A mother of two in Portland is fighting to stay alive after a group of dogs attacked her while she was out for a walk.
Mytoka Petry was in North Portland on July 15 when a group of eight dogs swarmed and attacked her, KPTV reports. Portland police officials said the attack occurred near a homeless camp, though it is unclear at this time if the dogs have any connection to the camp.
Two people tried to help the woman, but the dogs attacked them as well, sending one to the hospital with serious injuries.
A pair of Petry’s friends spoke with KPTV and told the outlet that the woman has lost an arm, and ear and nearly lost one of her eyes due to the attack.
Monica Estrada, one of the friends, said the woman suffered from multiple brain bleeds and required skin grafting to fix injuries to her face. The other friend, Juliana Torres, told the outlet that Petry has so many bite wounds that re-bandaging her wounds takes medical staff nearly four hours.
Petry’s daughters have been staying with her as she is treated at Emanuel Medical Center.
Police said the dogs involved in the attack are being held at a Multnomah County Animal Services facility, and that no arrests have been made as of Wednesday morning.
Estrada told KPTV that she wants to see someone held accountable.
“Who is regulating that there are packs of dogs in a homeless camp on the side of the road?” she asked, noting that the attack could have happened to anyone walking in that area.
Kristine Rebber, another friend of Petry’s, agreed.
“Somebody has to be accountable,” she told KOIN. “This is tragic. There’s no reason that she should not have been able to be out there.”
Rebber also told the outlet that Petry was “stable” and that her loved ones are beginning to feel “hopeful” for her recovery. However, she noted that they’ve all been told by doctors that Petry’s recovery will be a “really long road.”
“She may be in the ICU for months. And right now there’s so much room for infection or other complications that she’s not out of the woods,” Rebber said.
Petry’s family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover her hospital expenses.
