The pit bulls, 45-pound Arya and 55-pound Rhaegar, bit four people in a Walgreens parking lot; they are now under a dangerous dog investigation.

WELLINGTON — Two pit bulls are in the custody of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control after they attacked three adults and one child Wednesday morning at a Walgreens in Wellington.

The owner of the pit bulls received multiple citations totaling more than $500 after the attack. The dogs are in a rabies quarantine that will last until the weekend, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control said. Neither dog was up to date on its vaccines.

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At about 9 a.m., 45-pound Arya and 55-pound Rhaegar escaped from their owners’ car in the parking lot of the Walgreens at Greenview Shores Boulevard and Wellington Trace, just north of Wellington High School, according to an Animal Care and Control investigation report.



The dogs ran toward the first two victims, biting a 12-year-old girl on her left leg and wrist, the report said. The mother stuck her leg out to protect her daughter, and one of the pit bulls latched onto her right knee. The dogs' owner, Paul Papazoglou, tried to pull the dog off while it was attached to the victim’s leg, according to the report.



The pit bulls then charged toward the third victim and bit her right ankle, right thigh and left hand. The victim tried to run into the store for refuge, but the dogs followed her and attacked an employee who was trying to help the victim, biting her right knee, shin, and hip and her left hand, according to the report.



Papazoglou tried to gain control of his dogs throughout the attack but was unsuccessful. Once the dogs were restrained, Papazoglou left the scene to remove the pit bulls from the area. He later returned to speak to police about the incident. An attempt to reach Papazoglou for comment Monday was not immediately successful.

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The child sustained small puncture wounds and scratches from the attack, according to the Animal Care and Control report. Her mother sustained “gashes down to the bone” and required stitches. The other two victims also sustained serious puncture wound injuries. Papazoglou also was bitten on his right ankle.



All victims were taken to Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee for treatment. Animal Care and Control officials picked up the dogs from Papazoglou’s house and took them into custody.



Both pit bulls are under a dangerous-dog investigation, Capt. David Walesky of Animal Care and Control said. If a dog is deemed dangerous, its owner must take multiple steps to keep people safe, including locking the dog up whenever visitors come to its home and posting signs outside the residence. The dog would then be put down if another attack occurs.

Papazoglou received citations including failing to contain an animal properly, not being up to date on current rabies vaccines and not having a current county tag for both dogs. His citations totaled $508, Walesky said.