Water bottle used to stop vicious dog during attack in City Heights

CALIFORNIA -- A beagle and his owner are recovering Monday after a vicious dog attack in City Heights.

10News learned the attack happened near 41st Street and Myrtle Avenue Sunday around 4 p.m.
On Monday morning, the Maier family picked up their beagle named Apple from the veterinarian clinic. He had a cone around his head and stitches on his side.

Dan Maier said his wife and Apple were on a walk when they were suddenly attacked.

"A loose dog came up and sniffed Apple and started to get a little weird so my wife tried to grab him, and in the process the dog latched on to our dog," Dan Maier told 10News.

Neighbors saw what was going on and jumped in to help.

"A neighbor came out with a golf club and was unsuccessful trying to pry this dog off our animal," said Maier. "It wasn't until someone grabbed my wife's water bottle and poured it on top of the dog that it finally let go."

Apple has two punctures to his side and underwent surgery. Maier's wife also had surgery and may be left with scarring on her face.

"My wife doesn't have any health insurance; we just spent thousands of dollars at the vet. We're still not even sure whose dog it was," said Maier.

Animal Control officers took the dog to the pound. The dog's breed was not immediately determined.
Maier said the vicious dog did not have a collar, and he wanted to warn other dog owners to lock their gates and watch out for vicious dogs in the neighborhood.

(10News - Dec 8, 2014)

Neighbor helps dog owner after pit bull attacks schnauzer

FLORIDA -- A pit bull is being called a neighborhood nuisance after it went on the attack against a dog half its size, and residents are saying this is not the first time the pit bull has shown its bad side.

Jorge Ramos was walking his dog in the White Plains area of Sunrise when he said the pit bull suddenly attacked his Schnauzer, Scotty.

Markely Medina lives a few blocks away from Ramos and his dog. He witnessed the attack. "I was walking over here, and at first, I don't really know what's going on, I don't know if it's two dogs wrestling, and then I see the pit bull," said Medina.

Medina was driving home on Saturday evening when he saw Ramos trying to tear the pit bull off of his dog Scotty. "The pit bull is just mauling the dog, just destroying him," said Medina.

The pit bull eventually stopped attacking Scotty when Medina scared him by throwing a water bottle. "I threw the water bottle really hard," said Medina.

After the fight, Scotty was in very bad shape. He had a large bite wound on his neck. Medina drove Ramos and his dog to the vet, even though they had never met before the attack. "I did not know him at all," said Medina.

Ramos believes that had it not been for Medina's help, Scotty would have died.

After the pit bull encounter, Ramos was left with a few scrapes on his body, a large vet bill and anger at the pit bull's owner. "The pit bull owner-- not the pit bull-- is to blame," said Ramos.

[Following this way of thinking, that it's not the pit bull's fault... When a bear attacks someone in a national park, why do we blame - and kill - the bear? Shouldn't we blame the forest rangers, the governor, the president?]

The pit bull has been known to roam loose around the neighborhood. In the end though, because of the incident, Ramos and Scotty now have a new friend. "I spent all night with them at the emergency hospital," said Medina.

The owner of the pit bull has been fined $500 and will also have to appear at a court hearing in October. At the hearing, the county will recommend that the pit bull be muzzled.

(WSVN - June 16, 2014)

Marlborough man charged with hurting dog

MASSACHUSETTS -- A Marlborough man was charged with animal cruelty and making threats after police said he was seen abusing his small dog and then angrily confronted to two passersby when they questioned whether he was hurting the animal.

Michel P. Monteiro, 46, of 13 Cross St., was charged with cruelty to animals and threatening to commit a crime after his arrest at 9:47 p.m. Friday, police said.

According to a police report filed in Marlborough District Court, two men called police and said that they were passing Monteiro in his driveway, when they heard his dog yelp. They stopped and asked Monteiro if he had hurt the dog, according to the report.

Monteiro, in turn, told the two men to "get away from my dog" and began walking toward them in a threatening manner, according to the report. One of the men continued backing up until he was pinned against a car and told police that he thought Monteiro was going to hit him.

When police arrived, they found Monteiro, still in his driveway, showing signs of intoxication and smelling like alcohol, according to the report. He was holding his dog, named Ukie, on a leash, but the dog was constantly moving in circles, rubbing the left side of his body against the ground, according to the report.

Witnesses told police that they had seen Monteiro grab Ukie by the throat after it had gotten loose from him. Witnesses said he then picked the dog up by the throat and hit it in the head with a water bottle, according to the police report.

The dog’s left eye was bright red and bloodshot and appeared as though the dog had been struck or punched, police wrote in the report. Monteiro told police that he had just noticed the color of the dog’s eye, but was not going to seek treatment for the dog.

Police requested animal control and continued speaking with Monteiro as they waited for the animal control officer to arrive. Monteiro repeatedly told police that the dog was his and that he loved the dog and did not hit it, according to the police report.

While police were talking to Monteiro, he kept picking the dog up and putting it down, at one point dropping the dog from his arms, according to the police report. After Monteiro dropped the dog, officers took control of the animal, according to the report.

An animal control officer took the animal to Tufts University Foster Hospital for Small Animals, according to the police report. A veterinarian at the hospital told police that the dog was treated for head trauma, which caused bruising to the head and left eye, according to the police report. The vet also told police that Ukie's behavior of circling and rubbing his head on the ground was consistent with being injured, police said.

Monteiro was released without bail following his arraignment in Marlborough District Court Monday and was ordered not to own any domestic animals, according to court records.

(Wicked Local Marlborough - June 23, 2014)