WARREN - A dog, believed to be a pitbull mix, was taken from an Atlantic Street N.E. home Sunday after it broke its chain and viciously attacked another dog at the home.
The resident, Joseph Goetz, 33, of 529 Atlantic St. N.E., was not home at the time, but police at the scene said six young children were home. None were injured.
Goetz was not cited, but Animal Control Officer John Onatz took the dog to the pound and said a decision would be made today on what to do with the dog. Onatz said it likely would be euthanized.
Article Photos
Warren police Officer John Wilson walks back to his cruiser Sunday after a dog became unchained and attacked another dog at a home on Warren’s northeast side. Wilson did not need to use the weapon, but the dog that attacked was taken to the pound. Photo by Adam Ferrise
A call came into police dispatch about 6:40 p.m. requesting an officer with a shotgun. It was unclear where the call originated.
Officer John Wilson arrived, bringing a gun from his cruiser, but neither dog was put down at the home.
The dog that was attacked, possibly a lab mix, appeared to sustain injuries to its hind legs and rib cage. When police arrived, they said, there was blood everywhere and the attacking dog had the other dog by its rib cage and was thrashing it around.
Officers originally believed the dog was dead.
Goetz, according to a search of court records, pleaded guilty or no contest to a dogs running at large charge in 2010. He was fined $170.
One block away, five small children played football in their front yards while two small dogs looked on.
Neighbors Jim and Therese Campbell said they were alarmed by the notion that a vicious dog attack occurred nearby, especially because they had been watching their grandson and granddaughter until March.
"What if one of their kids were outside?" Therese Campbell said. "There's a lot of kids that live around here. That's set up for a disaster.''
Therese Campbell said she was taking her dog, a miniature Schnauzer, out when officers told her about the incident.
Jim Campbell said officers ordered a group of kids inside their homes because the dog was not yet secured.
"When you see a dog like that one, what else is going on with it?" Jim Campbell said. "Those kinds of dogs should not be allowed in houses. It's ridiculous."