A woman mauled by a massive pit bull in San Francisco says the attack happened after she agreed to watch the dog for a man she barely knew.
Amber King said she had tied the dog to a post in the city’s notorious Tenderloin neighborhood when it broke free and suddenly charged at her. The attack left her with devastating injuries and a long road of surgeries and recovery.
“The guy was moving and he needed help. Me, I’m a helper. So I just happened to help, and I had the dog tied up. How? The dog got loose. I don’t know,” King told ABC7.
The pit bull knocked King to the ground and mauled her for 10 to 15 minutes. She fought desperately, using her arms to shield herself from the animal’s bites.
“I was going to die. If I didn’t fight, I was going to die. I kept hearing the crunching sound of the dog biting me,” she said.
Police responded at about 9:20 a.m. to Larkin Street between Eddy and Turk streets. Officers found King suffering from severe bleeding, with the blood-covered dog still in the area.
Video from the scene showed a bystander attempting to hold the animal back before an officer managed to restrain it with a catch pole.
The pit bull later collapsed and died at the scene, before San Francisco Animal Care & Control arrived.
King spent a week at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where she underwent multiple surgeries for her injuries.
Nearly two weeks after the San Francisco dog attack, her left hand remains severely damaged. She is only slowly starting to regain movement in the fingers of her right hand.
“My left hand is completely damaged. Every nerve, every bone,” King said.
She described the effort to move her fingers as taking “baby steps,” saying even the slightest movements are still difficult.
King, who is homeless, said she continues to relive the mauling. She also said nightmares have made it impossible for her to sleep without being disturbed.
King credited a bystander named Ashley with helping her during the attack. The two women have since spoken by phone.
“Thank God for that Ashley lady,” King said. “Whoever she is, I’d like to give her an extra thank you for coming and acknowledging what I was going through.”
Authorities previously said investigators were looking into whether an underlying medical condition or exposure to a foreign substance may have contributed to the dog’s violent behavior and sudden death.
No cause has been determined.
“I’m so glad to be here. Glad to be here,” King said.
She also urged the dog’s owner to come forward.
San Francisco police have said no one has been held accountable for the attack. It also remains unclear whether investigators have identified the dog’s owner.
