Dogs attack 97-year-old grandma in Lehigh Acres, leading to rabies shots

A family is outraged after two dogs attack their 97-year-old grandmother. Out of an abundance of caution, grandma got rabies shots after the attack.

The attack happened on Rutgers Street in Lehigh Acres.

97-year-old victim Irene Day lives on her own in Lehigh with the help of her son Larry and daughter-in-law Diane, who live across the street.

“She enjoys living by herself and doing things by herself,” Larry said.

Irene stepped outside on Monday morning at about 10 am to feed her cat.

“Two dogs come running up the driveway, and they were right behind me, and I turned around, tried to kick them, and the one got my heel and my shoe, and the other one got above my knee on the other leg,” Irene said.

Irene threw the cat food and got back inside the house to call Larry and Diane, who dialed 9-1-1.

“I just felt so bad,” Diane said. “If I had, I never imagined she’d be outside, you know?”

Irene spent some time in the hospital but is back home, nursing the bites to her legs.

As for the two dogs, Lee County Animal Services said it had issued citations to the owner of the pit bulls.

Irene’s granddaughter Tina Barga said those dogs did not have up-to-date vaccination, and because of that, Irene had to endure rabies shots.

“My 97-year-old grandmother had to go through a series of extremely painful shots for rabies,” Barga said.

Barga is thankful her grandmother didn’t fall down.

“Because if she had gone down, there’s no doubt in my mind that the dogs would have finished tearing her apart,” Barga said.