Multiple complaints, heavy fines previously issued to property owner connected to Auburn dog attack

Neighbors told FOX 13 that the derelict property connected to the vicious dog attack in Auburn on Tuesday has been linked to multiple dog attacks in the past and has been a problem for years. 

"The one that came after me was a brindle pit mix," said Tammy Reints.

Reints said the dog attack on Tuesday is just the latest in a string connected to a property on 45th Place South in Auburn. The home is surrounded by clutter and vehicles has been an eyesore for years, she said. 

In a statement, Regional Animal Services told FOX 13 News that last year investigators issued thousands of dollars in fines to the property owner in connection to half a dozen incidents surrounding other animals. 

Reints said the repeated attacks makes her neighborhood feel like a prison. 

"Pretty glad it went after me because there were kids on the corner and I barely got inside my fence," she said.

The attack of the 38-year-old woman was caught on Ring surveillance footage from a neighbor. On the footage, one dog can be seen attacking and dragging the woman down the street. Neighbors are seen on camera trying to help by throwing things at the dog and hitting them with a bat. 

She was taken to the hospital in critical condition but was upgraded to serious condition as of Wednesday. 

King County Sheriff’s deputies say they were forced to shoot and kill one dog when they arrived on scene and another was seized by warrant and is being held in quarantine. On Wednesday, the county health department arrived at the home to snap photos while investigators from the animal control also continued their investigation. 

For now, it appears there are no dogs at the property, but if the situation doesn’t improve, neighbors worry the next person attacked could be a student from a high school just blocks away.

"We can’t sit and watch our neighborhood 24 hours a day," Reints said.

Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) is investigating the incident, but so far no arrests have been made. 

Regional Animal Services said their investigation is still very much ongoing, and they are looking into a dangerous dog state law that might be relevant in this case. The county prosecutor’s office says it has yet to receive a case file but plans to review it for possible charges as soon as it does. 

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