Woman attacked by dogs, pushes for new law Posted: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 5:04 pmLindsay Slater Mary Katherine Carroll Mary Katherine Carroll lies in a bed at DeKalb Regional Medical Center, recovering from an attack from five pit bulls while jogging. Mary Katherine Carroll has always been an animal lover, especially of dogs. She grew up around dogs and always had dogs growing up.She even got her bachelor’s degree in animal sciences.It was the very animals she loved that would cause her the greatest pain she’s experienced in her life.Carroll was out jogging at night recently when she noticed a pit bull coming toward her.She yelled at the dog to go home.“I’m familiar with dogs and usually, if you speak to them in an authoritative voice, they’ll go on,” Carroll said.The dogs didn’t go away.One of the dogs bit Carroll on the back of her leg, and then, four other dogs jumped her.Carroll was able to stay upright and was trying to make her way to a front porch, so she could get help.“I remembered I had my phone, and I tried to make a call, but before I could, one of the dogs jumped up and bit my bicep and pulled me to the ground,” Carroll said.She was able to get back up, all the while the dogs were biting and tearing the flesh and muscle on her legs, groin and arms.Carroll said a lady familiar with the animals emerged and began to yell at them.She told Carroll to put her arms around her neck, and the lady put her arms around Carroll’s waist to hold her up.It wasn’t until a man in a pickup truck stopped, got out and asked what was going on that the dogs ran away.“The lady put me in her car, brought me to DeKalb Regional Medical Center and stayed with me until my husband, Jayson, got here,” Carroll said.Once at the hospital, Carroll underwent about five hours of surgery to sew tissue, muscle and skin back together. When she arrived, both of her calf muscles and her left bicep were hanging from her body, and she had suffered lacerations all over her arms, legs and groin,All together, she had about 100 centimeters of lacerations, with several of them being all the way down to the bone. Several of the wounds were mere centimeters away from major arteries.“I’m so fortunate to be alive,” Carroll said. “The doctor told me he could stick his fingers all the way to the bone in the wound on my bicep and could feel my brachial heartbeat. If the dog had severed either my brachial artery or my femoral artery, I probably would’ve bled to death.“I thank God for watching over me. I’m truly blessed to be alive. I’ve had two children, and this was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. I could’ve lost my job over this, because I’m, as a nurse, I’m not going to be able to work for a while, but everyone at Highlands Medical Center has been so great in making sure my job is secure. I’m so thankful to them. I also thank all of my friends and family who have been praying for me.”Now, she is pushing for cities to adopt leash laws.“Cities need laws,” Carroll said. “If this had happened to a child, the child would be dead. I’m an animal lover, but it’s taken this for me to realize that the rights of my dog are less than the rights of my neighbors.“People need to be held accountable on a criminal level if they have animals running lose. Dogs should never be loose, and they shouldn’t be allowed in packs, especially male dogs. Dog packs can be very dangerous. It’s important that people be responsible pet owners.”Her daughter, Katie, read a letter aloud to the Rainsville City Council on Monday urging them to adopt a leash law.“I’m worried for the citizens of this city,” her letter said. “Owners should have consequences.”Carroll said she intends to take her concerns to the state level and make it a requirement statewide that owners have greater responsibilities when it comes to animals.The owner of the pit bulls, Steven Nance, was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. The dogs were sent to Auburn University for rabies testing.© 2012 times-journal.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed._____________________________________________http://times-journal.com/news/article_ba0a7c2c-72d8-11e1-a8c5-0019bb2963f4.html
Oh my gosh. This is so sad. There really does need to be something done about leash laws in so many places. If it had been a kid, like she said, they wouldn't have survived an attack like that. People don't seem to understand that leashes maintain safety for their dogs, other dogs and people. I get so irritated at people who act like leashing their dog is cruel. So glad this terrible attack didn't injure her more and I hope she has a speedy recovery.
Pit bulls are not supposed to be HA, at all. Is the owner responsible for keeping his dogs contained, absolutely.
This is wrong on so many levels. I am just SICK TO DEATH of any and all dog attacks labeled as "Pit Bull' attacks. Maybe they were and maybe they weren't. It's just that any stout, short hair blocky bulldog is automatically a "Pit Bull" in the eyes of the media. I can just feel them salacious reporters salivating all over this story. A woman was hurt. Badly hurt. I am sorry about that. If "Pit Bulls" were responsible, then the owner needs to be held accountable and the dogs euthanized. The American Pit Bull Terrier was never bred to be a protection dog and should not be human aggressive in any way shape or form. I am not so naive that I do not know that some in the Game Dog community will breed a human aggressive Pit Bull if the dog has other "desirable traits", but that's an argument for another day in another thread. I guess the point of my rant is that I am heartsick that so much negative media is poured out over my chosen breed. If this had been a pack of feral poodles, I'd bet you couldn't pay a reporter to snap a single picture or write a single sentence.
I am horrified.....Me being a runner, this is one of my worst nightmares. I can't imagine how scared that woman must've been....the pain she went through....and will continue to go through. She is scarred for life, both physically and mentally. I believe ALL towns/cities/villages/etc...etc.... should have a LEASH LAW !!! And I believe it should be enforced ! So many people think...Oh, my dog is good....I don't have to have my dog on a leash. NO..that's not the way it works !!! I don't care if you have a Yorkie or a Rottweiler ! I don't care if you're just walking to your mailbox with your damn dog ! SHIT HAPPENS !! EVERYONE MUST COMPLY !!! And personally....I don't care what breed of dog this was that attacked her.....the owner bears responsibility for this ! Both criminally and financially ! The dogs were sent for Rabies testing....so obviously the moron owner didn't have his dogs UTD on their vaccinations either. What a shock !!
I guess that is the bigger point. If those dogs had been contained, this woman would not have been attacked.
UPDATE: Vet tech identifies attack dogs Lindsay Slater Mary Katherine Carroll Mary Katherine Carroll lies in a bed at DeKalb Regional Medical Center, recovering from an attack from five pit bulls while jogging. Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 5:11 pm | Updated: 5:21 pm, Wed Mar 21, 2012. Lindsay Slater | 0 comments RAINSVILLE – The dogs that attacked Mary Katherine Carroll were originally thought to be pit bulls, but were actually bull mastiffs. Veterinary Assistant Kerrie Gillilan assisted in removing the attack dogs’ heads to be sent for rabies testing. “The big male was about 150-pound bull mastiff,” Gillilan said. “The rest were off-breed puppies of his. His head was so large it wouldn’t fit in a grocery bag.” The five dogs attacked Carroll while she was running at night last week in Rainsville. She underwent five hours of surgery at DeKalb Regional Medical to repair significant bite wounds to her legs, arms and groin. Gillilan said people often mistake some dogs to be pit bulls. “When they see brindle and a squared head, they automatically think it’s a pit bull,” Gillilan said. “There is a website that gives about 25 pictures of pure-bred dogs, and 87 percent of people who try cannot correctly identify the pit bull on the first try.” Gillilan said the best thing pet owners can do is have their pets spayed or neutered. “All of the dogs that attacked Mrs. Carroll were intact, meaning they weren't neutered,” Gillilan said. “It didn’t seem that the owners had the dogs under control or even took care of the dogs. At least, we didn’t have any record of the owner having been to our facility for care of the dogs or any other animals. There had been several reports on these particular dogs. It’s such a shame what happened to Mrs. Carroll.” She said her office sees a lot of male dogs that are brought in for having fought with another dog. “Not frequently, but on a regular basis, we’ll stitch up wounds on a dog from having gotten in a fight with another dog,” Gillilan said. “But, we probably see more that are hit by cars than for fighting.” Gillilan said the results for the rabies testing on the dogs that attacked Carroll could be available within a week. “Auburn [University] usually gets on it pretty quick,” Gillilan said. “Once the results are complete, they’ll go directly to the health department.” Can you correctly identify an American pit bull terrier? Type this link into your browser to find out: pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html. http://times-journal.com/news/article_de02fa44-73a2-11e1-9c2e-001871e3ce6c.html Gee, guess how surprised I am to find this follow up. It usually NEVER happens or it get buried on some obscure page between the obituaries and the car dealer ads.
I swear the news media loves sensationalization damnit. Rainsville is just up the road a little ways from me. It's closer to Stephanie aka PitBullChick
I agree Michele, a step forward. And for me....it wouldn't matter what the breed was....the fact is, it happened and people need to be responsible for their animals. I hope this person (the owner) does some serious jail time and has to pay her medical bills AND PAIN/SUFFERING !
I agree with all of you. Thanks for finding and posting the updated version of this article, Deputy Dog!
This happened here where I live. I have been bitching for years about the absence of leash laws. Also, after this happened, I got to thinking and hubby and I got to talking-This was a PACK of dogs.....not just one or even two. I have 7, and although they are the friendliest dogs in the world, never showed a sign of HA, I cannot guarantee that if loose, around many people, as a pack, that someone would not get hurt!!! It is scarey! A damn shame. But loose dogs are the owners fault. I do not condone the fact these dogs attacked, but can understand in a certain way, why they bit the woman- And Mastiff??? I suposse thats what theyd call my dogs, due to his size. And, I have NEVER heard of a Mastiff attack really??????????..........!!!!!!!!! People around here SUCK when it comes to their animals! Shame
Why ? Because she was jogging ? The way I read it is.... she was jogging and saw the dogs....and then she yelled for them to go home. It made me think that she had stopped running when she was yelling. Me as a runner....if I see a loose dog up ahead. I stop running......I then try to assess the situation and what kind of behavior the dog is exhibiting ..and whether it's coming towards me. If I don't see any "bad" behavior....I then start to walk.......
No not because she was jogging. Because they were at that point, they were no longer just a dog, they were a "pack" of dogs out on the loose, just ready to cause trouble. Like I said-my dogs have never shown an ounce of aggression towards a human-EVER, however if all 7 were loose, raising hell, I would not be surprised if someone had gotten bitten. Not a full out attack-Im saying-when dogs are in a pack-they tend to act differently. I have seen this for myself when out. The people in some areas have multiple dogs, and if one approaches yes yelling at it usually will work. However if one comes charging and acting aggressive it sets the others off as well and they follow suit-then get carried away. It is never an innocent persons fault for being attacked-ever. In my opinion, it is the dogs owners fault.
Also, you do not see in the article. Where this happened is a HIGH dog area. MANY MANY loose running dogs. And they often act as a "brat pack" You can literally drive down the road and see a dog laying on the side of the road minding his own business, turn around, and drive back. If another dogs or more has entered the area, they are chasing your car and raising heck! The woman in the article said she saw 1 dog-yelled at it and another came from behind and bit her, then it was on-
I found this, these are facts about - supossedly pitbulls, however I believe they apply to any breed really While dogs can learn good social skills at a daycare or park, they can just as easily learn poor social skills in these largely unsupervised situations. Dogs in a pack act very differently than they do individually; even a well-socialized dog of good temperament can be drawn into "pack behavior." There's no way to predict or know the behavior of the other dogs in the group at a park or daycare; many people take their dogs to daycares or dog parks with little understanding of their own dogs' tolerance for other dogs; there is often an expectation that "dogs will work it out" however this can occur in a way that results in injury. Dogs playing together for long periods of time in large groups with unstructured time or activities can result in inappropriate behavior. Dog playgrounds need to be carefully selected by competent readers of dog body language and with an understanding of social canine behavior; there are many people well-intentioned, operating dog daycares with very little experience with dogs and, in particular, with little pit bull experience. If something does go wrong, whether or not the pit bull instigates it, the put bull is usually blamed; every negative incident can result in future problems during dog-dog interactions.
Thanks for giving this additional information ! That's why I try to not have a knee-jerk reaction when I post opinions on stories....the reporters these days (in my opinion) do not do a good job giving a complete story. They often leave a reader scratching their heads, and asking questions.......
Alabama has no laws regarding the welfare of their animals. Do you know-there is no law requiring farm animals to have ANY shelter-what so ever. They stand in the rain, snow & ice. They get covered with flies, they are always sick & on antibiotics..........They stand in torrential downpours and horrid lightening-disgusting! They stand in 110 degree sunshine. In the summer & midst of winter, you can ride by a pasture at any given time just about to see a farmer with a dead cow or horse on a tractor. Hell, and all those insurance companies paid out for all the livestock lost in the tornadoes- sick-and no leash laws. Nothing.
