Florence woman recovers from bulldogs' attack

By: Kelly Gillespie | SCNow
Published: March 30, 2009

FLORENCE — A Florence woman is recovering after being attacked by two bulldogs Monday morning.

Family members said the attack happened as the woman, 56-year-old Linda Jones, was walking her dog near her home on National Cemetery Road. The two bulldogs living next door were outside in an enclosure, but dug under the fence to escape and began attacking her.

Jones’ brother heard her screaming, came outside with a shovel and pickax, and fought the dogs off of her. The bulldogs bit her in the arm and back and scratched her face.

“Just because you see them and they’re calm every day doesn’t mean they’re gonna be,” her son, Frank Jones, said of the neighbor’s dogs. “All it takes is one time. My mother almost lost her life today.”

Linda Jones received stitches for the wounds to her arms and is back home awaiting rabies test results.

The case is being handled by Florence County Environmental Services, which cited the bulldogs’ owners for having animals running at large. The Florence County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene.

The owners surrendered the dogs to Florence County, so the dogs will be euthanized after a 10-day observation period in quarantine.

This is the second dog attack reported in Florence County, and the third reported in the Pee Dee, this year.

A Darlington County family said a friend’s yellow Labrador retriever bit off part of their 7-year-old daughter’s ear during an attack in January.

Also in January, Bentley Collins of Dillon, who was charged in connection with the death of a 10-year-old boy who was mauled by his mixed-breed dogs, was sentenced to five years in prison after a jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of keeping unconfined dangerous animals.

A Scranton resident has asked town leaders to consider a ban on pit bulls after several complaints about her neighbor’s dogs, which are kept in a fenced-in area. Those who support her request pointed to a case this year in Lake City where one person was injured in a pit bull attack.

During Florence County Council’s meeting Thursday morning, students from Southside Middle School in Florence will be presenting arguments against breed-specific legislation, such as the kind Dillon City Council enacted in May. Dillon City Council’s ordinance defines a pit bull as a dangerous animal and requires stricter guidelines for pit bull owners.

Nearly a year ago, a 6-year-old girl was attacked by a pit bull while she was playing with friends in a yard marked with “no trespassing” signs along National Cemetery Road in Florence County. The dog’s owner wasn’t cited.

Experts say if a dog has any aggressive traits, it’s best to talk with a veterinarian and develop a plan for modifying the pet’s behavior. They say dogs also should be kept out of situations that could trigger their aggressive tendencies.

— Morning News Staff Writer Jamie Durant contributed to this report.