For months, you feed and care for your daughter's dog and love it as though it were your own. One day, it decides to kill you. What type of dog could this be? Hmm...

CALIFORNIA -- I had been caring for my daughter's dog for a few months. She had never showed any kind of aggression toward me or anyone else.

On March 2, 2014, she and I were coming back from a walk. We entered the house and she jumped on me. I thought she was wanting to play at first, until she started biting me.

It became more out of control. I fought her for half an hour trying to keep her off me, protecting my neck and face. She was too fast and too strong. I knew at that moment I was going to die. I became so exhausted I could no longer fight her off.



Lavonne Preston after Pit Bull attack at Mercy Hospital

When I pushed her away, within seconds she was on me. Then her chain fell off her neck and she fell to her side, losing her balance. I crawled to get on top of her and put my bloody arms on her head to hold it down while I wrapped the chain around her mouth, then the leash around her neck and to a door knob.

I then crawled to my bedroom and shut the door to call 911. The police and paramedics arrived and would not enter the house because of the dog. I went outside and the paramedic cut my sleeves as they were drenched in blood. I saw the mauling and torn apart arm that the dog did to me as I saw the bone in my arm. I was in shock and thought I'd lose my arm.

This was the most devastating frightening thing I'd ever gone through in my life. I fought for my life with a dog that I'd never guess would attack me. She just turned on me, for no reason.

The Doctors told me how lucky I was to come out of the attack alive. I ended up with severe wounds to my arms, bites to my stomach, legs and chest. I'm so happy this dog didn't go off on a child, or even anyone else.

-- Lavonne Preston, Redding, California

(Redding.com - March 28, 2014)