Elderly man and his dog attacked by loose dogs, who police say were then stolen

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A 94-year-old man and his cocker spaniel are recovering after two dogs got loose and attacked them Thursday afternoon on Milwaukee's northwest side.

Milwaukee police say someone was trying to steal the attacking dogs when they got away and went after the cocker spaniel at about 1:15 p.m. Police says "a known suspect" then took off with the attacking dogs.

However, a good Samaritan who helped wrangle the dogs questions the official account. He says a neighbor told him she'd called for her brother to help with the dogs after they charged toward her home earlier in the day.

Sandor Csiki said he and his girlfriend were driving through the neighborhood to visit his dad when they came upon a chaotic scene near the intersection of N. 84th St. and W. Fiebrantz St. 

"Heading south on 84th Street, my girlfriend starts screaming. She says, 'Stop, stop, stop, stop,'" Csiki recalled. "There's a guy laying on the sidewalk. I see some dogs."

Csiki said two dogs were loose. A woman was holding one on a leash while a city sanitation worker used a stick to keep the other at bay. An elderly man was on the ground, and Csiki said he then realized the man was shielding a small dog that appeared to be badly hurt.

"She's bleeding profusely everywhere," Csiki said. "In my opinion, I think her arm was broken, as well."

A neighbor ran across the alley to alert Brian Netzel his father and their dog had been attacked. 

"All of a sudden, the neighbor comes pounding at the back door and says, 'Oh my God, Eugene just got bit by some dogs, and Chloe got all bit up really bad,'" Netzel said.

Netzel said Eugene is his 94-year-old father, and Chloe is the family cocker spaniel. Netzel said Eugene was not bit, but he was bruised up after falling to the ground.

"The dog went around his legs a couple times, and all of a sudden, he's trying to pull the dog off," Netzel said. "You know, he's 94 years old, but he's down there with it, trying to get it off."

Netzel said he saw a woman holding a bloodied Chloe in a blanket. It was Csiki's girlfriend. Netzel said the seven-year-old dog is at an animal hospital in Brookfield, where she underwent surgery.

"She's got some bruises on her lungs, and she's currently being under observation at the hospital. They're monitoring her breathing," Netzel said. "They think she's gonna be fine. She's in really good care."

Near the scene Friday evening, a CBS 58 reporter spoke to a woman who initially said the attacking dogs weren't hers and she didn't know much about the attack. Eventually, the woman said the dogs belonged to a relative, and she'd been caring for them for about two weeks. 

The woman, who declined to be interviewed on camera, said she was asleep when the attack happened. She insisted someone had opened the gate in her backyard in an attempt to steal the dogs. 

Csiki said when he was helping out immediately after the attack, a man pulled up in a Chevy Impala and said his sister had called for help after two dogs ran toward her house that morning. He said he helped get the dogs in the car, and the man drove off. Csiki said a neighbor later arrived and said she'd asked her brother to help handle the dogs.

"She was like, 'I called my brother and said when I tried to leave for work this morning. Two dogs tried to run into my house and attack my dogs,'" Csiki said.

Csiki also said he believed the dogs were malnourished based on his observations.

"If you look at the dogs, they are clearly not well taken care of," he said. "I have dogs. I love dogs."

The woman at the scene disputed an accusations of mistreatment. She said the dogs were in the yard while she slept, and her son was at school. She said someone must have opened the gate in her backyard to let the dogs out. The woman said she'd apologized to the victim's wife and hoped both Eugene and Chloe will fully heal.

Police said they did not have any updates in response to follow-up questions about Csiki's account and whether any citations had been issued for the attack. and MPD spokesperson only said the investigation is ongoing and investigators are looking for a known suspect.

Netzel said he still had a lot of questions about the attack but added he was grateful for those who helped.

"[We] wanna see some justice for what happened," he said. "My mom and dad, they had to fork up upfront to the animal hospital thousands of dollars, and they're not rich. They're far from it."

"Good Samaritans exist," he added. "Thank God for good Samaritans here in Milwaukee."