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[RC] Puppies and Horses - JulienneHey Kathy, Not sure if you saw this already... pitbull attack on a fellow endurance rider (Odette Parker) in Auburn: BREAKING NEWS Dog attacks, fells horse near Auburn By Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer Traffic was halted for a short time Thursday on Foresthill Road near Auburn to protect a riderless horse that was galloping down the center of the thoroughfare to escape an attacking pit bull terrier. The horse, earlier ridden by Lincoln�s Odette Parker on an Auburn State Recreation Trail about 4 miles east of Auburn, was attacked by a dog witnesses described as an unleashed, 100-pound pit bull. Parker said the dog, followed by two other smaller dogs and a man who stayed silent and apparently fearful during the attack, ran yelping at the horse as it approached in a run, circled it and then jumped onto the horse�s flank, biting into the tail area. Parker�s horse � a 916-pound Morgan-Arabian named Dancing Dandi � kicked its attacker away. But the dog continued to look for an opening, Parker said. �He was feinting, he was definitely out for the kill, there was no question,� Parker said. �I was yelling and screaming at the dog.� The dog moved in again, leaping at the face of the horse and grabbing him with its jaws across the nose. The horse lifted the dog up and flung it into a tree. Parker tumbled off the horse as it lost its balance. With Dancing Dandi on the ground trying to regain its footing, the dog attacked a third time, moving in on the rump area and biting down on a pack hanging from the saddle. The horse lurched upward and took off down the trail, with the pit bull in pursuit. Meanwhile, the man � the apparent owner of the dogs � was soon loading the other canines into his car. Parker said the man refused to help as he silently drove away, even after she asked him for a ride to find the horse. Parker would learn that the horse took a loop around the trail and the dog chased it to Foresthill Road. A woman told her that she had almost hit the dog with her car. The dog apparently gave up the chase after that and was subsequently picked up by its owner as he drove toward Auburn, Parker said. By about 12:30 p.m., the Placer County Sheriff�s Department was holding traffic after drivers phoned in that a frightened, bleeding horse was galloping along the roadway. Cool�s James Anderson, whose wife is a Tevis Cup endurance ride participant, eventually caught the gelding near the Foresthill Bridge, about 3 miles from where the attack occurred. Parker and Debbie Torres, a Lincoln equestrian who was out on the trail with her, said they regretted not getting the license plate number of the man with the dogs. The vehicle he was in was a small, silver SUV. He�s described as in his mid- to late 20s, balding, with a short fringe of black hair near the ears, stocky and about 5 feet 5 inches tall. He was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, with what looked like a sweatshirt tied around his waist. Parker said that the dog that attacked her horse should be euthanized. Her horse was treated at the Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center for a swollen knee, lacerations to the face and inner side of the nose, and puncture wounds on the underside of the tail and thigh. Veterinarian Dr. Olivia Inoue said she�d treated horses attacked by a mountain lion and a coyote but never a dog. Parker said that the roaming pit bull terrier could have caused more harm. �If that dog had been anywhere near children they wouldn�t have been able to get it off,� Parker said. And Parker, an experienced rider who has participated in ultra-endurance events, said she�ll stay away from the Driver�s Flat area trails. �People are suggesting I carry a gun or pepper spray but I won�t be back,� she said. �It has bad memories for me now.� The Journal�s Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://auburnjournal.com/detail/80982.html You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.
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