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Olympia Woman Mauled While Making Neighborly Visit

On-Property Attack Leaves Victim Little Recourse
Olympia, WA - Local doctors call it one of the worst dog attacks they've ever seen. Julie Crews says she went over to her neighbor's home to check on an elderly woman whom she knew lived on the property. She was making a visit because she had seen an ambulance in front of the house a few times of late.

When she walked onto her neighbor's yard, two Anatolian shepherds came out of nowhere and attacked her. "Instantly they were just on me," she says. "They had me down before I knew what was going on." Crews says the two dogs teamed up and started biting her head.

"It just felt like my whole scalp split open," she said. "Once I felt my scalp come off and felt it separate more, I rolled on my stomach and tried to pull my hood over and pull the cords tight to protect the rest of my head."

The attack left gruesome scars on Crews' head. Aside from reconstructive surgeries, Crews is being treated with rabies shots as a precaution. Due to a county ordinance, however, her terror isn't over. The dogs that attacked her are still right across the street. Crews entered her neighbor's property without permission, so the owner cannot be held accountable.

In Thurston County, the owner of dogs that are considered aggressive or dangerous has the right to quarantine them on her property. The owner of the shepherds has chosen to do just that. KOMO News tried to talk to the elderly woman's daughter at the house, but was told to leave the property.

In other news

Mobile, Alabama Child Mauled by Pit Bull
Mobile, AL - A 6-year-old boy was mauled by a pit bull that a family friend later shot when it lunged at a Mobile animal control officer. Family members said Joshua Nelson's face was badly swollen and covered with stitches. He was attacked at the home that he and his mother share with the dog's owner, Sheryl Watson, who said it was the first time her dog, Big Mama, had bitten anyone. She thinks the dog bit Joshua because it had just given birth to 14 mixed-breed puppies -- ought to be worth a few months rent.

Ohio Pit Bull Owner Mauled by Own Dog
Elyria, OH - A 22-year-old man is recovering from a vicious pit bull attack that nearly punctured his lung and mangled his right arm, Elyria police said. Matthew Galati, 22, was left bloodied when his pet, Capone, turned on him at his Monticello Circle home, according to a report.

His girlfriend, Pam Chernosky, 22, said the dog’s teeth barely missed piercing Galati’s lung. A nursing supervisor at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland said Galati was in fair condition Thursday. The attack started when a Labrador that Galati also owns ate some of Capone’s food.

When Galati tried to pull them apart, he was mauled by Capone. Chernosky had to beat the animal with a baseball bat (lucky she had one handy) until it released its grip. Dog Warden Jack Szlempa said Capone is “massively strong” and tangled with an animal control officer for 20 minutes before he could be loaded on a truck bound for the county kennel.

Pit Bull Attacks Two Men on Pompano Street
Pompano Beach, FL - Deputies had to restrain a dog that attacked two people in Pompano Beach Wednesday afternoon. According to authorities, deputies responded to 3032 NW 3 Street after a resident tried to restrain the pit bull, but it bit him in the lower leg. Then his uncle tried to pull the pit bull off of him when the dog turned and bit him also. Fire rescue treated both victims for non-life threatening injuries.

Zachary King Senior: Not Guilty
Minneapolis, IN - A judge has ruled that a Minneapolis father is not guilty for the death of his son who was mauled by a family dog. Zachary King Senior was found not guilty of a second-degree manslaughter charge.

King's son, Zachery King Jr., 7, was killed when the family's pit bull bit him on the neck last August. Earlier in the trial, King Sr. told the judge that just moments after the attack, he carried his son to safety then shot and killed the pit bull. Hennepin County District Judge Kevin Burke gave the ruling.

Related article:
03/20/08: Father Tried for Manslaughter After Pit Bull Kills Son