TEXAS CITY — When a Texas City woman ventured for a morning stroll on her neighborhood street, she never envisioned her leashed dog would become the target of a vicious pit bull.

Defenseless against the Aug. 18 attack, Heather Barrios screamed for help as the pit bull, which has since been euthanized, attacked her 1-year-old dog named Jethro.

“I was pretty comfortable, because I’d walked 31st Street at First Avenue before, and there were no loose dogs in the neighborhood,” Barrios said. “Right before we turned on First Avenue, there was a pit bull at the stop sign about a block away.”

The pit bull charged Barrios and her dog, she said.

“As soon as he attacked, a lady tried to bump the dog with her car,” Barrios said. “The pit bull dragged Jethro by his rear end across the street. He was trying to get away from me. They heard me scream, and about seven or eight people beat him, trying to get him off.”

Jethro survived, leaving Barrios with a veterinarian bill of almost $600.

Avoid Being A Target

Experts say there are ways to avoid becoming the target of aggressive dogs.

Kurt Koopmann, a spokesman for the Galveston County Health District, said the district has received 506 reports since 2006 of dogs attacking people. The district doesn’t track dog-on-dog attacks, he said.

Koopmann said he was charged by two strays this summer while riding his bike near Halls Bayou. He remembered, however, a news release he’d written on what to do when dogs become aggressive.

“Stay calm, put everything you have, which was my bicycle, between you and the dog, and I managed to slowly get away,” Koopmann said.

Todd Langston, a dog-behavior expert who has spent hundreds of hours training rehabilitated dogs in Los Angeles, said the most important thing to remember is to never run or turn your back on an aggressive dog unless safety is but a few feet away.

“The next thing that can help is having control of your dog,” Langston said. “If your dog is excited, it will increase the chance of an off-leash dog charging, because of the elevated energy.”

Once your dog is calm, Langston suggests standing your ground.

“Puff your chest out, put your head up, pull your shoulders back and feel as strong and confident as you can,” Langston said. “If you can pull this off, the dog will sense your confidence and retreat.”

Choice Of Weapons

Walking sticks or other weapons can deter dog attacks, but if you’re willing to spend a few bucks, however, there are canine repellent sprays available that have been proven in the field.

Dave Lewin, a spokesman with the U.S. Postal Service district of Houston, Galveston, Bryan and Beaumont, said mail carriers carry a spray.

“We had more dog bites last year than any postal district in the country,” Lewin said. “I think we’ve been No. 1 five out of the last 10 years.”

Eduardo Nieves, a spokesman with Mace Security International, said the company has sold Muzzle, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved pepper spray designed for dogs, since the early 1990s.

With a shelf life of three years, Muzzle fits on a key chain and provides 10 one-second bursts that spray about 10 feet, Nieves said.

“It’s easy to carry, and people often jog with it,” Nieves said. The product available online and in retail stores.

“I’ve been with the company since 1996, and we’ve had no product liability complaints,” Nieves said. The product is designed for a dog’s tear ducts, which Nieves said differ from humans.

The formulation of Muzzle is different from other Mace pepper sprays intended for self-defense against people, Nieves said.

It is unclear how long the spray lasts on a dog.

“The ingredients put in Mace’s Muzzle canister are the same as the canine repellent Halt, used by the U.S. Postal Service nationwide,” Nieves said.

Barrios said she just wanted to thank all the people who stopped to help her.

If it wasn’t for them, who knows what would have happened,” Barrios said. “He could have finished off my dog and come after me.”

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For More Information Contact:

Kurt Koopmann