A vicious dog attack left a San Diego woman injured and her dog mauled to death, according to County of San Diego Animal Service investigators.
The owner of the two mixed-breed pit bull dogs surrendered his pets to Animal Services after what witnesses described as a ragdoll attack.
“The pit bull kept throwing the dog and whipping it back and forth,” said witness Andrea Mitchell.
Investigators believe the dogs may have broken out of the backyard of a home on Dorothy Drive in the College Area.
One, or both, of the dogs, apparently jumped up and snatched the Chihuahua out of its owner's arms.
“She tried to fight it,” said Mitchell. "She told me she was poking the eyes. Getting her hands in the mouth. She got her hands all bitten up. “
Jesse Wright said he heard the woman's screams and ran to help her.
Local
“We ran over there and I came back to try and get a leash to try and pull the dog off," he recalled. "But once a pit bull locks its jaw, it's not letting go. It just basically used him as a teddy bear, it was pretty upsetting."
Blood from the incident was left spattered across the street.
The unidentified woman was taken to the hospital for injuries to her hand after her dog didn’t survive the attack.
“She was saying, 'This is all I have,'" a witness said.
The dogs are being held under a 10-day quarantine. The dogs could be held longer and declared public nuisances if Animal Service investigators find they have been involved in other incidents.
Animal Services officials say this is an unfortunate reminder to make sure to properly restrain or contain your dog.
