A mother claims she was almost torn apart in front of her young daughter by her neighbour’s pet husky after it had already eaten two of her pet cats.
Michelle Savage-McPherson, from Athens, Ohio in the US, was walking from her garage to her back garden last month when she heard the dog growling at her.
But just moments later the 41-year-old said it suddenly launched itself at her biting and left her suffering 16 bite marks across her chest, head and left thigh.
It was only after her seven-year-old daughter heard the mum-of-three ‘screaming for her life’ that her husband was alerted to the brutal attack.
Mrs Savage-McPherson, who was immediately rushed to hospital with horror injuries and dripping in blood, is still recovering from her shocking injuries.
Michelle Savage-McPherson, from Athens, Ohio in the US, was walking from her garage to her back garden last month when she heard the dog growling at her
But just moments later the 41-year-old said it suddenly launched itself at her biting and left her suffering 16 bite marks across her chest, head and left thigh
It was only after her seven-year-old daughter (pictured) heard the mum-of-three ‘screaming for her life’ that her husband was alerted to the brutal attack
Yet, the dog was reportedly soon returned to their neighbour after being registered as dangerous, leaving her family feeling ‘like prisoners in their own home’.
Recalling her terrifying ordeal, she said: ‘I walked out our garage door to our backyard and out of nowhere, our neighbour’s husky was right there growling at me.
‘He jumped up in the air and hit me in the forehead and took me down.
‘He initially went for my throat then I somehow turned and he bit right into my chest then bit me below my breast.
‘I was screaming and kicking, trying to get him off. I turned on my side and he bit into my thigh and started dragging me towards the woodland by our house.
‘I was screaming for my husband but he couldn’t hear me from inside.
‘The only thing that saved my life was my seven-year-old daughter who saw it happening from our back window and screamed for my husband.
‘I’ve no idea how the dog got off me or how I got off the ground, I don’t remember those few seconds.
‘I would’ve died if my husband didn’t come out there. I’ve never seen a dog do that before. I thought this was how I was going to die.’
She suffered ten bites to her thigh, four on her chest and two to her forehead.
However, Mrs Savage-McPherson who works in university admissions, claimed the hound was not seized and instead returned to the owner after being registered as a ‘dangerous dog’.
She added: ‘He’s attacked our neighbour too and they said there was nothing they could do. The dog was just given back to the owner.
‘If my seven-year-old had gone out there, it would’ve killed her. There’s no way she would’ve gotten away.
The dog was reportedly soon returned to their neighbour after being registered as dangerous, leaving her family feeling ‘like prisoners in their own home’. Pictured, Mrs Savage-Macpherson with husband Mitchell and her seven-year-old daughter Brynlee
Mrs Savage-Macpherson suffered ten bites to her left thigh, four on her chest and two to her forehead. Pictured, the bites to her thigh
‘I asked the warden “at what point will that dog get put down?” It’s eaten several of our pets, attacked us and our neighbours.
‘They said they can mark the dog as aggressive and it can be registered as a dangerous dog in the courts but that’s it.
‘[The neighbour] is not helpful at all. When we’ve said about the dog eating our cats, he’s said “well it’s just a cat, who cares?” No, it’s our pet.
‘There was no “I’m sorry” after the attack. My daughter is having a really hard time with it. She’s petrified to go outside.
‘The kids can’t go out on their own. It’s like a torment.
‘She nearly watched her mum die. Our three kids love being outside and being active and we feel like we have to keep them indoors.
‘It’s like being a prisoner in our own home. It makes us want to move.’
However, Mrs Savage-McPherson who works in university admissions, claimed the hound was not seized and instead returned to the owner after being registered as a ‘dangerous dog’
She said: ‘I would’ve died if my husband didn’t come out there. I’ve never seen a dog do that before. I thought this was how I was going to die’
Athens County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment due to pending criminal and civil charges.
Athens County Dog Warden have also been contacted for comment.
One of the UK’s most recent fatal dog attacks saw a mother of two mauled to death by her two XL Bully dogs in Hornchurch, East London.
Angeline Mahal, who was in her 50s, died at home in the first deadly attack by a registered XL Bully since the breed was banned in February.
The two dogs were seized by police – some bearing riot shields – after being contained in a room.
Recent figures showed dog attacks in the UK have risen by a fifth in one year, with police recording more than 80 incidents a day.
Police forces recorded 30,539 offences of a dog injuring a person or a guide dog last year, an investigation by the BBC found, increasing from 25,291 in 2022.
NHS data also shows dogs were the most dangerous animal in England overall in the 2023-24 financial year, with nearly 11,000 bites and strikes.
Of these almost 4,000 were emergency cases requiring urgent medical care.
