Woman attacked by two dogs

Michael Bono was inside his South End home Thursday night when he heard a neighbor scream, and soon found himself scouring the darkened street, armed with a flashlight, looking for part of her finger.

Bono's gruesome task followed a pit bull attack about 7:30 p.m. on Concord Square that cost Jennifer A. Watson the tip of her finger as she struggled to protect her dog, according to authorities and neighbors. ''She was trying to fight them off," Bono said.

Watson, who could not be reached for comment, was attacked by two dogs -- a pit bull and a pit bull-Weimaraner mix -- which authorities said are owned by Thomas Fiese, who lives four doors away from Watson.

Neighbors said Fiese is a responsible dog owner who routinely complied with the city's two-year-old ordinance that requires pit bulls to be muzzled and on a leash at all times.

''The owner of the pit bulls is always with them," said neighbor Jennifer Schuler, owner of a miniature long-haired dachshund named Murray. ''They're really friendly dogs."

Bono said neighbors told him Fiese had been unloading groceries from his car, with the dogs inside, as Watson emerged from her brownstone with her English cocker spaniel.

Bono said when he heard Watson scream for help, he rushed outside and saw Fiese's two dogs running up the steps of their home while Watson stood, her left hand bleeding heavily, holding her dog safely in her arms.

''I could see the blood coming down," Bono said.

Neighbors gathered, and Watson was escorted into Bono's apartment where hasty efforts at first aid were begun, a task quickly assumed by emergency medical technicians. As they cared for Watson, Bono said they requested his help. ''Can you find her finger?" an EMT asked.

Bono said he got a flashlight and went outside, and with the help of a young woman passing by, spotted the fingertip in front of Watson's brownstone and took it back to the EMTs.

Watson was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where she was treated and released. According to public records and the hospital's website, Watson works at Brigham's.

Watson was press secretary for US Senator John F. Kerry's 1996 reelection campaign, and in a statement released by his Washington office, Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, wished his former aide well as she goes through her ordeal. ''Teresa and I just can't believe this happened," the senator said.

After the attack, Bono said, Fiese stood on the street, deeply shaken by what his dogs had done. ''He was really upset," Bono said. ''It's just a sad case either way."

Bono, who said he knows Fiese by the nickname TJ, said he often saw Fiese with the animals. ''I never knew him to be irresponsible with the dogs," he said.

Sergeant Charles J. Rudack of the city's Animal Control Office, said the full-blooded pit bull was licensed, but the mixed dog was not. Both had updated rabies shots, he said.

He said Fiese has been cited for not having muzzles on both dogs and for not having them leashed. He also could face another citation for not posting a ''beware of dog" sign in front of the brownstone where he lives as required by the pit bull ordinance, Rudack said.

The two dogs will be quarantined at the city's animal shelter for the next 10 days, Rudack said, while their fate is decided. The city could order them put down, an order Fiese can appeal to the district courts, he said.

''Had they been on a leash and had been muzzled as the law says, it's likely this never would have happened," Rudack said. ''When people don't follow the law, this is what happens."

In 2004, the City Council voted 7 to 4 to enact the pit bull ordinance, over the objections of animal-rights groups and dog owners. The action came after a series of nonfatal pit bull attacks on humans and on other people's pets, which sometimes led to injured dogs being put down.

Kristi Hall, 25, a professional dog walker, led four of her clients along Columbus Avenue yesterday afternoon past the street where Watson was attacked.

Hall, whose business is called Dog Tales, offered some advice. ''Stay away from those dogs who are growling at you," she said. ''Just use common sense."