Amber King has spoken out about the terrifying moment a massive pit bull turned on her in San Francisco, revealing she had agreed to watch the animal for a stranger just before it broke free and mauled her.
King, who is homeless, told ABC7 she had tied the dog to a post in the Tenderloin neighborhood while helping a man she barely knew who was moving. “The guy was moving and he needed help. Me, I’m a helper. So I just happened to help, and I had the dog tied up. How? The dog got loose. I don’t know,” she said.
The pit bull charged at King and pinned her down, attacking her for 10 to 15 minutes as she used her arms to shield herself from the relentless bites.
“I was going to die. If I didn’t fight, I was going to die. I kept hearing the crunching sound of the dog biting me,” she said.
Police responded around 9:20 a.m. To Larkin Street between Eddy and Turk streets, where they found King severely bleeding and the blood-covered dog still in the vicinity. A bystander tried to keep the animal at bay before an officer managed to restrain it with a catch pole. The pit bull later collapsed and died at the scene before San Francisco Animal Care & Control could arrive.
King spent a week at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and underwent multiple surgeries for her devastating injuries. Nearly two weeks later, her left hand remains severely damaged while she slowly regains movement in her right fingers.
“My left hand is completely damaged. Every nerve, every bone,” King said.
She described moving her fingers now as “baby steps,” noting that even the smallest movements remain difficult.
King continues to relive the mauling and has been unable to sleep without nightmares.
She credited a bystander identified only as Ashley with helping her during the attack, and the two have since spoken by phone.
“Thank God for that Ashley lady,” King said. “Whoever she is, I’d like to give her an extra thank you for coming and acknowledging what I was going through.”
Authorities have said investigators are examining whether an underlying medical condition or exposure to a foreign substance could have contributed to the dog’s violent behavior and sudden death.
“I’m so glad to be here. Glad to be here,” King said.
She added that she wants the dog’s owner to come forward. San Francisco police have said no one has been held accountable for the attack, and it remains unclear whether investigators have identified the owner.
