PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A Putman County woman says her horse was attacked and seriously wounded by dogs roaming free in her Interlachen neighborhood. The woman told Action News Jax she shot at the dogs to save her horse’s life.
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Feb. 18 was a terrifying day for Bitty Reilly and her horse Roxanne as she was attacked by a group of dogs -- leaving her with tons of scars covering its body -- just like this scar on her right knee.
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It was early last week when two dogs took down Reilly’s 1,400-pound horse Roxanne. It all happened around noon at Reilly’s home along Indian Lakes Forest Road in Interlachen.
“They had her down by her rain jacket and I just saw blood,” Reilly said. “They had tried to eat her face. So, I grabbed her out of here.”
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In a surveillance photo, you can see one, two, and three dogs near the horse’s pen. Reilly said the dogs went under the fence where the horse was standing, and they dragged Roxanne down by the rain jacket.
In another photo, you can see Reilly walking her horse back to her pen after shooting at the dogs with her revolver.
Reilly said, “I had my gun with me. I shot at the two dogs that I could see. They were eating her face.”
A blurred photo shows an open wound on the horse’s face. The horse suffered other wounds that can be seen on her sides and left knee.
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“Dogs like this should not be around,” Reilly said. “These are fighting dogs.”
Reilly reported the entire attack to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Two years ago, a mail carrier was attacked by five dogs in the Interlachen Lake Estates neighborhood after her delivery truck broke down.
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She later died. After that attack, State lawmakers considered establishing a dangerous dog registry and requiring their owners to obtain liability insurance, but the effort appears to have stalled in the state legislature.
As for Reilly’s horse, she is now eating and walking as she slowly recovers. Reilly said veterinary treatment is costing her thousands but says she’s happy her precious horse is okay now.
Reilly is asking whoever owns those dogs can come forward to take responsibility for Roxanne’s injuries.
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