A vicious attack by two pit bulls in Ramona that sent a woman to the hospital has sheriff’s deputies and San Diego County Department of Animal Services (DAS) staff searching for the owner of the dogs.

The Sheriff’s Department was notified of the attack in the Kmart parking lot at 1855 Main St. on Nov. 5, then relayed the message to the animal services department at about 7:25 p.m., said Sally Costello, deputy director.

The injured woman, Dee Dougherty, was taken by ambulance to Pomerado Hospital in Poway. Her yellow Labrador, who was also attacked, went to an animal hospital. Dougherty’s husband also suffered wounds but was not treated.

“It was significant enough for her to be taken by ambulance to the hospital,” Costello said.

The attack occurred while Michael and Dee, both Ramona residents of more than 30 years, were walking their Labrador puppy Ruger in a well lit area of the Kmart parking lot. Dee said they prefer to walk and train their 6-month-old puppy where there is more light than their rural neighborhood.

“These two dogs just came out of the bushes at us and it was a full-on attack from there,” Dee said. “It happened so fast. We were just walking and they came out of the bushes right at us.”

Dee said her husband began beating one of the dogs with the cane he uses while recovering from back surgery. When the cane broke, Dee said she shoved one piece with sharp edges in the larger dog’s mouth.

“I grabbed my dog and tried to run away,” Dee said. “The owner of the dogs just turned around and left. If we didn’t have the cane, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Dee said she suffered wounds on her arms and face and severe damage to one thumb. She said she expects to need cosmetic surgery on her face once the wounds heal in six to 12 months, but is thankful the cuts were several centimeters from her eye. Michael was bitten in the hands. They were released from the hospital at about 2:30 the following morning.

Dee said she believes the owner of the two pit bulls is a man with a scruffy beard who wears glasses. Through hearsay from other Ramonans, she said the suspect may be camping out in a trailer in the Kmart parking lot.

Costello said they have no information about whether the dogs were on a leash at the time or what prompted the attack.

However, deputies and animal services staff are patrolling the area to locate the pit bulls and their owner, Cosello said. She added that a dog needs to be quarantined for 10 days anytime it bites a human, breaks the skin, and has the potential for transfer of saliva to the blood stream. Quarantines are done as a precaution to control the spread of rabies from animals to humans, she said.

“It’s unlikely the dog transferred rabies, but since it is possible, in San Diego County we are very safe,” Costello said. “If we can locate the dogs, we can look at seeing if we’ll pursue charges, depending on the information that’s available about the incident.”

Costello said animal services located and impounded one dog suspected of being involved in the attack on Thursday, Nov. 7. The dog is in quarantine while they wait for verification it was one of the two suspect dogs, she said.

Dee said she expects to identify whether the quarantined dog is one of the attack dogs soon.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to raise money to help the victims pay medical bills. Titled “Help Mike, Dee, and Ruger who Survived Dog Attack,” the account had raised $2,055 toward a $25,000 goal as of Friday morning, Nov. 8.

The GoFundMe page describes the encounter between Mike, Dee, their puppy Ruger and the two pit bulls.

“While walking, two pit bulls came out of the parking lot and attacked Ruger,” the page states. “Dee picked up Ruger and the two pit bulls attacked Dee. Mike tried to help by hitting the dogs with his cane. The owner of the dogs stood there and didn’t do anything. Once people started to come to help from the taco shop, the owner of the dogs grabbed them and left Dee laying on the sidewalk hugging Ruger.”

The page states that Dee was taken to Pomerado Hospital and Ruger went to the emergency animal hospital. Both had multiple puncture wounds, the page states.

“She has to go to a plastic surgeon for her thumb (that might have to be amputated) and her face,” the page states. “The dog is bit all the way down to the bone on both sides of the arm. Mike has bites on both of his hands trying to fight the dogs off his wife and dog.”

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the 24-Hour animal services Dispatch number at 619-236-2341 and refer to Activity Number 19-631370.

