A San Juan woman is recovering in the hospital after police said she was attacked by a dog on Christmas Day.

The woman’s neighbors, Lupe and Denise Acevedo, said they were there when a dog ran outside and attacked their neighbor.

“I just heard a very soft voice say 'ayudame' twice, 'ayudame,’” Lupe said.

The San Juan Police Department confirmed the attack happened at the 110 block of Anna Drive at around 2 p.m. on Christmas Day. San Juan Police Chief Leandro Sifuentes said a dog belonging to a neighbor in the area ran out of its home and attacked the woman.

Lupe and Denise came to their neighbor’s aid.

“I yelled at my husband 'the dog is biting [her]' and I started running and praying 'oh dear God let [her] be OK,’” Denise said. “The dog opened her finger. She had a lot of bleeding, the skin there was off. He really did something to her."

Denise said the woman is still recovering in the hospital, but is expected to be released soon.

Jarod Muñoz with the Palm Valley Animal Society said dog attacks aren't common in the Rio Grande Valley, but there are ways to ensure safety if pet owners have an aggressive animal.

“Try stress testing it, see what your dog does react to,” Muñoz said. “Have your dog leash trained and have it respect your commands. If you’re not able to command your dog, that dog is going to essentially be wild.”

Before surrendering a dog to a shelter, Muñoz urges people to try taking it to your local vet for further analysis.

“See if there’s a program that they can get under. Some dogs do have high anxiety so we give them trazodone which is supposed to help their anxiety calm down, and maybe that works for them,” Muñoz said.

According to Sifuentes, the dog involved in the attack was seized by animal control and the owner was charged for not securing the animal.

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