Pet owner bitten trying to save dog from attack in Omaha’s Dahlman Park

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The weather has been great to take pets on a walk. But a sad reminder to keep them restrained in case they cross paths with another dog along the way.

Bruno had a tough name, but walking on a leash through Dahlman Park with owner Deisy Enriquez, the 12-pound mini poodle stood no chance against a mixed-breed dog four times his size that came running loose toward them.

“And then he grabbed him, and I started screaming, hey who’s this dog, who’s this dog,” said Deisy Enriquez, small dog owner.

Desperate attempt to save Bruno

Using her leash, Deisy desperately tried pulling the bigger dog off little Bruno.

“He didn’t want to stop, he just had him, and Bruno was just crying, Bruno was just crying there,” said Deisy Enriquez, small dog owner.

Deisy says the other owner came up and took control of his dog.

“He just said, I’m sorry, I’m sorry and that’s the only thing that he said. He didn’t come to see nothing at all, he just go back,” she said.

Deisy says her beloved almost three-year-old Bruno died at an emergency vet clinic. So Nebraska Humane Society animal control officers are investigating the attack and hoping for a tip identifying the owner of the other dog.

“These cases are very frustrating anyways because it could have been prevented by keeping a dog under control with proper restraint as required by city ordinance,” said Steve Glandt, NHS VP Field Operations.

Legal consequences and prevention

A citation to the owner of a loose dog carries a $99 fine.

To prevent another tragedy like this, animal control officers will soon be patrolling area trails and parks to make sure when you are walking your dog he or she is on a leash.

Deisy followed the law but another owner who didn’t left her with an empty leash and heart, though she keeps full Bruno’s dish.

“It’s so hard for me to think that, even to say that he’s no longer here with me,” Enriquez said.

Rabies concerns

Boyfriend Troy Bennett says finding the other dog owner is not just about justice but vaccination records. During the attack, Deisy got bit.

“There’s nothing we can do about the dog but Deisy is still here and rabies is a serious thing,” said Troy Bennett, boyfriend.

That’s why the couple returned to the park area where the attack happened. They’re posting flyers asking for either witnesses or the dog owner to call them.

“Rabies is the main concern and the clock is ticking,” Bennett said.

The killing of Bruno hurts Deisy emotionally and rabies shots if needed will add another kind of pain.

The dog attack victim has been told by her doctor that she has seven days left before rabies shots are necessary. So she’s offering a reward for information leading to the dog owner and if the dog has up-to-date vaccinations. She says that owner had another dog and two young girls walking with him.