NEW YORK -- A 32-year-old Orange County woman is airlifted to Westchester hospital after being attacked by her own dog.
Police said it happened at a home on Waverly Place in Middletown. They said the pit bull viciously attacked its owner's arm. Bystanders heard her screams and rushed to help, but they couldn't get the pit bull to release from her arm.
Police also said when they arrived they had to shoot the dog in order to get it off the woman.
[When police arrived, an officer tried to approach the victim and that's when the pit bull released its owner's arm and approached the officer in an aggressive manner. The officer fired four shots at the dog, killing it.]
The victim told police she was trying to put the pit bull, which was an adult, into a fenced-in outdoor enclosure when it attacked her, biting her numerous times on the arms, wrists and stomach.
"Owners of these animals have to be aware of what they are capable of. In this case the victim turned out to be the owner, however she had a small child that was inside the house. Thank god the child wasn't the victim of the attack. Thank god the child didn't come out during the attack," said Police Chief Ramon Bethencourt.
A neighbor said he heard the woman screaming for help an immediately called police. Police said the woman's injuries are not considered to be life threatening. [However, she was airlifted by state police Medevac indicating that the wounds were serious enough to go by helicopter rather than the longer ride in an ambulance.]
(YNN - July 24, 2012)
