UPDATED WITH PHOTOS: Rescued Pit Bull Euthanized After Attacking New Owner’s Teen Daughter On Long Island

NEW YORK -- A Long Island teenager was attacked by a pit bull that her family decided to save from “death row.”

Stephen Neira found the 42-pound dog, named Alex, through the group All Breed Rescue, WCBS 880’s Sophia Hall reported. The dog was scheduled to be put down in 22 minutes when his family decided to foster him, Newsday reported.

It was Neira's first time owning a pit bull.

About two minutes after bringing the pit bull to his Patchogue home on Sunday, the dog attacked Neira’s 16-year-old daughter, Briana.

"He ran inside, slid across the floor, turned around, saw my daughter and jumped for her throat," Neira told Newsday.

 

“My wife was trying to stick her arm in the dog’s mouth the whole time this was happening, she was absolutely terrified, she wanted to get the dog off of my daughter and let her take the bite,” Neira said. “It was crazy.”

Neira called it a nightmare.

“I couldn’t get him off so I took them both to the ground so that I could put my weight on top of the dog and at that point she was able to separate,” Neira said. “A piece of her lip was actually missing; her arm was pretty severely injured.”

 

  

 

Briana had to have reconstructive surgery on her lip Sunday night, and is recovering at Stony Brook University Hospital.

The 2-year-old dog was euthanized after the attack.

Shelter documents show the city shelter system had transferred ownership of the pit bull mix to a Vermont group, Carolyn All Breed Rescue, which had highlighted the pit bull's plight on the rescue website Urgent Pets on Death Row.

The pit bull had been brought to the city shelter on August 30th and agency documents have conflicting information on his background, saying both that he was a stray and that he was muzzled when he was surrendered by his owner. Within four days, he was on the website for "Urgent Pets on Death Row".

On the shelter's behavioral tests, Alex the pit bull was deemed 'sociable' and passed touch, food aggression and toy possessiveness tests, although he pulled on the leash and appeared frustrated at being confined. "The behavior department feels he can go to an average home," the shelter wrote.

Neira said he wants all rescue groups to make sure that dogs up for adoption are not violent.

 

Officials said the dog was deemed “sociable” on behavioral tests, Newsday reported.

All Breed Rescue did not return Hall’s call for comment.

(CBS Local - Sept 8, 2015)