Two pit bulls attacked a man and his dog in Pacific Beach while they were on a walk Monday.
Jonathan Torres told San Diego police that he was with his labrador when two pit bulls attacked him and his dog. The pit bulls were taken back to their yard, San Diego police said.
Torres’ dog was in bad shape with a large gash on her neck, he said.
"Of course I started defending my dog and trying to get the dogs off and it was difficult because they were strong," Torres said. "They were clinching on to my dog's neck trying to rip. They were atually ripping pieces off my dog. I was throwing the dogs off, punching them, choking them. A few people came out and helped me get the dogs off."
Torres claimed the pit bulls have been a problem for the neighborhood in the past. Torres also suffered bites to his head and arms, he added.
"I love my dog and I'd do whatever it takes to keep her safe," Torres said.
San Diego police initially responded to a resident’s call about screaming and dog sounds in a back alley around Lamonte St. and Grand Avenue.
Torres declined ambulance transport and instead took himself and his dog to a hospital. Torres said he planned on getting a rabies shot and was not sure his dog would survive.
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“Due to property history, the two American Pit Bull Terriers will be impounded for bite quarantine and the owner will be cited,” the San Diego Humane Society said.
San Diego Humane Society said two past reports have been made concerning the dogs who live on the 1800 block of Grand Avenue. All three calls were made by residents at the same address on Hornblend Street.
Those past reports, one in 2018 and one in Aug. 2019, indicate the two American Pit Bull Terriers are named “Pluto” and “Gypsy.” In both instances, the report said one dog broke out of the yard and bit a victim, but the victim did not send proof of a bite. In the August incident, "Gypsy" went through a bite quarantine as a precaution.
The owner of the pit bulls previously passed a property inspection. Both dogs were licensed, the humane society said, as San Diego County requires all dogs to be vaccinated against rabies and to obtain a license confirming that information.
Three dogs now live at the residence on Grand Avenue, one Husky and the two American Pit Bull Terriers, according to the humane society.
