A Volunteer Was Training a Dog. Then It 'Turned on Her'

An animal rescue volunteer who helped rehabilitate Akita dogs was ultimately killed by one. Carol Harris, 69, who worked with rescue group Akita Advocates, was training a dog on the grounds of Phoenix's Canine Country Club and Feline Inn when she was fatally attacked Wednesday, the group says in a Facebook post, per AZFamily.com. There were no witnesses to the attack, but Harris was found with serious injuries from what appeared to be bites after an Akita dog was seen running loose on the grounds, covered in blood, reports the Arizona Republic. Police responded to the scene shortly before 3pm. Harris was rushed to a hospital, but she was later pronounced dead.

"It looks like the dog turned on her,'' says the owner of the facility, which rents space to rescue groups, noting Harris had visited several times a week for years. "We've never had more than a nip. And this is unbelievable." Akita Advocates says Harris had been helping rehabilitate an Akita dog—which can reach more than 2 feet tall and weigh more than 100 pounds, per Cleveland.com—"in the hopes of him becoming adoptable." It adds the animal will now be put down. A rep for a local animal control group says the dog "is being kept in a secure kennel … and no human contact will be made with this dog" until that time. (A woman was just killed by her own dogs.)