Four legged friends (and enemies): It's always Ohio: Family devastated after 3 pit bulls attack, kill puggle

Saturday, September 26, 2015

It's always Ohio: Family devastated after 3 pit bulls attack, kill puggle

OHIO -- A woman is horrified and a family is devastated after their dog is viciously attacked and killed by three pit bulls in a local neighborhood. The owner of two of the dogs is facing criminal charges.

"I never knew I could love an animal like that, and it's gonna be really hard not to have him here," said dog owner, Claudia Siers.

For ten years, Bandit the puggle, a cross between a pug and a beagle, has been a beloved member of the Siers family in Kirtland.

"He was a good dog. He wouldn't hurt a fly. I mean, he loved kids; he loved people," she said.

Around noon on Tuesday, Claudia Siers said she was walking Bandit in the neighborhood when three dogs charged at them. Kirtland police said they were American Staffordshire terriers, one of the breeds commonly known as a pit bull.

"The one grabbed his neck and then I was trying to get him and at the same time pull on the leash. I was literally on the ground trying to keep them away and then the other one got involved, so it was like pretty much three against, you know, the three dogs against my dog and me," Claudia Siers explained.

Claudia was on the phone with her husband at the time. "My wife started screaming 'no, no,' then she got hysterical," recalled Brian J. Siers.

"Why wasn't it on a leash? Why wasn't he being watched?" asked her son, Brian C. Siers.

Kirtland police charged 57-year-old Peggy Wieland with having a dangerous or vicious dog and having a dog at-large. They said in May, she was previously charged in connection with one of the dogs.

You choose to have pit bulls you have to pay the price when they attack:
Peggy Ann Wieland's mugshot photo

Christina Wieland’s pit bull also attacked a golden retriever back in May, according to police.

Police said the golden retriever survived the attack, and according to documents obtained by newsnet5.com, the case was thrown out of Willoughby Municipal Court in July due to insufficient evidence.

Court records indicate Christina Wieland paid a $170 fine for a “dog at large” citation in Painesville back in August of 2014.

"As long as one person learns that you need to handle your dog and if you don't handle your dog, it could have serious consequences and we're not lucky enough that we lost our dog, but I'm lucky that my mom didn't get attacked," said Claudia's son.

"Just for him to die in such a way and for me to see it, it was horrible, just utterly horrible," Claudia said.

Claudia Siers said the women who own the dogs actually drove her to the vet, but it was too late to save Bandit.

Police said the dogs will be quarantined at home for ten days. They said charges are pending against the owner of the third dog involved.

(Fox8 - Sept 22, 2015)

Why do I continually point out Ohio's pit bull problem? Maybe because they repealed their BSL and said pit bulls were no different than friendly Puggles, Shih Tzus, Shelties, Poodles, Malteses, Golden Retrievers and Beagles.