HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP — A 7-pound Yorkshire terrier lost its life Saturday morning after being attacked by a pit bull in a Titusville neighborhood.
The Yorkie was set to go out for a walk about 10 a.m. with one of his owners, John Lehet of Creek Rim Drive. As Mr. Lehet, 79, was preparing his two Yorkies — Jake and Teenie — for a walk, a white pit bull belonging to Joshua Cintron, 62, of Maddock Road approached, pulling at its leash, according to the report Mr. Lehet provided the Hopewell Township police.
The pit bull pulled away from its owner and attacked Teenie, biting the Yorkie on the back and shaking it back and forth until the pit bull’s owner pulled his dog off, according to the report.
Mr. Lehet, who is disabled and was in a scooter, tried to help Teenie but fell and hit his head on his driveway. He retrieved the injured dog and he and his wife, Janice, took Teenie to the Hopewell Vet Group.
“All the way to the vet’s, Teenie kept his eyes frozen on mine with a look that said, ‘I know that you will make me better,’ ” Ms. Lehet wrote in a letter to the Valley News.
Veterinarian Judy Glogau worked to save the family’s pet, but to no avail. The bite from the pit bull had punctured its lung and ruptured it’s chest cavity, according to the police report.
“My husband and I were in shock and disbelief. We were Jello. We still are not believing that such a careless act from a bad pet owner could take our little guy from us,” Ms. Lehet wrote.
Ms. Lehet then took her husband to the hospital for treatment of the injuries to his head and face sustained in the fall from the scooter.
Dr. Glogau alerted the township police to the situation and Officer Nicholas Sparaco tracked down the pit bull owner, Mr. Cintron, who was issued a summons for allowing a dog to run at large.
Mr. Cintron did not return a call before presstime.
According to Hopewell Township officials the pit bull, Beau, has been placed into quarantine at SAVE, the Princeton animal shelter. SAVE officials did not respond to a call from the Valley News before presstime.
According to the municipal court administrator, the owner of the dog must provide a letter from an attorney stating they have been engaged to represent the owner. If unable to produce such a letter, the owner must appear before the judge in court next Tuesday. The dog will remain in quarantine until its disposition is ordered by the judge.
“We are grieving that we lost our Teenie, but we are grateful that this ferocious pit bull did not attack one of our neighborhood children,” Ms. Lehet wrote in her letter. She praised her neighbors and the police department for their efforts in identifying and finding the pit bull.
“We have always loved living in Hopewell Township (Titusville),” she wrote. “This experience confirmed for us that we have supportive neighbors and a compassionate police force that is really dedicated to serving this community. This is the kind of story that needs to be told about America’s communities and their police. This is the real story.”
