Four American bulldogs turned on a 37-year-old Lihu‘e woman Sunday night as she attempted to stop them from fighting in her front yard on Hiraoka Street. “They were kenneled dogs and they started fighting in the fenced yard and they
Four American bulldogs turned on a 37-year-old Lihu‘e woman Sunday night as she attempted to stop them from fighting in her front yard on Hiraoka Street.
“They were kenneled dogs and they started fighting in the fenced yard and they attempted to break them up,” said Becky Rhoades, director of Kaua‘i Humane Society.
The woman, Akemi Sampei, suffered multiple lacerations to the hands, arms and thighs, Assistant Chief Clayton Arinaga said.
“She pretty much got mauled,” he said.
Sampei was reportedly attacked around 8:30 p.m., and upon hearing the attack, the woman’s 45-year-old boyfriend, Robert Nagao, rushed outside to help her.
The dogs turned on him and started to attack him, too.
“He was injured as well, but the woman suffered the worse attack,” Arinaga said.
Nagao brought the bulldogs under control with the help of neighbor Darren Yoshioka, who sprayed the dogs with a garden hose to distract them.
“The animals were raised from puppies by the couple they attacked,” Rhoades said.
Of the five dogs, only four turned on the couple.
The couple was taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital for treatment.
The man was released Sunday night, while the woman remained at the hospital.
The dogs involved in the attack were turned over to the Kaua‘i Humane Society.
“The owner of the dogs asked to have the four animals involved in the attack euthanized,” Rhoades said.
“This is the tragedy of what can happen when you have a lot of big dogs.”
Wilcox spokesperson Lani Yukimura said Sampei was still at the hospital yesterday, in good condition.
