Family wants to thank rescuer in dog attack

Michael Golden would like to find the good Samaritan who saved his wife, Joanne, from a Sunday pit bull attack in Citrus Heights that injured her and cost their dog its life.

"I don't know what would have happened," Michael Golden said. "We want to thank him and have him help us positively identify the dog."

On Tuesday, the Goldens were mourning the death of their pet and dealing with multiple bites, bumps and bruises suffered by Joanne Golden.

The incident occurred about 3:15 p.m. as Joanne Golden and her father, Angelo Romeo, 84, walked through their neighborhood west of Birdcage Center. The Goldens' Jack Russell terrier-Chihuahua mix, Cody, was in front on a leash, near the corner of Merlindale Drive and Farmgate Way.

"This pit bull came out of nowhere," Michael Golden said.

It grabbed Cody, and when Joanne Golden tried to intervene, it attacked her, knocking her on her back and biting her on both hands.

A stranger driving a black Chevy Suburban stopped, helped fight the dog off and got everybody into his vehicle. He drove to the Goldens' house and ran to the front door to alert Michael Golden.

Things happened very quickly. "All I heard was 'wife … pit bull attack,' " Golden said. "My dog was bleeding on this man's car seat. My wife was bleeding."

Concentrating on getting his wife to a doctor and his dog to a vet, Michael Golden did not get the man's name. But he'd like to thank him. Golden said his wife was exhausted and badly bruised and probably could not have fought off the dog without the man's help. Cody died a few hours after the attack.

Joanne Golden was treated at Mercy Hospital in Folsom.

Neighbors identified a pit bull they believed could have been involved in the attack; that dog's owners adamantly deny their dog was involved.

Ruben Hernandez, supervising animal control officer at Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation, said the attack is under investigation.

"The dog is under quarantine at our shelter," Hernandez said.

It is up to the Goldens to file a vicious-animal affidavit, which will start a review and hearing process. A hearing officer could order the pit bull destroyed or released with stern restrictions.

Hernandez said he also is anxious to talk to the man who intervened and to anybody else who can offer information about the dog in question. "Any witness to the incident would help," he said.

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