MARION COUNTY, Ind. – A pack of dogs attacked a mother and three of her kids outside of a Marion County daycare.
And it is not the first time those same dogs have wreaked havoc on the neighborhood.
“My kids are scared. I’m scared. We all feared for our life in that phase,” described Savandrea Houston.
Daycare pickup turned terrifying in a matter of seconds for Houston, who is a mother. Screams and barking rang out as more than a dozen dogs circled around her car Tuesday afternoon.
“If you’ve ever watched the movie, The Lion King, it’s like a pack of hyenas. You don’t know what to expect,” said Houston.
The mother of three was picking up her kids from daycare on the far east side when it unfolded. She had already loaded the kids in the car as they quickly circled around them.
While Houston’s 2-year-old and 3-year-old daughters and 1-year-old son escaped untouched, the pack of pit bulls swarming her left their mark before running off.
“I’m kicking, I’m kicking. The dogs are biting at my ankles. They’re biting at my feet,” explained Houston. Had it been 20 seconds earlier, it would have been one of my kids,” said Houston.
Houston said she and the kids are still traumatized by the attack. Unfortunately, they are not the first victims of the very same dogs.
In fact, homeowners Sara Cooke and Ryan Lesher told FOX59/CBS4 they had an eerily similar encounter 10 days earlier. Nearly a dozen dogs charged down the hill and onto their patio.
“We saw two dogs running this direction. Tried to look out and see where they were going and couldn’t see them. Said maybe we should go back in, maybe they’re not friendly. And as soon as we turn there are 11, 12 other dogs coming from this direction. And we’re just bombarded. Tried to get low, distract the dogs and closer to the door,” said Lesher.
The dogs bit Lesher on the arm and Cooke around her torso, leaving behind blood and puncture wounds.
“We’re two grown adults and were just a couple feet from our door. And people could’ve been killed. It could’ve been a lot worse,” said Cooke.
There have been four police reports filed against the dogs’ owner since May. The owner was also charged with several ordinance violations, with a few of those resulting in fines.
Neighbors also said animal control picked up the dogs Wednesday. But both families said something else needs to change too.
“Something’s got to be done. There’s no reason somebody has that many dogs in their backyard,” Cooke said.
“Something needs to happen,” Houston said. “Something needs to happen.”
Both families said the dog’s owner needs to be held fully accountable for the injuries they sustained as well. They also said Marion County needs to limit the number of dogs a person can have so incidents like these do not happen again.
FOX59/CBS4 tried to contact the dogs’ owner, but the property was fenced off.
