A mother claims her neighbor’s pet husky almost destroyed her in front of her young daughter after it had already eaten two of her cats.
Michelle Savage-McPherson, from Athens, Ohio, USA, was walking from her garage to her backyard last month when she heard the dog growl at her.
But moments later, the 41-year-old woman said he suddenly lunged at her, biting her, leaving 16 bite marks on her chest, head and left thigh.
It was only after her seven-year-old daughter heard the mother-of-three “screaming for her life” that her husband was alerted to the brutal attack.
Mrs Savage-McPherson, who was immediately taken to hospital with horrific injuries and dripping with blood, is still recovering from her shocking injuries.
Michelle Savage-McPherson, from Athens, Ohio, USA, was walking from her garage to her backyard last month when she heard the dog growl at her.
But moments later, the 41-year-old woman said it suddenly lunged at her, leaving 16 bite marks on her chest, head and left thigh.
It was only after her seven-year-old daughter (pictured) heard the mother-of-three “screaming for her life” that her husband was alerted to the brutal attack.
However, the dog was reportedly soon returned to his neighbor after being registered as dangerous, leaving his family feeling “like prisoners in their own home.”
Recalling her terrifying experience, she said: “I walked out the garage door into our backyard and out of nowhere, our neighbor’s husky was there growling at me.”
‘He jumped into the air and hit me on the forehead and knocked me down.
“He initially went for my throat, then somehow I turned around and he bit my chest and then he bit me under the chest.
“I was screaming and kicking, trying to get him off of me. I turned on my side and he bit my thigh and started dragging me into the woods near 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 what was happening from our back window and screamed for my husband.
‘I have no idea how the dog got off me or how I got up from the ground, I don’t remember those few seconds.
“I would have died if my husband hadn’t come out. I’ve never seen a dog do that before. I thought this was how I was going to die.’
He suffered ten bites on his thigh, four on his chest and two on his forehead.
However, Ms Savage-McPherson, who works in university admissions, claimed the dog was not seized and instead returned to its owner after being registered as a “dangerous dog”.
She added: ‘He also attacked our neighbor and was told there was nothing they could do. The dog has just been returned to its owner.
‘If my seven-year-old daughter had gone out, I would have killed her. There’s no way she could have escaped.
The dog was reportedly soon returned to his neighbor after being registered as dangerous, leaving his family feeling “like prisoners in their own home.” Pictured is Mrs Savage-Macpherson with her husband Mitchell and seven-year-old daughter Brynlee.
Mrs Savage-Macpherson suffered ten bites on her left thigh, four on her chest and two on her forehead. In the photo, the bites on the thigh.
‘I asked the warden “at what point are they going to put that dog down?” It has eaten several of our pets, attacked us and our neighbors.
“They said they can mark the dog as aggressive and register it as a dangerous dog in court, but that’s it.
‘(The neighbor) doesn’t help at all. When we talked about the dog eating our cats, he said “well, it’s just a cat, who cares?” No, it’s our pet.
‘There was no “sorry” after the attack. My daughter is having a very bad time. She’s petrified to leave.
‘Children can’t go out alone. It’s like torment.
“He almost saw his mother die. Our three children love to be outdoors and active and we feel like we have to keep them inside.
‘It’s like being a prisoner in our own house. It makes us want to move.”
However, Ms Savage-McPherson, who works in university admissions, claimed the dog was not seized and instead returned to its owner after being registered as a “dangerous dog”.
She said: ‘I would have died if my husband hadn’t gone out there. I’ve never seen a dog do that before. I thought this was how I was going to die’
The Athens County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment due to pending criminal and civil charges.
The Athens County Dog Warden has also been contacted for comment.
In one of the most recent fatal dog attacks in the UK, a mother-of-two was mauled to death by her two XL Bully dogs in Hornchurch, east London.
Angeline Mahal, who was in her 50s, died at her home in the first fatal attack by a recorded XL Bully since the breed was banned in February.
The two dogs were detained by police, some with riot shields, after being locked in a room.
Recent figures show dog attacks in the UK have increased by a fifth in a year, with police recording more than 80 incidents a day.
Police forces recorded 30,539 crimes in which a dog injured a person or a guide dog last year, according to BBC research, up from 25,291 in 2022.
NHS data also shows that dogs were the most dangerous animal in England overall in the 2023-24 financial year, with almost 11,000 bites and hits.
Of these, almost 4,000 were emergency cases requiring urgent medical attention.
