Hare's property.
The Jan. 24 incident wasn't the first time Hare said the dogs had broken through the fence. He said he was previously "nipped" by one of the dogs.
He said he planned to sue his neighbor to cover veterinary and medical costs and lost wages.
“The law is quite clear that the responsibility lies with the dog owner to prevent their dogs from running loose and not the neighbors,” said Daniel DeSousa, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Services.
DeSousa said Hare requested a private person’s arrest against the dog owners. The case is still under investigation.
In the meantime, the pit bulls’ owners relinquished the animals to the county and agreed to have them euthanized.
Unless the person is prosecuted and they understand that they are responsible for what their dogs do, they'll just go out and get more pit bulls. They need to be criminally prosecuted.
“It is always unfortunate when a dog is euthanized due to the lack of responsibility on the part of the dog owner. Once it was known that these dogs were getting into the neighbor's yard, the dog owners should have taken the necessary steps to prevent that from ever happening again,” DeSousa added.
After the investigation, the case will be submitted to the District Attorney's Office for a determination as to whether charges would be filed.
(NBC San Diego - Feb 5, 2015)
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