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Dog owners charged after attack

The owners of the three dogs that mauled a 49-year-old Washington County man over the weekend turned themselves in to police Tuesday, authorities said.

Brian O'Neal McDonald, 29, and his mother, Gloria McDonald, were charged with four counts of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, and attack by dog with serious injuries, a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison.

Washington County Sheriff's Department officials said the pair turned themselves in after authorities issued warrants for their arrest.

William Whiddon Jr. was taken to Trinity Medical Center around 6 p.m. Saturday after a German shepherd, a pit bull and one dog of an unknown breed attacked him, Washington County Sheriff's Office Lt. Alan Runge said.

He remained in the hospital Tuesday.

The dogs ripped Whiddon's clothing to shreds and caused numerous serious injuries to his arms, legs, head and body, Runge said.

"His injuries were extreme," Runge said. "The dogs had punctured through to the bone in places -- it was all over."

Whiddon was fixing a fence on his property on Nicholson Lake Road near Chappell Hill when the dogs attacked him for an unknown reason, Runge said.

Whiddon was able to break one dog's leg. But Runge said officials weren't sure what made the dogs stop attacking the man long enough for him to call for help.

More than 4.7 million people a year are bitten by dogs, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites, and half of those are children, the department's Web site states. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency room and about a dozen die.

Officials received the report after Whiddon was in the hospital. Washington County sheriff's deputies went to his residence along with animal control officer Craig Regan to capture the dogs, Runge said.

Once they arrived, the German shepherd and the pit bull attacked Regan, Runge said. Regan defended himself with a pole, but the dogs persisted and the pit bull was shot and killed. The German shepherd was injured while being subdued, and the third dog was captured without incident, officials said. Regan was not injured.

Another pit bull was seized from the McDonalds' residence, though it wasn't involved in the attack, Runge said.

Runge said it was unclear Tuesday whether any of the dogs had rabies.