Paterson man savagely attacked by his own pit bull terrier

Bitten on his face, arm, stomach and back, a 35-year-old Paterson man said he crawled out of his Albion Avenue home early Sunday morning to escape the four-year-old pit bull he had raised as a puppy.

The victim, Juan Cay, said the dog turned on him during a domestic argument involving his wife and her uncle. "I was frightened for my life," said Cay. "I thought that dog was going to kill me."

Cay said that at one point during the attack his wife confined the dog in a bedroom, but the animal broke out and went after him again. Cay said his wife again managed to get the dog into a different room. "I crawled out and passed out on the sidewalk," said Cay.

Cay was treated at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, authorities said. The victim said he likely will need surgery to repair damage to his arm.

The dog is being held in quarantine at the city's animal control facility. "It's a very aggressive dog," said John DeCando, the chief animal control officer. "When we got there, it was locked in a bedroom and every time we opened the door it lunged at us," said DeCando. "We had a hard time getting it out of there."

The dog likely will be kept in quarantine for several more days and then be euthanized, DeCando said. "You don't have much choice after something like this," said DeCando. "God forbid it attack a child."

"I have to go down there when they put it to sleep," said Cay. "That's something I'm not looking forward to. The dog is like part of the family."

The pit bull's name is Dutchess.