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Chesterfield mother attacked by dog while training for marathon

Posted at 10:59 PM, Sep 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-25 23:36:59-04

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A mother of two was left traumatized after an unprovoked dog attacked her while she trained for a marathon in her Midlothian neighborhood.

Amanda Parker said the attack happened while she ran in the Cambria Cove subdivision, Monday morning.

"I was running down the street in the neighborhood and before I even saw the dogs I heard barking -- not playful barking, but angry barking," Parker remembered. "I saw the dogs very soon after come out of the tree line directly at me."

The dog that lunged at Parker was described as medium-sized, white fur coat with black spots and a red collar.

Parker showed CBS 6 her large, black and blue bruise with two puncture marks on her upper right thigh.

"This is the top of his mouth where the fangs went in and that’s the bruise from the bottom jaw, so he clamped down on the back of my leg," Parker described.

Amanda Parker

She said she drove to the emergency room where doctors cleaned the dog bite and prescribed her antibiotics.

The young mother posted her encounter with the dog on Facebook to discover others in the new construction neighborhood have also had bad interactions with the dogs.

A family who lives next door where the dogs live said they recently grabbed their young daughters when the dogs charged at them.

"Some of our neighbors are worried about coming down our cul-de-sac because they’re worried about the dogs coming out," the family who wanted to remain anonymous stated. "Some of the neighbors are little nervous coming down here and they won’t take their walks here anymore."

Parker said a man who lived at the home told her they installed an invisible electric fence, but the dog in question wasn't wearing a shock collar at the time.

Amanda Parker

An officer with Chesterfield County Animal Services was seen leaving the home on Tuesday afternoon.

“Because [Chesterfield County Animal Services] didn’t witness the incident, they said it’s on myself to go to the magistrate to file the summons for the dogs being off leash off their property," Parker said.

Parker stated animal services told her they were seeking that the owner of the dog quarantine it in their home for the next 10 days following the attack.

CBS 6 reached out to the dog owners for reaction after the attack, but haven't heard back Tuesday night.

Parker hoped the owners put up a physical fence or were more proactive so another person isn't attacked again.

"I don’t necessarily want to go through the court process. I don’t want to fine people. I don’t want to make it in a big ordeal. I just want to know I can play outside with my kids and run through the neighborhood and feel safe," she said.

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