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Deputies: 14 Dogs Seized After York County Woman Mauled

police tape
TONY WEBSTER
/
FLICKR

Sheriff's deputies in York County, South Carolina, say they seized 14 dogs that may have been used for fighting Saturday after a 71-year-old woman was mauled. The woman is alive but had to be flown to a Charlotte hospital for treatment.

Deputies responding to a 911 call at a home in the 2200 block of Sawmill Road in Hickory Grove found the wounded woman lying on the ground of a relative's home after being attacked by a pit bull terrier, the York County Sheriff's Office said Sunday. She apparently was at the home to take care of the dogs when one of them got loose and attacked.

Fourteen dogs were taken from the home and sent to the county's animal control department. The sheriff's office said deputies found "evidence of state violations," including improper restraint of the dogs and lack of adequate food and shelter. Deputies are also investigating whether the dogs were used for fighting.

In a statement, York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson called raising dogs to fight "cruel, unnecessary and criminal."

"This incident speaks to the viciousness and violent nature of raising animals for the purpose of fighting and unfortunately caused very serious and unnecessary harm to an innocent and unintended victim, Tolson said.

The sheriff's office on Sunday did not have an update on the severity of the woman's injuries. It wasn't immediately clear if the owner of the dogs would face any charges.

About 4.5 million dogs bite people each year in the U.S. Of those bites, roughly 885,000 result in medical treatment, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Dash joined WFAE as a digital editor for news and engagement in 2019. Before that, he was a reporter for the Savannah Morning News in Georgia, where he covered public safety and the military, among other topics. He also covered county government in Gaston County, North Carolina, for its local newspaper, the Gazette.