CARBON HILL, Ala. (WIAT) — A woman was attacked by a pack of dogs while walking down the street in Carbon Hill over the weekend. The incident has the whole neighborhood feeling shocked and sickened.
The attack was captured on a neighbor’s home security video — the disturbing footage shows a pack of dogs surrounding the woman walking down 6th Avenue and then biting her. The attack goes on until someone comes running with a stick and scares the dogs away.
The person who provided the video said the woman survived the attack and was taken to the hospital.
On Tuesday, Carbon Hill Police said that the dog owners don’t meet the requirements to be criminally charged for the attack under Emily’s Law, but they are responsible for the victim’s medical costs and can be sued civilly. As of today, the four dogs involved in the attack were surrendered to be euthanized.
“It scared me to death,” said a resident, regarding the video. They live near the site of the attack and asked to remain anonymous.
The resident said this actually wasn’t the first attack to happen there. Multiple neighbors told CBS 42 they’ve been terrorized by packs of dogs, and now they’re scared to be outside without a weapon.
The dogs bark all night, chase cars and try to bite residents in their own front yards. At least five residents said they live in daily fear due to the dogs.
“They’re just roaming the streets, barking and growling at people. You have to take a stick with you wherever you walk. If you don’t take a stick, you better not walk these streets,” the resident said.
They’ve tried everything to fix this without any luck, adding that no one enforces the leash law in Carbon Hill.
“We’ve tried to contact anybody they know to contact, and they can’t get anybody to respond to anything,” the resident said.
Kay Farley is the director of the Walker County Humane and Adoption Center. She says dog attacks have gone up in the last few years due to an increase in strays and people not being responsible for their pets.
Farley also said that once dogs join packs, they become unpredictable and dangerous.
“A free-for-all around here because I mean literally [these dogs] have no boundaries,” Farley said.
While she added that there’s no leash law for Walker County, she emphasized owners need to step up and keep pets on their property.
She also offered some advice if you ever come across potentially dangerous dogs.
“I always tell everybody [to] keep a taser on you. Don’t turn your back on them, if you turn your back on them, they have an opportunity to jump you and attack you faster — don’t run from them, if they know you’re scared, they’re going to act on it,” Farley said.
