With any luck, they're dead.
Jesse Fanciulli
April 16, 2005
Depending on who you ask, the pit bulls who attacked a Greeley man , who uses a wheel- chair, this week were loving "babies" who showed no previous sign of viciousness -- or they were unruly dogs who aggressively marked territory that wasn't theirs in the weeks leading up to the attack.
The dogs' owner, 29-year-old Michelle Valencia, wept Friday for her pets, who are under quarantine at the Weld County Humane Society shelter, 1620 42nd St. in Evans.
"I'm lost without them," said a teary-eyed Valencia. "It's been a rough couple days. I'm freaking out."
Valencia intends to visit Kane, Nikko and Dannyella today and hopes to return them soon to her central Greeley home. While only two of the dogs attacked the neighbor, police took all three to the shelter.
"I don't ever want this to happen again," she said. "But I want my dogs back. I love my dogs."
Valencia's next door neighbor, Mike McAughey, said he understands what his neighbor is feeling. He's a self-proclaimed animal lover who accepted Valencia's apologies for the attack that left him with a gash on his toe, ripped pants and an incredible story to tell friends and reporters.
But even though McAughey feels bad for his neighbor, he is concerned about what might happen if the two dogs who attacked him show the same viciousness on someone more vulnerable.
McAughey, who could bench press more than 300 pounds before a recent round of wrist surgeries, used physical strength and a cool head to fend off the dogs, who attacked him at his home at 2524 14th St. Road, in Greeley.
After the pit bulls cornered McAughey in his garage and began biting his legs Thursday afternoon, McAughey slowly wheeled backward to where a flimsy tree saw was hanging on the wall. He grabbed the saw and started swinging at the dogs with all his strength.
"I went ballistic. I was cussing and screaming and flailing all out of control," he said. "I was medieval all the way."
It took two hard blows to fend off the female dog, and four to six to ward off the male, McAughey said.
McAughey can't name which two of the trio of pit pulls attacked him, but he's certain one was a male and one was female. Dannyella is the only female in the group. During the attack, it was clear to McAughey that Dannyella and the male were ready to taste some flesh.
"They were getting ready for the big tear-up," he said. "I know because of their demeanor."
That's hard for Valencia to imagine.
"I see attacks on TV and I say, 'Man, my dogs could never do something like that,' and look what they did," she said.
At home, Dannyella delights Valencia and her three children with tricks such as sitting on her hind legs and speaking phrases such as "hello" and "my mamma." The two males are similarly lovable, Valencia said.
"A stranger can walk into the house and the dogs will just want to be loved," Valencia said. "They've never shown signs of aggression.
But the dogs' charms have not been evident to McAughey: They regularly bust through the wooden fence that separates Valencia's yard from McAughey's, mark territory with urine and feces and leave paw prints on McAughey's prized 1970 Dodge Charger.
Valencia thinks her dogs have been distressed because they recently moved from another neighborhood. Valencia's pit bulls also get riled up when they see bicycles, and they might have become aggressive at the sight of McAughey's wheelchair, Valencia said.
The dogs will be quarantined for rabies observations at least until April 24. After that, authorities will decide what to do with the dogs as Valencia awaits trial, said Roger Messick, executive director of the humane society.
"I hope they don't want to put them down," Valencia said of her pit-bull "babies." "It's gonna work out. I know in my heart it's gonna work out."
What's Next
Michelle Valencia is scheduled to appear in Greeley Municipal Court at 2 p.m. April 25. Valencia faces three counts each of harboring a vicious dog, dog at large, no rabies tags and no registration tags.
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20050416/NEWS/104160055
ping
Shoot first, ask questions later.
The problem with some dog owners is that they love their dogs more than their fellow man.