A Largo woman and her pet poodle are recovering after being attack by a neighbor's pit bull Saturday afternoon.
The poodle's owner has a routine of letting her small dog outside to walk along the fence. Around noon Saturday, moments after she opened the door, her next door neighbor's pit bull leaped toward the puppy.
Neighbors say the pit bull was being walked on a leash, but the owner couldn't hold him back. The pit jumped into the air and snatched the poodle and wouldn't let go. The poodle's owner tried to fight back, even trying to open the pit bull's jaws. But instead of settling down, the pit bull bit her arm several times. A bunch of neighbors heard the dog and owner's screams and rushed out to help.
The husband of the poodle's owner tried to hit the dog with his cane first, then got his personal handgun and apparently with consent of the pit's owner, shot the dog twice.
"I just think it very well could've been a child. But this damn dog, it didn't matter. It would've brought you down big time. When he locked that jaw down, you ain't moving. You ain't going nowhere. That's what bothered me," said neighbor Rick May.
Largo Police arrived minutes later and the pit bull was still flailing around. Neighbors were told to go inside, then heard two loud gun shots. Largo Police say they got permission from the owner and euthanized the animal.
The woman who owns the poodle was taken to the hospital and is now home recovering. Her poodle was seriously hurt. But many in the community are grateful the attack wasn't worse and are hoping the puppy will be okay.
No criminal charges are expected in the incident.
