N. Side woman mauled by her own dog

May 20, 2016 at 12:09a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Neighbors and family members Thursday had to hit a dog in the head with a baseball bat and run it over with a van to stop it from attacking its owner on Dearborn Avenue.

The woman was taken late Thursday afternoon to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital for bites to the arms, legs and stomach from the attack, which happened about 2:40 p.m. The hospital reported later the woman was no longer at the facility.

Dave Nelson of the Mahoning County Dog Warden’s Office called her injuries some of the worst he has ever seen. Nelson said he was told by Youngstown police that the victim initially was listed in stable condition, but later had to be rushed into surgery because of a problem with her stomach.

The dog, a 3-year-old pit bull named Jax, was collared by Nelson and was to be taken to the pound. The dog was covered in its owner’s blood.

Rick Tunison, also of the dog warden’s office, said the dog will be quarantined for 10 days and designated vicious. He said if the owner does not want the dog back after 10 days, it most likely will be put down. Tunison said the dog has bitten other people before.

“It is not adoptable,” Tunison said.

The interior of the victim’s van was covered in blood as was a car seat in the van that witnesses were using to try and fend the dog off, speckled with chunks of flesh.

James Grove, who lives down the North Side street, said he saw the dog begin to attack the woman and drag her around. He grabbed a wooden baseball bat and hit Jax as hard as he could in the head. Jax let go and went under the van, Grove said.

“He had her on the ground dragging her,” Grove said. “He was chewing her up.”

Nelson said the victim somehow had gotten to the van to drive away, but the dog would not stop attacking her. He said three small children were in the van, screaming in fright.

Judith Datko and her daughter Ashley Hudson had gone to the victim’s home to take her to lunch, and the dog was excited and began to get aggressive. Nelson theorized the dog may have gotten jealous when the victim picked up her small granddaughter. Datko and Hudson said the dog’s owner went to put Jax in his cage and that is when the attack began.

Hudson said the dog has been aggressive before “but never to this extent.” Hudson said a trainer was sought for the dog because it would become especially aggressive when someone was cutting grass. Grove said the dog had attacked him before when he was cutting his grass.

Hudson said the victim adopted the dog, and the dog had an abusive background.