A 57-year-old Akron native is struggling to recover from her injuries after a vicious attack by three pit bulls — but she considers herself fortunate to even be alive.
The attack happened on Monday, March 4, as the woman was walking home from her Arlington Street bus stop. When she reached the intersection of Roscoe and Milton, she was rushed by the three dogs in an unprovoked attack.
The woman tried to fight the dogs off by swinging her purse at them, but the animals — who each weighed approximately 40 pounds — quickly pulled her to the ground and began mauling her. She most likely would have died from the attack had several other people not come to her aid. One man who was passing by in his truck stopped his vehicle and went after the dogs with a stick — and two other people who witnessed the attack helped drive the animals away.
Within thirty minutes, the dogs struck again. They’d moved on to Reed Avenue, a few blocks away, where they attacked three other people, including a social worker and a mailman. The social worker and the bystander who came to her rescue ended up hospitalized for their injuries.
The dogs have now been quarantined in the county’s Animal Control center. Their owner has been identified and he or she may face charges.
Meanwhile, the initial victim is looking at extensive healing time and possibly permanent damage. She currently has no feeling in the fingers on one hand and is missing chunks of her hair where it was ripped from her scalp. There’s no word on how the other victims are faring.
This attack comes at a time when some state lawmakers are trying to get the Ohio General Assembly to get tough on the owners of vicious dogs. The bill that’s proposed has failed to win approval three times in the past — but there’s renewed interest in it. It would require more extensive follow-ups when vicious dogs are reported and put more responsibility on dog owners to keep the public safe, among other things.
Dog bites are serious business. The impact of a vicious attack can alter your life. If you or a loved one suffered an attack by a neighbor’s dog, talk to an attorney about your rights.