WARNING: Story contains graphic details and images
A Mission, B.C. woman who was attacked by a dog in Langley Tuesday night is pleading with its owner to come forward.
The attack left her with 85 staples in her leg and in need of plastic surgery to repair the damage.
Kim Tamminga told Global News her sister Shelby was at a convenience store near 29th Avenue and 272nd Street around 7 p.m. picking up water for her baseball team when the dog seemingly came out of nowhere in the parking lot.
“She locked eyes with this dog for about two seconds, it didn’t even growl at her, it just attacked and latched onto her right leg,” said Tamminga.
“And then the dog bit down hard, and entered her leg and it loosened off again and bit down again.
“The third time he did that, she managed to get her leg out of his mouth and curl herself up into a ball. And then he proceeded to bite her in the buttocks.”
Tamminga said Shelby can’t recall how long the attack lasted — but clearly remembers what made it stop.
“She distinctly remembers hearing a whistle, and she said that she’ll never forget the sound of the whistle because it stopped the attack.”
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When the attack let up, Tamminga said her sister couldn’t see who had whistled but was able to flag down some passersby to help.
“They kind of looked at her odd and the young man ran to her and whipped off his belt and put a tourniquet around her leg.”
Shelby was able to drive herself back to her baseball game, where her husband rushed her to the hospital, Tamminga said.
In a post on Facebook, Shelby’s sister-in-law described the dog as a “brindle bull mastiff.”
Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Largy said the attack was reported to police, and officers attended and canvassed the neighbourhood. She said the detachment’s General Investigation section is looking into the incident, and that details have also been forwarded to the Langley Animal Protection Society.
Tamminga said the incident has devastated her family, and that they want the dog’s owner to take responsibility for the attack.
“These aren’t just dog bites, she’s got massive tears in her legs, I really just want them to come forward,” she said.