HOUSTON – A woman started rabies vaccinations after she said a pit bull attacked her and her two dogs at The Red Roof Inn on the Northwest Freeway near Hollister early Tuesday morning.
Belinda Mendl said one of her dogs ran back to her hotel room but that her other dog, a two year old Shetland sheep dog named D'Artagnan, ran away after they were attacked by a big, gray, pit bull, not on a leash, staying with a guest at the hotel.
"I fought him off three times before he finally got into my dog. I opened his mouth up with my hand and took my dog back," said Mendl.
She told Local 2, "He kept coming after us three times. And I finally pried his mouth open on the third. He grabbed my dog and thought he was going to kill it. At that point my dogs took off. One went back to the hotel. The other took off."
She said the owner of the pit bull and his dog also took off. Mendl had a tetanus shot and started rabies vaccinations. Since the pit bull disappeared, it could not be tested for rabies.
Red Roof Inn released a statement. It said, "Red Roof is pet friendly however there are clear policies regarding guests traveling with pets. Regarding the incident at the Red Roof property in Houston Texas (#231), initial information indicates that a guest was walking his dog without a leash which is in violation of Red Roof's pet policy. However, Red Roof is investigating all details and will take appropriate action when complete. Red Roof's pet policy is posted on redroof.com."
A clerk at the hotel confirmed there is surveillance video of the attack and the dog's owner. Houston police were investigating