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Woman Injured After Dog Attack, Neighbor Jumps in to Help

Posted at 6:31 PM, Jun 13, 2014
and last updated 2014-06-13 19:15:06-04
dog

Courtesy: Kenneth Westenbroek

HOLLAND TWP, Mich., (June 13, 2014) A chaotic morning in a Holland Township neighborhood after police say a woman was attacked while trying to rescue her daughter’s dog.

It happened near Paw Paw Drive and 104th Avenue in Holland Township around 9 a.m. Friday.

The 61-year-old victim’s daughter tells Fox17 her mom was on the back porch while her dog was chained in the yard when two dogs showed up and began attacking her 2-year-old Australian shepherd, Tully.

That’s when the victim jumped in to try and rescue him. Neighbors say they heard screaming and calls for help. While one called 9-1-1 another neighbor stepped in to help.

The daughter’s boyfriend, Eric Schumann, says he’s thankful for those who came to the woman’s aid. “Pit bulls already had a bad rap so it doesn’t help their case at all. It’s a bummer all around,” he said.

Joe Winters says he didn’t think twice about trying to help, he even tried to use the garden hose to get them off.

“I dove in and I grabbed the dogs. I was trying to do my best to keep the dogs away but just couldn’t stop them,” he said. “I was reaching for the garden hose and finally broke away and I just stuck it in his mouth but there was no stopping him.”

Deputies say the pit bulls were in a fenced yard but got out from a house on Chicago Drive. Police shot one of the dogs, who then ran off and was later discovered about a block away and taken to the vet. It’s unclear if that dog will be euthanized.

The other dog, deputies say, was coming after officers near the front lawn and was shot and killed. The victim was taken to the hospital with puncture wounds on her hands and arms. As for Tully, he has bruised lungs and suffered from bites as well.

“I knew the woman was hurt and she would have been hurt a lot worse if I didn’t get the dogs off. It’s just natural. I just jumped in. It’s all I could do,” said Winters.

The victim has since been released from the hospital.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s office says they are continuing to investigate and the dogs’ owners could potentially face charges.