A man in West Park was mauled Monday by three dogs as he tried to climb a tree to escape, an attack captured on a neighbor’s Ring camera and later confirmed by Broward Animal Care, which said the dogs were surrendered by their owner and euthanized.
Alberto Dominguez, who lives in the neighborhood, said he knew the man was badly hurt when he heard him screaming. “I knew he was getting hurt real bad when I heard him screaming,” Dominguez said.
Concerns from West Park neighbors
Dominguez said the dogs were frequently loose and not friendly.
“There’s a fence, from what I heard they go underneath and that’s how they get out,” he said. After witnessing the attack, Dominguez said he worried about his own safety and that of others. “I was thinking it could’ve been me, it could’ve been my wife,” he said.
The same dogs had previously attacked Juan Echavarria in July, he said.
Echavarria recalled being bitten after falling while trying to fend them off. “They didn’t take away the dogs. They just issued a citation,” he said. “I told them it’s going to happen again. They don’t care.”
Broward animal care officials urge reporting
Philip Goen, field services manager for Broward County Animal Care, said the victim of Monday’s attack responded the best way he could by trying to remove himself from danger.
“Trying to fight off an animal, remember they have four legs, you have two, you’re not going to win that race,” Goen said.
Goen urged residents to report animal attacks to both law enforcement and Broward Animal Care to ensure cases are properly investigated.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the dogs’ owner was arrested on unrelated charges.
