Dog attack leaves Lancaster County woman with serious injuries: ‘I thought I was going to die’

By Susan Shapiro

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    MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — Dog bites are the most common type of animal bite in the U.S. It’s estimated there are almost 4.5 million dog bites each year in this country, with some 8,000 of them requiring medical attention.

A Lancaster County woman became a victim earlier this month.

“I was just going to walk there and then come back,” said Vivian, who didn’t want to give her last name.

She took her dog, Stormy, out for a short walk on Sept. 10 behind her Manheim Township home. It turned into a long and painful ordeal.

Vivian said a neighbor’s dog jumped a chain link fence and went after her Pomsky.

“My immediate sense is that you are not getting my dog, so I try to pick him up. Then he charged at me again and got my hand. I felt his jaw close into my hand,” she said.

When asked if she feared for her life, she said, “Of course. I thought I was going to die.”

Vivian was rushed to Lancaster General Hospital by ambulance. She suffered a broken hand and had to have surgery. She spent the night in the hospital.

Under Pennsylvania’s dog laws, dogs must be kept under control. Manheim Township requires dogs to be on their property or on a leash.

Under the law, the owner of a dog that bites or attacks a human is responsible for any cost to the victim for medical treatment and must properly confine the dog for at least 10 days.

Vivian said she’s shocked that the dog that attacked her is still in her neighborhood.

“The dog is still there, and the fence is not fixed. I’m scared,” Vivian said.

Police said they can’t just seize a dog since it’s considered personal property.

“Some people are surprised at that. They say, ‘Hey, we reported this. We feel like this is a dangerous dog.’ But this is America, and people have due process,” Manheim Township police Sgt. Barry Waltz said.

The dog’s owner, Luis Dejesus-Gonzalez, will get his due process in front of a magisterial district judge. He’s charged with harboring a dangerous dog and violating the confinement of dogs. If the judge determines it’s a dangerous dog, Dejesus-Gonzalez will have to register the animal and follow certain provisions. A court date is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Vivian is grateful Stormy wasn’t injured and only had his leash bitten in half.

“This harness actually saved him because the dog was trying to grab his body,” she said.

Vivian had a follow-up appointment with her hand surgeon on Thursday and said she’s doing better. She’s also being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder.

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