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Woman attacked by dog in San Francisco
Woman was attacked in the Tenderloin on Larkin Street by a dog. She was taken to the hospital. The dog was pulled off the woman and then collapsed.
SAN FRANCISCO - A woman is fighting for her life Tuesday night after being nearly mauled to death by a large dog in San Francisco.
Woman mauled by dog in San Francisco
What we know:
The attack took place Tuesday morning in the 500 block of Larkin Street, between Eddy and Turk streets, in the city's Little Saigon neighborhood. Onlookers watched in horror as the dog mauled the woman, leaving her motionless on the street.
San Francisco police officers responding to the scene were able to separate the victim from the dog and prevent the animal from attacking anyone else. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was last reported to be in critical condition.
Dog died before SFPD arrived
Dig deeper:
Following the intervention, the dog collapsed at the scene. Police officials confirmed the animal died on Larkin Street shortly before animal control officers arrived.
In a statement, San Francisco Animal Care & Control confirmed that officers took possession of the deceased dog's remains.
Agency officials and medical experts noted that emergency rooms occasionally treat dogs exhibiting altered mental states caused by severe neurological disease or toxin ingestion, which can lead animals to act outside their normal temperament.
"Sometimes in the ER, we see dogs that have altered mentation's because of either severe neurologic disease or some kind of a toxin that they got into," said Dr. Thomas Jansen, a Medvet emergency veterinarian. "And indeed, they're acting in a way that's completely foreign to their normal behavior or temperament."
San Francisco Animal Care & Control is working to uncover whether the dog had a pre-existing medical condition or ingested a foreign substance that led to its behavior and ultimate death.
"With everything else going on in the world, just seeing that, I immediately just felt a visceral [sadness] and hope she's getting the care that's needed and hope she makes a full recovery," Jansen said.
Echoes of past San Francisco dog attack cases
Big picture view:
Tuesday's mauling rekindles memories of the fatal Diane Whipple case from more than a quarter-century ago.
In that incident, the 33-year-old was killed by two massive dogs in a hallway of her Pacific Heights apartment building, leading to prison sentences for two people involved.
San Francisco police are searching for the owner of the dog involved in Tuesday's incident to determine if the animal had proper tags and vaccinations.
Investigators have not yet stated whether charges will be filed in connection with the attack.
The Source: This story was reported by KTVU's Jesse Gary who went to the scene of the dog attack in San Francisco. He interviewed San Francisco police and animal control officials, and Dr. Thomas Jansen, a Medvet emergency veterinarian.