TEXAS --The prognosis of a full recovery looks good for a husky and her owner, who was among a pair of dog walkers attacked by a roaming pack of pit bulls.
The dogs bit Sofia Morffe, 28, as she rescued Storm, her 3-year-old Husky, from the Wednesday morning attack. Just minutes earlier, the pack attacked Vickie Lowe, 60, and her Corgi - Beagle mixed breed dog Abby, prompting both to seek medical treatment.
Lowe suffered bites and scratches, but Abby needed just one stitch in the leg. Storm, however, needed surgery and an overnight stay.
Thursday afternoon, a veterinarian at Galveston’s Animal Clinic, 701 Broadway, brought Storm to a waiting room so Morffe could take her home. Storm was wearing a neck cone, and she met Morffe with jubilation, kisses and a bit of whining.
Storm’s wounds were more serious than Abby’s, but they could have been much worse given the nature of the attack, said Lea Fistein, a doctor of veterinarian medicine at Galveston’s Animal Clinic.
Police caught the pit bulls in the Fish Village neighborhood after the second attack.
The dogs remained quarantined Thursday, as police had not learned who owned the pit bulls. They had no collars, tags or microchips. The mother had a chain around her neck.
“It looked like a chain you could pull a boat with,” Fistein said.
There’s no way to know whether the pit bulls were vaccinated against rabies, but that wasn’t Fistein’s major concern.
“There has not been a case reported in domestic animals on the island in 15 years,” said Fistein, noting there’s no telling how the pit bulls came to Galveston.
Wednesday’s attacks marked the third such instance on the island in the last month, prompting police to advise dog walkers to carry dog Mace or a big stick.
Pepper spray is the most effective at stopping an aggressive dog, as using a stick could agitate the attacking dog, Fistein said.
Storm’s wounds required surgery to repair her back side, but she should fully recover within 10 days. The clinic averages one to two surgeries each month related to dog attacks, Fistein said. About 50 percent of the attacks are from pit bulls, but that number is more reflective of the larger pit bull population on the island, she said.
The attack forced Morffe, a first-year occupational therapy student at the University of Texas Medical Branch, to miss classes. She hoped to return to school today.
“I can concentrate better knowing she’s OK,” Morffe said.
Morffe’s veterinarian bill totaled $482.
The Animal Clinic will accept donations from anyone wishing to defray the cost of the surgery.
(The Galveston County Daily News - June 22, 2012)
Earlier:
Pack of pit bulls set upon women, their dogs
