AMHERST, Ohio (WJW) — Quick action by a neighbor and postal carrier helped save a woman who was attacked by her 100 pound dog. The woman was taken to the hospital and is home recovering after undergoing two surgeries, one on each of her arms.
33-year-old Janae Presutto-Canon says around noon Wednesday, she heard her dog, Zeus, a 16-month-old Cane Corso yelping in the back yard. She says when she went outside to check on him, his paw was stuck underneath part of the fence. Right before she reached him, Zeus jumped up and latched onto her arm with his jaws.
“That’s when I heard her screaming, ‘Oh my God, help me. He’s biting me, he’s biting me, help me, help me,” recalls neighbor Linda Morrow.
As Morrow rushed over to help, Presutto-Canon was able to pull the dog away by grabbing his collar.
“For some reason, she was able to get him off and she was able to get to her feet and he was sitting beside her,” said Morrow.
The longtime neighbor says as she approached, Zeus attacked his owner again.
“All she did was move her foot and her dog got on her again. This time he was being more aggressive on her,” said Morrow.
At that time, postal carrier Alex Uber, was making his daily rounds through the neighborhood and heard the commotion.
“I looked over the fence, I put my mailbag down, put the mail on the ground and I hopped over the fence to look. I was peeking over the top and I could see her being dragged by the dog,” said Uber.
Uber says he carries several cans of mace with him and handed one to the neighbor. Meanwhile, Morrow’s husband grabbed two pieces of a dog cage to use as a defense against the dog.
“I was able to take the mace and take the little fence thing and get the dog off of her. Then we were able to distract it with me long enough that I could spray it in the mouth with the mace,” said Uber.
“Janae was able to get onto her feet and made a run for the gate and I grabbed her and we brought her out,” said Morrow.
Presutto-Canon was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center in Lorain where she was treated for 27 puncture wounds on her arms and back. She returned home Thursday.
Presutto-Canon says she received Zeus as a birthday gift last October when he was four months old. She says he was neutered and went through obedience training. She also took him with her to pet stores and nursing homes where she worked. Presutto-Canon says she has no idea why he would attack her.
Her neighbor and mail carrier say they also were surprised that the dog would turn on his owner.
“Friendly…I mean, he knows all these kids. She has a four-and-a-half-year-old that gets on him like he’s a toy,” said Morrow.
Zeus was euthanized and tested for rabies, although Presutto-Canon says he is current on his rabies shots. She says she also had her other dog put to sleep because it began to be aggressive toward her after she returned home from the hospital.
She feels fortunate that her neighbors and mail carrier were able to come to her rescue.
“Between me and the neighbors, we were able to accomplish something together,” said Uber.
The United States Postal Service released a statement, which reads:
“The Postal Service is proud of Alex Uber for helping the woman that was attacked by the dog and we wish her a speedy recovery. Our mail carriers are in neighborhoods everyday and many of them have assisted customers in emergency situations. Mr. Uber will be nominated for the Postmaster General Hero Award for his heroic efforts.”
