Elderly woman loses dog in vicious attack

A rottweiler attacked an elderly woman while she was walking her dogs in her suburban neighborhood near Dulin Street in Fallbrook the morning of June 6.

The victim says she was first followed by Chihuahuas believed to be from the same household as the rottweiler. As she tried to shoo them away, she encountered the rottweiler. She tried to cross the street but the dog charged her, knocked her down and proceeded to attack one of her small Pomeranians, she said.

According to witnesses, the woman screamed for help while clutching her dog, which was in the rottweiler’s mouth, trying to get the rottweiler to let go of her dog by pulling at its head and ears.

Even when jabbed with a rake, hit on the head with a vase and pepper sprayed by neighbors who heard the woman’s screams for help, the rottweiler did not let go until neighbors grabbed the dog’s hindquarters, lifted it into the air and pried its jaws open with the rake.

The woman was not hurt but her Pomeranian sustained critical wounds to the chest. Two surgeries to save its life failed and it died from the wounds inflicted during the vicious attack.

The rottweiler’s owner relinquished the dog to San Diego County Animal Control and the dog was later euthanized. However, the owner now faces two misdemeanors: one for not having his dog properly restrained and the other for allowing his dog to harass, attack or bite a person.

Lieutenant Lisa Worrick with San Diego Animal Control reported that incidents like this happen daily throughout the county and can easily be prevented with proper fencing and leash use.

“If you have a large dog, you must make sure that you have adequate fencing for it,” said Worrick. “The chances of a dog escaping depend on what kind of material is used on the fence, what height it is and whether there are boards loose.”

A dog has all day to think of how to get loose, Worrick explained, so if it doesn’t want to stay home and you have an inadequate fence or no fence, it’s going to go.

“Make sure your dog is trained, and if it’s neutered, that’s going to help to keep it from wandering the neighborhood as well as decrease the urge to fight,” she added.

This incident is one of a few in this area and residents are constantly taking precautions to make sure they and their dogs are safe.

Karen Gruber, a representative for Lake Rancho Viejo, where the attack occurred, said people in the area carry pepper spray, broom handles and golf clubs when walking their pets in order to protect themselves from stray and loose dogs.

Worrick said these are all perfectly good ways for people walking alone or with pets to take care of themselves and offered more tips to keep dog walkers and their pets safe.

“If you have a small dog with you, make sure it’s on a leash so that you can pull it away if it’s being attacked,” she said. “Also, it helps to scream and yell at the dog. Remember: there’s a difference between ‘Oh my God, what are you doing?’ and ‘Sit and stay.’ You’ve got to really yell at these dogs. Sometimes you’re actually encouraging the dog by screaming and yelling and waving your arms in the air, getting it more excited. You have a right to protect yourself.”

Worrick also said that regardless of the dog’s size, owners should provide proper housing because, as she put it, “A little dog can be just as dangerous as a big dog. If the dog is on the street, it can cause a car to swerve and kill a pedestrian walking right along on the street.”

One of the neighbors who helped the elderly woman pull the rottweiler off her pet stated, “I feel bad about the attack; I feel bad that two dogs had to die because one owner didn’t want to exercise the leash law. The one encouraging thing about this incident is that the community banded together to try to help this one elderly woman.”

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