A 14-year-old dog was attacked by another dog while walking in Low Gap Park Monday, the owner reported.

According to the owner, she was walking both of her female dogs in the northern section of the park near the archery targets and fitness stations around 6 p.m. Oct. 8 when the attack occurred.

She described the owner of the other dog as a slim man with blonde hair who appeared to be about 30 years old. She said he had a male German shepherd and a light-brown female pitbull with him, and both dogs were on leashes. She said the male dog was not neutered and the pitbull was likely not spayed, as it appeared to have had puppies recently.

She said the man pulled his dogs off the trail as she passed, but that the pitbull may have slipped its collar, because she saw it running toward her and begin attacking her smaller, older dog, described as a very slight Hound dog named Harriet who is 14 years old and about 40 pounds.

The woman said she tried to yell at the pitbull to stop it, but it was not deterred, and while trying to defend her dog she fell. In the meantime, she said the owner of the pitbull came running up and “tackled the pitbull, holding her in a headlock so we could escape.”

She said she left the immediate area, then later called the Ukiah Police Department to report the incident after other park users who had heard her screaming urged her to document the attack.

After calling the UPD to report her dog being bit, the owner said she called local animal hospitals, but soon drove her dog to Santa Rosa for treatment after not receiving any calls back. She said Harriet had a large piece of her right hide torn off, but that the dog’s “prognosis is good, though we are expecting a lengthy recovery. l do appreciate the pitbull owner’s quick-thinking and nerve, but l would like him to have the pit destroyed.”

She added that she would not press criminal charges if the pitbull was euthanized, and urged other dog owners to be on the alert and aware of their surroundings.

According to Detective Sgt. Cedric Crook of the UPD, an owner of an “uncontrolled dog” can be cited, and that “generally, any time a dog bites a person or another dog, it is quarantined at the shelter for 10 days.”

Only in “rare instances, or in multiple occasions, (would) a dog be labeled a ‘vicious animal,'” Crook said via email, adding that the dog owner in question could decide voluntarily to euthanize the animal.

“As of the time of this email, the suspect dog and owner haven’t been identified,” Crook added. “It’s my understanding that the owner of the suspect dog tried very hard to separate the dogs and stop the attack. It’s also my understanding there was a time gap in between when we were contacted and when the incident happened (possibly as much as 30 minutes). The park was searched for the suspect dog and owner but officers were unable to locate them.”