Tacoma woman attacked by dogs while nine months pregnant remains hospitalized
Two loose dogs attacked a woman who was nine months pregnant outside of her apartment June 25 on Puget Sound Avenue in Tacoma. Although the woman safely delivered her baby boy the next morning following an emergency labor induction, she said she remains hospitalized and recovering from infection.
Walking to her vehicle to set up a car seat June 25, 34-year-old Renee Wilson spotted two pitbulls run into the parking lot outside of her apartment. The second she saw the dogs, Wilson said she immediately knew that she and her chihuahua, Katie Girl, were in danger. The two dogs snapped at Wilson, she said, biting her wrists and legs before latching onto her stomach. Katie Girl promptly ran off.
“I fell and hit the ground and I was just thinking, ‘oh, my baby’s dead,’” Wilson told The News Tribune on Wednesday. “At this point, I turned my head back, and I was screaming for help and I was just thinking ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die.’”
For a second, Wilson said she could not find anyone in the parking lot to help her. Eventually, her neighbors came to her rescue, restraining the dogs and calling the police, she said. While waiting for the police and fire department to come, she called her mother. Though she was trying not to “stress or freak out,” she said she felt an intense pain in her body and that she was starting to have contractions.
Wilson delivered her baby boy on Friday, June 26, at 6 a.m. The child, Armani, is safe and healthy at six pounds and nine ounces, she said. Wilson’s sister, Brandy Wilson, took time off of work to care for the baby while Renee Wilson recovers in the hospital. She took Armani to his first doctor’s appointment.
Due to the dog bites, Renee Wilson said she has MRSA and cellulitis, and that her body is not responding well to antibiotics. Further, she shared that she is currently unable to walk and cannot use her right leg. After she is released, Wilson said she will be using a walker and a wheelchair.
“I can just only imagine if that would have been one of my kids standing at the car,” Wilson said in reference to her other three children. “I don’t think their little bodies would have been able to handle that.”
Tacoma Animal Control Supervising Officer Joseph Satter-Hunt told The News Tribune Wednesday that the team is still investigating how the pitbulls got out. The dog owners said that the dogs escaped through a hole in the fence of their yard, but Satter-Hunt said that there is no way to substantiate that. Animal Control declared the dogs dangerous on Friday, after which the owners now have ten days to appeal the ruling to a judge. If not for an appeal, the dogs will be euthanized.
Additionally, the owners risk fines for the attacks. Satter-Hunt said that owners may face $513 fines per animal for a leash law infraction, as well as a potential gross misdemeanor charge for animals injuring humans. With the latter charge, the owners could face up to a year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.
Wilson told The News Tribune Wednesday that she plans on holding “them accountable for the damages that have been done.”
Brandy Wilson has set up a GoFundMe to help cover costs, such as the “burden of recovery expenses, child care, medical bills, rent, utilities, medical supplies, home care,” the website says. With a goal of $20,000, the GoFundMe has raised more than $6,800. According to the GoFundMe, Wilson’s chihuahua Katie Girl has been found and safe.
