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Pit Bull Mastiff Attacks Dallas Mail Carrier

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Jul 8, 2008 6:58 pm US/Central

Pit Bull Mastiff Attacks Dallas Mail Carrier

Reporting
Carol Cavazos
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ― A pit bull mastiff attacked a postman on a route in Dallas. Roger Powell is recovering from Monday's attack at home.

"You can see where the back was first hit and of course the left arm," said the 50-year-old mail carrier.

By looking at his uniform, it's not difficult to pick out the three spots where the pit bull mastiff bit him at a house on Miller Dale Lane. Areas of the shirt are soaked with his blood.

"I'm walking off; I'm already back off the steps and onto the yard, and the next thing I know the dog had bust through the door," said Powell.

While Powell rolled on the ground, he said the dog's owners looked on. "He was already biting me," he said. "I screamed to the man, 'Get your dog!'"

"I told him yesterday I was sorry," Vicky McClure, the dog's owner, said through tears. "I didn't mean for him to get bitten. It was just a freak accident; it just happened."

McClure says her dog Bruiser, also known as Boozy, escaped when he accidentally hit the latch on the door.

"He's just protecting his house," she said. "He's a good baby."

"That dog is just mean. He's a mean dog," said the McClure's next door neighbor, John Escobedo. He says he was bitten by the same dog three weeks ago, and he has the scars and pants to prove it.

"I knocked on the door, and they said, 'Come on in.' I open the door, and the first thing I see is this big huge dog attack me," he said. Escobedo didn't report the attack or go to the hospital.

The three-year-old pit bull mastiff will be quarantined at Dallas Animal Services for ten days. Officials also scheduled a dangerous dog hearing.

If the dog is found guilty and deemed dangerous, the dog owner may still be able to keep the dog. However, the owners will have to pay $100,000 insurance, post dangerous dog signs outside the house and put a dangerous dog tag on the dog. If the dog is not already microchipped, it will be now.

If it's proven the dog is not dangerous, it will be released to the owner.

The U.S. Postal Service is also investigating the case.

"We love dogs too," said Sandra Gattis, U.S. Postal Service. "But this dog - if it's a big a problem as I understand it is - I believe the dog needs to be put to sleep."

Powell, who bears the scars from another dog attack in 2002, agrees. "I think in this case and irresponsibility of the owner, it should be put down," he said.

They intend to file a lawsuit against these dog owners because of growing medical care for mail carriers.

The U.S. Postal Service says 41 mail carriers were bitten in Dallas last year.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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