An Ohio mom was viciously attacked by a neighbor's husky in front of her toddler, leaving her with over 15 bites and claiming the dog also consumed two of their pet cats .
Michelle Savage-McPherson, 41, a university admissions worker from Athens, Ohio , recounted the terrifying moment on September 29 when she stepped out of her garage into her backyard and was confronted by the growling husky that lunged at her, biting her chest, breast, and thigh.
Michelle was dragged towards the woods, screaming for her life, until her seven-year-old daughter Brynlee witnessed the attack and alerted her father. Mitchell McPherson rushed to his wife's aid to find her bloodied from 16 bites, but it seems the approaching husband may have deterred the dog .
Despite the savage attack and previous incidents, including another person being attacked and two family cats allegedly eaten by the same husky, Michelle claims the dog was simply returned to its owner. She described the chilling encounter: "I walked out our garage door to our backyard and out of nowhere, our neighbor'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."
Michelle said: "He's attacked our neighbor 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. 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 mom 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."
Athens County Sheriff's Office declined to comment due to pending criminal and civil charges. Athens County Dog Warden have been contacted for comment.
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