Local resident Rebekah Carder describes her ordeal.
I am an animal lover. I have a blind dog and a three legged dog that I like to take on small walks. I clean up after them and curb them around flowers and plantings to be respectful to my neighbors.
This evening a large bulldog bolted out of his yard across the street and attacked both my dogs. It was all I could do to simply get the dog off my dog while his owner called for him. I rolled on the ground covering my dogs with my body as I could, unable to protect both at the same time.
Thankfully a few cars stopped to help and someone finally got the dog under control. Thank you to the neighbors who waited with me, checked and calmed one of my dogs while I calmed and checked over the other dog for injuries. I was absolutely terrified. I cannot walk in my neighborhood safely because of these out of control dogs.
This was not the first time. It happened earlier this month with a pit bull mix. My road rash was the only injury that day but I managed to get the dog's collar and hold him until his owner managed to make it out of the house after I screamed for awhile. Another morning I came across a woman carrying a stick who warned me that a pit bull-looking dog came after her and another black dog was loose around the corner.
One thing these dogs that attacked me had in common was that their owners acted pretty casual when their dogs got out. They did not seem to know how to get their dogs under control. They claimed that their dog never attacks anyone. While I sit there on the ground terrified, they explain how innocent their dogs are.
I am still very distraught from this last attack. I am not sure how to protect my dogs or myself. It was suggested tonight that I should get pepper spray and/or a club if I continue to walk my dogs. I am sure I should also report attacks to the police.
(Tucker Patch - December 5, 2011)
