Hannah Padilla, director of behavior and training at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, defends pit bulls saying "society has targeted them". Little consolation to the woman who was attacked by two pit bulls which bit her repeatedly, then ripped her Maltipoo out of her arms and tore it to pieces in front of her

NEW MEXICO -- Animal control officers euthanized two male pit bulls this week that had attacked, mauled and killed a Maltese-poodle mix ("Maltipoo") and repeatedly bit its owner earlier this month in Ragle Park.
 
The pit bulls’ owner, 35-year-old Johnny Williams of Santa Fe, surrendered the dogs to the animal shelter following the attack. The dogs were euthanized Wednesday. Williams declined to comment but did confirm the dogs belonged to him.

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Williams faces charges of violating laws related to keeping vicious animals, dogs running at large (a third offense), no rabies vaccination (a third offense) and failing to comply with animal license requirements, according to Santa Fe Police Department spokeswoman Andrea Dobyns.

The woman who was attacked had been walking her poodle at about 6:30 a.m. July 11 in the park when she saw the two pit bulls running toward her. She picked up her dog to protect it, but the pit bulls attacked the poodle, killing it.

When the woman fell to the ground, the dogs then attacked her, biting her on the face and arm. The woman’s screams alerted a neighbor, who beat back the dogs with a baseball bat.

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Reached by phone Thursday, the woman said she was grateful to the neighbors who helped her and to the Santa Fe Police Department and Santa Fe Animal Services officers, who “probably prevented something more serious from happening.”

As a breed, pit bulls are often feared and demonized whenever they are involved in an attack on humans or animals, said Hannah Padilla, director of behavior and training at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society.

“I personally think that society has targeted them,” she said. “I have met amazing pit bulls out there with amazing owners. But that’s where I feel we have done an injustice to this particular breed — ownership.”

Hannah Padilla, director of behavior and training
at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society

Padilla said some pit bulls have been bred to fight, attack and protect. “We have a lot of pit bulls out there that are not being socialized, not being trained, not being worked with,” she said. “In the case of these two pit bulls attacking the woman and her dog, they were not contained. That is not responsible ownership.”

Dottie Lopez, who walks her small dogs in Ragle Park, said she often sees pit bulls running loose.

“It’s always a bit unsettling,” she said. “Dog owners, especially those who have pits or large dogs, should take extra care in containing their animals.”

Padilla said the shelter will be offering training and behavioral classes this fall for all dogs. Breeds other than pit bulls bite people, she said, but those incidents often go unreported.

Yeah, moron, because people put some Neosporin and a Band-Aid on the bite and go on with their lives. Pit bulls rip off arms, tear off faces, kill people.

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attack and maul poor Maltese to death

She said people can take preventive measures against dog attacks, including carrying a noise-maker, pepper spray or an umbrella, which, when opened, can discourage a dog from coming closer.

One online advocacy group working to make people aware of the dangers of pit bulls, DogsBite.org, compiled a report of 42 dog attacks that led to deaths — mostly young children or older people — in 2014. Of those, 27 were by pit bulls or pit-bull mixes, the report said.

(Santa Fe New Mexican - Jul 23, 2015)