It was a frightening moment for Mayda Estrella, her 4-year-old son and 22-day-old son. Luckily her little Chihuahua was there when two pit bulls stormed the family's home.
Estrella says they were having a barbeque outside and she had the door open when the dogs rushed in. She ran into the bedroom with her baby, grabbed the remote control and wacked one pit bull over the head.
Her 4-year-old son, Brian, jumped on his bed and as the other pit bull moved toward him, the family's Chihuahua, named Manchas, jumped in between the boy and the pit bull.
"And the dog just looked at Brian and just [took] the dog," said Estrella.
Animal control officers found Manchas dead, nearby. The pit bulls ran back to their home where the owner, who did not want to speak on camera, tells ABC7 they escaped by chewing a hole through their wood fence while he was away.
"Those dogs were followed to the residence," said Dan Barrett from Contra the Costa County Animal Control.
Animal control says the dogs, named Jade and Beast, are now subject to the dangerous animal ordinance. The owner says he is not going to appeal, which means the fate of the dogs is now in the hands of animal control.
When asked if the pit bulls needed to be euthanized because of what they did, Barrett said, "That would be my recommendation."
Estrella says it all happened within 10 seconds, but looking back, she believes Manchas may have saved her son's life. The owner of the pit bulls is not facing any criminal charges, but under the dangerous animal ordinance, he could be restricted from owning pit bulls in the future.
