OXNARD : Dog Fight Won’t Result in Charges

Oxnard police have decided not to charge two dog owners in the wake of a violent dog fight that left a pit bull dead, a spaniel-mix injured, and one owner with a broken hand and bite wounds.

Police spokesman David Keith said Abraham Rodkin was justified in stabbing the pit bull to death as it fought with his spaniel-mix, Kulo, last week outside his home.

“He has a right to protect his property, and a dog is considered his property,” Keith said.

Rodkin’s dog was not on a leash, as required by Oxnard law. But Keith said that will be overlooked because the district attorney’s office is not filing many misdemeanor animal cases due to budget constraints.

Rodkin was injured when he tried to break up the fight. He said he got a 14-inch butcher knife and stabbed the dog, named Kahuna, as a last resort.

Keith said no charge would be filed against the pit bull owner, David Pedraza.

The incident began when Pedraza’s nephew and his friend were walking Kahuna in a nearby school yard. When the pit bull encountered Rodkin’s loose dog, he chased the smaller animal back to Rodkin’s house where the two dogs got into a fight, according to police.