2 pit bulls attack dog, maul heroic owner who saves him (Catalina, CA)

Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Avalon Pier, Catalina Island, California 
2pm

Normal
John Brady (52) takes his dog, Josh, a 6yo Jack Russell Terrier, on an outing to Catalina Island.  The two stroll on Avalon Pier.  Nearby, a local resident who lives on a boat, has brought her two dogs to the pier via a skiff. 

The 2 tan pit bulls attack Josh, who is at this point buried in pit bulls and cannot be seen. The pit bull owner sits with the mauling in her lap and does nothing. Brady is the man on the left, his back to the camera - he's covering Josh to protect him and trying to get him up away from the pit bulls as the pit bulls vie to grab him. This is a cropped image; the entire image shows a large hole in Brady's leg. 

Not
The two dogs are pit bulls.  They attack Josh.  When Brady tries to save his pet, they attack him.  Both the man and his dog are nearly killed. 

"All I did is lift my dog off the ground and I was being chewed on instantly," he recalled, his voice quavering. "I knew I was going to die. I was screaming for help, and everybody was just watching ... until the last second."

"It was so scary," he recalled, tearing up. "I was just face to the ground, and just being chewed on by ... I couldn't even call them dogs."

Bystanders help Brady lift his dog to safety, and drag the pit bulls, which have started to attack each other, apart.  The pit bulls' owner sits in the middle of the melee screaming for help.  Brady's arms and legs have been mauled so badly he is airlifted to a hospital. Josh is treated at a vet hospital and survives severe bite wounds. The pit bulls are quarantined for 10 days.

Josh

Josh

Pit bulls covered in blood

Pit bull being restrained by bystander, who's gripping the pit bull firmly in the one place it can't bite him. The pit bull's eyes are wide, body stiff, paws splayed, and its gaze is fixed on something. It does not appear to have relaxed at all.  It is covered in Brady and Josh's blood.

The other pit bull restrained by a separate bystander, who appears to be a harbor official. This pit bull looks less aroused than the other, but it is still braced and ready for action.

Links
http://ktla.com/2017/04/21/i-was-being-chewed-on-catalina-island-dog-attack-victim-says-after-saving-his-6-pound-terrier-from-2-larger-dogs/

http://abc7.com/news/man-trying-to-break-up-dog-fight-bitten-by-pit-bulls-on-catalina-island/1900909/

https://www.gofundme.com/emergency-vet-bills-for-my-dads-dog