POUGHKEEPSIE – Police
in Poughkeepsie continue to investigate an incident where a pit bull dog
being walked on a leash by a man on Main Street near Perry Street lunged
at a small dog on the lap of a woman in a wheelchair. The incident occurred
around 7:14 p.m. on Friday, January 8.
The pit bull grabbed the small dog from the woman and attacked it. She
tried to stop the pit bull and was knocked from her wheelchair onto the
sidewalk as the owner of the aggressive dog attempted to pull it off the
small dog without success. A witness was able to separate the two dogs.
The owner of the pit bull and the dog continued to walk away accompanied
by another person.
Bystanders helped the woman up and into the witness’s car and drove
her to a veterinarian’s office where the dog was pronounced dead.
Later in the evening, the owner of the pit bull came to police headquarters
with the dog. The man, whose name police did not immediately release,
was interviewed and was being held on an unrelated warrant from Newburgh.
The dog was seized and being held at a local animal hospital.
Any charges will be filed later, police said.
