Owner of Leashed Dog Injured in Loose Dog Attack Speaks Out

The owner of a dog on a leash that was severely injured in a Saturday attack wants owners of the loose dogs involved to be held responsible.

Tom Grounds spoke out Wednesday, hoping that other owners will hear his message and also be watchful for possible injury to other small dogs.

His 20-pound Lhasa Apso - Shih Tzu mix named Gadget underwent surgery and will require medication through months of recovery.

Grounds said he used to think of his Dallas neighborhood near Central Expressway and Haskell as very safe for dog walking.

“As of right now I do not feel comfortable leaving the yard with him. I won’t,” Ground said.

The attack was caught on a neighbor’s surveillance video. 

Grounds’ screams are heard in the video as he tries to wrestle his dog from the jaws of a Pitbull. Three other dogs jump into the fray before neighbors help Grounds free Gadget and leave with the injured animal in his arms.

The owner says he has avoided watching the video.

“I haven't worked through the trauma of it yet. My focus has been making sure he's ok,” Grounds said.

Neighbor John Barney shared the video that was recorded in front of his home to alert other neighbors.

“Besides all the people who walk dogs in the neighborhood, there's a lot of families with small children and I would hate to think what could happen to one of them,” Barney said.

Neighbor Mitchell Ray Brown saw the video Wednesday.

“That's really alarming. And it brings back memories of when that happened to my sister,” he said.

Antionette Brown was 52-years-old when she suffered a fatal mauling by a pack of loose dogs in South Dallas near Fair Park in 2016.

Dallas Animal Services teamed up with police to crack down on loose dogs in the months after that.

Animal Services received more money and manpower and has reported tremendous progress in reducing the problem of loose dogs and attacks since then.

“I know it's a problem. It still is a problem. It's got to be a problem because this would have never happened if it wasn't,” Mitchell Ray Brown said.

Photos of these loose dogs were taken by a neighbor before Saturday’s attack and the pictures have been shared with Animal Services investigators.

Animal Services officials confirm an investigation is underway but they say for that reason they can not comment further on whether the dogs or their owners have been located.

Neighbor Adam Falkauff walking his small dog Wednesday said he would be cautious.

“The guy I just saw, he's walking around with a stick. And it's giving me an idea,” Faulkauff said.

Saturday’s video shows neighbors beating off the dog that attacked Gadget before Grounds was able to get his dog away.

“I can't say enough great things about the neighbors over there because if they had not come, I'm not sure what would have happened because I could not get him out of the mouth of that pit bull,” Ground said.

The owner said he wants dog owners to be held responsible, but he will let the city decide what should happen to the dog that injured Gadget.

The Dallas Animal Services website says dogs that attack other dogs can be declared aggressive and those that attack people can be declared dangerous.

There are fines and higher licensing fees for aggressive and dangerous dogs and under certain circumstances, the dogs can be seized from owners.

An animal services spokesperson declined to discuss how any of that might apply to this case until the investigation is complete.