VIRGINIA BEACH, Va (WVEC) — A dog was was left bloodied and scarred on a North End beach after a brutal attack by other dogs.
Chris Kay stood by on the beach near 48th Street, helplessly watching as his Sharpei mix, Bella, was being bitten by two American Bulldogs on Wednesday.
“Watching it, was the most...ya know,” Kay said. “I think any man, any dude is not used to feeling entirely, completely helpless.”
Kay said he was walking Bella on a leash as he saw a man walking two loose dogs in the distance. The three dogs happily started playing, he said, and then things turned.
“Blood is starting to flow,” Kay said. “I couldn’t budge the dog’s jaw. I couldn’t do anything.”
He was able to free up Bella, but she ran to the street. Kay was able to save her there. When he looked around, the owner of the dogs who attacked her was nowhere to be found.
“I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was bringing his dogs to a safe spot. He wasn’t. He was running,” Kay said.
He said Bella has been trained to be around big dogs and is confused as to what could have sparked the attack.
“In order to not overwhelm them, whether they’re bigger or smaller, she is to go into a down and wait for them to come to her,” said Bella’s trainer, Kimberly Dillon with Right On! Training.
Dogs are allowed to roam off-leash on North End beaches during the offseason, but they have to be close and under the owner’s control, according to city code.
Kay said he has no hard feelings against the owner but hopes he and others learn from Bella’s story.
“It’s not a ‘bad dog’ thing,” he said. “The bigger the dog you have, the more responsibility you have to understand its limitations.”
Bella has racked up hundreds of dollars in medical bills but is expected to make a full recovery.
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