Woman's dogs aggressively attack woman on Southwest Austin sidewalk: affidavit

AUSTIN, Texas - A woman is facing a felony charge after her dogs aggressively attacked a woman walking along a sidewalk in Southwest Austin, biting her legs and arm.

56-year-old Panvrla White has been charged with third-degree felony attack by dog resulting in serious bodily injury.

The victim suffered a large gash to her right arm and will likely need plastic surgery. 

What we know:

Court paperwork outlines what happened on March 28 and the investigation into the incident.

Austin police responded just before 4:30 p.m. to a call about two large, aggressive black dogs actively attacking a woman near St. Edwards Drive and Nottingham Lane. The woman, described as 50–60 years old, was reportedly screaming and bleeding heavily with a large gash on her forearm. 

When officers arrived, the victim was receiving treatment inside an ambulance and the dogs were contained inside an SUV. The woman was transported to St. David's South Austin Medical Center's trauma unit. She was able to tell officers she had been walking along St. Edwards Drive when two dogs ran towards her from a nearby corner residence and began attacking her.

Officers interviewed the dogs' owners, a man and a woman. The woman, identified in the affidavit as White, said that while parked, she had gotten out to get a wheelchair from the trunk. The man with her opened the passenger door at the same time and the dogs escaped. 

She told officers the dogs had immediately run towards the woman and began attacking her. One was barking while the other was actively biting her. She had attempted to intervene by pulling one away and yelling at the other.

Both dogs were taken by animal control to the shelter and identified as two-year-old Cane Corsos, each weighing between 85–89 pounds.

A detective later interviewed the victim and her doctor at the hospital. The doctor said the woman suffered "a significant injury to her right arm" and that "the skin is likely going to demarcate and die," meaning she would need plastic surgery. The injury would also limit her ability to function with her right hand.

The woman gave a fuller account of what happened, saying that she had been walking along the sidewalk about three blocks from her home when she came upon the dogs. She said one of the dogs began biting her legs, and that the attack escalated quickly. She began screaming for help and considered climbing onto a nearby vehicle, but opted for curling in a ball while the dogs continued to bite her.

She described the event as "like a movie" and that "she genuinely believed she might not survive the attack."

Dig deeper:

White is no longer in custody and has posted a $10,000 bond. She has been ordered not to possess any pets as well as be under mental health supervision.

White has a criminal history in Travis County going back to 2004, according to court records. 

She has two active misdemeanor charges for harassment and violating a bond/protective order from 2025 and has been indicted for state-jail felony criminal mischief and burglary of a building. 

She has also been convicted on a felony fraud charge in 2019, property theft in 2012, and credit card abuse in 2007.