By Basant El-Faramawy
A series of dog attacks in Oakland parks has led to a police investigation after a 12-year-old dog was mauled to death by two cane corsos at Lakeside Park.
Fatal Attack at Lakeside Park
Tomiquia Moss was walking her dog, Pepper, near Lake Merritt on Friday when two off-leash cane corsos jumped over fences and charged. The powerful dogs, which can weigh more than 100 pounds, attacked Pepper so severely that she died despite efforts to save her. A park maintenance worker intervened as Moss and the dogs' owner struggled to control the animals. Pepper was freed after about three minutes but suffered collapsed ribs and died at a veterinary hospital.
Witness Accounts and Video Evidence
Witness Tina Lauchengco described the incident as "completely awful." Video footage shared with SFGATE appears to show the dogs' owner restraining one animal before confronting a woman who was filming him. The woman can be heard demanding the man and his dog stay away before she falls; the dog's mouth then obscures the camera. Lauchengco believes the woman was bitten and her dog suffered bite wounds to its neck and chin.
Police Investigating Series of Incidents
The Oakland Police Department confirmed it is investigating a series of incidents involving dogs injuring people and pets around local parks. Officials declined to provide further details because the investigation remains open. The dogs involved have not yet been located.
Owner Mourns Loss
Moss and her wife are devastated by Pepper's death, made harder by the fact that the attacking dogs remain at large. "She's not here anymore," Moss said. "And so that is what we are grappling with, hour to hour, minute by minute — trying to figure out what our lives are going to be like without our Pepper."
