For years, we've reported about pit bull owners that decry Colorado breed bans targeting their pets.

Yet as of last year, pit bulls remained the most euthanized dogs on the Front Range.

Against this backdrop comes the story of Dan Hayman, who says he shot and killed three pit bulls because they were attacking his dog — and one of them lunged at him.

The report comes to us from KKTV in Colorado Springs, which notes that the incident took place on Friday night, March 20.

That's when Hayman says he heard "loud barking and whining" coming from his garage.

So he grabbed his gun, and inside the garage, he found three pit bulls attacking one of his two German Shepherds, nine-year-old Springer.


He believes the pit bulls chewed through his fence in order to gain access to his property.

Upon entering, Hayman tells the station, one of the pit bulls came after him.

He responded by shooting the first pit bull, and when the other pair continued to go after Springer, he shot them, too.

Hayman wasn't charged in the incident, and thus far, the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region hasn't been able to track down the pit bulls' owners.

Once they're found, they could face allegations related to the attack.

As for Hayman, he'd like the pit bulls' keepers to pay for the $75 vet bill Springer rang up. But he says, "I feel sorry for the dogs themselves, really, because they didn’t deserve that, it’s just because the owners taught them that way.”

Here's the KKTV report:


Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.