By Mark LaFlamme,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Rescuers snagged a pregnant pit bull Monday night as the injured animal tried to jump from a second floor apartment window on Lisbon Street.

For an hour, police had tried to coax the dog from a second floor landing inside 938 Lisbon St. after the animal was struck by a car in front of the building.

The pit bull growled and bared its teeth each time an officer approached, police said. Several attempts to snare the dog with a special net were unsuccessful.

When Lewiston Animal Control Officer Wendell Strout was not available, police called Auburn’s animal control officer, Bentley Rathbun, to assist with the rescue. When Rathbun approached the animal with a tether in hand, the dog hobbled down a short hall and to a window facing outdoors.

The pit bull poked its head through the half-open window and squeezed most its upper body through. Rathbun got the tether around the animal’s neck before it could drop to a small landing beneath the window.

The pit bull was then walked from the apartment building and loaded into a cage in back of Rathbun’s truck.

Police were called to the building about 7:30 p.m., after the pit bull was seen running into a car on Lisbon Street. Witnesses said the dog then ran into the three-story apartment building next to the Canton Wok.

When police arrived, they surmised that the dog was pregnant. Rathbun confirmed their suspicions once the dog was snagged. He then took the pit bull to an animal hospital to be checked. The dog did not appear to be seriously hurt.

Police said it was unclear who owns the pit bull. Although there have been several dog complaints in that area of Lisbon Street, police did not believe the animal injured Monday night had been involved in those reports.

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