Woman kills dog to stop attack

Thursday, September 07, 2006

(9/07/06 - KTRK/SUGAR LAND, TX) (KTRK) -- A Sugar Land woman had to kill a neighbor's dog when the animal attacked her and her dog.

Lou May was walking her Highland terrier on Jo Ann Street near Vinehill when a neighbor's Staffordshire terrier broke from its leash and went after them. She ran back to the house, but the dog kept coming. May grabbed her .38 caliber snub-nose pistol and shot the dog in the head right inside her own front door.

"It had run up all the way back up here," said May, referring to her front door. "I was getting right here and I was trying to stop it right there. And it got in my house and when I was trying to stop it here, that's when I went to get my gun. That's all I could do. I couldn't make him quit."

May was treated on the scene for her injuries by paramedics. She took her dog, named McDuff, to an animal ER for the bites on his ear and neck. May says the neighbor's dog had never been a problem before. In fact, she's petted the animal several times. Her neighbor understands she had to kill the dog to protect herself.

A Staffordshire terrier looks very similar to a pit bull. The dogs can weigh up to 80 pounds. They are often used as guard dogs, although if socialized early, Staffordshire terriers can be very gentle pets.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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