UPDATE: Dogs maul, kill horse; owner says she feels horrible about attack

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Dancer with rider Kaitlyn Langley, age 4. Dancer was attacked and killed by two dogs on Tuesday in Golden Gate Estates.
Second Avenue Southeast.A©2010 Yahoo! Inc.GOLDEN GATE ESTATES — UPDATE

The owner of two dogs that are accused of mauling a horse to death said Friday she feels horrible.

"The tears aren't just for Charlie,” Billie Jo Herrera said about her American bull dog, which she plans to put down if it is determined to be dangerous. “I really feel bad for the girl,".

Herrera, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, said she could not afford to pay the $300 per dog to keep the animals if they are determined to be "dangerous dogs" by Domestic Animal Services.

Her American bull dog was seized by animal services because it was loose when officials came to investigate the issue. The second dog involved in the incident, Princesa, a 2-year-old boxer that the family has had for eight months, is still in Herrera's home.

The 1 1/2-year-old American bull dog is a family dog raised among Herrera's seven children, who range in age from 2 to 15, she said.

"I know everyone in the world will consider Charlie a God-awful dog but he is not," said Herrera, 41. "You couldn't ask for a much better dog for my kids."

From earlier

Two dogs attacked and mauled a horse to death, knocking off the young rider in the process, according to a Golden Gate Estates woman and a Collier County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

What should have been a smooth horseback riding trip turned into a life-threatening ride for Kayla Thorn, 15.

Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, Penny Packard, 59, and Kayla rode their horses on 2nd Avenue Southeast in Golden Gate Estates when an American bulldog and a boxer started chasing after the horses, attacking and biting them. A struggle ensued between the animals. Kayla hung on as long as she could but was thrown from her horse, Dancer, as it tried to elude the dogs.

“I was just freaking out because I didn’t know what they were going to do to my horse or how it would end up and it ended up really badly,” said Kayla, who has been riding Dancer for three years.

“It was very scary having dogs diving toward your horses,” Packard said.

The dogs continued to chase the 25-year-old horse into a wooded area. Packard and Kayla rode home on the other horse.

“They just got really mean about it,” Kayla recalled.

Law enforcement officials and the horse’s owners later discovered Dancer mauled to death, apparently by the dogs. A huge amount of blood was left on the trail.

The blood area was as big as a dining room table, Packard said.

“I just turned around and covered my face,” she said.

After a long pause, Packard said she felt terror.

“I was shocked,” Packard said about finding Dancer killed. Dancer had lived on Packard’s property for six years.

“I’m upset and I don’t understand why this could happen to him. He did nothing wrong,” said Kayla, who has been riding horses since age 7. “He just was a very good horse.”

The dogs were located. The American bulldog was taken into custody because it was loose when deputies arrived, Domestic Animal Services Director Amanda Townsend said.

It wasn’t the first time the dogs went after the horses, Kayla said.

The case is under investigation by Domestic Animal Services. The agency will conduct a dangerous dog investigation of both dogs, Townsend said.

If Domestic Animal Services determines that the dogs are dangerous, owner Billie Jo Herrera has three options. She could surrender the dog or both dogs to be euthanized, she could appeal the decision to a three-person panel or she could choose to keep the “dangerous” dogs by paying a $300 annual registration fee per dog, keep the dogs properly enclosed with signs on every entry of the house, muzzle the dogs and provide a photograph to Domestic Animal Services.

According to reports, Herrera confirmed that the dogs had gotten out and that “they were horse aggressive.”

Herrera said she was willing to surrender her dog Charlie and would come in Friday to file paperwork and say goodbye, reports said. Pending the outcome of the investigation, she said she wanted to keep her other dog, whose name is Princesa, and agreed to keep it in “dangerous dog” home impound, reports said.

Herrera asked deputies for contact information for the horse’s owners so she could apologize and offer to help them replace the horse if that is what they wanted. Herrera also recognized that she is responsible for any vet bills, according to reports.

Kayla said they haven’t been contacted by Herrera.

Packard said she knew something was wrong when they returned home and didn’t find Dancer after the initial attack. They figured the horse would be able to run faster than the dogs and walk home on its own.

“Horses always go back home,” said Packard, who has owned horses her entire life. The incident occurred about two miles from Packard’s home.

Packard’s horse, whose name is Mariah, was attacked as well and has three “good bite cuts.”

“I will not ride off of my property again,” said Packard, who has lived at Second Avenue Northeast off of Everglades Boulevard for six years. “I’m scared to death.”

Packard disagrees with Domestic Animal Services that the dog owners have the right to keep their dogs.

“I’m very concerned because the dogs weren’t removed from the house,” Packard said. “I want the law to change.”

If there are children in the neighborhood, Packard said these dogs are dangerous and should be euthanized.

“These are people who haven’t controlled their dogs in the first place,” she said.





HERE IS THE LINK

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/mar/11/dogs-maul-kill-horse-teen-thrown-horse-during-atta/
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