The 81-year-old San Antonio man mauled to death by two dogs on Friday has been identified as an Air Force veteran and beloved grandfather.
Ramon Najera died when he was attacked by two dogs that had escaped their yard and charged him and his 74-year-old wife Janie in the city’s west side.
Najera was a San Antonia native who served in the US Air Force and was described as “an adventurous, outgoing and loving family man,” by one of his grandchildren on a GoFundMe page created to raise money to cover medical and funeral expenses.
“He was recently put on dialysis but was determined to enjoy life to the fullest despite his health condition,” Phoenix Alfaro wrote on the fundraising page.
The dogs, Staffordshire terriers named King and Snow, mauled the older couple and injured another man as well as a fire captain who responded to the attack.
Janie Najera was seriously injured, the man whose home the couple had been visiting was bitten in the hand and the fire captain was bitten in the leg.
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said first responders witnessed the 81-year-old “being dragged by a dog [and] completely bloody before they got off the fire truck.”
The firefighters had to fight off the dogs with pick axes as the animals began to also attack them.
The two dogs involved and a third belonging to the same family were taken by Animal Control and euthanized, according to the local station KENS 5.
The dog’s owner, 31-year-old Christian Moreno, was arrested and faces felony charges of attack by dangerous dog causing death and injury to an elderly.
Moreno’s wife apologized to the family of Najera but also said her husband is not responsible for the deadly mauling in an emotional interview with KENS 5.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we’re sorry,” Abilene Moreno told the outlet. “… My husband is not responsible.”
She said they harnessed, tethered and locked the dogs behind the gate before they left the house, but the animals knocked down the fence while they were out.
“We were coming back and I saw the dogs behind the gate but they were covered in blood,” Moreno told KENS 5.
They were informed that their animals attacked four people — killing one.
“It’s traumatizing to see my dogs that I have raised since they were puppies do that to somebody,” Moreno said.
However, the dogs have an aggressive history, according to both their owner and Animal Care Services.
The organization had investigated two prior “bite cases” involving King and Snow in the neighborhood — with the most recent happening just last month.
ACS took the dogs into custody and neutered and spayed them following that attack.
Moreno said she didn’t want the dogs back due to their aggressiveness at that point, but gave into their children’s desire to keep the pets.
Her husband remains behind bars on bail.
