Woman Loses Arm After Pit Bull Attack

A 70-year-old woman was in critical condition Tuesday after she lost one arm following an attack by her grandson’s two mongrel pit bull dogs in South-Central Los Angeles, authorities reported.

Marjee Lilly of San Diego was taken to County-USC Medical Center shortly after 11 a.m., where she underwent surgery to amputate her left arm, hospital spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda said.

Both arms had been chewed to the bone, but doctors were attempting to save Lilly’s right arm, De La Cerda said.

The dogs, both 14-month-old males weighing 40 to 50 pounds, were impounded by city animal control officers.

Officials said an administrative hearing will be held to determine whether the dogs--described as part pit bull and part boxer--should be destroyed if the owner does not request that they be put to death.

Authorities said Lilly had been visiting her grandson, Clarence Hubbard, at his home in the 2600 block of Kenwood Avenue and was alone in the house with the dogs when the attack occurred.

The elderly woman had been a guest in Hubbard’s home before and was familiar with the pit bulls.

“According to the family, they (the dogs) were friendly to her. This was not a case of attacking a stranger,” Southwest Division Lt. Alan Kerstein said.

Authorities speculated that the dogs were provoked when Lilly, in attempting to feed them, used one of her arms to keep them at bay while she poured dog food out of a 25-pound bag.

Hubbard had left for work about 8 a.m. but returned about an hour and a half later to check on his grandmother, Kerstein said. He discovered Lilly on the kitchen floor, covered with blood, and called paramedics.

An open bag of dog food was on the floor, and the dogs were sitting nearby in a corner.

Hubbard told officials he has owned the dogs since they were puppies, and they had not attacked anyone before.

Police described Hubbard as distraught over the incident. A woman who answered the phone at the residence said Hubbard had no comment.

Lilly, who is 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds, also suffered multiple puncture wounds on her upper body.

“There was just bone and tendon” remaining on her arms after the attack, Kerstein said.

Southwest Division detectives will investigate the attack, but no criminal charges are expected to be filed because there is no evidence of negligence on the owner’s part, Kerstein said.

Animal control officers had no difficulty impounding the dogs, which appeared well-tended and were not behaving in an aggressive manner, animal control Lt. Ted Berquist said.

“We don’t know why they did it. The dogs seemed perfectly happy. They just decided to do something different--severely different,” Berquist said.

He said animal control authorities had received, but were unable to substantiate, complaints that the dogs had bitten a couple of people when they were found straying a few miles from home last July. Animal control officers returned the dogs to Hubbard after he reported the animals stolen.