SCOTTSDALE – A woman watched as a Staffordshire terrier, a cousin to the pit bull terrier, attacked her border collie while out for a walk at Chaparral Park in Scottsdale.
Police say Jared Dogget left his door open on Monday at about 5:30 p.m. in the 5000 block of north Hayden Road and his 7-year-old Staffordshire terrier, Dopey, escaped.
Police received a call at about the same time of a dog at large near Chaparral Park in the area of Hayden and McDonald Road.
When officers arrived they found three men sitting on a large white dog and a large amount of blood next to a smaller dog.
Officers say Dopey did not have a proper identification tag at the time of the attack. Police later learned a group of bystanders had kicked and punched the dog in an attempt to protect the 3-year-old Border collie named Sydney.
The bystanders were unsuccessful in prying the dog’s jaws open but a passing car stopped in the area and one of the occupants used a tire iron to pry the terrier's jaw open so that he would let go of Sydney.
That is when the men sat on Dopey until officers arrived at the park. Police later learned Dopey has escaped his house twice and has attacked at least three other dogs before this incident.
Dogget told officers his ID tag was on his leash and later provided it to police. He said Dopey does not usually have his leash on while inside the house.
Sydney is currently listed in stable condition but her owner says the vet thinks she may have spinal cord injury or other internal injuries.
Dogget faces charges including dog at large and no dog license on dog. He signed the citation but did not admit guilt. He will appear in court at a later date.
