What started out as a normal day in East Bakersfield quickly turned into a medical emergency when a mother and her 8-year-old daughter were mauled by a dog. Had it not been for the daughter's quick thinking, her mother says, things could have turned out much worse.
“You’re a hero. You saved your sisters, and I will forever be proud of you,” said mother Daisy Gomez as she embraced her daughter Arlene Anguiano.
A moment of embrace for Daisy Gomez and her daughter Arlene, still traumatized, but grateful to be in each other’s arms.
It happened while Gomez was making dinner. Outside, Arlene was with her sisters, giving water to her dogs, when a pit bull approached , started growling, and then lunged.
“The dog was trying to like bite my sisters but I got in the way,” said Arlene.
While being attacked, Arlene fought back, punching the dog, while yelling at her 6 and 2-year-old sisters to stay away.
“I ran and I jumped instantly I threw myself onto the dog and I grabbed onto her hair, he grabbed one of my fingers and he pulled my finger and I started screaming,” said Gomez.
The trip to the hospital revealed the damage: 40 staples to Arlene’s head, 3 stitches to her hand, plus bruises, scrapes, and back pain from being dragged.
Gomez says aggressive dogs has long been an issue in the neighborhood, yet nothing’s been done. She says Kern County Animal Services is aware of the incident.
When we reached out, Animal Services told us the dog is not a stray, but belongs to an owner who no longer lives here.
Officials say the dog was left with relatives, secured on their property, but escaped after a gate was left open and stated that officers were told the dog was no longer on site when they arrived Monday.
In a statement, animal services writes in part quote, “At this time, the dog is not in the custody of Kern County Animal Services, and efforts to locate the animal remain ongoing. Animal Services will continue to actively patrol the area to hopefully locate and impound the animal in question.”
Despite being in pain both physically and emotionally, Arlene isn’t letting that hold her back. Minutes after our interview, she was back outside, smiling with her family and playing with her own dogs.
Grateful to be recovering at home, Gomez says she hopes their story serves as a warning about the dangers of uncontrolled animals in the neighborhood.
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