Two violent dog attacks in Seattle in less than a week

There have been two dog attacks in Seattle in less than a week—one attack injuring another dog, the other sending a woman to the hospital.

On Friday, two dogs attacked a woman walking along Fairview Avenue East.

Hospital officials tell FOX 13 News that days after the incident, the woman is still getting surgeries to deal with her wounds.

Officials with Seattle’s Animal Shelter say the dogs involved in the attack are now under a 10-day quarantine at the shelter, which is policy in an incident like this.

In quarantine situations, owners have the option of putting their dog in a shelter, the vet, or keeping it in their own possession.

Shelter staff say if a dog bites someone and causes deep cuts or injuries requiring medical attention, like this incident, the situation is deemed severe. 

In severe injury incidents, the owner of the attacking dog will face an administrative process for deciding if the dog is dangerous. The administrative process could result in banning the dog from the city.

Originally in Friday's attack, the dogs were returned to the owner’s possession for quarantining. However, both the owner and an animal shelter staff member determined, a day later, that it would be best to put the dogs in the shelter.

The other attack happened a few days earlier, on Tuesday.

Kim Bozeman says she was walking her 9-year-old rescue Ellie around their neighborhood, when an off-leash dog attacked them.

"I can’t even explain the horror that was going through my mind. Just, I couldn’t do anything. I mean I couldn’t even take a step forward. I thought for sure that it was coming after me as soon as it was finished with Ellie," said Bozeman.

Her dog had to go through surgery and get stitches. One of the injuries is so close to the dog’s eye, Bozeman and her husband worried the dog would lose it.

Bozeman says she now deals with a new fear when she walks her dog.

"It was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, and I don’t want anybody to have to experience that," she said.

Animal Shelter staff say the owner of the dog in this incident was cited for leash laws, and for the dog attacking another dog.

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However, Bozeman thinks more should be done to keep people and animals safe.

"I would like to see some laws changed. I would like harder enforcement on the off-leash," she said.