Pit bulls attack
Wissinoming grandmother

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

A 69-year-old grandmother from Wissinoming who was attacked by three dogs is on the mend.
Gloria Grace, 69, was released Sunday from Frankford Hospital-Torresdale days after surgery for injuries she sustained to her ear, arm, face and leg.
Grace was rushed to the hospital Aug. 21 after being mauled by three dogs in her home on the 5400 block of Montague St. She lives in the home with her daughter Marge Davis and grandsons. The dogs belonged to Davis.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s public affairs unit could not confirm that the dogs were pit bulls. A department spokesman did say, however, that the dogs attacked after the victim made a sudden noise.
Police arrived on the scene at approximately 5:45 p.m.
"The daughter was there along with her son. Officers and the woman did a good job of securing the dogs in the basement," said 15th Police District commander Capt. Frank Bachmayer.
According to Bachmayer, the medic unit took the victim right to the operating room.
"They were scary looking dogs," Bachmayer said.
According to Tara Derby, CEO of the Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Association (PACCA), one dog was a pit bull, while the other two were large breed mixes. The youngest dog was between 1 and 2 years old. The other two were each 4 years old. There was no history of problems with the dogs.
The woman’s daughter signed the dogs over to PACCA.
"She doesn’t want the dogs back. By law we’ll hold these dogs for ten days and then make a decision," Derby said.
The PACCA CEO explained that generally, once an animal is deemed vicious or dangerous by displaying behavior causing harm to humans or animals, if the animal is in the organization’s possession and PACCA has the right to make a decision, it would euthanize the animal due to the threat to public health and safety.
In a 2001 American Veterinary Medical Association study, unneutered male dogs are involved in 70 to 76 percent of reported dog bite incidents. In the Wissinoming case, all three dogs had not been sterilized.
Derby emphasized that her agency has many wonderful large dogs that have no history of or tendency to violence that are available for adoption.
PACCA is Philadelphia’s contracted animal control shelter, taking in 30,000 animals each year. For more information, visit www.phillypaws.org ••