canada.com

Tuesday, March 23, 2004
VICTORIA (CP) - A visually-impaired man escaped injury after trying to get between his guide dog and two pit bulls that were attacking the animal.

Oriano Belusic was walking home after work with his wife when the dogs raced out of a house and began mauling Hillie, his seven-year-old Labrador.

Belusic made a heroic effort to save his dog by following Hillie's leash down to her neck and then feeling for the pit bull's jaws.

"So then I located him and threw myself on top of him on the ground, and basically laid on top of him," he said. "But I couldn't pry the jaws open, it was impossible."

Incredibly, he wasn't hurt in the encounter.

"I wasn't bitten because the pit bull was busy with my dog," he said. "He had his jaws just locked onto her neck."

Several others tried to separate the dogs, but the couple credited a young man who gave the lead pit bull two solid kicks and knocked it loose.

"I think he literally saved her life," said Doris Belusic, who is also visually impaired.

The guide dog was operated on Tuesday after suffering bruising on her neck and lacerations on her leg and abdomen.

Ian Fraser of Victoria Animal Control Services said Tuesday the pit bulls were seized and were being held.

The dogs have different owners, but both were in the care of one person when the incident took place.

He said it appeared the person let the animals out briefly to relieve themselves.

Fraser said he has never dealt with an attack on a guide dog in his years in animal control.

Police are not planning to lay charges, but there could be action taken through city bylaws.

Doris Belusic said the woman caring for the pitbulls came out to the scene and made an attempt to get the dogs apart.

"I said to her, 'This is a guide dog, get your dog off,'" she said. "She tried and she said, 'I can't, I can't.'"

The woman was crying and shaking.

"She apologized and we appreciate that," she said.

Oriano Belusic said he is worried about the psychological impact on his dog.

"For a guide dog, the psychology is 80 per cent of it," he said. "The dog is trained to be calm in public, and to not be skittish around other dogs or traffic or animals