South Sacramento man issues neighborhood alert after dog attack

SACRAMENTO COUNTY — A man in south Sacramento has a warning for his neighborhood after he was attacked by two dogs in his home Saturday night.

Rubin Burkett said he was in the front yard of his home on Iowa Avenue in Lemon Hill, Sacramento County, when the two dogs came up behind him and began attacking him. He said he called neighbors and even the dogs’ owners for help but was not initially heard.

The two dogs, male and female pit bulls, exited the backyard of the home next to Burkett.

“It’s pretty scary, especially when it’s so close. Not just one, it’s two that are aggressive,” said Markayla Foster, who witnessed the attack and said she rushed to get her son into her home because she was afraid the dogs would attack.

Burkett said he was “fighting for his life” against the two dogs and was bitten, scratched and possibly had his ankle broken six times.

“If that had been a child, they would be dead,” Burkett said.

As the attack continued, he said he managed to reach his neighbor’s house across the street and escape with their help.

Deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Control Department, as well as the Sacramento Fire Department and an ambulance arrived at the scene. Burkett was taken to an area hospital.

Burkett said he was frustrated by the response and concerned for the safety of his neighborhood, knowing at least one of the dogs involved in the attack was still at home. The second dog, several neighbors told CBS13, is probably still in the neighborhood.

“I was bitten six times by two different dogs and they just left them there for someone to kill them,” Burkett said.

The attack occurred two blocks from Ethel I Baker Elementary School, where several neighbors were concerned about the safety of children in the area The affected dog was still in the neighborhood.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told CBS13 that while Animal Control responded to the scene for the victim, they are in charge of the investigation.

CBS13 will update this story with more information from Sacramento County Animal Control as it becomes available.