Back in December, ABC 10News covered another dog attack in Mira Mesa where the owner was fatally attacked by his own three dogs.
Experts like Dr. Annie Petersen say there are a lot of outside factors to consider including the litter of puppies in close proximity.
“There’s that innate need to want to protect, and I think unfortunately, we saw a very extreme example of that.”
But Dr. Petersen adds, the event is very extreme and unfortunate. But she says it could also be from the environment itself.
“If you’re looking at not only a litter of puppies, but multiple dogs in the household. There may have been some interaction between other dogs, and rather than directing onto the dog, they were having an altercation on to may have redirected onto the owner. It really just depends on what was going on on the household at the time.”
Dr. Petersen emphasizes incidents like this aren’t common and these actions aren’t specific to only one breed.
“I think that it’s just bearing in mind that really any animal and any breed could possibly respond the way this animal did in this particular situation.”