"If you put a million dollar bill on the table or my dog, I'd take my dog" says heartbroken man after court-declared dangerous pit bull attacks him, rips his beloved Yorkie from his arms, and mauls it to death

MINNESOTA -- A man who tried to protect his dog from a pit bull is home recovering from his injuries.

Carlson was walking his dog Monday near the Highway 100 construction site on Toledo Avenue when a pit bull got loose from a nearby house. Galen said he picked up his dog when he saw the pit bull approach. The dog then lunged after the terrier.

 

"I tried to fight him the best I could, but I couldn't." he said. "When I was on the ground fighting him, I was crying out for someone to 'Help me! Help me!' and the police were there just about right away."

Galen is covered in cuts and bruises, and may even need surgery on his finger. But the mental trauma is almost too much to bear.

"I couldn't brace myself, because I was just holding my little guy," he recalled. "That visual seeing him there, laying there. I can't get it out of my mind."

It turns out, this wasn't the first time the pit bull has been violent. Neighbors claim the pit bull attacked other dogs in the neighborhood.

 

 

According to a St. Louis Park spokesperson, the police know of only one attack reported in 2012.

That dog survived, but afterwards the pit bull was classified as "potentially dangerous" and the owner had to get a new dog license indicating that.

The owner of the dog that was attacked in 2012 told KARE 11 she was reluctant to call police. But she said after she did, the pit bull owner put up a bigger fence in hopes of keeping the dog secured.

The pit bull's owner agreed to have the dog euthanized Wednesday. He did not want to talk on camera Thursday night, but apologized for the attack. He said he and his wife rescued the dog. They've had him for seven years.

The owner said he was only aware of two incidents when his dog attacked other dogs, which included the incident on Monday.


The Carlson family has hired attorneys with Schwebel Goetz & Sieben. Galen Carlson believes laws need to be strengthened to better protect dog attack victims.

"This shouldn't have happened," said Constance Carlson, Galen's wife.

According to Minnesota law, if a dog attacks or injures someone else, the dog's owner can be held liable.

"If there was a million dollar bill on the table or my dog, I take my dog," said Galen Carlson.

(KARE - Jul 23, 2015)