Name: Alda Crill
Victim: Pet
Location: Walking in street, Longmont, Colorado
Year of attack: 2012

Tell us about the attack

My Yorkie was brutally killed by pit bull in Longmont, Colorado on an April afternoon in 2012.

I was on my daily walk with my two Yorkshire terriers in a tandem leash one block from my home in my peaceful neighborhood. I noticed that an unleashed dog ran away from a woman who was weeding her front yard. She called to it but it continued to run away. I paused, but since it was running away from my direction, I continued walking, since I was almost about to turn the corner to return home. I saw it was a big dog, but didn’t notice what type it was. Just a few minutes later, it returned to the vicinity and raced straight towards my dogs and me, and attacking my smaller dog, pulling her out of her collar and viciously mauling her.

It was now all too clear what type of dog it was. It was a pit bull.

I screamed for help as loudly as I could but it was too late. My dog died soon thereafter at the veterinarian hospital.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
I was extremely traumatized by the attack and could not go on walks by myself. My husband had to accompany me and I would jump into the street each time a dog would bark. We contacted our local newspaper and they ran a story about the attack.

Legal Consequences
The pit bull was put down and the owners were fined and the owner was required to wear an ankle bracelet for a year. It is against our local ordinances for dogs to be unleashed.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
My husband wrote an opinion piece for our local newspaper stating that if people own an animal capable of causing harm to others, they should face the consequences of that decision. It is unfair that others should suffer for their choices. I agree. However, these particular owners adopted another pit bull, and yet again, let it off leash, and it attacked another neighbor’s dog, a chihuahua. This time, fortunately the victim dog survived. They were again fined. I believe this shows a lack of remorse on their part, to say the least.

I personally would like to see all pit bulls exterminated. I see no reason why this type of dog should exist at all. After this happened, we learned that our local humane society imports pit bulls for sale from all over the country. They should be ashamed!