JOPPA, Md. — Out for some exercise, Shantel Washington walked past a house on Joppa Crossing Way when a pit bull attacked her.
“I’m calling for help to the neighbors and it just seemed like nobody was coming, and he just kept biting me and biting me and biting me,” recalled Washington, “and then once she was able to hold onto his collar, I was able to get on top of her car while she took him in the house.”
Images of Washington’s injuries are so graphic that we have modified them, but you can make out just how extensive they are.
The owner would later tell police that the dog had been tethered behind the house and when someone let it loose to go back inside the house it took off.
Washington says she felt victimized a second time when she learned what became of the dog.
“That night, once I got out of surgery, I want to say maybe around 10:30, I learned the dog was still in the house and was only I believe like a 30-dollar fine and a 10-day quarantine,” said Washington.
Animal Control confirms that the owner of the dog did receive a citation and the dog has now been quarantined in the home for 10 days.
The owner had the option of surrendering the dog, but refused to and further restrictions have come with keeping it.
“They did deem the dog to be dangerous so with that there’s also restrictions placed on the owner as well,” said Capt. Mark Fox, “such as the dog has to be secured within the residence at all times. You know. It has to be in a locked cage. If you take the dog off the property, the dog must be leashed and also muzzled.”
Those measures ring hollow for Shantel Washington who still faces a long road to recovery, a series of rabies shots since there’s no record of the dog’s registration and the prospect that it remains inside the home where the attack unfolded.
“I’m like, ‘That dog cannot stay in the neighborhood. I have a four-year-old daughter. She likes to go for walks. We have other neighbors and kids in the neighborhood. This is a very family-oriented neighborhood and other people walk the neighborhood,” said Washington, “so I just think that he could be a danger to somebody else.”
