- April 18, 2024
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In two months, one dog was injured and another killed in two pit bull attacks.
A pit bull that attacked and killed a Yorkie mix earlier this month has been euthanized, officials said Tuesday.
Enzo Castillo was walking his small Yorkie on a leash around 7 p.m. Nov. 2, along Farraday Lane, in Palm Coast. Enzo Castillo passed by house No. 13, while Patrick Morin was walking his pit bull, according to a report from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
As the two got closer, Castillo’s dog, named Brownie, barked at the pit bull. Morin was walking his pit bull by its collar. It didn’t have a leash on, the report states.
The pit bull got free from Morin’s grasp and charged Brownie, and then proceeded to bite the smaller dog.
Morin walked over and attempted to restrain the pit bull. According to the report, once the pit bull released the smaller dog, Morin “stood there and did nothing to help his neighbor.”
Morin then started to yell and use profanity at his dog.
According to the report, the Yorkie was having trouble breathing and was bleeding from its left abdomen area.
Enzo Castillo’s mother, Saira, took Brownie to an animal hospital in Holly Hill. The dog’s injuries were too severe, however, and Brownie was euthanized.
Saira Castillo spoke to the Palm Coast City Council at its Nov. 15 meeting. Since the incident, Saira Castillo said, her son has had difficulty sleeping. He has nightmares from experiencing the attack and is afraid to even walk outside, she said.
“Our dog was like my son and like (my son’s) little brother,” Saira Castillo said.
Nestor Abreu, spokesman for the city, said the Flagler Humane Society contacted the city last week, and stated that the pit bull responsible for Brownie’s death was voluntarily given up for euthanization.
Not the first time on Farraday
This isn’t the first incident involving a pit bull attack near the duplex at 4B Farraday Lane.
Another attack took place July 12, when Carolyn McLaughlin was walking her 18-pound dog. She noticed a rust-colored pit bull on the porch of 4B Farraday Lane.
As McLaughlin and her rat terrier, Lexie, passed by the residence, the pit bull ran toward them. According to the report, McLaughlin said two people were sitting outside on the porch and made no attempt to call the pit bull back.
The pit bull bit McLaughlin on her right hand and just below her left knee; her dog was bit on its neck, the report states.
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies spoke with Daniel Coletti and Morin. They told deputies the pit bull doesn’t belong to them, that they were watching the dog for a friend. Coletti told deputies the dog belonged to Morin’s friend, who lives in the Mondex. Morin said he couldn’t remember the owner’s name, the report states.
Palm Coast Animal Control set up a trap. However, only a black-and-white colored pit bull was found, not a rust-colored one.
Still, McLaughlin and other residents are concerned.
‘Please, do something … ’
At Tuesday’s Palm Coast City Council meeting, Ray Henderson, who lives in the neighborhood, said something needs to be done. According to Henderson, cars are constantly coming and going from the home at 4B Farraday Lane. He also said neighbors living behind the home have witnessed a female occasionally prostituting herself.
But Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts said he has spoken with law-enforcement officials with the Sheriff’s Office.
“The property is under investigation,” Netts said Tuesday. “But there is no evidence of illegal activity.”
Netts continued: “I can tell you that the Sheriff’s Office is aware of this problem. I told them how concerned we are as a City Council (and as a city).”
But residents were not appeased.
“Please, do something, because I’m a single mom, and I don’t know what kind of reaction those people are going to do,” Saira Castillo pleaded Tuesday. “I’m afraid to say something because I don’t know.”
