NEED TO KNOW
- Teacher Sierra Allen and student Landin Williamson were attacked by dogs outside Collins Rhodes Elementary School in Prichard, Ala., on Dec. 16
- Allen says she “probably wouldn’t be here today” if parents at the school didn’t intervene to rescue her from the attack
- The owner of the dogs allegedly told Allen, “they don’t know where the dogs are,” following the “vicious” incident
A student and teacher are recovering from injuries sustained in a dog attack outside an elementary school in Alabama.
On Tuesday, Dec. 16, Landin Williamson was running towards Collins-Rhodes Elementary School in Prichard after being dropped off by his mom when he was attacked by two dogs, Fox 10 News reported.
“I guess it triggered the dog and grabbed him and brought him down to the ground,” the nine-year-old student’s mom, Alexis Ware, told the outlet. Williamson suffered multiple bites requiring eight stitches.
Third-grade teacher Sierra Allen had just parked her car outside the elementary school when the two dogs also “suddenly charged” at her.
“They were biting and snapping and jumping over me,” Allen told Fox 10 News. “They bit through my UGG boots, they bit through my pants. I have scars on my legs and thighs. It’s awful to look at — it’s a constant reminder of what happened to me one week ago today.”
Allen was bitten on her legs before a group of parents, who were dropping their kids off at the school, stepped in to save her from the dogs, per Fox 10 News.
“They were snapping at my face and at my neck. I want to say thank you to the parents — I probably wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for them,” said Allen.
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Police officers and animal control arrived at the scene after Allen and Landin had been transported to the hospital, Fox 10 News reported.
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The elementary school initially sent an email to parents stating that dogs attacked two students and a teacher. However, the City of Prichard later clarified that it was just one student and one teacher, adding that the victims sustained “minor” injuries, a claim Allen disputes.
“I cannot walk for extended periods of time without my left knee swelling,” Allen told Fox 10 News. “I’ve never had that problem before. The bite marks on my right thigh — where the teeth went through — they’re still knotted and bruised.”
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The two dogs belonged to the same owner, according to Fox 10 News. They were issued a mandatory 10-day quarantine notice following the incident.
Allen alleges that the dog owner said “they don’t know where the dogs are,” following the attacks, per Fox 10 News. “Those dogs were not trained to be around people. They’re vicious, and they need to be captured,” she added.
The Mobile County Health Department’s Rabies Division is reportedly investigating the incidents.
The attacks have left Allen considering leaving her job, while Landin is now “terrified” of dogs, his mother told KOLD. “He is terrified. He wakes up out of his sleep at night just hollering,” she said.
PEOPLE has contacted the City of Prichard and the Mobile County Health Department’s Rabies Division for comment.
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