Employee attacked by dog ​​waiting for “rescue”

Los Angeles, CA (WorkersCompensation.com) – A Los Angeles animal shelter worker was attacked by a dog at work and said she never wants to return to work.

Leslie Corea, a kennel manager at Harbor Animal Shelter, was severely mauled by a dog at the San Pedro shelter on May 29. Corea said she took the dog out of his kennel to show him to a rescue group and he “freaked out” and attacked her.

“She immediately went for my leg and started fighting me like crazy. And I’m screaming like crazy,” Corea told NBC Los Angeles. “She jumped up and grabbed me by the chest near my left breast. I went to close the door. And I fell, and she came – the door didn’t close all the way – and she charged at me again, grabbed my left leg, pierced it and then she went back to my right leg, my thigh, my thigh is – half of it is gone.”

So far, Corea has undergone three surgeries at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, officials said.

Megan Ignacio, spokeswoman for LA Animal Services, confirmed the attack.

“The staff and volunteers of LA Animal Services are devastated by the injuries sustained by our colleague and friend. LA Animal Services has already launched an investigation into this incident,” Ignacio said in a statement.

A volunteer who asked not to be identified for fear of losing his job told NBC Los Angeles that Brie, the 66-pound dog who attacked Corea, was placed on the “red alert” list on May 9 and had been showing signs of fear, nervousness and stress. Brie was scheduled to be euthanized on May 31.

“They redlist dogs for every little thing. We’ve had perfectly fine dogs that were dog-friendly and people-friendly, and they got redlisted,” the volunteer said. “And then there are these dogs that are aggressive and attack other dogs, and they get redlisted.”

The volunteer said there is no clear explanation from LA Animal Services about how to handle red-listed dogs.

“Everyone is worried about Leslie, and it shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t have happened. I think a lot of volunteers will now think twice before taking out dogs with these symptoms,” the volunteer said. The volunteer said the attack was preventable. The shelter was understaffed and there was no one around who could have heard Corea’s screams, they said.

“We’ve talked about maybe getting panic buttons or something like that,” the volunteer said. “(Or) the city gives everyone a whistle, but a whistle doesn’t help if you’re being attacked by a dog.”

The volunteer said the attack highlights the ongoing overcrowding crisis at the shelter.

“It affects the dogs when they are confined like this, without exercise, movement, stimulation or human contact,” said the volunteer. “Living like this is not natural for them. It is inhumane.”

Volunteers hope LA Animal Services will provide more guidance and safety measures to volunteers and staff, and address the lack of resources and staff at the shelter to ensure another attack does not occur.

An email sent to the public on the day of the attack said the city’s animal shelter was in crisis due to a lack of space and an influx of animals. Without mentioning the attack, the email urged the public to adopt and foster more dogs.

Staycee Dains, general manager of the Department of Animal Welfare, said in the email: “The crisis has put staff, volunteers and animals at risk and we will continue to prioritize making this system safer for everyone involved.”

According to the email, the department has a capacity of about 800 dogs at a time, but the shelter has more than 1,500 dogs and nearly 50 dogs come into the shelter each day. According to the department, the conditions are leading to more euthanasia measures. More than 100 dogs were killed in April, a 44 percent increase from the same period last year, the email said.

“These are animals that, if found in the right home or rescue, could be valuable companions, but who may require special expertise to thrive or who need a patient, caring and committed home to take them in immediately,” Ignacio said in an email last month.

And on May 30, Councilwoman Eunesses Hernandez, who chairs a committee on animal issues, expressed her frustration over budget issues at the shelter. In a statement, Hernandez said she was devastated by the incident.

“The condition of the city’s animal shelters remains completely unacceptable,” Hernandez said. “We urgently need to take immediate action to address the crisis in our shelters and ensure the safety and well-being of the animals in our care and their caregivers.”