A Vista couple is outraged after they say their little dog was viciously attacked at a popular dog beach in Del Mar.
Peter and Kathryn Dorey were at Dog Beach just north of 29th Street in Del Mar Sunday morning with their little Papillon, Oggie.
They were just getting their feet wet when they say a much larger dog, possibly a German Shepherd mix, charged them out of nowhere.
"I turned around and there's screaming and a big dog had Oggie in his mouth so I ran up and tried to grab the dog by the jaws and kind of press in on the jaws to make the dog release our dog," said Peter Dorey.
Dorey said the larger dog had their beloved pet in its mouth like a chew toy.
"Our dog was on a leash not three feet away from my wife and this other dog picked him up so fast. I don't think there's anything we could have done to prevent that," said Dorey.
Oggie suffered injuries to his neck and side. Tuesday morning he had to have his lungs drained due to swelling.
Dorey said the owner of the dog responsible immediately apologized and gave his contact information offering to help.
"He seemed really nice. He was extremely calm about the whole thing, kind of unsettling calm now in hindsight," said Dorey.
Unsettling, because when he called the man, he realized the number he gave him was fake.
Now, the couple is left with mounting vet bills and a prognosis that is still uncertain for their beloved pet.
"I think it was just bad to lie in front of his daughter in a situation like that and then just take off is kind of a cowardly thing to do," said Dorey.
The couple thinks the North beach, also known as Dog Beach, needs more enforcement of its leash laws. Unlike during the winter months, dogs must be on a leash June 16th through Labor Day.
"There's definitely no enforcement. We've been to that beach many times this summer and there's always big dogs running around, they run over your towel, it's part of the experience of being at Dog beach," said Dorey.
The couple says they'll return to that stretch of beach, but they'll leave Oggie at home.
