Woman, 68, Severely Attacked By Son-In-Law's Dog

PERRIS (CBSLA.com) — A 68-year-old woman sustained severe injuries to her face and arms Friday in an attack by her son-in-law's dog.

The attack occurred shortly after 10 p.m. in the 22900 block of Betty Road in Perris.

First responders dispatched to the scene took the victim to nearby Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

Riverside County Animal Services Officer Tiffany Fuller spoke with the dog's owner, Edward Chavez, who told her that his teenaged son heard a commotion outside.

Chavez's son went outside and said he saw the family's dog attacking his grandmother. The teenager was able to grab a chain connected to the dog and pull the dog off the woman. He then yelled for help.

Chavez told authorities that the dog was chained up in the back yard and he did not know how the dog was able to break free or why the dog would have attacked his mother-in-law.

Through a translator, Fuller spoke with the victim at the hospital. She told Fuller that the dog, usually chained up, attacked her while she was doing her nightly exercises. The dog somehow got loose from its chain and jumped on top of her.

The dog, a 2-year-old, non-neutered male pit bull, was euthanized.

Chavez said he had owned the dog for a few years,  but was still too afraid to assist officers in impounding it.

The owner was cited for failure to have his dog properly licensed. He was also cited for failing to have a current rabies vaccination, failing to have a microchip (as required by county ordinance) and cited for failing to have the dog sterilized, also required per county ordinance.

Animal Services also will cite the dog owner for having the dog tethered. It is illegal to chain up --  or tether -- a dog  for a period extending two hours