Pit Bull Attacks Collie Mix on Hyde Park Avenue; Aggressive Dog Will Be Euthanized

Dr. Jane Conlin had finished her run last Wednesday around noon and was leading her dog, Captain, along Hyde Park Avenue when, seemingly from out of nowhere, an unleashed dog attacked.

A female pit bull had jumped from the window of a parked car, honed in on Captain and bit him on the rear end. She would not let go.

"All of a sudden, there's a dog on top of Captain," Conlin said. "Everyone was screaming."

People in came out, some with brooms, to separate the dogs. People pulled on the dogs, punched the dogs, anything to end the attack. After about 60 seconds, the pit bull was made to let go.

A woman managed to drag the pit bull, named Poka, back to the car. One man from the barbershop, whom Conlin said appeared to be her boyfriend, said "Poka doesn't take shit from anybody. Why don't you go home?"

The thing is, Conlin and Captain were nearly home. The radiologist, her husband and Captain live along Woodlawn Street.

Captain suffered severe wounds from the attack. They can be seen in the attached photos. [Warning — some readers may find them graphic.]

Police turned the case over to Animal Control, which confiscated both Poka and a male pit bull that was also in the car. A Roxbury woman who had the pit bulls in the car told police she was dogsitting for a cousin. That turned out not to be true.

The woman was given a citation for violating the city ordinances on dangerous, vicious dogs and pit bulls. Pit bulls are supposed to be kept on leash and muzzled whenever in public.

Both pit bulls were taken to the city's shelter in Roslindale. The female pit bull, which had recently given birth, will be euthanized as soon as rabies tests come back, Conlin said. The owner was able to get her other dog back despite not paying fines associated with her other dog's attack, Conlin said.

The incident left Conlin shaken.

"You should feel safe in your own neighborhood," she said this week in an interview at her home.

She pointed out that it was a busy sidewalk during the attack and that a small child could easily have gotten caught up in it. Conlin is frustrated with the police's initial response, though she said that after attending a she was able to get more help.

She's also frustrated that the city's pit bull ordinance seems to have no real teeth, in terms of the owner being able to get back her other dog without paying fines.

As for Captain, he is recovering. The 7-year-old collie mix is a rescue dog Conlin and her husband, Patrick, adopted in St. Louis.

"He's very sweet," Conlin said. "He's very submissive — especially to cats."

Some pit bull owners say the breed is misunderstood and that it makes a big difference when this type of dog is raised as a family pet and not for fighting. For instance, a hero pit bull recently dragged its owner from in front of a train in Shirley. The dog suffered terrible injuries, including amputation of a leg, and is being rehabilitated at .