Terrier attacked by 2 loose pit bulls

Dog required emergency surgery Friday morning

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Mandarin woman's small terrier made it through the night and is breathing on its own. However the injured dog named Nikki remains in critical condition. Nikki suffered punctured lungs, broken ribs and other internal injuries after he was viciously attacked Friday morning by two pit bulls that got loose from their owner's back yard.

Mary Williams, who owns the West Highland White Terrier, wants investigators at Animal Care and Protective Services to deem the two pit bulls dangerous. She said the pit bulls came out of nowhere, and once they started biting her small dog, they wouldn't let go.

"They came instantly," Williams said. "One came for his throat, the other for his legs. They had him on the ground in a matter of seconds. Blood was spewing everywhere. I was screaming at the top of my lungs."

Williams said there was nothing she could do to stop the attack that nearly killed Nikki. Williams said the pit bulls that live just a few blocks away attacked her dog while she was walking her in front of their house.

News4Jax learned the pit bulls escaped out of a fence that may have been left unsecured by someone who came to spray the yard.

"I went to pick up my dog and half of his side was hanging out, and he was just covered in blood," Williams said. "And the neighbor went and got a blanket, and the gentlemen sat over him and just prayed over my dog."

Neighbors who live near the pit bulls said this is the first time they've heard of the two dogs behaving with such aggression.

"If a citizen thinks their dog is dangerous, they can request a dangerous dog investigation," ACPS spokeswoman Nikki Harris said.

Harris said the dangerous dog investigation process can take several days or longer to complete. She said dogs defending their own property aren't typically put on the dangerous dog list.

"If a dog is in its own yard and a strange dog jumps into its yard, that's not dangerous dog behavior for that dog to defend their home. That's where they live," Harris said. "A dog that's leaving its property to attack is viewed much differently than a dog that defends its own property."

Williams said she is considering legal action to recoup the cost of emergency surgery for her dog if the pit bull owners refuse to pay it. 


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Tarik anchors the 4, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. weekday newscasts and reports with the I-TEAM.