Woman, 77, viciously attacked by 2 pit bulls in Roselawn

OHIO -- A 77-year-old woman was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries Saturday night after she was attacked multiple times by two pit bulls.

The mauling took place just before 6 p.m. in the 1800 block of Sunnybrook Drive in Roselawn.
Sgt. Dan McShane with the Cincinnati Police Department says the woman was walking on the sidewalk outside her home when the dogs charged through the front door of a house and took her down.

After stopping for a few moments, the pit bulls continued their attack when the woman tried to stand up and get away.

"It appears as if the animals acquired her, attacked her at one location, let go and then attacked her again at a second location, then possibly a third," McShane said.

The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center where she is listed in stable condition, according to CPD.

A resident of the neighborhood, Yevette Williams, said she was "shocked" when she heard what happened to the woman.

"I was very shocked (when I heard about the attack). I talked with Sgt. (McShane), he said she was in bad condition and asked if anybody knew her. (The dogs) mauled her face and jumped on their owner," she said.

The dog's owner managed to get one of the pit bulls off the woman and inside the home but the second dog charged at a responding officer. In response, the officer fired multiple shots at the pit bull, McShane said, hitting it twice.

The sergeant said the dogs' owner was attacked when he attempted to help the woman. He was taken to Jewish Hospital for treatment.

Johnathan Palmore has lived on Sunnybrook Drive for about four years. He says he's never seen the pit bulls get loose.

"(The dogs are) usually out barking at everybody. I've never seen them get loose ... (I'm shocked they got out," he said. "

 Pit bulls were once considered a vicious dog breed and banned in Cincinnati's city limits. That changed in 2012 when City Council approved a motion that removed them from the language of the ordinance that defines a vicious dog.

The dogs involved in the attack are with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

(WCPO - Dec 14, 2013)