A pregnant woman sustained serious injuries and went into labor after being attacked by two dogs while trying to protect her small Chihuahua.
Emergency crews responded around 11:05 a.m. Thursday to reports of two loose dogs in the 4000 block of Puget Sound Avenue in Tacoma. They found Renee Wilson injured following the incident.
She was initially taken to a local hospital, where her condition was stable, and later transferred to Tacoma General Hospital for recovery from her injuries and an infection.
Wilson was carrying her baby’s car seat when she heard barking and saw the two dogs lunging at her Chihuahua, Katie.
“They ran up to me and tried to attack my Chihuahua, so I jumped in front of him to stop the attack,” Wilson recounted.
Things escalated quickly.
“After it bit me, it kept getting stuck in that spot so it bit my arm and then jumped up and attacked my stomach,” she explained.
At one point, one of the dogs grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the ground.
“The dogs were attacking me for at least a minute or two while I was screaming for help,” Wilson said.
Neighbors heard her screams and rushed to assist; one man had a broom, while a woman hesitated out of fear of the dogs.
“I asked her for help, and that’s when the dog had my belly in his mouth. I told her I was pregnant. Please help me. Please don’t let him kill my baby,” Wilson pleaded.
Subsequently, doctors induced labor, and her son Armani was born unharmed.
Wilson described her weekend with her newborn, who will have to stay in the hospital until she recovers and can walk again.
“Well, he’s only four days old, so I’m a little lonely. I miss him,” she said. “I wish I could have been with him. I wish he could have been here too.”
According to police, the two dogs, identified as an American pit bull terrier and an American bully, had escaped through a broken fence board known to their owners.
The dogs were secured at the scene and taken by Tacoma Animal Control for a standard 10-day quarantine. Officials later labeled both dogs as “dangerous.”
The owners have a 10-day window to contest this ruling. If the decision stands, the dogs could be euthanized.
Police reported that the owners complied with the authorities on-site. One was charged with a misdemeanor for allowing a dog to roam without a license, resulting in a $2,000 fine.
Wilson also mentioned plans to file a civil lawsuit against the dog’s owner.
An online fundraiser indicated that she was due to give birth on the day of the attack, prior to the medical induction.
