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Caught On Tape: Couple Watch In Horror As Their Dog Is Attacked

LAKE FOREST  (CBSLA)  --  A couple were walking with their dog at the Lake Forest Sports Park when they said a woman's dog attacked theirs.

The incident was caught on surveillance video.

"My wife and I were on our walk and we were approaching this area, over here to the left," said Steve Dippel.

What happened next is every dog's owner's fear. An attack on their Goldie -- a  Golden Retriever -- all of it recorded on cameras mounted inside the park.

Dippel spoke to CBS2's Michele Gile about the attack.

"The large dog spotted our golden retriever and hit her pretty much full force -- like a heat-seeking missile and took a couple of chunks out of her hind quarter," Dippel sais.

The big grey dog goes on the attack. As Goldie got in his sights the animal -- identified by the a vet as a grey Mastiff mix -- bolted from the lawn, sinking its teeth into the retriever's left side.

Dippel says the mastiff's owner ran over. She wasn't holding on to her dog's leash. She was concerned about the attack, at first, but ultimately did not offer any help.

"I basically said no, the dog's not doing well. You need to help out. She proceeded to kind of roll up her window and leave," Dippel said.

Many of the images of Goldie's injuries are too graphic to show.

The attack happened three weeks ago and she's needed surgery and two procedures due to complications. So far, the bill is $2,400.

Park cameras also caught images of the unidentified woman -- who was with three small kids --  driving away in a dark Chrysler van. There is no license number -- only paper plates from CarMax.

Dippel told Gile that like the woman to take responsibility for her dog's vicious behavior.

"I think she should have offered help and probably provided contact information so we can get this thing resolved," Dippel said.

Goldie's owner posted the video on his Facebook page and it's gone viral.  More than 100,00 people have viewed it -- hundreds have commented, mainly people who sympathize. Some worried that a child at the park could have been badly injured or killed.

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