Large dog attacks three children in Greenville; dog owner speaks out

NORTH CAROLINA -- Police say a large, mixed-breed dog attacked three children and their father Sunday, but the dog's owner says he wasn't an aggressive dog.

We talked to the owner of Smokey the dog Monday. She describes him as a friendly 1-year-old Blue Brindle Pit Bull mixed with Terrier.

A blue brindle pit bull mixed with terrier. Could the 'terrier' be American Pit Bull Terrier? Staffordshire Terrier? It's a pit bull mix. Period.

 

Greenville police say they were called to the Park West apartment complex off Stantonsburg Road around 8:30 Sunday night. They say children were playing outside when the dog escaped its home and began attacking them. The children's father intervened and ended up being bitten several times.
 
Police say they shot the dog when it continued to be aggressive, even lunging at an officer. The dog died a short time later.

 

Smokey's owner, Cynthia Cosey, wasn't home when it happened. She doesn't understand how the dog she describes as friendly was able to escape.

"He's child friendly. We have a son who's less than a year old and he plays with him all the time inside the house and sometimes we go out for walks together," she said.

This is the mess of junk she had piled against the fence to keep
her pit bull from getting loose and attacking people.

Cosey, however, is concerned for the children involved in the ordeal. Police say the family in the attack suffered minor injuries. Cosey wants to know if they are emotionally scarred.

"Are they okay mentally? Especially since they were kids, a lot of kids get afraid from things like that, so I just hope they're alright."

(WITN - ‎May 25, 2015‎)

Earlier:

• Owner of pit bull which attacked family says it was "probably killed because he was a pit bull" rather than because it was attacking an entire family