Also injured in the Saturday morning attack was Lucy, a second English bulldog, the dog's family said.
"It was pretty brutal," said Chad Fisher, who used a snow shovel and sticks to try and repel the two pit bulls who he says came through a hole in the fence that separates their yards.
Fisher said the pit bulls attacked Huggy Bear and Lucy in his backyard and eventually dragged Huggy Bear back through the hole into the neighboring yard.
Fisher said he reluctantly gave up the fight. "There was no way I was getting Huggy out of the jowls of that dog," Fisher said.
On Sunday, Huggy Bear died at a Bucks County, Pa. animal hospital. Lucy was also treated at the same hospital.
The dogs live with Fisher and his girlfriend, and her four children on Elmer Street. The pit bulls, he said, live at a Mott Street residence that abuts their yard.
Trenton animal control officers are still investigating the incident and seeking witnesses, city spokesman Mike Walker said Tuesday. The shelter has possession of two pit bulls from the incident, he confirmed.
No other information was available, Walker said.
Fisher understands that since Huggy Bear was found in the neighboring yard it may look like Huggy Bear ventured into the yard, but the attack started in their yard.
Like they do every morning, Fisher let Huggy Bear and Lucy out into the yard so they could relieve themselves.
Fisher said pit bulls in the other yard bark a lot when Huggy Bear and Lucy go out, but on Saturday the ruckus was louder. He looked out side and saw the two pit bulls in his yard and ran out.
Both pit bulls were attacking Huggy Bear and Lucy, he said.
While some of the children helped him fight them off and others dialed 911, Fisher did what he could to ward off the pit bulls. At one point, each pit bull had the bulldogs pinned against the back wall of their house.
"It was me with our kids, beating them with sticks and a snow shovel," Fisher said.
Lucy was able to escape, Fisher said, but one pit bull would not let go of Huggy Bear.
"I am just lucky they didn't turn me or the kids," Fisher said.
Fisher said it was a sustained attack. "It wasn't just a few bites, it just kept going."
Police officers arrived and went into both yards, and Fisher said an officer was close to shooting one of the pit bulls, but held his fire when animal control entered the neighbor's yard.
"The attack did not stop until animal control got into the neighbor's backyard," he said.
Fisher said the pit bull owner did not appear to be at home during the attack, but was present when animal control officers packed up his two dogs.
Fisher and the children thought Huggy Bear was dead, but the family was allowed to retrieve him when he lifted his head. They rushed him to a animal control hospital, where he died the next day.
Animal control investigators have made two return trips to the scene, Fisher said.
"The only reason Huggy ended up in the other yard it because I let go of Huggy," Fisher said.
The city would not provide the name of the pit bull owners. Trenton police said patrol officers responded to the scene, but soon turned over the probe to animal control investigators.
The family has set up a gofundme page for their vet bills.
(NJ.com - Nov 24, 2015)
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