KENTUCKY -- Two women are recovering after their dog attacked them in their own back yard.
The attack happened just after 2 p.m. at a home in the 9000 block of Haviland Avenue.
Police said they don't know what caused the longtime family pet to suddenly turn on its owners.
At least one neighbor said the oppressive heat and the fact that the power was not on on the street at the time may have played a role.
Police said a mother and her adult daughter were trying to put their Great Pyrenees mix dog back into its cage when it attacked them.
They both ran to a neighbor's house, who then called for help.
Both women were cut on their hands, but police said they're simply going to need some stitches.
They were taken to Jewish Hospital downtown, and they're both expected to be OK.
Police said the dog had been the family's pet for about six years, was up to date on its shots and there had been no previous problems with it.
One neighbor's best guess is that the heat was what set the pet off.
“It barks, but that's what dogs are supposed to do when there's strangers around, and it seems like a friendly dog. But like I said, with the heat and the way things are going on, this kind of heat is going to turn an animal in a minute,” the neighbor said
Animal control officers were at the scene earlier, but they have since left.
Police said once the mother and daughter are released from the hospital, they will likely surrender the dog to animal control.
(WLKY - July 21, 2011)
