COLORADO -- A Fort Collins woman is recovering at home after being attacked by a neighbor's dog - either a pit bull or American bulldog - earlier this week.
Nicole Guli, 24, said she was sitting outside on her townhome's back patio after work Monday evening when the dog got loose from where it was tied up a few yards away. She said it first began biting at her shirt, so she stood up to get away. That's when it attacked, she said.
In licensing records, the dog, Durdy, is listed as a pit bull, although animal control officers say they believe it may actually be an American bulldog mix. Guli said it's white with brown spots.
"The dog bit straight through my hand. I thought I was going to lose my arm," said Guli, who is an advertising account executive for the Coloradoan Media Group.
Guli said she's still not sure how she got away from the dog. She said she tried to talk to her neighbors about the incident, and they insisted their dog doesn't bite.
She eventually went to the hospital, where doctors told her that her hand is broken from where the dog's teeth punctured her palm. Her foot may also be broken, she said, but "it's too swollen to tell right now."
Durdy, 5, has been taken into custody and quarantined by animal control officers with the Larimer Humane Society because it lacked a valid license. The dog has previously been licensed, according to Humane Society records, but because it was not currently licensed, there was no updated rabies vaccination certificate on file.
There was no answer Wednesday at a number listed for Durdy's owner.
Humane Society animal control Officer Joe Quinn said he is still trying to track down medical records and witnesses before making decisions about ticketing Durdy's owner and the dog's fate.
"The case is still under investigation," Quinn said Wednesday morning. "We have several conflicting stories, and we're still trying to get all the facts straight."
Guli, who has sons aged 3 and 2, said she was glad they weren't home at the time of the attack.
"I'm so glad I didn't have my kids," she said. "They were not home, thank God."
Quinn said animal control officers respond to five to seven reports of dog bites a day, although not all of them turn out to be true.
(Coloradoan - July 21, 2011)
