Victoria seniors attacked by pair of pit bulls
Last Updated: Friday, December 19, 2008 | 4:06 PM PT
CBC News
Two people in their 60s are recovering from injuries after a pair of pit bulls circled and attacked them on a Victoria street on Thursday night, officials said.
The couple was walking on a street when the pit bulls approached them, said Ian Fraser, an animal control officer with Victoria Animal Control Services.
One dog jumped on the woman and knocked her to the ground, while the other dog began biting the man's hands and arms, Fraser told CBC News Friday.
The man, who doesn't want to be identified, said his wife managed to get up and run into a nearby video store, but he was badly bitten as he tried to fight off the two animals.
A passerby helped stop the attack by beating the dogs with an umbrella.
The two pit bulls, both two years old, likely got loose through an open door at their home, Fraser said.
"Two dogs running around together, they get into that pack mentality sometimes," Fraser said in a telephone interview.
"If one of the dogs is a little bit on the aggressive side, it causes the other dog to be aggressive and they feed off on each other and, you know, things escalate."
Victoria police have seized the dogs, which are being held by the animal control agency.
Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the pit bulls could be destroyed.
With files from the Canadian Press
