Whoa doggies!

We've had some canine marauders in the neighborhood over the last couple of days. Check out this blotter 

entry from the Colorado Spring P.D. (Please note I did not edit it):

An off-duty CSPD officer was on his way to work when two viciuos dogs attempted to attack him in a parking lot. One was a brindle colored pit-bull and the other was a black labrador retriever. Just prior to the attack, the dogs' aggressive behavior was diverted toward a woman and her child who walked into the area. The officer was able to direct the lady and her child away from the dogs and get the dogs to re-direct their attention back toward him. As the dogs then started to attack again, the officer drew and fired his pistol one time, striking the pit bull in the head. Both dogs ceased their attack and ran away. The Humane Society did respond. Neither animal had been located at the time of this entry, although the pit bull had been briefly spotted as the Humane Society initally rolled into the scene. Witness reports indicate that the two dogs had been observed acting aggressively since the prior evening. Owners of the dogs have not yet been identified or contacted. Andy met the bad-news duo around 7 a.m. while he was out walking Jack. He came in and woke me up with a warning to be very careful while out and about today because there were two mean dogs loose and upstairs in the neighboring hallway. On his way to work, he met up with the pair again - this time, fortunately, without the dog.  The mutts came up from behind him, snarling and lunging. The pit bull jumped at him and Andy countered by shoving his gigantic left forearm into the dog's mouth. He shouted at the dogs to "Get" and was swinging at the pit's head with his right hand when it let go and took off. Fortunately, his response was such that the dog didn't break the skin, but in this picture you can see the bite wounds.  Andy's arm and the four pink bumps from the pitt's mouth. Given the size of his forearm, the dog must have had the muzzle of a bear.  Following the biting incident, Andy came upon the same dogs squaring off against a pair of high school-aged kids walking their bicycles. He told the kids he'd just been bitten and to get on their bikes and peddle away, pronto. They wisely took his advice and no one else was injured.  Pretty scary stuff, but it could have been so much worse. We're thankful, in a grotesque sort of way, that the dog got his teeth on big, burly and alpha Andy. I shudder to think what it could have done to a small child or a less dominating personalty. Andy made an official report to animal control and agreed to press charges if and when the dogs are caught. The pit was last seen bleeding profusely and running in the field near our complex. The pair was still missing this afternoon, but  officials say they have an idea of some homes to check out. Our landlord also thinks she knows where they came from, and she's confident it's not our complex.  In the meantime, I'm still carrying a large titanium walking stick I can use as a club any time I walk my dog. I'll also keep you posted on what we find out.