Pets of SUNDogs Member Attacked By Potentially Dangerous Dogs

A member of University Place's most notable dog-lovers group says her pooches were attacked by a pair of potentially dangerous dogs earlier this month.

Margaret Larkey tells Patch that she was walking her dogs on 97th Street West near Sunset Primary School shortly before 2 p.m., May 4, when the unleashed dogs came running from the direction of Beckonridge Drive.

"They both attacked my leashed dogs, biting them and overpowering them," she says. "I tried to pull off the dogs off my dogs and was helped by two women who had seen the incident."

Larkey says onw of the women who came to her rescue was Jade Linden, parent of a Sunset student who had been helping at the school. The other was Cindy Gidden, a cross guard and para-educator.

Alison Gibbons, the school nurse, happened to be leaving for the day and stopped her vehicle in the street to help. They were able to get Larkey and her dogs into Gibbons vehicle and drive them to Larkey's house less than a block away.

"if it were not for that wonderful staff at Sunset, things would have been much worse," Larkey says.

She called 911 immediately while being driven home, then she took her pets to Fircrest Veterinary Hsopital. The smaller dog, Neva, a Maltese, needed two sutures and a chest x-ray to ensure the lungs were not punctured. Both dogs suffered bite wounds and required pain & antibiotic shots.

Here is Larkey's description of the two dogs that attacked:

• White pitbull/boxer mix with tan & black markings on head, about 50 lbs.
• Tan, lean dog, narrow head, about 40 lbs. Breed unknown
• Several of us can identify the dogs if we see them.
• Dogs had collars and tags, no leashes, no person with them
• They ran off into woods near Mirabeau and/or Madrona Estates apartments.

The stray dogs, Larkey says, still have not been found. She hopes anyone with information will call authorities.