Officials say they don’t yet know if the dog was being walked without a leash or had escaped its yard.
PLEASANTON, Texas — Pleasanton police say a loose dog attacked a mother, daughter and another man Monday afternoon, prompting responding officers to shoot and kill the animal.
Elijah Blue recalls coming outside hearing cries for help from the man he’s confident is the dog’s owner.
“He started telling me ‘Please kill him, please kill him,’ for me to kill the dog,” Blue said. “It bothers your ears just hearing somebody just frantically crying out ‘Please help me, please help me.’”
Blue described the scene as a bloody mess.
“This dude had that dog by the neck in a headlock and once he got in a headlock that dog just turned on him and started mauling him. I’m talking he took chunks out of this man,” Blue said. “The dog is white and silver… But his whole face was red from mauling.”
Blue and Pleasanton police say the man had intervened to stop the dog from attacking a mother and her juvenile daughter who were walking to the nearby H-E-B.
Amid the chaos, Blue was prepared to defend himself if needed.
“I had two knives in my hand ready to deal with the dog,” Blue said.
Pleasanton Police Assistant Chief Anastacio Perez said at one point, the man’s foot was inside the animal’s mouth.
“Our officers immediately took action and fired one shot when it was safe to do so to prevent any further injury to the male,” Perez said, adding officers arrived to a bloody scene at West White and South Smith at around 4:30 p.m.
“When the dog was shot, it let go of the male and began running towards other people,” he said.
At that point, Perez said police tried to subdue the dog with “less lethal measures.” When those were unsuccessful, they again fired their weapons and “safely prevented further attack.”
The man was taken to University Hospital, as were the two other victims for “minor” dog bite injuries. Officials said the man was believed to have suffered the worst injuries of the three victims.
Perez said detectives are still investigating the incident and will determine if the owner will face charges. It’s unclear at this point if the dog had escaped an enclosure or was being walked without a leash.
“If you know your dog is irate, keep your dog secure,” Blue said.
The ages of the victims are unknown at this time.