Virginia: Despite WWBT's sympathetic interview with the "heartbroken" teen dog owner, what it boils down to is that her Pit Bull ran out of their apartment, attacked a leashed dog and had to be stabbed to stop its attack

VIRGINIA -- A 16-year-old Chesterfield girl is heartbroken after she says another pet owner stabbed her VICIOUS PIT BULL after her dog stormed out of her family’s home ran after another dog, which was leashed and being walked, and attacked it.

Four-year-old Oreo is recovering at home now after having to be rushed into surgery. Chesterfield Police are investigating whether the person who stabbed him went too far. No one has been charged in this case.

The only person who should be charged is this girl's mother for owning a vicious dog that was running at large and attacked another dog, that was leashed and being walked.

During the holidays, Oreo was as joyful as could be. Flash forward to the second day of the new year.

"He just sits in the house now. He doesn't move. He doesn’t' want to eat anymore. It's just crazy,” said 16-year-old Anaya Jones-Ball.

 

That's because he's been through a lot. Jones says Oreo managed to get out of her family's apartment at Chesterfield Village and ran towards a nearby dog.

The dogs began fighting. THE PIT BULL ATTACKED THE LEASHED DOG. Police say the person walking the other dog yelled for help. That's when someone from the other pet owner’s home came out with a knife and stabbed Oreo.

"I was holding him by his neck and his mouth trying to make sure he didn’t clamp on to the other dog. She was like, ‘I'm going to kill him and she just kept slashing,'" Jones-Ball said.

"You have the same right to defend your pet from another animal as you have to defend yourself or another person from another person,” said NBC12 legal analyst Steve Benjamin.

He says the force you use to defend your pet has to be reasonable and necessary.

"If it appears somebody is going to shoot your dog, you cannot shoot that person. If that person was going to shoot you or another person, then yes, you could use deadly force," Benjamin added.

In this case, the teen believes the knife-wielding woman could have responded differently.

"I think it was very extreme for her just to come out and start stabbing. If we had brought him in the house, he would have bled to death,” she said.

Initially, the vet wanted to amputate Oreo's leg but realized he didn't have to. The teen works and is helping pay for the dog's mounting medical bills.
Chesterfield Police say this case remains under investigation.

OH AND THERE'S MORE... THE PIT BULL WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE LIVING AT THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX IN THE FIRST PLACE

Chesterfield Village Apartments has a very specific breed restriction policy for their residents:

Breed Restrictions
At Chesterfield Village we do not allow the following breeds (including any dogs that appear to have a mixture of the breed): Akita, American Staffordshire Terrier, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Husky, Dogo Argentino, Wolf Hybrid, Malamute, Mastiff, Pit Bull, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier

So the big question is: why does this family have a banned dog living in their apartment? How long has it been there? 

IS CHESTERFIELD COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL GOING TO CITE THE OWNER OF THIS PIT BULL UNDER THE STATE'S VICIOUS DOG LAW?

Also, what is Animal Control planning on doing with this dog? Did they cite the owner for owning a vicious dog? Did they cite the owner for her dog running at large? Do they even have vicious dog designations in Chesterfield County?

It appears that Chesterfield County used to have a dangerous dog ordinance, but they got rid of it: 

Dangerous dog: A canine or canine crossbreed which has (i) bitten, attacked or inflicted injury on a person or companion animal, other than a dog, or (ii) killed a companion animal.

However, the state of Virginia has a dangerous dog law:

§ 3.2-6540. Control of dangerous dogs; penalties.
A. As used in this section, "dangerous dog" means:

1. A canine or canine crossbreed that has bitten, attacked, or inflicted injury on a companion animal that is a dog or cat or killed a companion animal that is a dog or cat. A canine or canine crossbreed is not a dangerous dog if, upon investigation, a law-enforcement officer or animal control officer finds that (i) no serious physical injury, as determined by a licensed veterinarian, has occurred to the dog or cat as a result of the attack or bite; (ii) both animals are owned by the same person; or (iii) such attack occurred on the property of the attacking or biting dog's owner or custodian; or

2. A canine or canine crossbreed that has bitten, attacked, or inflicted injury on a person. A canine or canine crossbreed is not a dangerous dog if, upon investigation, a law-enforcement officer or animal control officer finds that the injury inflicted by the canine or canine crossbreed upon a person consists solely of a single nip or bite resulting only in a scratch, abrasion, or other minor injury.

So this Pit Bull was running loose, selected its victim and attacked it. Stabbing it only stopped THIS attack. The dog is still alive so what restrictions are Chesterfield County Animal Control going to put on this dog? Are they going to do anything?

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(WWBT - January 10, 2018)