A Marshalltown woman who was attacked by large poodles or labradoodles while taking her own dog on a walk July 10 is hopeful that their owner will be held accountable and that in general, pet owners around the community will be mindful of the regulations regarding vicious animals.

Teri Russell said she was on West Nicholas Drive when she noticed an unfamiliar man under a tree “laying on his back sprawled out” with three large dogs on leashes between 100 and 120 pounds each, and they became aggressive when they noticed Russell’s dog, who is blind.

“I just let go of her leash and I go ‘Go Maddie, Go.’ She could’ve went out in the street. She managed to get up in our grassy area there,” Russell said.

The dogs, which remained leashed throughout the incident but broke away from their owner, bit up her right arm on the concrete, and Russell said all their owner, who has not yet been publicly identified or cited, could ask her was if she was “sure” she had actually been bitten.

“If it had been a kid 10 years old walking his dog, they could’ve killed that kid,” Russell said. “I didn’t appreciate having to have a tetanus shot.”

According to Russell, the man left a name and number on a business card and then fled the scene before authorities arrived. She was scheduled to get her stitches removed at the local wound center on Wednesday.

If nothing else, she hopes pet owners will keep their animals under control.

“Be in control of them, and have them vaccinated,” she said. “(The dogs) got me from behind and yanked me down by my arm, and I was in a state of shock after that. It was traumatizing.”

Capt. Chris Jones with the Marshalltown Police Department said investigators are still determining whether the case falls under the criminal or civil umbrella and said most incidents of this nature are the result of dogs running at large off of their leashes. Dogs that bite humans in multiple instances, depending on the severity, can be deemed “vicious” under city code, and the owners then must apply for a vicious dog permit, obtain extra liability insurance and have the animals spayed and neutered.

Jones also said the MPD is still investigating the identity of the man with the three dogs, but they do “have an idea” who he is.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.