Man Shoots Dogs Attacking Neighbor :: 07/25/2014

Craig Sytsma left work Wednesday evening and went for a run along the shoulder of a rural road in Metamora Township in Lapeer County.

A man mowing his lawn waved at Sytsma, a 46-year-old Livonia man, who politely waved back. The man said he continued mowing the lawn and the next time he saw Sytsma, he was in a nearby ditch being attacked by two loose dogs.

"He yelled at the dogs," Lapeer County Sheriff's Office Det. Sgt. Jason Parks said. "They would not release."

The man who had been mowing shot a handgun into the air. Still, the dogs would not let go. So he shot at one of the dogs, grazing it in the side.

(Shamefully, the trio of Freep writers who penned this piece continue on about the dogs and their owners, failing to mention the fact that the Cane Corsos mauled Mr. Sytsma to death until the tenth paragraph. When dogs attack, safety choices are few, vet and other experts say.)

http://www.freep.com/article/20140725/NEWS06/307250132/mauling-metamora-cane-corso-sytsma-jogging