PORTLAND, Ore. — A pit bull that killed another dog in a bloody attack on a Portland streetcar last month has been put to death.
Jessica Morkert, the spokeswoman for Multnomah County Animal Services, told The Oregonian (http://is.gd/kuQCHw ) that the dog was euthanized by animal shelter staff because it was deemed a threat to the community.
The county said in a statement Tuesday that other factors played a role in the decision: A previous owner in Colorado relinquished her rights to the animal and a shelter in that state withdrew its offer to take the dog.
The statement said the pit bull was put down Oct. 14.
The Sept. 24 attack happened when a 16-year-old homeless girl led the dog named Baby Girl onto a streetcar in the Pearl District. According to witnesses, the leashed dog quickly bit down on the head of a black Pomeranian. The Pomeranian’s owner grabbed her dog named Lady and rushed to an animal hospital, but it did not survive.
The pit bull was kept the county shelter, and officials learned that a Colorado owner had reported it missing in June. The owner initially wanted the dog back before apparently having a change of heart.
It’s still not clear how the dog arrived in Portland, but officials in Colorado were told it was living with a group of homeless youths.
The homeless girl received a 90-day ban from riding the streetcar. Portland Streetcar officials, meanwhile, started an education campaign to make sure pet owners know the difference between bringing a pet on a streetcar as opposed to a service animal.
The attack was one of three recently involving pit bulls in the Portland area. A southeast Portland woman was seriously injured by a pit bull on Oct. 2, and two pit bulls killed a pug in Troutdale on Oct. 10.
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