MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A large, fast-moving dog went on the attack in Miami Beach’s Normandy Isle neighborhood, injuring two dogs, and police said this is not the first time the canine has struck.
However, a man who said the dog belongs to his girlfriend said the animal has since been taken out of the state.
Surveillance cameras captured the animal running so fast that it looked like a streak as it crossed a street.
Doug Kincaid was out walking Sasha, his 3-year-old border collie, at around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday when his pet became a victim.
“It was as if we were in the wilderness. It was like a wild animal came charging out of the neighborhood,” he said.
Kincaid said it seems as if the dog had come out of nowhere.
“It just made a beeline for us and attacked immediately,” he said.
Surveillance cameras captured Sasha’s yelps after the attack. She was critically injured.
Neighbors said the dog responsible for the mauling was captured on surveillance cameras roaming their streets and yards.
“It’s a really big, scary dog,” said area resident Marcelo Baird. “Wolf. I would say it’s not a dog.”
The animal that residents are calling a “wolf dog” is called Eva. According to animal trainer Luca Lavieri, the animal lived on Biarritz Drive, one street over from where police and Kincaid said it attacked Sasha.
Lavieri, who said he lives at the house, said Eva, who is featured with another dog on the Instagram page “Wolf Free Spirit,” belongs to his girlfriend.
Lavieri said Eva somehow escaped from the backyard.
“They’re not dangerous toward human beings,” he said during a phone interview.
But according to police, Eva attacked two dogs Sunday night, including Sasha, as well as another dog last year.
Police officers were at Lavieri’s home on Monday.
Lavieri said Eva is no longer there.
“She’s already gone from there, and she’s gone for good, so she’s never going to be back there,” he said.
Neighbors said they hope that’s true.
“It just about killed two dogs with no provocation,” said Kincaid.
In a tweet, police confirmed all of the “wolf-dog hybrids” have been removed from the home by their owners.
Kincaid said Sasha spent four hours in surgery and is not out of the woods yet.
Police said Sasha and the other dog that was injured on Sunday remain at Knowles Animal Hospital in Miami.
Kincaid said he doesn’t want another pet to suffer the pain of an unprovoked attack.
“It was trying to kill. It was like a hunter, basically is the impression I got and it looked just like a wolf,” he said.
Officials with Miami-Dade Animal Services said owning a dog like Eva is no different from owning any other type of dog in terms of regulations. They have launched a dangerous dog investigation.
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