‘Lacerations all over’: Woman injured after being attacked by stray dogs in Stockton
By Jeremiah Martinez, Andres Valle
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STOCKTON, California (KCRA) — A Stockton woman is recovering after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs during a routine walk near a levee, according to her family and Stockton police.
Stockton police said officers and animal services officials responded April 23 to a dog attack along the levee near the 800 block of Carrie Street. Police said the woman was taken to a hospital with significant but non-life-threatening injuries.
The woman’s daughter, Rhenell Schiller, said her mother, Dorrie Reyes, had been out on a routine walk when the attack happened.
Schiller said her mother first noticed stray dogs approaching and began recording them on her cellphone.
“She started recording on her phone just to kind of say like, ‘Hey, there’s these stray dogs out here,’” Schiller said.
According to Schiller, the situation quickly turned violent.
“They fully just started to attack her,” Schiller said. “She was attacked to the point where she couldn’t walk.”
Schiller said her mother tried to defend herself and call for help as the dogs attacked.
“She was trying to hold herself up. She tried to fight off with her bag. She was yelling for help,” Schiller said.
Schiller said the dogs dragged her mother down the embankment along the levee before nearby neighbors came to help. She credited that couple with saving her mother’s life.
“We are so thankful for that couple who helped her because if it were not for her, she would not be here at all,” Schiller said.
The family said Reyes suffered between 150 and 200 lacerations and puncture wounds across her body, including injuries to her head, neck, face, arms, legs and torso. Schiller said her mother lost a significant amount of blood and underwent a six-hour surgery after being taken to the hospital.
“Really crazy lacerations all over her face,” Schiller said. “They got literally everywhere on her body, including her face, her neck, the back of her head, every extremity on her arms, legs, and their back.”
The family said Reyes spent five days in the hospital and is now focused on both physical and emotional recovery. A GoFundMe page launched by the family said she is making progress in her recovery.
“She is making great progress every single day,” Schiller said. “And she’s very strong-willed, and she knows that everybody around her loves her.”
Police said two of the dogs involved in the attack have been captured, but officers are still searching for the remaining animals as part of an active investigation. Police said they are looking for about five to six more dogs.
Authorities are urging the public not to approach the dogs and to report any sightings to Animal Services immediately.
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