HAVERHILL, Mass. — Police are holding a large dog that attacked a horse on a farm, forced it to the ground and left it with major injuries.
The dog is being quarantined at the city animal shelter on Primrose Street following the attack on Bozo, a retired show horse, on Tuesday afternoon on Corliss Hill Road, police said.
The dog is part mastiff and may also be part Rottweiler, police said. Mastiffs were bred centuries ago as war dogs that attacked soldiers' horses and could take the animals to the ground by injuring their legs. Rottweilers are strong and have a reputation for being aggressive.
A Boxford woman has owned Bozo for 11 years and keeps him at the Dory Meadow Farm on 141 Corliss Hill Road. The farm is owned by Bruce Brown and Anita Toscano.
Toscano said the attack happened around 3 p.m., when she was walking Bozo from the paddock to his stall. The dog had broken the steel, plastic-coated leash that held him at a nearby house and attacked Bozo, she said. The dog bit the horse's legs, neck and other areas, leaving eight major wounds.
Police did not provide the name of the dog's owner yesterday. They said the investigation is continuing.
Brown said he was alerted to the attack when a couple of dogs at the farm started "barking furiously."
"The dog was attacking the horse while she (Toscano) was walking it," he said.
Bozo went to the ground after the dog bit his legs, Brown said. He finally was able to "neutralize" the dog with the leash he had broken, and was able to put him in a stall.
"He was after the horse, not me," Brown said.
Brown's wife, An
ita, called a veterinarian, Dr. Robert Orcutt, who worked several hours treating Bozo's wounds and stitching the lacerations. Brown said Bozo had eight open wounds. There was lots of blood, he said.
The farm owners called police. The city's two animal control officers, Michelle Hamel and Susan Ingham, also responded.
"We do have possession of the dog," police Capt. Michael Wrenn said yesterday.
The dog will be quarantined for 10 days, as required by law, Wrenn said. Police will also investigate whether the dog has up-to-date vaccinations, he said.
Wrenn, Brown and Toscano said the dog's owner was not home when the attack happened.
Yesterday, more than 24 hours after the attack, Brown said the owner had not contacted the farm or horse owner. Bozo's owner did not want to be identified in this story.
Wrenn and Toscano said the dog is part Mastiff. Brown said the canine is the size of a Rottweiler and has a head typical of that breed.
Toscano said the dog spends much of its time tied up outside.
"People have to be responsible for their animals," Toscano said. Pointing to three dogs at the farm who belong to another horse owner, she said, "They're taught to behave themselves."
Brown and Toscano have operated Dory Meadow Farm since 1994. They have never experienced an attack such as the one that took place Tuesday afternoon. Brown said coyotes will sometimes venture onto the property, but they don't attack larger animals, such as horses.
The farm boards seven horses, as well as a donkey and a pony.
The 22-year-old Bozo is a thoroughbred show horse which has competed in jumping and dressage events. Bozo's height is 16 hand, or 64 inches.
Bozo has been trained not to kick dogs, but during the attack, however, he did manage to get in at least one good kick, Brown said.
Brown estimated it will be at least 30 days before anyone will be able to ride Bozo. Because Bozo was bitten by a dog, the risk of infection is a major concern, Brown said.
About Mastiffs and Rottweilers
Both breeds are large and strong.
The Mastiff was bred to be a war dog and was used in this capacity by the Assyrians, Greeks and Romans. The English used the Mastiff while fighting the Irish.
The Mastiff could bite a horse on its leg and bring it to the ground. The Romans also had Mastiffs fight lions, bears and other animals as a spectator sport.
Rottweilers were used for herding and as guard dogs.
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