Dog walk turns ugly in East Rock neighborhood

New Haven, Connecticut (WTNH) - A New Haven woman says she no longer feels safe walking in her East Rock neighborhood after an afternoon walk turned potentially fatal for her dog.

Hope Klug’s 2-year-old goldendoodle, Aiden, was attacked by two others dogs while she was walking him near Orange and Clark Streets.

The story, which was on the front page of Saturday’s New Haven Register, is generating much discussion.

While the owner of the two dogs says she feels terrible about what happened, she says her dogs shouldn't be put down.

But Hope Klug says if the dogs did this to her pet, then it can certainly happen again.

“I turn around, and the dog, the larger dog, was just on us, instantly,” she explained. “… Just biting him, he was viciously attacking him. There was no doubt he was going to kill my dog.

Dr. Hope Klug says a pit-bull and a mixed-breed got loose from the dog walker’s grip and one went after Aiden followed by the other.

“Somehow during this time she lost control of the second dog and the second dog started attacking, too<” she continued. “It was just awful. You always hear about dog attacks, but you have no idea they could be this vicious.

Dr Klug, a researcher at Yale, was also injured. Aiden has leg, abdomen, and genital injuries and had surgery at a local veterinarian office. Now, Dr. Klug is afraid to walk Aiden because she says the two dogs live only blocks away and is frustrated with how the case is being handled by New Haven Animal Control.

“Can you tell me what the procedure is? One of the first things she says was, ‘Well, these dogs aren't vicious. Dogs bite dogs all the time. This just happens.’ Which I didn't find acceptable,” she stated. “I want this dog out of my neighborhood; I can't imagine anyone else who wants this dog in their neighborhood.”

Dr. Klug identifies the owner of the dogs that attacked as Kara Strippoli, a physician’s assistant.

A call to her home around 9 p.m. Saturday has not yet been returned.

But in the Register article, she says euthanizing any of her dogs – that are now confined in her home -- is, quote, "overkill..."...and stresses her pets are not a public threat.

Strippoli's veterinarian is also quoted as saying she is a responsible dog owner.

Meanwhile, Dr. Klug is crediting a good Samaritan, Patrick McCreless, for pulling the larger dog off Aiden and then using his body to hold it down until police arrived.

New Haven's Animal Control says there's no history of previous attacks with Strippoli's dogs and a kill order has to come from Connecticut's Department of Agriculture.

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Information from: The New Haven Register