By Chris Paschenko
The Daily News

Published February 15, 2008

LA MARQUE — A vicious mauling inside a La Marque couple’s home has them mourning a beloved beagle named Bacon and nursing a puppy back to health.

Jerry Wallace, 25, said he left Saturday to buy an engagement ring for his fiancée, Brittany Morgan, 19, but he made a gruesome discovery when he returned home that afternoon.

Bacon, a 1-year-old pure breed, wasn’t making his usual fuss when Wallace arrived.

“I went inside, looked down and it looked like there was mud everywhere,” Wallace said. “I yelled, ‘Bacon! What have you gotten into now?’ I walked into the guest bedroom and saw him lying on the floor.”

Wallace quickly realized what he thought was mud was dried blood.

“I saw three dogs still inside the house,” Wallace said. “They saw me and went single file into the backyard. I went to get my shotgun, but then I was afraid they (authorities) would take it away from me, so I took a moment to calm down.”

Wallace said he called his father, who recommended calling police.

Morgan was at work when Wallace found the couple’s other dog, Blanca, a 6- or 7-month-old pit bull mix, severely injured and hiding in a closet.

“She was the lucky one,” Wallace said.

Wallace said the door leading to his backyard has a horizontal door handle. Bacon knew how to hit the handle to let himself inside.

Wallace said the neighbor’s three dogs — which authorities identified as a mixture of pit bull and at least one other breed — have escaped their owner’s yard other times.

Wallace pointed to a portion of his fence where the chain-link doesn’t touch the ground. He figures that’s how the dogs entered his yard.

He said Bacon must have seen the dogs coming and then hit the door handle to run inside for protection. Blanca could have entered the home behind Bacon as well.

With the couple’s home in disarray from the melee, a La Marque police officer arrived and called for an animal-control officer with the Galveston County Health District.

Kurt Koopmann, a spokesman with the district, said an animal-control officer investigated the incident and took information from police.

“My understanding is three dogs got out of the yard and ended up in a neighbor’s house,” Koopmann said. “The (police) officer witnessed the dogs going back into their yard. ”

The animal-control officer issued the owner three citations, which accuse the owner of allowing the dogs to roam loose, Koopmann said.

The district is investigating whether to declare the dogs dangerous, Koopmann said. It wasn’t immediately known how long that process takes.

Koopmann said if the dogs are declared dangerous, the owner would have to restrain the dogs, obtain liability insurance and post a dangerous dog sign, Koopmann said.

Blanca’s bites resulted in a $750 veterinarian bill, Wallace said. Blanca wore a neck cone that prevented her from licking her wounds. She also tried to sit down several times but stopped in mid-crouch, apparently remembering the pain associated with plopping down on a hardwood floor.

Bacon was purchased at a Texas City pet store for $500, and it cost $200 to have him cremated, Wallace said.

Morgan said her wedding dress is stained with blood.

“I took it to the cleaners, and they said it would be $200 to $300 for the three or four spots,” Morgan said. “One is dark, and they said it might be able to make it off-white.”

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For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
409-938-2211 or 409-392-0007
kkoopman@gchd.org