No Evidence Of Animal Cruelty At House Where Dog Bit Fire Chief
SAN LEANDRO (CBS SF) -- A preliminary investigation hasn't found any evidence of animal cruelty at a house in unincorporated San Leandro where a pit bull attacked and seriously injured a fire battalion chief as crews fought a fire there on Saturday, an Alameda County sheriff's spokesman said Monday.
Sgt. Ray Kelly said the dog's attack on Alameda County Fire Battalion Chief John Whiting at the property in the 16000 block of Maubert Avenue near the Bayfair shopping center at 9:37 a.m. Saturday appears to have been "an unfortunate situation."
Kelly said investigators haven't found any evidence that the 20 dogs at the home were beaten or abused or trained to participate in criminal activity.
Investigators haven't yet been able to talk to Whiting because he's still at Stanford Medical Center, where's he's being treated for his injuries, according to Kelly.
Alameda County fire spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said firefighters who responded to the blaze rescued a 15-year-old girl, who was apparently hanging out of the window of the two-story house, and up to 20 dogs who were living at the house.
Whiting was attacked by a male pit bull while he was talking to the girl, Knowles said.
Kelly said most or all of the dogs at the house were pit bull breeds.
He said there were three adult dogs, nine puppies who are about eight weeks old and other puppies that were about six months old.
Kelly said one of the adult dogs attacked Whiting and the other two adult dogs died in the fire.
He said the dog that attacked Whiting has been quarantined and will undergo a vicious dog hearing that will determine its future.
Kelly said the house where the fire occurred is unhabitable, so the family that lived there is looking for housing and sheriff's officials are trying to find homes for the dogs that survived the fire.
He said the fact that 20 dogs were living at the house "shows why you need to spay dogs or else their population will get out of control and you can't give puppies away as fast as you get them."
Kelly said it appears that the pit bull that attacked Whiting took an aggressive stance when he approached the dog and an aggressive mindset is likely part of the reason the dog attacked Whiting.
He said the situation was "a recipe for disaster."
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