Milwaukee woman faces long road to recovery after drastic dog attack

MILWAUKEE – Toni Braaten has a long road to recovery after being attacked by four dogs Thursday morning.

It happened just before 9:00 a.m. in an upstairs duplex on N 33rd. The St. family told TMJ4 News they were on their way to a friend’s house and didn’t know he had four pit bulls. According to her father, Toni was immediately attacked.

Thomas Braaten

“I could hardly look at her,” said Thomas Braaten.

Mike Beiermeister

Her family spent Thursday and Friday by her side. Toni was released from surgery at 7:30 p.m. Thomas was still shaken on Friday after seeing what the dogs had done.

GoFundMe:Fundraiser by Thomas Braaten: Support Toni’s recovery after dog attack (gofundme.com)

“They ripped a piece out of her head,” Braaten said. “Her arms are torn to pieces. There’s a huge piece missing from her hand and it looks like they just took a bite out of her. Her legs are torn to pieces. Her chest is torn to pieces.”

Thomas Braaten

According to Thomas, police reported that Toni threw herself down the stairs in an attempt to get to safety, using her arms to protect herself from the bites.

LaDale, who lives on the ground floor of the duplex, heard the commotion. He told TMJ4 News that he tries to keep to himself, but when he heard the screams, he had to do something.

“I pepper-sprayed her and hit her to free her from the young lady’s grasp,” LaDale said.

Mike Beiermeister

He also pressed his emergency button to call for help. Both Toni’s defensive measures and LaDale’s quick action probably saved the 33-year-old’s life.

“They don’t listen to him,” LaDale said. “He tries to tell them to stop, but they don’t listen to him. He lost control. They turned around and tried to bite him.”

LaDale and other neighbors TMJ4 spoke to said this was not the first time the dogs had caused trouble and that they had only been living in the neighborhood for three or four months.

SHORTCUT: Animal Lovers (Breeding) (milwaukee.gov)

“I can hardly go outside, the dogs jump over the fence,” said LaDale. “I had to give up my cat because they almost came in here and got her.”

Watch: Milwaukee woman faces long road to recovery after drastic dog attack

Milwaukee woman faces long road to recovery after drastic dog attack

He and others said they lived in fear because the dogs would jump over the garden fence and chase people.

Two neighbors said they saw a woman throw a chicken out of her supermarket after one of the dogs chased her and her children.

TMJ4 tried to speak to the owner, but he did not want to appear on camera.

MADACC confirmed that four dogs were taken from the scene and are currently in quarantine at the shelter.

Thomas Braaten

The Braaten family now faces an uphill battle to get Toni back to health. They plan to move her out of Milwaukee once she recovers.

They expect her to be able to leave the hospital next week.

“Every time she closes her eyes, she sees the dogs coming toward her,” Thomas said.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with the medical bills and trauma Toni is now going through.

GoFundMe:Fundraiser by Thomas Braaten: Support Toni’s recovery after dog attack (gofundme.com)

Thomas Braaten

TMJ4 reached out to Milwaukee police to see if the owner had been cited, but received no response.

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