Irving police release 911 call from fatal dog attack

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Newly released 911 calls reveal more information about a fatal attack on a woman by her own two pit bulls at an Irving animal hospital.

Johana Villafane’s dogs were in a rabies quarantine because police said they bit a neighbor earlier in the month. She was walking them at O’Connor Animal Hospital on the morning of March 23 when they attacked.

After some time, employees at the animal hospital went to check on Villafane and found her lying in the grass in the exercise area with the animals guarding her body. A receptionist called 911.

“Okay, so the dog is over the person that she bit?” the dispatcher officer said on the 911 call.

“Yeah, so she’s on the floor outside. She was walking and the dog is there. She’s full of blood,” the caller said.

Employees at the animal hospital said Villafane was the only one who could walk her dogs because they had been showing signs of aggressive behavior. She had come in to walk the dogs twice a day for a week before the attack.

“We were very busy taking care of clients and patients all morning that we were unable to hear any noise or screaming that occurred in the backyard. One of our receptionists saw her laying in the grass in our backyard at 11:45am. She called 911 immediately for assistance. We were trying to reach her, trying to rescue her but were not successful because the two dogs were guarding her,” said James Kang, a veterinarian at O’Connor Animal Hospital.

Police had no choice but to shoot and kill the dogs on site so that paramedics could reach the woman. She was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.

Villafane had reportedly owned the two dogs – 1-year-old male and female lab/pit bull terrier mixes – since they were puppies.

Tests to determine if they had rabies are still pending.

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