Dog attack
A man was sent to the hospital with "horrendous" bite marks after he was attacked by his dog Friday morning, police said.

The attack occurred at 84 Front St. around 11 a.m. Waterville police Sgt. Alden Wiegelt said the man - whom police did not identify - is the owner of the dog, which was reported by police dispatchers as a pit bull.

Wiegelt said the man's injuries were serious enough to require transportation by Delta Ambulance to the hospital, but he said they did not appear to be life-threatening.

The incident apparently happened inside the home.
Police entered the building with a shield and animal restraining poles before leaving with the leashed dog, which was put into a kennel in the back of a police vehicle.

Police Chief Joseph Massey said police discovered the injured owner sitting outside with severe bite marks on his legs and arms and with "pieces of flesh" hanging off his legs. Massey also said the man was evasive in his answers to police about what happened.

"The dog was more cooperative than the owner," Massey said.

Owner Evasive

The man told police he had brought the dog outside to relieve itself. When he tried to bring the dog back inside, he told police it started to defecate on the floor inside. When he tried to bring the dog back outside, he told police it attacked him.

"It was one of the more severe attacks I've ever seen," Massey said. "I observed the bite marks, and they were horrendous."

However, Massey did not believe police were told the whole truth by the dog's owner, including what may have caused the dog to attack. "He was very evasive about that," Massey said. "I don't think we got the true story from him."

Massey said Animal Control Officer Chris Martinez will determine whether any charges should be filed. The dog is being held in quarantine for 10 days at the Humane Society Waterville Area.

Massey did not recall receiving prior complaints about the dog. He said the man again became evasive with police on where he got the dog. The man told officers the dog was originally purchased by an ex-girlfriend, but he didn't know where she was or how to reach her. He said she had all the information on the dog's licensing and if it had received all its shots and vaccinations.

Massey said the man didn't want officers going into the house after the dog.

"We just don't think what he told us was exactly what happened," he said.

Massey said the dog was not aggressive toward police.

Jeff Mellow, who lives next door, said the incident occurred in the house. He identified the owner of the dog as a man named Dan, whom he described as a "quiet guy." He said he did not know the dog to be aggressive, and said his children and grandchildren even played with it at times. He said he was surprised by the incident.

"I don't know what set the dog off," he said. "It's weird."

Tyler Rollins, who lives in the building next to Mellow, said he didn't know there was a dog in that building and had come out to see what all the police commotion was about. He said it was the third time since he had moved to the area in January that police gathered on his street.