Three pitbulls that mauled a man in an east Bakersfield yard were set to be euthanized Tuesday at the end of a 10-day quarantine.
"The owner will not be redeeming the dogs," city animal control Supervisor Tammy Davis said Monday. "They won't be released to a rescue or anything like that because of their behavioral history."
Steven Herrera, 35, received moderate injuries from bite wounds to his abdomen and left arm Nov. 3.
One neighbor snapped pictures as the attack unfolded while another used a cane to beat the dogs off their victim at the home near Robinson and East 18th Streets.
Herrera had entered the yard of his brother Salvador Romero when Romero was not home. Romero had warned Herrera not to enter the yard alone after the dogs became aggressive during an earlier visit.
Romero would have needed to pay impound fees of close to $300 to retrieve the pitbulls from the county animal shelter. He also would have been required to license the dogs and prove they were up-to-date on vaccinations.
The male dog was not neutered and the two female pit bulls were pregnant, Davis said.
Damon Hill heard the commotion the day of the attack and ran to see if he could help.
"It was a pretty gory sight to see," said Hill, who snapped pictures as the attack unfolded. "He was screaming for help and we were getting sticks and weapons to help him. A neighbor came in like a superhero with a cane and gave the dogs a whack and they let go."
Andy Castaneda cautiously came to the rescue.
"I saw the pit bull (and) hit him with the cane, my trusty cane," Castaneda explained. The dogs "never attacked anybody before as far as I know. It's horrible, not a nice sight to see three pit bulls on one man."
The first picture Hill snapped shows the man in blue jeans and a yellow, plaid shirt with one dog biting his abdomen and another dog clamped onto his left forearm.
The second image shows the aftermath of the attack: a bloody, open wound on the man's arm and his blood-soaked shirt.
"When you have three dogs together, it's different than just one," Davis explained shortly after the attack. "I think the male was the more aggressive one and the females just joined in
