Dog Charges Woman, Biting Her 14 Times

A pit bull attacked a 26-year-old woman Thursday in Garden Grove, jumping on top of her and leaving her with 14 bite marks.

Natalie Elliott of Anaheim was visiting family members when a brown, red-nose pit bull named Princess rushed her, witnesses said.

Elliott was kneeling on the ground with her Lakeland terrier, Buddy, when the pit bull charged her from behind, said Elliott’s sister, Michelle Risser, who witnessed the attack. Elliot was knocked to the ground while she struggled to protect her own dog.

“She was really hysterical,” Risser said. “The dog was yanking and yanking her arms and I thought, ‘Oh my God! The pit bull’s going to get on top of her.”

Elliot suffered 14 bites on her arms before Risser was able to get the dog away by kicking it in the ribs.

Paramedics treated Elliott’s wounds at the scene. She was later taken to Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center by relatives for further observation.

Jesse Vargas, one of the pit bull’s owners, said Princess was able to run outside their yard because the gardeners had left the backyard gate open.

“She is a very friendly dog,” said Vargas’ mother, Angelus, as they sat in the frontyard. “My little daughter always kisses and plays with her.”

Animal control officials took Princess to the Orange County Animal Shelter, where she will remain for nine days of observation.

Thursday marks another in a series of dog attacks in the last few days. Los Angeles postal worker Phyllis Sanders suffered severe bites to her face and nose Monday when two dogs--a pit bull and a shepherd mix--mauled her as she was delivering mail.

Two-year-old John Michael Macias-Drisner of Orange was taken to UCI Medical Center on Saturday after an attack left him with several cuts and deep bite marks on his head, face, chest and legs. Doctors gave the boy 100 to 150 stitches during three hours of surgery.

The boy was released Thursday after four days in the pediatric intensive care unit and two days in the pediatric ward.

“Little Michael is not completely out of the woods, but everything looks good so far,” said UCI Medical Center spokeswoman Marcida Dodson.

Pit bulls are the most commonly reported breed involved in fatal attacks on humans, according to a report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Assn.

“People have ruined the breed,” said Los Angeles Animal Services spokeswoman Jackie David. She said that people have bred one aggressive pit bull with another, increasing the number of vicious dogs. “The breed itself is not a bad breed,” David said. “However, you have to understand that you are dealing with a really powerful animal.”