William McNealy, 13, of Waterloo, was released from the hospital Tuesday after suffering bites and scratches to his legs. He was back at school on Wednesday, a relative said.
Vivien Brookman, 65, also of Waterloo, is at Allen Hospital, where she underwent surgery and will likely remain in coming days, said her husband, James Brookman Sr.
She never lost consciousness and remembers the attack, he said.
“She ain’t walking really good, and they got her wrapped up like a mummy,” James Brookman said. “On the calves of her legs, she lost some tissue.”
Her arms and legs are covered in bandages, and her stomach is also bandaged. She also suffered injuries to her face and top her head.
In all, doctors identified about 200 bites, and 50 of them required sutures to close, the husband said.
“They literally were trying to eat her,” he said.
James Brookman said he and his wife are dog lovers, and he doesn’t blames the dogs.
“The pit bull breed has really got a stigma about it, that, to me, I don’t think is founded. We have a lot of friends that have pit bulls, and they are as calm and collected as that one is,” he said motioning to Brandy, the family’s Lab-Shepherd mix, reclining on the floor of their home.
“It does what it has been taught to do. If the people that own them bring them up right, they are perfectly calm, nice, loving dogs,” he said.
He said he would like to see tougher laws so that owners held more accountable in cases of attacks.
“If someone has to do time, maybe they will think a little bit longer on what they do with their dog,” he said.
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| A neighbor drove her car up onto the sidewalk in an attempt to scare the dogs away from the victim |
Vivian Brookman was on her morning walk when the attack happened. She walks daily from her home to San Souci Island, turns around and heads back. It’s a two-mile route she has been following all summer, the husband said.
Shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday, the route crossed paths with three dogs. Witnesses said the dogs, two younger and one older, had just finished attacking William, who was heading to a bus stop, when they noticed Vivian Brookman.
“She said when they came across the road, the puppies were wagging their tails like they were nice, friendly dogs. And the big one stopped in front of her, and the two little ones went behind her,” James Brookman said.
A neighbor who had seen the first attack opened his door and told her to get inside.
“She started, but the one in the front growled at her, and then the two in the back started biting, one on each leg,” he said. “She couldn’t get any further. They wouldn’t let her get that far,” he said.
Neighbors said she fell to the ground as the dog continued to bite as residents tried to scare them off.
In the end, a police officer shot the adult dog in the head with his handgun, and it died after fleeing about a block. The two younger dogs were detained.
Waterloo Animal Control officials said they still have control of the surviving dogs — described by the owner as an 8-month-old male Boston terrier mix and a 1-year-old female pit bull.
Citations are pending, and the case is still under investigation, said Animal Control Officer Maria Tiller. She said authorities are still trying to determine ownership of the tan adult pit bull that was killed by police.
The owner of the younger dogs said they escaped from a yard by crawling through a hole in the fence.
(WCFCourier - Aug 29 2013)
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