Spooked by fireworks, German shepherd viciously attacks Merced man on a stroll

A 61-year-old man suffered “serious injuries” to his head and face in an attack from a German shepherd during the weekend, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies believe the dog was in a back yard near the 1500 block of Stretch Road, which is just outside the city of Merced, when nearby fireworks scared the animal. It “freaked out” and jumped a 6-foot fence on Sunday afternoon, according to Deputy Daryl Allen.

Laura Thornhill, 58, said she was inside of her home on Stretch Road before 6 p.m. when the full-grown German shepherd began attacking her neighbor of more than 30 years. The animal, which she estimated to weigh more than 100 pounds, began biting the man’s arms, face, neck and head, she said.

“It happened so quickly, I don’t know how he got so many bites in and tore (him) up so badly,” she said. “I’m just an ex-preschool teacher. I wasn’t going to stand there and let my neighbor die in the driveway.”

The dog did not appear aggressive at first and didn’t bark, she said, and attacked in an instant.

After seeing the attack, Thornhill said, she ran out of her house with a baseball bat and struck the dog 15 to 20 times to no avail. A strike to his nose seemed to daze the dog, she said, enough for the neighbor to get behind the dog and trap its head.

A volunteer firefighter came along with a strap they used to restrain the dog, she said.

Thornhill said she applied pressure to some of the injuries on the man’s arms, including a particularly large one on his right forearm, as he began to lose consciousness. He was eventually taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto.

She said he was released Monday morning and is at home recovering, though he may eventually need surgery on his eye.

At some point while she tended to the neighbor, she said, deputies arrived. She said she was frustrated that deputies did not shoot the dangerous animal or do anything to restrain the dog.

“They could have used the stun gun,” she said. “They could have taken the dog away.”

Allen said deputies would have used force if the dog was an immediate threat.

“If the dog is actively attacking somebody, yes, we’re going to take action,” he said. “But, they had the dog restrained at that time so Animal Control came out and took custody of the dog.”

The dog bit two others, who were treated for minor injuries, he said.

The dog will be placed on a 10-day quarantine, Allen said, and go through a hearing to determine if the animal should be euthanized. The dog has not been involved in attacks prior to Sunday, he said.

This story was originally published July 3, 2017 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Spooked by fireworks, German shepherd viciously attacks Merced man on a stroll."