WALLER COUNTY, Texas – A horrific dog attack in Waller County nearly claimed the life of a mother of two and preschool teacher.
What began as a routine Friday evening turned into a fight for survival as four pit bulls burst through a bent section of Kristi Burrell‘s front gate around 8 p.m. several days ago.
Burrell, who was simply moving cars in her driveway that night, suddenly found herself in the midst of a savage attack.
“I was outside and I saw these dogs running at me,” Burrell recalls, her voice trembling. “The big one jumped at my face, and they started pulling me down.”
The attack escalated into a terrifying struggle as the dogs attempted to tear her apart.
“That’s when I felt one grab my head and start ripping at my head, and then one grabbed my leg,” Burrell recounts. “It was like they were trying to tug-of-war me. They were ripping me apart.”
Just when Burrell thought she would die, help arrived in an extraordinary act of courage.
“A woman jumped over the fence and covered me with her body to protect me,” Burrell says, still amazed by the neighbor’s bravery. Other neighbors rushed to help, desperately trying to pull the aggressive dogs away.
In the chaos that followed, one neighbor was forced to take drastic action, shooting two of the dogs dead to end the attack.
Today, Burrell sits in her home, bandaged from head to toe, having endured multiple surgeries to repair deep gashes and wounds. But the physical injuries tell only part of the story.
“My main concern is I don’t sleep,” Burrell reveals. “I wake up all the time, and I can feel them pulling at me and biting at me. My poor husband – I wake all the time.”
Looking at her rescuers’ actions, Burrell reflects with humility and gratitude: “They must have been courageous. I don’t know if I would have been that courageous.”
Protecting Yourself from Dog Attacks
Safety experts recommend several defensive strategies if confronted by aggressive dogs:
- Push an object into the dog’s face (stick, laptop, or backpack) to give them something else to bite
- If possible, kick the dog on its side and pin it down with your knees, keeping its head away from your face
- As a last resort, collapse on the ground and curl into a fetal position to protect your face, head, and neck
Road to Recovery
The journey ahead for Burrell includes extensive medical treatment, plastic surgery, and psychiatric care. Her family has established a GoFundMe account to help with mounting medical expenses.