SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Police have identified the owner of the pit bull that fatally attacked a toy poodle in Santa Monica last week.
What we know:
In a statement, the Santa Monica Police Department said the pit bull owner involved was identified and that the city attorney would evaluate “whether any municipal or criminal violations apply based on the facts presented.”
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“We want to be transparent in acknowledging that, under current law, many dog-on-dog attacks and related violations fall under civil or misdemeanor-level offenses. These may include violations of leash laws, failure to control a dangerous animal, or failure to provide information following a dog bite,” police said.
What we don't know:
The identity of the pit bull owner was not released.
It's unclear if the owner will be charged, or if anything will happen to the pit bull.
The backstory:
According to police, the attack happened on Friday, April 11 around 5:30 p.m. near Main Street and Strand.
The small toy poodle, Dublin, was on a walk with its owners, Christopher Dietrick and Allysa Kluge, when the fatal attack happened.
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“This is a walk we take three times a day, it's in our neighborhood, just about a block and a half from our home,” said Dietrick. “We're walking home with Dublin and as we were walking, a man was not paying attention.. he was leaned into a passenger side window of a car and his pit bull mix lunged across us, got a hold of our Dublin.”
Dietrick was also bitten by the pit bull when he tried to intervene.
The pit bull's owner fled the scene on foot with the dog, and his image was captured by security cameras, police said. Witnesses reported the owner and dog ran into an apartment building in the Ocean Park neighborhood.
What they're saying:
Allysa Kluge called the pit bull's owner a “coward,” saying the responsibility as a pet owner is to take care of your pet from hurting you and other people, other animals – something “this gentleman failed.”
“He had a responsibility to hold that pit bull tight, to hold him and pay attention, and he did not. We had our Dublin on a leash. He had his dog on a leash. He was not paying attention.”
Kluge said she first got Dublin more than 11 years ago – on St. Patrick's Day – when he was a puppy at 10-weeks-old.
What you can do:
For animal safety concerns or to report an incident, please contact Santa Monica Animal Control at (310) 458-8595.
The Source: Information for this story is from the Santa Monica Police Department and an interview with Allysa Kluge and Christopher Dietrick on April 14, 2025.
