A 35-year-old mother of four named Cassie was walking along the Quailcrest Drive area near Lake Livingston on Sunday when four dogs attacked her, knocking her to the ground and leaving injuries serious enough to require an emergency airlift to a Houston-area hospital. She has since undergone two surgeries and will need additional reconstructive and plastic surgery, according to her father.
According to the KETK.com, the woman was approached by four pit bull-type dogs while walking in the neighborhood, and one dog initiated the attack, causing her to fall, before the other three joined in, per the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Cassie told investigators that people in a passing vehicle scared the dogs away, though those bystanders reportedly left after she asked them to take her to a hospital, according to the sheriff's office.
Neighbor Steps In as Emergency Crews Respond
After the attack, Cassie made her way to a nearby residence, where a neighbor helped her and notified emergency services. The station's report, which cited the sheriff's office, detailed how she was treated locally before being transported by Life Flight to a hospital in Harris County for further treatment.
A man identified as Walker reportedly identified the dogs' owner after taking Cassie to the hospital. The dogs' owner was later issued citations for failing to vaccinate the animals and for allowing them to roam freely in the neighborhood, per the sheriff's office account relayed by the same outlet.
Officer Bitten as Dogs Are Removed and Quarantined
Deputies returned to the area and located the dogs, and animal control personnel took all four to the Polk County Animal Control Facility, where they were placed under a mandatory 10-day rabies quarantine, as confirmed by KLTV. During the removal process, animal control officer Krista Lawson was bitten on the hand by one of the dogs.
KLTV reports that the sheriff's office plans to begin the process of having the dogs declared dangerous once the quarantine period ends.
What a Dangerous-Dog Declaration Would Mean
Under Texas law, owners of dogs declared dangerous must register the animals with animal control, keep them in a secure enclosure or on a leash under a person's immediate control, and obtain at least $100,000 in liability insurance or demonstrate equivalent financial responsibility. The law sets out these requirements for owners of dogs declared dangerous.
Separately, the dogs were placed under a 10-day rabies quarantine.
