WATERTOWN — A woman was seriously injured after an early morning dog attack over the weekend, according to the Watertown Police Department.
The incident happened around 5:55 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. Police say they received a report of a woman being attacked by four dogs while she was out for a walk near Milford Street and Cobblestone Way in Watertown.
Watch: Video shows police response to dog attack in Watertown
When police arrived in the area, they found the woman with serious but not life-threatening injuries. She was taken to the hospital for treatment. According to police, as officers attempted to assist the woman, the four dogs charged toward them.
Police released approximately two minutes of body cam video Monday showing the dogs charging at an officer moments after he stepped out of his vehicle. Watertown police said that, for the officer's safety, one of them discharged a firearm, striking one of the dogs.
That dog was later euthanized at the Watertown Humane Society to prevent further suffering, police say.
The three remaining dogs are being held at the humane society to comply with quarantine and safety protocol while the investigation is onging.
In a 911 audio clip released by police, a caller is heard frantically telling the dispatcher that the owner of the dog struggled to remove the dogs from the victim.
According to an updated press release, Watertown Police stated that these dogs have previously been involved in a dog bite incident and other complaints regarding running at large within the city.
"My biggest concern is for the person that was attacked. Nobody should feel at risk when they're walking through a neighborhood. This is generally a very low-key neighborhood," resident Brenda Kujawski told TMJ4. "This is a frequent route that people will walk."
TMJ4 talked with a man who said he is an owner of the dogs involved. He declined to share his name or do an interview, but said he is sorry the incident happened.
He also pushed back on the police department's report and said that only one of the dogs attacked the victim.
"It seems like very isolated too. This is very uncommon to see something like this," Kukjawski stated. "I think it needs to be a measured response."
Brenda hopes this situation does not add to the stigma surrounding pitbulls.
"I hope people don't leave the situation and say the breed is bad, because I do think there's many well behaved dogs that have been trained well and treated well that are just fine. I don't know what was going on that situation," Kujawski said.
It was not immediately clear what consequences the dog owner will face. Police say the case remains active.
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