[nagdu] OR: Pit bulls attack woman and service dog

[Ginger Kutsch]

Pit Bulls Attack Eugene Woman and Her Service Dog
January 31, 2011
By Gia Vang
 
 
EUGENE, Ore. -- A Eugene woman says she's lucky to be alive after
she and her dog were attacked by two pit bulls in a west Eugene
neighborhood.
 
 
 
The victim says she was just walking to an interview when three
pit bulls came out of nowhere and attacked.
 
 
 
She says it could've ended up worse if it weren't for several
passersby.
 
 
 
"It was totally chaotic.  She was screaming for her life," said
Scott Downey.
 
 
 
A visibly shaken Tracey Ray told police she and her service dog
were viciously attacked by two pit bulls while they were walking
down West 8th near Taylor.
 
 
 
"I saw a couple of pit bulls running loose on the street and some
woman was walking by with her dog and I thought, 'Wow, that
doesn't look good.'  And sure enough I heard the screaming,"
Downey said.
 
 
 
Her screams got the attention of several passersby who tried
scaring the dogs.
 
When that didn't work, it got physical.
 
 
 
"Two guys were trying to get her off because he was latched on to
her dog.  And I grabbed a blue recycling bucket and hit over the
side of his head and he finally let go," Downey said.
 
 
 
The victim and her dog ran inside a fenced area.
 
 
 
She says her labador retriever was bitten but is okay for the
most part.
 
 
 
"I want to thank these people in these neighborhood that came to
my rescue," Ray said.
 
 
 
Police think the dogs escaped through missing fence boards from a
pink home.
 
 
 
Lane County Animal Control hauled the dogs away after police
captured them, calling them surprisingly cooperative.
 
 
 
"They were playful and lovable dogs, so we didn't really have to
be aggressive at all," said Sgt. J.R. Webber, Eugene Police
Department.
 
 
 
Still, witnesses say the ordeal brings light to how dog owners
should maintain their dogs.
 
 
 
"I wish people would keep their dogs on leashes, especially pit
bulls and aggressive dogs like that," Downey said.
 
 
 
Police say a third dog, who was not a part of the attack,
returned to the home.
 
 
 
The owner was cited for dog at large.
 
 
 
Animal Control has impounded the other two.
 
Source:
http://kohd.com/news/local/203138