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2 pit bulls fight in Sandy backyard; teen fatally stabs one dog to save the other

Posted at 3:40 PM, Apr 15, 2015
and last updated 2015-04-15 17:40:17-04

SANDY, Utah – Two pit bulls kept on the same property in Sandy but in separate areas came into contact and began fighting Wednesday morning, and a teenager who tried to separate the dogs ended up stabbing and killing the more aggressive animal to protect the other dog.

Sgt. Dean Carriger of the Sandy Police Department said a homeowner in the area of 8500 South and 115 East owned two pit bull dogs that didn’t get along and were kept in separate areas of the property, but Wednesday around 10:30 a.m. the dogs somehow got out of their separated areas and came into contact.

“As a result, they got into a fight,” Carriger said of the dogs. “[The homeowner] went out in an attempt to separate them when he experienced some breathing issues. At that time, his teenage son went into the yard to separate the dogs, and in an effort to do so he ultimately had to stab one of the dogs to get the aggressive dog to stop attacking the other.”

Carriger said animal control personnel responded and are investigating, but he said at this point it appears no charges will be filed for the animal’s death as the teen was trying to protect one dog from the other.

“It’s just one of those things, animals can be unpredictable,” he said.

The man who was having breathing problems transported himself to a hospital as a precaution to be checked out because of the breathing issue, but neither the man nor the teen suffered injuries as a result of the dogs fighting.