Two people were bitten during a fight between a pit bull and a poodle-mix at Columbia’s Twin Lakes Recreation Area. Animal Control Officers took the dogs into custody. Twin Lakes has a section for dogs that doesn’t require a leash. That’s where a loose pit bull named Biggs got in a fight with a poodle-mix. The pit bull had the poodle’s head in his mouth as the owners and bystanders tried to pull them apart. Two people were bitten during the fight. Mary Bowman and Grace Priest said their friend’s mother helped pull the two dogs apart.
Bowman said, “We just heard that it got pretty violent. It’s a little scary. You bring your dog here and you never know what can happen. It’s always a risk coming to a public dog park.”
Priest said, “With any dog, especially a pit bull or a dog that’s more likely to attack, you should be kind of careful when you bring them to the dog park to interact with other dogs.”
The smaller dog is under the care of veterinarian with non-life-threatening injuries. The pit bull is in the custody of Animal Control. Animal Control Officers are observing both dogs for rabies. Investigators are still interviewing witnesses to determine the cause of the attack. The poodle-mix was not registered. The pit bull’s rabies vaccinations were not up to date. A city ordinance requires both dogs to be in custody for 10 days.
Animal Control Officer Molly Ault said, “We’re just observing for rabies. We don’t really have a test that we can do on them. It’s just an observation period. We’re still interviewing witnesses and trying to determine exactly what took place out there. This 10-day quarantine period gives us a chance to do a thorough investigation.”
Ault said the dog owners did nothing wrong. No citations were issued.
Columbia does not have any laws against owning pit bulls.
Fulton city leaders are considering a ban on the controversial breed.
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