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Woman says friend's dog attacked her with no warning

BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — A woman says Georgia’s law is making it difficult to get justice after her good friend's dog attacked her.

After spending the last 10 days in quarantine, the Great Dane named Delta is back in the custody of her owner, but when Channel 2's Michael Seiden went by her owner's home, there was no sign of the canine.

Shelby Wallace said she still has some numbness in her right arm from when she said the dog attacked.

“I still have a lot of swelling and I have a big patch here that’s numb,” Wallace said. “I can move it a lot more than I could before.”

“This is a dog that you’ve interacted with on multiple occasions?” Seiden asked Wallace.

“Yes. I’ve dog sat for this dog before,” Wallace said.

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Wallace said she and another friend were asked to watch Delta while the dog’s owner was on vacation.

The Bartow County resident said she was standing outside the home in the front yard when the dog escaped through the front door.

“I hear the dogs barking in the house and they all come running out the door,” Wallace told Seiden. “The next thing I know, Delta, the Great Dane, just had a hold of my arm.”

Wallace said she dropped to the ground.

“When I fell, she lunged again and grabbed a hold of the side of my head,” Wallace said.

Wallace’s friend heard her screams for help.

“I don’t know if someone hadn’t been there if she would’ve stopped,” Wallace said.

On Friday, Seiden stopped by the mobile home of Wallace's friend, Kasey Chandler, just outside
Cartersville, where he saw signs warning about the dogs on the property.

There was no sign of Delta or her owner. Seiden finally reached Chandler by phone Friday evening.
She accused Wallace of trespassing.

When Seiden brought those claims to Wallace, she showed him a text message conversation where her friend thanked her for taking care of her pets.

“This awful thing happened and I’m going to live with the scars of it for the rest of my life,” Wallace said.

Seiden tried to contact Chandler’s attorney on Friday for comment about this story, but so far, they have not responded.

Seiden contacted Channel 2 legal analyst Esther Panitch who said under state law, if a dog hasn't been in trouble in the past, then it can be returned to its owner without any serious punishment.