"This was the last thing we wanted to do," Connellville police Chief James Capitos said. "We love dogs. We were scared it was going to attack someone else."
Police responded around 9:55 a.m. to a report of a pit bull attacking a Shih Tsu mixed-breed as it was being walked by its owner, Norma Brown, within the 500 block of Decatur Avenue at Heritage Apartments.
"I didn't think, I just started screaming," Brown said. "That dog pulled Cookie right out of her collar. The pit bull just had Cookie down by the back. Someone called 911 and the police came down."
Brown said the girl walking the pit bull was a young teen, no more than 14 years old, who was trying to locate the dog's owner. Brown said the dog had a collar but no tags.
"A young girl was walking the dog and trying to find out where it lived," she said. "When all this happened, she dropped the leash and ran. I hope the little girl is OK."
Capitos said the leash she was using to restrain the pit bull was not a chain or strong rope, but a "flimsy" kind of material that broke easily. He said the little dog may have been trying to defend Brown when the pit bull attacked.
Brown said, "Cookie was trying to protect me when that dog attacked."
When officers arrived, they saw a large, tan, female pit bull standing over the smaller dog.
Brown said the pit bull was very threatening.
"He was standing over my dog," she said. "People pulled me into the house. They wouldn't let me back out because nobody knew what the dog was going to do."
Brown said a passing motorist started beating the dog with a broom to get the pit bull off Cookie.
"The dog was being defiant just standing there over Cookie," she said.
Capitos said the little dog's whole left side looked like it was ripped open.
"That dog had severe injuries and it didn't look like it was breathing," he said. "That was a bad situation."
Capitos said there was no one was there to claim the pit bull or get it under control, so officers had to make a decision. He said if they called Hoffman Kennel in Westmoreland County, which provides animal control for several municipalities in Fayette County, then it may have taken a long time for an animal control officer to reach Connellsville to handle the situation.
"It would have taken an inordinate amount of time for Hoffman to get there," Capitos said. "We couldn't take that chance. We're not out to harm anyone's pet, but this was a dangerous dog."
Shots fired
Capitos said when police located the pit bull, they fired three shots at it. He said though the animal was wounded, it kept running.
"We were surprised it ran as far as it did," he said.
Jim Logan of Connellsville was working on McCormick Street when police shot the animal.
"There were two cops behind it and trying to catch up," he said. "The dog was going the other way. It was not being aggressive whatsoever. I heard one shot. I thought why are they going to shoot that dog?"
Lisa Beal was finishing a shopping trip and returning to her home East Francis Avenue when she saw police pursuing a pit bull.
"I saw some cops running by -- and at first I thought how nice, they are trying to catch this lost dog so as to find its owners," she said. "The dog was not being aggressive in any way. They were close enough that they could grab its collar if they wanted to."
Then things took a turn for the worse.
"I saw one of the cops pull out his gun," Beal said. "I heard the pop of the gun going off. I couldn't see what happened. I just heard the shot. Once I got out of my car, I went down to see if they shot it because I'm a dog lover. I later found out that it kept running."
Tough choices
Capitos said when officers found the dog in a wooded area by Route 119 about a mile away, they shot it again and it died.
"While regrettable, the safety of our citizens is paramount and we could not risk waiting and possibly allowing the dog to attack again," he said.
Brown praises police for the choice they made.
"They did their job because that dog could have very well turned around and attacked somebody," she said.
Police cited state law that permits police or citizens to kill any dog attacking, pursuing or killing another domestic animal or person.
"We regret that we had to take this action but only did so as a last resort," Capitos said.
When Beal later heard the news that the dog had been killed, she was sad.
"I was very upset," she said. "I love dogs. Given the situation that it didn't appear aggressive toward them, they could have handled it in a different way."
Capitos said as of late afternoon Monday, the pit bull's owner has not come forward.
"If we find out who owns that dog, they will be charged appropriately," he said.
Capitos said state law does not permit any civil repercussions against police for killing the animal.
Waiting at the vet
Police said though small dog sustained severe wounds after the attack, it was still alive and taken to Geary Veterinary Clinic, owned by Dr. Curtis Geary. Brown said Geary's family members acted quickly to get the dog to treatment.
"They said, Curt (Geary) is all ready for Cookie," she said. "They called him ahead of time. They got her here as quickly as they could."
Brown had tears in her eyes as she waited Monday evening for news about Cookie at the veterinary clinic. She said the little dog was in critical condition -- one of the pit bull's teeth had to be removed from Cookie's rib cage.
"They think that whenever the dog was biting Cookie on its side, the dog hit a rib and that broke its tooth off," she said.
Brown said she had owned Cookie since the dog was a puppy about 10 years ago. She held back her tears as she said, "She was everyone's dog in our apartment complex. Everyone knows Cookie."
Brown said though Cookie's temperature had dropped since the attack -- a bad sign -- it had stabilized. She said dog has been given pain medication and is undergoing an intravenous fluid drip.
Brown said the first 24 hours of care would be critical to the dog's life. She was cautiously optimistic and said the vet would provide her updates about Cookie's condition.
As to the long day and even longer night Brown was facing, she offered this advice about stray pets.
"If people don't want their dogs, don't just drop them off in a neighborhood. They could hurt someone, maybe even a child," she said.
(Herald Standard - July 13, 2015)
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