A bit of a Nightmare

 Friday, December 29, 2023 

• I want to see the both dogs’ vaccination records ( both  dogs - the male German Shepherd named Bear and the female German Shepherd named Koala) 
• I do want these dogs walking outside without being on leashes
• I want all my expenses related to this unprovoked attack paid for 
• I want the dog owners to be required not to leave dogs in the car with windows down so this could happen again to someone else 
• I want the dog owners required to attend dog training classes and responsible dog owners training 

I was walking out the front door of Walgreens Drug store this afternoon after buying some extra strength Tylenol for my son who had surgery on his right hand this morning.  My husband and son were waiting in our vehicle one row back. I walked between two vehicles as Walgreens does not have a walking path in front of the store and cars are permitted to park directly in front of the exit. A dog in the back seat of the car parked to the left of the exit lunged at me from the back window and bit my left arm through my long sleeved shirt and fleece.  It bleed like a pig and the cashier at the front of the store grabbed brown paper towels and I applied pressure.  I was seated in a car outside the pharmacy area and a staff member stayed with me and gave me bottled water 💦.  Colonie EMS responded and put a pressure bandage on my injury to stop the bleeding.  Police 👮‍♀️ were also called and responded.   I was taken by ambulance to Albany Medical Center ER but the ER was indescribably crowded beyond anything you could imagine. My daughter and grandson picked me up from the ER and we called Albany Memorial ER and they advised that there was literally a mere 5 hour wait there.  After stopping home to change my blood soaked shirt and fleece, my Daughter called WellNow urgent care in Latham and when they heard the wound was still bleeding, they agreed to see me as soon as I arrived.  The wound was washed out with saline and antiseptic solution and I was given 5 stitches and a tetanus injection and 10 days of a high dose antibiotics.   

A freak, unexpected attack.  The instant I heard a vicious growl I had a fleeting sense of safety believing the window must be up but the next second I felt his nasty bite on my flesh, through the heavy fleece and long sleeve shirt beneath it.  This photo was taken at WellNow in the Latham Circle  three hours later. FYI the care rendered at WellNow was superb.  I admit, I was scared 😟

There was a man sitting in the driver’s seat (dog owner) in the front seat of the vehicle.  I simply walked past the car and the dog barked viciously and lunged his head out the window and bite me in the shoulder.  I screamed he bit me as I walked one row back to the car my husband and son were sitting in. I pulled off me fleece and rolled up my sleeve to see. The owner came over to our vehicle and said, did he break skin ?  There was immediate blood and bruising so my instinct was to go back into Walgreens and ask for help - by then the blood was saturating my shirt and dripping on the floor. The young female cashier grabbed some brown paper towels and I began to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. 

Another employee escorted me back to a seat outside the pharmacy area and stayed right next to me. I became very thirsty and asked for water and someone brought me cold bottled water. Colonie EMS were called and arrived in minutes. Michael, the younger EMT, 

applied gauze and a gauze pressure wrap, and I was advised to seek medical attention. It was decided that AMC was the best choice because it was a trauma center and I was taken by ambulance to the AMC ER. My husband Bob was dealing with our son Brian who had had just had a surgery for removal of a growth on his right palm ( Brian was still groggy from anesthesia and his right arm was in a sling and completely numb from a block. At one point while I was sitting outside the pharmacy inside of Walgreens, the owner of the dog came in and when he saw the condition of my arm he recoiled and said, “ oh jeez “ but immediately started to dispute what I was saying about the incident. Animal control arrived and took a statement and the police were called but I was already on the way to the hospital in the ambulance when they arrived ( as per the store manager). The Walgreen manager, Ken,  had taken information from me and shared it with the police. 

Other important information I want to save: This morning, Tuesday, January 2, 2024, Bob and I spoke to Jim Ainscoe, Colonie Animal Control Officer and we were told that Bear “ the dog that bit me ( I didn’t even know that there were two dogs in the back seat so I’m not sure how they know which of the two dogs actually did the biting and therefore I want to know with certainty that both dogs are up to date with their required vaccinations. I want to see these vaccination records myself- and I was told by Jim Aniscoe that I cannot get them!! I was told that Bear was vaccinated on 6-09- 2021 and it is good for three years.  For this reason and for other reasons I submitted a Dangerous Animal Complaint.  My statement and photos were faxed to Jim Ainscoe at 518-786-7326.