Mother of teen attacked by dogs: 'My heart dropped'

TEXAS -- An East Texas teenage girl is recovering from surgery, days after two dogs attacked her, dragging her to the ground while she was walking in her neighborhood.

The attack happened Thursday afternoon in the Katima subdivision in Cherokee County, just outside of Bullard.

“I got a knock on the garage door and it was the sheriff’s office,” said the girl’s mother. “He asked if I had a daughter named Alex, and I said yes. My heart dropped.”

Two dogs, one a mixed breed, the other labeled by authorities as a “mix pit type,” dragged Alex to the ground, biting her all over her body. Alex was sent to ETMC immediately following the attack and went into surgery Thursday night.

“The emergency physician on call said he lost count of how many scratches and bites and puncture wounds that she had,” Alex’s mom said. “They got into the muscle, so she has a hard time moving around.”

The family said they are just thankful the attack was not worse. A neighbor heard Alex screaming and immediately leaped into action.

“I walked out to my front yard and saw a young girl getting attacked by two dogs,” said neighbor Carl Lane. “I ran back in my house and out through the garage and only thing I could grab right away was my golf club.”

“We call him Alex's angel,” her mom said. “Normally he's not home at that time of the day. Luckily God put him there.”

The sheriff’s office report states the two dogs roamed the neighborhood for over an hour after the attack. After multiple attempts, deputies were finally able to capture one of the dogs. The other was found in a neighbor’s yard shot to death. However, the report states that deputies were “unable to locate…where the shot might have come from.”

The attack was a shock in the quiet, family-filled neighborhood.

“I have three kids,” said Alex’s mom. “This could have been anybody's kids. I don't feel like I can let my kids play by the street.”

Cherokee County does not have a leash law in effect outside of city limits. The family said that they are not looking for donations, but accountability from both dog owners and local officials.

“I would like to find the owners,” said Alex’s father. “I think they should be responsible for at very least medical bills. She suffered a lot of trauma from the issue. She doesn't even want to go outside by herself now.”

Investigators said they have identified the surviving dog’s owner, but believe the other “more aggressive” dog was a stray.

Both animals are undergoing testing for rabies.

At this time, no charges have been filed.

(KLTV - Oct 7, 2013)