Dog day. (Exercising the Right).

On January 18th, Teresa Castellano was tending her six-year-old daughter Alysa and Alysa's eight-year-old friend Kaitlyn Green at Kaitlyn's home in Tampa, Florida. She and the girls began laughing at something on television when, for some reason, their laughter agitated two Rot-tweilers in the room. When the dogs began barking and growling, Castellano cautioned the girls to be quiet, hoping that the animals would calm down, but it was too late. They attacked.

The February 1st Tampa Tribune reported that Castellano laid on the girls in an attempt to protect them, then tried to hinder the dogs so the girls could scamper to a bedroom. When that didn't work, the Tribune reported: "Castellano and the girls bolted outside the house.... The girls ran to safety in a neighbor's house while Castellano distracted the dogs." But then a pit bull joined the attack.

John Anderson and his wife were driving by when they heard the commotion and saw the three dogs attacking Castellano. Mr. Anderson turned into the Green's driveway and began honking the horn and yelling, hoping to startle the dogs and allow Castellano to reach the vehicle. The dogs stopped biting the woman, but due to her injuries she was unable to make it to the car.

Anderson was about to get out to help when he glanced over his shoulder and noticed a man approaching with a handgun. He kept honking the horn, then sped away to alert Justin Turner, a friend who lived nearby.

The armed man was next-door neighbor Winston Harr, accompanied by his wife Deborah. He had grabbed his .45-caliber pistol when he heard the screaming. The Tribune story continued: "Harr fired three shots into the ground to try and scare the dogs." He and his wife also "screamed at the dogs, but it didn't seem to matter."

When Mrs. Harr called the dogs by name, however, they stopped momentarily, but then charged Mr. Han. "The pit bull bit him on the leg before Han trained his pistol and fired, hitting the dog in the head." The shot killed the pit bull. Harr "also fired at one of the Rottweilers, and it fell to the ground." The dog may have been wounded or may have simply stumbled. Harr then emptied his gun at the third dog, but missed. When it backed away, he ran to his house for more ammunition and a flashlight.

Meanwhile, Anderson had explained what was happening to Turner, who grabbed his own .40-caliber pistol and ran to the scene. Turner positioned himself between Castellano and the Rottweilers, and when one of the dogs made a move toward him he fired. Police believe that this shot, rather than Harr's, actually wounded the dog. Both animals then retreated into Kaitlyn's home.

Another neighbor, off-duty Tampa police detective George Lease, also arrived with his 9mm handgun. The three armed men searched the house and found the wounded dog on a couch and the other on the living room floor.

The injured Rottweiler was euthanized later that night at a veterinary facility. Its partner was quarantined for a few days by Hillsborough County Animal Services, then euthanized.

Kaitlyn required 20 stitches for the bites she suffered. Alysa and her mother both required more than 100 stitches to close their wounds. A Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said that no charges would be filed against the armed neighbors, who undoubtedly averted more extensive injuries and may have saved one or more lives.