Pit bull shot by officer after attack on dog, owner in Delray Beach

Nov 24, 2007 (South Florida Sun-Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- SBUX | charts | news | PowerRating -- One moment he was sipping a pumpkin spice latte; the next, fighting to save his golden retriever's life.

Brian Ganey, 32, and his wife, Renee, took their dog Muskie for a walk to Starbucks on Atlantic Avenue early Thanksgiving morning when a large brown pit bull attacked him and his pet.

What followed was a violent scuffle that only ended when a Delray Beach police officer shot the female pit bull in the neck -- after failed attempts using pepper spray and a stun gun.

"I'm still a little shaken up," Ganey said Friday. "We're both lucky to be alive."

Ganey, who moved to Delray Beach from Seattle in September, was taken to Delray Medical Center on Thursday with about 30 puncture wounds in his left hand and arm, police said. Muskie was taken to a 24-hour emergency animal hospital for surgery. The 9-year-old dog had a deep puncture wound to his left leg.

It would have been a lot worse, Ganey said, if the police officer had not stepped in.

Ganey "was punching the dog, and he even sat on her, but the dog was not letting go. It was the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen," said Sima Blossom, 52, who watched the attack unfold from her window seat inside Starbucks.

Ganey and his wife sat outside the coffee shop at 502 E. Atlantic Ave. with Muskie lying at their side when a pack of dogs wandered by in the street. As a few people tried to corral them away from traffic and onto the sidewalk, the brown pit bull lunged at Muskie.

"He just looked up at me and was crying while this dog was tearing him to pieces," said Ganey, who jumped on the dog and started punching her.

The pit bull clamped onto Ganey's hand, violently shaking her head back and forth. Ganey and Muskie were trapped in the dog's locked jaws.

"There was such a commotion. Everyone was trying to help," Blossom said. "Someone poured hot coffee on the dog. Someone even dropped a flower pot on its head, but she would not let go."

A little after 8:30 a.m., six people ran into traffic to flag down a police officer driving by.

"Tables, chairs, flower pots and plants were scattered in front of the shop," Officer R.C. Bowers wrote in his report.

Another larger white and black pit bull was barking and growling at the couple as about 10 people tried to free Muskie from the dog's jaws by kicking and punching at her. Everyone was screaming "Help, help!" the report said.

Bowers sprayed the dog with pepper spray with no effect. He used his stun gun on the dog twice, sending a shock of electricity felt by Ganey.

The pit bull stood up and walked away, blood and foam dripping from her mouth, but then turned like she was going to attack the officer, Blossom said. Bowers then fired a round into the dog's upper neck, according to the report. The shot sent the white and black pit bull running.

"The attack lasted only about 15 minutes, but the whole thing felt like 30 seconds," Ganey said. "I walk Muskie there three or four times a week. You'd think Atlantic would be a safe place to go."

Kavis Jones, of Delray Beach, was visiting family in Georgia for Thanksgiving when animal control called to say her dog had been shot.

"When they told me what happened I told them ... my dog does not bite people," said Jones, who took the 5-year-old pit bull, Cinnamon, after her son couldn't keep him.

"She's never bitten anyone before. She's always around kids," said Jones, sobbing. "Something had to happen for her to do that. She had to have been provoked."

Tony Seurdy, who was watching Jones' dog while she was out of town, told police that he had left Cinnamon and his pit bull, Scooby, locked in a kennel overnight and awoke to a call from animal control breaking the news.

"They said it would take $2,000 to fix Cinnamon," Jones said. "I don't have that kind of money, so I had to put her down. My kids are heartbroken."

Rachael Joyner can be reached at rjoyner@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6645.

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