LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCTV) - A woman in her 70s is recovering from a severe dog bite wound and mourning the loss of her Chihuahua. An unleashed and unattended dog attacked them at Centennial Skate Park in Lawrence at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The dog’s owner spoke to KCTV5 about what can happen if people don’t leash their dogs.

Carol Linn was walking all three of her dogs at the park. When she rounded a bend, near a wooded area, she saw a dog without a leash by a trash can. She hardly had a moment to think before it went for her smallest dog, a chubby little chihuahua named Pete.

“This dog was very intent on causing harm,” Linn described. “It happened in seconds.”

The dog tore into her arm when she intervened. A man playing disc golf answered her calls for help and pinned the aggressive dog to the ground by following Linn’s suggestion to subdue the dog by wrapping a leash around its neck and pulling tight.

The area of Centennial Skate Park where the dog attack happened.

ALSO READ: Elderly woman bitten, her Chihuahua killed in unleashed dog attack

“I want to shout out to Anthony,” Linn said. “He was very brave. I thank him. Without him, I don’t know what might have happened.”

Pete was killed. Another one of her dogs, named Spencer, ran to her doorstep. A third dog, named Beth, was unhurt but joined her in the ambulance, an accommodation for which she praised the police department.

Pete, on the left, was killed. Spencer, in the middle, ran home. Beth, on the right, was unhurt, but joined Carol in the ambulance and the ER.

“Beth didn’t want to leave,” Linn remembered. “She got right on the cot with me, and even when I went to LMH (Lawrence Memorial Hospital), they were terrific. She stayed with me the whole time in the emergency room.”

Linn was clear that she didn’t want anyone to judge the attacking dog or its owner, but wants people to understand how important leash laws are.

“The sad part about it is it doesn’t need to happen, if in a public place, if people would just leash their dogs,” Linn said.

The dog that attacked is now in quarantine at the Lawrence Humane Society. It will be held for at least 10 days, allowing time for an owner to come forward and a judge to determine if it should be euthanized. Police said they identified a possible owner, but that person claimed the dog was no longer theirs.

The aggressor dog is in quarantine at the Humane Society for at least 10 days, according to state law, awaiting a judicial ruling on whether she should be euthanized.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Lawrence Humane Society Executive Director Shannon Wells remarked that parks and trails present a high risk for dog bites.

“When there are more animals around, there is more risk,” said Wells. “It’s just the law of averages.”

She said the best way to prevent an attack is to prepare.

“These are not pretty situations. It’s not always easy to know exactly what to do,” Wells remarked. “This kind of conversation is really important because it allows people to think ahead. What could I do? What are my options?”

She said typically you should not panic or run because that can trigger a dog’s chasing instinct, but each situation is different. It can help to get behind a barrier.

She recommends bringing some items with you that can be helpful when presented with a dog roaming off leash, to include the following:

a small air horn or compressed air spray, sometimes branded as pet corrector, to startle a dog away
treats to show you’re a friend or to toss to divert them
a cell phone to call for help.

“It maybe seems like overkill,” Wells said, “but you never know, and it would be better to have those with you.”

Another important preventative action, she said, is to call police if you see an unleashed dog, whether it’s being aggressive or not, because the sooner it is contained, the safer it is for everyone, including the loose dog.