Neighbor recounts horror as pit bulls attack man, 73

The victim undergoes surgery for extensive bites on his limbs

Waipahu resident Ann Teruya heard a strange cry that did not sound human coming from across the street. "It sounded like a chicken screeching," she said.

Finally, she heard a man's voice: "Help me, help me."

She discovered her 73-year-old neighbor, Masao Kakazu, being attacked by two pit bull terriers outside his home.

"He was just bleeding and bleeding -- he wouldn't stop bleeding," said Teruya, still shaken by the incident.

Kakazu had bites almost everywhere on his body, including a "big gouge in the thigh" and "tons of bites on the legs," and a "big gash on his arm," she said. "No bite marks on his back because he was on his back the whole time."

Kakazu was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in serious condition and underwent surgery after he was attacked by two loose dogs early yesterday morning.

The major injuries were to Kakazu's legs, said his son, Lyle, who was cleaning the garage and laundry area where the attack occurred.

His father apparently fended off the dogs with a garden hose, Lyle Kakazu said, noting water everywhere.

Police said the attack happened at 7:45 a.m. on Kakazu's property at 94-152 Haaa St. The dogs had apparently gotten loose from their owner's property on Honowai Street, which runs parallel to Haaa, and attacked Kakazu in the laundry area next to the carport.

Teruya said Kakazu's wife was running in and out of the back door, "grabbing everything she had and flying them at the dog," including cutting boards and bottles of dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent, as she yelled, "Let go, let go!"

"The dogs tried to rush her at the door," Teruya said.

A woman in a car arrived looking for the two dogs, Teruya said.

Teruya said, "It took the owner (the woman) literally grabbing the back of him and ripping him off."

The woman, who is the wife of the dog's owner, was cited for a dangerous-dog violation, police said. The maximum penalty is a $2,000 fine and 30 days in jail.

A police spokeswoman said a report was turned over to the Hawaiian Humane Society late yesterday afternoon.

Hawaiian Humane Society officials said, as of yesterday afternoon, they had not seen a report filed by anyone about this case, although they would be interested.

Pearl City police said the woman told responding officers that she would take the two dogs to the humane society to have them put down. That could not be confirmed last night.

Teruya described the dogs as golden, with solid bodies "so huge they looked like they were on steroids."

Teruya, who noted that she is a dog lover, said, "I never thought I would actually see the day when I would see a dog mauling a human."

The incident has alarmed neighbors, fearful their family members or small dogs could become the next victims.

Josephine Ng, who works next door to the victim, said she would like the dogs put to sleep.

"What if it was my granddaughter? She would have been eaten up."