A woman was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition Thursday after a pack of dogs attacked her in Northwest Miami-Dade, and the animals then turned on the deputies who came to help her, forcing them to open fire to drive the pack off.
Deputies Fire Shots As Dogs Turn On Them
Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies and fire rescue units responded to the area of Northwest 11th Court and 145th Street after reports of the attack, according to WSVN 7News. Per deputies, the dogs turned their sights on the responding officers once they arrived, and gunshots ultimately scared the animals away. It remained unclear as of late Friday morning, September 18, 2026, whether any deputies were injured, and WSVN 7News reported that none of the dogs appeared to have been hit by gunfire.
The victim was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where she remained in critical condition, the outlet reported. Her identity and the circumstances that led to the attack have not been released.
A Grim Pattern Across Miami-Dade
The Northwest Miami-Dade mauling arrives just days after a string of severe dog attacks across the county. On September 11, a 63-year-old woman suffered severe head, neck, and arm lacerations when two loose dogs attacked her in Homestead, and she was rescued by a bystander before being treated at Jackson South Medical Center, according to CBS News. Two days before that, a woman in Naranja was airlifted by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to Jackson South Medical Center with severe bite wounds to her arms and legs, a case Hoodline covered in Naranja airlift dog bite story.
The pattern stretches back further this year. In May, a woman in Hialeah was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital after being mauled by dogs inside a home near West 70th Place, leading police to seize multiple animals from the property. In July, a jogger and his German shepherd were severely injured in a street attack by two unleashed dogs in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. And in September 2025, a 71-year-old woman was fatally mauled by a pack of dogs while walking to work in Miami Gardens, an attack for which a request that the city collect a dog went unanswered.
What Florida Law Says About Owner Liability
Under Florida Statute § 767.04, dog owners are strictly liable for bite injuries inflicted in public or lawfully on private property, regardless of whether the animal had a history of aggression or the owner knew it was dangerous, per FindLaw. Florida Statute § 767.12 further gives animal control authorities the power to immediately confiscate and hold dogs that inflict severe injury on humans while a dangerous dog classification investigation proceeds, a designation that carries mandatory fencing and liability insurance requirements for owners.
County guidance says that if a dog appeared healthy at the time of a bite, it can be confined by its owner for 10 days and observed. County code additionally requires that all dogs be kept on a leash at all times when off private property, meaning an unrestrained pack roaming a public street would represent a violation of that ordinance.
The sources do not establish whether breed-specific restrictions apply in Miami-Dade or what enforcement criteria authorities would use in response to Thursday's attack.
It remains unclear whether Miami-Dade Animal Services has identified or located the owner of the dogs involved in Thursday's attack, whether any of the animals were captured or quarantined following the deputies' gunfire, or whether investigators will pursue criminal charges or leash law citations once the investigation concludes.
