Victim of brutal Lynn pit bull attack says he doesn’t want dogs put down

A man who was reportedly attacked by two dogs in Lynn is still recovering in the hospital, 7News reports. 

In their interview with the man, who did not want to be named, he described the extent of his injuries from the brutal attack, which included his left ear being “torn off” and teeth marks on his nose. His roommate told WBZ that he may need a prosthetic ear. 

But the victim also expressed concern for the dogs, mainly that he didn’t want to see the pair of pit bulls put down.

“Hopefully, they don’t put down the dogs and try to get them retrained or rehabilitated or something, you know what I mean?” he said. “I believe they deserve a second chance like everything, everybody else in this world.”

Since the attack on Nov. 12, police have quarantined the dogs and said that the “dogs’ size, strength, and unprovoked attack [made] them an increased risk for dangerousness.”

The attack happened at about 7 p.m. when the man, 68, was walking along the Bike to the Sea trail, near 70 Cottage St., that runs through part of Lynn, WBZ reports. He told 7News that he had stopped to pet other dogs when he saw the two involved in the attack run toward him. 

He said he didn’t know why the dogs attacked him. Boston.com reached out to the Lynn Police Department for more details on the investigation but did not hear back in time for publication. 

7News reports that police found one of the dogs, with blood stains around its mouth, in a barbershop near the scene of the attack. 

With a search warrant, they removed the dogs from the barbershop, which is reportedly owned by a person currently in jail.

WBZ reports the store appeared to be closed, was locked, and displayed signs that said “beware of dog.”

John Chlopek, a resident who lives in the area and called 911 after the attack, similarly expressed sympathy for both the victim and the dogs. 

“It was shocking,” Chlopek said. “It’s too bad. I feel bad for the dogs, but.. it’s not always the dog’s fault, it’s the owners too.”

Katelyn Umholtz

Food and Restaurant Reporter

Katelyn Umholtz covers food and restaurants for Boston.com. Katelyn is also the author of The Dish, a weekly food newsletter.

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