Alachua County Animal Services put down three pit bulls Tuesday afternoon that mauled a woman’s service dog in September.
The pit bulls, Rousey, Yokai and Akuma, were humanely euthanized after they were declared dangerous dogs in October, according to an Alachua County press release.
Nathaniel Thomas Pettiford Jr., the pit bulls’ owner, is charged with inflicting injury and animal cruelty after the dogs attacked his neighbor, Linda Swinburn, 50, and her dog, Bella, according to online court records.
Swinburn was walking Bella down Northwest 29th Terrace when the pit bulls escaped from Pettiford’s yard and attacked her, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report. Swinburn suffered two broken fingers, bruised ribs and post-traumatic stress after she tried to protect Bella.
Pettiford, 42, said the decision left him unsettled.
“They were like family — you have to be a dog person to understand,” Pettiford said. “The whole thing was completely unfair.”
The county confiscated the dogs in October, said Mark Sexton, the Alachua County spokesperson.
At that time, to get his dogs back, Pettiford would’ve had to pay a $500,000 insurance policy for each dog and post a warning sign on his property, Sexton said.
Pettiford had 30 days and two opportunities to appeal to a hearing officer and the circuit court, Sexton said. Pettiford chose not to appeal in time.
The county claimed ownership of the dogs at 5 p.m. Monday. Sexton said the ruling was based on the dogs’ actions, not their breed.
Swinburn feels that the ruling came two months and four days too long, she wrote in a text message.
“Those dogs had a second chance when Bella never did,” Swinburn said.
Contact Alyssa Ramos at aramos@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @LysKRamos
Bella, the emotional support dog killed by three pitbulls
