Florida: Woman felt sorry for stray American Bulldog, took it in and it mauled her

FLORIDA -- A woman who said she was attacked by an American Bulldog, which she was trying to save, spoke out Wednesday. She's now trying to shed light on a stray dog problem plaguing her neighborhood.

It's a problem she said led her to take home a stray dog that only ended up pouncing on her.

After several surgeries, she wants to advocate for change.

Melinda Gielmurray can't fully extend her arm. For weeks it's been bandaged, along with her leg.

With a large property in Redland, with horses and dogs and plenty of things to tend to, it hasn't been easy. But she's focused on just being alive. She said a massive, 135-pound Bulldog almost killed her.

"It just snapped," she said. "I've never seen anything like that. He attacked me and latched on to my leg. My husband jumped on the dog and was able to tell me to run."

The wounds left on her arm and leg are proof enough of the severity of the attack. Gielmurray said the only reason she took in the dog was to save it.

"It was being eaten alive by bugs. It had been homeless for a year," she said.

For it to be in "such bad condition" as she says, it looks pretty healthy.

With a soft spot for animals, she took it in only for someone to come get it.

"[The county] told me that they couldn't come out and deal with a stray dog. I told them that the dog was outside circling the property and I was scared to leave my house but they still couldn't come," Gielmurray explained.

As far as her wounds go, two surgeries later, they're getting better. But what she wants is two things: the county to do a better job monitoring the stray dog situation in Redland.

The other is for people to stop dumping unwanted dogs in Redland, because it's the neighbors, like her, who wind up getting hurt trying to fix the problem or worse.

Gielmurray's message is don't dump your dog. Turn it in to the county, where it can be accounted for.

(NBC Miami - June 8, 2016)