Report: Horse that died after dog attack found with wounds only to its lower legs
By TRACY X. MIGUEL
Posted March 12, 2010 at 3:15 p.m.
NAPLES — A Golden Gate Estates horse that was attacked by two dogs had wounds only on its lower legs, according to officials.
It was not immediately clear whether the horse bled to death from the wounds or died of other causes. The horse was also found bleeding from its nose and mouth, according to reports from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
“The horse reportedly ran into the woods and passed away there with some bite marks to the lower leg only according to investigators,” said Camden Smith, Collier County spokeswoman.
Domestic Animal Service doesn't know what caused the death of the horse, Smith said.
"No necropsy was done so cause of death cannot be determined," Smith said.
The horse was buried by its owner.
The horse’s owner, Kayla Thorn, 15, and Penny Packard, 59, who was riding with Kayla, reported finding a pool of blood the size of a dinning room table where the horse was found.
Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, Packard and Thorn, 15, rode their horses on 2nd Avenue Southeast in Golden Gate Estates when an American bulldog and a boxer started chasing after the horses, attacking and biting them. A struggle ensued between the animals. Kayla hung on as long as she could but was thrown from her horse, Dancer, as it tried to elude the dogs.
The dogs continued to chase the 25-year-old horse into a wooded area. Packard and Kayla took the other horse home.
Packard expected the horse to run home.
Law enforcement officials and the horse’s owners later discovered Dancer laying in the pool of blood. It had “small lacerations to the legs and hoofs of the horse,” according to police reports.
Billie Jo Herrera, the owner of two dogs said Friday she feels horrible.
"The tears aren't just for Charlie,” Billie Jo Herrera said about her American bull dog, which she plans to put down if it is determined to be dangerous. “I really feel bad for the girl,".
Herrera, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, said she could not afford to pay the $300 per dog to keep the animals if they are determined to be "dangerous dogs" by Domestic Animal Services.
Her American bull dog was seized by animal services because it was loose when officials came to investigate the issue. The second dog involved in the incident, Princesa, a 2-year-old boxer that the family has had for eight months, is still in Herrera's home.
The 1 1/2-year-old American bull dog is a family dog raised among Herrera's seven children, who range in age from 2 to 15, she said.
"I know everyone in the world will consider Charlie a God-awful dog but he is not," said Herrera, 41. "You couldn't ask for a much better dog for my kids."
Packard said her horse farrier thought the dogs jumped up and bit an artery which caused the horse to bleed to death.
"These dogs are very aggressive," Packard said.
Both dogs need to be put down for the safety of the neighborhood, Packard said.
"These dogs are not lovable," Packard said. "They are vicious dogs that attack."
Packard said that the dog owner should have been responsible and controlled her dogs
The dogs in this story were originally identified as a boxer and pit bull.
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