Police use Taser to break up dog fight

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- Even powerful shocks from a police Taser couldn't immediately get a pit bull to release its grip on a dog it was attacking Thursday night.

"They Tased the pit bull twice and it had no effect on that dog," recalls witness Tom Feldman. "That dog still had its jaws locked on to that other dog."

A woman had the pit bull out on a leash when it broke free and attacked a pair of dogs another man was walking. They were in a small crowd watching undercover officers execute a search warrant on Stocking Avenue.

The pit bull broke loose, leapt at the other two dogs, and latched onto one of them.

Steve Wright is the owner of the dog under attack. He immediately tried to wrestle the pit bull away. "I did not hesitate," he says. "It was my dog. I did not want to see harm come to her. I was the only one trying to separate them."

Repeated shocks by a Taser pressed against its body finally loosened the pit bull's jaw and the other dog was able to escape.

Sissy, the dog that was attacked, went home with Wright, but may need treatment by a vet. Wright's hands were bitten when he tried to separate the dogs. Medics advised him to get stitches.

Animal control took the pit bull, but officers on the scene could not say what will happen to it or if the owner will face charges.

"That dog does not belong outside," observes Feldman.

"They need to put that dog down," Wright said.