Brenda Moon, the victim of a pit bull attack in Surrey, is facing a new reality.
The bandages have come off her arm, which was broken when a dog attacked her outside a convenience store, and she is now learning the extent of her injuries.
Moon says she will have to undergo another surgery because chunks of her arm are missing and the bone keeps popping out.
“I’m frustrated, I’m angry, I’m upset,” Moon said. “What if I can’t use my hand at all? Then what?”
Victim of Surrey pit bull attack speaks out against dog’s owner
The 63-year-old was on her way to grab her morning coffee at a Surrey convenience store last month when she was mauled by a pit bull. The dog’s owner left the scene but was eventually tracked down by Surrey RCMP. The dog was euthanized but the owner is not facing criminal charges.
“It’s like a hit and run, what happened to me, but in this case it was a bite and run and he walks away,” Moon said. “No accountability.”
Moon feels her only recourse is to sue the owner in the hopes of getting some money to help pay for her long-term care.
“You can sue and win but you would win nothing because if he’s got nothing, you’re going to get nothing,” Moon’s sister Kathlene Sadiq said.
The coordinator for the Better at Home program, which is run by the United Way, told Global News Moon’s request for home care is a priority but it’s unclear if she’ll have to pay anything out of pocket.
“I feel defenceless because what do I do?” Moon asked.
Moon is also pushing for change, saying she wants pit bulls banned. Surrey City Council recently passed a motion to review its dangerous dog bylaw and a report will go back to council in the fall.
“I’m not giving up. I don’t want to see some child chewed up and die,” she said. “The time is now.”
– With files from Rumina Daya