Pit bulls attack man

Confronted with two pit bulls biting at his legs and arms, the muscular, wheelchair-user fought them off with a tree saw and some animal instinct of his own.

"I'm fine," the 43-year-old McAughey told his girlfriend, Chelsea Ferguson of Fort Collins, when she arrived at his house. "You should see the dogs; I think they're worse."

Amazingly, the former Eaton High School wrestler escaped with only a small puncture wound on his left toe, ripped pants and some blood on his right shoulder. The dogs, meanwhile, were hauled away by animal control.

The incident occurred at 1:30 p.m. at McAughey's house, 2524 14th St. Road., in Greeley. Three pit bulls, which had escaped from a house at 2518 14th St. Road, had spent the morning roaming the neighborhood and entered McAughey's backyard about 1:15 p.m.

McAughey heard the pit bulls when his German shepherd began barking. He called animal control and ordered his dog inside the house. Then he went out front to enjoy the spring day and wait for animal control. He was talking to his girlfriend on the phone while sitting next to his Dodge Durango in his driveway when the pit bulls arrived.

First, a female pit bull began barking at McAughey. Then a "thick male" pit bull arrived and joined in barking. McAughey decided to retreat to his garage, but the dogs followed him.

The two light-colored dogs continued barking and quickly eliminated any personal space McAughey had left. There he sat in his wheelchair with two angry pit bulls at each side.

"When he began to chew on my arm I knew it was time to drop the phone and find a weapon," said McAughey, who has a sport cast on his right wrist.

McAughey grabbed a tree saw he saw hanging from a garage wall and began swinging it madly with his left hand. The female retreated first and the male soon followed.

He estimated he hit the male about four times in the head and the female a few other times as he staved off the animals from his wheelchair.

By the time his next door neighbor, Ann Lee, arrived, the dogs had retreated. Soon, Greeley police arrived and eventually found the three pit pulls in the back yard of 2518 14th St. Road.

"He's lucky he's in such good shape," said John Koutsoukos, Greeley police officer. "He's strong enough to fight 'em off."

McAughey lost use of his legs 18 years ago when a 1,600 pound aluminum foundation wall fell on his shoulders at a construction site. He said he's always had a "wrestlers physique" and credits that for saving his life.

Today he's a lean 145 pounds with strong biceps and a washboard stomach. He also knows a thing or to about dogs.

"I knew when it was time to get it on," McAughey said. "I'm pretty good with animals. I know a dog's disposition. ... I'm lucky that I can defend myself to a certain extent because that was going to get really nasty."

Police said Michelle Lynn Valencia, 29, the owner of two of the dogs and the caretaker of the third, will be cited for three counts each of harboring a vicious dog, dog at large, no rabies tags and no registration tags. All the charges are misdemeanors.

Neighbors said they had seen the dogs out with the children at the house but Thursday marked the first time they saw them running loose. Next-door neighbors Gladys Wickham and Jan Bielema said the dogs barked at them when they approached their back yard fence.

"We're a little insecure not knowing if they could go through the fence," said Jan Bielema. "We hope they don't come back.

" McAughey called the whole situation unfortunate. He said the owner came over and apologized. A year ago, another neighbor dog attacked his front door and broke a window.

Pit bull owner: I love my dogs

Jesse Fanciulli

April 16, 2005

Depending on who you ask, the pit bulls who attacked a Greeley man , who uses a wheel- chair, this week were loving "babies" who showed no previous sign of viciousness -- or they were unruly dogs who aggressively marked territory that wasn't theirs in the weeks leading up to the attack.

The dogs' owner, 29-year-old Michelle Valencia, wept Friday for her pets, who are under quarantine at the Weld County Humane Society shelter, 1620 42nd St. in Evans.

"I'm lost without them," said a teary-eyed Valencia. "It's been a rough couple days. I'm freaking out."

Valencia intends to visit Kane, Nikko and Dannyella today and hopes to return them soon to her central Greeley home. While only two of the dogs attacked the neighbor, police took all three to the shelter.

"I don't ever want this to happen again," she said. "But I want my dogs back. I love my dogs."

Valencia's next door neighbor, Mike McAughey, said he understands what his neighbor is feeling. He's a self-proclaimed animal lover who accepted Valencia's apologies for the attack that left him with a gash on his toe, ripped pants and an incredible story to tell friends and reporters.

But even though McAughey feels bad for his neighbor, he is concerned about what might happen if the two dogs who attacked him show the same viciousness on someone more vulnerable.

McAughey, who could bench press more than 300 pounds before a recent round of wrist surgeries, used physical strength and a cool head to fend off the dogs, who attacked him at his home at 2524 14th St. Road, in Greeley.

After the pit bulls cornered McAughey in his garage and began biting his legs Thursday afternoon, McAughey slowly wheeled backward to where a flimsy tree saw was hanging on the wall. He grabbed the saw and started swinging at the dogs with all his strength.

"I went ballistic. I was cussing and screaming and flailing all out of control," he said. "I was medieval all the way."

It took two hard blows to fend off the female dog, and four to six to ward off the male, McAughey said.

McAughey can't name which two of the trio of pit pulls attacked him, but he's certain one was a male and one was female. Dannyella is the only female in the group. During the attack, it was clear to McAughey that Dannyella and the male were ready to taste some flesh.

"They were getting ready for the big tear-up," he said. "I know because of their demeanor."

That's hard for Valencia to imagine.

"I see attacks on TV and I say, 'Man, my dogs could never do something like that,' and look what they did," she said.

At home, Dannyella delights Valencia and her three children with tricks such as sitting on her hind legs and speaking phrases such as "hello" and "my mamma." The two males are similarly lovable, Valencia said.

"A stranger can walk into the house and the dogs will just want to be loved," Valencia said. "They've never shown signs of aggression.

But the dogs' charms have not been evident to McAughey: They regularly bust through the wooden fence that separates Valencia's yard from McAughey's, mark territory with urine and feces and leave paw prints on McAughey's prized 1970 Dodge Charger.

Valencia thinks her dogs have been distressed because they recently moved from another neighborhood. Valencia's pit bulls also get riled up when they see bicycles, and they might have become aggressive at the sight of McAughey's wheelchair, Valencia said.

The dogs will be quarantined for rabies observations at least until April 24. After that, authorities will decide what to do with the dogs as Valencia awaits trial, said Roger Messick, executive director of the humane society.

"I hope they don't want to put them down," Valencia said of her pit-bull "babies." "It's gonna work out. I know in my heart it's gonna work out."

What's Next

Michelle Valencia is scheduled to appear in Greeley Municipal Court at 2 p.m. April 25. Valencia faces three counts each of harboring a vicious dog, dog at large, no rabies tags and no registration tags.

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20050416/NEWS/104160055

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