SAN ANTONIO – An East Side teenager was attacked by two dogs Monday while walking to school for the first day of classes.
San Antonio police officers who responded to the scene on South News Braunfels Avenue near Montana Street ended up shooting and killing one of the animals.
Officers said the pit bull acted aggressively and lunged at them and a passerby.
Abcde Rosales, 15, said she did nothing to provoke the attack.
Rosales said she was on her way to her school bus stop when she was attacked.
"I was walking past the cemetery and a dog was following me. And when I tried to back up, the other dog came and attacked me," she said. "They were biting me and hanging on. I was trying to kick them off, but I couldn't."
Fortunately, a driver saw what was going on and stopped to help.
Rosales said the man began beating the dogs until they let go of Rosales' leg.
Christina Calloway saw part of the attack from the window of her husband's nearby business. At first, she mistook the commotion for a couple having a fight.
"I said, 'Ooh, I know he's not putting his hands on her,'" Calloway said. "(Then) I noticed that she had blood leaking down and those two pit bulls were attacking her."
Calloway, who said she's a nurse, was able to administer first aid and call for paramedics.
She and her husband later drove Rosales and her grandmother to the hospital.
Calloway and other passersby said they were not surprised to hear about the attack.
They said they have noticed the same dogs acting aggressively toward people in the past.
"I've called Animal Control several times, but nobody comes out. So finally, (police) had to do what they had to do," Calloway said.
As a result of the encounter, Rosales spent the morning in the hospital rather than in school getting to know her new teachers.
Rosales said she fears the pain of the dog bites may be only the beginning.
"I'm going to have to get shots, antibiotic shots," she said. "Then they'll call my grandma and let her know if the dogs had any types of diseases. If so, then I'll have to go back and get more shots."
Police did not know right away whether the dogs belong to anyone or if they are strays.
They said the animals appeared to be a mother and her puppy, and that it's possible she attacked because she felt threatened.
Officers shot and killed the puppy.
Animal Care Services took custody of the mother dog.