Pet Shepherd Attacks Owners

A Carson couple remained in stable condition Wednesday, a Bay Harbor Hospital official said, after a vicious Sunday night attack by their German shepherd. The dog was later killed by sheriff’s deputies.

Responding to a 911 call at about 9:30 p.m., Carson paramedics and sheriff’s deputies found Elaine and Danny Seaton seriously injured in the kitchen of their home, sheriff’s deputies said.

Elaine Seaton had serious wounds on her right leg and left shoulder as well as numerous punctures and cuts to her arms and legs, according to Dana Chavez, the paramedic who treated the Seatons at the scene.

Danny Seaton--who was bitten on the arms when he came to his wife’s aid----told Chavez that the dog had been acting irrationally all day and had attacked his wife when she attempted to feed him.

The deputies found the dog in the back yard but were unable to control him. Fearing that the dog would enter neighbors’ yards, police evacuated the surrounding homes and then, from the roof of the Seatons’ house, fired two 12-gauge shotgun rounds, injuring the animal.

Animal Control Shelter Officer Phillip Stephens used a device to try to capture the dog, but it attacked the device and Stephens determined that the dog could not be restrained. A sheriff’s sergeant then fired a single round from his handgun, killing the dog, police said.

A necropsy was performed by the Department of Health Services Monday and rabies tests are being conducted. The tests, however, have not revealed any explanation for the dog’s attack, a department veterinary pathologist said.