Dog owners in a south Vallejo neighborhood are living in fear after an unleashed and unrestrained pit bull mauled three pet dogs and injured a man in two separate dog attack incidents. 

The first dog bite incident took place about a week ago when Maurice Bacelis was walking his two dogs in their neighborhood. As Bacelis reports, a tan pit bull suddenly appeared and attacked the two dogs, a Yorkshire Terrier and a Labrador. While Bacelis tried to fend off the attack on his dogs, the pit bull was ferocious in its aggression. By the time the dog attack ended and Bacelis was able to drive the pit bull away, the Terrier had been eviscerated and was lying dead.  The Labrador had a good portion of his leg chomped off.  Bacelis also suffered injuries to his arm and leg in the dog attack.

Just an hour after this dog bite attack, another similar incident was reported in the same neighborhood. This time, the dog that was being walked by its owner was a Chihuahua-Labrador mix and the injuries were not severe enough to cause death.

More frighteningly for pet owners in the area, animal control officers who are on the lookout for the renegade dog, believe that it isn’t a stray, but a dog that is being reared in the very same neighborhood.  A stray isn’t likely to be so confidently aggressive towards others. A dog that’s familiar with the neighborhood, however, is prone to showing his dominance over other dogs in the vicinity by attacking them.

The suspected pedigree of the dog that has been involved in these dog bite attacks is also not too surprising. Pit bulls often feature in such incidents along with other aggressive breeds like Rottweilers.   Bacelis is furious. He rightly wants to know how an aggressive breed like that was allowed to roam the neighborhood free without a leash. 

It’s the obvious question to ask. Even more importantly, is the owner aware of his dog’s destructive escapades out of the confines of his home? Is the dog being confined under strict lock and key at all, or is there negligence involved which leads to the animal frequently heading out of its confines to terrorize the world outside.

It definitely seems like a tragedy just waiting to happen.  So far, the incidence of human injuries in these dog bite attacks in Vallejo has been minimal. Apart from a few injuries that Bacelis suffered; there have been no other injuries or attacks on humans in the situation.  But that might not last for long. 

Animal control officers in the area are acutely aware of the dangers that this situation poses and are heightening the efforts to trace the dog and its owner. Until then, dog owners in the area are being advised to exercise caution when faced with a strange and unrestrained dog.  Be calm, they warn, and if with a small dog, pick it up slowly and walk away.  We hope that the mystery of the dog is solved quickly before there is a serious dog bite attack to report.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of dog bite attacks. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.