Pizza delivery man attacked by dogs in Rush

RUSH, N.Y. (WHEC) — A pizza delivery man was attacked by three dogs at a home in Rush over the weekend. Carl Groth is still recovering both physically and emotionally from the incident but wants answers as to what is going to happen from here.

Groth is the manager at Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria in Avon.

“Obviously, with COVID we are very short-staffed so, I’ll take deliveries out,” he explained to News10NBC.

That’s what he was doing on Saturday afternoon, making a delivery to a home along East River Road in Rush. The order was made and paid for online.

“I figured I could leave it under the covered porch, I knocked and there was no answer and so, I was just gonna call her when I got to my car and let her know the food is there,” he recalled.

But as he was walking back to his car, a woman opened a door to the home.

“Out come these three huge dogs and my initial reaction was like, ‘just try to bend down and be like, good puppies’ but I saw they weren’t trying to be good puppies,” Groth said through tears, “one just grabbed onto my arm and immediately just started pulling and then the other dog came and grabbed my leg.”

Groth said he screamed for the woman to help.

“I can’t speak for her, all I know is she did nothing, she did not yell come here, or leave him alone, or try to break them off or anything,” he said.

He was able to make it back to his car.

“I knew that if I hit the ground they were just gonna tear my limb for limb and all I wanted to do was see my kid, all I wanted to do is see my wife, and all I wanted to do is move forward you know, and by God’s grace, I did,” Groth said.

He somehow managed to back out of the driveway while calling 911. He was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital and treated for multiple dog bites to his arms and legs. About an hour after the incident, a Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy who responded to the scene called to tell Groth that she didn’t go to the door because of the danger and the dog owner wasn’t answering phone calls.

“You think something’s going to happen, you think they’re going to do something and they’re not doing anything and she’s like, ‘there’s nothing we can do,’” Groth said.

When News10NBC passed by the house on Monday, the three dogs were outside in the driveway.

When News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke asked the Sheriff’s office what the status of the investigation is, a spokesman responded, “Deputies did attempt to make contact with the homeowner with negative results due to the aggressive dogs outside of the location and the homeowner repeatedly not answering the phone. MCSO notified the Town of Rush Animal Control Officer who will follow up on this incident.”

The Town of Rush animal control officer contacted Groth to tell him that there are no dogs licensed to that address and an investigation is now underway that could include both fines and a dangerous dog hearing.

Tuesday, Town of Rush Supervisor Gerald Kusse told News10NBC the Animal Control Officer attempted to go to the home Monday night but the dogs were outside, jumping at the windows and biting at the tires so he didn’t feel safe getting out.

Kusse said the town is prepared to take one aggressive dog into custody but not three — so it may need help from other towns.

He said as of Tuesday, the dog owner has still not returned calls, and that the dog control officer checked with a local vet and it looks like two of the three of them have had a rabies shot, the other one has not.

As for what Groth would like to see, “it’s a conundrum really,” he said.

“At the very least, they should be taken away from this lady who was obviously irresponsible and unable to control these animals. At worst, they shouldn’t be allowed to do this to anybody ever again and they shouldn’t be given a chance to,” he said.

Groth is continuing to recover from his injuries both physically and emotionally. When asked whether he’ll be ever able to return to making deliveries he said, “through my savior all things are possible but I just don’t — I just don’t know anymore I can’t even think that far in advance.”

Groth has set up a GoFundMe to help cover living expenses as he recovers from his injuries.