Sammy gets released from Jackson Veterinary Clinic last week. He suffered multiple injuries after being mauled by a neighbor's pit bulls. Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger Dispatch

Elisa Teel was almost finished pruning her herbs when she heard the ominous growling behind her.

Two pit bulls had squeezed through a small gap at the bottom of a rickety chain link fence separating her yard from her neighbor's Wednesday morning. Moments later, two more pushed past the concrete block wedged under the sloping fence.

The Jackson grandmother, who lives in the 10000 block of Buena Vista Road, found herself faced with two impossible options: race inside and shut the door, leaving her 2-year-old Labrador-Collie-mix to fend for himself, or else remain outside to suffer the violent attack Samson endured. Teel reluctantly chose the latter. What transpired next left her dog "Sammy" with serious injuries, led to the euthanasia of three pit bulls and Teel demanding one more.

Teel still has vivid memories of last week's attack. After shutting the door, she ran to her bedroom overlooking the backyard and banged repeatedly on the window. The pit bulls wouldn't budge, she recalled. Teel watched as Sammy tried to escape, watched the pit bulls drag him from one end of the yard to another, tearing holes into her howling mutt. Hearing Teel's screams, a neighbor across the street called the police. So did Teel. The next door neighbors, who Teel said had let their dogs out just prior to the attack, broke up the scrum, allowing Teel to reopen her door. Sammy sprinted through, dripping blood out of multiple wounds and unable to sit on his ravaged haunch. "I'm just going hysterical because I'm just looking at holes in his body," Teel said hours after the mauling, as Sammy was in surgery at the Jackson Creek Veterinary Clinic.

When the Jackson Police Department and Amador County Animal Control responded minutes later, the "chaos," as Animal Control Director John Vail described it, had dissipated. The call came in as a hysterical woman screaming about a dog attack. At the time, Officer Troy Ortega didn't know if there were human victims and was preparing himself for the possibility that he might have to put down some dogs with his sidearm. Luckily, he said, that wasn't the case.

"This kind of underscores the need for people to secure their yards," Ortega said.

Pit bulls are not inherently bad animals, Ortega added, but how they're bred and the conditions in which they're kept can lead to dangerous behavior. Teel said the pit bulls were kept in close-quartered outside kennels during some of the hottest days of the recent heat wave. Ortega has heard from animal experts he's consulted that there's also a pack mentality that can kick in when the lead dog initiates an attack. In this case, that may have been a female pit bull Teel believed was in heat.

"I'm just thankful no children were out and no people were hurt," Ortega said.

Teel was glad as well. Her three grandchildren regularly visit the house and play outside, good naturedly rough-housing with her amiable Sammy. She's actually contacted Jackson police about her neighbor's dogs getting loose twice before. Both of those times, the female pit bull slipped into Teel's yard, preventing her and her husband from going outside. But nothing like this ever happened and it's pretty rare for the county, said Vail.

"I'm a dog lover, and even pit bulls and Rottweilers. But in city limits, that many dogs," Teel said, trailing off. "I'd like to see an ordinance pass that pit bulls are not allowed in city limits because we're too close quarters here. More than one pit bull, you're asking for trouble."

"My opinion is that, regarding traits or behavior that any dog has, every dog has. It's just to what degree," Vail said.

Certain breeds were bred for specific purposes, he added, making them more likely to exhibit those traits. Labrador retrievers were conditioned to recover ducks, while border collies were raised to herd sheep. While most pit bulls aren't violent, Vail said the breed was originally conditioned to engage in more aggressive behavior, something that remains prevalent in underground dog fighting.

"When they do (act out)," Vail said, "they have the physical capability to do a lot of damage."

Currently, Animal Control has the power to impound dogs that are roaming loose. In Jackson, there's also a dogs-at-large ordinance and leash law in effect, with possible fines for owners that don't comply. Under a state provision, owners that don't want to give up dogs involved in an attack can be subject to court action that determines whether the animals are dangerous, explained Vail.

But a case like this highlights the gray areas for both owners and law enforcement. A neighbor's pit bull from down the street was seen in the vicinity of Teel's yard during the attack, but there are conflicting statements about whether a fifth pit bull was involved. The next door neighbor said one of her pit bulls was actually inside during the attack and didn't relinquish it with the others.

The neighbor down the street did, with the understanding his dog would be euthanized. The next door neighbor surrendered three of the four pit bulls, including one she was babysitting for someone else. Two of those pit bulls have been put down, while Animal Control waits to see whether the other owner attempts to claim the third. Vail said his office has made repeated requests of the next door neighbor for the third owner's contact information, but hasn't received a response yet. Animal Control can't adopt out any animals involved in attacks, so if the owner doesn't claim it, it will be euthanized as well.

Meanwhile, Teel is upset her neighbor has kept one of the pit bulls she said mauled her dog.

Vail said the state provision, part of the food and agriculture code, allows Teel to submit a written statement requesting a dangerous animal hearing, which can be initiated by either the police department or Animal Control. Teel hadn't taken that step yet.

"It was a pretty chaotic scene when it was going on," Vail said, conceding that there was some conflicting information in witness reports. "I don't know if anyone can definitively say if all four dogs from the property next door (were involved). ... We didn't see it so we don't know."