EAST POINT, Ga. — A woman wants to see change after she says abandoned dogs and a slow animal service response led to a vicious dog attack.
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The attack happened while Gabriella Mooney was trying to get two dogs out of the middle of the street. The result was two broken arms and a long recovery.
‘It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life,” Mooney said.
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Mooney says she can’t forget the pain.
“I was blinded by pain. I could not stop screaming,” Mooney said.
The results were two broken arms that needed plates, screws, and rabies shots.
Mooney says she has only been able to lift about a pound since then. She has been billed more than $280,000 in medical expenses.
“It just makes me laugh out loud because it is a ridiculous number to even think about,” she explained.
Gabriella Mooney told Channel 2′s Michael Doudna the attack didn’t have to happen, as hours before, animal services were called about the same dog attacking Robert Richardson.
“They had collars. I figure they were owned by somebody, so who is not taking care of these dogs,” Richardson said.
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However, the dogs were able to wander for hours before Mooney found them and became another victim.
“This all could have been avoided if this was taken seriously,” Mooney explained.
Mooney says it’s a reoccurring theme, as she says there has been a rise in the number of abandoned dogs on East Point streets.
She says they are often told that animal services lack the resources to help.
“I feel like there is a huge burden on neighbors to put this into our own hands,” Mooney said.
Mooney hopes her story inspires change and more funding to make sure another attack doesn’t happen again.
“We need more help here, and we need the services to be working together,” Mooney said.
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