Dog in south Modesto attack to be reunited with owner

The dog that attacked a woman who entered its owner’s property uninvited will not be euthanized and will be returned to its owner, the Modesto Animal Services Agency said Tuesday.

The pit bull named Fat Boy caused severe injuries to one of the 63-year-old woman’s arms Aug. 3 when she entered the fenced area of the property on Blankenburg Avenue in south Modesto.

“She was waving her arms and yelling as she entered the dog’s fenced-in area,” said agency director Annette Patton. “It wasn’t like the dog jumped over the fence.”

Because the dog was secure in the yard, the owner did not break any laws. But the owner voluntarily surrendered Fat Boy to the agency on the day of the attack.

Patton had said that unless a rescue took the pit bull, the dog would likely have been euthanized after a 10-day rabies quarantine because the agency cannot assume the liability of adopting out a dog that has bitten a person.

After a story ran in The Bee last week about Fat Boy’s potential fate, Patton said, a handful of rescues contacted her about taking Fat Boy.

But about that same time, Fat Boy’s owner changed his mind and asked for the dog back.

Response from Modesto Bee readers mostly was in support of the dog but some sided with the woman who endured the attack.

Her parents, Sandra and Phil Roy, felt it unfair that people were blaming their daughter.

“There was no sense of sympathy and compassion for the bite victim,” Sandra Roy said.

The couple live in Palm Desert and had not seen their daughter in the days after the attack but had spoken to her by phone and said her injuries were extensive.

The woman had to be life-flighted to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she underwent surgery. She was still hospitalized Tuesday but was listed in good condition.

The Roys could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Fat Boy is expected to be reunited with the owner Friday upon the conclusion of the 10-day rabies quarantine.

This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Dog in south Modesto attack to be reunited with owner."