SEATTLE — Amy Craven, the woman who was attacked by two dogs in Eastlake, is speaking out from her hospital bed. Craven, a mother of a young child, has been in the hospital since Friday and says she has more surgeries ahead of her to repair her damaged calf.
Friday’s brutal dog attack lasted 37 seconds and the entire incident was caught on nearby surveillance video.
Moments before the Craven is attacked, she’s caught on surveillance video walking past Union Marine in Eastlake. Seconds later, she’s back in view with one dog grabbing hold of her ankle.
“I was screaming for my life, I was like if I scream hopefully somebody will hear me – I was like if I crawl on top of this car maybe I can get away. But the dog just had my leg so tough,” Craven said.
Jace Romine, who works nearby, heard the screams and ran outside.
"It’s supposed to be a nice, cruising Friday morning and all of a sudden it went from a two to a ten in an instant,” Romine said. “Right when I came out the front door ... saw our neighbor fighting the dogs off of the lady that was walking, and we just started yelling and running towards her.”
That neighbor, also captured on tape, can be seen armed with a hammer, striking the animals several times and ultimately getting the dogs to leave her alone.
Nearby workers pull her inside. Police, fire and an animal shelter officer responded and determined the two dogs escaped from a nearby vehicle.
The dogs lived in a box truck with their owner. The two dogs were returned to the owner shortly after the bite, though that owner has since turned care over to the city's shelter.
They’ll likely remain in the shelter until the city's investigation is complete.
“What if I was a child? I would have been killed. A six-year-old boy wouldn’t have been able to withstand the trauma that I am going through,” Craven said.
On Friday, neighbors and business owners pointed to the growing number of tents and RVs parked along Fairview Avenue East. For Craven, news that the dogs came from a box truck confirms her fear that this could happen again.
“These dogs mean more than my life. These dogs were about to take my life and they get to go back and live with their owner in a car, while here I am in a hospital bed,” Craven said.