Woman in critical condition after dog attack in Taylorsville

TAYLORSVILLE — Police say a Taylorsville woman’s call to 911 likely saved her life, though she’s in critical condition and lost one leg.

On Tuesday at approximately 2:30 p.m., the woman called and told dispatchers she was being attacked by her son’s dogs in their backyard.

Her son, who also lives at the house, reportedly has two adult Pitbull dogs and five puppies. The family of the woman, who is in her sixties, was feeding the dogs when, for some reason, they started attacking. This happened near 2900 West and 4800 South in Taylorsville.

When officers arrived, they looked over the fence to see the woman semi-conscious with the dogs still attacking. They said they were able to scare the dogs off her with pepper spray and contain them. But, the female, who they say was the most aggressive, remained dangerous.

Ultimately, police said they had to shoot and kill the female dog.

Medical teams rushed her to the hospital where she was listed in critical condition. Her family told KSL TV that she spent nearly 12 hours in surgery yesterday and had to amputate one leg.

Lt. Aaron Cheshire with Taylorsville Police Department says without her cell phone, she likely wouldn’t have survived the attack.

“The scariest part is if she wouldn’t have been able to call, she had a cell phone with her when she was attacked and she was able to call 911, which probably ended up saving her life,” a family member said.

The remaining dogs are now with West Valley City Animal Control. The woman remains hospitalized. Her family says one of the biggest concerns, with the number of bites, is infection.

Related: What you should do to prevent an attack from an animal like a pit bull