Golden Retriever attacked by pit bull in Breckenridge

COLORADO -- Breckenridge Police were notified shortly after a woman’s golden retriever was attacked by another dog near Upper Blue Elementary.

Carol Gerard said she and her friend were walking back to her car from the school when the dog ran up and attacked her golden retriever, unprovoked.

“It didn’t bark or hesitate. It just attacked,” Gerard said. “I was trying to kick the pit bull, but I got tangled and fell, and was dragged along screaming.”

 

 

The owner ran up and pulled the dog away, but by then Gerard’s dog had already been seriously injured. She took her golden retriever to a veterinarian in Silverthorne, who spent more than an hour stitching the dog’s wounds.

 

“They thought that the bite might have been all the way down to the bone. I’m not sure if she’s gonna have any residual damage or not,” Gerard said. “The scary part is I could not have stopped it if the owner hadn’t come.”

 

Breckenridge Police officer Tiffany Perez was dispatched to the scene shortly after the attack, to help search for the pit bull, that had a black brindle coat, white legs, and was estimated to weigh 40-50 pounds. The owner was described as a male in his 30s, standing at five-feet nine-inches tall, with short hair.

“The scary part is I could not have stopped it if the owner hadn’t come.” -- Carol Gerard, owner of dog that was attacked

According to the police report, the dog came running toward Gerard, her friend and her dog from the Airport Road Car Wash before the owner and his two friends ran over to stop the dog. While the dog was leashed, the owner said the dog is normally attached to a chain.

 

“I don’t care about the owner’s liability, but I am very worried about his dog. It needs to be put down,” Gerard said. “What if a child runs by that dog?”

 

While Breckenridge Police said dog attacks in Summit County are not very common, Summit County Sheriff’s officers responded to one in 2013, where two pit bulls attacked a beagle at the top of Hoosier Pass, where spectators gathered to watch the USA Pro Challenge bike race.

 

A deputy shot and killed one of the attacking pit bulls. The beagle survived the attack, but had to undergo reconstructive surgery.

 

(Post Independent - Sept 29, 2015)