A Fort Worth woman is recovering after she was attacked and mauled by a pit bull while jogging along the city's popular Trinity Trails.
Caitlin Keen, an avid runner who came in first in this year's Cowtown 10K and qualified for the Olympic trials, said she was jogging Sunday morning along the trail near the Hulen Street bridge when she was suddenly attacked.
"The dog came running right at me and jumped up right on me and pulled me down to the ground," she said. "I was just terrified. I really thought it was going to try to kill me."
She said she could have died if not for the help of two passersby, including a woman who threw rocks at the animal.
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"I could not have gotten away on my own," Keen said. "This dog was stronger than me and was faster than I was."
Tyler Caviness was walking his two dogs along the trail when he found Keen, bleeding and desperate.
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"I knew she was scared for her life and you know at that point I just kind of, you know, there was nobody else in the vicinity," he said.
After the attack, the pit bull calmed down and Caviness held it by the collar and sat on top of it, he said.
Keen thanked the strangers for their help.
"I mean I'm lucky I'm alive," she said. "I'm lucky I had two people walk up at that same time because I don't know what would have happened."
The owner showed up, she said. But by then it was too late.
A city official said the owner may be cited for not having her dog on a leash and that if Keen files a formal complaint, the animal may ultimately be put down.
The dog will be quarantined in the shelter for at least 10 days until a decision is made, the official said.
The owner's name was not released.
Keen, 26, said she does plan to file a complaint and hoped her case sends a message to owners -- follow the law and keep dogs on a leash.
She said she planned to eventually run along the trail again.
"This isn't going to stop me from doing what I want to do," she said.
