Officer shoots, kills two pit bulls who attacked woman in SeaTac

Two pit bulls were killed by police this morning in SeaTac after the dogs got out of their house and attacked an elderly woman, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

A call came in at 8:18 a.m. reporting the attack at South 150th Street and 30th Avenue South, said King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart.

The woman, 71, took refuge nearby while a deputy shot and killed one of the dogs, he said. The second dog ran off, but was shot and killed when it returned, he said.

"They were shot more than once," Urquhart said.

The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center and was listed in serious but stable condition, he said.

The pit bulls weighed 50 pounds and 70 pounds, Urquhart said. An investigation is being conducted on how the dogs got out of the house and into the neighborhood.

Both dogs were males that had not been neutered, according to King County Animal Care and Control, which also confiscated two other pit bulls from inside the house.

The dogs that were killed had no prior history of complaints, said Nancy McKenney, spokeswoman for animal control.

In May, the dogs turned up at animal control's Kent shelter after being found wandering on International Boulevard, McKenney said. They weren't neutered, were unlicensed and had no identification on them, she said.

However, their owner showed up three days later and collected the animals, registered them and paid a claim fee, she said.

A necropsy will be done to determine if the dogs had rabies, McKenney said.

She added that while many pit bulls are not aggressive and make great pets, they are a more dominant and powerful breed, so "more responsibility has to be taken by owners."

"But whether it was a pit bull or a poodle, pet owners need to make sure their animals are not running loose," she said.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com