TENNESSEE -- A Bradley County woman says she's lucky to be alive after she was attacked by three dogs.
It was around 7:30 on Monday night, when Catherine Riddle decided she'd go for a walk. She never imagined having to fight for her life on Carter Road but fight she did.
"I think the emotional scars are going to last a lot longer than the physical ones," said husband Kenny Brigman.
Brigman tells Channel 3, the three dogs that attacked Catherine, first knocked her down. Kicking and screaming, she tried fighting them off.
"The one had her by the arm and was dragging her while the others were biting her," said Brigman. "They were treating her like a rag doll, like a play toy."
Bite after bite, they drug her down the road. In the photos taken in her hospital room, you can see both of her knees have road rash.
Catherine told her family, the dogs were trying to drag her into the woods. She told her husband the attack felt like hours of sheer terror and pain.
"Her arms, both of her legs, her back, the only place they didn't get was her neck and face. Pretty much everywhere else they bit," said Brigman.
Family members say one of scariest bite marks is located just inches from Catherine's neck. A car coming around the bend during the attack, gave her hope but they didn't stop.
Catherine told her family, several cars passed without stopping. It wasn't until the fourth car passed, that Catherine gave up hope.
"She really said she gave up, she said she thought she was going to die," said Brigman. "She thought they were going to kill her."
Neighbors ran over, one with a baseball bat beating the dogs away. That's when the dogs turned on them. With the help of other neighborhood dogs, the attack ended. Catherine calls those neighbors her "angels."
"If you got a dog and it's aggressive it needs to be locked up, why would you take a chance? I don't care what anybody says it doesn't matter what breed, all dogs are dangerous. They all have teeth, they can all bite," said Brigman
The dogs' owner, Billy Rogers, is charged with 3 felony counts of 'Dogs at Large with Serious Bodily Harm.' Channel 3 has learned this isn't the first time the dogs have been seized.
The SPCA took custody of the dogs back in November after one other dog owned by Rogers, bit a teenager in the leg.
Officials with SPCA are holding the dogs under a mandatory 10 day quarantine. The three dogs now in custody were said to be "mutts" of mixed breeds.
PREVIOUS STORY: A Bradley County man is behind bars, charged with 3 felony counts of dogs at large with serious bodily injury. Deputies believe his 3 dogs, seriously injured a woman during an attack on Carter Road around 7:30 Monday night.
Deputies say Catherine Ann Riddle suffered serious injuries. After the attack, she was taken to Erlanger Hospital where she was immediately rushed into surgery.
The dogs believed to be responsible were described by neighbors as being aggressive and territorial.
The family who owns the seized dogs told Channel 3, they're heartbroken. They said the 3 dogs taken into custody have always been good with family including their children.
Riddle was walking alone on Carter Road Monday night when 3 dogs attacked her. Deputies say she tried to fight them off but they kept on biting her arms, legs, shoulder and torso.
Neighbors ran over, one with a baseball bat, trying to beat the dogs away. That's when the dogs turned on them. Eyewitnesses say the neighbors weren't hurt, but the attack didn't stop until two neighboring hero dogs,"Sassy and Mowgli" scared the trio off.
Deputies say the dogs who attacked Riddle, escaped through a broken fence. Authorities charged owner Billy Rogers with 3 felony counts of Dogs at Large with Serious Bodily Harm.
"From what I understand is there was a fence out back. but one end of the fence was down and they could get out," said Capt. Steve Lawson, Bradley County Sheriff's Dept.
SPCA of Bradley County, is holding Roger's 3 dogs under a mandatory 10 day quarantine. Channel 3 learned this isn't the first time the dogs have been seized.
"Yea, they was dangerous, real dangerous," said Neighbor Stanley Branam.
Branam tells us one of Roger's previous dogs bit his teenage grandson in the leg, last November. Branam said the dog was one of a pack circling the teenager. The incident was reported to the Sheriff's office.
"It bit him in the leg, I grabbed a tree brach, he ran inside to get his gun, by the time he got back they were close about to get me so he shot one of them," said Branam. "It died in the back building to my understanding."
SPCA took all of Rogers' dogs into custody then, only to release them back under special circumstance two days later. Officials said the dogs were released after Rogers proved they were all up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
"If they hadn't of let him have them back this would have never happened," said Branam.
SPCA described the 3 dogs now in custody as being one female with her two 6-8 month old puppies.
They confirmed the trio were a part of the group of dogs taken into SPCA custody, last November. The two puppies were younger then, not involved in the November biting incident officials say they were seized for safety reasons. SPCA officials said all of the dogs were of "mixed breeds."
Branam could not say if any of the 3 dogs now in SPCA custody ever bit his grandson or anyone else. Roger's mother Betty, tells Channel 3 she believes deputies have the wrong dogs. She said her son's dogs are sweet with kids and neighbors.
"Those pups have never bit anyone," said Betty Rogers. "I know the 3 pups police took yesterday, I can't see them biting anyone."
Authorities tell Channel 3 they are confident they have the right animals. Mr. Rogers is being held on a $15,000 bond. At last check, Ms. Riddle was still in the hospital.
(WRCB-TV - May 13, 2015)
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