Woman, dachshund attacked by pit bull on Queen Anne street

SEATTLE -- Kelli Rader was walking her dachshund 'Captain' on Monday evening when they ran into trouble.

They were on Nickerson Street in Queen Anne when a pit bull came charging at them.

"It leaped up and got my dog," Rader said. "And I wasn't going to let go of my dog."

A vicious struggle ensued as the pit bull tried to attack the dog Rader was desperately trying to protect.

"(The dog) dragged us around and made a mess out of us," said Rader. "And it grabbed on for more of a secure bite."

Rader sustained bruises, puncture wounds and cuts on her limbs and face. Captain sustained a gash on his nose.

But before things could get worse, help arrived.

"Then I look up .... and I'm like, 'Oh, thank God. Thank God!" said Rader.

James Lai and Ben Chuter say they didn't know exactly what was going on, but decided to find out. When they saw the pit bull, they grabbed a stick and stepped in to help.

"We saw the pit bull attacking her dog, and we started beating it until it ran away," Lai said.

Rader says she's seen this dog on the loose before. She said she tried to alert its owners, but nobody was home. The dog is believed to have slipped out by digging under the fence around its home.

A tearful woman came forward and claimed ownership of the pit bull. The woman said the dog, which she'd rescued from the pound, had never before hurt a person, but has had problems with other dogs.

Seattle police are turning the investigation over to animal control. The dog has not been seized.