CHELSEA, MASS. (WHDH) - A woman and her small service dog were attacked by an unlicensed, unleashed, dog while on a walk near their home in Chelsea Monday night.
Liza Henriquez’s blood curdling screams were caught on cellphone video as she tried to rip her service dog, a Malteste-Yorkie mix named Snoopy, from the jaws of an unleashed dog. The video also captured Henriquez fall to the ground as both dog owners tried to separate the animals.
“His dog just automatically saw me, and focused on him, and when I turned around and tried to run, it was too late. It was like a blink of an eye. I closed my eyes and it was just, ‘oh my God,'” Henriquez said. “This should have never happened.”
Henriquez said she has cuts and bruises, and she also suffered a concussion from hitting her head on the pavement. She said one of Snoopy’s legs shattered, and it will have to be amputated.
“Pretty much just retires him for his duties as my service dog,” she said. “I feel like I’m trapped in my house, it’s like I don’t want to go outside.”
In a statement, Chelsea police wrote in part, “The dog involved in this incident has been seized by our Animal Control Officer and is currently being held under the mandatory 10-day quarantine required by Massachusetts law. Our preliminary investigation has also determined that the dog was unlicensed.”
The owner of the dog that attacked told 7NEWS that the situation was an “accident.”
Chelsea police said they are investigating, and are looking into pursuing animal control violations, not criminal charges.
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