Dog attack victim: "I was just doing my job."

MONTANA -- A local veterinary technician had to be hospitalized after a frightening encounter with three dogs.

Rae Ann Collins was attacked by three American Bulldogs, one male and two female, while on the job at Montana Veterinary Hospital and Boarding on Friday morning.

"All I could think about was how I was going to get out alive," said Collins, who spoke with us Saturday from her hospital bed.

Collins suffered a broken left arm and dislocated right shoulder, along with multiple bite wounds on her arms, legs and torso after she says three mature American Bulldogs attacked her. Collins said she was letting the dogs out into a gravel yard when the attack happened.

  

"I was pulled down to the ground and drug around a couple times on the asphalt," said Collins. "I was trying to twist the dog's collar to cut off his air supply to give my arm a break and it wouldn't let go."
She said she then found herself fighting for her life.

"I was trying to fight off the male dog who was mutilating my arm," said Collins. "And I was really becoming frantic like nobody was coming to help me. I could...be killed by these dogs."

Collins has worked at the Montana Veterinary Hospital and Boarding facility for 16 years. The three dogs who attacked her had been boarded there before and Dr. Dennis Moylan told us they had never been a problem.

"In the past, these dogs were able to go in the yard together and the owner, when dropping them off, actually said they could be in the kennel together," said Collins. "When i was going to move them out in the larger yard with adjustable gate, I couldn't even get to the gate. They were surrounding me, jumping at me, and snapping at me."

Collins said she doesn't know what caused the attack.

"I'm not in the practice of provoking dogs. And I have a pretty good read on temperament," she said. "I was just doing my job."

Gallatin County Sheriff's office responded to the incident, which was reported at 11:30 a.m. The owner of the dogs was contacted and agreed to have them euthanized. All three were taken to Marsh Diagnostic Lab in Bozeman for testing. No charges have been filed in this incident.

Collins is expected to be released from the hospital Sunday.

(KBZK - Jan 18, 2015)

Earlier:

• Woman seriously injured by 3 dogs at animal hospital near Bozeman