ABBEVILLE – There is a pit bull sitting in the Vermilion Parish Animal Controls Facility whose days left on this Earth are numbered unless a district judge can save its life.

The dog has been held in the dog pound by the Vermilion Parish Police Jury since June 17 because it allegedly attacked a jogger.

The incident occurred on Father’s Day when Angela Schoeffler was bitten by the pit bull while jogging on her neighborhood street located north of Erath near the Lafayette Parish line.

She suffered leg damage and was brought to a Lafayette hospital.

“I never saw the dog coming,” said Angela. “It started biting the back of my left thigh and then my right thigh. I just started screaming. I am not sure how he got away or why.”

Angela and her husband Edward Schoeffler attended a police jury committee meeting Wednesday night to ask the jurors if the pit bull that attacked her will be put down because it was considered a “vicious” dog.

Angela was told by someone at the animal control facility that the dog was not considered vicious but only “dangerous.” She disagreed since it attacked her. She said she was told by someone at the animal control facility to call police jury attorney Paul Moresi if she disagreed with them.

Angela contacted her lawyer who then wrote Moresi a letter explaining what occurred with the pit bull and what workers at the animal control facility told Angela.

Angela also went to the committee meeting to see what the jurors consider a “vicious dog.”

Based on the vicious dog ordinance, Police Jury attorney Paul Moresi III explained to the jurors what the ordinance said and by Angela being bitten by the dog, the pit bull was considered a vicious dog.

Angela told the jurors she feared for her life and her children’s life as long as the dog continued to be in the neighborhood.

“I have scars and my back is hurting because I fell to the ground,” said Angela. “It has been scary.”

Moresi told the jurors the dog should be put down and not returned to the owner.

Anne Vincent, the owner, did not deny her dog attacked Angela and apologized for the attack. She explained that her dog is a calm house dog and had never attacked anyone before.

She wanted to know from Moresi what she could do to save her dog’s life.

Police juror Mark Poché explained to Vincent that she has until Monday (regular police meeting scheduled) to save her dog’s life. Poché said if she can get a judge to listen to her plea on why her pit bull should not be put down, the judge can then rule and call Moresi on his decision.

If he rules the dog lives, then the dog can go home to Vincent. If the judge refuses to hear the argument or rules against Vincent, the next day the pit bull will be put down.