RICHMOND, Va. -- A pair of German Shepherds that attacked a puppy may have had other violent encounters within the past several months in Richmond's Scott's Addition neighborhood.
Alec Schaffer said his Golden Retriever puppy, Tut, was injured during a walk on Ownby Lane early Monday morning.
"I look to my right-hand side and against a chain link fence was two shadows," Schaffer recalled. "Then these two massive German Shepherds come out, no leashes and no owner in sight. They instantly went forward to attack [my dog]."
Schaffer described the moment when one of the German Shepherds latched on to the puppy's hind leg.
"It was a very intense bite," he explained. "Just like a dog chewing on a chew toy. I yanked him up as fast as I could. These were two at least 100-pound German Shepherds that were now circling me. Honestly, I thought if they turned on me there wasn’t much I could’ve done."
The puppy's owner yelled at the attacking dogs and backed away in order to escape.
The veterinarian described Tut's injury as a crunching bite.
"We are actually very lucky it wasn’t in the stomach area where it could crunch organs," Schaffer stated.
Schaffer posted a warning about the German Shepherds on the social media website Reddit after speaking with a Richmond Animal Care and Control officer.
"A couple of months ago I saw 2 stray German Shepherds behind River City Roll, I bet these are the same ones," commented user doktorcrash.
Reddit user svenicorn wrote, "I got attacked by a huge German Shepherd right behind Movieland a few months ago."
Matt Towler, who sells manufacturing supplies at a business located on Ownby Lane, recalled spotting two German Shepherd dogs roaming in the neighborhood on Monday.
"[The dogs] looked well groomed. They looked like somebody’s taken care of them," Towler described. "My coworker has had a run-in with them before and our driver has seen them in the morning as well."
Richmond Animal Care and Control confirmed they are investigating the attack and actively searching for the dogs. They urged anyone who sees the German Shepherds to call the shelter.
