Walnut : Pit Bull Complaint Sought

The Sheriff’s Department is asking the district attorney’s office to file a complaint against the owner of a pit bull terrier that has a history of viciousness. The dog, named Brutus and owned by Kimberly Travis of Walnut, reportedly attacked a horse last week.

The dog apparently jumped a three-foot fence to escape from the yard where it was kept and gnawed on the front legs of a horse ridden by a neighbor, said sheriff’s Sgt. Stephen Webb.

The dog has also attacked humans, including two sheriff’s deputies, Webb said, adding that neighbors reported that the dog had attacked at least one man in recent months. The animal has been impounded while the Sheriff’s Department gathers evidence for a public nuisance complaint, Webb said.

If the district attorney’s office files the complaint, a Municipal Court judge will decide whether the dog is a public nuisance and, if so, what can be done to solve the problem.

“Usually what that means is that the dog is ordered to be destroyed,” Webb said.