Ore. woman, pet injured in 'horrific' dog attack

SALEM, Ore. — A midday walk turned horrific for a Salem woman and her dog after the pair were attacked by three large dogs running loose.

Jeannie Watkins was walking her dog Peter Parker — Parker for short — near her home in northeast Salem on Saturday around noon when she spotted three large dogs walking toward her.

She hesitated for a minute, hoping the trio would wander away, but then realized the dogs were lunging at her and her leashed dog.

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"Next thing I know, they were on top of him," Watkins said.

The ensuing moments were horrific, she said. The dogs bit Parker several times, leaving his body punctured and bloody. Watkins fought to get the dogs off Parker and screamed for help.

While she punched and pushed at the dogs' snouts to ward them off, several motorists pulled to the side of the road to help her.

"The most amazing thing was the amount of people that stopped," she said, adding that it seemed like half of north Salem stopped to help her.

The good Samaritans pulled the dogs off Parker. In the confusion, he wandered onto the road and was struck by a car, which then took off.

Watkins, who left her home thinking she was just going on a short walk, had no phone, no identification and no means of travel.

A stranger helped load Watkins' seriously injured dog into a vehicle and took her and Parker to Salem Veterinary Emergency Clinic. On the way to the clinic, Watkins looked down. Her hand was covered in blood; one of the dogs had bitten her during the struggle.

Parker's body was covered in bites, his jaw was broken, several teeth were knocked out when the car struck him and he suffered a concussion. While veterinarians worked to stabilize Parker, Watkins went to the hospital and was treated with eight stitches in her hand.

Marion County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Chris Baldridge said deputies were able to track down the owner of the three pit bull terriers that allegedly attacked Watkins and Parker. The animals had escaped their yard at a nearby home earlier that day, he said.

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The dogs were seized, placed under quarantine and the case was turned over to Marion County Dog Services.

Watkins said she didn't blame the dogs' breed on the incidents.

"It really boils down to folks being responsible," Watkins said.

Dog services officials said the dogs would be placed in a 10-day bite quarantine. Dog control officers were working to determine what kind of citation would be issued. According to Marion County code, a dog owner commits a civil infraction if the dog runs at large, disturbs a person by prolonged noise, scatters garbage, trespasses on private property, destroys property, is in heat, chases vehicles or is dangerous.

A hearing follows the citation, and punishments can range from mandatory leashing, muzzling and training to euthanasia.

On Monday, Parker was back home with Watkins. He had received several sutures and staples at the clinic.

After Watkins lost her dog in 2010, friends brought her Parker, a brindle Labrador-Boxer-American Staffordshire terrier mix, for a short visit. She and the dog bonded quickly, and the visit turned into a permanent stay.

Watkins was waiting Monday to see if Parker would need surgery or further medical care. After several people heard about the attack on social media and wanted to help, her friend set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for his emergency and follow-up care.

Parker was resting on his dog bed, and she was working on keeping him medicated and calm.

"He's been through a lot," Watkins said.

Follow Whitney M. Woodworth on Twitter @wmwoodworth