GEORGIA -- A man attacked by dogs in Worth County is out of the hospital.
39 year-old Michael Towell has been discharged from Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital after he sustained serious wounds to his arms, legs and hands.
Worth County animal control officials say Towell was touring the property of a home off Woodcrest Road when three bulldog mixes attacked him.
A neighbor shot and killed one of the dogs, the other was taken into custody.Animal control officials say the third dog that ran off has not been found, but they believe it died in the woods from a gunshot wound.
The three dogs, along with four others had been tied up in the back of the house bordering the property that Towell was on.
Officials believe the dogs chewed through their leashes. Charges are pending.
Worth County animal control officials are looking for a dog who attacked a man earlier Saturday.
The dog was just one seven that had been tied up outside for several days. Three of those dog escaped this afternoon and attacked a man who, sustained serious injuries.
Officials with the Sheriff's department say 39-year-old Michael Towell was touring the property of a home off Woodcrest Road when a pack of bulldog mixes came looking for trouble.
"Three dogs attacked him as he came out. They had a scuffle here on the ground," says Best Friends Humane Society Director Sherri Hendley.
That's when a nearby neighbor came to the rescue.
"I shot one of them. He ran off and then another one was standing there and I shot him," says neighbor Fleming Barfield.
One dog was killed and another badly wounded but not before Towell sustained serious injuries to his arms, legs, and hands.
"That guy was in terrible pain and he was eaten up from the feet to his waist," says Barfield.
Neighbors say the dogs were no strangers to the area. For at least a week now, the three dogs, along with four others, had been tied up in the back of the house bordering the property that Towell was on.
"We don't know how long the dogs have been here alone and we don't know how long they've been off the chain running loose," says Hendley.
Officials believe the dogs chewed through their leashes and Towell was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
"He is a pretty good size man, over 6'5 and he was unable to fend them off when he was biting them," says Hendley.
Best Friends Humane Society picked up the remaining dogs and took them back to the shelter where they will remain in custody for at least 10 days.
Deputies believe the owner of the dogs has been in Florida since Monday. And animal control officials say all seven dogs seemed to be malnourished. Charges are pending. Michael Towell is in Phoebe Putney Memorial hospital in fair condition.
(WALB - Dec 30, 2012)
