89-year-old and grandson remain in hospital after dog attack in Golden
Two people who were injured at a home in Golden when dogs attacked them on Wednesday remain in the hospital. It happened on West 1st Drive near Orchard Street. That's a neighborhood near the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
An 89-year-old woman was critically hurt and a 12-year-old boy was also hurt.
An emergency call about the attack was made in the afternoon after the 12-year-old showed up at a neighbor's house with injuries from being bitten by one of the dogs. At his home, the boy's grandmother was in the backyard with two pit bulls that a neighbor says belong to the family.
"We had a call to dispatch as an animal bite, which very quickly evolved into an animal attack," said Ben Salentine with Golden police. "Our officers acted quickly, heroically and decisively, putting themselves between the animals and the victim that was in critical condition in the backyard. Officers used themselves as human shields while they were able to conduct the rescue operation."
Police say when officers got to the home they went into the backyard trying to place themselves between the woman and the dogs who were acting aggressively. They used tasers and "less-lethal" shotguns as they tried to create distance, but it didn't work. More officers arrived and finally they were able to hold off the dogs so the woman could be brought into the house.
Golden police spokesman Sgt. Ben Salentine was among those who responded to the scene and described it as a very emotional situation.
"I can't imagine what this family's going through. I (know) how near and dear animals are to all of our lives and how important our pets are to us," said Salentine. "This is a tragic, tragic situation that occurred for both that family ... those animals and our responding officers."
Neighbors saw and heard police rushing to help. One woman heard yelling as police tried to get the dogs away.
"She said she heard what sounded like probably four shots," said the woman's husband John LaRocca. "Somebody elderly trying to break up and then falls victim to the attack themselves. That's never good."
The dogs who were involved were taken to a local veterinary hospital, where one was euthanized due to injuries. The other was being held at Foothills Animal Shelter.
Golden does not have dog breed ban laws. The animals just need to be licensed and vaccinated to be legal in the city. Local officials are verifying if that was the case with these dogs.
