Women injured in pit bull attack in Aurora

Justin Coons, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 13, 2007 at midnight

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A 63-year-old woman was in fair condition tonight, recovering from injuries she received when she and her 20-year-old granddaughter were attacked by a pit bull in Aurora.

According to CBS4, who spoke with a relative, Dorothy Rugg underwent surgery on her arms and legs this evening at Aurora South, while her granddaughter, Bobbi Mitchell, was treated for her injuries and released.

The attack took place about 1 p.m. in a neighborhood near East Quincy Avenue and South Parker Road.

CBS4 reported the two were visiting a relative, who was baby-sitting three young children, when they were confronted by the pit bull in the entryway of a house, Aurora Police spokesman Bob Friel said.

The dog attacked the Mitchell first, and when Rugg tried to intervene, it turned on her.

Mitchell stabbed the dog several times with a kitchen knife but was unable to stop the attack. Then she called 911.

"The first 911 call taker got only screaming in the call," Friel said.

Police responded within minutes, he said, and shot the dog through the security glass of the front door.

The animal continued to act aggressively, so officers dragged it outside and shot it again, killing it.

"We’re very fortunate somebody wasn’t killed," Friel said.

Tim Matya, 52, who lives next door, said he called 911 when he heard the commotion.

"I was working outside, and I heard loud screaming," he said. "I thought it was something domestic."

Matya said that shortly after he hung up the phone, he heard sirens, then the sounds of gunshots.

"It was definitely more serious than what I thought," he said.

Matya said that the occupants of the house moved in about six months ago.

Pit bulls are banned in Aurora, and the dog wasn’t registered to the address, Friel said.

Pit bulls living in Aurora before 2006, when the city enacted the pit bull ban, are allowed to remain if they are registered with the city. They also must be spayed or neutered, and when at home, they must be kept in pens.

"If somebody brought a dog to this house, and it wasn’t registered, that would be a violation of the law," Friel said.

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