Dogs attack mom as she runs to boy
Beth Warren - Staff

Friday, June 22, 2001

A 43-year-old mother was seriously injured at her Lawrenceville home Thursday when she risked her life to save her son from a vicious dog attack, authorities said.

The woman was inside her Ashton Lane home just after noon when she ran outside and saw a pit bull attacking her 7-year-old down the street, said Gwinnett police spokesman Ray Dunlap.

The woman, whose name was being withheld pending family notification, rushed outside to her son, causing the pit bull and a German shepherd to jump on her, biting her, Dunlap said. The child managed to run to a nearby home and get help.

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When firefighters arrived, the woman was on the ground, leaning against a neighbor's mailbox, trying to fend off the shepherd by gripping its collar, Dunlap said. The other dog had run off. When police arrived, the shepherd ran and officers shot and killed it.

The dogs had torn the woman's clothes, and firefighters could see the bone in one of her arms, Gwinnett fire spokesman David Dusik said. She also suffered wounds to the face, head, stomach and legs, he said.

"The dogs were dragging her around and were saturated with blood," said Denise Breheim, who was baby-sitting children who live down the street. "It's like they went back to their primitive instincts."

The mother lost a significant amount of blood but was conscious when help arrived, Dusik said. She was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition Thursday night, hospital spokeswoman Paula Martin said.

Her son, who was not injured as severely, was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.

The dogs' owner, Donald G. Robinson of Steeplechase Drive, is expected to face charges, Dunlap said. These same dogs attacked a 14-year-old boy in April.

© 2000 Cox Interactive Media

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