Group of Passersby Aids Woman Being Attacked by 3 Rottweilers

A group of salesmen taking a scenic canyon drive rescued a woman being attacked by three Rottweilers in the hills above Malibu on Thursday, officials said.

The 44-year-old Westlake Village woman suffered puncture wounds from her head to her feet and was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks for treatment, said Sgt. Cally Barrier of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

A short time later, the dogs’ 53-year-old owner, who was present at the time of the attack, was admitted to the same hospital complaining of chest pains. Both women, whom authorities would not identify, were expected to be released late Thursday.

Authorities said the attack took place shortly before 2:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Decker Road while the victim was talking to the owner of the dogs about property in the remote canyon area dotted with ranch homes and trailers.

“There was one Rottweiler that was sniffing her hand,” Barrier said. “Two others approached and for whatever reason, the dogs attacked her and knocked her down.”

Barrier said that while the owner was trying call off her dogs, four salesman driving through the area noticed the commotion.

“We thought they were tearing apart a carcass,” said Tate Coghlin of Georgia. “We heard the lady screaming, stopped the truck immediately and made a lot of noise.”

After chasing off the Rottweilers, the men put the injured woman in their vehicle, and with the help of a neighbor drove her to a nearby fire station.

Coghlin said he and his colleagues, who sell industrial pumps, had decided to take a scenic shortcut through the Santa Monica Mountains on their way to a meeting in Long Beach.

Hospital spokeswoman Kris Carraway-Bowman said the dog-bite victim was in fair condition. The other woman’s chest pains were attributed to anxiety, Carraway-Bowman said.

The dogs were taken to a nearby animal shelter, Barrier said. She said it was unlikely the animals would be destroyed because they were defending their property and owner.

Times staff writer Andrew Blankstein contributed to this story.