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Greyhound Mauled by Unmuzzled Pit Bull

Greyhound Mauled at Dog Park
Sunrise, FL - It may start with a growl, or no warning at all. Before you know it, your dog is under attack. Just ask Linda Blair, whose greyhound was ambushed December 29th by a pit bull at a dog park. Beauty, her dog, and a pit bull tussled over a red ball. Like most dogs, Beauty gave a warning growl before the pit bull ripped into her neck and stomach. Blair rushed Beauty to the vet for emergency surgery.

"The bloody attack might have been avoided had the pit bull been muzzled," said Blair, who hopes the dog's owner will come forward and help pay her $2,000 vet bill.

Barkham at Markham, the only county-run dog park in Broward County, has logged about five dog-biting incidents a year since opening in March 2005. But not everyone reports an attack. Some report it late as well, and with little information, making it hard to track down the owner.

Blair reported the attack four days later. She also filed a report with the police department but could only give a vague description of the man and his vehicle. If park officials find the man back at Markham Park, they will issue a trespass warning and tell him not to return. Because of the incident, the county is now considering installing security cameras at Markham's dog park.

Char Davidson, a friend of Blair's, stopped taking her two greyhounds to the park three months ago after too many run-ins with aggressive dogs and nonchalant owners.

"Beauty's lucky she's alive," said Davidson, who witnessed a deadly pit bull attack on a greyhound 15 years ago. "They dragged it away and it was screaming. It was like a horror story. It will never leave my mind."

Since the attack, Beauty has been recuperating at home. She goes to the vet four times a week to have her bandages changed. A 20-inch scar stretches from her neck to her torso.

While Blair plans to steer clear of the park from now on, her husband left a note on a bulletin board at the park asking the pit bull's owner to contact them. They are still waiting on his call.