A 74-year-old Ohio woman spent over a week in the care of a hospital after she was attacked by a group of dogs, sustaining a number of serious injuries. The woman has since returned to her home, but is still recovering with an infected leg, countless scratches and lesions on her arms and a severe scalp wound that doctors had to staple shut. Although acknowledging that the attack left her with "lots of hospital bills" that her insurance policy will not fully cover, she is apparently choosing not to pursue civil litigation against the animals' owner.
The woman says she was walking in her neighborhood on March 10 when she heard a group of dogs barking; shortly after she was attacked by an unknown number of the animals. The victim said she attempted to protect herself with pepper spray, but the tactic failed and the dogs began to repeatedly bite and scratch her, leaving deep gashes and ripping off a large patch of skin from her leg. She said she screamed until finally a neighbor came. The woman was transported to a hospital via helicopter and admitted to its Intensive Care Unit.
The local dog warden said city workers have caught five dogs and expect to catch more with a series of traps. He said the dogs will be taken to a veterinarian to receive an evaluation before being euthanized. He explained that their owner, who has been ticketed for failing to register and confine his dogs in the past, will be responsible for covering the cost of the vet's visit.
The woman claims she was attacked by the same dogs in 2011, though her injuries following that incident were less serious; she was released from the hospital after being treated for a single bite wound. Although the dog warden stresses that the dogs will be quarantined and euthanized, the woman said she is still afraid to walk in her neighborhood where she has spent her entire life.
Source: WSAZ, "Elderly Woman Mauled by Dogs," Olivia Fectey, March 21, 2013