Animal control officers in Wareham, Massachusetts say two pit bull mix dogs are under home quarantine after attacking and seriously injuring a woman who was walking through the area.
DNR officials tell us the dogs were running off leash and not under verbal control of their older female owner when the attack happened Monday night at around 5 o’clock in the area of cranberry bogs near Papermill Road.
“She said that she did notify the dog owner that she was bitten, she was bleeding profusely, the dog owner left the scene with her two dogs and left the woman there,” said Animal Control Officer Cheryl Gorveatt-Dill.
Gorveatt-Dill says that victim went to the hospital with multiple bites from both dogs.
“Not knowing who owned the dogs and not being able to identify the dogs meant that the hospital had to immediately start rabies vaccines,” she said.
When the DNR put out the call for help to identify the owners, residents were angered over the incident and helped animal control track them down overnight.
Wareham resident Chris Post said, “Blame the owners because the dogs shouldn’t be loose, number one, I mean -- if you can’t control your dog, they should be on a leash.”
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“I’m really surprised that this even happened, I can’t believe it happened,” said the dogs’ owners’ neighbor Mike Carriero.
Carriero says animal control was at the dogs’ house on Windy Hill Drive Tuesday morning.
The dogs could be heard barking inside but no one was home when NBC10 Boston stopped by.
Carriero says he’s never been afraid of the dogs nor seen them attack anyone.
“The dogs were rescue and the dogs do bark and stuff, but as far as being aggressive, charging at people and stuff – no,” he saisd.
Animal Control says the owners have been completely cooperative, and since this is the first incident reported with these dogs, they will issue the owners a citation with restrictions that the dogs must be leashed and muzzled while out for a walk.
