On Friday, a heart-wrenching tragedy occurred when an 81-year-old Air Force veteran and beloved grandpa from San Antonio was brutally attacked by two dogs.
Tragically, Ramon Najera was killed while he and his 74-year-old wife Janie were viciously attacked by two unruly dogs that had escaped their pen in the west side of town.
Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Najera served our country with distinction in the United States Air Force. He was known to be “an adventurous, outgoing and loving family man,” according to one of his grandchildren who posted on a GoFundMe page created for medical expenses and funeral costs.
“He was recently put on dialysis but was determined to enjoy life to the fullest despite his health condition,” Phoenix Alfaro wrote on the theGoFundMe page.
A tragic scene unfolded when two Staffordshire terriers, King and Snow, viciously attacked an elderly couple and injured another man as well as a fire captain who came to their rescue.
Janie Najera was severely injured, while the homeowner and the fire captain who had been visiting her suffered bites on their hands and legs respectively.
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood reported that first responders had the privilege of seeing an 81-year-old “being dragged by a dog [and] completely bloody before they got off the fire truck.”
The firefighters had to fend off the dogs with pick axes as they advanced and started attacking them.
In accordance with the local news station KENS 5, Animal Control took the two dogs involved in the incident and a third belonging to their family and euthanized them.
Christian Moreno, the 31-year-old owner of the dog responsible for this tragedy, was apprehended and is facing felony charges including an attack by a dangerous dog causing death and injury to an elderly victim.
In a heartfelt interview with KENS 5, Moreno’s wife expressed her sorrow to the Najera family and claimed her husband was not responsible for the fatal mauling.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we’re sorry,” Abilene Moreno said. “… My husband is not responsible.”
She declared that the dogs were harnessed, tethered and bolted behind the gate before they left their home, yet when they returned, the animals had overthrown the fence.
“We were coming back and I saw the dogs behind the gate but they were covered in blood,” Moreno said.
They were told that their animals had caused harm to four people, resulting in the death of one.
“It’s traumatizing to see my dogs that I have raised since they were puppies do that to somebody,” Moreno stated.
Nevertheless, both their owner and Animal Care Services have reported a history of aggression from the dogs.
Only a month ago, the organization had looked into two biting incidents involving King and Snow in the vicinity.
After the attack, ACS quickly took action to ensure safety by taking the dogs into custody and immediately performing spay and neuter procedures.
Despite her reservations about their aggressive behavior, Moreno bowed to the wishes of her children and allowed them to keep the dogs.
Her husband is being held in jail on bail.
