German Shepherd intervenes as its 17-year-old owner is nearly attacked by another dog, pit bull is shot

A 17-year-old girl’s German Shepherd intervened as two dogs ran from a nearby home and attempted to attack her on Tuesday, Spokane police said in a news release.

A pit bull and a large mixed-breed dog escaped from a house on the 2600 block of West College Avenue and nearly attacked the girl walking her German shepherd nearby. The shepherd intervened and was attacked by the two other dogs, police said. A woman tried to stop the attack but was bitten by one of the dogs involved.

The teen’s father came out of the house with a handgun and tried to kick the dogs and fire shots into the ground to get them away from his daughter and dog, but when it didn’t work, he shot the pit bull.

Officers found the two “aggressive” dogs at their home, police said. The owner told police the pit bull was aggressive toward other dogs and was not supposed to be outside without a leash.

The pit bull was transported to the emergency clinic with a gunshot wound and then euthanized. The German shepherd was treated for bite injuries, police said.