Pit bull attack in east Napa

By MARSHA DORGAN, Register Staff Writer

A Napa woman and her two dogs were attacked by four pit bulls on Sunday on railroad tracks in east Napa.

The woman, whose name was not made available by law enforcement officers, was walking her two dogs on a leash near the tracks by Third Street and Soscol Avenue.

One of the pit bulls, who live with a couple in the 1600 block of East Avenue, has been cited before, according to Napa County Sheriff’s Capt. John Robertson.

The four loose pit bulls came charging down the railroad tracks, Robertson said.

The woman was able to pick up one of her dogs, he said. “The other one ran off into traffic and was hit by a car. I don’t know the condition of the dog, but I know it didn’t die.”

The woman was bitten in the hand while trying to fend off the dogs, Robertson said.

A nearby resident came out of his house to try to scare the pit bulls off, he said. “His dog followed him and was attacked by the pit bulls. The dog suffered moderate injuries.”

Animal control officers arrived on scene and were able to round up the dogs. “The officers knew where the dogs lived because one of them has been cited before,” Robertson said.

The dogs were taken to the animal shelter. They are under quarantine to determine if any of them have rabies.

Robertson said the owners will have to attend a dangerous dog hearing, where a committee will determine if the dogs are dangerous or vicious.

If the dog is deemed dangerous and returned to the owner, the owner must pay a $500 fine, register the dog as dangerous, sign up for professional dog training, reimburse victims for property and medical expenses, agree to have an identifying microchip put under the animal’s skin and install yard signs warning the public.

If the animal is deemed vicious, the owner must pay a fine up to $1,000, agree to behavior testing by an expert, construct an enclosure built to county specifications, spay or neuter the animal, provide proof of liability insurance, keep the dog away from places where children are present and agree to use muzzles or appropriate leashes and collars when off site.

If found to be vicious, the dogs could be destroyed.

In addition, owners must pay the animal shelter for boarding, which costs $30 per day, per dog.

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