Battle Ground terrier destroyed after mauled by pit bull

VANCOUVER, Wash. — A 2-year-old terrier-mix dog was mauled by a pit bull Friday in Battle Ground, Clark County, suffering such serious injuries that it had to be euthanized.

Brandy Dickson, owner of Bella Joy, said she and her son, 7, were walking the dog at 7:30 p.m. when the unleashed pit bull suddenly escaped a fenced yard at Southeast Second Avenue and Seventh Street and ran up to the terrier.

"We were just minding our own business," Dickson said Saturday. "The dog just ripped into her. It was unprovoked."

A man driving by jumped out of his car and scared the pit bull off, Dickson said. Dickson ran home with Bella Joy in her arms, then took the dog to the vet.

The veterinarian said Bella Joy's injuries, which included a severed spinal cord, were so serious that he thought there was a minimal chance she would recover. He recommended putting her down.

Dickson said the loss has devastated her family. "She was like our child," she said.

Dickson said she talked with the pit bull's owner, who expressed remorse and agreed to pay the vet bills. "She was very apologetic. She doesn't know how the dog got out," Dickson said.

Saturday evening, Battle Ground police Sgt. Aaron Kanooth confirmed police received a report of the mauling, and a code enforcement officer was investigating whether the pit bull had already been deemed dangerous, meaning the owner would have to take certain precautions to confine it.

He said reports would be forwarded to Battle Ground's city attorney for review.