Susan Boudreaux, a nationally recognized athlete, said she was riding her bike on Highway 60 in Washington Parish last month when she was attacked by a pack of dogs.
"(There were) four of them -- two pit bulls and two black dogs. (They) started surrounding my bike," Boudreaux said.
Within a matter of seconds, she said she was attacked.
"One of them came up behind me, grabbed my calf and literally pulled me off the bike. It pulled me over onto the highway," Boudreax said.
Boudreaux said she was treated for a severe bite and was also forced to take the painful precautionary rabies shots.
When she took her issue to the authorities, she said she found Washington Parish really has no animal control.
"They have no money, no budget for it. Essentially there's nothing to do with a vicious animal if they attack a human being," said Boudreax's attorney, Tony Lemon.
Parish Chief of Administration Randy Strickland said efforts are being made toward building an animal shelter, but right now, they don't have it.
"We don't have an animal control officer at this time. We hope once we have the shelter open that will kind of coincide with hiring an animal control officer" Strickland said.
Incidents involving vicious animal attacks fall to the sheriff's office to handle, but there is no place to put them.
"I do not know who the dog belongs to. It is a 'come here' dog, and I wish whoever the dog belongs to, please come get him out of my yard," Enon resident Ellie King said.
King's dog and the "come here dog" were seen in Boudreaux's pictures, but he said his dog wouldn't and didn't bite anyone.
"I will not have a vicious dog around my 6 kids. No way," King said.
King said the owner of the Bulldogs has since moved. Boudreaux said she took her complaint to the Justice of the Peace in Enon. Summons were issued to the dog owners.
"This affects people. I mean this affected me. I didn't just go on with my life. It changed my life," Boudreax said.
Washington parish is working to build an animal control shelter on the grounds of the Rayburn prison facility in north Washington Parish.
(WDSU - Sept 20, 2011)
